Chapter 65
Chapter 65
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 65
Chapter Title: Stormy Betrothal Meeting
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If asked to describe Baron Armin Campbell, not a single resident of the territory would say anything bad about him.
A capable and affable lord who always jumps into the front lines to handle the dirty work alongside everyone else, always puts his subordinates first, and processes official duties with cold composure.
And Armin was proving exactly why he earned such an evaluation in real time.
No resident would disagree that he was doing so just by not fleeing from the person in front of him.
“...Is the tea to your liking?”
In truth, considering who he was asking, the question itself bordered on absurdity.
True to a lord with no ties to luxury, he had simply brewed old tea leaves and herbs in a rather crude set of cups.
There were no visitors from other territories, so he hadn’t stocked any proper hospitality items. He’d rather use that money to replace one more farming tool for the residents with a new one.
“It’s fine.”
But.
The man who had likely tasted every delicacy from the Empire’s mountains and seas just said that.
Gideon Gailsterd la Tristan.
The Empire’s pinnacle of power, with only the Emperor above him.
No matter how he thought about it, this man wouldn’t suddenly show up alone in a territory without a single attendant.
‘The Tristan Duchess is already the limit...!’
To think even the Grand Duke of Tristan himself had come.
What in the world was happening?
Armin scanned him up and down, inwardly sweating bullets.
His attire didn’t even look like that of a great noble.
Bandages wrapped around his entire body. Tattered clothes. A single sword hanging at his side, and a physique honed like rock with rippling muscles.
He looked less like a great noble and more like a wandering swordsman who had spent years in ascetic training far from the mortal world.
“...My apologies, Grand Duke. This remote rural backwater lacks proper items, so I must apologize for offering only this...”
“No.”
Gideon emptied his teacup and replied.
It was undoubtedly crude and bitter, yet he drank it without a hint of displeasure.
“There’s nothing shameful about it.”
“...”
Armin blinked in confusion.
“On the way here, all the territory residents I saw were smiling. Even in such a peaceful place, it’s not easy for everyone to wear that expression.”
Just from that, anyone could see how Armin Campbell treated his people.
“It means you’ve sacrificed much. You can be proud, Baron Campbell.”
At the very least, this baron ruling a tiny remote territory was clearly far better than the beasts who thought only of noble privileges and ignored their duties.
How long had it been since he met a ‘real’ noble like this?
Gideon nodded, thinking that.
“So your son must have grown into a fine man as well.”
“...Pardon?”
Armin blankly responded to the sudden remark.
No, why bring up his son out of nowhere?
“...If I may ask, what is your relationship with Dawood...?”
“Master-disciple.”
Armin’s mouth fell open.
Heavens. To be accepted as a disciple by the Grand Duke of Tristan himself, no less?
He’d always thought his son was smart since childhood, but he never imagined the boy had such incredible talent!
‘I did right sending him to the Academy...!’
Armin inwardly praised his past decision.
He’d squeezed every penny from their impoverished territory to give his son that chance, and it had been worth it.
He’d only wanted to provide an education so the boy could better help the residents in the future, but to build connections this monumental?
“I’m truly grateful, Grand Duke Tristan. To grant my boy such a precious opportunity. As thanks, I must offer some-”
“...No.”
Gideon furrowed his brow in reply.
“I don’t know what you’re misunderstanding, but I’m his disciple.”
“...”
Armin’s expression went blank.
It felt like his brain functions had frozen solid.
What was this man saying right now?
“I came to the territory this time for a progress check.”
“...”
“There was homework you assigned, and I succeeded in making some progress on my end. It’s time for new homework.”
“...”
“I do hope my efforts have been on the right track.”
Armin’s brain jolted back to life like lightning as he watched Gideon speak with a wry smile.
Right now.
The Grand Duke of Tristan.
Was nervous about showing ‘results’ to his son.
Like a student facing a professor’s assignment review.
“...”
Armin’s frozen brain finally stirred after a long pause.
Let’s sort out the situation.
His mind had been too chaotic to fully process it before, but his son had once entered the territory with both the adopted daughter of Margrave Kendrid and the Tristan Duchess in tow.
And now, the Grand Duke himself was claiming to be his son’s disciple. With his own mouth.
‘...Son. What the hell have you been up to?’
He’d promised to live quietly without drawing attention when he left for home...!
Such a scream echoed like a wail inside Armin.
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“...”
“...I won’t get hurt anymore, I promise.”
“...”
Elnor tied the bandage tight without a word.
It was so forceful that a shallow groan escaped my lips involuntarily.
“You always have to make people worry, don’t you.”
Elnor muttered as she glared at me.
“If you want to get hurt that badly, just tell me. I’ll beat you soundly without any lingering effects.”
“No, this time it really was unavoidable-”
Elnor smacked my back.
Guess that meant no backtalk.
“...”
It hurt like hell.
She’d seemed to hit lightly, but the impact was so intense it nearly took my breath away.
“...On second thought, don’t ask me for that kind of favor.”
“...Pardon?”
“If I test it by hitting you once, I feel more sorry than expected. Even if you ask, I won’t do it.”
“...”
So that’s how it is.
No will to respond, so I just focused on checking things over.
First, ‘expenditures.’
◎ Restore Potion
[ Item: Consumable ]
[ Price: 15,000pt ]
[ Slowly restores damaged body parts. Not very effective on life-threatening fatal injuries. ]
[ Remaining Points: 1,000pt ]
Fucking expensive.
It was the one I poured into my right arm. This single item wiped out most of the points I’d painstakingly saved from gift rewards and Main Quests.
If I think about earning Margrave Kendrid’s favor with it, maybe it was a bargain.
With territory access granting eligibility for beast and dungeon subjugations, the ‘Northern Borderlands’ under Krat’s control were a goldmine. Most of the game’s notoriously powerful relics were concentrated there.
‘Shadow Step, Immovable Curtain, Earthshaker...’
Recalling the list of cheat-level relics farmable there made my right arm seem like a steal.
As part of the pilgrimage homecoming event, Eliya visited my hometown, so I had ample excuse to visit hers next break. I could aim for those then.
“We’ve arrived.”
As the carriage stopped, Elnor murmured that.
Anyway, we’d wrapped up business in Viscount Golldik’s territory, so we were back in my territory to resume ‘business.’
“...”
If I stretch my hopeful thinking.
Maybe they just wanted to relax together during break since we’re all on vacation.
Please.
No more serious talks.
With that in mind, I stepped out of the carriage. Krat and Eliya were disembarking from the one beside us.
Our eyes met.
Eliya’s face flushed crimson to her earlobes in an instant, and she whipped her head away.
She’d been like this ever since that tussle with Krat earlier.
“...Good grief.”
Krat’s face soured immediately upon seeing it.
“You can tell at a glance he’s two-timing. Is that right, Eliya?”
“...I’ll handle it myself, Margrave.”
Eliya replied primly and darted into the lord’s castle.
Her face still flushed to her ears.
“...”
I watched silently, then summoned a window.
[Gift-Related Character Alert]
▼ Eliya Chrisanax
[ Interest Stage 4 ] >>> [ Trust Stage 1 ]
[ Rewards available for collection! ]
Jumping two stages instantly was impressive, but it didn’t bring major changes for me.
From experience, affection stage changes with good-aligned characters only gave points.
What stood out more were the lines below.
[ Negative Imprint 3 stacks → Negative Imprint Released ]
[ New status granted due to release. ]
[ Inflicted with ‘Fascination’ status toward you. ]
[ ‘Gift#1: Fateful Attraction’ effect now applies to target as well! ]
“...”
So.
This girl, despite being good-aligned, gains affection increases like evil-aligned characters. And if she grows and acquires new skills, they’ll be shared to me via Apostle Conversion.
Plus, what followed.
[ Inflicted Fascination on good-aligned character previously under negative influence from ‘Negative Imprint’! ]
[ ‘Gift #2: Near-Ink Blackening’ strengthening condition met! ]
[ Fulfill the same condition once more to strengthen the gift! ]
The first gift’s strengthening gave me one of my most cheat-like abilities: Apostle Conversion.
I couldn’t ignore what might emerge if this one strengthened.
“...”
Scanning the window, I entered the lord’s castle.
The atmosphere was still frozen solid.
Eliya walked ahead silently, face refusing to lose its red hue; Krat followed with a displeased scowl; Elnor advanced glaring darkly at Eliya.
It resembled our initial arrival—everyone moving wordlessly. If anything, it was even more shattered.
“...”
This is weird.
Didn’t we all blow off steam beating up Viscount Golldik together?
Why was the mood this wrecked?
“...I’ll have to monitor you more diligently from now on.”
“Yes?”
“At this rate, with you oblivious to the problem, who knows how many more you’ll bring like this. I was willing to overlook it somewhat if you at least remembered priorities, but with this level of self-awareness...”
“...Self-awareness?”
“Consider yourself lucky no one’s devoured you yet.”
“...”
“Even I struggle to hold back at times.”
A chill ran through me, leaving me speechless as we entered the castle.
We trudged on in suffocating silence, savoring the tension.
Unlike before, nothing would thaw this thin ice.
With that gloomy thought, I entered my father’s office.
“...We’re ba-”
[ Crisis detected. ]
[ Event threatening life imminent simply from proximity. ]
[ Skill: Desperate Situation applied at A-rank. ]
Why activate now?
I blinked in confusion, but the mystery resolved instantly.
“...Gideon?”
“...Krat?”
Margrave Kendrid and Grand Duke Tristan.
The Empire’s top two with the worst relations locked eyes.
They blinked in mutual shock, clearly not expecting to meet here.
And then.
-...
-...
-...!!!!
Killing intent billowed out thickly, enough to drain the color from everyone present.
“...”
My first thought in that instant.
‘...Why didn’t it activate at EX-rank?’
These two meeting ‘directly’ was an undeniable disaster.
In every sense.
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