Chapter 80
Chapter 80
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 80
Chapter Title: 080. Reborn as the Plum Blossom Sword Master in a Count's Family
-----------------------------------------------------------------
I stepped out of Elaine's office and headed toward the Plun Knight Order's training grounds. The barracks and the training grounds were right next to each other.
Thanks to the ancient artifact—the smartphone—I could roam the mansion alone without a dedicated servant for the time being.
'Elaine attends those noble ladies' gatherings regularly. The other noblewomen will surely take notice of her new perfume.'
Of course, Elaine wouldn't reveal the source. She might even stop using the perfume altogether. She's a cautious woman, after all.
'No problem if she doesn't. I can just send some as gifts to the other noblewomen.'
In the process, I'll claim I made them myself. And I'm not planning to send just perfume. I'll gift them other modern items too.
'That way, I'll gradually spread my name... and start selling them in earnest. Hahaha!'
Once I build up some popularity, I'll slowly raise the prices. The Magic Tower will no doubt try to manufacture counterfeits and sell them, but I don't care. There's a limit to how well magic can replicate modern science.
'Don't get too cocky. Take it slow. I don't have my own faction yet.'
Still, with the Purkus Count family backing me, no one will dare lay a hand on me recklessly.
I stopped in front of the Plun Knight Order's training grounds.
'Plun Knight Captain Hent Embis. I can't afford to make an enemy of this guy right now.'
I'd come to apologize to him—Lexi's father.
I'm aiming for the headship of the count family. In normal circumstances, the eldest son would naturally inherit it.
'Succession struggles require backing from factions. And the knights' support is a massive force.'
I couldn't afford to clash with Hent Embis here. If things went completely south, I'd have to assassinate him for the sake of my future.
As I stood there in front of the training grounds, a boy from inside approached me.
A squire. An apprentice knight. Essentially, a knight's disciple and attendant.
"Young Master Yujin! What brings you to our training grounds?"
It was just a lowly squire talking to me like that. He was hiding it with his posture and expression, but the subtle hostility in his eyes and tone was plain as day.
'The rumors have spread, as expected.'
And the fact that I'm supposedly sickly is probably another reason they look down on me.
"I'm here to see Sir Embis. Show me the way."
"The captain is currently..."
"Currently?"
I stared at him. Under my indifferent gaze, he snapped to attention and bowed his head.
"...That was a slip of the tongue. I'll guide you right away."
He'd gotten the message. I followed the squire inside.
'Smart kid. I was ready to put him in his place if he kept pushing.'
Once you're nobility, you have to act like it. And I was a man who suited the role perfectly.
Liberal democracy? What's that? Something to eat?
???
A burly man in his forties sat in the office, clad in armor. He rose from his seat to greet me—a formality.
"It's been a while, Young Master Yujin."
His eyes, naturally, brimmed with hostility. A mercenary who had clawed his way up to knight captain wouldn't hide his feelings.
Well, I get it. From his perspective, I'm the bastard who tried to rape his daughter.
"Good to see you. It's been ages."
"...Yes. You've changed quite a bit since last time. Your speech, for one."
Yujin Purkus had been an introvert. Sickly and confined to his room, his personality had naturally turned gloomy.
"I've been feeling healthier lately. And since I just had my coming-of-age ceremony, shouldn't I mind my speech a bit?"
"You look well. Glad to hear it."
His words said one thing, but his attitude was ice-cold.
From his position, I must seem like a real pain in the ass. The son of his sworn lord—he can't hit me or even curse me out.
Dragging out small talk would just sour the mood further.
"About what happened today... I'm sorry. I apologize. I must have lost my mind for a moment."
"..."
I bowed to him. Me—one of the count's precious few children!
"...My daughter cried. I'd never seen her cry like that."
"I'm sorry."
"...Hoo."
Hent sighed. He knew he couldn't do anything to me. Even if he hated my guts, he couldn't pin any real crime on me.
In Purkus territory, the Purkus Count is as good as king. His son—me—is a prince. And I hadn't actually raped anyone. Framing me was impossible.
Hent had only one option.
"I forgive you. Raise your head."
"Thank you."
"..."
"..."
An awkward silence settled in.
My instincts told me:
If I just backed off here, my relationship with Hent would hit rock bottom.
The entire knight order turning against me? Even if it was one of the six lower-tier orders in the family, it was still a knight order. I couldn't have that.
I recalled what the original story said about Hent Embis. A mercenary-turned-knight, he loved his booze.
"Sir Embis. Have you heard of Netherlands beer from ancient times?"
To mend a strained relationship, nothing beats a gift... or a bribe.
???
7 p.m.
Hent returned home. It was a modest house compared to the Purkus Count's mansion.
"Welcome home, Father."
"Yeah."
Hent gave a curt reply to Lexi's greeting and headed straight for the kitchen.
Lexi tilted her head at his behavior. Her father wasn't the type to brush off greetings so casually. He was a bit of a softie. And usually, after work, he'd head to a tavern and come home around 9 or 10.
He spent more than half the week at the count's mansion. Coming home every day like this was rare.
Sensing something off, Lexi followed him to the kitchen.
"Welcome back, Baron."
The cook greeted Hent familiarly.
"Mm. Yeah."
Hent brushed past him and went straight to the fridge. A magic refrigerator—a magic tool that kept food fresh. It cost about 5 million ner, treated as an essential item for commoner weddings.
Hent reached deep into the fridge and pulled something out. A cold can of beer.
"Father, what's that?"
"Huh? What's what, Lexi? You hungry too? Didn't eat dinner?"
"I ate an hour ago. You ate at the mansion, right?"
Hent sat at the small table right by the kitchen, can in hand. The cook set down a plate of meat.
"I did. This is beer. Beer."
"Beer? You mean that?"
"Netherlands beer from the ancient civilization era."
Grinning, Hent cracked open the can.
Pssht! Pop!
The crisp, refreshing sound as it opened.
Hent swiftly brought the can to his lips and chugged it down. Beer far superior to the cheap swill at taverns slid coolly down his throat.
"Kyaah!"
He grabbed a fork and shoved some perfectly grilled meat into his mouth. Cool beer and juicy steak—the perfect combo.
Lexi watched quietly. She knew her father loved booze, especially beer, so she didn't interrupt his happy time.
Once the meat was gone and the beer empty, Lexi asked:
"Father... Is that Netherlands beer really that good?"
"Yeah! Compared to Netherlands beer, tavern piss is just piss! Piss!"
Declaring it boldly, Hent glanced wistfully at the kitchen. He wanted another, but the cans were limited. He had to ration them.
With effort, he looked away, pulled a cigarette from his pocket, and lit it with a Zippo lighter.
"Wh-what's that?!"
"Cigarette. Tobacco. They call it a cigarette. You know pipe tobacco, right?"
"That looks way worse for you than pipes! Isn't it like drugs or something?!"
"Already checked with an apothecary. Smoking one occasionally is fine."
Drag. Exhale.
Hent stared blankly at the smoke. A week ago, cigarettes had felt alien and off-putting. Now, he craved one whenever he had a moment.
"...Don't tell me. You got those from Young Master Yujin?"
"Yeah. As an apology. You got chocolate and coffee too, right?"
"W-well, yeah."
Lexi's face grew awkward.
Hent looked at her. Just a week ago, his daughter had been on the verge of rape by Yujin and sobbing her eyes out. Now, she was back to normal.
She wasn't afraid of Yujin anymore. No, even back then, it was more shock than fear. She had zero experience with that sort of thing.
'What if... back then...'
Hent wondered. If Lexi had actually been raped then, what would have happened? He'd have been furious but kept his cool. Protested as much as possible. She might even have ended up as Yujin's wife.
'Becoming Young Master Yujin's father-in-law... Means beer and smokes every day, right?'
Maybe the rape would've been better.
'...I'm drunk.'
Hent shook his head.
"Lexi. When are you getting married?"
"Huh? What brought that up?"
"You're 22, aren't you? Maybe quit the maid job and look for a match? I can recommend someone. Got a good guy in the knight order."
At the mention of marriage, Lexi's face hardened.
"...Father. You said you'd respect my choice about marriage."
"I respect it. But I didn't say not to marry at all. You have zero intention of marrying?"
"..."
Lexi clamped her mouth shut.
Hent sighed inwardly. Born to farmers, he'd chased freedom as a mercenary. He'd adventured in labyrinths, fought in wars as a soldier. Dated freely and married for love.
Because of that, he respected his daughter's choices in love and marriage.
'Lately, watching Lexi worries me...'
He was a knight.
Killing invading monsters, clearing dungeons, fighting wars. A job where death could come any day. So he wanted to see her married soon.
"You quitting the maid job?"
"...Thinking about it. Honestly, I kinda regret the thing with Young Master Yujin. He's still young... If I'd behaved properly."
Hent almost said Yujin was a full-grown man after his coming-of-age ceremony but held back. Yujin had heart issues, and his frail body made him look like a kid compared to other guys his age.
"Young Master Yujin doesn't have a dedicated maid anymore. Seems like what he did hit him hard."
"...R-really? Lady wouldn't allow it because of his illness..."
"His condition's improved lately, so she permitted it. Still, servants check on him constantly."
"Hm..."
Lexi started pondering the maid job again.
Hent eyed her figure anew. Not sexually—just habit. He instinctively sized up anyone's combat potential.
'...She's been practicing the self-defense I taught her diligently. Better than most guys.'
She looked like an ordinary girl, but she couldn't fool the eyes of a veteran mercenary.
"Lexi. How about becoming a knight this time?"
"Huh? I'm a girl."
"This world has plenty of famous female knights. Plus, you know mana breathing. How well can you handle mana now?"
"I can reinforce my body briefly... Wait, no. I told you before, I don't wanna be a knight!"
Mid-tier aura user level.
22 years old. The fact she could sense and control mana proved her talent.
"Maid doesn't suit you. Heard from the head butler—you suck at cleaning, laundry, even cooking."
"Ugh."
"If you're a regular maid instead of Yujin's personal one, you'd just be doing grunt work."
Undeniable fact.
That's why she'd shoved aside Yujin's wet nurse to become his personal maid.
"Maids have jobs only maids can do, and female knights have jobs only they can. Think about it."
As always, he had no intention of forcing her. He was a father who respected her opinions and choices.
Hent pulled out another cigarette and lit it.
"Sss~ Ha!"
"Father! You can't smoke inside!"
"This is my house. If you don't like it, get married and move out."
"Aaaargh!"
She screamed at the word "marriage." Lately, it was the one thing she hated hearing most.