Chapter 19: Good Luck!
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 19: Good Luck!
“I honestly have no idea what you’re thinking, Mother.”
While Alto was away with Count Dakuus, Airune took the opportunity to confront the Countess about the current situation.
The Countess had made herself comfortable in the guest room and was leisurely enjoying tea time.
“Whatever do you mean, young lady?”
“I’m talking about your plan to have Mr. Alto accompany me as a member of my adventurer party.”
Coincidentally, he shared the same name as the ‘Alto Bertrand’ her mother had mentioned the previous night.
However, it didn’t even occur to Airune that this Alto could be that Alto.
She was blinded by the prejudice that the mysterious No. 1 National Merit Recipient, Alto Bertrand, couldn’t possibly appear before her so easily.
Besides, the name ‘Alto’ was incredibly common in the kingdom.
If you went outside right now and shouted the name, dozens of people—both men and women—would probably turn their heads.
“Mr. Alto is from Lukart. He even has experience as a supporter for Mirei’s party, the very first to reach Hero rank. A man like him will be a faithful aide on your journey as an adventurer.”
Mirei’s party.
It was a name every adventurer had heard at least once.
After all, they were the first in the kingdom—and the entire world—to achieve the Hero rank.
However, the fact that he had been in another party actually displeased Airune.
“That just means he’s already been in ‘that’ kind of relationship with the women in his previous party before breaking up.”
“Oh my, are you jealous already?”
“It’s not jealousy. I’m questioning the man’s integrity.”
“You needn’t worry about that.”
As she spoke, the Countess fiddled with her earring.
Through communication magic using vibrations, she could hear Alto confessing his feelings of inferiority to Count Dakuus, but the sound didn’t reach Airune, who was standing a short distance away.
So that’s how it is.
Like the Count, the Countess immediately grasped the general situation from Alto’s outburst.
She bitterly accepted the fact that even if their design was perfect, it would be difficult to be certain of the outcome.
“I’ve already completed a background check through Karen, the Adventurer Guild Branch Manager. He’s clean. He’s a talented individual who focused solely on his duties as a supporter, handling not only dungeon combat but all administrative tasks by himself. I was told repeatedly that he was strictly on professional terms with his party members—nothing more, nothing less. Then again, one could hardly reach Hero rank with an ordinary man in tow.”
“Still…”
“And unlike the men out there, Mr. Alto has no rough edges. You saw it, didn’t you? Normally, if something like this happened, a man would have tried to force his way into marrying you. But Mr. Alto was the one who opposed it, saying that nothing should be done through coercion.”
That had surprised Airune as well.
When the word ‘marriage’ came out of the Countess’s mouth, she thought there would be no way to escape.
But Alto, the one who stood to benefit, had jumped in protest, saying it was absolutely out of the question.
He had even racked his brains to find a way to settle the matter peacefully.
It was because she had seen that side of him that Airune had compromised and temporarily accepted him as her traveling companion.
“‘Marriage is something that can only happen after getting to know each other and confirming one’s feelings.’ Those aren’t words that come easily from just any man, are they?”
“I agree with you, Mother, but I don’t know what people will think if I travel in a party with a man.”
“That won’t be an issue. Nothing actually happened between the two of you, and Mr. Alto is a gentleman. He doesn’t seem like the type to cause any scandalous incidents between a man and a woman.”
Though I’m actually hoping for a scandalous incident.
She held onto the hope that if it were Alto, he would cause a ‘scandal’ based on mutual consent and true love.
Just like Count Dakuus, the Countess viewed Alto as the only candidate for a son-in-law.
It was a decision made the moment she received the report from Karen about Alto’s migration to Hus.
He was a man different from those gigolos out there.
As a war veteran and someone who had served under Marquis Dakuren, she was certain he would never treat Airune carelessly and would cherish her deeply.
This certainty was backed by the Countess’s own keen eye for people.
Just as she had chosen Count Dakuus as her husband back when his looks were… less than stellar, she believed Alto would make a fine husband.
“Are you perhaps acting this way because you don’t like Mr. Alto’s appearance?”
Airune flared up at that.
“He is a good person. I’m not judging him by his looks. Do you see me as such a shallow woman who only gives her heart based on a man’s face, Mother?”
“Of course not.”
She hadn’t raised her daughter to be steeped in low-level lookism.
That was the Countess’s pride and her educational philosophy.
“And honestly, compared to Father or Brother, he’s actually better-looking.”
“Oh my.”
The Countess smiled thinly and lifted her teacup.
If her memory served her right, Marquis Dakuren, Janks, and Alto were all roughly on the same level when it came to appearance.
* * *
“I am Alto, recently moved to Hus from Lukart. As a commoner, I have no surname.”
“Welcome, Mr. Alto. Welcome to Hus.”
I didn’t really have an option to decline.
I still had the loan debt I took out because of Krima, and I needed the settlement subsidy and national subsidy until my veteran’s benefits and pension kicked in.
To be honest, I’ve given up on romance, so I figured if the national subsidy got cut off, so be it. But even if it’s just a temporary arrangement, I should keep it coming while I’m with the young lady.
Especially since the national subsidy I’ll receive starting next month is thanks to her, so I think it’s okay to invest a little bit of it back into the party.
Am I a sucker?
Don’t worry.
If she starts taking me for granted like they did in Lukart, I’ll cut ties instantly.
And I won’t do something as stupid as setting up an automatic transfer to a party management account like last time.
Trust me on this.
“I’m not particularly thrilled about it, but I’m currently active as an adventurer to inspect the people’s livelihoods as part of my preparation to become the Lord of Hus. I look forward to working with you during this time.”
“Young lady!”
The Countess chided her for the unnecessary remark, but the young lady ignored her.
While the Countess stared and the young lady continued to ignore her, the old man finally got his turn to speak among the group.
“Now then, I shall grant Alto here the settlement subsidy for moving to Hus.”
The old man handed me a document stamped with the seal of the Acting Lord.
I suppose if I take this to the bank, I’ll receive the subsidy.
I asked about it when I went out for some fresh air earlier, and they said that excluding the provision of housing, I’d receive 8 million Dalk every month for three years.
Excellent.
The national subsidy is 5 million Dalk a month, so this is even more.
But the moment I finished that calculation, a new one forced its way in.
The loan.
40 million Dalk.
During the period I can receive the national subsidy, I’ll have 13 million Dalk a month.
I hate debt.
Since 3 million Dalk should be enough to live on for a month, if I save as much as possible, couldn’t I pay off 10 million Dalk a month for four months?
Ah, right. I decided to invest part of the national subsidy into the party, didn’t I?
Am I a sucker?
No!
I’m telling you, the settlement subsidy and the national subsidy themselves are only possible because of the young lady!
I’m just repaying the favor!
Oh, and I was also making regular donations to the orphanage, wasn’t I?
Since I became an orphan myself due to the aftermath of the war, this is one thing I won’t compromise on.
However, I’ll change it from the orphanage in Lukart to one within the Hus region that needs my support.
Orphanages in both Lukart and Hus are run by the Church anyway, so it shouldn’t matter, right?
Come to think of it, when I donated to the Lukart orphanage, I think Krima benefited from it as part of her performance as a priestess, but I don’t care anymore.
It’s my money, and I’ll spend it however I want.
I won’t be a sucker ever again.
“I will make sure to use this money for good causes.”
“You sound like a mobster.”
This old geezer, seriously.
“Count, you two seem quite close. Have you met before?”
Twitch.
All three of us, excluding the young lady, flinched.
Oops, I was being too informal.
But the old man acted shamelessly.
“Actually, we met a long time ago when I visited Lukart. He was such a bold fellow even then, so we had a bit of a scuffle. I told him to come to Hus later if he felt like it, but I never expected him to actually show up.”
“Did you ever visit Lukart, Father?”
“It was a very long time ago. Shortly after the war ended.”
“I see.”
The way she tilted her head was so cu—
She was beautiful, as expected of a noblewoman.
Alto, stop thinking useless thoughts.
Just then, the Countess clapped her hands and changed the subject.
“Now that we’ve finished all the necessary procedures here, let’s move on to the next step.”
“The next step?”
“Yes.”
The Countess smiled faintly at the young lady’s question.
But I felt a sense of foreboding from that smile.
“We need to find a house for Mr. Alto to stay in here in Dakuren.”
“I see. I’ll leave that matter to you, Mother.”
“Oh my, what are you saying, young lady?”
“Pardon?”
The Countess was still smiling.
“Since you are party members, it is only natural that you, young lady, personally accompany Mr. Alto to look around.”
“Indeed, indeed. You should look at real estate together to find a place with good accessibility so you can carry out quests at any time.”
When even the old man chimed in, the young lady looked flustered.
I felt the same way.
“Old man, I can do it alone. I like being alone.”
“What are you talking about, Alto? Teamwork is the lifeblood of an adventurer party. You need to know each other’s tendencies to work together smoothly.”
Ugh, using logic against me! How cowardly!
The Countess picked up a small bell and asked.
“Would you like to have breakfast before you go?”
“No!”
The young lady refused instantly.
“Since we’ve already talked about it, we might as well leave now!”
She seemed quite cross about something, or was it just my imagination?
“Let’s go, Mr. Alto! There’s no need to entertain their mischief!”
“Huh? Ah, wait… Young lady!”
As I hurriedly followed after her, I looked back resentfully.
The old man winked with his snake-like eye behind his monocle and gave me a thumbs-up.
‘Good luck!’
I really want to break that thumb.