Chapter 90: My Husband! (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 90: My Husband! (1)
Despite the massive incident, time continued to flow, indifferent to it all.
Fran’s charred corpse was hung in the Dakuren City square, and Arasen’s funeral was held at the public cemetery.
As it turned out, Arasen and Fran had been orphans together.
Knowing that, I could understand a little better why Arasen had clung so foolishly to him.
To an outsider just watching, it might seem baffling why someone wouldn’t leave such a scoundrel. But when it’s your own life, severing a bond takes immense courage and strength.
It’s even harder when it’s someone you’ve relied on since childhood.
On the other hand, it was frustrating to think of Fran, who had a childhood friend who looked only at him until the very end, yet chose to twist and ruin that relationship.
“No matter how wicked a man is, it is practically a taboo for a woman to be the first to leave. It would mean abandoning a precious, rare man,” Eris answered my question calmly. She now came to the Lord’s Castle every dawn to shave me.
For the record, ever since the day I revealed my identity, my popularity had become so overwhelming that fans swarmed my house on the outskirts of the city. It became impossible to live there, so I moved into the Lord’s Castle.
Rune was overjoyed, but I was less than thrilled.
I mean, Bertrand isn’t even my real last name.
I couldn’t help but look unfavorably on how people’s attitudes shifted just because of those few syllables.
Whenever I had these thoughts, the quick-witted Eris would subtly push her sex appeal.
She was blatant about it—letting her chest brush against me while giving me a scalp massage, or sitting on my lap to press her body against mine while shaving me.
Since I was a man after all, my mind would wander and focus on Eris’s body, which made me feel a twinge of guilt toward Rune and Narupa.
“Eris is fine.”
“Yeah, Eris is okay.”
Surprisingly, Rune and Narupa were quite lenient toward her.
“She’s quick on the uptake, and she doesn’t use that wit to hatch schemes. She works hard, and while she makes it obvious she likes Alto, she doesn’t overstep her bounds. I like that,” Rune said, citing Eris’s conduct as the reason.
“She always makes gestures as if she’s asking for permission. Only when Rune or I respond positively does she start making her moves on you, Brother. I suppose it’s her own way of acting spoiled. Yeah, I like her because I think she’ll be a good mediator between Rune and me.”
Narupa also gave a positive assessment of Eris’s personality and behavior.
“Eris.”
“Yes?”
“I’ll stop by your house one evening soon.”
The matter had already been cleared by my other lovers.
“Thank you.”
Eris responded quite dryly, but in reality, she was holding back tears.
She had come all the way from Massa Village to Dakuren City to find me without any connections, so she must have been deeply moved.
Especially since there had been no guarantee that things would work out between us.
“Did the others say it was alright?”
“They said it was fine if it’s you. They even said they’d throw a celebration after we spend the night together.”
“They are truly wonderful people.”
Eris, her eyes brimming with tears, belatedly took on a serious expression.
“Um… I’m currently living with Diane.”
“…That’s right.”
Diane’s path had also been unexpected.
She was currently training under Narupa to master the power of space-time.
I wasn’t sure how she had managed to absorb Barion’s abilities, but she was putting in the effort to sense, manifest, and utilize that power.
“How is Diane lately?”
“Except for when she’s sleeping, she’s buried in work and training.”
That girl’s empty laughter whenever she smiles for no reason is a bit unsettling.
“It’ll be fine if I just tell her to stay at an inn for the night.”
“I feel like, with how she is now, she might get depressed or have a hard time with that.”
“That can’t be helped,” Eris said, firmly cutting off my concern. “It’s the consequence of her own sins. She’s been forgiven, so if she wants anything more than that, it’s just greed. She has to accept the outcome.”
“I feel like I’m incredibly indecisive compared to my women.”
“It’s because you’re kind.”
Eris hesitated for a moment before giving me a light kiss.
“It’s thanks to that kindness that I’m alive, and it’s become your special charm, Lord Alto.”
Then, unable to bear her own blushing face, Eris dashed out of my room.
Surprisingly, through the open door, I could hear Rune teasing Eris rather than being jealous or scolding her.
* * *
Now, let’s move on to the nauseating topic of politics.
“We have received word from the Royal Palace that it may take some time to determine the rewards for clearing the Dakuren Dungeon.”
Since I was essentially the husband-to-be of both Rune and Narupa, I was dragged into these tedious meetings every time.
Even when I wanted to make an excuse, Rune would plead with me to stay by her side, leaving me no way out.
‘Can’t I just say I’m busy making a baby and can’t attend?’
‘You! Are you crazy?!’
I don’t know why she takes it so seriously when I make a dirty joke.
Rune and Narupa make them all the time when it’s just the two of them.
And besides, we actually were in the middle of making a baby.
“They’re openly blathering about how they need to investigate the dungeon clearance, so they’ll proceed very carefully.”
The old man gave a crooked smile as he waved the King’s decree.
“The closure of the Dakuren Dungeon has already been confirmed by the Church’s Council of Elders, yet they’re delaying the reward? Count, how should we interpret their intentions?”
“They are wary of Hus. We have Alto Bertrand, and the legitimate heir of the Great Lord of Hus has stepped forward, so they’re wondering what we’re plotting.”
“After my father and his sacrifice saved the Kingdom, they dare?”
“My Lady, keep your thoughts to yourself. If you voice them, you never know where the wind might carry them.”
Janks was also constantly scolded by Marquis Dakuren for his blunt remarks, just like me.
Since I had been even worse than Rune at her age, I could only manage a bitter smile.
“Furthermore, the reward proposal included a woman of the royal bloodline. Our Hus is a land of gold, overflowing with wealth and resources. There is absolutely no need for regret.”
“Even if they did give us a reward, it would likely be nothing more than a ‘payback’—returning the taxes they squeezed out of Hus in the first place.”
Bank Manager Nasian was right.
In the Final War, over ninety percent of the responsible men died. The world being built by the ‘great’ people who only cared about preserving their own positions was bound to be a festival of irrationality and injustice.
The Duchy was the same in that regard.
Look at what happened to Yobeste.
His friend stole his wife and daughter, yet the Duchy took no action and only mocked him.
And then this disaster happened.
While the war veterans struggle day by day with their post-war scars, those who never even showed their faces on the battlefield are living in luxury.
Haha, well now.
My old temperament is starting to flare up.
Isn’t that right, Hunting Dog?
“Old man, I don’t like the Kingdom’s attitude.”
“Neither do I, you brat. This old man will do the thinking, so don’t let that wartime temper out. Remember, the only lives you are permitted to take are those of the Demon Race.”
“Well, it depended on the situation back then.”
“Ha! That fellow deserved to die.”
As we spoke of things only the two of us knew, the others looked bewildered yet tense.
I had unintentionally tightened the discipline in the room.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen that expression.”
“Please forget it.”
I leaned back in my chair, cautioning the smiling Nasian.
Perhaps it was because I had smelled too much of the Demon Race’s blood in the Dakuren Dungeon, but my competitive spirit was growing stronger.
“In any case, as long as Alto is here, and as long as there is the risk of the Demon King’s return, the Kingdom has no choice but to be mindful of Hus.”
“They want my husband to take care of the remaining remnants of the Demon Race for them.”
“Precisely, My Lady.”
“What if we clear all the remaining dungeons? How will the Kingdom and the Duchy act then?”
“That is…”
The moment the old man opened his mouth, someone knocked on the meeting room door.
“Who is it?”
“It’s Aslet, Count.”
“What is it?”
“Well…”
“Oh my, thank you for the guidance, Miss Maid~.”
Aslet’s report was cut short by a sudden voice.
At the same time, the meeting room door swung open.
“Ugh…!”
Aslet, in her black maid uniform, collapsed forward through the open door.
The person who entered the room next was a woman in a nun’s habit, nearly as tall as I was, with tanned skin and pink hair.
“Lady Yarismal?!”
Branch Manager Karen cried out in surprise, recognizing her instantly, while Rune and the old man frowned.
“Mmm~ excuse me?”
“Even if you are a dispatch from the Adventurer Guild headquarters, what is the meaning of beating our maid half to death?”
When Rune asked sharply, Yarismal held up her blood-stained hands.
“I had no intention of being hostile, you know? I told her several times that this was an urgent matter, but she kept saying no and dragging things out. I simply acted according to priority. My apologies.”
“You dare lay a hand on the person of the Great Lord’s heir and expect to just walk away?”
“Of course, I will graciously overlook the fact that the Great Lord’s heir’s hospitality was somewhat lacking.”
Sparks flew as Rune and Yarismal’s gazes met.
“What did you come here for?”
“Business first? How admirable.”
Clearing her throat, Yarismal gave a bright, sunny smile.
“I’ve come to deliver the joyful news that we’ve discovered the whereabouts of Mirei and Resin from Mirei’s Party~.”
“…?! Where are they?”
Rune, in a foul mood, suppressed her harsh words and asked.
“I’m told they’re at the Magic Tower. It seems they’re plotting something there.”
Narupa, who had been quiet until now, glared at Yarismal.