The Reward of Service (4)
‘Doherty Viscount, Parma Viscount, Karma Viscountess, Ronyie Viscountess.’
The four names were people no one who had enrolled in the Royal Academy of Lheinhatz at the same time could ever forget.
They were the type of bullies you always hear about.
“Even after growing up, you keep chasing us around?”
Yet despite their noble blood, their bullying tactics felt a little less convincing here in the Royal Academy, where every noble family’s children studied together.
To swagger through the academy like it was their own playground, they would need more than just a viscount title—something far more solid behind their backs.
“Where did your master go?”
The “master” I was referring to was Lady Isabella, the daughter of the Kasquebell Margrave family who guarded the southeastern border.
I hadn’t expected them to show discomfort right to my face.
Their faces flushed, but they swallowed their pride and greeted me with stiff smiles.
“Hey, Adrian. Why the long face?”
“Yeah, we’re still classmates, right?”
Somehow, as they grew older, they seemed to have matured a bit.
Watching their carefully restrained expressions, I couldn’t help but smile.
I gave them a single parting remark and turned away.
“I’ll come find you again later. We should have a proper talk then.”
“Huh?”
“Y-yeah. Isabella will be coming later too.”
Even as adults, they still used Isabella as their shield.
I wiped the cold aura from my face and walked together with my family.
“They’re friends?”
“Academy classmates.”
The Royal Academy operated on a fully dormitory system.
So my mother, who had no idea what kind of life I’d lived here, bowed politely to the four of them.
But Arsia, perhaps sensing my emotions, shot them a frigid glare and matched her stride to mine.
That’ll be fun to watch.
I wasn’t the kind of person who forgot debts.
They should have been the ones paying me back, yet here they were, conveniently appearing before my eyes.
I walked in with a thick smile on my face, family at my side.
***
“Tch… She glared at me like she wanted to kill me.”
“Haa, so Adrian didn’t forget us.”
Among adults, there were those who lightly dismissed bullying in school and scolded the bullies, saying they should have known better than to make friends suffer.
But that was a misunderstanding born from adults not realizing just how vicious and stubborn children could be.
If the victims had been reasonable from the start, they wouldn’t have enjoyed someone else’s pain.
And in Rondel, where status was everything, this phenomenon was even worse.
The children of high noble families who had connections would use their influence to bully weaker classmates, and teachers—too busy watching their every move—would only give the most basic responses.
That was why the bullied children were left with nowhere to turn, slowly withering away like flowers in the desert.
The number of academy alumni who had to drop out because of Lady Isabella’s pack was already in the double digits.
“How could I forget?”
“This is getting annoying. Isabella’s going to cover for us again, right?”
“Y-yeah, it’ll be fine. A new noble like that can’t do anything.”
In that sense, Adrian was a very interesting target for them.
He had been pushed out of his own family, yet always carried himself with perfect posture.
No matter what they did, he would simply shrug it off.
Normally that would kill their interest, but sadly, their attacks on Adrian only grew fiercer and more cruel with each passing day.
That was why, during his academy days, Adrian had bandages wrapped around every part of his body that could be injured.
“Ugh… I still can’t forget what that brat said to me.”
His friends tried to push the memory of the Ronyie Viscountess aside, but it came rushing back.
Do you think you can take it? I’ll bully you in the most terrible way possible. I’ll make you regret ever being born into this world.
That was the line Adrian had thrown at a girl from a commoner background when she was being gang-beaten by her classmates.
The reason she ended up in such a miserable state was simply because she had asked Adrian, “Are you okay?”
That one sentence was enough to push a teenage girl out of the academy with wounds she could never wash away.
The incident sparked such intense rage in Adrian that the fire burning in his eyes was unlike anything anyone had seen before.
Those eyes had been seared into Lady Isabella’s memory.
“W-well, first we should find Isabella.”
“Why isn’t she answering her phone?”
Having committed so many sins in the past, they couldn’t stay still, like dogs with a lit fuse.
They could have laughed it off before, but now that was impossible.
The four of them quickly distanced themselves from Adrian and began searching for someone to protect them.
But they didn’t know one important fact.
While they had been drinking and carousing the night before, Isabella had already been thinking hard on her own, trying to figure out how to protect herself.
***
Meeting people who were bound to be uncomfortable face-to-face.
But now that I held great power, facing them felt more like a pleasurable outing than anything else.
“Should we kill them?”
“No, not yet.”
Arsia, who normally never paid attention, had noticed my change instantly.
She had probably sensed my feelings toward them.
I shook my head at her question.
“There was a promise I made to them.”
“Then I’ll watch.”
Perfect timing for a commemorative event.
I had assumed we would run into them somewhere crowded with nobles, but I hadn’t expected them to appear so easily.
“Wow, the venue is indoors?”
Thousands of nobles walked down a long corridor, yet the hallway inside the building was as wide as a four-lane road.
Nobles moved without shoulder-to-shoulder crowding, perfectly at ease.
And today’s main venue—the Great Hall.
With its dazzling lights and rows of chairs, it felt like stepping into a concert hall.
“A place big enough for ten thousand people to gather and party. The annual noble convention is also held here.”
“Impressive. Isn’t this hall larger than our princely estate?”
“Haha, the floor area is similar, but the volume is much greater.”
Mother let out a series of gasps of admiration at Father’s explanation.
Then a woman dressed like a palace maid approached timidly and bowed.
“Allow me to show you to your seats. May I see your invitation cards?”
“Here they are.”
She must have recognized us.
Her face was flushed, though, so it didn’t seem like we were making her nervous.
“I’ll escort you to your seats.”
She glanced at Arsia as she spoke.
Perhaps she was a fan of hers.
The profile of a commoner-born female aura master was a popular selling point even among women.
“Is this the right seat?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
The place we were shown was not, by any stretch of the imagination, a seat that a viscount family would normally claim.
The very first table in the front row.
No table, just chairs lined up in the back.
Instant VIP seating.
Thanks to the special treatment given to nobles who arrived late, like protagonists in stories, we had to endure the stares of four or five thousand people.
The irony was that no one dared approach us even though they clearly wanted to talk.
That was how I realized my family’s position had changed dramatically.
“Oh my, aren’t those the Lawrence viscounts?”
As time passed, the margraves and their entourages began filling the hall one by one.
They all approached us with friendly smiles, but Father’s expression stiffened when the named nobles from the Lheinhatz Kingdom entered.
My gaze drifted to the far side, where the Raven Margrave family was seated.
Tsking and avoiding my eyes, it seemed they had received a warning from the second prince.
“I have good news for you today. Allow me to congratulate you in advance.”
The high nobles already knew about my viscount title.
Father smiled calmly.
“Oh, Lady Lawrence, where did you get that exquisite gem?”
“The dress suits you perfectly.”
“I bought it myself.”
“Indeed, it seems Prince Lawrence is a filial son, giving his mother such gifts.”
“How enviable. My son is the same age as Prince Lawrence, but he still sneaks around the salon chasing after women’s skirts. Sigh, when will he grow up?”
Mother had become the center of the noble ladies’ attention.
They praised her, but the sharpness in their eyes told me there was another motive.
“Um, Lady Lawrence.”
“Yes?”
“If it’s not too much trouble, may I ask what kind of education you gave your son?”
“Me too. I want to hear. I’m also curious whether he received any early tutoring.”
Once I realized their interest, I shook my head slightly.
In both worlds, parents’ greatest concern was their children’s education.
“I never did anything special. He just figured it out on his own.”
Unfortunately, Mother’s answer was far from what they wanted to hear.
Still, the noble ladies clung to her, but they got nothing.
“It really is the heavens that grant talent.”
“Thinking about what Prince Lawrence went through, his own will and talent matter more than the environment, don’t they?”
In the end, they must have changed their goal, so they started gossiping.
***
[Commencement of the Victory Celebration Ceremony.]
The short friendship gathering ended, and the ceremony began.
On the stage, royal family members, dukes, and marquises were seated in neat rows.
The division between the Crown Prince’s faction and the Second Prince’s faction was clearly visible.
It was a classic sign of deepening political conflict in this country.
Then our eyes met.
The Crown Prince gave me a meaningless smile, and I quickly looked away.
There was no point in exchanging meaningful glances here.
…?
Unsurprisingly, the Second Prince was watching our every move.
He smirked as if he liked how I had avoided the Crown Prince’s gaze.
Then, while talking to the armored man beside him, he shot a heavy stare at Arsia.
So the Second Prince is interested in Arsia, and the aura masters of this country are too.
He was the most elite viscount in the kingdom, Vincent, the commander of the Second Prince’s faction and a perfect match for the Anaheim Duke on the opposite side.
Although their gaze felt unpleasant, I focused on controlling my expression for now, since I expected more unexpected actions ahead.
As expected, I don’t get along with the Second Prince.
The ceremony continued straight from the king’s opening speech into the land rewards.
The knights who had earned merit were called forward, and among them was William, the commander of the Lawrence family knights who had fought alongside me.
William received the title of Baron as a generous reward.
It seemed the Second Prince had taken care of him.
A short while later.
After the knights finished their rewards, the nobles were summoned.
But the one who received the most spotlight was an unexpected figure.
[Otto, Viscount, 23rd Division Commander, forward.]
Otto, Viscount, my flexible direct superior with whom I shared good memories.
“To Viscount Otto, the Golden Lion Medal and the border city of Orte. He is hereby appointed as Margrave of the Ynez direction.”
An unexpected margrave appointment.
He had clearly earned merits, but the reward felt a little excessive.
The hall erupted in noisy chatter.
Good. It looks like Viscount Otto was in the Crown Prince’s faction.
I instantly understood the situation.
The king, Crown Prince, and Second Prince congratulated him without hesitation, and the hall filled with thunderous applause.
The land rewards ended not as anyone had expected.
But no one stood up because they knew there was still a main character waiting for them today.
[Adrian Lawrence, Viscount, forward. Arsia Klein, knight, forward.]
Finally, my and Arsia’s names were called.
As we walked forward together in matching outfits, gasps of admiration erupted from all sides.
It was easy to see that the large holographic displays were displaying our youthful faces and appearances.
Click! Click!
Flashes from reporters blinded us like celebrity spotlights as we stood before the king, who held our reward swords.
“Both of you, kneel.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The king then delivered a long list of instructions.
To be loyal to the king as a subject, to protect the people and the country’s wealth, and so on.
Finally, he tapped our shoulders and heads with the swords and declared loudly:
“To Adrian Lawrence, the title of Marquis and the territory of Marinkopf. To Arsia Klein, the title of Countess and the territory of Glendale.”
“Additionally, each of you, the new Grand Duke, has been bestowed with one Celestial Fortress. Protect the homeland to the best of your abilities.”
“We thank you, Your Majesty.”
“We thank you, Your Majesty.”
The nobles’ reaction to the king’s announcement was fiercer than when Otto had become a margrave.
“Marquis?”
“All of a sudden?”
“Has there ever been a case where someone was promoted to marquis in one step?”
People all around grumbled, asking if they had heard correctly.
[Applause for Marquis Lawrence and Countess Klein.]
In the end, the king personally stepped in to confirm the titles, so the nobles who had failed to gather information were forced to swallow their dry throats and clap.
I scanned the hall and spotted the young nobles who had been trying so hard to look shocked, then smirked.
They were the same four from when we had first met at the palace gate.
“Do you have any thoughts you want to share?”
Perhaps because of my new marquis title, the king finally allowed time for personal opinions.
“First, I cannot express how grateful I am for His Majesty the King, the heart and fair scales of this nation.”
The personal opinions began with compliments to the king.
That was only natural.
I continued calmly, making sure not to forget to thank the Crown Prince and Second Prince as well.
“When I become a territorial lord, there is one thing I have always wanted to do. Today, I would like to declare that here before everyone present.”
I paused briefly to draw everyone’s attention.
“Doherty viscount family, Parma viscount family, Karma viscount family, Ronyie viscount family.”
Something strange was happening.
p>The four family names popped out of nowhere, and everyone tilted their heads in confusion.
And I spoke with the most cheerful expression.
“I hereby declare territorial war against these four families.”
People blinked in disbelief, unable to understand my meaning for a moment.
Even the king, the Crown Prince, and the Second Prince blinked.