Chapter 85
Chapter 85
Translator: XZY
Chapter 85: Marriage Proposal (2)
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Master.
Are you in good health?
Quite some time has passed since it became late winter. It feels as if the cold is gradually letting up, so I believe the eastern part of the continent is already preparing to welcome spring.
A good deal of time has passed since I came to the Rochest family in the north, and I think I will be returning to Ebelstein soon.
I feel as if I have grown a little as a magic teacher, but I am worried that my senses as a mercenary seem to have dulled quite a bit. I suppose I will have to maintain my senses by getting in some more real combat whenever I have the time.
Actually, there is a reason I have taken out a quill pen to write this letter.
…I am getting married.
But… I do not have a partner.
.
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The mansion of the Margrave of Elbester, known as the headquarters of the eastern continent's social circle.
A middle-aged woman, who was sitting in a corner of that grand and luxurious garden, reading a letter sent by her long-time disciple, flinched.
She had only just read the beginning, but it was already unusual.
She had wondered why her disciple, who rarely contacted her unless something truly important happened, had sent a letter first, but it already felt as if she was being dumbfounded.
The woman put down the letter for a moment, pressed her brow firmly, and looked up at the sky.
How many years had it been since she had parted with that short disciple in Ebelstein…
She had no way of gauging just what kind of turbulent life her one and only favorite disciple was living.
<><><>
To receive a title, one needed a family to belong to.
In a way, it was something that could be considered natural in this era, but Derek, who was an orphan from the slums, had not thought that far.
Derek, who was watching the carriage prepared to head for Ebelstein, scratched his head vigorously and then came to sit by the fireplace in the main hall.
Before Lady Siern officially made her debut in the social circle, they were scheduled to make a trip to observe the atmosphere of Ebelstein.
On that occasion, Derek and Aiseline were also in a situation where they could step on their home soil for the first time in a while.
It was a joyous thing to be able to escape this desolate snowy region and eat the food of Ebelstein. Aiseline, who was holding a heap of cash that Melverot had provided, would also be feeling pleased.
However, Derek could not help but rack his brain.
‘The methods I can take are one of three.’
Either enter an existing family as an adopted son, create a family by taking a trustworthy person as a partner, or give up on receiving a title.
A title was essential to reach the realm of 4-Star, so the last option was deleted for now.
In that case, there were only two methods left.
“Mr. Derek… y-you seem to have a lot on your mind…”
Aiseline, who had come to the other side of the fireplace at some point, sat down hesitantly.
It seemed she had finished all the lessons prepared for Siern today and was in the middle of preparing to return to Ebelstein.
She should have been excited at the thought of returning to the Duplein mansion after a long time and seeing familiar faces, but Aiseline was instead observing Derek’s expression with an even more tense demeanor.
Derek was currently facing a once-in-a-lifetime choice.
“…Yes. I never imagined that a time would come when I would have to think about a partner so suddenly.”
“W-well, the conferment of a title is indeed strict. They consider not only the existence of a family but also magical skill, one’s character, merits, and reliability…”
“I believe I am not lacking in magical skill, and Lord Melverot will speak well of the other aspects, but…”
Derek swept his bangs back and let out a deep sigh.
Certainly, the existence of a partner was an unexpected variable. He wondered if he should just grab a woman and get married, but then he remembered that this was not a problem that could be solved so easily.
“E-even if you don’t find a partner… there are ways like entering an existing family as an adopted son, aren’t there? If a person who is to receive a barony were to come as an adopted son, who in the world would refuse…!”
“Then I would need someone to officially be my parent. It is not an easy thing to give the recognition and authority of a parent to a person I have never met.”
Derek was not satisfied with a barony and harbored the will to become a mage of a higher realm.
As Derek’s authority grew, the authority of the person who would be his parent would also grow, so there was no telling what kind of intervention or exercise of rights they might attempt later. Derek did not want to leave such an unnecessary variable.
“Y-you just need to find a trustworthy person. Why, that… Mr. Drest, who already has a barony, for instance…”
“Master Drest has a severe case of wanderlust, so his whereabouts cannot even be found. There is no one on this continent who can find a 6-Star exploration mage who has intentionally distanced himself from the world…”
“Th-then… right. You said you had another master before. You said she was from a noble family, even though it has mostly fallen now, didn’t you?”
“Master Katia is from the Flameheart viscounty.”
“…”
There was always a reason for a fallen family.
The Flameheart viscounty was a family that had been greatly ruined after being caught for insubordination to the empire.
To receive a title and start anew, there was nothing to be gained by putting forward the name of a traitorous family.
“…Are there no other people?”
“Well, there’s Jayden Ahjussi… and the other elders in the market street… but honestly, it’s not easy to ask such a favor of people who have their own families.”
“Th-then… then…”
“There must be a reason why Lord Melverot told me to find a partner. Rather than belonging to some other family, it would be much more efficient for me to take the lead and create a family. I would be able to make all the decisions myself, wouldn’t I?”
In fact, even if that were the case, the need for a partner to build a family with remained unchanged.
It might be much easier than finding a parent, but in any case, it was a situation where a trustworthy person was needed.
Aiseline fidgeted with her knees hesitantly.
She must have had a lot she wanted to say, but it was difficult to make a move here.
Not only was she not a strong-hearted person to the extent of being able to say, “Then will you marry me?”, but even if that were possible, the very idea of a young lady of the Duplein family marrying a rootless orphan did not make sense.
Even if it was a fallen family, a ducal family was a ducal family.
For a young lady of a ducal family to casually throw away her own marriage proposal just to help someone receive a barony was an overly unrealistic thing. Even if Aiseline was okay with it, the surrounding vassals and family members would never leave it alone.
This was because Aiseline’s marriage proposal was one of the strongest weapons Duplein possessed.
Since Derek was well aware of that fact, he was just pressing his brow firmly without even paying any mind to Aiseline.
“The best thing would be to meet a woman with whom I can deeply connect, whose values align with mine, and who matches my ideals, have a beautiful romance, confess, and form a lovely family with laughter, but…”
“Heok…”
“I have to return to Ebelstein within this week, so where would I find the time for that? That is not very realistic either…”
“That’s true, isn’t it?!”
Derek was surprised and flinched at the sudden sharp rise in Aiseline’s tone.
When he turned to look at Aiseline, she, too, seemed surprised and quickly covered her mouth, repeatedly apologizing.
“…So, the best thing at this point is to find a woman who will listen to my explanation of the situation and cooperate.”
“C-cooperate?”
“Yes. To find someone who will act as my partner publicly… and recruit them by offering some compensation.”
Although it was a very bleak picture, Derek seemed serious.
Since Derek, who usually had no interest in anything other than magic, was not about to start courtship activities now, in a way, this was the natural conclusion.
Even if it was the lowest rank, a noble was a noble. There must be women aplenty on the streets who would want to act as the wife of a baronial family and live in splendor.
The problem was that most of them were untrustworthy.
Marriage was, in the end, a matter bound by the will of the heavens. Once united, they could not be easily separated.
In that case, after a ceremonial marriage, she could suddenly flip her hand and start wielding her rights as the wife. Then his head would start to ache again.
In the end, all problems boiled down to one thing. Was there a trustworthy person?
“Mr. Derek…”
“Yes?”
“E-even so… for a woman, marriage is a momentous event that happens once in a lifetime… will a person who would easily cooperate in such a matter appear?”
“That is true. In the first place, if you ask me if I can take responsibility for her for life, I can’t give much assurance…”
The era was what it was.
It was an era where divorced women and widows were treated with contempt wherever they went.
If she were to rashly accept Derek’s proposal, she might have to live her whole life as a wanderer. There couldn’t be that many women who would go to such lengths for Derek.
“S-so… how about we try to think of a solution to the problem in a different direction, other than finding a partner?”
It felt as if Aiseline was strangely leading him on.
Since Derek was vaguely aware of Aiseline’s romantic feelings, he ended up sweating at her unusual reaction.
In any case, he could not take the one and only flower of the Duplein family and marry her.
In the first place, all women belonging to families of viscount rank or higher would shake their heads at a marriage with Derek. What would they be lacking to go against their family’s opposition and marry down?
A woman who was trustworthy, would not go back on her word later, was not obsessed with the authority and power of a noble family, would obediently cooperate with Derek, and to whom he could provide appropriate compensation.
Even after searching the list of all the people Derek had met in his life so far, such a person was not common.
However… she was not completely nonexistent.
A person who had no other ulterior motives toward Derek, was in a position to act as his partner, at least superficially, and to whom he could offer appropriate compensation.
“…There is… one person…”
“Yes…?!”
Aiseline stared at Derek with a look of utter astonishment.
Although Derek himself seemed unaware, if the news that he had taken a partner were to be dropped on the Rosea Salon, it would cause a great stir.
Even if it was just an act to meet the formalities for the conferment of a title, there were more than one or two people who would be listening closely to who the partner was.
<><><>
Thud!
Should it be called the return of the king? Derek’s existence was already being spoken of like a hero in the Veldern Mercenary Corps.
Derek had been famous for his reliable work since his mercenary days.
There was no employer who did not seek out Derek, and on the days Derek was not there, they began to entrust work to the other mercenary corps members, so there was no end to the work.
And so, ‘Veldern’s Tear,’ run by Jayden, was filled with clients and tavern customers. It was to the point where there was not a single day that was not busy.
Although the owner had lost an arm while exploring a labyrinth in the White Zone, his relaxed demeanor, always laughing open-heartedly, had not disappeared.
On the contrary, he was able to focus more on the tavern work and the operation of the mercenary corps, so at some point, the tavern was always thriving in a lively atmosphere.
Therefore, when Derek, the beginning of all this virtuous cycle, opened the tavern door and entered for the first time in months, they could not help but welcome him.
“Oh, Derek…!”
Jayden, who was counting money behind the tavern counter, greeted the boy, who was like a son who had returned after a long time, with a bright face.
“Hello, Jayden Ahjussi.”
“I heard you were rolling around in the north these days, so you’ve returned to Ebelstein. Yes, it’s good to see you. The tavern street hasn’t changed, has it? Care for a drink?”
Jayden, who had stood up from his seat, welcoming Derek, suddenly had his expression harden.
He was accompanied by quite a few people behind him. Well-dressed butlers and servants were lined up in front of the tavern door.
They did not follow Derek into the tavern, but the two people they were assisting were different.
The girl holding onto the collar of Derek’s clothes and observing the surroundings with a sidelong glance was the young lady of the Rochest ducal family, Siern Aleyna Rochest.
And the girl who was stuck right next to her was the young lady of the Duplein ducal family, Aiseline Eleanor Duplein.
It was unheard of for a noble lady who looked noble at a glance to enter a tavern street that reeked of daily life.
On top of that, it wasn’t just one person, but two. The smile on Jayden’s face completely disappeared.
“You’ve met this one before. This is Lady Aiseline, the young lady of the Duplein family. And this one is Lady Siern, who came from the Rochest family in the north.”
“…I heard you were working as a teacher in the north, and you casually bring back big shots.”
Jayden rested his arm on the counter-cum-bar table and bowed his head respectfully in greeting.
“I am Jayden.”
“Oh, it’s been a while. You haven’t changed.”
“Yes. I am glad that you also look healthy, Lady Aiseline. I have heard about the bad news. I can only offer my deepest condolences.”
While Aiseline was exchanging formal greetings like that, Siern was just hiding behind Derek’s back and continuously observing her surroundings. Siern, to whom everything felt unfamiliar, looked somewhat frightened.
And so, the tavern, which had been so lively and noisy, had suddenly fallen silent. The tavern’s customers could only swallow dryly and observe the atmosphere at the appearance of the three.
Staying here for long would only create a sense of discord. Derek, who keenly felt that fact, quickly looked around.
And in a corner of the bar table, he found a girl who was passed out drunk.
Her hair, tied up prettily behind her back, looked neat, and a large bow could be seen tied below it.
She was the colleague with whom Derek had spent the most time during his time as a mercenary in this tavern street.
Derek strode over to her and quickly shook her shoulder to wake her up.
“Uik… uik… when did I fall asleep…”
“Felinne. Wake up, Felinne.”
“Huh? What, what is it… Derek? Is that you, Derek? When did you get back to Ebelstein?”
It seemed she hadn’t properly grasped the situation yet, as she opened her drowsy eyes and, blushing from the alcohol, laughed, “Nyahaha.” Watching her, one couldn’t help but feel their energy drain.
Derek nodded his head and then, sitting next to her, quickly said.
“Felinne… don’t misunderstand and listen.”
“Huh? What? What are you saying, appearing like a comet all of a sudden? Why don’t you catch me up on what you’ve been doing while you were away from the tavern street…”
“Marry me.”
“…”
After hiccupping once, Felinne’s expression gradually hardened.
The blush that had risen due to the pleasant drunkenness quickly faded, and soon, the color completely drained from her face.
“Derek, you went to the north and came back with a bad sense of humor.”
“I’m being serious. Please marry me.”
“…Did you eat something bad?”
At Felinne’s reaction, which seemed genuinely disgusted, Derek even felt a sense of gratitude.
Felinne was Derek’s long-time colleague, but she did not see him as a man in the slightest. She was more like a family member or a close friend, so it was natural for her to be utterly repulsed upon hearing such words suddenly.
She was beyond being uninterested in noble authority; she was a person who simply despised nobles themselves.
He trusted her since they had known each other for a long time, he could offer her appropriate compensation, and in the first place, she was also an orphan with no connections, so there would be no complications.
Where else could he find such a perfect person? Derek looked at Felinne with serious eyes.
He was in the middle of choosing his words on where and how to begin his explanation.
“…”
Felinne, feeling the drunkenness completely vanish, finally began to look around.
There were two women dressed in splendid dresses in the tavern. They were figures that even a complete layman could tell were young ladies from a noble house.
Even Jayden, who was looking at the two of them, had a stiff expression. It was not an easy thing to see that veteran mercenary, who had let out a sly smile even when his arm was cut off, look so dumbfounded.
To appear with two young ladies from noble houses that ruled the era, and then the first thing he does is grab a third woman and declare, “You’re my woman.”
It was said that a man should embrace the ambition to hold the world, but even so, a scale like this was not easy.
He was in the middle of having the young ladies of Duplein and Rochest on either side of him.
And to top it off, the third woman he picked was just a mere mercenary loitering in the tavern street… just what kind of narrative and backstory was intertwined, who in the world could resist this curiosity?
In the midst of that, the sight of those two women not even showing a hint of anger and just glancing sideways awkwardly was a spectacle. Normally, it was a situation where they should be angry, so this atmosphere only became stranger.
It was unknown what had happened in the north, but for that upright young man who only knew magic to have become such a beast── Jayden managed to force out his voice.
“Derek… you bastard… your ambition as a man has become tremendous while I haven’t seen you…”
“…”
Derek realized that he was being misunderstood.
It was time to go to a place where there were no prying eyes.