Chapter 90
Chapter 90
Translator: XZY
Chapter 90: Baron (3)
***
The next day, a small girl came and sat in the tavern, Veldern’s Tear.
Compared to a well-built man, her height would barely reach his solar plexus.
In truth, if one were to walk through the noble district, it wasn't difficult to find a girl of short stature, but in this tavern street where the passersby were all grim-faced mercenaries, her physique was peculiar.
Just by looking at her classic appearance, a chiffon dress in a black-and-white monotone with a shawl, one could tell she was a child from no ordinary, esteemed family.
She had nothing to gain by coming to a rough place like this, yet the girl sat quietly at the bar table with a somewhat sullen expression.
‘Even if it looks like she has no escort, she’s brought two with her at the table over there.’
Jayden served her a glass of apple juice and then surveyed the inside of the tavern.
The two men sitting near the table by the entrance, sipping beer, seemed to be squires brought from the Duplein family.
In short, the person who was now sitting at the bar table, heaving sigh after sigh for all to see, was the youngest daughter of the Duplein family, Diella Catherine Duplein.
Lately, the number of nobles frequenting Veldern’s Tear had increased.
The frequent appearance of nobles with deep pockets was a boon. Usually, places frequented by the upper class also tend to attract commoners who hold a strange admiration for them, which was a great help to sales.
Even so, it was too many.
The young ladies of Ebelstein’s three great noble families had all visited at least once. Even the teahouse set up right next to the Elfontaine Hall in the noble district did not have such esteemed guests visiting so often.
“Are you looking for Derek? Derek has gone to the Kelvenlok Labor Exchange on an errand.”
“Labor Exchange? Is that a different place from the mercenary guild?”
“Yes. That is a place that handles requests for simple manual labor that just requires a body, rather than dangerous subjugation requests.”
“Why would Derek go to a place like that? He can earn quite a lot just by taking jobs from the mercenary corps.”
“He didn't go to take a job, but to hire people.”
Diella tilted her head.
A tavern in such a rough environment could be somewhat unfamiliar or frightening to a young lady who had grown up delicately like Diella. However, Diella showed no sign of caring.
It seemed she was born with an exceptionally strong nerve.
“The founding date of the Barony of Ravencrow has been set, so he went to find workers for the mansion’s maintenance and repairs.”
“…The permission was granted?”
“Yes. There was support from various nobles, and a lot of time was spent on behind-the-scenes work, but it seems everything worked out well in the end. Derek will probably become the head of the Barony of Ravencrow before this spring.”
Even so, it was a hollow noble title, with only two members in the family.
However, Derek had to go through a lot of trouble to obtain even that hollow shell. In any case, it would be a valuable reward.
“He’ll have to move busily from now on to properly control the newly named Barony of Ravencrow in the Rodelen area. Once the mansion repairs are roughly finished, he’ll have to hire some servants, and he’ll also have to enter into tax negotiations with the local powerful families.”
“Hmm… right… Derek will be getting very busy. But, I didn’t come here looking for Derek.”
“Is that so? Are you perhaps thinking of putting in a request with the Veldern Mercenary Corps? If so, I’ll give you a discount.”
“No, I’m looking for a female mercenary named Felinne.”
At those words, the tips of Jayden’s fingers twitched.
And numerous scenarios flashed through Jayden’s mind.
He was well aware that Derek’s connections had expanded dramatically in the last few years, but he had not expected the repercussions to come so quickly.
Jayden let out a hollow laugh and spoke.
“Ah, yes… you must mean Lady Felinne, the Baroness.”
“…Wh-what?”
“…?”
“N-no… right. That person. I’d like to see her face at least once…”
The reason he had specifically used Felinne’s title was to give Diella a moment to prepare herself mentally.
Whatever the truth of the matter, it was a fact that Felinne had become Derek’s wife in name and reality.
He needed to remind her of that established fact so that Diella would properly accept the current situation.
“Wh-what kind of person is she?”
“Hehe, what can I say. She is one of the prides of our Veldern Mercenary Corps. If it weren’t for the top-tier talent named Derek, the ace position of our Veldern Mercenary Corps would have been occupied by Felinne.”
“I-is she that good?”
“Yes. And on top of that, she is young and has an outstanding appearance, so she is a person whose future is truly bright. There is the obstacle of her being from the slums, but from Derek’s perspective, that probably wouldn’t bother him much. If anything, he would have felt a great sense of kinship.”
Jayden went on a long-winded speech about Felinne with the heart of a father.
In any case, since Felinne detested nobles, he thought it would be better to make sure she wasn’t intimidated in front of Diella.
On the other hand, Diella was staring quietly at Jayden with the color drained from her face.
“Y-you said she was pretty… how pretty?”
“Well. Of course, she would not be on par with the young ladies of the noble district who have spent their entire lives honing their beauty.”
“I-is that so? I see…”
“Yes. But can a person be judged solely by the beauty of their appearance? Her calmness and strong character, which do not falter in the face of any trial, alone make it difficult to easily assess the value of the girl named Felinne. Coupled with the kinship of being from the bottom, Derek must have held a great deal of goodwill toward Felinne.”
He thought, wrapping Felinne in praise so excessively it seemed over the top. Felinne, please don’t be intimidated wherever you go….
As Jayden spoke with such a sparkling expression, Diella couldn’t help but feel even more intimidated.
Other qualities aside, the kinship that came from being from the same slums was something the young ladies of the noble district could not imitate, no matter what they did.
Why on earth would they imitate the disposition of such a lowly origin? Such a natural question could have arisen, but for now, Diella just shook her head vigorously and cleared her throat.
“R-right… Derek is the magic teacher I acknowledge the most. But he has almost no eye for women, and he’s so obsessed with magic that I was just worried he might have fallen for some strange trick…”
“If that’s the case, please don’t worry. In my view, Felinne is the most suitable good wife and wise mother for Derek.”
They were words that would make the parties themselves nauseous if they heard them, but Jayden spoke them without a care, letting out a hearty laugh.
“Th-that’s…! You shouldn’t judge so carelessly!”
“Is that so?”
“P-people are beings with potential. It can be rash to carelessly judge a relationship as the best or not…”
Watching Diella, who was spouting words she herself didn’t understand, those who were a bit quick on the uptake were all nodding their heads.
Whether it would develop into affection or not was unknown, but at the very least, the feeling of not wanting to give him to someone else was coiling up inside her.
The situation might have already ended there, but this girl, who did not yet fully know the ways of the world, could not even judge what emotion her own impatience stemmed from.
She was just anxiously tapping her feet, waiting for the return of the girl named Felinne.
After about ten minutes of sipping apple juice like that, the tavern door creaked open.
“Jayden Ahjussi~! The request is all done. Please settle the fee quickly. And take care of what’s been carried over from last month, too~.”
“Oh, Felinne.”
Felinne entered the tavern with a cheerful voice. Then, her eyes met Diella’s, who had turned her head.
“…”
She was the lioness of the Duplein family. Just her gaze alone was giving off an unusual aura.
‘Uh…?’
The moment Felinne saw her, she knew instinctively.
The unique grace of the nobles she so detested was flowing out from the body of this small girl.
“…Who… are you…?”
“Diella Catherine Duplein of the Duplein family. Derek’s first disciple…”
“Ah… yes…”
Felinne, who would raise her tone cheerfully even for a simple answer, had her voice drop as if she were in a foul mood in front of Diella.
Seeing that, Diella also didn’t feel very good, so from the very beginning, they couldn’t help but rate each other’s first impression as the worst.
“I-I heard you were marrying D-D-Derek… so I came to see what kind of woman you were.”
“…”
Come to think of it, she had made such a contract.
Lately, she had been focused only on subjugating magical beasts, and Felinne had to once again ruminate on the contract details that made goosebumps rise on her arms just by imagining them.
“Ah, yes… that’s right…”
“…”
That was all she said.
Diella thought.
Derek was a pretty decent man from the bottom of the slums who knew nothing but magic, but whose earnest passion for that magic was second to none.
The fact that the person who had obtained such a man as a spouse was treating the marriage with such an indifferent attitude already made her feel sour.
She had expected her to be happier, or to have the blissful and romantic expression unique to newlyweds, and while she thought she would feel strangely annoyed if she did show such an attitude, she also felt annoyed when she didn’t… she was swept up in a storm of thoughts, not knowing what she wanted.
In truth, Diella herself didn’t know what she was thinking, but in any case, she didn’t particularly like Felinne. It was in the realm of emotion rather than reason.
As for Felinne, it was the same for her.
She didn’t like nobles in the first place, and she was quite offended by Diella’s gaze, which was looking her up and down as if weighing her after coming all the way to Veldern’s Tear.
Just the act of bickering with Derek about getting married was enough to make her face turn serious, so when a noble girl who was his disciple appeared and was blatantly looking her up and down, a feeling of rebellion couldn’t help but rise.
A certain balance was maintained between the two.
Diella’s status was incomparably higher, but Felinne was in the position of being Derek’s wife.
In that inescapable tense situation where neither could treat the other carelessly, Jayden, who was caught in the middle, was watching with great interest to see how the situation would unfold.
‘…If I had my way, I’d like to crush this arrogant noble’s pride, but I’m afraid of the repercussions if I act too carelessly.’
Felinne disliked nobles, but she was not a thoughtless person.
So she rested her chin on her hand for a moment as if lost in thought, then, with an expression as if a brilliant idea had come to her, she walked over to the bar table. And then she sat down cheerfully next to Diella.
“You said you were our Derek’s first disciple, right? Then you’re not a stranger to me either~.”
“…”
Calling him ‘our Derek’ with such overflowing affection made a strange sense of revulsion well up, but Felinne was a girl who could endure this much pain for the greater good.
“Our Derek is always in your debt~. I can’t tell you how reassuring it is to have the young lady of the Duplein family looking after him personally~.”
After saying that, Felinne put her palms together and smiled sweetly with the most demure expression in the world.
“……”
Diella was making a complicated and subtle expression as she looked at Felinne.
She didn’t know why, but just looking at this girl named Felinne made her feel as if anger was blazing up inside her.
She was just speaking politely as it was, but it felt as if she were subtly provoking Diella.
──In reality, Felinne was indeed provoking Diella with all her might.
From the looks of it, she seemed to be captivated by the feeling of having lost Derek, so her strategy was to turn Diella’s stomach inside out by flaunting all sorts of things and deceiving her.
Surprisingly, Felinne’s attack was landing as a valid hit.
“I heard you helped him so that he could receive his barony~. Thanks to that, the Barony of Ravencrow was able to get permission. Thank you so, so much. I’m really, so~ very grateful.”
“Ugh… ugh…”
“Thanks to that, we were able to start the full-scale repairs of the barony’s mansion, and we were able to start decorating the love nest for me and Derek. I will never forget Lady Diella’s help for the rest of my life, and I will build a beautiful and lovely family. Thank you so much~!”
It was a conversation filled with nothing but words of blessing, but as Diella listened to Felinne’s torrent of words, she was seized by a feeling as if her insides were twisting and a fire was erupting in her chest.
However, what could she say to that?
Felinne had done nothing wrong. If she threw a tantrum here, it would be nothing more than causing a disturbance for no reason, and if she wasn't careful, she could incur Derek’s great anger.
Thinking that, Diella was unable to move.
‘Because she has Derek wrapped around her finger… that lioness of the Duplein family can’t say a word…?!’
On the other hand, Felinne was engulfed in a great sense of ecstasy that she had never felt before in her life.
She had thought it when she was walking through the labyrinth with Elente and Derek, but it was truly a joyful thing to be able to sway the pompous noble young ladies around.
Thus, Felinne took deep breaths and her eyes shot wide open, then she fell into a trance with the most pleasant expression in the world.
“My darling… oh, excuse me… that’s what we call each other when we’re alone. Our man will be in your debt a lot in the future, so even if he commits any discourtesy, please forgive him generously. And if anything happens, please be sure to tell me as well. We are a couple who are one in body and soul, you see!”
“Ugh… ugh…”
“I should give you a gift or something… but as you can see, I’m on my way back from a request, so my hygiene isn’t great, and my hands are empty, so it’s such a shame. Would it be alright if I sent a return gift to the Duplein mansion? If not, it can’t be helped, but how could I just let go of my husband’s great benefactor!”
“Ugh… th-that is… keuk…”
“Please! Allow me to help you! Lady Diella! If you are the benefactor of my beloved husband, then you are my benefactor as well! For his sake…!! I also want to help you, Lady Diella, with all my might!!”
“Uwaaah… uwaaaaaak! Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaak!”
Finally reaching her absolute limit, Diella grabbed her hair at both temples and, not even caring that her hair was becoming a mess, rubbed it vigorously.
Then she finally jumped down from the bar table and, as if she had encountered a great horror that could not even be described in words, screamed and ran out of the tavern.
It had happened in an instant, but seeing the squires, who were presumed to be Diella’s escort, jump up in surprise and run out after her, it seemed she would not be coming back.
Bang!
Creak, creak.
Watching the tavern door that Diella had kicked open and run out of swaying meaninglessly, Felinne wore a supremely satisfied smile.
“Maybe I… was born for this day…”
“Wow, Felinne. You’re really something else.”
“Did you see the expression of the noble young lady who just ran out? Jayden Ahjussi. Her face was so drained of color, as if she’d been doused in blue paint, how unsightly! Ahak! Ahahahak! Ahahahahahahak!”
Clutching her stomach and laughing as if she would stop breathing, Felinne’s laughter made even Jayden let out a hearty ‘hoho’ laugh.
He knew she had a tendency to not shy away from any means to crush a noble’s pride, but he never thought she would be this vicious.
“Wow, Felinne. You’ve gotten quite thick-skinned.”
“What’s there to be thick-skinned about? I just wagged my tongue a few times.”
“For that, your lines were quite rich. You spout such words so well.”
“Hmm…”
Felinne, who had been laughing for a long while, finally caught her breath and chugged the cold water Jayden had brought out.
With a ‘pahaa!’ sound, she slammed the water glass down, and it felt like she was slowly regaining her composure.
Presently, Felinne… finally began to ruminate on the words she had spouted in front of Diella.
“‘That man,’ ‘darling,’ ‘my husband’… you’re saying everything now… why don’t you just go ahead and actually get married?”
“…………”
“If Derek had been in the tavern, his expression would have been a sight to see.”
This time, it was Felinne’s turn for the color to drain from her face.
“Ugh… uuuugh…. what have I said…”
She had run wild, having lost her sense of self in her desire to beat a noble, but now that she had come to her senses, she realized just how cringeworthy the lines she had spouted were.
Felinne slammed her head on the bar table, her face even paler than Diella’s had been.
She didn’t even drink, yet her stomach was churning, and she was pressing her brow, somehow trying to maintain her composure.
At this rate, she was no different from Diella, who had run out scratching her head.
‘This one and that one, they both have such ridiculously strong pride.’
Jayden could only think that as he looked at Felinne.
She might have pretended to be Derek’s good wife and wise mother with the lighthearted intention of just wanting to crush a noble’s pride, but… no one knew how that would come back to her.
At least, that’s how it seemed to Jayden.
<><><>
‘Statement of Opinion’
‘Finding no major procedural flaws in the process of Derek Ravencrow’s title conferment, the Duplein family expresses no objection to his conferment of a barony.’
‘Considering Derek Ravencrow’s magical ability and insight, we believe he has produced achievements worthy of a barony, and therefore the Belmeade family approves of his title conferment.’
‘The Beltus family has no objection to Derek Ravencrow’s conferment of a barony.’
---------------------------------------------------
Letter of Appointment
In the name of the Empire,
I, Gutrel III, do hereby proclaim through this letter as follows:
Derek Ridolf Ravencrow, in recognition of your loyalty and devotion to the Empire, and your outstanding achievements, I hereby confer upon you the title of Baron of the Rodelen region.
Accordingly, you shall possess the following rights and duties:
1. The right to govern the Ravencrow territory of the Rodelen region and its surrounding lands.
2. The qualification to attend the Rotpeil Council of the continent’s southwest.
3. The right of jurisdiction and taxation within the territory.
4. The duty to contribute to the defense of the Empire.
5. The duty of unwavering loyalty to the Imperial Family and the Empire.
I expect that through your wisdom and just rule, the territory will prosper, and our Empire will grow stronger.
This title shall be passed down to you and your legitimate heirs for generations, but it shall be immediately revoked in the event of any act of treason against the Empire.
Pledge to strive for the peace and prosperity of the Empire.
Master of the Shining Crown, Guardian of the Continent, and Voyager of the Milky Way
Plakior Rovenguard Gutrel III
---------------------------------------------------
The flow of time is mercilessly fast.
Especially when one was focused on something, that speed would double.
Before he knew it, late winter and the beginning of spring had passed, and it was now the heart of a proper spring.
Under the warm sun, the green mountains, rivers, and trees were showing off their own verdure.
Rustle!
In front of the small mansion next to the vineyard in the Rodelen region, Derek rolled up the sleeves of his tunic and wiped his sweat.
He sat down on a nearby tree stump and unfolded the letter that had just arrived.
Inside was Derek’s letter of appointment as a baron, written at the recommendation of Lord Melverot.
Derek’s title conferment, which he had thought would be sluggish, had proceeded faster than expected.
It seemed Linus had really succeeded in persuading the Grand Duke of Beltus behind the scenes.
‘…There’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world, so what on earth is scheduled to happen in the Belmeade family that that drunk is trying to win me over?’
Derek was about to fall into thought, resting his chin on his hand, but decided to focus on the current situation for now.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Creak! Screeeech!
The laborers Derek had personally sought out were carrying out the repair work on the dilapidated mansions.
Derek had been helping out for a moment, then had stepped away from the site and was quietly watching the mansion that was in the middle of being renovated.
For a noble’s mansion, it was truly on the modest side, but compared to his residence in the commercial district, it was practically luxurious.
Derek slowly watched the mansion as its repairs were being completed, then finally folded the letter and put it back in his breast pocket.
‘I heard high-ranking nobles hold grand enthronement or appointment ceremonies, but I guess this is how it is for a low-ranking noble who just looks after a remote place of exile that no one cares about.’
There was no proper celebration, just a single piece of paper with the emperor’s seal stamped on it.
The imperial scribe must have diligently written it out, but the emperor, Gutrel III, probably hadn’t even glanced at this document for more than a few seconds.
Such was the way of a noble at the very bottom of the ladder.
It wasn't as if he was in a position to complain, and in fact, Derek was in a rather satisfied mood for the first time in a while.
A warm spring breeze seeped through the vineyard.
A lone tree stump was placed amidst a flower garden where butterflies fluttered.
If you sat on it with your arms crossed and looked up, you could see the edge of the roof of the mansion, which was slowly finding its new form.
He had taken off his cloak and hung it next to the stump, and had leaned his staff against it.
In the middle of that meadow where the leaves rustled, Derek, who was quietly watching the completing mansion, gently closed his eyes.
“…”
From the time he slept in the snow, covered in a straw mat by the slum river, through the days he spent poring over magic books all day in the residence Master Katia had left behind, to the years he spent at Veldern’s Tear, all flowed by.
And when he opened his eyes, he had, with his own ability, prepared a rather large mansion.
The trajectory of life does not change so drastically. Usually, its flow changes slowly, little by little.
Then, when you suddenly come to your senses, you find only the footprints faintly imprinted on the path you’ve walked. Only then do you realize that you have walked quite a long way.
When climbing the mountain of life, there were often times when it was difficult to check how far one had come up.
That is why one occasionally looks back, to gauge one’s position by looking at the scenery laid out below.
In doing so, one can pause for a moment on the journey of life and reflect.
I’ve walked for quite a long time.
He was able to leave such a short impression.
“Phew…”
Derek Ridolf Ravencrow.
Thus, he became the baron of the remote Rodelen region.
“Shall I get moving?”
Unfortunately, there was no time to be lost in sentiment.
There were many tasks to be dealt with immediately, and the things he had to pay attention to had increased…
Above all, the preparations to head toward a higher realm were almost complete.
Rustle, rustle—
The sound of walking along a small path.
Derek, having finished his rest, picked up his cloak and staff and headed back toward the mansion.
A mountain of tasks and goals remained, but in the end, the goal that lay at the center of Derek’s heart was only one.
4-Star.
A realm that even those born of a decent noble bloodline could not reach without honing their skills for at least a dozen years.
A realm that was not even permitted at all to commoners without a bloodline.
The realm where one begins to transcend the laws of magic in earnest, and while harmonizing with the star system, begins to wield magic that reflects one’s own unique disposition.
A realm where, depending on the person, one even begins to create unique magic that only they can wield.
Derek wanted to reach that realm.
And the groundwork for it was roughly finished.