The Guest from the Capital - 3
The date for the Blessing of the Earth was set. Preparations for the festival moved forward at a rapid pace. Truth be told, we had already planned to hold it around this time anyway. The smaller cities and villages outside of Muller would be treating it like a local harvest festival, and the grand Muller festival itself had been prepared well in advance, so there were no major issues.
Even if something came up, my own role wouldn’t be any different from my usual duties. The only real burden would fall on my subordinates, whose workload had suddenly increased. And then there was the additional matter…
“Hooo. So this is the legendary…!”
Deja vu? No, this reaction was even stronger.
A massive wild ginseng, processed and submerged inside a transparent container crafted from a Magic Stone. Yes, it was the very same one I had given to Princess Amelia. Honestly, I only had a few left and wanted to save them, but for Duke Earthrain, it was worth the sacrifice.
And just as I expected, the duke accepted the container with both hands, his face flushing with excitement as he cried out.
“Ooh! Incredible! Truly incredible!”
His reaction was even more intense than Amelia’s. He was expressing his joy with his entire body, to the point where his belly was visibly quivering. If this was an act, I’d gladly fall for it.
At his age, it had to be Great Mountain Range wild ginseng. Good for magic power, good for health, good for stamina, and excellent for skin beauty too! I should probably head back to Franz later and see if there are any more.
“Goodness, such a precious thing—must you not offer it to His Majesty? Are you truly giving it all to me?”
The duke clutched the container tightly with trembling hands, gazing at me with desperate eyes. I nodded and assured him it was fine.
“Hahaha. I have prepared a separate gift for His Majesty. This is merely my small token of appreciation for Your Grace, who personally came all the way here.”
Yes. A small token of appreciation (bribe). A perfect ten-out-of-ten token of appreciation.
Unless you were from the Franz family, how else could you obtain something like this? So please, take good care of me, Your Grace.
“Hahaha! As expected of Lord Muller! I felt it during your coming-of-age ceremony, but you truly don’t act like the young men of today! Ah, I don’t mean that as an insult.”
“Of course, I understand. Please don’t worry about it.”
“Oh, Lord Muller has quite the generous spirit. How very like a fine young man representing the Brahms Kingdom!”
Calling a lord a mere “young man” wasn’t exactly polite, but the way he immediately shook his head and apologized for the slip-up was classic old-man behavior. And that was all thanks to the Great Mountain Range wild ginseng.
But when exactly did I become the kingdom’s representative youth?
“At my age, the title of lord feels rather excessive.”
I was still on the young side. Even though I’d had a late coming-of-age ceremony, I had only just crossed into adulthood. Though perhaps that was a modern person’s standard. Still, being the master of a territory at this age was undeniably young.
“Nonsense! Not at all! It is rare for a noble to become a lord at such a young age, but there are precedents. And at that tender age, you awakened your own unique magic power without relying on bloodline. Your achievements are truly magnificent. In fact, Lord Muller, your name is causing quite the stir in the capital—far more than you probably realize.”
“Is that so?”
This was the first I’d heard of it. My mother had written something similar, but…
“Hehe. Countess Franz is also making waves as a star of high society these days. The rumor is that every noble in the capital sends messengers to the Franz estate to secure an invitation for her at every banquet.”
I lowered my head at Duke Earthrain’s lavish praise. In times like these, it was best to maintain a modest demeanor.
“That’s right! By the way, are you not yet married?”
“…Pardon?”
“Good heavens! The young people these days all lack passion and tenacity! In my time, even when I was being pushed back due to insufficient magic power, I never gave up. But today’s youngsters simply abandon everything the moment they hear the excuse that their statuses differ…!”
Ah. I had been carefully steering the conversation to avoid this exact direction, but I ended up giving him an opening anyway. Duke Earthrain had unleashed his “back in my day” speech for the third time. This man talked far more than he looked like he would.
During the coming-of-age ceremony he had only shown his face briefly before leaving, so I hadn’t noticed. But now he was casually spilling everything—from the situation in the capital to matters of his own ducal house. I was starting to worry whether it was all right for me to keep listening.
I glanced sideways at the knight waiting near the door. Since he was a knight of the Earthrain house, the middle-aged knight who possessed magic power on par with a titled noble simply watched with a slightly awkward expression.
“Have you heard? Lately, groups of young people have been gathering to debate the kingdom’s current politics, criticizing its ideology and principles. Now, that part is fine. Young blood needs an outlet, and if they have dreams, it’s good for them to talk and cultivate their talents. But the way they criticize without understanding reality, simply venting their emotions in the form of condemnation rather than constructive criticism… it’s truly unpleasant to watch. When I see my own son refusing to join such gatherings and instead helping with the family’s affairs, I feel I’ve truly raised him well…!”
“Ahaha. I see.”
I nodded along, offering appropriate responses to the duke’s passionate speech. It did sound like a dangerous sort of gathering, but if I nitpicked every single one, there would be no end to it. Similar groups had apparently existed for a long time. Besides, there were all kinds of other gatherings—ones for art, hobbies, and networking.
“Do you not participate in such gatherings? When I looked into you, I found that you practically live in seclusion within your territory. That must be why there are so many varied rumors about you.”
High society, huh. It wasn’t that I had no interest, but it sounded like a hassle. In this world, participating in high society usually meant frequently leaving one’s territory. Or hosting gatherings in your own domain, which was even more troublesome—what with preparing for guests, receiving visitors…
Of course, right now Muller was still being organized, so there weren’t many visitors. But from now on, that would probably…
Noticing my expression, Duke Earthrain nodded and continued.
“Yes. It’s good that you already understand. Though it wasn’t intentional, my visit here will likely lead to many contacts from now on. It may only be a short time, but I believe you will handle it splendidly.”
“Thank you for your high evaluation.”
That made sense. Thinking back to when I first met him—when Irina had asked to hold her coming-of-age ceremony in Muller—there was clearly a lot of work ahead.
“And…”
As we continued with light conversation, Duke Earthrain suddenly trailed off. Sensing the shift in atmosphere, I waited for him to speak.
The real reason the duke had come here. I had suspected there was another purpose besides the king’s summons. After all, there was no need for a duke to deliver the king’s message in person.
“As you may have guessed, there is actually another reason I wished to see you. It concerns this upcoming Blessing of the Earth. Would you be willing to perform it together with me?”
“Hooo.”
This was completely unexpected. Caught off guard by the sudden suggestion, I simply stared at the duke.
“You want me to do it with you, Your Grace?”
I could do it if asked, but performing it alongside Duke Earthrain felt a bit awkward. For one thing, the scale and effectiveness would inevitably be compared. Besides, this was something the Earthrain family had been doing for a very long time. They probably wouldn’t like someone stepping into their domain.
“Hmm. Where should I begin…”
Duke Earthrain gave a bitter smile.
“Our family has been farmers for generations.”
“That is a well-known story.”
It was from a very, very long time ago. Back when there wasn’t even a kingdom yet, a farmer awakened to magic power but continued farming anyway. And that was when he encountered the mole. Though it ate earthworms, it was also an animal that tilled the soil. In modern times it would be considered a pest due to pesticides and other methods, but…
“The ancestor who farmed saw that mole and began researching how to use magic power for agriculture. Though calling it research might be too grand. A blind farmer simply passed down the knowledge through trial and error to his descendants—father to son, son to grandson… It was simply the continuation of teaching farming techniques.”
“I think that’s truly remarkable.”
What was even more impressive was that the amount of magic power itself had been small. Yet through continuous research, they had reached the point where someone with the magic power of a modern baron or viscount could awaken their own unique magic. And that power was—
“The power of the earth…”
A unique magic that boasted overwhelming strength, perfectly suited to a race that could only live on land. It wouldn’t be strange for someone with it to become king of a nation.
“No, no.”
However, the duke shook his head at my words.
“It is something infinitely close to the power of the earth. We simply call it that because we have no better name.”
“Pardon? Something…?”
The duke closed his eyes gently.
“That something is you, Lord Muller. It was pure coincidence. When I attended your coming-of-age ceremony, I met you and thought, ‘Could it be?’ And when I heard the rumors afterward, I knew I had to meet you again.”
“Me, Your Grace?”
“Yes.” The duke looked straight at me. “Do you understand the importance of the sun?”
The sun. Every living thing receives its light and gains energy from it—plants, animals, the land, the sea, humans. The moment the sun disappears, most of the planet’s energy cycle would grind to a halt.
“That is why I wished to meet you. I thought that perhaps you could give us something important. That is what I believed.”
The duke’s eyes as he spoke were endlessly serious.