Going to the Marquisate (2)
Going to the Marquisate (2)
"That's everyone. Senior Knight Hugo will be in overall command. We depart tomorrow, so make all your preparations."
"Understood!"
The knights responded energetically to the Knight Commander's words.
As the Knight Commander left first, the assembled knights began to disperse.
"What a surprise. I never thought Senior Hugo would be the one going."
Knight Miguel, who happened to be walking in the same direction, spoke to Knight Hugo.
"Well, I'm sure there's a reason for it."
Knight Hugo also looked puzzled. Escort duty, of all things. It wasn't that he couldn't do it, but it wasn't exactly his specialty.
"Didn't you hear? If a senior like you is going, this can't be an ordinary escort..."
Hugo shook his head. If there was a reason, they would have told him. For now, all he had to do was faithfully carry out the mission assigned to him.
"More importantly, Miguel, are you doing alright? It seemed like the other knights were keeping their distance from you..."
"Well, I can't help it. If you're thinking about advancement, you have to keep your future lord in mind too. Though, well, there are seniors like you who treat me no differently than before."
"...It's been quite a while now, hasn't it? Isn't it about time for a change? Why don't you bring it up sometime?"
"If I step down, maybe you'll end up taking over, Senior."
"If such an order comes down, I'll simply follow it."
Miguel made an awkward face at his answer.
"Haha, no, that's not what I meant. My mistake for bringing it up. Well, it's not like I'm so overwhelmed that I need to be replaced, but the trainee just won't let go of me."
"He's a bastard, isn't he...? Does he not listen because he's a noble?"
"Oh no, it's not that he doesn't listen."
Miguel casually glanced around. No one else was near the two of them.
"It's that he's difficult to teach. Even without using mana, he's a match for me."
"What do you mean...? He's only 9 years old right now."
"Yes. Only 9 years old."
"Surely, it's not a growth enhancement type ability?"
"Yes. It's the physical enhancement type. Otherwise, it would be impossible for a 9-year-old to be at that level."
"Even so, it's hard to understand how he's that strong..."
Miguel ranked among the top of the younger knights. To be on par with a knight like that...
"Even if his physical growth is thanks to his inherited ability, I can't make sense of his swordsmanship either. His comprehension of swordsmanship is exceptional, but his proficiency makes it look as though he's been swinging a sword for 24 hours straight..."
"I heard he was a genius from a young age. Does the same apply to his swordsmanship?"
"I don't know. Maybe it's because he's a noble, or maybe he's a genius beyond the comprehension of ordinary people like me..."
At Miguel's words, Hugo shook his head.
"I'd heard he was doing well, but I didn't realize it was to that extent. Why haven't I heard anything about this until now?"
"It's not just you, Senior. I've been keeping my mouth shut. The others have been quiet about it too."
"Why?"
"Because we didn't want to stir up trouble for no reason." Someone else had answered Hugo's question.
"Ah!"
Miguel straightened with a start, and Hugo also looked troubled.
The person who had answered was the Knight Commander. He had approached the two without them noticing.
"Was it wrong of me to ask?"
"It wasn't that you asked, Senior. I was the one who told you."
At their words, the Knight Commander let out a sigh.
"Your personalities are completely different, yet in the end, what you do is no different."
Kind and loyal. They were both good knights. But thinking about the future, he wished they would get a little dirt on their hands.
"Well, Hugo should be fine. It's not that big of a secret, so just don't go out of your way to spread it around."
"Understood."
If a bastard child was too skilled, it was inevitable that trouble would arise in the household. Something similar had happened at the Marquisate they were heading to this time.
But then again, the Gracia Dukedom had the Duke himself, so perhaps there was no need to worry...
"No, actually, it's better that Hugo knows. The reason you were selected to participate this time, Hugo, is because of Alex... the young lord's recommendation."
"What? Young Lord Alex?"
Miguel exclaimed in surprise at the Knight Commander's words, but Hugo merely looked puzzled.
"He wouldn't know me. I've seen him in passing a few times, but we've never had a private conversation."
Hugo looked at Miguel.
"I've never had a private conversation with him either. Ah, but I did explain the knight order to him once when he was curious about it."
At his answer, the Knight Commander looked at Miguel too.
"No, I didn't particularly praise you back then either, Senior. I just listed off names."
"Well, you can hear the reasons later."
"More importantly, the reason I called you two is because of that youngest... young lord."
The Knight Commander gave Miguel his orders first.
"He'll be joining the party heading to the Marquisate, so Miguel, you're to return to your original post until we come back."
"Ah, yes sir!"
Then he turned to Hugo.
"Hugo, keep in mind that you've been assigned to be Young Lord Simon's secret bodyguard. This must be kept a secret from Young Lord Simon."
If Young Lord Simon found out that his younger brother—a bastard, no less—was guarding him, he wouldn't take it well.
It was the Duke's order, but both the Knight Commander and Hugo could fully understand it.
The Knight Commander glanced at Miguel.
"Lastly, I don't think I need to explain Young Lord Alex's... abilities separately."
"Yes!"
After sending the two off, the Knight Commander looked toward the mansion.
It was the ducal house he had served for half his life.
"The Kingdom's situation isn't good either, but I hope this trip at least ends quietly..."
He had used secret bodyguard duty as a pretext to go along, but it would be best if there was no need to reveal his abilities.
If an outstanding bastard child made his appearance, then, setting aside Young Lord Simon's pride, the ducal house might become just as turbulent as the increasingly chaotic kingdom.
Convincing my mother was an extremely difficult task.
The adolescent reasons I'd given the Duke didn't work on her at all.
I hadn't realized it, but my mother was that afraid for my safety.
The poisoning incident and the assassination attempt from when I was young had lodged themselves deep in her heart, eventually becoming a trauma.
As it turned out, she had agreed to let me train with the knights only for the sake of my safety.
She continued to object, but I had no choice but to stand my ground too.
After a long struggle, I finally managed to get her permission—but only after bringing Miguel in and showing her my skills.
"If anything happens, you must abandon everything and run away."
But my mother pressed some money and a note with the address of her maternal relatives, who were in the merchant trade, into my hands and made me promise once more.
"Yes."
In my previous life, I would have obeyed without question. No, I probably wouldn't have left the house at all.
Unfortunately, in this life, it seemed difficult to follow my mother's words.
'Wait, in my previous life, when Brother Simon went to the Marquisate, nothing happened, right?'
As long as I didn't stir up trouble, everything would surely pass without any particular incident.
But I was heading there to stir up trouble. I could only hope things wouldn't get too chaotic.
This trip was on a completely different scale from the outing to the fortress.
There were more than two carriages, and the escorting forces were several times larger than before.
The Knight Commander, Knight Hugo, and ten regular knights. There were also dozens of soldiers.
There were hired hands to drive the carriages, and maids and hired workers to handle meals and chores.
There had apparently been talk of the Duchess coming along as well, but just like in my previous life, it seemed she wouldn't be coming because of Brother Simon's opposition.
All thanks to the stubbornness of an adolescent boy trying to escape his mother's embrace.
Instead, the Chief Butler would be coming along. He was an old man that even the Duke and Duchess wouldn't dare treat carelessly.
I heard he was a noble from a cadet branch of the ducal house, but it seemed no one knew the exact details.
At any rate, he was more than enough to stand in for the Duchess.
The party's departure was truly a magnificent sight.
Knights in gleaming armor rode at the front on horseback, while soldiers followed behind with their spears raised.
The carriages followed the soldiers, and the remaining soldiers and hired workers brought up the rear.
Almost everyone from the mansion came out to see the party off.
The Duke, the Duchess, and my mother.
Even after we left the mansion, we continued to receive greetings from the domain's residents, who had come out to watch us until we passed through Meseta City.
The sight of people lining both sides of the road and bowing their heads was quite spectacular, but perhaps because I still had the sensibilities of my previous life, it felt a bit awkward.
Was it because the greetings weren't for me, but for the ducal house and the Duke?
If the greetings were for me, perhaps I'd feel a bit different.
Brother Simon, sitting in the front seat, was putting on a truly splendid display.
Sitting upright with perfect posture, gazing out the window without a hint of discomposure, occasionally waving his hand—he looked like the very embodiment of nobility.
If only his expression didn't twitch from time to time, the display would have been perfect. Even so, he deserved praise for someone his age.
After a rather tedious stretch of time, the party left the city.
After passing through the outer gate, Brother Simon let out a sigh and leaned back against the seat.
"You've worked hard."
The Chief Butler, who was sitting next to me, offered Brother Simon a glass of ice water.
I had no idea where he'd produced it from or how he'd kept it cold.
As expected, the Chief Butler was an unfathomable person.
Brother Simon gulped down the ice water, and in the meantime, the Chief Butler spoke to me.
"Young Lord Alex seems quite at ease, more than I expected. Is this not your first carriage trip? It's as if you've ridden in one many times before."
I'd ridden once before... Ah, that never happened in this life.
Anyway, I'd ridden once before, so there was nothing new about it. And as for grand processions, I'd seen far more spectacular ones in my previous life, until I was sick of them.
"I'm actually quite surprised on the inside. I'm just trying not to let my nervousness show."
To everyone else, I was just a thoughtless little kid tagging along after his brother. The younger brother whom the generous Brother Simon had allowed to come along.
My speech and behavior had to match that image.
"I don't know why Father allowed it, but if you act out of line, I won't let it slide, so be as careful as possible."
"Yes, I understand."
At my answer, Simon made a face like he'd seen something he shouldn't have.
Well, Brother Simon's words weren't exactly pleasant to hear either, so we were even.
"But do I really have to get engaged to someone from the Hierro Marquisate?"
Brother Simon didn't seem to like this trip very much.
"I know that as a noble, one must choose a partner for the sake of the family, but..."
Huh? The Simon I saw in my previous life wasn't like this.
"I hear Lady Adria's reputation isn't very good..."
Ah, I see. This was before he'd seen Adria. Were there other rumors circulating besides the one about her being beautiful?
"Are you referring to the rumors that she's learning swordsmanship? Even if you object, the Duke won't force it on Young Lord Simon. You needn't worry too much."
"You think Father would listen to me and not go through with it? There's no way."
As expected, our Duke wasn't like that only with me. I couldn't help but admire his consistency.
Well, regardless, Brother Simon didn't need to worry this time. There was no way he'd oppose it.
I let Brother Simon's grumbling flow past me and looked out the window.
Just then, an abandoned fortress came into view on top of a hill.
Had three years already passed? Or was there one year left?
Either way, it looked no different from the last time I'd seen it.
I stuck my head out the window and looked ahead. Knight Hugo, who was leading the horses at the front, was looking at the fortress.
'Good thing the recommendation worked. I'll get closer to him along the way, then ask him about the fortress.'
The journey to the Marquis's territory took a good half month. Considering the round trip, there was plenty of time.
In my previous life, it would have been a distance I could cover in half a day, but in this world, distances were no joke.
There was a magical communication network that was almost real-time, yet travel was like this.
It was all because of the monsters scattered across the world after the Great War.
Before we had even fully left the domain, I saw a monster for the first time.