Chapter 40
Chapter 40
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 40
Chapter Title: Return to Banten
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Before the gates of Banten territory.
Today, as always, countless visitors lined up at this vast and vital land, waiting for permission to enter the domain.
And Mark was Banten's gatekeeper, tasked with greeting those visitors.
Mark took greater pride in his duty than anyone else.
Others might scoff and say what was so great about being a mere gatekeeper, but the place he guarded was none other than Banten.
If he slacked off, there was no telling if a spy from another country might slip in.
Standing at the forefront, protecting the domain's safety—that was Mark's understanding of his mission.
To such a Mark, a rookie soldier came rushing up, breathless, to make his report.
"M-Mark, Senior! Big trouble!"
At the rookie's words, Mark unconsciously furrowed his brow.
How could someone guarding Banten of all places act so frivolously?
"What is it, Duran? Didn't I teach you never to act so lightly?"
Even as Mark quietly scolded him, the rookie—Duran—showed no sign of stopping.
"W-Well... there's a golden turtle on the carriage—the family direct lineage crest..."
"...Golden Turtle?"
The golden turtle belonged only to the lord of Banten and his children among the direct lineage.
Of them, the eldest young master and second miss were currently resting at the family estate.
Which meant...
"...The Third Young Master?"
Mark muttered without realizing it, finally understanding why Duran was in such a panic.
The Third Young Master's return to the family meant a resolution had been reached with the elves.
Would it lead to trade... or war?
The secret lay in the carriage of the Third Young Master now entering Banten.
"...Hurry and inform the lord. Make sure the Third Young Master's carriage enters without any inconvenience. That's an order."
At Mark's firm command, the gate soldiers shouted and hurriedly opened the gates.
The soldiers weren't ignorant of the mission currently held by the Third Young Master, Jerome. Rumors had spread far and wide through Banten.
Soon, the carriage bearing the golden turtle banner reached the gates.
"Halt! This is the territory of the Shield Family, the Carviot Count House. Please state your identity."
They already knew who it was, but rules were rules.
Mark had prepared to open the gates yet never skipped procedure.
The Third Young Master, Jerome, poked his head out of the carriage with a smile.
"You've worked hard. It's the Third Young Master, Jerome. Returning after completing my mission."
"Yes, Third Young Master. Identity confirmed. Please, come in."
At Jerome's mild response, Mark smoothly guided him inside the gates.
'The rumors about him pulling himself together were true, after all.'
Mark recalled the rumors about Jerome's behavior over the past year and intuited the truth.
The Third Young Master had successfully completed his mission with the elves.
Not long after the carriage passed through the gates opened by the soldiers and headed toward the inner castle,
"Welcome back, Young Master."
Whether he'd already heard the news or not, Beskin rode up with the Blizzard Knight Order to greet us.
"Long time no see, Beskin. How have you been?"
At my question, Beskin let out a hearty laugh and joked around.
"Aigoo, don't ask. We finally decided who to follow, and you up and leave. I was worried we'd end up like lost duck eggs."
He said it lightly, but he'd clearly been extremely worried. It was obvious without seeing it.
"That floating duck egg? I'll raise it preciously, and soon it'll hatch and soar. And duck? Whether it's a duck or a dragon, we'll see."
At my confidence, Beskin grinned happily.
"Hahaha! Then I'll work hard too, so I won't be ashamed of my lord when the dragon hatches!"
Thus, catching up with Beskin after so long, we soon arrived at the inner castle.
"Welcome, Third Young Master. The lord awaits you."
The inner castle steward came out to greet Beskin.
"Mm, thank you. Ah, and please make sure my companions can rest comfortably."
The steward bowed at the waist in response.
"Of course. We'll serve both of them with the utmost care."
The steward instructed a servant to guide Saladin and Miron to the guest quarters, then led me and Beskin not to Father's private office, but to the conference room.
Given the gravity of the matter, it was more efficient to discuss it where all the retainers could hear.
'No, maybe not just that.'
Father might have laid the groundwork because of my subtly changed behavior and attitude over the past year.
Upon arriving at the conference room, the eldest brother and sister led the way, with all Six Shields present except Beskin.
And at the center...
Father sat steadfastly.
"Did you resolve the matter well?"
"Yes. Fortunately, we rescued Elf Princess Millia Minerva from the slave market Mercado in the Sharon Kingdom."
A short answer.
"Mercado, huh. I heard from your reports that you headed there from the start."
Another short question followed, as expected.
"Did you anticipate it?"
"Yes."
A question about something he'd already been informed of.
"It was the closest slave market to our kingdom, and disguising as slave hunters made it the most likely."
"Hmm!"
"So that's how it was."
"Even so, if your prediction had been wrong, it would've been a disaster..."
The retainers murmured softly among themselves.
Father nodded briefly, then spoke again.
"I heard there was an ambush on your way back."
He knew everything, as expected.
"The one who bought the elf princess was Prince Peter of the Sharon Kingdom."
"Oh, the 'Elf Lover'? And you still managed to snatch her away."
Father chimed in agreement with my words.
"When I quietly explained the situation and tried to persuade the prince, the Holy Empire's Holy Knights attacked..."
Even though he already knew the story, Father kept prompting me with agreements or questions to draw it out from my mouth.
How long did the questioning last?
Father leaned back in his chair and said,
"We had our own circumstances here and couldn't provide support. You did well to handle it that far. Good work."
Rare praise came from Father's mouth.
"Where's the elf princess now?"
"When we reached near Banten, she headed straight to the Demonic Beast Forest, so we parted ways."
"I see."
Father nodded shortly, as if he had nothing more to say.
But that gesture...
Didn't mean he had no more questions for me.
After a brief pause, with all the retainers seated, I spoke to Father.
"If it's alright, I have something to report to you, my lord."
"Speak."
"Good news and bad news—which would you like first?"
"You rescued the elves despite the Holy Empire's attack, yet you call it bad news? Let's hear that first."
I recounted the dwarf and ogre that appeared after the Holy Knights.
As expected, the conference room fell into shock.
"Crazy... taming ogres?"
"The Holy Empire's gone mad! And they still call themselves 'holy'?"
The retainers unleashed a torrent of condemnation against the Holy Empire.
My brother and sister wore stiff expressions too. Arming monsters for an army was something they didn't want to imagine.
Father, with a more cautious look, asked me back.
"Mm... more information would be good. So, I'll ask you again, since you saw them up close. Do you think mass production is possible?"
I shook my head at Father's question.
"No, if they could churn out that many monsters so easily, the continent would already be under the Holy Empire's banner."
I held out my hand with fingers spread wide.
"Five years. At least that long before they appear in force."
"Five years..."
An ambiguous timeframe. Short if short, long if long.
But I had to speak conservatively.
They only appeared on the front lines after the great war had begun.
Whether they made them one by one slowly, or found mass production late, I didn't know.
But considering the ogre units that appeared after ten years never exceeded three hundred in total...
There was surely some limitation.
Father, silent for a moment, then opened his eyes and declared to the retainers.
"For now, we'll do what we can. Inform the royal family and allied nations to beware these monsters. We'll need countermeasures too."
"Yes!"
The retainers replied in unison.
Father gazed briefly at their reliable figures, transcending factions, then turned to me.
"You said good news and bad. So, what's the good news?"
This was the main point I'd been wanting to discuss.
"Through this incident, we've confirmed the Holy Empire's unending ambition to dominate the continent."
"And?"
"Then we must strengthen our forces as well."
I brought up my conversation with Ash.
"The elf ranger captain told me: once the weather warms, visit their territory officially anytime. I believe we should open relations with the elves now."
The excited one at my words was Baron Geibel, the rotund administrator in charge of the family's finances.
"Ooooh! Trade with elves! Indeed, the Demonic Beast Forest is overflowing with rare herbs! If we create revenue beyond the casino, we can further arm the territory's soldiers!"
I added to Baron Geibel's words.
"It's not just economic exchange. Princess Millia and the elves witnessed the Empire's threat firsthand. We should ally with them now and stand united."
The Queen of the Forest.
Kali Minerva was a powerhouse not inferior to Father.
With her alliance, even the Empire wouldn't dare covet our territory with just Duke Kamil.
"Well, we'll have to shelve the Sword Family matter, regrettably."
As I shrugged, Father posed another question.
"Have you thought about the trade methods?"
"Spring, when they invited us, has just begun. I'll ponder more until the weather fully warms. The details can be worked out with Baron Geibel, right? He's capable."
Father chuckled at my words. Oops, too blatant?
"Fine. It's your achievement, so leaving it to you till the end isn't bad."
Bam!
Father stamped his seal on a document.
"I'll grant you full authority. Consult with Baron Geibel and proceed with negotiations with the elves. For now, rest well and recover."
"Yes, understood."
Even after my matter concluded, minor agenda items passed, but I had no need to speak.
What would a man just back home after months know about current affairs?
But if not the agenda, I could read the atmosphere.
At this time, in this place.
The people in this meeting were most focused on me.
And two of them watched me with grave seriousness.
Bam!
"Damn it...!!"
After the meeting ended, Mercy returned to her room and slammed her desk in fury.
"Fuck, to that worm who isn't even my brother...!!"
It was the first time. No one had shown interest in her mission report.
Mercy's regular accomplishments were actually outstanding. She'd handled them flawlessly as always.
She'd prepared thoroughly for potential war with the elves this time too.
But all those achievements turned to trash in an instant.
To no one else but...
Her brother, once called a worm.
She wasn't the only one feeling this humiliation—Ares likely felt the same.
Already, whispers among the retainers began: "The Third Young Master was hiding his claws all along."
"Sir Beskin had foresight."
"As expected of Lord Bacchus's son."
All sorts of nonsense started spreading. A reputation unimaginable a year ago.
This was bad.
'Can't let it go like this.'
The family's atmosphere was changing. If trade with elves succeeded come spring, it could spiral into something uncontrollable.
Even if her faction was weaker within the family, allying with elves would overturn the power balance in one go.
Knock, knock.
At that moment, a knock sounded at the door of Mercy's troubled room.