Chapter 84
Chapter 84
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 84
Chapter Title: The Crodain Family (1)
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The journey to the Crodain family's domain.
Passing through the gate had shortened the time considerably, but a certain portion of the trip still required a carriage.
Esterize drove the carriage, lost in thought.
Jace's words echoed endlessly in her mind.
-Right now, you're stronger.
-For now, I'll leave it to you. Let's do that until I can surpass you.
An indescribable emotion surged within her.
Its effect made her heart tremble ceaselessly.
‘He's willing to yield the Holy Sword? Why?’
She still couldn't grasp the reason.
He had given a plausible explanation, but it wasn't convincing enough.
Only one thing was certain.
Judging by Jace's attitude, he seemed to have no greed at all.
Existing weapons…
No, among all material things, was there anything that surpassed the value of the Holy Sword?
The Holy Sword was the symbol of the Hero and a sacred relic of the Goddess.
It had passed through the hands of successive Heroes, saving countless lives.
‘To so readily yield such a magnificent sword…’
This only made her fall for him even more.
His detachment was so profound it almost seemed sacred.
Her heart ached at Jace's kindness.
He was as strong as I was… and at his current rate of growth, he was sure to surpass even that.
He possessed truly immense potential.
And yet, he simply looked out for his comrades.
Suddenly, a wild assumption came to mind.
Jace's actions were far too excessive for just treating a comrade.
‘Could it be… that he sees me as something more?’
A subtle relationship, more than friends, less than lovers.
Secret rendezvous, and romance…
“…”
Just a brief fantasy, yet it was thrillingly euphoric.
As if that wasn't enough, her chest swelled and burned with heat.
Thus, the heart of the girl chosen to be the Hero grew ever more troubled.
* * *
The princess was acting strange.
She'd wear a serious expression one moment, then suddenly giggle like a fool.
Whenever our eyes met, she would blush and look away.
That unusual reaction was somehow familiar.
You're not… having those kinds of fantasies, are you?
Like, maybe inserting a fictional version of me into them for your own amusement…
“…”
I'd better pretend I don't know.
Prying further would undoubtedly lead to embarrassment.
Before long, night fell.
Once again, Esterize showed off her skills.
Every last one of us scraped our bowls clean of the princess's special meat stew.
“I have something to tell you all. Will you listen?”
The girl suddenly set a serious tone.
It seemed she was about to reveal the identity she had been hiding.
“The truth is…”
That she was the princess of a fallen kingdom.
The unexpected truth left everyone frozen.
They all looked as if they had no idea how to react.
But our little cutie, true to her beastkin nature, showed her honest feelings.
“You were a princess?”
“Well, not anymore, but…”
“I just can't believe it!”
“───??”
Perhaps because of her experience confessing to me.
The princess was at a loss, faced with the complete opposite reaction.
“Why can't you believe it?”
“Your face looks the part, but your actions are a bit…”
“…”
You haggled every time you bought something, didn't you?
Who would believe you're a princess when you've been doing all sorts of odd jobs this whole time?
The fox beastkin pointed things out one by one.
The princess, not to be outdone, began her rebuttal.
“Th-There were circumstances!”
“Alright. I'll hear you out on these 'circumstances'.”
Soon, the story of a girl's tragic life unfolded.
From the Demon King's army invading and destroying her kingdom, all the way to the present.
“It's been difficult in many ways, but I think things will get better from now on. So you don't really need to pity me…”
“Sob, you poor thing! It must have been so hard, right?”
“…”
Tears welled up in Aruru's eyes.
In a way, their situations were similar, so she couldn't control her emotions.
Our little cutie, as if to apologize for her doubt.
Burst into tears in the princess's arms, leading to a situation where the princess ended up consoling her instead.
“That aside… are you really a princess?”
“…”
It doesn't feel real. Show me some proof.
The princess sighed at the persistent request.
“I have no way to prove it right now… but you'll see soon enough.”
Then she stared intently at me.
Judging by her serious expression, she seemed to have made a decision.
“There will be a ball when we arrive at the Imperial Castle, right?”
An event to celebrate the birth of the Hero.
A ball event was indispensable.
A place to present the Hero and their companions before everyone…
“I'll show you a truly princess-like appearance then.”
I'll show you the proper dignity of a royal.
So just be quiet until then. Live up to your cuteness!
Faced with that, our little cutie's stubbornness subsided.
“Mhm, what wonderful confidence. I'll be looking forward to it!”
In that moment, the girl's face turned pale.
Ah, when was the last time I even wore a dress?
I blurted it out in a fit of pique, but did I just dig my own grave?
She was clearly flustered.
Ah, how can our princess be in such a sorry state?
In any case, it was a needless worry.
The timing was a bit early, but she was destined to show off her beautiful figure at a certain ball.
Her solo illustration came to mind vividly.
The scene where she overcomes her shyness to confess to the protagonist…
As my thoughts reached that point, fear crept in.
Because this time, the target of that confession could be me.
“…”
I was certain of it now.
By being chosen by the Holy Sword, I had naturally become the protagonist of this world.
Destined to be surrounded by various girls, like the princess and the saintess…
I had wished for a pure, one-true-love story, but reality was harsh.
To live happily ever after with my lovely fiancée.
A peaceful life, taking care of a pet.
I never knew trying to achieve that simple dream would be so difficult.
I tried my best to steady my wavering heart.
The princess confessing was, at the end of the day, just speculation.
How embarrassing would it be if I jumped the gun and things went wrong?
For now, the best course of action was to stay put.
I could worry about such things after annihilating the Demon King's army. It wouldn't be too late.
Finishing my thoughts, I checked on Ceria.
She was staring at the princess, her eyes narrowed.
Hmm, an unexpected rival.
I must increase the intensity of my affections!
She seemed to be burning with that exact sentiment.
A complicated relationship in many ways.
I gave up thinking. There was nothing I could do about it, was there?
Doing nothing was the safest bet.
Doing something unnecessary might just make things worse.
I'd just have to watch the situation and adapt as I went.
As my chaotic thoughts settled, the night deepened.
* * *
The next morning.
As always, the elf girl grumbled.
“Ugh, my back is aching after waking up. Am I the only one?”
I miss my soft, fluffy bed.
This cold, hard ground just isn't right!
She whined with that kind of sentiment.
Elves were said to live in harmony with nature, yet she was making a scene after just one day.
No one responded to her.
Aruru simply gave her a look that said, "how pathetic," on behalf of everyone.
Other than that, the journey was smooth.
We would soon arrive at the Crodain family's territory.
Around noon, a great city unfolded before our eyes.
Countless processions were passing in and out of the outer castle gates.
Befitting the domain of a family that valued martial prowess, the guards were sharp and on edge.
Needless to say, there was no inspection.
I was merely the heir of the Crodain family, returning home.
Just showing my face was enough for a free pass.
“M-Master Jace!”
“You've returned!”
“It would have been better if you'd contacted us in advance…”
“───??”
Their reactions were strange.
Why didn't they know I was headed here?
I hadn't sent word, but still.
The Crodain family's intelligence network couldn't be this sloppy.
Aside from that, the atmosphere was very warm.
I was once again reminded of the goodwill Jace had built up.
“Enough chatter! The young master is a busy man.”
The captain of the guard barked at the soldiers.
He immediately approached me and paid his respects.
“You look much more gallant than before. I heard some unfortunate news, so I'm truly relieved to see you're alright. Now, please, go on in. The Family Head is waiting for you.”
So they did know.
Perhaps they had prepared a grand welcoming ceremony?
I couldn't be sure, but judging by the captain's attitude, it was a possibility.
After passing through the gate, we proceeded straight ahead.
The neatly organized streets and tall buildings stood out.
A metropolis of considerable size. It was truly on par with a nation's capital.
That aspect alone conveyed the power of the Crodain family.
A smile naturally formed on my lips at the thought that this city would one day be mine.
It was already quite splendid as it was.
But with just a bit of modern knowledge, it could become the greatest city on the continent.
Its military strength was more than sufficient, so investing in commerce seemed like a good direction.
“So this is Jace's hometown! I didn't know there would be so many people. That means there must be lots of good restaurants, right?”
The fox beastkin was delighted at the thought of a food tour.
We were only planning to stay for about a week, so there wouldn't be time for that.
I offered my deepest condolences to the family chefs who would have to deal with her.
“The Empire's great cities are certainly different. My kingdom's capital was once quite prosperous, too…”
The princess sank into melancholy by herself.
But only for a moment, before she began to meticulously survey the city's condition.
It seemed she was taking notes in preparation for rebuilding her kingdom.
“The scale is incredible. Your house must be magnificent, right?”
The elf girl was eager to rest.
She seemed to be secretly hoping for the best treatment.
What the hell, I'll give her what she wants. I'll just have to make good use of her in return.
“The lively atmosphere is the same as ever. It's somehow reassuring.”
Ceria murmured quietly.
She had spent a lot of time here with Jace.
And in the future, she was set to become the mistress of the Crodain family and live here for the rest of her life.
I was already looking forward to that time.
If only I could skip the Demon King's army part…
“By the way… I think that topic will come up this time.”
“What topic?”
“…About our wedding schedule.”
“───!!”
A very sensitive topic.
I flinched, and even the other girls were startled.
She had brought it up naturally, but it must have been intentional.
With that one sentence, she eliminated any room for doubt.
Ah, it's already awkward now, but I don't have the guts to mess with a married man!
That was roughly the gist of their reactions.
Ceria gave a faint smile. She seemed to be savoring her relative superiority.
The world of women is a scary place…
What just happened was merely the tip of the iceberg; it hadn't even really begun.
I felt a renewed sense of relief.
Because we were already engaged, things were relatively peaceful.
If not, they would have been snarling at each other.
In technical terms, a cat-fight would have broken out, and I didn't have the confidence to handle that.
The subtle tension soon subsided.
Before long, we entered the Crodain family's estate.
A vast space that stretched out endlessly.
Its sheer scale was a direct testament to the greatness of the major family.
Soldiers were lined up starting from the main gate, their numbers reaching a thousand.
Hmm, for a welcoming ceremony, this is a bit too intimidating, isn't it?
Anyone watching would think they were receiving an envoy from an enemy nation.
Of course, it was different from that.
As we passed, they silently raised their spears straight, paying their respects.
Disciplined movements, executed in perfect unison.
It was enough to bring to mind a military parade.
I wondered what the soldiers mobilized for this event were feeling.
If this were a lesser family, they might have grumbled about putting on a pointless show.
But their faces were filled with the pride of belonging to a great family.
“Wow! This feels so official!”
“There's no room for criticism. As expected of the Crodain family…”
“Normally, humans who see me for the first time are so captivated by my beauty they can't think straight… Truly formidable.”
Huh? Why are they reacting like this?
Was I the only one feeling pressured?
Was it because she was used to this kind of situation?
Ceria showed no particular reaction.
A short while later, we met the master of this place.
Gerard Crodain.
Befitting Jace's father, his dignity was off the charts.
If you think about it, he might be the original.
The charm of a handsome, middle-aged man with a beard overflowed. He slowly parted his lips.
“Hero Jace, Hero Esterize, and the Hero's companions… As the head of the Crodain family, I welcome you all.”
That was it.
This series of events was to welcome the Heroes and their companions.
I could finally relax. If they were already treating me like a Hero, I was safe!
It seemed they were going to overlook the fact that I had tarnished the family's prestige with my delinquent behavior.