Chapter 177: Aug the Glorious
◆ Aug ◆
“I have just returned.”
Having somehow succeeded in repelling the large horde of Orcs, I came to the office to report to the Lord.
The cleanup of the Orcs scattered outside the town isn’t even finished yet, but I still have to make a report; being in a management position is tough.
It couldn’t be more troublesome, but even so, as the person with the highest status among those involved, I can’t not report.
Good grief, to think being a knight was this troublesome.
I thought it was a much easier job.
“Ooh, you’ve returned wel…”
Entering the office, the Lord and Lady Celia welcomed me with smiles, and…
“Aug-samaaaaaaa!!”
“Whoops!?”
Without even the time to greet the Lord first, the Lady jumped into my chest.
“I’m so glad! I’m truly glad you are safe, Aug-sama!”
With her beautiful face a mess of tears, the Lady rejoiced at my return.
Ah, yeah, being welcomed by a beautiful girl worrying about me doesn’t feel bad.
But this is troubling. At times like this, a proper knight would lend the Lady a handkerchief, but unfortunately, I don’t carry such considerate items.
Because I’m a commoner, after all…
(Lord Aug, please wipe the Lady’s tears with this.)
(Whoa!? Th-Thanks.)
As I was troubled about what to do, John-san gently whispered advice in my ear while pressing a handkerchief into my hand.
Or rather, that scared the crap out of me. Could you stop approaching without a sound?
Anyway, gently wiping the Lady’s tears according to John-san’s advice, I show the Lady a smile.
“My Lady, as you can see, I am fit as a fiddle!”
Saying so, I show the Lady my biceps to appeal that I’m energetic.
…I’m making a proper refreshing smile, right?
“Aug-sama…”
Thank goodness, the Lady smiled. As expected, making such a cute girl cry forever would give me an immense sense of guilt.
“Ahem! Ahem!! Well done returning safely, Knight Aug.”
While we were doing that, the Lord’s throat-clearing echoed through the room.
Oh crap! We were in front of the Lord!
“A-Ah! Yes sir!”
Straightening my posture, I try to peel Lady Celia off… peel off… she won’t peel off… Having no choice, I turn to face the Lord with Lady Celia still clinging to me.
Ugh, this is incredibly awkward… Is it just me, or do the Lord’s eyes hurt… Yeah, this isn’t just my imagination.
“…A-Ah, thanks to you, the town was saved, and the domain was spared from an unprecedented disaster. As the Lord, I cannot thank you enough.”
“N-No, it wasn’t that much.”
I somehow resume the conversation, but the awkwardness doesn’t clear up because the Lady is still clinging to me.
The Lord is amazing for being able to continue the conversation in this situation.
“But well, with this, there is no one left who doubts your abilities.”
Then, the Lord said something strange.
“Eh? What does that mean?”
“Knight Aug, you are a capable man. Being a former A-rank adventurer, you know the ways of the world well in addition to your sword skills. Because of that, the people’s trust in you is also thick. I even think you are more reliable than a half-baked noble’s son.”
“No, hahaha. As expected, that’s praising me too much.”
Hahaha, isn’t the Lord lifting me up too much too?
Well, it’s true that I’m a reliable man!
“That is not all. When you went to reconnoiter, you let your subordinates escape without regard for your own safety and brought back information. Moreover, not only that, you even showed us that you subjugated that giant monster Orc lying outside the town. Truly exploits fitting to be called a hero!”
“N-No, being lifted up that much makes me blush.”
Being praised that much doesn’t feel bad, but as expected, being able to subjugate those monster Orcs wasn’t just my achievement, so I feel a little guilty…
Yeah, I should properly correct this here… I have a premonition that things will turn bad if I leave it like this.
My former A-rank adventurer’s intuition is telling me so.
“My Lord, defeating those monster Orcs wasn’t an achievement solely mine.”
“I know, of course I know, Knight Aug.”
The Lord stops my words with his hand.
“You mean you cannot be the only one evaluated, right? Of course I know. I shall properly evaluate the ones who fought alongside you as well, and give them rewards. They fought for this town, for the people, with the resolve to throw away their lives, after all.”
Ooh! As expected of the Lord! He properly understood what I wanted to say!
“That is exactly why it is wonderful! That humble behavior can truly be called a righteous knight! While possessing overwhelming power, a heart that does not drown in it and behaves sincerely, I shall properly evaluate it!”
Noooooo! It didn’t get across at alllllll!
Rather, that was the part I wanted to get across the moooost!!
Th-This is bad… My former A-rank adventurer’s intuition is warning me with tremendous momentum that things will be bad at this rate.
For example, a premonition that I’ll be mistaken for an amazing hero, and if some troublesome matter occurs, it’ll be pushed onto me!
Troublingly, these bad premonitions really hit the mark!
It’s thanks to that I’ve been able to survive until today, though!
“No, no, no, it’s really not! Being able to defeat that monster Orc was thanks to this equipment! Actually, I covered it up to my subordinates saying it was a magic tool I got in a dungeon, but in truth, this is a new piece of equipment made by that master craftsman Gordov! I was able to fight more than evenly thanks to this! What’s amazing is this weapon and the materials used! Even if it wasn’t me, anyone could achieve great success with this!”
Alright, I said ittttt! I properly conveyed it!
Knowing I won thanks to tools might lower my evaluation, but since I finally became a knight, I want to live a leisurely and comfortable life!
I absolutely refuse a life where I’m overestimated and have a mountain of dangerous cases pushed onto me!
” ” “Thanks to the equipment…?” ” “
At my confession, not only the Lord, but the Lady and John-san also widen their eyes.
Well, of course. If you’re told ‘Actually, I became strong thanks to my equipment’, it’s natural to be disappointed.
I-It’s fine, I did manage to become an A-rank adventurer on my own merits, so it’s not like I’ll get fired over this.
Or so I was steeling my resolve, but…
” ” “Hahahahah!” ” “
For some reason, the Lord and the others started laughing as if it were funny.
“Eh? Umm?”
“Hahahahah, you’re good at jokes too, Knight Aug. To think you’d make such an excuse, I never expected it.”
“Eh?”
“That’s right. To say you were able to subjugate that terrifying Orc thanks to a weapon, no matter how ignorant of the world I am, I won’t be fooled.”
“Eh? Eh?”
N-No, it’s the truth, though.
“Haha, absolutely. I could understand if it were a legendary holy sword or a magic sword discovered deep within a labyrinth, but to say you won thanks to a sword made by a normal blacksmith, no matter how skilled, one can only think of it as a joke.”
” “Yeah, yeah.” “
…Ah- yeah, I guess so.
Now that you mention it, that’s true. I wouldn’t believe it either if I was told the same thing.
Yes, it was a mistake in my explanationnnnnn!!
“No, no, you gave us a good laugh. Now then, shall we return to the main subject.”
The Lord, fully convinced my explanation was a joke, slowly stood up from his chair and came in front of me.
“Regardless of your feelings, what you accomplished is that of a hero. Those around you will undoubtedly think so. Therefore, as the Lord, I must properly evaluate you and ensure you are not taken by someone else.”
“Taken? Me?”
Eh? What? What does that mean? Does it mean I’m going to be kidnapped like a princess?
“If this incident spreads to the public, no, it will undoubtedly spread. After all, you cannot put doors on people’s mouths. If it’s a heroic tale, even more so. The people will spread your exploits to the world out of goodwill.”
Don’t spread iiiiiiiit! Seriously, stoooooop!!
“And if your exploits spread, many people of power will invite you, wanting to make you their subordinate.”
“No, no, surely things wouldn’t go…”
“They will. I, a noble, guarantee it.”
The Lord asserts while staring at me with eyes filled with conviction.
“Of course, in order to reward your exploits, I shall promise you further advancement. A position where you can display your abilities. …But, that alone is not enough.”
“Not enough… is it?”
You evaluated me and gave me a position, what more are you going to give me…?
Honestly, I think that alone is more than enough?
“Knight Aug, what you lack is authority. You could also call it lineage.”
“Authority? Lineage?”
“You have made a name for yourself as a hero. What you need is noble blood. But you are a commoner; one cannot find the value of a noble in that blood. Then what should we do? It’s simple. You just need to mix noble blood into your descendants.”
“Noble blood in my descendants!?”
Eh? Eh? Eh? What does that mean!?
“In other words, if you take a noble woman as your wife, your children will be recognized as members of the nobility.”
“I-I’m getting married to a noble-samaaaaa!?”
At the Lord’s outrageous remark, I ended up letting out a voice of astonishment.
No, no, no, there’s no way I’m marrying a noble woman! I mean, I’m a commoner!
“Of course, it doesn’t mean just anyone will do. For you to serve me for a long time to come, the woman who becomes your wife must be a member of my family. And, when it comes to a partner befitting a hero like you, I can’t leave it to a peripheral branch family. Yes, I cannot!”
Then the Lord gripped his fist and made a complicated face.
“Therefore, I have decided to make the daughter of the main house your fiancée!”
“Th-The young lady of the main house!?”
“Father, could that mean…!?”
At the Lord’s words, the Lady reacts strongly.
“Celia. As a noble, I must bind a capable subordinate to this land. For that purpose, it is the duty of the head of the family to utilize even a beloved daughter. Will you forgive me for making such a ruthless decision?”
When the Lord asked with a serious expression, the Lady separated from me and gazed at the Lord.
“Of course! For the sake of the family, I am prepared to dedicate this body as a member of the nobility!”
The Lady says words that make one feel a tragic resolve… but, umm… why can you make such a serious voice with such a nice smile, My Lady?
Or rather, could this flow mean… no, no matter how you look at it, that’s… impossible, right?
“But if that happens, what about the issue of the successor?”
The Lady made a worried face, but the Lord announced that there was no problem.
“You do not need to worry about that. Actually… you might be getting a sibling.”
Blushing slightly, the Lord floats an expression of shyness.
No, I don’t want to see an old man’s shy face.
“Oh my! Is that true!?”
But the Lady raised a joyful voice, unperturbed by the Lord’s state.
“Umm, what do you mean by sibling?”
“The Madam of this house has a weak constitution, and is currently recuperating at the estate in the Royal Capital. And since My Lord loves the Madam, he regularly visits the Royal Capital. In other words, that is what it means.”
“I-I see.”
Receiving John-san’s explanation in my ear, I understand the circumstances of the Viscount house.
In other words, the married couple gets along very well!
…Or rather, could you stop whispering in my ear since a while ago, John-san!?
“For that reason… Celia! Your father has given up on various things! So do as you like! But your power is important, so please do not leave the domain! I will deceive myself into thinking I’m letting you do as you please because your desires will benefit the domain in various ways!”
I wonder why I feel a resonance of having given up on something from the fragments of the Lord’s words…
“Thank you, Father! I will be happy with Aug-sama, so I want a house where the two of us can live! I will absolutely never let Aug-sama escape the domain!”
“Umu! You are reliable, Celia!”
“Umm, err, in other words, what does this mean?”
With my name coming up, the prediction I thought was ‘no way’ took on a sense of reality.
No, no, no, I’m an old man well into adulthood, you know!? As expected, that can’t be, right? Can’t be, right!?
“Congratulations, Aug-sama.”
“O-On what!?”
John-san gives me words of congratulation while rubbing his hands together.
Why is this person also making a nice smile!?
“Hahaha, on the establishment of your engagement with Lady Celia, of course.”
“Ah I see, the marr… engagement between me and the Ladyyyyyyy!?”
Is this seriously for realllllllll!?
“If the Madam is with child, the Lady will no longer need to succeed as the sole child of the main house. And considering the Lady’s circumstances, rather than marrying her off to another noble, marrying her to a vassal is more convenient for My Lord as well.”
“What kind of circumstances are those!?”
The Lord said it too, but what are those circumstances!?
Are they circumstances that warrant marrying off his precious Lady to an old man like me!?
“Aug-sama.”
“Eh? Ah, yes. What is it, My Lady?”
Lady Celia, dyeing her face red, stares at me while fidgeting.
This means she’s not unwilling… right?
“I may be inexperienced, but… please take care of me, Aug-sama!”
“I leave my daughter in your care, Aug-kun.”
At the same time, the Lord smiled at me while firmly grasping my shoulder, asking me to take care of the Lady.
Excuse me, my shoulder hurts a lot…
“Y-Yes… With pleasure.”
In this way, before I even understood it well myself, I ended up getting engaged to Lady Celia.
…How did it come to this!?
◆ Viscount Grimoire◆
The engagement between my daughter Celia and Knight Aug has been decided.
Opposing opinions naturally came out from some vassals, but I ignored them and forced the talk forward.
For those who still raised their voices, when I asked them if they could single-handedly defeat that monster Orc currently being dismantled outside the city, they immediately shut up.
Either way, those guys’ objective is to marry Celia to their own sons and take over the main house.
It’s a conspiracy story that often occurs when a lord only has daughters born to him.
After all, this Viscount Grimoire house greatly increased its power in a short period of time through Celia‘s fortune-telling power.
The heads of other noble houses want to know the reason how this house achieved such growth.
Well, those guys probably never thought that Celia, whom they considered a means to slip into this house, was the secret of this house itself.
Fortunately, thanks to my wife carrying a second child, there is a prospect of resolving the successor issue.
Even so, if the seat of Celia‘s fiancé remains empty, unsavory individuals might forcibly settle into that seat and try to steal the lord’s seat from the child to be born.
Therefore, I decided to choose a man unrelated to such schemes as Celia‘s partner.
Fortunately, that candidate was already close at hand, and moreover, Celia harbored feelings for that man, so as a father, I must say I am lucky.
“When I let the capable person who subjugated the dragon get away, I scouted him intending to compromise… but to think he would achieve this much success.”
Truly, an unexpected find.
So hidden capable people really do exist where they exist.
“A daughter with an excellent fortune-telling power, and a hero who saved the town… Will it become a blessing for my domain, or the source of a disturbance… I wonder which it will be.”
Perhaps my decision will cause further disturbances in this domain.
But more than that, the various incidents that have occurred domestically and internationally over the past few years definitely feel like omens of some great calamity to come.
“To protect this domain as well, I must gather many excellent personnel…”
That is my duty as a statesman.
“But still… my daughter getting married, huh…”
Ugh, how should I explain this to my wife… that for the peace of the domain, I made our daughter the fiancée of a vassal well into adulthood?
No, that’s certainly true, but Celia accepted it willingly…
“It’s no good! My wife’s fist will fly at me before I can properly explain! Uwooooh! How should I explain this so it gets conveyed amicably-!”
My difficult problem as a lord, no, as a father, had only just begun…
