Chapter 183: Triumphal Return and Family Conversation

The day after I teleported back to Northernford with my companions, the knights and Dwarves also returned.

As I headed to the town entrance with Mother and the others to welcome the knight order, I was surprised to see the townspeople lining the streets, waiting to welcome the knights and Dwarves.

“How did the rumor spread so quickly?” “Information is the lifeblood of merchants, so they exchange information using carrier pigeons just like the nobles do. Surely there must be a merchant who informed the subjects.”

I wonder if that merchant happens to be from the Levant Company. Oliver had a cool expression on his face, so I’m sure he wouldn’t tell me even if I asked.

Before long, the knight order came into view. The carriages carrying the Dwarves were there too. “The knight order has returned!” “I hear they annihilated the massive monster horde!” “Apparently the Dwarves played a big part too!”

The townspeople welcomed them with cheers. Some people even opened the second-floor windows of their apartments and threw flower petals.

The knights were initially bewildered, but they began waving back. The Dwarves looked happy too.

The knights returned to their dorms, and Father returned to the Margrave’s mansion. “Welcome home, dear.” “Yeah, we somehow managed to subjugate the monster herd. Thanks to Will and the others, we were able to protect Woodpole too.”

“Yes, I heard from Will and the others yesterday. You defeated the Magic Tiger, didn’t you?” “Yeah, in cooperation with Eddie. It seems Eddie has gotten stronger again.” “Is that so. I’m happy.”

Then, the family gathered in Father’s office. My fiancée Letty was with us as well. Once everyone was seated in the meeting space of the office, Father broke the ice. “Now then, we must talk about the future.”

“Only Ducal houses are allowed to advance their armies into other territories without the Royal Family’s permission. Although I judged it to be an emergency and went to reinforce the Woodpole Barony this time, it is certain that I broke the Kingdom’s rules.”

“I believe what you did was right.” “Thank you, Mary. I have no regrets either. However, I think it cannot be helped if I receive punishment.”

“I’m sorry. It’s because I wanted to help my friend Mabel.” Sophie looked like she was about to cry. “Mabel is important workshop staff to me too, so I wanted to help her as well. Besides, by going to provide aid, we were able to save many people.”

“As Will says, if things had gone poorly, there would have been many casualties. I didn’t act solely on personal feelings; I acted for the sake of the West. If we hadn’t gone to help, the Woodpole territory and neighboring territories would have suffered great damage.”

Mother hugged Sophie. “So it’s not Sophie-chan’s fault. Besides, I’m the one who taught you to help friends in trouble.”

“Now, what kind of punishment it will be is up to His Majesty’s judgment. Since we were able to exterminate the Magic Tiger, I think the measures might be lenient. In the unlikely event that we have to return our peerage, perhaps we can all work at Will‘s company.”

“That’s true. Will-chan’s company is a huge success, after all. If we no longer need to spend money on the territory, we might actually become rich. Though I feel sorry for Letty-chan who got engaged to Will.”

“Yeah. I’m sorry for dragging you into this, Letty.” “I got engaged to you, so stop talking like a stranger saying you dragged me into this. I believe His Majesty will judge properly, but even if we end up receiving punishment, I believe we did the right thing.”

“It is as Letty-chan says. I think you and Will will have to go to the Royal Capital to report, but I want you to go with your heads held high.”

We rested for the whole next day. At the workshop, I told Theo and Oliver that there might be punishment. “No matter what happens, I will follow Master.” “Thank you.” Theo will surely stay unchanged no matter what happens. That is something I am very happy about.

“If he were to punish the Fairchild Margrave family even by chance, Edgar II would no longer be called a wise ruler. Well, I don’t think that will happen.” “Is that so, Oliver?”

“Yes. William-sama is now an important figure in the Kingdom. Besides, Margrave Fairchild may have broken the Kingdom’s rules, but he saved many of the Kingdom’s people.”

The next day, I headed to the Royal Capital with Father.