How did this change to a monthly series?
Chapter 3: Great Turmoil Even During the Audience
On the surface, the dinner party went off without a hitch, and the following day arrived. Ryoji and his friends were on their way to the royal castle, Sandstrom, for an audience. What Ryoji saw when he arrived at the audience hall was a row of ministers on both sides of the throne.
“I didn’t know Herold-sama was a cabinet member.”
Ryoji’s casual muttering was met with a cold stare from those around him as if they were looking at an ignorant person, and Yuhan turned a shocked expression on his face.
“You knew about it, didn’t you?”
“No, sir. I didn’t get any information at all from Marco.”
“Don’t say everything like it’s my fault! The Duke is a cousin of the current King. Although they are now the king and his vassal, they used to be a nuisance to everyone around them. But not as much as you, though.”
“What do you mean, not as much as me! I’m only bothering Marco!”
“That’s the problem! You’re becoming famous as Drugul’s hero, you need to pull yourself together.”
“You can’t expect a minor to control himself.”
“Don’t be a minor only when it suits you!”
While those listening to the banter between Ryoji and Marco were amazed at the fact that the Drugul’s hero was a child, King Marcel appeared in the audience room.
“Thank you for coming! Thank you everyone for rushing in to see me. I would also like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude for the many gifts that have been sent to me.”
After King Marcel’s words, the civil servants began to read out the inventory.
“From the Duke Harrold Coltezis, a Violent Giant Horned Bull, ten stuffed Giant Horned Bulls, and 2000 pieces of wood!”
A murmur went up in the audience hall as the official read out the message. It was no secret that Harrold had been troubled by the damage caused by the Violent Giant Horned Bulls that had appeared in his domain and prevented him from using the roads.
“Hoo. Harrold, huh. I’ve heard reports that you’ve been having a bit of trouble with the Giant Horned Bulls running amok, but have you defeated the herd itself?”
“As you just said, My Lord. I had requested Royal Capital’s Adventurer Guild and Drugul’s Adventurer’s Guild, and I guess my daily routine was good. I was helped by Lord Yuhan’s secret weapon.”
“Hoo. You mean Hero of Drugul, huh. That’s very fortunate.”
Seeing Harrold happily answering King Marcel’s talk, the aristocrats’ gaze was filled with hatred towards Yuhan.
“Ohh! Are they glaring here?”
“It’s probably true. The power structure has changed drastically since I joined the Papal’s faction.”
Yuhan bitterly replied to Ryoji’s murmur. Harrold’s and King’s conversation also ended, and the civil servant continued to readout.
“So, the inventory is now read out at …….”
“Wait. Yeah. It’s not that one.”
Marcel abruptly stops the reading, which was about to end without problems. The King reassured the civil servant, who had gone pale and began to speak in a voice that penetrated the whole room.
“Frontier Count Stokeman.”[TN: I will not use Margrave, fight me!]
“Yes!”
“The gift from you seems to be a little different.”
“I-I beg your pardon?”
The king’s sudden question confused Yuhan, who had no idea what he was talking about. Marcel looked at him and amusingly spoke to him.
“The report was that you have defeated the Bull-men in the Cave of Trials, and stated ‘the magic stone will be offered to you’, right?”
“T-That was written in the report? I apologize for the blunder! I will be sure to bring it to you.”
Yuhan nearly collapsed from the bloody stroke, and the Papals were looking at him with concern, while the nobles were rejoicing at his misstep. After seeing Yuhan, Ryoji called out to him from behind.
“I’ve got the magic stone. Shall I bring it out?”
“Ohh! I would like to address this to King Marcel. My subordinate Ryoji had the magic stone. As soon as the audience is over, I will deliver immedia—“
“Bring it to me at once.”
“What? But it’s still uncovered, so…”
“Didn’t I say bring it to me?”
Yuhan, who was interrupted in the middle of the conversation, received the Bull-man’s Magic Stone from Ryoji while breaking out in a cold sweat. Then, when he tried to take it to the throne himself, Marcel said something that made everyone look astonished once again.
“Ryoji. Bring it to me.”
“Your Highness! With all due respect, sir! Letting a mere Knight take a big role in bringing it before you is not the way to go. Let me take place..”
“Do you dare to disobey my words?”
The aristocratic man who got involved with Ryoji at the dinner party vigorously tried to advise Marcel. But before he could finish, he cut off the conversation with a sharp look and intimidation, and Marcel told him in a dignified voice.
“Bring it to me, Ryoji.”
As Ryoji, who had been instructed by Yuhan to take it with him through eye contact, was about to approach Marcel with the Bull-man’s Magic Stone, the nobleman from earlier drew his sword and stood in front of Ryoji.
“Are you sure drawing your blade in front of King Marcel is a good idea?”
“Shut up! I’m not going to let a commoner falsely claim to be a hero as a nobleman! I will teach you how to respect a nobleman!”
Ryoji stored the Bull-Man’s magic stone inside his storage and looked at the nobleman holding his sword in front of him. His face was red with anger, his eyes were bloodshot, and there was not a trace of calmness in them. However, the hand that held the sword was not clenched, but moderately relaxed, ready to slash at any moment. The way he was standing made me feel as if he was well-trained.
(What’s going on? It’s blasphemy to draw your sword in front of the King, right? I can’t just unleash magic, can I? Well I guess I’ll just keep avoiding him until he gives up.)
“Don’t underestimate the nobility!”
The nobleman, who felt that his thoughts were being ignored, shouted and unleashed a sharp thrust. Ryoji half dodged the attack and drove his elbow into his opponent’s forehead.
“Gah!”
“I attacked involuntarily, but should I draw my sword? I don’t like to fight, you know.”
“Don’t think you’ve won just because you accidentally ducked my attack!”
The fallen aristocrat picked up his sword, readied it again, and slashed at him. Ryoji sighed as he once again ducked the incoming sword and took a defensive stance.
In the battle that started in front of King Marcel, Ryoji ducked the fifteenth strike with a backstep, and the nobleman stepped away to catch his breath, and there was a break.
“Ryoji. Why don’t you draw your sword?”
Harrold, who was standing next to the throne, called out to Ryoji, who seemed to be on the defensive without drawing his sword. Ryoji shrugged his shoulders and replied shortly.
“In my country, you are not allowed to draw your sword in front of the Ruler.”
“Hahahaha. Don’t worry. Rest assured that even in my country, with a few exceptions, you are not allowed to draw your sword in front of the King. Unless I order you to.”
Marcel laughed out loud at Ryoji’s answer. He stood up from his throne and commanded Ryoji in a dignified voice.
“I forgive you. Draw your swords and seize those who disrespect you.’
“Understood.”
Ryoji replied shortly, holding up his Cozimo sword and smiling at the nobleman.
“I can now fight without worry. I’m going to capture you now that I have permission.”
“You just keep ducking and dodging! Don’t be so tough just because you pulled out your sword! I’ll show you my trump card!”
The nobleman held his sword up to his eyes and chanted as he swung it over vertically.
{Fulfill the obligations of my pact. I desire to burn my enemies to the ground.}
“Now!”
At the same time as the chanting ended, a flame whip attacked Ryoji from the tip of the sword. He hurriedly sidestepped and ducked, but the flaming whip changed direction and gave chase.
“It’s my family heirloom! No one can escape the Fire Whip!”
“Is it a sword and yet a whip?”
Ryoji calmly tsukkomi at the nobleman’s speech who was sure of victory. The out-of-place tone of his voice, which did not sound like he was in the middle of a battle, drew laughter from those around him.
“Don’t taunt my family heirloom!”
The enraged nobleman attacked further, but Ryoji cut off the flame whip midway as he applied ice attribute. He swung his sword in succession, taking advantage of the startled nobleman’s gap and shortening the length of the whip further. In response to the attack, the nobleman desperately poured his magic power into the whip, then returned the length and continued the attack.
As if to mock the nobleman, Ryoji continued to slash the flaming whip. When the man finally ran out of magic power and fell to his knees, Ryoji thrust his sword at his neck and spoke tiredly.
“Well, I’m bored, so let’s end this.”
“Bored?”
Hearing Ryoji’s line, the nobleman let go of his sword with vacant eyes, looked up, and continued to laugh dryly.
“Take that man away.”
Harrold’s voice echoed in the quiet audience hall as Ryoji’s overwhelming fighting ability was demonstrated. After Ryoji saw the nobleman being taken away by the guards who had obeyed his orders, he put away his Cozimo sword and took out the Bull-man’s Magic Stone instead, and walked up to the throne.
Realizing that he couldn’t just walk up to the throne, Ryoji used his etiquette skills to kneel in a perfect gesture and waited for the official to come and pick it up.
“Good. Bring it up here.”
“What about my consideration?”
Hearing King Marcel’s voice, Ryoji muttered quietly and stood up and kneeled again in front of the throne.
“The victory in the duel was spectacular. Both of you deserve a reward.”
King Marcel’s words were met with a sigh of relief from many of the nobles. This was because if they had been guilty of wreaking havoc in front of the King, their families would have been punished severely, but if they had fought honorably in a duel, they would not have been charged. Marcel nodded humbly and took the magic stone from Ryoji while speaking in a small voice that only a few people around him could hear.
“How do you feel about having conquered the Board Forest?”
“What do you mean?”
King Marcel smiled at Ryoji, who was keeping a poker face and continued to speak without changing his tone of voice.
“There was a reaction to the royal family’s magic tools. The captor’s name has been changed to you. Regrettably, my ancestors were removed, but don’t worry, I won’t blame you for that. I just wanted to make sure.”
“About that matter–“
To prevent Ryoji from speaking further, Marcel began to speak so that the others could hear.
“I’ve certainly received the Bull-Man’s magic stone. Oh yeah, Ryoji. Elena said she wanted to talk to you. Perhaps you can spare some time after this. Do you mind? Yuhan.”
“It’s my pleasure, My Lord. Ryoji, take good care of the princess.”
“Hey! Don’t let him go alone!”
Yuhan, who did not have much time to spare, was so busy answering that he did not seem to notice Marco’s words.
“Please wait here.”
“It’s an unusual place for Princess Elena to be waiting.”
He spoke to the guide but received no answer. Ryoji waited quietly in the place he was led to and saw a figure that was not Elena.
“I had a hunch it’s like this. It seemed strange that we were supposed to meet another day.”
“Don’t say that. I got together here at a convenient time.”
Harrold responded to Ryoji’s dumbfounded muttering with a laugh.
“Are the highest authorities of the country free?”
“That’s how interesting you are. The more information I gather about you the weirder it gets, not only your swordsmanship but also your knowledge of magic and alchemy, I am even tempted to say, ‘There’s a guy like this!’.
Marcel laughed at Ryoji’s question with a sigh and explained. And then he began to introduce the five people who had gathered.
“Let’s start with the introductions. The one in front of Ryoji is King Marcel. And then there’s Chief Court Magician Hermann Rame, Knight Commander Theobard Rove, and Cardinal Ralph Brumkvist. And it’s I, Harrold Cortrezis.”
“You’ve gathered too many great people! So what’s the reason for the lineup? Calling me here like this, huh?”
“What do you think will happen to you?”
Ryoji’s loud question was answered by Harrold’s smirk. Looking at his face, Ryoji also answered with a big smile.
“Marco asked me the same question once. At that time, I said this. ‘If something is going to happen to me, I will go to another country and do what I want’.”
“You think you can do that?”
“It’s more convenient for me if people think I can’t.”
“That’s fair enough.”
Marcel laughed as Ryoji shrugged his shoulders and ended the conversation between them.
“Apologies. There are some things I will ask of you in the future, but I will not force you to do anything. I’ll promise as the King.”
“Are you sure? A promise so easily made to a mere Knight?”
“If not, you’re likely to run away.”
When he judged that there was no problem at the moment with what Marcel had told him, he confirmed what he had been told in a whisper at the time of the audience.
About the Board Forest that you mentioned in the audience, …….”
“Ohh. That’s right. The person who captured the Board Forest was changed to your name. Could you tell me what has to be done to change it?”
When Ryoji was struggling to decide how much to answer Marcel’s question, Hermann, the head court magician, gave a follow-up.
“One of the magic tools handed down in the royal family is something called a recording board. On it are written the names of the dungeons and Board Forests in the kingdom, the names of the capturers, and the time of the attack. The other day, it began to glow accompanied by sound, and the capturer of the Board Forest became Ryoji Uchino. When I contacted Yuhan, he only replied, ‘I have not heard such information from Ryoji,’ so I want to confirm it here.”
“From Yuhan’s point of view, it’s not easy to share his best trump card.”
“I am glad to hear that you call me a trump card, but it’s not that great of a card, is it?”
“Ha-ha-ha. That’s a funny thing to say. Ryoji. I heard that you killed three Bull-men simultaneously without a single injury. No one will believe you if you say ‘Not a great card’. Shall we have a simple bout to confirm?”
Ryoji was humble, but Theobard, the leader of the knights of the kingdom, proposed a fight with a hearty laugh.
“Don’t want to. I’ve decided to take it easy today.”
“Don’t say that. If you beat me, I will give you my treasured silver greatsword.”
In response to Theobard’s suggestion, Ryoji took out the Mithril Sword, the Cozimo Sword, and the Flowing Water Sword from storage and showed them to Theobard.[TN: I had used Flowing Water Sword previously in chapter 1, changed it cause it felt better.]
“It’s okay, I have these.”
When they saw the three swords Ryoji had taken out, they looked at him and the swords with astonishment. As he was looking at them curiously, Cardinal Ralph, who had been keeping silent until now, spoke to Ryoji in a trembling voice.
“Ryo- Ryoji dono. Is that a Mithril sword?”
“Yes, you see? It’s very easy to use. It can even endure triple attribute enchantments.”
He happily explained the Mithril sword but looked quizzically at Ralph, who was staring at Ryoji with a frozen expression.
Next to him was Hermann, who was wide-eyed at the insane item box, and Theobard, who looked covetous at the beauty of each Sword. Harrold looks at his colleague with an amused expression. Behind him, Marcel is pondering with a serious face.
As Ryoji tilted his head in the space where silence reigned, Theobard, who had rebooted quickly, came to negotiate with Ryoji.
“Ryoji! Sell me all those swords! How about we negotiate from a thousand gold coins!”
“No thanks. There’s no such thing as an adventurer who sells swords he uses regularly. I’ll negotiate with you for Flowing Water Sword I recently acquired.”
“Good! Then I’ll send you a messenger later! Don’t forget that!”
“I don’t use it, so I’ll give it to you first. But is the Flowing Water Sword that good? The sharpness is about the same as an iron sword. ……”
“You don’t know anything! Flowing Water Sword automatically gets the Water attribute!”
“I can grant attributes myself, and my favorite attribute is lightning. ……”
Ryoji replied that he was not interested in Theobard’s spiteful explanation. Stunned towards the harsh treatment of the magic sword, Theobards spoke weakly.”
“Don’t you dare stab those other combat types. You’re too insane.”
Ralph rushed to Ryoji’s side as Theobard received the Flowing Water Sword from him and gazed at it with a smile on his face.
“Ryoji-dono! It’s the mithril sword, isn’t it! Maybe that bracelet is also ……?”
“This one? Yeah. It’s the Mithril bracelet.”
“I knew it! Why do you have the divine tools that were used by the god Iorus? You don’t have an invisible shield, do you?”
“I do.”
Ryoji showed an invisible shield gauntlet. Ralph muttered as he touched the part of the shield with an ecstatic expression.
“This is the divine tool that guards the goddess Iorus. And the clothing is mithril. …… and …….”
When Ryoji was seriously distracted by Ralph’s slobbering excitement and refusal to leave, Theobard pulled him off with all his might.
“Aah! A little more! Just a little more!”
“Stop it. Ryoji is looking annoyed.”
Theobard’s words brought sanity back to Ralph’s eyes. In an instant, he became calm and bowed his head with apologies, but his gaze was glued to Ryoji’s equipment. Ryoji gradually backed away and spoke to Hermann.
“Is there anything else, Hermann-sama?”
“No. Let’s not do that for today. I don’t want to be lumped in with them.”
“”Oi! What do you mean!””
“I’ll pay a visit to Ryoji-dono’s place later.”
Ralph and Theobard snapped at Hermann at the same time, but Hermann brushed it off with a cool expression.
“Well, that’s it for today, then. Ryoji. Sorry for deceiving you. Elena is in love with your sweets. She may be busy when she starts school, but please make time for her. It’s a wish as her father.”
“Of course. I’ve heard that some materials can only be obtained at the royal castle, so I’m looking forward to it.”
As I received the apology and nodded at the reunion with Elena, King Marcel took a box from his pocket and handed it to me.
“Ryoji. This is your reward for today’s duel. You and Yuhan may open it together. You have done a great service today.”
Marcel said so and left.
When Ryoji returned from the castle and opened the door, the anxiously waiting people rose from their chairs.
“I’m back. Hmm? What’s wrong? You look so worried?”
“Of course! It’s the King’s inquiry, after all. This guy was too confused to notice, though.”
Marco replies to Ryoji’s puzzled look. The rest of them let out a deep sigh as if relieved that they are safe.
“Ryoji. I’m so sorry! I was confused because the King suddenly told me ‘the promise to keep the Bull-Man’s magic stone”. Then I was swept away by the battle action. I was conversely relieved when you were taken away. I’m so sorry!”
“That’s right! What were you following Ryoji-sama for? You need to get a grip, Yuhan!”
“No, no! Carena. It’s the other way around. I’m Yuhan-sama escort, you know.”
Carena blamed Yuhan, and Ryoji hurriedly stopped her and told her what had happened since she was taken away.
“—. That’s how it happened.”
After listening to Ryoji’s explanation until the end, all of them had different expressions on their faces. Some were astonished at the names of the characters, those who were dumbfounded at the exchange that took place, and those who were astonished at the fact that the Flowing Water Sword was handed over so quickly.
Those who were stunned to learn that he had all the divine tools of the Goddess Iorus were mainly those who had only known Ryoji a short time ago. Those who have known him for quite a while were like ‘that’s right’ when they heard about the characters, and when he gave them the Flowing Water Sword, they were like ‘You have the Mithril Sword,’ and when they heard about Marco, they were like ”I’ve stopped being surprised by you.
“What did the King give you?”
“This one? Shall we take a look at it together? King Marcel said ‘you should see it with Yuhan’.”
In response to Carena’s question, Ryoji took out the box he had received from storage and opened it. When they looked into the box, they found a dagger, medals, and letters inside. They all stiffened when they saw it.
“Huh? What’s going on, guys?
“Hey. I’m sure you got this from King Marcel, right? Are you sure there was no explanation for this?”
“Yeah. I just got it.”
“Then. Let me read the letter on your behalf .”
Ryoji replied to Marco’s reassurance. Taking the letter from the box, Yuhan began to read it.
” ‘Me! Me! Marcel! I’m playing King!’ ……. Again. Oii, Marco, …….”
“Don’t talk to me like I’m a comedian! Don’t swing at me!”
The moment he saw the letter, Yuhan read out the beginning of the letter with a deeply tired expression on his face and tried to shake Marco, but he was rejected.
“O-okay. It looks like it’s just the beginning, so I’ll read the rest. ‘The medals and daggers in this box shall be given to Ryoji Uchino. The territory shall be the entire Board Forest and Yuhan shall be appointed as the custodian’.”
“Ohh. I’m a nobleman with a fiefdom. But the Board Forest is the domain of the duke and the noblemen who drove him to the Board Forest, right?”
“There’s an addendum on that. It says ‘The Board Forest is under the direct control of the royal family, and Ryoji will be appointed as the administrator’.”
“Can you also tell me about the daggers and medals in here?”
“First of all, the dagger is a sign of nobility. Basically, knights are appointed by nobles. The higher the nobility, the more knights they can have because they need to prepare a salary. But nobles are only appointed by the royal family. Is it different in your country, Ryoji-sama?”
“In my country, it’s ……. I don’t know much about it. The title was originally given to me by my parents. It was like, “From today on, you are a viscount’. Besides, there was no dagger.”
Nodding his head as he listened to Carena’s explanation, he was asked a question with a curious expression. Ryoji was amazed as he told them the story he made up.
“I-It’s quite simple, isn’t it? I mean the nobility of Ryoji-sama’s country. The meaning of the dagger, by the way, is: ‘Even if your magic runs out and your sword breaks, as long as you have the dagger, keep fighting for your people until your life is over’. The dagger has magic that prevents it from breaking.”
“Eh! Magic that prevents it from breaking? That means I should try and break it. ……”
“Don’t do it! Don’t fold it!
“Isn’t that a flag?”
“I don’t know what the Frag means! But that’s not what it means! The only time you should break it is when you take away the title from a nobleman who has committed a felony!”
Marco gave a serious warning instead of his usual tsukkomi. He tried to deceive saying that it was just a joke, but Marco didn’t believe him seeing his quite serious expression.
“Hmm! So what does the medal mean?”
Ryoji tried to change the topic by clearing his throat and asking about the medal, this time the civil servant answered.
“Allow me to answer that. The title that Ryoji-sama was given is the Honorary Viscount Title. It is a title that is given to knights who have made significant contributions to the royal family. You will receive fifteen gold coins per year as an annual stipend.”
“I don’t know if fifteen gold coins are too much or too little. ……”
“The amount of money a commoner earns in a month is about ten silver coins. Ten silver coins equal one gold coin, so to put it simply, you will receive more than what the average person earns in a year.”
“Eh? Even if you do nothing? Then! Even if I don’t work ……”
“”No, you can’t. Please work to support us.”:
When Ryoji was about to happily declare that he wouldn’t work, Carena and Melta stopped him with big smiles.[TN: It’s been 3 volumes but, I still can’t wrap around my head around her name カレナリエン’ Karenarien’ so I simply used Carena, if anyone got better suggestion please comment it, highly appreciated]
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Finally a chapter! Not only that, but a double releases to boot! Yeah!!!
Just a note though, a count is a class below Margrave. (King -> Duke -> Margrave/Marquise -> Count/Earl -> Viscount -> Baron-> Baronet->Knight)
Thanks.