111 3.23 You lost the sword?! - Part 4

I somewhat remembered him from our encounter back at the entrance exam and the library. And from initial impressions, I could tell that the guy was no good.

Back then, I just ignored him since I didn't want any trouble. I just thought he was some rich noble kid raised with so much care that he even forgot to learn the tact and civility that a decent human being needs. But the second encounter was even worse.

I thought he had a few screws loose in his head when he asked me to become his servant out of nowhere. It was only later that I realized there was a trend of keeping butlers — who are also regarded as servants — in this world. So, in the end, it could have just been my lack of understanding of noble's society that made him look like a good-for-nothing.

Then again, if that is how the nobles act, then all of them are good-for-nothing.

"Isn't he the third son of the Duke? I remember meeting him in the library a few weeks ago."

"Yes, this incident just happened four days ago, but the news has been spreading like a wildfire among the nobles. Duke is under a lot of pressure at the moment. Until the intruders are caught, the security of the castle and the city entrance will stay tight," the other guard who was with Dale replied.

"Master, I think we should go in now; we are getting late."

"Ah, okay"—I looked towards Dale— "I think I will come to visit the inn tomorrow evening. Hopefully, we will be able to meet then."

"If it's evening, I will definitely be there. My shift is only during the morning."

As we were talking, the Duke's butler came walking towards us. The other guards must have notified him of our arrival.

"Sir, please this way."

Both of us followed the butler. In a way, it was a good thing that he came to pick us up. Considering the size of this castle, it would have been a pain to look around for where to go.

This also somewhat pointed towards the fact that we were being treated as a guest and not some knight who has to bow before every noble.

While we were walking, Sam came closer to my ear. "Normally, they would send someone else to pick you up. The head butler is here, that means he has an important piece of information to share with us."

"Sir, if you may, this way."

After walking for a while, the old butler asked us to walk towards what appeared to be a narrow passage instead of the audience hall. And after going a little further he stopped.

"You must be curious about my reason for bringing you here instead of the audience hall." He paused there and looked towards us. "The Duke asked me to inform you about a few things before going in. But before that, let me apologize in his stead."

"Apologize?"

"I am, but I am not sure what this has to do with us," I replied.

This whole apology came as a little surprise to me. And the way he was slowly rounding up the things instead of going to the main point directly made me curious about what's coming next.

"Yes, about that… The matter of Lord Goro's disappearance has gained a lot of attention. It has reached the point where the Duke is having a hard time dealing with nobles. And in order to divert that attention, he has decided to use their curiosity over the matter concerning you. To explain it simply, he wants to present you as the golden boy to save his skin."

This looked like some kind of shady move from nobles, otherwise, the matter wouldn't have escalated this much further in just four days. Though this was nothing unexpected considering the fact that the duke was somewhat strict to nobles. They were probably just waiting for a single big opportunity to catch a flaw in him.

"So, what does he want me to do?"

"He wants to reveal the fact that you defeated an archdemon to the mass. By doing so, you will gain fame, and with that, the noble's attention will shift to you. Your part here will be to handle them until the situation is resolved."

He was saying it as if it was an easy task for me. I had never been to any place with nobles, except this caste. And on top of that, I lacked the necessary manners and etiquette suitable for Noble's society. But then again, I couldn't just say no. Especially considering the fact that the Duke was cornered.

Even though he was one of the causes of all the twists and turns in our lives, he was also the one who had helped us until now. The problem here was: this all was happening too soon, and we had no time to prepare for it.

I wasn't sure what to answer. My thoughts were all conflicted and there was a single big question in my mind: 'Am I ready for this?'

I looked towards Sam to hear what he has to say in this matter.

"Master, I think it would be wise to help Duke in this case. This would have happened sooner or later, but with Duke's support, we will be able to deal with upcoming hurdles more easily. Though I have to say, everyone's life will be somewhat unstable for a few years because of this."

"Hmm… That makes sense"—I turned towards the old butler— "Okay, we will help you. But we will need proper support from you guys as well."

"It would be our pleasure to help you with this task. Now, if you would, please follow me."

This time, we walked toward the castle's hall. It looked like we were a little early since there were only a few guests in the hallway, or it could just be that they were probably already inside. Though, by the way that the few people outside were looking at me, I could tell that this was going to be a long hard day.

: You lost the sword?! - Part 5