CH 124

“Disciple applications, reunions, and declarations of friendship.”

Translated by Dawn

“Disciple applications, reunions, and declarations of friendship.”

“We now award the Mithril First Class Medal to A-rank adventurer Rolando, for his efforts in defeating the demons in Orargrand.”

“Thank you, very much…”

I received the medal reverently and put it on my chest. After that, the awarding ceremony of the medals took place without any hitch, and I ended up receiving the Mithril First Class Medal half-heartedly and without any chance to refuse.

I guessed that they had originally planned to give me a Mithril First Class medal, a barony, and a fiefdom, but since I refused to accept the barony and the fiefdom, they had to make me accept at least the Mithril First Class medal.

As evidence of this, it was strange that the actual medal appeared so soon after it was hastily decided, and the chancellor, who was in charge of awarding the medal, did not hesitate to deliver the order as if he had practiced it beforehand.

While I was thinking about this, the nobles around me suddenly began to make a commotion. Apparently, the leader of the Kingsguard, Hannibal, whom I had blown away in the mock battle, had woken up.

“Hmm, this place…I see, I guess I’ve been defeated.”

“It seems you’ve noticed, Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, Hannibal.”

“Your Majesty the King…”

The King called out to Hannibal as he got up. Hannibal’s face was a mixture of emotions as he was approached by the king. I could guess that it was probably because he had been defeated as a knight representing this country, or because he had underestimated me based on my appearance, but to tell the truth, only Hannibal himself knew which of these feelings it was.

“Kid…no, Rolando-dono. I apologize for earlier. I will pay for that disrespect with my life—”

“No need for that. You are the most powerful knight in the country. That title should not be taken lightly. Your life is no longer yours alone. The people, the knights under your command, the royalty you’re protecting, and the things you’re carrying on your shoulders are incredibly heavy. Do not forget that.”

“Rolando-dono…Would you listen to just one of my rude wishes?”

“What is it?”

I had a bad premonition and a sense of déjà vu when HANNIBAL suddenly started talking in a formal manner, but I listened to his request with a faint hope that I could be wrong. However, bad premonitions were often right, as if they were universal…

“Will you take me on as your disciple—”

“NO!”

“Why, master!?”

“Who’s your master!? I’m not taking you as my disciple!”

As expected, the pattern was somewhat predictable, but I did not expect this to really happen, and I was distraught even though I was in the middle of an audience with the king.

“Cough, Hannibal. I don’t know how you feel, but don’t you understand that this is a public event?”

“Ha, my apologies.”

“Good. Now, Rolando-dono. Once again, thank you for everything you have done for the Orargrand!”

“You are too kind to say so.”

“This concludes this audience, and I would like to ask you, Rolando-dono, to come to His Majesty’s chamber, as we have much more to discuss.”

The king admonishes Hannibal for acting on his personal feelings even though he was in an audience. After he again praised me for my achievements, the audience was over. The audience ended, although I was not sure if it was safe or not. After the chancellor’s final words, I was escorted by a maid dressed in a service uniform to the room where the king usually conducts his political affairs.

“Can I have a minute?”

“Yes, what can I do for you?”

On the way being guided by the maid, I noticed a familiar feeling, and told the maid that I needed to go to the restroom, and asked her to show me to the guest restroom. I had the maid waiting for me outside, and while I was doing my business at the far end of the restroom, the person I was expecting came in.

“It’s been a long time, Roland. No, you call yourself Rolando now.”

“It’s been a long time, too. Your Excellency, Count of Byreus.”

There I was greeted by the Count of Byreus, who once ruled a fiefdom adjacent to Malbert’s. I wondered why he was in the capital from his own territory, but I guessed that it was probably to report something, and I decided to cut to the chase.

“You wanted to see me?”

“Don’t talk to me like that. You don’t have to be so polite.”

“Alright, then. What do you want from me?”

I asked the Count of Byreus in my usual tone of voice without hesitation. Then, the Count of Byreus’ face showed a troubled, wry smile. When I was inwardly puzzled by his intention, he began to tell me the reason for coming to meet me.

“I never thought that you, who were called the ill-behaved son of Malbert, would now be a hero, even a recipient of one of the Mithril First Class medals…It seems I misjudged you.”

“It’s nothing to worry about. I’m the one who set it up to happen. Even my father and mother didn’t see it. It makes sense that you, a stranger, wouldn’t see it, doesn’t it?”

When I said that, the Count of the Byreus Frontier, who understood what I said, agreed with me with a high smile on his face.

“That is true, but I am filled with chagrin at the thought that I might have seen through your scheme at the time. Even my own daughter was aware of who you were.”

“Your daughter? Oh, the girl who came to Malbert with you, her name was Lauren, I believe. She’s nothing to worry about. I told her a little bit about our situation and she helped me out. She just recognized my true nature early on.”

“To think that something like that could have happened…I am truly disgusted with my lack of observation skills.”

There was once a time when the Count of the Frontier of Byreus visited the territory of Malbert once for an inspection. Lauren, the eldest daughter of the Byreus family, was with the Count of the Frontier. One thing led to another, and I asked her to cooperate with me, but we haven’t seen each other since then. I wondered if she was doing well.

While I was thinking about that, the Count of Byreus began to talk about my father, Randall.

“But then again, I’m sure Randall would be surprised if he knew who you are now.”

“Did you tell my father about this?”

“No, he wouldn’t believe me even if I told him. Even I, who saw it with my own eyes, still can’t believe it, and Randall, who hasn’t seen it, would be even less likely to believe it.”

Well, even if my father had planned to bring me back, word would have spread among the neighboring nobles that I had been kicked out of the Malbert family, and if he were to bring me back because of my achievements as the ill-behaved son, other nobles would have started rumors about me.

For a noble to go against an agreement once made would be a matter of credibility. In addition, it would be an act that would damage my pride as a nobleman, so even if I had risen this high in the world, he would not be able to bring me back so easily.

“Roland. What are you going to do now?”

“What do you mean?”

“You’ve escaped the bonds of nobility, and you’ve earned your place as a hero of this country. I wonder what you want next.”

When asked by the Count of Byreus, I thought about it once again. Certainly, now that I had succeeded in forcing my younger brother to take the role of heir to the Malbert family, and I myself had been released from my duties as a nobility due to my banishment and had acquired the power to fight off the demons and the status of a hero recognized by all, even if only by accident, it was difficult to say exactly what such a man of so great a stature would do next.

“I guess…it might not be a bad idea to travel around to different countries and see different things.”

At my response, he let out a loud, high-pitched laugh again and walked toward the bathroom exit as if he had nothing more to say to me. But then, as if remembering something, he turned on his heel and dropped the bomb.

“My Lauren, she said something about taking over the Byreus family and having you as her husband.”

“What?”

“I questioned my daughter’s sanity when I heard those words, but now I can see that those words were sane. Be careful, Roland. Once a woman falls in love with a man, she never lets him go. I, for one, was pushed so hard by my wife that she wouldn’t let me go. So, this is my advice, be careful. Then, let’s meet again somewhere else.”

“….”

Hey, hey, hey, old man. What information you’re dropping on me as you’re leaving! She’s taking me as her husband? Don’t be ridiculous. I refuse to accept such a thing.

Disgusted by the prospect of another upheaval, I headed for the king’s office to solve the problem at hand.

“Excuse me, I brought Rolando-sama here.”

“Come in.”

I followed the maid’s directions to the king’s office, sat down on the sofa, and made my first remark.

“So, what business do you have with me?”

“You, how dare you talk to the king that way!”

There were the chancellor, who had been waiting by the king’s side during the audience, and Hannibal, the commander of the Kingsguard, whom I had just defeated in a mock battle. The chancellor shouted angrily at my use of words, while Hannibal just shook his head and nodded as if it were a matter of course. ……Hannibal, what in the world is that reaction?

“In the previous audience, I merely adapted to the manners of the other nobles and the public. Under normal circumstances, it would not have been possible for me to behave in such a manner.”

“You!”

“It’s fine.”

As the chancellor’s yell echoed through the room, a grave, calm voice rang out. It was, needless to say, the voice of the king. He was seated in the chair at the only office desk in the room, a wry smile on his face.

“B-but Your Majesty, such an attitude toward the king who governs this country. As the chancellor, I cannot overlook it.”

“Isn’t it fine if it’s Master? Varaseth-dono.”

“I beg you to leave this matter alone, Commander of the Kingsguard Hannibal.”

“By the way, why did you call me here? The audience is over, so why can’t I go home?”

I completely ignored the words of the chancellor, who was called Varaseth and asked the king, creating the atmosphere that he should quickly explain to me why I was called here. Meanwhile, Hannibal and Varaseth were still debating whether or not I could talk to the king in a straightforward manner.

“Umu, it’s about that. I was going to give you the 500 gold pieces of the bounty you mentioned in the audience here. Hannibal, and give them to Rolando.”

“Therefore, if the master who defeated me is equal to His Majesty, it is only natural that he should be—Yes, I understand.”

I thought he was distracted by the discussion, but he didn’t seem to miss the king’s words and immediately started following the king’s instructions. I should probably check the bag, but I didn’t want to raise my current standard of living by receiving 500 large gold coins, so I put the bag into storage without checking it.

“I certainly received it. And? That’s not all, is it?”

“Hahaha. You noticed?”

“Of course. If you just want to hand over the money, you can do it in another room. But if you go to the trouble of doing it in a place like this, it is only logical that you would have some other purpose than to hand over the money.”

“As I expected of you, Master! I am surprised that you could see that far.”

“Hey, you keep calling me master, but I’m not your master, so don’t call me master.”

“No matter what you say, it’s useless, master. I have already sworn in my heart to look up to you as my eternal master!”

“Don’t swear!”

Needless to say, the situation was further plunged into chaos when the chancellor joined in to correct my wording as if he were a young comedian.

Anyway, once cooled down and after listening to the king again, I found that what he wanted from me, in short, was to be friends with him.

“A king is a man who is respected and admired by most people. But at the same time, it is a lonely existence. I want a…friend who will give me a frank and honest opinion on whether I am really choosing the right path.”

“And that’s me?”

The king nodded his head in slow motion in response to my words. The king was right. Since a ruler was respected, and in some cases even feared, basically no one outside of the family would treat him as an equal. From a young age, the children of powerful nobles might become friends, such as the chancellor, Varaseth.

However, because of the clear hierarchical relationship, they tend to be almost yes-men, not objecting to his opinion.

It might seem like a good thing to have people around you affirming you, but it was surprisingly difficult to have no one to correct you if you were going down the wrong path.

“Well, I have no objection to being your friend, but you can properly deal with the stupid nobles so they don’t get involved with me, I hope?”

“Of course! That’s why I want you to be my friend!!”

“Y-Your Majesty the King!? You don’t have to go that far!”

The contrast between Varaseth, a yes-man who was astonished that the king, who ruled the country, would bow to me simply because he wanted a friend, and Hannibal, who shook his head and nodded his head again, saying, “As expected of a master,” was an odd sight to behold.

“Then, there’s no problem. I’ll be your friend.”

“Really!? Thank you.”

“So, now, I have a quick word or two I’d like you to confirm for me…”

I told the king about the matter that had been bothering me, and after a few words of idle chitchat, I left the office. If I had to give a title to what happened in the office, it would have to be this. “I became friends with the King.”