CH 159

Translated by Dawn

After finishing his laughter, Vista straightened his back, made a respectful gesture, and bowed.

“You truly are the holder of the Mithril First Class Medal. Your answer was correct in every way.” He said while opening his hands widely and making exaggerated movements. I replied with a half-glance, returning his gesture.

Most likely, the Grand Duchess did not strongly oppose Duke Bourgeois’s actions this time because she herself wanted to know what kind of person I am. It wasn’t necessary to hide it to that extent.”

“……Ahahaha, to think you saw through that as well.”

“By the way, the second princess, Anastasia, came to me on her own accord, right? The Grand Duchess heard about it and was concerned about her, wanting to confirm whether I held any dangerous ideas. However, she felt it was extremely disrespectful to investigate the character of someone who holds the Mithril First Class Medal. That’s when Duke Bourgeois, sensing the situation, decided to stage this farce… Isn’t that right?”

“Oh my, I cannot compete with you, Rolando-sama.”

Vista replied, placing a hand on my head. Realizing that I had accurately discerned all of his intentions, he must have thought there was no use in pretending or trying to deceive anymore. Afterward, Vista, seemingly resigned, began to speak.

“Certainly, as Rolando-sama said, I am indeed Vista von Bourgeois, the Prime Minister and Commander of the Royal Guard of the Duchy of Saverdales. Please allow me to introduce myself once again.”

“So, was I considered a dangerous person?”

“Your ability to observe others and deduce from given circumstances is truly remarkable. And of course, there are no issues with your character.”

“I see, that’s good to hear. But let me remind you… no, what you all did was not only disrespectful but also deserving of severe consequences. Don’t forget that if it weren’t for me, your own heads would have rolled. I will let it slide this time, but there won’t be a second chance…”

“I-I understand.”

It didn’t feel very good to be tested by someone. So, while activating the Intimidation skill., Vista could only respond with a stutter.

At that moment, he must have understood the kind of person I was. I didn’t recklessly use my power, but I wouldn’t show mercy to those who try to harm me…

After that situation, we continued walking until we reached the Grand Duchess’ office. Vista entered alone to make his report, and after a while, he came out and said, “You may enter now.” Without hesitation, I entered the office.

As expected of the ruler of this country, the office had a tasteful interior. It reminded me of the office in the royal palace of the Schells Kingdom. The furnishings were minimal, with expensive-looking bookshelves filled with seemingly valuable books.

Being a female ruler, there were beautiful flowers displayed in vases, which left a strong impression on me. For now, I decided to introduce myself to the Grand Duchess.

“It is a pleasure to meet you. My name is Rolando. I make a living as an adventurer in the neighboring country, the Schells Kingdom,”

I introduced myself, maintaining a noble demeanor befitting the position of a Grand Duchess, which was on par with a king or emperor. Although I had the feeling that she was testing me, that was a separate matter.

Before me stood a young woman, the Grand Duchess, with her distinctively lustrous platinum blonde hair, just like the Second Princess, Anastasia. However, she had a strong-willed beauty that exuded a cool and composed atmosphere, unlike Anastasia’s gentle demeanor. One could easily find themselves thanking her if she were to punch them. By the way, like Anastasia, her chest armor was ‘modest’.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I hold the position of Grand Duchess, governing this country. I am Alicia Phil Terra Magwise. Please remember my name.”

Alicia said, bowing deeply, but her head did not rise. As I began to feel a sense of unease, Vista suddenly started shouting.

“Alicia! Can’t you stop already?! It was something I did on my own. You don’t need to bow your head.”

“No, Vista, that’s not true. I also share the responsibility for not stopping you when I knew what you were trying to do. As the ruler of this country and as a wife who loves her husband, I want to bow my head.”

“Alicia…”

“Vista…”

“Ahem!”

purposely cleared my throat loudly, as if to prevent the atmosphere from turning pink right in front of me. Both of them, realizing my intention, looked embarrassed but quickly composed themselves and proceeded to point out my choice of words.

Nevertheless, I couldn’t help but be surprised. So, these two were married… I had a vague sense of that possibility, but I didn’t expect them to actually be husband and wife. It took me aback, albeit slightly.

“R-Rolando-sama, there’s no need for such formal language. Even though I govern the country, I’m no different from any other noble.”

“Is that all right?”

“Yes, it’s perfectly fine for you to speak as you always do.”

In situations like this, it would be considered polite to show restraint, but I was the type who accepted things without reservation. If I didn’t have to mind my choice of words, then there was no reason not to speak in my usual manner.

“Very well, if that’s the case, I’ll do as you say. Now, let’s get straight to the point. Do you have a request or something you want me to do?”

“W-Why would you think that?”

“It’s simple. Even if you’re someone with a Mithril First Class Medal, it’s not easy for someone like me to meet the ruler of a country.”

Having a Mithril First Class Medal granted you a status comparable to royalty, but it didn’t make you an actual member of the royal family. If someone with a Mithril First Class Medal wanted to meet the king, it might be possible, but it was not compulsory. By providing a reason, one could avoid the meeting altogether.

In some countries, even if a meeting was inevitable, the time spent together could be extremely short, and the visitor might be asked to leave before any strange requests were made.

However, in this case, it was not that I wanted to meet the Grand Duchess, but rather she initiated the contact. That indicated that a situation requiring the power of a hero had arisen. That’s why…

“I can easily deduce that despite me not wanting to meet, the fact that there’s contact from the Grand Duchess’ side indicates that the country is facing an unprecedented crisis or something close to it. It’s highly likely that the situation has reached a point where the country’s own power is insufficient to handle it.”

“…Indeed, you seem to be just as Vista described.”

“Let me hear the details. I’ll decide whether to accept the request or not based on the content.”

“Understood. Well, actually…”

From there, Alicia proceeded to share the detailed story with me. According to her, a powerful monster called the Manticore suddenly appeared in a village on the outskirts of the capital and attacked it.

After devouring several villagers, the Manticore left a chilling message: “Offer a sacrifice from the village every six months.” It then ravaged nearby fields before disappearing somewhere.

“I see.”

“If the village is left to be destroyed, the next target will be our capital. However, the Manticore is an SS-rank monster, and even with the full force of our country, it is impossible to subdue.”

“SS-rank, huh…”

Upon hearing that, I couldn’t help but think of the octopus I recently acquired as a pet, but as someone who posed no threat, simply hearing the term “SS-rank” didn’t give me a sense of its danger.

Lost in such thoughts, Vista, who had been listening silently, spoke up with a disappointed expression.

“At this rate, we won’t be able to get the special grain wheat from that village.”

“Yes, it’s truly a shame.”

“Huh? Special grain wheat…? I feel like I’ve heard that name somewhere.”

With that thought in mind, I conducted a quick search in my mind and looked up “special grain wheat.” As the search results revealed that it referred to rice, I couldn’t help but blurt out instinctively.

“I just need to kill that Manticore, right?”

“”Huh?””

It was the moment when the fate of the SS-rank monster known as the Manticore was sealed, to be eradicated from this world.

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