“Ugh”
I found myself lying on a bed.
“Are you awake?”
When I opened my eyes, the maid who guided me, looked at me with a worried expression.
“Where are we?”
“This is Allen-sama’s room that I showed earlier. Allen-sama had collapsed and had been asleep for about five hours.”
Thank God, it’s not like I’ve been asleep for three days or anything.
“According to the doctor, there is a high possibility that the arrow that Allen-sama was hit with was coated with a special magic poison made with the proprietary technology of the Est Empire. The poison is said to take away the life of the victim after a certain amount of time has passed, and there is no antidote for it except in the Empire. The only way to get rid of it is in the empire. So, originally, Allen-sama should not be able to survive…..”
What, poisoned arrow!?
I hurriedly checked my left hand. As expected, the 『Substitute ring』 I was wearing had shattered into pieces.
I see. So, now I have no more insurance.
“What about Anna….stasia-sama?”
“She’s still asleep, but that doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with her life.”
“Is that so.”
I slowly raise myself up.
“Would you like me to help?”
“No, it’s okay.”
Just as I was about to stand up, my stomach rumbled loudly.
Oops. By the way, I haven’t eaten anything since last night.
I’m sure I have a subtle expression on my face from embarrassment and subtle awkwardness.
“I’ll bring you some food. Also, I will report to the Master, so please wait a while.”
“Sorry.”
And the maid left my room. Then she brought me a sandwich and as I was picking it up, I was immediately summoned by the Duke.
Not only the duke but also Elisabeth-san and Friedrich-san are present at the place where I was summoned.
The duke, after confirming that I was seated, waved the others to leave.
“Allen, you’re back on your feet, good.”
Then the duke looked relieved and suddenly thanked me.
“Allen, it’s my fault that my daughter turned out the way she is now. Also, thank you for risking your life to save her. I know I’m a foolish father who couldn’t have done anything for her, but I still want to express my gratitude. Thank you very much. “
“Allen-kun, thank you so much for getting my daughter back.”
I see, it’s not good for the Duke to be seen behaving this way towards the commoners, so he made the others leave.
“No. It’s just something I really wanted to do.”
When I said that, the dukes gave me a complicated look like they were troubled or relieved.
Then Friedrich-san also thanked me.
“Allen, Anna is my dear sister. Let me express my gratitude too. Thank you very much.”
“No……”
“Well. So, you were responsible for the mysterious explosions that occurred only in the Xaus Kingdom’s army today, weren’t you?”
“….Yes. That’s right. Well, it’s like my magic. They were a hindrance to Anna’s check-up.”
“After all is that so….”
That was all Friedrich-san said and remain silent.
“Allen, you were supposed to have gone to the Bruseni front alone to fight the Est invasion, weren’t you?”
“Yes. The entire region of Bruseni is now under the control of the Centraren Kingdom. There may be some resistance, but there shouldn’t be any significant bases left.”
“What? What happened to Cardassia?”
“I fell, and most of the inhabitants were banished to the Est Empire.”
“…..I see, Fortified city Cardassia, that we haven’t been able to recapture for 50 years.”
“Yes”
Then silence reigned over us for a little while.
It’s probably not fair to say in this situation.
But I decided it was now or never and opened my mouth.
“Duke, I have a request.”
“….What is it?”
The Duke looked quite cautious, wondering what he would be asked to do.
I think it’s quite rare for a duke to have such an attitude.
“I think I’ve fulfilled my promise. So, please give me your daughter, Anna.”
At that moment, the expressions on the faces of the three people froze. The expression ‘like a pigeon eating a peashooter’ could be used to describe the expressions of these three people.
It must have been such an unexpected request.
“Eh? A-Allen-kun? Is that okay? If it’s about my daughter, you’ve been good to her, and that’s enough already, you know? Allen, you should look for your own happiness….”
“I love Anna, I can’t think of a woman other than her.”
“But the doctor also said it was too late.”
“I have faith that Anna will come back. No, I’ll make sure she comes back.”
“…..I see. That much…..”
When I told her that I was determined to do so, Elisabeth-san said so and kept her mouth shut.
“Well, well, if you say so much, isn’t it okay?”
I don’t know if Friedrich-san can’t find the words or if he has some ideas, but he seems to agree with me anyway.
It’s a little light for the next duke though……
Besides, the way things are going, Elisabeth-san probably won’t object.
“Allen, what do you mean you’ve fulfilled your promise?”
But the duke is not going to be swayed. But I am confident that I can make him shake his head.
“Please have a look at this”
I showed him the order for deployment that I had received from the king. The duke frowned when he saw the contents.
“No way I didn’t expect you to have been given an order like this….”
That’s right. Lead our country to victory by defeating the Est soldiers, capturing Cardassia, and reclaiming the Bruseni region. If done so, I will be given anything I desire. That’s the order I’ve been given.
Moreover, it was properly worded that the reward would be as I wish, and it was an order in the king’s own handwriting.
Of course, the Jade Seal is also firmly stamped.
“I was the one who destroyed most of the Bruseni’s enemy forces. With the help of the method you saw, and sometimes used a fire attack by dropping a lot of oil from the sky.”
“Oh, oh”
“Then I sneaked into the imperial capital and killed the crown prince and his aide in the palace, and brought back their heads. May I serve you here now?”
“Oh, put it out.”
I glanced at Elizaveta and she nodded, so I didn’t hesitate to take out two raw heads from my magic bag.
“It’s definitely Igor, the Crown Prince of the Est Empire. And……isn’t this guy Günther, Commander of the Imperial Magic Division!”
“I have defeated my enemies in Bruseni under the name of Allen, a B-rank adventurer receiving the protection of the Duke of Ramslett.”
I told him that I’m not going to let him down.
The duke crossed his arms, wrinkled his brow and pretended to think long and hard before he opened his mouth.
“Okay, let’s admit. On the honour of my Ramslett Dukedom, I will recognize the marriage of Allen and Anastasia, and the Duke, who protects Allen, will undertake the negotiations with the Royal Family in his name.”
“Thank you very much.”
Once I got up from my chair, I knelt down and bowed like a retainer. Then I handed over the raw heads of the hateful men and left.
＊＊＊＊
I went back to the room I was given and sat down on the bed and sighed heavily.
I thought that now was the only time to get him to admit it.
When the duke said he would wait for three years, I assumed that he would be willing to accept it, if necessary.
But on the other hand, he is also cold-hearted enough to use Anna to stabilize his territory without hesitation.
In the first place, I didn’t think that my promise to wait three years would be kept. But on the other hand, I also thought that he would wait for me unless something went wrong.
The reason why the Duke accepted my request at that time was because he thought I was powerful enough to present Anna with an epic-grade ring.
In particular, the 『Substitute ring』 is something that any nobleman who fears assassination would want to have.
If you sell it to a source like that, you could probably make at least tens of billions of money, maybe even trillions.
As an adventurer, I found it from the dungeon on my own.
At this point, I’m sure the duke’s scales have tipped in my favour over some rich upstart aristocrat or a well-to-do person who just wants the name of the Duke of Ramslett, or some old man with a colour blur problem.
Then, after I took Anna and showed her how to traverse the Dungeon of the Wind Mountain, he would have known that what I was saying was not a lie, and my presence would have become even heavier.
In such a situation, Anna had gone through such conditions.
It is true, of course, that the Duke is saddened by this, as a father who loves his daughter.
It’s easy to see that the Duke of Ramslett has family ties and affections, unlike the cold aristocratic families that we, the general public, would imagine by hearing just their names.
However, the option of not using Anna as a pawn in a political marriage, no matter how much they bonded and loved each other, would not have existed in the duke’s mind.
However, after this incident, Anna is completely useless as a pawn in a political marriage.
No man would go out of his way to marry a woman who was bedridden and unconscious, no matter how much he wanted to.
In other words, Anna’s current value as a pawn in a political marriage is zero, or even negative.
There, the man who had single-handedly destroyed the troops of the Est Empire and the Kingdom of Xaus, and assassinated the Crown Prince of the Empire, came to offer a deal in a way that would honour the Duke.
He told me that if he gives me his daughter, who was bedridden and the doctors had given up on her, he would give me all the credit for her and take me under his wing.
It was a bit of his weakness, but this is how I finally got Anna.
I fell backwards and lay down on the soft bed and sighed heavily again.
“But, more than this, I wanted you to smile ….”
(Tl:- Probably saying to Anna.)
“Ugh”
I found myself lying on a bed.
“Are you awake?”
When I opened my eyes, the maid who guided me, looked at me with a worried expression.
“Where are we?”
“This is Allen-sama’s room that I showed earlier. Allen-sama had collapsed and had been asleep for about five hours.”
Thank God, it’s not like I’ve been asleep for three days or anything.
“According to the doctor, there is a high possibility that the arrow that Allen-sama was hit with was coated with a special magic poison made with the proprietary technology of the Est Empire. The poison is said to take away the life of the victim after a certain amount of time has passed, and there is no antidote for it except in the Empire. The only way to get rid of it is in the empire. So, originally, Allen-sama should not be able to survive…..”
What, poisoned arrow!?
I hurriedly checked my left hand. As expected, the 『Substitute ring』 I was wearing had shattered into pieces.
I see. So, now I have no more insurance.
“What about Anna….stasia-sama?”
“She’s still asleep, but that doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with her life.”
“Is that so.”
I slowly raise myself up.
“Would you like me to help?”
“No, it’s okay.”
Just as I was about to stand up, my stomach rumbled loudly.
Oops. By the way, I haven’t eaten anything since last night.
I’m sure I have a subtle expression on my face from embarrassment and subtle awkwardness.
“I’ll bring you some food. Also, I will report to the Master, so please wait a while.”
“Sorry.”
And the maid left my room. Then she brought me a sandwich and as I was picking it up, I was immediately summoned by the Duke.
Not only the duke but also Elisabeth-san and Friedrich-san are present at the place where I was summoned.
The duke, after confirming that I was seated, waved the others to leave.
“Allen, you’re back on your feet, good.”
Then the duke looked relieved and suddenly thanked me.
“Allen, it’s my fault that my daughter turned out the way she is now. Also, thank you for risking your life to save her. I know I’m a foolish father who couldn’t have done anything for her, but I still want to express my gratitude. Thank you very much. “
“Allen-kun, thank you so much for getting my daughter back.”
I see, it’s not good for the Duke to be seen behaving this way towards the commoners, so he made the others leave.
“No. It’s just something I really wanted to do.”
When I said that, the dukes gave me a complicated look like they were troubled or relieved.
Then Friedrich-san also thanked me.
“Allen, Anna is my dear sister. Let me express my gratitude too. Thank you very much.”
“No……”
“Well. So, you were responsible for the mysterious explosions that occurred only in the Xaus Kingdom’s army today, weren’t you?”
“….Yes. That’s right. Well, it’s like my magic. They were a hindrance to Anna’s check-up.”
“After all is that so….”
That was all Friedrich-san said and remain silent.
“Allen, you were supposed to have gone to the Bruseni front alone to fight the Est invasion, weren’t you?”
“Yes. The entire region of Bruseni is now under the control of the Centraren Kingdom. There may be some resistance, but there shouldn’t be any significant bases left.”
“What? What happened to Cardassia?”
“I fell, and most of the inhabitants were banished to the Est Empire.”
“…..I see, Fortified city Cardassia, that we haven’t been able to recapture for 50 years.”
“Yes”
Then silence reigned over us for a little while.
It’s probably not fair to say in this situation.
But I decided it was now or never and opened my mouth.
“Duke, I have a request.”
“….What is it?”
The Duke looked quite cautious, wondering what he would be asked to do.
I think it’s quite rare for a duke to have such an attitude.
“I think I’ve fulfilled my promise. So, please give me your daughter, Anna.”
At that moment, the expressions on the faces of the three people froze. The expression ‘like a pigeon eating a peashooter’ could be used to describe the expressions of these three people.
It must have been such an unexpected request.
“Eh? A-Allen-kun? Is that okay? If it’s about my daughter, you’ve been good to her, and that’s enough already, you know? Allen, you should look for your own happiness….”
“I love Anna, I can’t think of a woman other than her.”
“But the doctor also said it was too late.”
“I have faith that Anna will come back. No, I’ll make sure she comes back.”
“…..I see. That much…..”
When I told her that I was determined to do so, Elisabeth-san said so and kept her mouth shut.
“Well, well, if you say so much, isn’t it okay?”
I don’t know if Friedrich-san can’t find the words or if he has some ideas, but he seems to agree with me anyway.
It’s a little light for the next duke though……
Besides, the way things are going, Elisabeth-san probably won’t object.
“Allen, what do you mean you’ve fulfilled your promise?”
But the duke is not going to be swayed. But I am confident that I can make him shake his head.
“Please have a look at this”
I showed him the order for deployment that I had received from the king. The duke frowned when he saw the contents.
“No way I didn’t expect you to have been given an order like this….”
That’s right. Lead our country to victory by defeating the Est soldiers, capturing Cardassia, and reclaiming the Bruseni region. If done so, I will be given anything I desire. That’s the order I’ve been given.
Moreover, it was properly worded that the reward would be as I wish, and it was an order in the king’s own handwriting.
Of course, the Jade Seal is also firmly stamped.
“I was the one who destroyed most of the Bruseni’s enemy forces. With the help of the method you saw, and sometimes used a fire attack by dropping a lot of oil from the sky.”
“Oh, oh”
“Then I sneaked into the imperial capital and killed the crown prince and his aide in the palace, and brought back their heads. May I serve you here now?”
“Oh, put it out.”
I glanced at Elizaveta and she nodded, so I didn’t hesitate to take out two raw heads from my magic bag.
“It’s definitely Igor, the Crown Prince of the Est Empire. And……isn’t this guy Günther, Commander of the Imperial Magic Division!”
“I have defeated my enemies in Bruseni under the name of Allen, a B-rank adventurer receiving the protection of the Duke of Ramslett.”
I told him that I’m not going to let him down.
The duke crossed his arms, wrinkled his brow and pretended to think long and hard before he opened his mouth.
“Okay, let’s admit. On the honour of my Ramslett Dukedom, I will recognize the marriage of Allen and Anastasia, and the Duke, who protects Allen, will undertake the negotiations with the Royal Family in his name.”
“Thank you very much.”
Once I got up from my chair, I knelt down and bowed like a retainer. Then I handed over the raw heads of the hateful men and left.
＊＊＊＊
I went back to the room I was given and sat down on the bed and sighed heavily.
I thought that now was the only time to get him to admit it.
When the duke said he would wait for three years, I assumed that he would be willing to accept it, if necessary.
But on the other hand, he is also cold-hearted enough to use Anna to stabilize his territory without hesitation.
In the first place, I didn’t think that my promise to wait three years would be kept. But on the other hand, I also thought that he would wait for me unless something went wrong.
The reason why the Duke accepted my request at that time was because he thought I was powerful enough to present Anna with an epic-grade ring.
In particular, the 『Substitute ring』 is something that any nobleman who fears assassination would want to have.
If you sell it to a source like that, you could probably make at least tens of billions of money, maybe even trillions.
As an adventurer, I found it from the dungeon on my own.
At this point, I’m sure the duke’s scales have tipped in my favour over some rich upstart aristocrat or a well-to-do person who just wants the name of the Duke of Ramslett, or some old man with a colour blur problem.
Then, after I took Anna and showed her how to traverse the Dungeon of the Wind Mountain, he would have known that what I was saying was not a lie, and my presence would have become even heavier.
In such a situation, Anna had gone through such conditions.
It is true, of course, that the Duke is saddened by this, as a father who loves his daughter.
It’s easy to see that the Duke of Ramslett has family ties and affections, unlike the cold aristocratic families that we, the general public, would imagine by hearing just their names.
However, the option of not using Anna as a pawn in a political marriage, no matter how much they bonded and loved each other, would not have existed in the duke’s mind.
However, after this incident, Anna is completely useless as a pawn in a political marriage.
No man would go out of his way to marry a woman who was bedridden and unconscious, no matter how much he wanted to.
In other words, Anna’s current value as a pawn in a political marriage is zero, or even negative.
There, the man who had single-handedly destroyed the troops of the Est Empire and the Kingdom of Xaus, and assassinated the Crown Prince of the Empire, came to offer a deal in a way that would honour the Duke.
He told me that if he gives me his daughter, who was bedridden and the doctors had given up on her, he would give me all the credit for her and take me under his wing.
It was a bit of his weakness, but this is how I finally got Anna.
I fell backwards and lay down on the soft bed and sighed heavily again.
“But, more than this, I wanted you to smile ….”
(Tl:- Probably saying to Anna.)
