Chapter 67: Duke’s Banquet – 2

Chapter 67: Duke’s Banquet – 2

When we arrived at the Duke’s mansion again, the servants greeted me as if they were used to it.

Perhaps because they had seen my face once before, they seemed much more relaxed.

…Except for one group, the guards.

Their eyes were half-soulless, as if they had been thoroughly chewed out by the Duke and Christie.

Moreover, it was the first banquet held at the Duke’s mansion in a while, but this time, there were no soldiers related to the Imperial Family to be seen at all.

“Is there a problem? You keep looking at the guards.”

“I was wondering where the problematic Imperial Guard went.”

“…Lucia, you shouldn’t say things like that so carelessly……”

“Anyway, you and the Duke know, right? There’s no way the Imperial Guard, who are of the highest caliber, couldn’t stop an attacker that even I could stop.”

At that, Christie responded with a small nod.

It was a possible reaction since there was no one in the carriage to hear our conversation anyway.

Although we had arrived at the Duke’s mansion, we were still in the carriage because there was a distance to the banquet hall, which was separate from the main residence.

“Damn Imperial Family… How much profit have they gained from the Duke’s family all this time……”

“At the same time, they must have had a lot of stress from considering you a potential threat. Either way, the Duke’s family’s military power is absolutely not to be underestimated.”

“…Weren’t you a commoner, and one who hadn’t even been in the capital for long? How do you know so much?”

“And is it possible for a normal, delicate commoner girl to be friends with the Duke’s only daughter and call her Unnie?”

…Of course, my knowledge of the relationship between the Duke’s family and the Imperial Family was entirely thanks to the novel’s information.

If she pressed me further, I’d just say I heard it vaguely from a retired official or something.

“That’s true too.”

“By the way, is it okay for the Defense Force Commander to be so relaxed?”

“Before I’m the Defense Force Commander, I’m the Duke’s daughter. For formal family events like this, my status as the Duke’s daughter takes precedence. Oh, unless it’s an attack like the one that shook the entire Defense Force before.”

Christie was probably referring to the incident where I was attacked previously.

From the Defense Force’s perspective, they couldn’t identify the attacker, nor could they identify the victim.

…Now that I think about it, I hadn’t told her yet that I was the victim, had I…?

“Ugh… Unnie, don’t get angry, just listen.”

“Huh? Did you commit some kind of crime?”

“No, it’s not that. You know that attack incident that made the Defense Force so noisy last time?”

“Oh, that? It was a real headache because neither the culprit nor the victim could be identified. And it was even more of a spectacle that the unconscious guys all committed suicide together.”

Saying that, Christie explained that all three attackers who were reported and caught had simultaneously committed suicide.

More precisely, she said it was more accurate to say they were forcibly made to commit suicide by some magic.

“But, surprisingly, we’ve caught a clue this time.”

“…Huh?”

“An item with the crest of the bugs who attacked the Duke’s mansion turned up. Judging by it being an insignificant item, it was probably a subcontract.

In other words, their mastermind is a noble who is at odds with the Duke’s family, or wishes for the Duke’s family’s downfall… and the Emperor.”

…I felt like the air had gotten a little colder.

……Looking at Christie’s expression, I also thought it wouldn’t be strange if it had actually gotten colder.

Even if it’s in front of me, this appearance is truly a huge deviation from Christie’s demeanor in official settings.

To be so honest with her emotions, to the point of overflowing.

“So, you especially need to be careful. Understand? If those bastards start attacking other people connected to the Duke’s family, you, with the Duke’s family as your patron, will be an official target.”

“……I’ve already been an unofficial target before, though.”

“Huh? What do you mean by that?”

“…The victim of that attack, that was actually me. Perhaps they knew I had met Christie several times…”

“Why are you telling me this now?!”

For a moment, there was a shock so strong that the carriage rattled.

…It was also the first time I realized Christie could make such a terrifying expression.

“…Because I thought exactly this would happen.”

“No, well, if you put it that way, I have nothing to say!”

“And, well, I subdued them all anyway, so what? I may look like this, but I’m pretty strong, you know?”

“……I know you single-handedly defeated someone equivalent to a high-ranking Knight… Sigh… Honestly, don’t you think looking at your own body, the word ‘strong’ is quite far off?”

“Still, wouldn’t it be pretty scary if I glared at them while holding a greatsword?”

“As if.”

Just as Christie’s nagging was about to begin again… the carriage precisely announced its arrival at the banquet hall.

…And so, thankfully, I was able to avoid Christie’s nagging bomb.

***

“……Wow.”

“Pfft, what kind of reaction is that?”

“No, it’s really magnificent, isn’t it? It’s my first time seeing a building like this…”

“If you think about the money poured into it over several generations, it’s not that magnificent, you know?”

“That’s that, and this is this.”

Indeed, the banquet hall before my eyes was splendor itself.

What was even more surprising was that its splendor never crossed into the realm of excess.

No, it’s truly ridiculously magnificent, dignified, and grand, yet it doesn’t feel excessive at all.

“…It’s certainly a bit old, probably because it hasn’t been used much.”

“……This? Then is my house a 1000-year-old ruin?”

“That’s compared to the past. By the way, you seem to like the house? I’ve noticed it before, but the interior seems to have been quite carefully designed…”

“Someone gave it to me as a gift, you know. And if I’m going to live somewhere, a pretty house is nice, right? Even if it’s a little cramped and inconvenient, pretty is the best.”

“……Are you really a commoner? You’re not, like, the daughter of some fallen noble family, are you? That’s definitely not a commoner’s way of thinking.”

Hmm, anyway, I can’t get used to this damn class system.

Is this the difference in lifestyle between modern times and medieval fantasy?

…Now that I think about it, what exactly is my status in this body?

*Well, the system can whitewash your past later.*

‘…Why is that even possible?’

*Since you’re a person who didn’t exist in this world anyway, the system can insert any setting it wants.

It’s just that if you show ‘sincerity’ in the name of money, you can customize it however the user wants.*

‘……You guys must have really good company performance.’

Thanks to Ria, who had been quiet and then spoke up for the first time in a while, I gained more unnecessary information.

…No, now that I think about it, why was she so quiet all this time?

‘Well, it’s not my business, I guess. Maybe she’s busy.’

I felt a little bad for Ria, but I had something else to do immediately, so I pushed thoughts of Ria aside for a moment.

“…By the way, it’s really hard to do anything with a sword here…?”

“Hehe, you noticed?”

Saying that, I looked at the banquet hall floor… and only the part where we were standing and its surroundings were empty.

More precisely… should I say the structure was such that all the seats and tables were arranged in a circle, centered around the middle of this banquet hall?

“Here, this is the historic dueling ground of the Duke’s family. And it’s also where the most blood has been shed in the Duke’s family.”

“…You made a dueling ground in a banquet hall?!?”

“Father says that sometimes, for matters of pride, power and a little show of force are necessary.”

She’s saying they made a place to duel just because of pride?!

I felt my evaluation of this banquet hall rapidly plummeting.

“And, it also serves as a training ground for the guards who protect this banquet hall.”

“It’s certainly wide, yet narrow. …? Now that I look closely, those things over there, next to us, aren’t decorations, but actual weapon racks with real weapons stuck in them?”

“That’s right. Those who use daggers or magic can always carry their weapons, but we can’t always carry greatswords, can we? So they were made for that.”

Saying that, Christie drew a greatsword from a weapon rack that looked very much like a decoration and blended in seamlessly among the other decorations.

…But why does she have an expression like she’s about to kill someone?

“Before people arrive, I’ll teach you quickly. Hmm… 10 minutes should be enough.”

“…10 minutes?”

“Rather than thinking of it as learning… think of it as engraving it into your body and taking hits for 10 minutes. Oh, and I’ll apologize in advance.”

Having said that, Christie disappeared from my sight.

…And then, a voice came from behind me.

“It’s going to hurt a bit. But it’ll just be a slight hit. I’ll control my strength. You definitely won’t get hurt, so don’t worry.”

“At least she’s not denying it’s going to hurt…”

“This is faster, you know. Sorry?”

Of course, Christie’s expression as she said that didn’t look sorry at all.

…This is swordsmanship training?

“…Do you have some grudge against me? Or something built up? Unnie?”

“Hmm, a little. A younger sister who doesn’t know how dangerous things are and takes her life lightly… I think she needs a little ‘education’!

Because she’s a younger sister who doesn’t know how much her Unnie worries and always chooses to do dangerous things.”

The moment I was about to argue that the purpose was that kind of education, not swordsmanship training, a ridiculously large greatsword was descending at a ridiculously fast speed right before my eyes.

In that short moment, countless thoughts raced through my mind.

But the conclusion was one.

“Oh? You dodged? You’re definitely in much better shape than you look, aren’t you?”

“…”

“Pay close attention. Understand? For these 10 minutes… I’m sorry, but treat me as a ‘teacher’, not ‘Unnie’.

As much as I’d like to teach you slowly and comfortably… to cut down the bugs that will swarm today, I think I have to do at least that much.”

…At that, I had this thought for the first time in a while.

……As expected, getting involved with main characters leads to troublesome things.

*You were the one who asked to be taught swordsmanship first?*

‘…Shut up. Block my vision.’

Anyway, that’s how it is. Anyway.