Ch.122Return to the Empire #2

“The Barkan County.

It’s not an uncomfortable place, as we have some debts to clear and we’re both royalists.

Of course, the Count might find us uncomfortable, but it couldn’t be helped.

After all, the Krauser Duchy has always been the head of the royalist faction, including Count Barkan.

“It’s my first time going out to sea… Will it really be alright?”

Ive seemed somewhat anxious at the thought of going to sea.

Having been born and lived inland, it was understandable.

As a mage, her life had been confined to magic towers or researching in our territory.

“You might suffer from seasickness when you first board a ship… but otherwise, you’ll be fine.”

“Really?”

“Of course. As I said yesterday, the weather isn’t bad, and there are no monsters in the ocean.”

Helena smiled, soothing the anxious Ive with a gentle tone.

Her words and expression exuded such composure that it was clear she was trying to help Ive shake off her anxiety as quickly as possible.

Thanks to this, Ive nodded with a noticeably relieved expression.

Though her anxiety hadn’t completely disappeared, it had diminished significantly.

Is this what they call the dignity of a legal wife?

I felt proud watching Helena harmonize so well with the two women who were technically concubines, unlike before.

Even now, she still shows jealousy in bed, but otherwise, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call her magnanimous.

Just looking at how she was leading the conversation now, I could see the difference.

“Wow…! Are the dresses that noblewomen wear really that expensive?”

“They are expensive. Most nobles spend a lot of money on adornments. The higher the rank, the more common it is for ladies to create beautiful dresses using expensive materials.”

“Huh? But Duke, you always wear the formal uniform favored by the knights.”

“That’s because I’m not a noblewoman but a duke, and someone who lives by the sword. Above all…”

Helena suddenly cut off her conversation and gave me an unmistakably suggestive look.

The way she narrowed her eyes and her slightly reddened cheeks clearly revealed what she wanted to do.

Probably half in jest.

Ellen seemed to notice this too, nodding with her eyes closed.

In this carriage, only Ive seemed unaware of why Helena was making such an expression.

“There’s only one person I want to show my skin to. Of course, there’s also the reason that it’s more comfortable than dresses… but lately, that’s become the main reason.”

“Ah…”

Swish. Helena ran her hand over her thigh, exhaling a hot breath.

Ive, not understanding the meaning, was simply satisfied with the answer.

Probably only the three of us who were more uninhibited would understand that as seduction.

Creak.

While I was contemplating whether to give in to the seduction, the carriage made a sound and slowly came to a stop.

Normally, one might think something had happened, but judging by the time and location, it seemed we were setting up camp.

“Duke. I was thinking we could camp here for tonight… would that be alright?”

Brown knocked on the carriage door and peeked in, asking cautiously.

The sunset was glowing like a faint afterimage, suggesting it would soon be evening.

It would be good to prepare for camping now and rest from the journey’s fatigue.

“We’ll help too. Brown, you must be tired from driving the carriage, so take a short rest.”

“W-what are you saying! It’s problematic enough for the Duke to lend a hand. For someone like me to just sit and watch would be unthinkable!”

Brown blanched at the sight of Helena stepping out of the carriage first.

From a servant’s perspective, it’s uncomfortable to let the master work, let alone being told to watch idly while sucking one’s thumb.

In a way, it could be as burdensome as being told to die.

However, I agreed with Helena’s intention. Brown needed some rest.

Perhaps in the past it would have been different, but now we had four pairs of hands, including myself.

There was no need to make Brown, who had been driving the carriage with such focus, help as well.

“Brown. Do as Helena says.”

“No, Duke, this is…”

I got out of the carriage, patted Brown’s shoulder, and followed Helena to the luggage compartment, where we took out fairly thick supports and the cloth that would form the base of the tent.

By now, Ellen and Ive had also gotten out of the carriage and were helping with the camp preparations.

People who travel between territories become accustomed to camping, and nobles are no exception.

In fact, they are much more familiar with it than ordinary people who rarely leave their home territories.

After all, there was nothing but roads between territories.

Of course, most of those nobles don’t help set up tents like we do.

From their perspective, watching is the natural thing to do.

“Jion. Step on this here.”

“Ah, sure.”

Following Helena’s instruction, I firmly stepped on the head of the pin tied to the tent rope.

Normally, installing supports or driving pins into dry ground would require some hammering, but they sank into the soft soil as if being buried.

It was natural since I had infused it with aura.

After spending a short time, we set up one small tent and one large tent right next to the carriage.

Judging by the sun still being in place, it hadn’t taken much time.

“If the elder lord were to hear of this, he would be shocked…”

“There’s no reason for him to find out, so why worry? Besides, Father wouldn’t get angry over something like this.”

Helena chuckled as she reassured Brown, then drew the sword from her waist.

At first glance, the mismatch between her words and actions might have been alarming.

However, she hadn’t drawn her sword to cut Brown.

It was merely to prepare firewood for the day.

Normally, the mad idea of cutting wood with a sword would be unthinkable and should never be attempted.

Even the finest sword couldn’t fell a tree in one stroke.

Perhaps it could cut through a thin, spindly branch, but not a log. The blade would be damaged or the sword would break.

However, when a sword is infused with aura, it can produce results that defy common sense.

Helena swung her aura sword lightly and swiftly, like a breeze brushing against a cheek, making a clean cut.

Simply because the blade was short, she couldn’t cut it in one go, but the path traced by the sword was perfectly carved out.

After a few such swings, the tree fell with a thud.

“Ellen. Please move these logs. Ive doesn’t have the strength… so light the fire once the wood is gathered.”

As Helena, who was chopping the logs like she was dicing vegetables, gave her orders, the two women followed her instructions as if they had been waiting for them.

Of course, I also helped move the wood to lessen the burden.

I could have just watched, but a sense of unease pushed me to help.

Ellen stacked the neatly cut firewood in an orderly manner, and Ive lit it with magic.

Considering the time we used to spend struggling to light a fire, this was a remarkable improvement. All thanks to the blessing of great magic.

As a result, we had more time to sit by the fire, chat leisurely, and rest in the tents.

The night watch was replaced by magic, so that was fine.

While trying to sleep, the tent space wasn’t particularly spacious, so we naturally had to press against each other, which led to various incidents.

I managed to calm them down and put them to sleep, but it was quite exhausting.

.

“Welcome.”

The next day, in the early afternoon.

As soon as we arrived at the Barkan County, Helena and I visited the Count to exchange greetings.

We had notified him of our visit in advance to avoid surprising him, but we also needed to greet him in person.

I thought that if we just sent a letter and left abruptly, it might give the impression that we were dismissing him.

Of course, there was also the thought that it might be better than visiting in person and causing burden… but this seemed like the better way to save face.

“Yes. It’s been a while. I sent a sudden message and came, so you must have been perplexed…”

“Not at all. The Duchess is always welcome.”

While Helena and the Count were warmly shaking hands in the hall of the Barkan mansion, I was scanning the mansion with my eyes.

It didn’t seem to have changed much since my last visit.

That’s natural for a mansion passed down through generations.

“The Grand Duke is also welcome.”

“Yes. Thank you for your hospitality.”

I shook the hand extended to me and exchanged warm greetings.

I had seen him a few times at the wedding and afterward, but it had been a long time since I visited this mansion.

So I couldn’t help but feel a strange sense of nostalgia.

The Count seemed to feel the same way, showing a more excited demeanor than usual.

It could be because it was his home, or he might have had the same thoughts as me.

“You said you were going to the Holy Nation?”

“Yes. We plan to disembark at an Imperial port near the Holy Nation, rent a carriage there, and then head to the Holy Nation.”

“I see. The Holy Nation… I remember rushing there when I heard the news of my wife’s pregnancy. At that time, I was so busy with overlapping matters.”

The Count smiled with a distant look in his eyes.

His strangely unfocused eyes seemed to be chasing an invisible past.

He also dragged out the conversation with unexpected topics, but it wasn’t too bad.

Although it might seem tedious and uninteresting to a casual listener, the information that subtly flowed in was quite valuable.

“…Ah! I apologize. This is what happens when I reminisce about old memories. It’s enjoyable, but I tend to go overboard without realizing it.”

“It’s fine. Rather, the Count’s unexpected old stories were quite interesting.”

“Haha. I’m glad you say so.”

The Count cleared his throat with a fake cough, then spoke with a kind smile.

His face was still slightly flushed, and his smile was a bit awkward, suggesting he hadn’t completely overcome his embarrassment.

“Ahem! Anyway, if your destination is the Imperial port, there’s a ship departing in two days. You can take that.”

“In two days? That’s sooner than I expected.”

“Well, there’s a more developed port elsewhere, so the place you’re targeting has relatively less traffic… but it’s only relatively less. The frequency of traffic itself is quite substantial.”

“I see. But even considering that, it seems we’ve timed it quite well. We’re lucky.”

I had expected at least a week, but two days.

The thought that we could return sooner than expected put my mind at ease.

“It was a pleasure meeting you. Now, we shall take our leave.”

“What? What do you mean? Won’t you stay at our mansion?”

“We would be an inconvenience to the Count. It would be similar to having the King stay at our home, and you should be comfortable in your own house.”

I carefully reassured the Count, who showed clear signs of surprise.

When I visited the mansion before, I was a noble lady and her companion, but now I am a proper Duke and Grand Duke.

Even though Helena was essentially a Duchess back then, it was before she officially inherited the title.

The weight of our presence would be quite different now.

So rather than staying at the Count’s house, it made more sense to hide our identities and find suitable lodging.

At least that was my thinking, and Helena agreed, so there was no reason to hesitate.

“No, that’s absolutely not the case. Rather, it would be more troublesome to have the Grand Duke and Duchess stay elsewhere…”

“I appreciate your consideration… but you’ve already helped us secure a ship, and I’d feel burdened to impose further. Instead, though it’s not much, we’ll visit once more before we leave.”

“Hmm…”

In a world where hosting high-ranking nobles is expected, the discomfort doesn’t simply disappear.

Even if it’s an honor for the Count, he would clearly have to be more attentive than usual, which would eventually lead to fatigue.

He might think it’s uncomfortable now because he’s not fulfilling his duty, but that’s only temporary.

It seemed better than the stress he would experience by hosting us.

Although I couldn’t know the Count’s thoughts and made the decision based on my own standards, I was confident it wasn’t a bad choice.

“I suppose there’s no helping it. If that’s the Grand Duke’s wish, I’ll respect it. I assume the Duchess feels the same?”

“Of course.”

Helena smiled and agreed to the idea of staying at an ordinary inn instead of a luxurious mansion.

It must be due to her inherently unpretentious nature and her experience with long outdoor training.”