Ch.216216. Gift

After the major incident of single-handedly invading the Marquis’s territory, I quietly traveled between the royal palace and the Marquis’s domain for several weeks, completing all necessary business before leisurely returning to my homeland.

“Are you back, Gregory?”

“Yes, Sophia. Have you been well?”

“Of course. People hardly paid any attention.”

My homeland, our home. Standing in that incredibly comfortable and peaceful place, I reflected on this rather complicated and lengthy expedition and decided to remain in my homeland for the time being.

“Have the soldiers returned?”

“Yes, according to what Lancelot told me.”

“That fellow…”

As Sophia mentioned Lancelot’s movements, who had returned to the forest ahead of me, I briefly fell into thought about his actions… then suddenly voiced the idea that came to mind.

“Sophia, what is Lancelot doing now?”

“Training as usual, I believe?”

“I see. …I was thinking, what if we send him out as a knight-errant?”

Nowadays, the term “knight-errant” refers to knights who are either employed by specific factions or unaffiliated knights without their own land, but in this world, knight-errants were originally heroic knights like those appearing in medieval chivalric romances.

Of course, knights who genuinely display justice and courage do exist, but most knights typically act to advance their careers or achieve higher status.

They deal with enemies that are dangerous to common farmers but nothing special to knights—like goblin villages or scattered bandits—building their reputation and fame through heroic deeds, essentially creating what would be called a “spec” in modern terms.

This reputation or fame naturally serves as credentials when seeking employment (being hired by a lord), and knights with outstanding achievements or impressive reputations can certainly receive treatment several times better than ordinary knights.

While many knight-errants also work as adventurers now that adventurer guilds have become mainstream, this hasn’t reduced their numbers.

Going on quests as a knight-errant remains the best way for knights without established backgrounds to build their credentials, and they can also gain satisfaction through performing good deeds in the process.

Since humans derive tremendous satisfaction from fulfilling their pride and self-esteem, knights who become addicted to this pleasure sometimes dedicate their entire lives to self-satisfaction through heroic deeds.

This might sound like a social problem, but in reality, it’s more like high-quality personnel—knights, no less—providing free services to small villages marginalized by the kingdom’s society.

After all, one can’t deny that it would be somewhat unreasonable for a territory’s ruler and sole knight to personally deal with goblin hordes appearing in quiet rural villages.

“It’s not a bad idea, is it?”

“That’s… right. It’s a good idea. Lancelot needs to gain social experience.”

So we discussed the possibility of Lancelot embarking on a knight-errant’s journey while expressing our affection for each other after our long separation, holding hands as we walked through the Aleinos Forest.

The season was early summer, still retaining spring’s warmth despite gradually growing hotter.

The Western Continent’s climate, while hot in summer, isn’t humid, allowing for a comfortable life in the shade created by these dense trees.

Moreover, this path was specially created by me for situations like this, so although invisible, fairies of Tristia were probably frantically flying about throughout the forest.

Well, thanks to that, we could enjoy this pleasant time on the walking path. While expressing my gratitude for this and continuing our cheerful conversation…

“Ah, Gregory, I just remembered I had something to tell you.”

“Something to tell me? What is it?”

“Actually, gifts have arrived at the manor.”

“…Gifts?”

Feeling somewhat perplexed by this seemingly random statement, I soon recalled the possible source and reason for these gifts.

There was really only one reason why gifts would arrive at this point in time.

It had been several weeks since I attacked the city that could be considered the capital of the Marquis’s territory, and during that time, I had been quietly traveling between the royal palace and the Marquis’s domain.

Having eliminated the leader of the noble faction—equivalent to an opposition presidential candidate in real-world politics—this was no joke; it was a situation where the aftermath could be concerning if not properly handled.

Therefore, after several weeks of running around with some officials to resolve the matter, the series of incidents in the Marquis’s territory was concluded with a sense that they had brought it upon themselves.

The impression given was that Marquis Bordeaux had arbitrarily tried to use Gregory Aleinos and his lover for his political machinations, which Gregory discovered and sought revenge for.

Of course, while it was called “justified revenge,” what I actually did was cause havoc, so I was concerned about potential bad rumors. Surprisingly, despite minimal propaganda efforts, the kingdom’s political circles were unexpectedly favorable.

The nobles of this world are madmen obsessed with “romance” to the point of treating adultery as both romance and a ruler’s rightful virtue, so they viewed my actions as being done for a lady I had fallen for, even praising it as manly.

Even within the noble faction whose leader had died, this opinion prevailed, which I found absolutely astounding…

Regardless, the gifts sent to me were likely mostly related to this.

Although they sometimes displayed intelligence that made me wonder if they were truly human, the political acumen of noble families that survived in this cutthroat political arena could never be underestimated.

Without social and political awareness, one would face death, so ultimately, even the most incompetent could get halfway there with just awareness alone to continue their political dynasty.

This was a prime example of the kingdom’s political scene, where it wasn’t the strong who survived, but rather those who survived were strong.

So they quickly assessed the situation and sent these “gifts” to me—the actual protagonist of this incident who, metaphorically speaking, was like a meteor striking the political field.

※ ※ ※

Due to the limitations of this era, the term “gift” is primarily used as a euphemism for solicitations or bribes directed at those in power.

While gifts in the pure sense certainly exist, when society refers to a “gift,” it naturally implies a bribe.

In most cases, these “gifts” are offered in expectation of appropriate compensation, so any respectable high noble would need to provide return gifts without compromising their dignity.

However, my case was an exception to this rule.

To be frank, the reason they sent these gifts wasn’t because they wanted something, but rather as an intense yet indirect expression of “please spare us.”

“Gregory, look at this! It’s a limited edition incense burner from Le Ocean!”

“…Oh! Look! It’s a 67-year-old Valentine wine from Count Lamont’s territory!”

Thanks to this, Sophia and I joyfully opened these boxes of expensive and valuable gifts without any burden.

Most of these “gifts” consisted of valuable or rare luxury items, chosen with dignity in mind.

The most common and representative were porcelain items said to be specialties of the Wu Empire, followed by various artworks of this era.

Splendid paintings, sculptures, jeweled ornaments, ceremonial clothes, and so on… Not only were they valuable, but the composition suggested even greater sincerity.

“…Pfft!”

“Don’t laugh…”

Among these was even a statue of me made with mythril and ivory, which, with its considerable discrepancy from my actual appearance, filled me with shame from the marrow of my bones.

Additionally, there was a substantial proportion of expensive food and alcohol, still considered rare and luxurious.

From rare wines like those made from “crystal fruit” that only ripens in winter on the “Spirit Mountain” in the Eastern Continent, to special vintage wines produced in limited quantities in various territories.

There were also incredibly expensive brandies made from specially distilled wine, and whiskeys that, despite the less developed technology, had formed a solid fan base and price range.

Of course, there were also things that shouldn’t be accepted.

“This… needs to be returned.”

“Gold bullion? Why?”

“Precious metals that are easily convertible to cash can easily become pretexts for entanglement if accepted carelessly. …And the person who sent this would surely know that.”

“Should we place a curse on it?”

“Let’s not go that far. Let’s just remember the name. And send a kind warning note when we return it.”

Sensing the malice in the gift of gold bullion—perfect for finding fault—I decided to send a warning note along with the return.

[Don’t mess around.

-Gregory Aleinos, from Aleinos Forest.]

I could only hope that the dull-witted noble would quickly come to his senses.