Ch.355Nobles, I Swear….

A cool breeze from the lake refreshes my tied-back hair as it passes by.

In front of Leopold’s villa.

Here, a banquet for the nobles who had attended the conferment ceremony was now in full swing.

All kinds of delicacies were laid out on long, pristine white tables placed throughout the garden, while neatly dressed maids and servants moved busily about, replenishing food and drinks.

After the conferment ceremony concluded with the majestic afterglow of the Festival of Light, Leopold had invited the nobles gathered at the cathedral to his villa.

While it was imperial custom to hold a banquet after such ceremonies, using the Grand Cathedral as a venue for festivities would have been sacrilegious.

Since the main palace destroyed by Isabella hadn’t even had its foundation completed yet, the only remaining venue was his villa.

Or more precisely, only the garden in front of the villa.

The interior of the villa had no space prepared for banquets.

Therefore, this banquet had to be held outdoors, unavoidably.

—-

A noblewoman in an elegant dress tilts her wine glass while conversing with a middle-aged man.

The overwhelmingly thick scent of perfume, eye-smiles filled with secret desires.

Their breaths, sweet and sticky like melted sugar, intertwined between them.

Before long, they quietly disappeared somewhere.

They didn’t look like a married couple… well, it’s not my business anyway.

I moistened my throat with grape juice instead of wine and glanced around.

The garden, once filled with dismembered knights’ corpses, had been perfectly restored to its former beauty, and the nobles gathered to enjoy the banquet were admiring the flower garden with lively expressions and blooming smiles.

“Have you heard the rumor? I heard the young lady of House Berndolf eloped with a servant recently.”

“My, the Baron’s household must have been turned upside down. Young people these days… being seduced by mere servants…”

…The direction of their laughter didn’t seem particularly admirable.

Anyway, once the alcohol started flowing, the banquet’s atmosphere began to liven up considerably.

…Which meant more nobles started clinging to me.

“Greetings, Count Median. I am Jerome of the Millen barony. We met at a previous banquet.”

I don’t know you. Who are you?

“Ah. It’s been a while, Baron Jerome. How have you been?”

“Haha, I’m honored you remember me. Thanks to His Majesty and you, Count, who eliminated the wicked witch and her minions, I’ve been living in peace.”

Like this man before me, there were plenty of nobles who greeted me claiming we’d met before, though I couldn’t remember them at all. How annoying.

They generally belonged to the First Prince faction, but were from insignificant houses too weak to catch Lord Wien’s eye.

In other words…

[Stragglers. Trying to lick up the crumbs of power by clinging to you.]

A harsh expression, but not wrong.

Their intentions to use me as a counterbalance against Lord Wien’s faction were obvious.

It’s unpleasant. How long has it been since the civil war ended?

Still, I couldn’t openly rebuke them.

This was a banquet hosted by the Empire’s emperor, held in the name of celebrating my achievements. If the guest of honor caused trouble, only Lord Wien would benefit.

Leopold would be troubled as well.

So I had no choice but to play along and respond appropriately, however reluctantly.

“I am Giben of House Millard. I’ve long admired your valor, Count. It’s an infinite honor to meet you like this!”

Occasionally there were those who approached with pure goodwill and admiration rather than political ambition… but personally, I found these types even more awkward.

“To single-handedly subjugate the King of Werebeasts—truly befitting a descendant of Great’s Twelve Knights! I can’t help but admire such a magnificent achievement!”

“You flatter me. The victory in the North wasn’t achieved by my strength alone. It was thanks to the northern knights and Duke Faelrun who led the fight.”

“Ho ho, your modesty is excessive. Without you, Count, could His Grace the Duke have possibly defeated those beasts? If things had gone wrong, the Werebeasts might have descended upon the mainland.”

It’s nice that he’s praising me, but I wonder if this fellow realizes he’s smearing mud on Duke Faelrun’s reputation?

No, of course he doesn’t.

If he were self-aware, he would have chosen his words more carefully.

—-

‘I’m exhausted…’

[It’s your own doing. Bear with it.]

Even so…

Nobles gathered around me, rattling on about things I had no particular interest in.

Responding to each one was draining my energy completely.

How did I plan to manage the Median territory, whether I intended to appoint vassals…

Such transparent questions, really.

Why are you concerned about that? I could understand if it were Leopold or Lacy.

Some even tried to make subtle requests while introducing their children to me.

“Count, my second son just graduated from Remnant Academy. Since he was in the Knight Faculty too, perhaps you’ve heard his name.”

“Congratulations. He’s taken his first step as a knight. Unfortunately, I travel frequently, so I’m not familiar with the names of students.”

Considering the country was in chaos with civil war, he must have been lucky to graduate safely.

“The boy was deeply impressed by your heroic tales and says he wants to serve you as his lord. If you’re considering recruiting knights…”

“Hmm… I can’t give you a definite answer on that. I’m still contemplating about forming a knight order. I already have the Rose Cross Knights, after all.”

The noble who received my polite refusal looked visibly disappointed, but at least he had enough sense not to press further.

Besides him, there were many others who approached me using their children as an excuse.

Nobles recommending their daughters as handmaidens, saying I must need ladies-in-waiting since I only travel with knight escorts, or those introducing children who looked no more than five or six years old.

Fortunately, they seemed well aware of the enormous difference in status, so no one proposed a political marriage.

After listening to their chatter for a while, I desperately craved a cigarette.

“Excuse me for a moment.”

I asked the others to pardon me and headed deeper into the garden.

I should rest a bit… maybe just meet Leopold and Lacy before leaving.

—-

Muffled moans.

Sweet and vulgar cries of pleasure disturbed my ears.

Throughout the bushes in the inner garden, aroused nobles were enjoying clandestine trysts.

They thought they were hiding, but they couldn’t escape my senses, so I could detect their reproductive efforts as vividly as if I were watching them face to face.

Must be the alcohol making them so bold.

To engage in such activities in Leopold’s villa garden.

The variety was quite colorful.

A lady in her prime with a young knight in a well-fitted uniform.

A noble in splendid formal attire and a maid who had fallen for his seduction, lifting her skirt.

Middle-aged nobles enjoying the thrill of adultery.

A stern-looking elderly lady and…

Elpinel save me.

What did I just see? An elderly lady?

Ugh.

I shook my head violently to forcibly erase the terrible scene imprinted on my retina.

I felt like I was going to vomit.

I didn’t see anything.

Right, I didn’t see anything at all. Nothing…!

[…Good heavens. How could someone at that age…]

‘Stop talking…! I might visualize it again…!’

Even in my previous world, there were people who posted photos of grandmothers on internet communities, but at least those were just photos, but this…!

My half-bitten cigarette trembled, scattering ashes.

Without even thinking to put out the cigarette, I turned and quickly left the garden.

No, that place was no longer a garden. It should rather be called a demonic realm.

A demonic realm that destroys the minds of those who unwittingly enter.

That’s how shocking the scene was.

It felt like half-rotten cockroaches were wriggling inside my eye sockets and ears.

I could barely stand the urge to scrub myself clean in running water right now.

If I submerged my head in the clear lake water, would the memories I wanted to forget flow away like ripples?

—-

“Here you are, Count Median.”

Waiting for me as I escaped the garden was none other than Lord Wien.

The Duke had blocked my path alone, without even bringing his usual entourage of subordinate nobles.

“If it’s not too presumptuous, I’d like to have a word with you. Would that be alright?”

What’s this about? After consistently ignoring me until now.

Did you suddenly grow a mouth that wasn’t there before?

“…I don’t see why not.”

Honestly, I wasn’t in the mood to talk with him.

But then again… when has the world ever gone according to my feelings?

Lord Wien must have some important business to come looking for me alone like this.

So I couldn’t just ignore him because I wasn’t in the mood to talk.

“So, what business do you have?”

I inhale a puff of smoke and exhale it with a slight turn of my head.

The white breath brushed past the Duke.

Lord Wien frowned slightly and hesitantly opened his mouth.

“Hmm… well…”

What is he trying to say that requires such hesitation?

His expression truly suggests he finds it difficult to broach the subject.

“…Have you given any thought to the matter of your family’s succession? If you haven’t decided yet… my second son has just turned twenty, and I wonder if you might consider taking him as a son-in-law into House Median.”

What?

My lips parted blankly. The cigarette I was holding fell and rolled on the ground.

“No, what did you just…”

“Think about it carefully. Wouldn’t it be a great tragedy for the Empire if the bloodline of Great’s Twelve Knights were to end? And we can’t accept just anyone to father the heir who will succeed both House Landenburg and House Median. Who could be more appropriate as your match than a member of a ducal house?”

…The Duke’s words were so close to sound reasoning that I had to consider carefully.

The impact on me if Lord Wien were to die of a heart attack.