episode_0059

I stood in front of the reception room, much more nervous than when I had my first interview in the old world.

Heavily armed knights wearing heavy magic armor stood on either side of the large, thick wooden door of the drawing room, and in the hallway, the lord’s attendants seemed to be whispering while looking at me.

Even though I dressed up neatly and did my hair and makeup perfectly with the help of Laura and Iris, I felt unwelcome when people looked me up and down and evaluated me.

I tried my best not to show that I was nervous, but it didn’t seem to mean much as a maid passing nearby offered me comforting words.

I shouted to Laura and Iris that meeting the lord was nothing, but as the time came, I felt like I just wanted to run away.

However, if you retreat from here, you may not be able to obtain important information and may have to continue to be chased by enemies you don’t know who they are.

If the lord wants to kill me, he may face a big crisis, but since Veronica is attending the meeting, I believe he will not try to kill me outright.

‘Can’t you open the door quickly? ‘Why do I have to be evaluated in front of other people?’

I was dissatisfied with the lord who called me in but didn’t even think about letting me in.

I don’t know why they didn’t open the door even though it was 30 minutes past the scheduled time for such an important conversation.

I don’t know if they are testing their patience or just playing with people.

As my negative thoughts about the lord grew, the large door finally opened and Foreign Minister Rufus and General Larissa made eye contact.

I hurriedly walked away and the two people passed by, not showing any interest in me and treating me as nothing more than a decoration.

I think it’s better to be indifferent than to pretend to be interested.

Following the etiquette I had learned from Laura and Iris, I waited at the entrance until the owner of the house, Veronica, spoke, and then she called me.

“Rebecca, come in now.”

“Excuse me, Veronica.”

I entered the living room at a reasonable speed, neither too hasty nor too slow, and the door closed tightly.

My sister, Veronica, greeted me while sitting in a wheelchair. Thanks to the rapid recovery medication, my wounds healed quickly, but it seems like I still need more time to walk.

Next to her sister was an old elf gentleman with a tall, sturdy physique and a stern look, and he was the lord of the Franca region.

“I’m sorry for calling you so late than the scheduled time. An important conversation took longer than expected, so I had no choice. Please forgive me.”

“It’s okay. If that’s the case, there’s nothing you can do about it.”

“Thank you for saying that. Uncle, this friend is Rebecca Charon, who fought with me against a high-level monster and saved my life this time. Rebecca, give greetings to your uncle, lord of the Franca region and member of the Imperial Council.”

“Lord, it is an honor to meet you. My name is Rebecca Caron.”

I followed Veronica’s instructions and bowed to the lord.

If I were wearing a skirt, I would have to lower my body by slightly lifting both ends and crossing my legs, but I was wearing pants and placed my left hand near the solar plexus and bent my back, but straightened it out so as not to bend.

It was truly a cumbersome and uncomfortable position, but I was proud of the judgment that I had done well as I had learned from my loved ones.

“Nice to meet you. I am Lucius Franca Polcarne, Lord of Franca. As you know, he is Veronica’s uncle.”

After greeting me, the lord, Lucius, stood up straight and offered to shake my hand.

This time too, I bowed my head slightly and held Lucius’ hand, just as I had learned.

“First of all, I wanted to say my sincere gratitude to you for saving my precious nephew. He is truly the benefactor of the family.”

“That’s too much praise. I just did my best to survive with my precious person.”

“Hahaha, there’s no need to be so humble. I am not here as a lord, but as Veronica’s uncle, and I am here only because I want to meet my benefactor.”

Lucius put a large hand on my shoulder and smiled at me.

Then, his strict expression changed to that of a caring grandfather.

‘It seems like Veronica looks a bit like Lucius. Especially that smile.’

I felt a familiar look from Lucius and responded with a smile.

A person like this would probably be forgiving even if there were a few mistakes in etiquette.

“Rebecca, please sit this way.”

“Thank you, Veronica.”

After Lucius sat at the head table first, I sat across from Veronica as she had recommended.

The owner of the house is Veronica’s older sister, but it is said that it is part of the etiquette for Lucius, who is of much higher status, to sit at the head of the table.

Soon, warm coffee was served in front of me, but my hands were shaking and I couldn’t hold the coffee cup.

The tension hasn’t really resolved yet, so I think I need more time to adjust.

“Rebecca, were you originally a nobleman?”

“No. I was a commoner from the beginning.”

“It is truly rare for a commoner to have a surname.”

I was taken aback by Lucius’ question and was speechless.

I just came up with a name without thinking, but I didn’t know I’d fall for it.

It wasn’t a question with particularly bad intentions, but it was really difficult for me.

Ordinary people can just make excuses, but I don’t know if such a clumsy response will work in front of the lord.

“Uncle, Rebecca is from the ‘outside’, so she doesn’t know much about the customs of our empire.”

“Outside? In that case, he could be a distant descendant of the old royal family.”

“I think that’s a possibility too. After the Unification War, the Charon Dynasty was all exiled for refusing to be subjugated to the empire like royal families and nobles of other countries.”

Thanks to Veronica, I didn’t have to make up excuses for my meaningless last name.

However, the surname Charon existed in the past, and it was the surname of an old royal family, so the burden only increased.

From now on, I will never mention my last name anywhere I go.

Veronica doesn’t care at all and Lucius is just curious, but there are definitely people who don’t like this.

“Rebecca, I’m sorry. I stopped being rude.”

“No. Rather, I am sorry for not being able to answer properly.”

“Then can you tell us how people outside the empire live?”

“It is not as developed as the empire and has a small population, but it is free from the threat of demons and lives a peaceful life without any shortcomings.”

“Interesting. A world without the threat of demons, an ideal world close to the future of the empire envisioned by His Majesty the Emperor.”

Lucius was just fooled by my believable acting.

If I had known this would happen, I wouldn’t have had to worry from the beginning.

Later, if it becomes known about people in the real outside world, it will be quite difficult, but if you come up with another excuse at that time, you will be able to cover it up somehow.

I guess I’ll have to create my own outside world settings book and use it as a response manual.

“Uncle, why don’t we get to the point now?”

“Yes, I guess I should since I wasn’t given all the time. Rebecca, of course, the organization you call the Maskers is behind this incident.”

As soon as the word masker came out of the lord’s mouth, I forced myself to burst out laughing.

I never thought Veronica would have reported the name I made up as a joke.

“Is this revenge for us killing Elkudan?”

“In the current situation, the probability of this happening is very high, but it is questionable whether the organization itself took action or whether an individual member of the organization committed the crime alone.”

I felt a little lost.

After listening to Veronica’s words, I monitored the suspects, but it turned out that the masked men were behind them.

Wait, maybe this is a trap Lucius set up to trick me.

I almost fell in love with his trustworthy and warm smile that resembled Veronica’s older sister.

“Obviously Veronica and I were supposed to meet in secret. But wouldn’t being attacked at the agreed upon place mean that there was a traitor inside?”

“That makes sense. In fact, the reason I ordered a complete investigation into the Knights yesterday was to find spies. But I didn’t know that it would actually act as poison. It can be said that it is largely my fault that Veronica and you had their lives threatened.”

Lucius readily admitted his mistake.

It is incomprehensible to gather all security personnel in one place and create a security vacuum in the entire city and territory just because common sense dictates that a full investigation is necessary.

Considering that he had neglected the slums for a while and only ordered the eradication of gangs after the orphanage was attacked, and that he had no idea that the gang was researching monsters, Lucius does not seem to be a very capable ruler.

The reason I think it would be better for Veronica to become a lord is not simply because I like her.

In any case, if Lucius is not acting incompetent, he may not be able to completely control his subordinates, whom Veronica had pointed out as suspects.

“I heard from Veronica that some high-ranking officials made hostile remarks about me. Maybe some of them tried to harm me directly.”

“You, the victim, may have such doubts. However, even if they said that, there is no one who would dare disobey my orders and harm you, even attacking my nephew.”

“Then, isn’t there a possibility that those people had a secret relationship with the maskers?”

“Franca’s high-ranking officials are working harder for the empire and territory than anyone else. I understand your urgency, but please don’t be too suspicious of them.”

Lucius’ eyes changed slightly.

A person who seemed to have a gentle atmosphere suddenly gave off a sharp energy.

Oh my, I guess I’m too excited.

“Sorry. Please forgive my recklessness in continuing to speak out of proportion.”

“No. On the contrary, I liked your courageous attitude of asserting yourself. I can see why Veronica always praises you every time she meets me.”

Lucius was generous and did not blame me for inadvertently crossing the line in my excitement.

I found it a bit funny that I just spilled my words because I was speechless about a topic that I was very nervous about just a moment ago.

By the way, Veronica seems to freely talk about me to her family and close friends.

I’m grateful that you like me, but I’m embarrassed because it seems like excessive bragging.

“Leave it to me to find the person behind this incident, and you can rest in peace with Veronica. Right, I would like to give you a special reward, but is there anything you want other than money?”

All I want right now other than money is an honorary knighthood and magic armor.

Honorary knights can be treated at the level of low-ranking nobles, so they won’t have to kneel down anywhere, and if they receive magic armor, they won’t have to run away from hostile humans.

But I’m not sure if I’ve made a big contribution to being able to ask for things that are rarely given to commoners.

Should I just give it a try?

“I want honor to elevate my name and the means to protect those I love. Money can be earned through one’s own efforts, but reputation and protection are difficult to achieve through effort alone.”

“It is a means of honor and protection…”

Lucius was momentarily troubled.

I don’t know if he’s thinking about the meaning of what I said or if he’s just mentally selecting an appropriate reward, but I hope he gets a positive answer.

“Uncle, how about giving Rebecca an honorary knighthood? That’s the lord’s inherent authority.”

“It’s definitely an award worthy of honor. It’s a good thing because the time is coming to hand out an honorary knighthood. It would be a very appropriate reward for saving your life. Hahaha!”

“As a means of protection, you can avoid legal problems by providing lightweight magic armor that has been completely retired from the Knights.”

“I don’t know much about that part, so I’ll let you figure it out for me.”

“Yes, uncle. Please just leave it to me.”

“I can trust you with anything. Rebecca, do you like my niece’s offer?”

“No, of course. On the contrary, you have given me so much grace that I can’t help but feel indignant. I don’t know what to do.”

I deliberately pretended to be embarrassed and lowered my head.

Actually, I’m so happy on the inside that I’m dying.

I easily received the honorary knighthood that I never knew I would get, and the magic armor, which is a privilege of the knights, will soon be in my hands.

It feels great to have risen in status from a commoner to an honorary knight in just two months after coming into this world.

In my current mood, I feel like I don’t need to receive the 1 million ragir I spent yesterday.

“Veronica, would you like to take this opportunity to take charge of the work related to awarding an honorary knighthood?”

“Me? As I just said, that is the lord’s inherent authority.”

“So, I’m leaving it to you.”

“Uncle, is that topic again? Because of that, we talked for a long time and missed our appointment time by 30 minutes.”

Veronica suddenly looked like she was about to argue with Lucius.

Her sister’s voice mixed with mild irritation and dissatisfaction, and Lucius’ attitude changed to become a little more stern.

It seems that I am not the only one who thinks it is better for Veronica to become a lord.

“I am much older now. An indecisive man who was not qualified to be a lord from the beginning ruled Franca for too long. Rather than controlling it, it would be more correct to say that it was neglected. If it weren’t for the passion and competence of the subordinates, Franca would have already fallen into the hands of the gang.”

“Unclefather, naming your nephew as your successor, who is not your biological child, will spark a fight.”

“His Majesty the Emperor will soon completely abolish the fiefdom system and declare a transition to a complete centralized system. So the last lord and first local administrator should not be a person with great ambitions. Therefore, I believe that you are the most suitable successor as you place devotion to your people far above your political ambitions. Please think about it seriously one more time.”

“Please give me a little more time to think about it. Because this is a very important issue in my life.”

“I’m sorry for pushing you away lately.”

“No. Still, I love my uncle.”

Sister Veronica had tears in her eyes as she hugged Lucius.

Regardless of not wanting to be the successor, it would be sad to see Lucius dying.

“Rebecca, I will process your reward as quickly as possible. And don’t worry too much, because I will personally look into the areas you are worried about. Then, I will leave the room for now so you can have a good time with your friends.”

Lucius checked the time and stood up.

He said goodbye to us and I saw him off thoroughly, following the manners I had learned.

And I spent some time chatting lightly with Veronica.