episode_0082

“If that’s the case, then yes. Thank you for your consideration.”

I guess it means that I’m asking you to please refrain from speaking informally like last time.

That’s because it’s not that difficult.

“Good. The reason I called the princess was because there were so many people who were curious about the new master, and I wanted to introduce the princess to them. Could this be an inconvenient request?”

“The injury isn’t fully healed yet, so it’s difficult to talk about it for a long time…but it’ll be okay for a while.”

I’ll skip it as long as there’s no mention of an arranged marriage.

—-

After that, I exchanged greetings with several nobles in order.

Fortunately, there was no mention of an engagement, perhaps because Prince Leopold had discussed it in advance.

There were no compliments on my appearance, just conversations about what I had done and my powerlessness.

As I was a princess of a foreign country before being a baron of the empire, the nobles who spoke to me also showed great courtesy to me.

Well, if you’re a marquis-level high-ranking noble, I’m better than ordinary nobles.

I, too, was polite and used a light honorific.

If you ask me, they’re all in the same boat, so there’s no need to be rude and leave bad feelings, right?

“I heard that you single-handedly defeated the Great Warrior of the Beast. You are truly amazing. What kind of person was he?”

“It was a female leopard named Natalia. The enemy was stronger than I thought… and I was already seriously injured at the time, so I probably wouldn’t have won if I hadn’t realized my karma. Elfinel’s blessing, which was given to the system that day, also happened to be of great help.”

Was it Lacey’s wide-range sacred art?

If it weren’t for that, I wouldn’t have been able to do anything and would have been helplessly defeated.

“This is indeed Elfinel’s help! He always protects us humans.”

“Sure.”

I don’t know about God’s protection… but it’s probably true that he’s watching me.

Although the intention is unknown.

“I heard that you use a long sword. Does Kahar also handle a long sword? From what I read, I thought they used a curved sword, but I was surprised.”

“Probably just me. I learned the basics of imperial swordsmanship from my mother.”

“It seems you were a knight of the Empire. Since she had such a wonderful lady, she must have been a knight of knights, but I am ashamed that I have not heard of the Median family due to my limited knowledge.

“I heard that you have been hiding your skills. It’s not something to be ashamed of.”

The stories were roughly like this.

I responded appropriately and then excused myself from being tired.

Leopold nodded slightly as if he was satisfied.

I made sure to keep my promise to prevent half the nobles from flirting.

So what about the other half?

When I glanced towards the Ernst faction, I felt a slight sense of hostility.

hmm. I guess they were convinced that I was part of Leopold’s faction.

I don’t know if they’re sending an assassin or something.

It’s almost time for the meeting to end anyway, so I guess it would be okay to just say hello to Ernst.

If that’s the case, Leopold’s side will think it’s just a minimum of courtesy, and Ernst’s side will accept that I’m showing a neutral stance for now.

Because humans are naturally a group of people who like hopeful observations.

—-

I approached Ernst and gave him a light greeting.

He placed his hand on one of his chest and bowed his head slightly, following the manners of a knight.

“Your Highness Ernst. Long time no see.”

“…Surprisingly. I never thought the princess would talk to me first.”

Ernst, who received my greeting, slightly tilted his head as if he was somewhat surprised.

The nobles of the Ernst faction also looked embarrassed.

“Since I exchanged greetings with His Highness Leopold, wouldn’t it be right to also say hello to His Highness Ernst, even though it is a bit late?”

“Yeah…it’s not wrong. Although it is uncharacteristic of Kahar to try to follow the rules of etiquette.”

“Because I also became a member of the empire. You can’t act like you did in the grassland, right?”

Ernst smiled slightly as if he was amused.

His eyes didn’t move at all and he only twisted the corners of his mouth.

The nobles under his command still looked confused.

okay. I’m not sure if I’m an enemy or neutral.

It doesn’t matter if it’s an enemy… but nothing would be more foolish than ignoring a neutral person and eventually turning them into an enemy.

“Yes. Let’s just say that… Anyway, since I’m here, I should introduce myself. Everyone knows this, but… she’s the princess of Kahar, Baron Median, and Lady Aishangior.”

“This is Hashalr Median Aishangior. Greetings.”

He also gave a light greeting to the nobles under Ernst.

It was not the Lady’s way of greeting, but the Academy’s military ritual.

” As the princess said earlier, it is time to break off the meeting, so if you want to talk in detail, everyone, wait for the ball. The princess would also be more comfortable that way, right?”

“Thank you for your consideration. Then I’ll just leave. Let’s meet again next time. Until then, I hope everyone stays safe.”

After a short greeting, I returned to Friede’s direction.

The three people must have become close friends and were having a conversation without any awkwardness.

Mostly, Friede boasted about her bravery and Millia admired it when Damian accepted it.

Our relationship isn’t as bad as I thought. I guess the fact that I fought and won against a beastman earned Friede’s favor.

Since he was so starved for conversation, why was he without a single friend?

Making friends shouldn’t be that difficult.

It was something unknown.

“It looks fun, Friede. Surprisingly, we seem to get along well with each other, don’t we?”

“Well? Even more than that, they suddenly forcefully hand over two people. Aren’t you being too comfortable with me?”

Friede frowned slightly and crossed her arms.

It’s ticking again. Even though it wasn’t my intention.

Her bottom has long since been exposed.

Poor guy with no friends…!

“I’m sorry. It’s too urgent so stop. You are the only person I can trust here.”

“Uh, of course that is true, but…!”

Her arms slowly relaxed.

…It’s easy. It’s easy. Is this really okay? Where has all the harshness from the beginning gone?

Was it all hysteria caused by loneliness?

“Well, I’m glad that our relationship doesn’t seem to be bad. Damien and Millia too.”

“Thankfully, Mr. Friede took great care of us.”

“It’s just as Millia said. Thank you, Senior Friede.”

“No, well, that’s…yeah, I paid special attention to it, so you can thank me.”

Friede’s face turned a little red.

…Okay, the three of you, stay close.

Anyway, I plan to post it often in the future.

So, does that mean Friede has four friends, including me?

I’m not sure if Calix considers you a friend… but seeing as how we often appear together, I guess we can call him a friend.

My friends have quadrupled. Congratulations, Friede.

—-

Soon after, the short meeting finally came to an end.

The prince and nobles got into their carriages and left their places.

Marquis Ludwig also left me a light greeting and left.

The Duke of Vienne and the two high priests looked at me with strange eyes.

I wonder if they already know that I will be Landenburg’s successor. Because they are the same electors.

The outside of the cathedral had already turned into sunset color.

The sun hanging over the edge of the castle wall signaled the end of the day.

I and my companions boarded the large carriage provided by the academy.

Unlike the carriage gifted by the Marquis, it was quite a bit shaky, but the interior space itself was spacious.

Sitting on the edge of the carriage, I leaned my head against the wall and closed my eyes.

I was quietly listening to Friede, Asha, Damian, and Millia talking to each other.

When I returned to the accommodation, the sun had already completely set.

After saying hello to Damien and Millia, I returned to the special pavilion.

Come to think of it, Edgar also said hello to me. They say they misunderstood me all along.

After washing up properly, I lay down on the bed and closed my eyes.

The soft texture of a well-dried blanket warmly wrapped around my tired body.

Still, I couldn’t sleep for a while.

Funeral mass and Lacey’s speech, incorporation into the imperial nobility. Plus a light chat with other nobles.

Because it was truly an eventful day.

—-

I asked Friede if he could help me train Damien and Millia.

“Training? Those guys?”

“Uh. They are very qualified, but lack practical experience… so I would like some help in that area.”

If you only fight with me, you might just get used to my attack style rather than improving your skills.

The Academy’s permission and the consent of my friends had already been obtained.

The academy also considered it inefficient to force the entire first-year curriculum on those who were already knight-level or higher.

As a result, like special students, they were granted the right to participate in classes autonomously.

So, all you have to do is get trained by Friede in your spare time.

Convincing Damien and Millia was even easier.

Since your name is widely known, you will attract a lot of attention in the future, and in order to get through it without being swayed by it, you need to improve your own skills – a little bit of persuasion was enough.

“If you raise it well, it might come to the north later, right?”

“Hmm, is that so? Well, I’m pretty free these days. About once a week.”

Friede readily accepted.

—-

Come to think of it, Asha has started a new business.

It was a business that purchased the animal skins obtained through this work, processed them, and sold them.

…I heard that surprisingly there is quite a bit of demand.

The leather of inferior mixed-bloods had no commercial value, but the leather of those who were half-blood warriors was quite strong, and the leather of pure-blood warriors was strong enough to be used as armor.

Friede heard about Asha’s business plan and had an interesting reaction.

In exchange for sharing part of the profits, they later agreed to hand over the skins of prisoners captured in the north.

In addition, some of the new nobles she met at the conference would obtain high-quality animal skins from somewhere and entrust their requests to her.

I heard that the processing method itself is a technique that is difficult for people to follow.

Thanks to this, Asha practically had a monopoly on all supplies.

They screamed happily in the room, saying money was pouring in endlessly.

Testimony from those who tried her products proved the durability and practicality of animal leather, establishing it as a new trend.

The number of customers looking for animal leather products began to gradually increase.

Among occupations that mainly use the body, such as adventurers, knights, and soldiers.

One half-human was breathing new wind into the empire.

…I don’t know if this is a positive wind.

I don’t know. Whatever happens, happens.