Chapter 59: 59. If You Give Me This Much, What Will Be Left?
A duke’s daughter who had built herself an unshakable position through her ability to judge people from a young age.
She had displayed such extraordinary competence that it was hard to believe she was the child of an incompetent duke.
At the foundation of it all were decisions cold enough to seem heartless, and the ability to push matters through.
Born at the very pinnacle of life, she was a tiger with wings.
What kind of life do you think such a duke’s daughter had led?
Whenever she appeared somewhere, articles were written about it.
Every business she invested in became a massive trend.
Commander of the labyrinth expedition force.
Even rumors that she would attend a banquet would bring men decked out like peacocks, fluttering about and fawning over her in courtship.
To her, men were merely the lowest priority—something she could choose to date whenever she pleased.
There was no need to rush. No need at all.
Even that duke’s daughter had once taken an interest in men.
People called them the Empire’s most handsome men, said that one look at their faces would make you lose your senses...
Was it really that impressive? Curious, the duke’s daughter had gone to see for herself.
But upon actually seeing such men, she could not hide her disappointment.
Their limbs were so thin and flimsy they looked as though they would flap in the wind, and the amount of powder they caked onto their faces...
A few years ago, jaw exercisers had even been all the rage among men.
Rubber devices meant to hollow out one’s cheeks.
The instant she saw one of the Empire’s handsome men, with gaunt cheeks, puckered lips, and a wink, the duke’s daughter could only despair over the world.
‘The Empire’s most handsome man...’
His features were admittedly handsome enough... but something inside her simply surged with revulsion.
After that, the duke’s daughter lost all interest in men.
She had planned to bring in some prince from a suitable kingdom and use him to expand her businesses.
"Young Lady, it is about time you prepared for the banquet..."
"..."
"Young Lady?"
Then that duke’s daughter caught sight of a solidly built Eastern man—and was struck speechless.
It was simply the shock and awe of someone witnessing pure beauty.
She had once frowned at the duke for spending hours admiring a statue worth thousands of gold coins, calling him pathetic.
"Ahem... Young Lady!"
"Hm? Ahem! What did you say, Head Butler?"
"The preparations for the banquet..."
"I shall see to it."
For the first time, she felt as though she understood the duke.
But having spent her entire life restraining her emotions, the duke’s daughter quickly regained her composure and changed her clothes.
Rustle...
"...I need to separate business from pleasure."
No matter how much she wanted to spend hours looking at him every day, today was not the occasion for that.
Today was a day to apologize for an unfortunate incident, and to honor the heroes of the future.
As the representative of the ducal house, she could not face this in such a lovestruck state of mind.
The duke’s daughter erased Ryu-o’s body from her memory... no, secretly tucked it away in a corner, then finished dressing herself.
Looking at her reflection in the mirror, the duke’s daughter furrowed her brow.
"...I need more."
For some reason, she wanted to dress up even more than usual today.
After putting on several more pieces of jewelry, she sat down on the sofa.
As she passed the time, doing her best to ignore the image of Ryu-o’s naked body whenever it forced its way into her mind...
Knock, knock! "Young Lady, everything is ready."
"All right."
The duke’s daughter opened the door and headed outside.
Vowing never to show such a foolish side of herself again, she knocked on Ryu-o’s door.
Knock, knock!
The duke’s daughter organized what she needed to say when she met Ryu-o.
There would be an official apology, that he looked handsome today, respect for a future hero, that this was an immense honor, and so on...
Since the duke’s daughter herself had come to greet him as his partner, this was indeed a sight that would make the Empire’s nobles fall over in shock.
But the one who fell over in shock was...
Creak...
"..."
"Ah, Young Lady. Um... I do not know much about etiquette, but..."
"Slurp..."
"You look beautiful today?"
"Huh..."
**
The heavy, splendid doors opened to reveal a marble floor.
Light pouring from crystal chandeliers lent a glittering sheen to the formalwear and jewels of those walking across the marble.
The orchestra played a gentle melody at the conductor’s direction.
Large crests of the ducal house hung from the pillars, brimming with pride.
A golden eagle that created the illusion that it was looking down from above.
Those who looked up at that eagle gaped at the ceiling, as though a myth itself had been brought to life.
And in that magnificent banquet hall was a boy as lively as a fish in water...
"Ha ha, Count Hardin must have no worries. Young Master Zenin has already grown into such a handsome man."
"Oh ho ho! You flatter me too much, Viscount Lindel~"
"Hmm, one of the young ladies of my house came of age recently... What do you say to perhaps..."
Zenin, who had no intention whatsoever of marrying into a viscount’s house, maintained his expression as he refused.
"My apologies, Viscount~ I have not yet considered meeting anyone..."
Translated, that meant he had no intention of meeting anyone below the rank of a count’s house.
Normally, young masters of noble houses married into families one rank beneath their own.
A count’s house to a viscount’s house, a viscount’s house to a baron’s house, and so on.
Well, circumstances could differ depending on the family...
But Zenin was overflowing with ambition.
He had even forged a connection with the duke’s daughter. His sights had soared all the way to the heavens.
Zenin had already seen too much to give up in advance just because it seemed impossible.
That villa, planted squarely on prime land in Labyrinth City, was several times larger than a count’s estate...
‘Then what must the main castle be like? Haaah~’
Without knowing his place, Zenin was painting himself a happy future as he turned down every marriage offer coming his way.
"Ha ha, my father says it is too early for marriage..."
A lie. He had been given a grace period before being sold off to some wealthy family.
"Pardon? A common knight from a baron’s house? ...Our family has no vacant knight positions..."
It was a good day, so he was letting it slide once. How dare a commoner...
Zenin’s stress shot sky-high because of people constantly testing the waters with him.
Then he spotted Magna tearing into an enormous turkey.
The Northern priestess who is the star of this banquet!
Oh, my... That body... Haaah~
I hear Northern women are incredible in bed...
Oh? Really?
No, a friend of mine who went South told me—they tense up hard, like this...
Ha ha ha ha!
Magna was being sexually harassed by the lecherous noblemen, their faces full of indecency.
While eating, Magna shot a glare around her.
Flinch!
The noblemen who had been creeping closer shrank back slightly, intimidated by Magna’s force of presence.
Zenin’s eyes lit up as he watched her.
‘That’s it.’
He had found himself a breakwater.
Zenin lightly walked over to Magna.
The nobles’ eyes naturally gathered on the two stars of the banquet.
Comrades who had broken through the battlefield together.
Two people who had protected and carried each other between blue blades and arrowheads.
They had snarled at each other at first, but a deep bond had formed between them.
The two exchanged looks.
Setting down the turkey she had been eating, Magna spoke to Zenin.
"What is it, you mutt?"
?????
The surrounding nobles’ mouths fell open at the Northern woman’s—no, the barbarian’s—blunt words.
Weren’t they close?
What is this... Heh heh...
A Northerner truly is a Northerner.
Ahh, if only she’d call me a mutt in bed...
Something strange had been said in the middle there, but Zenin felt the same as everyone else.
"What?"
It was absurd. All of a sudden?
Zenin, who had been raised in luxury, flared at an insult he could not bear.
"You vulgar barbarian. I was trying to speak to you, and what? A mutt???"
Magna only frowned and glared at Zenin.
"There are children wandering the streets. Because of your mother."
At that alarming statement, the nobles around them began to whisper.
Children? Did Count Barden’s House run an orphanage business or something?
Not that I know of. And it is not as if there are only one or two orphanages in Labyrinth City.
At social gatherings, even the smallest morsel of gossip was never allowed to pass by.
Delighted to find something to sink their teeth into, the nobles whispered their own theories.
What could be more dopamine-inducing than this?
They were already less interested in the “children” themselves than in what Count Barden’s House had done to those children.
Zenin, suddenly at the center of the incident, shouted loudly enough for everyone to hear.
"What nonsense are you talking about!? Count Barden’s House has no business whatsoever connected to children!"
Magna wanted to explain in detail, but seemingly frustrated, she struck her chest.
Thump! Thump!
"Hoo... Your mother... is simply trash."
Words far too grave for a Northern priestess to utter.
If the person in question had been present, no one could blame them for cutting off her head on the spot.
However, no one wanted to cause a disturbance at a banquet held by the ducal house.
Everyone except Zenin kept their mouths firmly shut.
"I was going to show mercy because we had spent some time together, but... Hey! Someone, at once..."
A guard cut off Zenin as he tried to call for one.
Young Lady Selena Ain Velatus, the Second Young Lady, is ent—
Ah, enough! Open the door already!
Bang!
Gasp! Young Lady!!!
"What is it? Move!!"
The Second Young Lady entered already glaring fiercely, then pointed at Zenin.
"Hey! What is going on that you are shouting so damn loudly!"
Zenin was flustered.
"Y-Young Lady... this barbarian..."
"Magna! What is it!!!"
Magna looked around once, then let out a deep sigh.
"It is nothing."
The beautifully dressed duke’s daughter found both of them displeasing.
"Ugh! It is the day Jang Ryu-o is coming—why are you two making a scene!"
"Y-Young Lady... I am one of today’s stars too..."
"Yes! Who said you were not? But why are you fighting loudly enough to be heard outside!"
"I was angry."
"Tch! Do not fight! My sister and Jang Ryu-o will be here soon!"
The situation was settled in a single stroke. A new topic had been thrown out.
Jang Ryu-o, you say...
You know, the man said to have slain an Orc Hero...
A rumor inflated by the ducal house because they are backing him...
Ahem! How dare you say that in the ducal residence!! Shh! Lower your voice!
Without even appearing, Ryu-o had instantly drawn all attention to himself.
Zenin had already been in a terrible mood, and now irritation came flooding in.
‘This is all because of that barbarian bitch... And Jang Ryu-o... Surely he is not coming with the Young Lady? No, that cannot be it...’
"Haa, when is Jang Ryu-o coming..."
Young Lady Hilda Ain Velatus and Jang Ryu-o are entering!
The hall fell silent in an instant.
Everyone turned their eyes toward the entrance to see the protagonists of this banquet.
The doors opened...
Haaah...
Ah...
My goodness...
Heh, heh heh...
No one could contain their exclamations, and Zenin was no exception.
"Ah..."
Jet-black hair neatly swept back, and jet-black eyes shining with sharp clarity.
The black pinstriped suit was stretched taut over Ryu-o’s body, its fit impeccable.
As though mocking the nobles draped in excessive ornaments, Ryu-o’s suit bore not a single piece of jewelry.
Only the buttons fastening the middle of his jacket gleamed brilliantly...
"Jang Ryu-o... Oh... oh..."
The Second Young Lady forgot her dignity and drooled.
"..."
Magna clenched her fist.
"Ah..."
Zenin realized that Ryu-o stood on an entirely different level as a man.
Zenin blankly stared at the duke’s daughter linked arm-in-arm with Ryu-o.
That once-cold duke’s daughter was looking up at Ryu-o, unable to collect herself.
At a sight so overwhelming that he could not even bring himself to feel jealous, Zenin’s heart shattered completely.
**
"Um... Young Lady?"
"..."
I leaned close to whisper into the ear of the duke’s daughter gazing up at me.
‘Young Lady, what do we do next?’
Flinch!
Gasp! To the Y-Young Lady...
Could it be...
Is he not still a commoner?
I had heard the order of events, but what was I supposed to do after entering?
Greet them? Introduce myself? Just stand there?
The duke’s daughter, who had told me to trust only her, was not looking very dependable.
Everyone around us was looking at me... no, at the duke’s daughter, with sparkling eyes.
It was burdensome. I should have just come in alone.
After looking around once, the duke’s daughter spoke.
"When did you arrive..."
"Young Lady?"
"...Ahem, excuse me."
Releasing my arm, the duke’s daughter went up onto the banquet hall’s platform.
It was only a few steps, yet she exuded an overwhelming pressure, as though she stood above everyone’s heads.
The hall felt as if it had been doused in cold water.
"From this moment, we shall hold a ceremony honoring our heroes."
The duke’s daughter’s low voice echoed through the silent banquet hall.
"Heroes who have taken a great first step, come forward."
My companions and I stepped before the duke’s daughter and knelt.
"I commend you for saving members of this house with the tips of your blades and restoring discipline to the ducal residence. First, Selena Ain Velatus, come forward."
"Step forward!"
The duke’s daughter recounted each person’s achievements and bestowed their rewards one by one.
Thunderous applause poured forth, making the nobles’ tongues itch with things they wanted to say.
Then came my turn...
"Lastly, Jang Ryu-o, come forward."
"Step forward."
The corner of the duke’s daughter’s lips curled up as she looked at me.
"Your accomplishments are by no means insignificant. You led everyone through the front line and were drenched in the most blood!"
Did she just smile?
It is my first time seeing it...
Could that rumor be true too?
"Furthermore, you single-handedly slew the Orc Hero and defeated an organization of evil!"
Cheon Hwayeong had defeated the organization of evil, but she wisely kept quiet.
The nobles, who had been whispering until now, began to buzz.
Is that true?
D-Did she just say single-handedly?
Daughter, are you ready? This is our chance to...
Heh heh, so the rumors were true.
The duke’s daughter smiled as though the surrounding noise pleased her instead.
She proclaimed my reward loudly enough for all to hear.
"Five hundred gold coins! And the chance to take any one item from the villa’s treasury."
The moment I heard it was the ducal house’s treasury, my eyes lit up.
Seeing my expression, the duke’s daughter’s smile deepened.
With a gesture, she summoned a knight.
The knight presented the duke’s daughter with a beautiful sword resting on a cloth.
Drawing the sword, the duke’s daughter whispered to me.
‘Kneel on one knee.’
When I knelt, the duke’s daughter placed the sword upon my shoulder.
"From this day forward, I appoint Jang Ryu-o an honorary knight of the ducal house. This position is free of the ducal house’s obligations, a place bearing honor alone. Henceforth, Jang Ryu-o, benefactor of the ducal house, shall be under the protection of my name, Hilda Ain Velatus."
The duke’s daughter smiled proudly at me as I stood there blankly with my mouth open.
So... a position with no responsibilities and only pleasure?
The Young Lady is the best...
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