Chapter 37

A delegation from the Onizolly family arrived. The head of the delegation was a middle-aged civil servant, and the deputy was a burly, stern-looking knight. The stern knight was trying to pressure me, and the middle-aged civil servant intended to use his silver tongue to persuade me while I was under pressure. The stern knight, who seemed to lack practical experience, was far less intimidating than Mr. Bolff, and with Mr. Sanda, Mr. Rocco, and Mr. Giri in attendance, I wouldn't lose in a battle of words.

The problem was the man who accompanied the delegation. Despite coming for an apology, he showed no signs of tension. Instead, he was as relaxed as if he were at home. What was more, the entire delegation was excessively attentive to him.

He had shoulder-length hair and a well-groomed appearance, dressed stylishly in a deep crimson jacket and pants. Every gesture he made was refined, exuding an air of good upbringing. Seizing the moment when he shifted his gaze to the room's furnishings, I accessed his character record.

(Here comes another troublesome person... How much did they pay him?)

I was glad I had the Sandma classroom. I knelt before the man in the red suit, careful not to make eye contact.

"Are you Prince Hout Orizon? I apologize for not introducing myself earlier. I am George Akogi, the lord of Boubur."

"You recognized me even though I didn't introduce myself. Impressive."

If I had failed to recognize Prince Hout and shown disrespect, the middle-aged civil servant would have blamed me and forced me to accept the Onizolly family's terms.

"I haven't had the honor of meeting you, but I've heard a lot about you from my grandfather, Koka. Besides, no one in Orizon can wear deep crimson like you, Prince Hout."

I'm a Japanese salaryman who has to flatter my superiors and clients. A bit of flattery is nothing I can't improvise smoothly.

"Unlike those foolish young men who acted recklessly in someone else's territory, this one is a favorite of Lauren. If you anger that old man, even I might throw in the towel."

Actually, only royalty can call the old man 'old man.'

"Mr. Bolff, contact the brothel and inform them of Prince Hout's arrival. This castle is too rough for Prince Hout to rest. I apologize for not noticing. Please take a seat on this humble chair."

I spoke quickly, leaving no room for the middle-aged civil servant to interrupt. If he tried to interfere, I would accuse him of disrespect.

"Wait, George. Hear them out."

Royalty has additional income beyond their territorial revenue. They are often asked to name children, act as marriage guarantors, and mediate disputes among nobles. Mediating through royalty can prevent future conflicts, and challenging the mediator's decision would be a blow to their reputation.

"I understand, but I can't bear to waste Prince Hout's valuable time. Shall we review the documents first, Mr. Sanda, Mr. Rocco, Mr. Giri? Please summarize the key points."

Summarizing such documents often results in a laughably short text. It takes skill to make them unnecessarily long.

As I read the summarized document, I nearly spat out my tea.

(The culprits are Tandra and Reisen, and Bone is completely uninvolved. What a perfect example of cutting off the tail to save the lizard... But, to include such a child's excuse in the document?)

Incidentally, the Onizolly family is paying 50 million stones as a consolation fee, not as compensation. Including the gratitude to Prince Hout, it's a significant loss for them.

"Has the Prince reviewed the contents of the document?"

Regardless of the terms of reconciliation, it's hard to accept this content.

"No, not yet... Brave Aideck appeared in a dream and gave a divine message? If it's known that I mediated such a child's nonsense, I'll be scolded by the king."

Tandra and the others claimed they acted on the orders of an ancestor who appeared in a dream.

(That's why they involved Prince Hout... The Onizolly family wants to protect Bone's reputation.)

"I will agree if Prince Hout's name is not publicly mentioned. However, please remember that this incident only happened because Prince Hout was present."

Involving myself in such trivial disputes is a waste of time. Increasing the amount of money is less beneficial than strengthening ties with royalty and creating a favor with the Onizolly family. Besides, summer vacation is coming soon, and I want to dote on Ami.

"Thank you. Both will be expelled, and Tandra will be sent to the Hydoro Church in Felsen, while Reisen will be sent to the Felsen military academy."

The middle-aged civil servant's face showed relief. He was just a middle manager caught up in this, and I didn't want to add more stress to him as a former salaryman.

Felsen is a military nation adjacent to Orizon, with several high-altitude mountains. The church Tandra will go to is also on a mountain. The people of Felsen are stoic and strict with themselves and others. In the game, Felsen is destroyed by the Demon King's army in the mid-game, despite creating powerful magical weapons. The defeat of a military nation with powerful weapons is a game trope.

However, Felsen is better known as the birthplace of a certain character.

Mue Leopard, also known as Non-Dere Mue. Dressed in a military uniform and wielding a whip, she is a popular character among a certain fan base. She appears as a messenger from Felsen and joins the party, though she is not a playable character. She has become one of the popular characters among female players.

(Both are essentially being exiled... I hope Bone will behave better after this.)

---

School starts its summer break tomorrow. The students in my class, like those in another world, are excited about the long vacation. Only a few are listening to the teacher seriously.

(Will the teacher scold them first, or will the serious ones snap first? I wonder which it will be in this world.)

If the teacher was genuinely troubled, I would intervene, but it seems this is a regular occurrence, and he even seems to enjoy it. My air reading ability warns me not to spoil the fun atmosphere.

(I used to get excited too in my past life. I had baseless hopes that something special would happen during summer vacation.)

I used to get excited about the possibility of meeting a girl I liked at a summer festival or having a special adventure. Of course, nothing special ever happened, and it was just a mundane summer. But now, I realize those days of enjoying life innocently were special.

"Mr. Teacher is talking. Can you at least be quiet? If you can't follow such basic manners, I suggest you start over from elementary school."

Peter's sarcasm worked, and the classroom fell silent. Some girls blushed at Peter's stern attitude, while most boys turned red from embarrassment. Verte, on the other hand, turned pale when she saw the blush on Lapin's cheeks.

"You've become such a good boy all of a sudden... I don't like it."

Peter's condescending attitude annoyed Cain, who responded rebelliously. Middle school is a time when students want to act grown-up. Cain, who played with the older Bones, probably thought he was more mature than his classmates.

"You shouldn't be talking, someone who hangs out with delinquents at night."

Cain and Peter used to be friends in elementary school but grew distant in middle school. Cain started hanging out with delinquents, and Peter became more serious and less flexible. Now, Cain and Peter were so engrossed in their argument that they were disrupting the teacher's lecture.

(I can't take this. I have a ton of business to handle during the summer break.)

The castle staff will take turns on long breaks, and I plan to hand out a temporary bonus (using the Onizolly family's consolation money) before they leave. I also have responsibilities as an elder, so I tried to mediate.

"Both of you, can you stop this? I have important business after this. Save your fight for after class."

Verde spoke up before I could, with a confident attitude unlike in the game.

"Verde, you're getting too cocky."

Cain shifted his target from Peter to Verde and approached him.

"If you want a fight, I'll take you outside."

Donga, who also differed from the game, stepped between Verde and Cain.

"This isn't your business."

Cain's face showed signs of panic. The squirrel-man Cain was no match for the bear-man Donga, who was well-built from training with his father.

"Verde is my friend. Besides, Lord George has a busy schedule after this."

Yes, I have no summer break. I'm organizing a summer festival to lift the gloomy mood after the attack on Boubur. I have to manage the usual business and the festival.

Cain, intimidated by Donga, calmed down, and the class ended without further incident. However, one problem solved, another arose.

"Mr. George, please reconsider Tandra's punishment."

"Lord George, Reisen is actually a kind boy. Besides, going to Felsen will separate him from his family."

Annie and Marina came to protest, trying to lighten Tandra and Reisen's punishment.

"Please don't be unreasonable. The decision has been made."

Since Prince Hout's name isn't mentioned, I have the final say in the documents.

"Have you no compassion? Everyone makes mistakes."

"Reisen's mother and sister cry every day. It breaks my heart to see them like this."

Marina's eyes were filled with tears.

(Both of them must have been incited by the branch family. What should I do?)

It's difficult to reason with someone who acts on emotion rather than logic.

"Excuse me, Marina. You couldn't stop Reisen, but George risked his life to stop the two fools. Blaming George for protecting them is unfair."

Carina came to my aid. She and Marina are friends, so she spoke without reservation. With many beastmen in our class, the criticism of Marina and the others grew stronger.

In the end, Marina and the others left the classroom, unable to bear the pressure, glaring at me.

Ami, please heal your brother during the summer break.