Chapter 87

Good evening, today's update.

This morning, I realized it was unexpectedly warm.

However, there is a condition: the sun must not be hidden by clouds.

When the sun is shining, no matter what, I can feel some warmth.

When I open the window, a cold wind blows in, causing my facial muscles to contract.

It might be fine if it only hits me for a short while, but if it continues, I might get frostbite, so I want to avoid that.

I stretch my body with a "Hmm" and do some stretching.

The comfort of this morning movement makes me feel that everyone must share the same feeling.

"Well, is Kroene awake yet?"

We were resting in separate bedrooms, with the living space in between.

From the inn's perspective, it's considered one room because it has multiple bedrooms.

But since we weren't in the same bedroom, I wasn't particularly nervous.

I put on a cardigan and stepped outside.

I know I should change clothes first, but I wanted to enjoy this lazy feeling.

The space is different from the bedroom where I usually stay.

This new environment is a fresh stimulus, and I want to respect each of these emotions.

Then, I opened the bedroom door and looked towards the living room.

"Oh, good morning, Ein. ... I think it's a cute outfit, but you shouldn't show it to your subordinates."

"Good morning... You're up early, Kroene."

"Really? You're early too, so it's about the same. You could have slept more."

It was 6:00 AM, and seeing her already dressed made Ein feel a bit embarrassed.

"I'll change clothes..."

"Are you going to change? I don't mind at all?"

"It's a matter of my feelings... I'll see you later."

Ein, who was now fully awake, returned to the bedroom and started changing.

The clothes he had prepared the night before were placed by the bed. He took a deep breath and began changing from the top.

"Well, let's do our best today."

There was still time before the count would come to greet him.

Until then, he would enjoy breakfast or some casual conversation with Kroene.

After that, Ein returned to Kroene and enjoyed the warm tea she had prepared.

*

"An established fact, you say?"

"Something like that."

While Ein and Kroene were having breakfast, at the August Trading Company's headquarters in the capital, Graf and Alfred were enjoying their breakfast and conversation.

The August Trading Company, now a large trading company.

As the president, it's natural that he has little time to rest.

Alfred, as Graf's assistant, is also working hard.

But fortunately, both of them enjoy this busy life.

"From a third party's perspective, it looks like they are living in the same room. If that's the case, troublesome people will eventually back off."

"Indeed, but despite the rumors, some people are quite persistent."

"I don't remember the exact number, but it was in the hundreds."

When Kroene was attending the academy, she received a troublesome amount of marriage proposals.

When she told him about it, she only said, "Please turn them down appropriately," which gave a clear insight into her feelings.

"But I have a question. Why don't the Warrens immediately formalize the engagement?"

"It might be a matter of custom. I heard that King Silvado engaged to Queen Lalarua at the age of 22. While it's better to do it early, it might be a different norm here."

There are delicate issues involved. I can't really ask about it, as it would be impolite.

"That's true... By the way, young master."

"What is it?"

Recently, both of them seem to be reminiscing about their younger days.

Alfred now calls Ein "young master" in private, just like in the old days.

"If the young lady gets engaged, will there be any opposition...?"

"There shouldn't be. Why Kroene aimed for Ishtalica, that's the reason. No one would stop her, and I think the prince is a good match."

A hero who defeated a sea dragon alone, the top student at Ishtalica's prestigious academy, and the crown prince.

A man with no apparent flaws, that's Ein.

"However, the prince won't make a move even if he shares a room with Kroene."

"Hmm. Why do you think so?"

Graf said this with confidence.

Alfred asked what gave him such confidence.

"He doesn't seem to have the nerve for it yet..."

"...I'll pretend I didn't hear that."

Alfred, realizing it was something he shouldn't have heard, decided to pretend he hadn't.

*

Meanwhile, Ein, having finished his meal, was enjoying a relaxed moment.

If he had brought Mei, she would have been delighted to play in the snow.

Looking at the snow-covered streets, he thought of the angel Mei from the knight's cafeteria.

He needed to investigate whether the knights were lolicon when he returned.

While he was lost in these thoughts, Dill, his personal guard, spoke to him.

"Master Ein, did you sleep well last night?"

"I'm fine. The room was warm, and the bed was comfortable."

"That's a relief."

As the time for the count to arrive approached, Lloyd and Dill came to Ein's room.

Now, the four of them were sitting on the sofa, waiting.

"By the way, what's the count's name? I completely forgot."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot to mention. His name is Count Rieser Balt."

"His name is similar to the instructor's. That makes it easier to remember."

The family name is the same as the territory, Balt.

Hearing Kaiser and Rieser, it really feels like they are brothers.

It's awkward to ask about family matters, but if there's an opportunity, he might ask about the instructor too.

"So, we'll call him Count Balt."

"Yes. ...By the way, Count Balt is apparently a swordsman. That might be a characteristic of the Balt lord."

"Indeed, it's a fitting hobby for a lord here. Do you know what kind of person Lloyd is?"

"I've met him a few times. I had the opportunity to talk to him at parties held at the castle."

That's good to know.

He wanted to hear what kind of person he was.

"What kind of person?"

"A pleasant man. He values human emotions and has a warm personality. As Kroene mentioned, he is a rare noble who can handle a sword at a high level."

"Wow... It doesn't seem like it would be difficult to talk to him."

"Don't worry about that. By the way, in terms of sword skills, Dill before going to Eura would have been a match, but now he can probably hold his own for six minutes."

Recently, Dill has been a formidable swordsman among the royal guards. Hearing that he is on par with Dill, Ein became very interested.

"Thinking about it, both Lloyd and Dill are excellent nobles from the Grayscher family."

"Hahaha! What are you saying, Master Ein! Hey, Dill!"

"Yes, that's right, Father. After all, we are the sword and shield of the royal family. So, Master Ein, please treat us as knights rather than nobles."

"I see... That's reassuring."

The Grayscher family has always valued pride, not status.

This pride comes from generations of producing royal guards and being trusted as a pillar of the royal family.

Therefore, everyone has been raised as knights rather than nobles.

Even Lloyd, the former marshal, was raised to be a fine knight by his father.

While they were talking, there was a knock on the door from outside.

"He must have arrived. Dill, go greet him."

"Understood. I'll be back, Master Ein."

Talking about status, it would be inappropriate for Dill to go out, as he is also from a ducal family and ranks higher than a count.

But Dill is Ein's guard now.

With a different mindset, he has no qualms about going out to greet a lower-ranking count.

Ein understood from Lloyd's words that Count Balt was not a troublesome person.

His character assessment was trustworthy, so he was probably as described.

Ein changed his relaxed mood and continued to wait for Count Balt to enter the room.

*

"First of all, I deeply apologize for the sudden request."

Count Balt, led by Dill, entered the room.

He moved as pleasantly as Lloyd had described.

But he began by apologizing for the sudden schedule.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Your Highness. I am Rieser Balt, and I have been entrusted with the land of Balt by His Majesty, and I hold the title of count."

He entered the room briskly and bowed 90 degrees.

His romantic gray hair was neatly styled, and his gray beard gave him a manly appearance.

His posture, straight as a rod, gave the impression of a refined soldier.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Count Balt. I appreciate you coming, and I'm glad to meet the renowned lord of Balt."

He was flattering, but he didn't know Count Balt.

He had predicted that the lord of Balt would be capable, but he had only heard about him through Kroene, and that was just recently.

But meeting him in person, he understood what Kroene and Lloyd had described.

"Please sit. I want to talk to you at length."

"Yes! I will take my leave then."

Balt sat across from Ein.

Dill moved to stand behind the sofa where Ein and Kroene were sitting, alongside Lloyd.

"I'm glad you came to Balt."

His face, somewhat reminiscent of Kaiser, gave the impression of a similar nose and eyes.

"It's also part of my investigation. But Balt is a good town, and I like the atmosphere."

Incidentally, this is true.

To Ein, the town of Balt is filled with elements he likes.

Hearing this, Count Balt was pleased and thanked Ein.

"That's good to hear. It's a town with many rough characters, but I'm grateful for your kind words."

"I want to enjoy the blacksmiths before I leave. I hear there are many skilled blacksmiths."

"Indeed. It's a treasure trove of monsters and mineral resources, so it's called the holy land of blacksmiths, with many blacksmiths flocking here."

Count Balt's posture, as he sat, was so beautiful that it made one admire it.

Seeing this, one could understand why Lloyd called him a pleasant man.

"I'm looking forward to it. If you have any recommendations, please let me know later."

"Then I'll prepare an introduction letter for the blacksmiths. With that, you can enter the shops immediately."

Ein smiled at this sincere offer.

But the mention of an introduction letter reminded him of something.

"By the way, Count Balt. I heard that your brother is Instructor Kaiser. I remembered that I received an introduction letter from him."

The introduction letter from Kaiser was for the guild. Since Kaiser was quite famous, he was told that the letter would be useful, so he accepted it.

"That man giving an introduction letter...? What a rare thing, but with Kaiser's introduction letter, your investigation will progress."

"Hmm? Rare...?"

"Yes, rare to the point that I've never heard of Kaiser writing an introduction letter. After all, he's a stubborn man."

The count, smiling as he talked about Kaiser, seemed to enjoy it, making Ein wonder if their family relations were not good.

"He doesn't contact me these days, but I'm glad he's doing well."

"May I ask why the instructor left the count's family...?"

"Oh, that's it. ...To put it simply, for his dreams. Both Kaiser and I were born in Balt. So, since we were young, we dreamed of being adventurers and frequented the guild. Of course, we didn't take on quests; we just enjoyed the atmosphere."

His expression, as he began to speak, was gentle, reminiscing about the past.

"I was the eldest son, so I was considered a well-behaved child by my parents. But Kaiser sought freedom. It's a simple story. He left the Balt family forcefully, that's all. It's not that we had a bad relationship."

"...I thought there was a bigger issue."

"I apologize for causing you concern. But I believe... Kaiser was just born into the wrong family. He had his own dreams and wanted to achieve them. That's all."

I'll ask him about it at the academy.

I'm looking forward to his reaction.

I decided to tease him just enough to avoid getting angry.

"Oops, I've talked too much. I apologize, Your Highness."

"No, don't worry about it. I found it quite interesting."

After all, it gave him a new topic to tease.

This alone made the meeting worthwhile.

"...By the way, Your Highness, I hear you plan to go to the former Demon King's territory."

The atmosphere around the count changed, as if this was the prelude.

It became clear and calm, as he carefully observed Ein.

"...Yes. I plan to investigate the former Demon King's territory."

After all, that was the main purpose of this trip.

There is a high possibility that traces of red foxes and others remain there.

The count stared intently at Ein's eyes.

"I see... You seem serious."

He sighed and said this, having confirmed Ein's seriousness through his eyes.

"If you're serious, I can't stop you. ...But to be honest, I can't stop you anyway."

"Haha. I appreciate your concern."

"Not at all. It's just a trivial matter for an old man. ...By the way, the reason I came here is about this. Of course, greetings are important, but the main topic is this."

He then took out a piece of parchment from the bag he was holding.

"I'll give this to you."

"...What is it?"

"The way to the former Demon King's territory at this time of year. The snow hasn't deepened yet, so it's better to go early."

He handed over the route to the former Demon King's territory, which Ein and his group had been wanting.

"The guild can also provide a guide. But I suggest you read it in advance and make a few plans."

"This is great... Thank you, Count! I appreciate it!"

"I'm glad you find it useful. ...By the way, the journey at this time of year takes about 2 to 3 hours on foot."

"...What?"

Ein was surprised by the words that made him revert to his usual self.

This harsh journey? Walking for nearly 3 hours?

"The snow is severe, and it takes much longer than when there's no snow. So, it will take about that long..."

In other words, leaving in the morning and arriving by noon.

And after the investigation, it's unlikely they can return the same day.

"...Lloyd. I need your opinion."

"Yes! What kind of opinion?"

"Is it impossible to do a day trip?"

"...We should prepare for a few days of camping."

'Right,' he thought, agreeing with Lloyd.

Walking for such a long time and trying to do a day trip would be extremely inefficient.

It would be more practical to camp.

"Understood. Thank you, Lloyd."

Lloyd silently bowed.

Now, how should they plan... It's not something that can be decided immediately.

They have about a month for this investigation.

But is it best to divide it into several trips?

Another thing to consider is the danger.

The former Demon King's territory likely has hidden dangers. They can't go there lightly, and it might be better not to bring weak members, like servants.

Thinking about this, one thing became clear in Ein's mind.

'(Yeah. Kroene should stay behind.)'

She would oppose it, but Ein also opposes bringing her.

He can't bring her to such a dangerous area for several days.

'(The problem is how to convince her...)'

He glanced at her.

She was already thinking about what to do, staring intently at the parchment handed to her by the count.

She didn't seem to notice Ein's gaze, focusing silently.

"What should we do..."

It was a source of worry for Ein, to the point where he couldn't help but say it out loud.

"Yeah... Really. How should we plan this..."

Right. How can they make a plan to convince her?

...Their thoughts were a bit different, but what they were doing was quite similar.

"We'll make a solid plan later. Let's start with that."

But for now, they can't decide what to do.

First, they need to listen to Count Balt and then consider their next steps.

Thank you for always accessing.