Chapter 9

After that, I was on my way back in a carriage before the sun set.

Inside the carriage, I looked out at the scenery while chatting lightly with the maid, Maimi.

"Was today's tea party enjoyable?"

"It was very enjoyable. I didn't know sweets could be so delicious. I've been told about various shops, so please have all the items from those shops sent to me later."

"Understood."

Being able to spend money like this is a privilege of the Duke's family.

I'm looking forward to the sweets arriving... I need to be careful not to gain weight.

While thinking this, I noticed something that caught my attention outside the carriage window.

"Hey, stop the carriage."

When I called out to the driver, the carriage stopped immediately.

"Milady Asaria, is something wrong?"

"No, I just noticed something noisy outside."

"Noisy, you say?"

As I got out of the carriage and headed towards the noise, Maimi and the driver hurriedly followed me.

"Milady Asaria, wait! It's dangerous to go alone!"

"I'm fine, I'm strong."

"Y-Yes, that's true, but!"

This area is at the border between the noble district and the commoner district, where people from both sides come and go.

The commotion here is very limited.

"Hey, you! How dare a commoner like you cross in front of me! I'm a baron!"

Oh, I can hear some really stupid words.

When I went over, it seemed that a nobleman who claimed to be a baron was picking on a man.

"…I'm sorry."

"Is that how you apologize!? Get down on the ground and grovel! You're being so disrespectful!"

A fat man blew his nose roughly and punched the man, who was wearing tattered clothes, in the stomach.

"…Is that enough?"

"Kuh…! You, you're still being disrespectful to me!"

The man who was punched seemed to have a good build, and the nobleman who punched him looked more pained.

It's really ridiculous.

There were also commoners gathered around, making it quite a spectacle.

"It's that noble again…"

"He comes here to look down on us commoners."

"Poor guy who got picked on."

From the whispers of the people around, it seemed that the nobleman often came here to look down on commoners and cause trouble.

It must be a rather tasteless and wasteful use of time.

"Don't look down on me!"

No, it's because the commoner is tall and you are short in both height and character.

And I feel like I've seen this commoner man somewhere before… Who was he?

"Shut up!"

"!"

This time, the nobleman punched the man's right cheek.

The cheek must not have been hard enough, as blood dripped from the man's mouth.

However, the commoner man did not flinch and looked down at the nobleman from above.

"…I'm sorry. Is this enough?"

"You…!"

The nobleman raised his fist again.

I can't watch this anymore.

"Hey, you, stop it!"

I pushed through the crowd and said this to the nobleman.

"What? What did you say, little girl! Did you just say that to me, a baron!?"

"Yes, I'm talking to a small fry like you. Consider it an honor."

"What…!?"

The man who claimed to be a baron looked me up and down.

Since I was just coming back from a tea party, I don't look like a commoner at all.

It should be clear that I am a noble's daughter.

"You called me a small fry! I am Baron Piddle! Who are you, little girl!?"

"The Spencer Duke's family, of course."

"…What? Spencer, Duke's family?"

If you're a noble, no, anyone living in the empire, you would know the Four Great Dukes.

It seems he didn't expect me to be the daughter of one of them, the Spencer Duke's family.

Piddle…? I must have misheard it because I was eating.

It's probably different, but I don't need to remember it.

The baron's momentum seemed to have disappeared, and his face turned pale.

"The Spencer Duke's family, you say? You're lying!"

"Do I look like I'm lying? And can't you see from my attire that I have better accessories than you?"

Today's dress has more beautiful embroidery than the baron's, and I'm wearing expensive necklaces and bracelets.

They are adorned with gems that a baron like him has never seen.

"Besides, whether you're a noble or a commoner, falsely claiming the name of another family is a capital offense."

"But a duke's family wouldn't come through such a place…!"

"Are you, a baron, deciding which roads a duke's family can use? That's disrespectful to the Spencer Duke's family."

"Ugh…!"

Baron Piddle looked bitter and couldn't respond.

"So, what were you doing? You seemed to be making a spectacle of yourself."

"R-Ridiculous! Even a duke's daughter should be more careful with her words! I was trying to teach this commoner his place…!"

"Shouldn't you know your place? Do you think you can do anything just because you're a noble?"

"What…!?"

Sigh, it's troublesome to talk to a fool who doesn't understand.

"Just passing by you, and you did all this? Then… as a member of the Spencer Duke's family, what can I do to you for insulting me so much?"

"What…!?"

"Your attitude so far has been an insult to the Spencer Duke's family. If you think you can punch someone just for passing by, I don't see why I can't cut off your arm or leg."

"Such violent talk from a duke's daughter… How shameless…!"

"Do you know what the Spencer Duke's family is fighting against now? Which is easier, killing a monster or cutting off your arm?"

When I said that, the baron's body started to tremble.

A few guards seemed to have heard the commotion and arrived.

"Is everything alright?"

"Maimi, please explain."

"Yes!"

Maimi explained my identity and the situation to the guards.

"Such a thing… Baron Piddle, please come with us."

"Don't touch me! You commoners!"

Baron Piddle, surrounded by guards, struggled.

So his name is Piddle, not Pigg.

Piddle, who was resisting in vain, suddenly raised his voice.

"Just a commoner, thinking you can look down on me, who rose to power through strength!!"

"…What?"

As I said this in a surprised tone, the baron produced flames from his hand.

He can use fire magic?

Anyone with magic power can use magic, not just the Four Great Dukes.

"What!? Stop! Using magic here…!"

"Hahaha! This is my power! Who cares if you're a duke's daughter or a guard! If you don't want to die, don't defy me!"

The guards, outnumbered, seemed to have difficulty restraining the baron who was using fire magic. They stepped back and only held their swords.

Some of the onlookers, frightened, started to run away.

I didn't move, just put my hand on my head and sighed.

"Sigh, I didn't think he was this foolish…"

Was he originally a commoner?

He probably had some magic power, used it to achieve some success on the battlefield, and got a title and got carried away.

He looks down on commoners, dresses in unnecessarily flashy clothes, and doesn't understand the consequences of his actions towards the Spencer Duke's family.

I wonder how such a person was given a title.

"Milady Asaria, let's run!"

"…What? Maimi, what are you saying?"

I, running from someone like him?

"I am of the Spencer Duke's family. Running from a fool like him would be a disgrace to the Spencer Duke's family."

"B-But…!"

Maimi, with tears in her eyes, seemed ready to run.

"Baron Piddle, if you've done this much, you should be prepared for the consequences."

"Ah!?"

"Milady Spencer, please step back!"

The guard told me to step back, but I didn't and moved forward instead.

"You don't need to answer. The outcome is already decided."

When I said this without flinching and looked him in the eye, Baron Piddle seemed to be scared.

"Don't look down on me, a man! I am Baron Piddle!"

He shouted his name and finally launched a fireball at me.

Was becoming a baron that exciting for him? I don't understand.

"I can't call you a baron anymore."

I used my magic and pointed my hand forward.

The fireball stopped in front of my eyes.

"What!? Why didn't it hit!?"

"Good that you dared to challenge me with fire, a member of the Spencer Duke's family."

When I twirled my finger, the fire magic he cast gathered at my fingertips.

"Why… Why is my fire…!"

"You wouldn't be able to call yourself a member of the Spencer Duke's family if you couldn't do this."

This crude magic is only as powerful as a low-level monster. Before I returned, I could kill dozens of monsters with a single spell.

I made the large flame smaller and gathered it at my fingertips.

"This is a clear attack on the Spencer Duke's family, worthy of death."

"What…!?"

The man, completely deprived of his fire magic, opened his eyes wide and froze.

"I could do this here, but it's too much trouble, so I'll leave it to the guards."

Just trying to kill a member of the Spencer Duke's family, it's not right to just hand him over to the guards.

He will die anyway, but I need to make him suffer.

I pointed my finger at the man.

"I'll return your magic."

I released the compressed fire magic at the man's right shoulder.

The small fireball, released at high speed, hit Baron Piddle, who screamed.

"Aaaaaah!?"

"You said I could cut off your arm or leg. I'm just following through on my words."

Baron Piddle's right shoulder was blown off by the fire, and he fell to the ground, holding his shoulder, having lost his right arm.

There was almost no blood, probably because it was burned by the fire.

"Guards, it's safe now. Arrest him."

"Yes!"

The guards, startled by my voice, quickly arrested the baron, who was in pain and couldn't move.

Sigh, is this finally over?

I stuck my neck out on a whim, but it was unnecessarily tiring.

"Thank you."

"Hmm?"

While watching the guards tie up Baron Piddle, I was spoken to from behind.

When I turned around, it was the man who had been picked on and punched by Baron Piddle.

"Thank you for helping me."

"Oh, it's fine. I did it because I wanted to."

The commoner man, who was tall when seen up close.

His face was very handsome, but his cheek was slightly swollen.

"Is your cheek okay? You were also punched in the stomach."

"Just a cut in my mouth, nothing serious. My stomach is fine."

"You're strong."

He doesn't seem to be a knight, but just physically strong.

And I really feel like I've seen him somewhere before…

"Have we met before?"

"Milady Spencer? No, I don't think so."

"Right… What's your name?"

"My name? It's Lauro."

Lauro… What, Lauro!?

Could it be, that Holy Knight Lauro!?