Chapter 35

"Simply put, I received a medal and became a noble, right?"

"Well, that's about it."

After finishing my audience with His Majesty, I was once again in a carriage heading from the royal castle to the residential area where the nobles lived. My brother Erich, who was to marry into another knight's family, albeit a lower one, currently resided in that district.

Inside the carriage, slowly moving along the cobblestone road, I was asking Alteo various questions that I had.

"First, about that Double Dragon Medal."

In the kingdom, there exist various types of medals. Since there hasn't been a war for a long time, most of them are given ceremonially to high-ranking nobles in turn, or to officers in the military or government who have contributed to the organization's management, which is far from being a reward for military achievements.

It's similar to how, in my previous life, I never heard of any particular contributions, yet high-ranking politicians and bureaucrats received high-level medals.

Additionally, there are types of medals given to relatively wealthy merchants. When they are ennobled, they are expected to make additional donations to orphanages, charities, or churches, or to host lavish parties to celebrate their ennoblement, which can be quite costly.

Probably, the aim is to make them disgorge the money they have hoarded. There are also lower-ranking medals given to excellent craftsmen, wealthy farmers who have contributed to the development of vast farmlands or the digging of irrigation canals, and renowned adventurers.

Alteo, for instance, received a decent medal as a merchant not long ago, and during his adventurer days, he received a medal for slaying a dragon alongside Brantak.

"Honor is honor, but it costs a lot of money."

"Indeed, it's a way to spread money in society."

"Right. In the long term, the benefits are considered to outweigh the costs, so one has to spend the money."

And then there was the Double Dragon Medal, which is awarded for military achievements and hasn't been given to anyone in over two hundred years.

"237 years ago, during the war with the Arkart Holy Empire..."

The two armies were in a stalemate, but to break it, the Arkart Holy Empire's army attempted to outflank and launch a surprise attack on the Helmut Kingdom's army from the rear with a force of about ten thousand soldiers.

"General Biaho of the kingdom's army, noticing this, immediately counterattacked with a force of five thousand. After defeating the enemy, he launched a counterattack along the enemy's route, successfully ambushing the Arkart Holy Empire's army from the rear. This is recorded in history books."

"I've seen those history books."

Thanks to General Biaho's counter-ambush, the Helmut Kingdom's army attacked the confused Arkart Holy Empire's army, resulting in the death of ten thousand out of twenty thousand soldiers and the capture of about three thousand.

Furthermore, the Arkart Holy Empire's territory was significantly reduced. The two armies faced each other across the 'Gigant's Rift,' a hundred-meter-deep fissure that divides the continent of Lingaia from north to south.

Ironically, thanks to the Gigant's Rift, the two countries were able to achieve a peaceful ceasefire. Because of the wide and deep rift, the nobles on the border no longer fought over small pieces of land or water rights.

In fact, the nobles within the same country, who used to fight over their territories, no longer even had minor skirmishes. The effort required to cross the vast Gigant's Rift to attack another country no longer yielded any results.

As a result, the two countries, having lost the meaning of war, decided to cease hostilities. This is also one of the reasons why there has been no war for about two hundred years.

"Since General Biaho, no one has received the Double Dragon Medal."

"But, Alteo and Brantak also defeated an elemental dragon."

"They did, but the dragon didn't harm the kingdom. They just happened to find it during an exploration of a new monster territory and defeated it in battle. That's why they received a different medal."

"If the elemental dragon had attacked a city, they would have received it," Alteo said.

"And about the new title."

I'm still a minor, but as an exception, a noble's child without inheritance rights can be made the head of another family, or a child can be brought into a family with only a small daughter as a fiancé to inherit the title.

Such cases are rare, but they do happen.

"In Vendelin's case, he was simply appointed a noble based on his achievements."

According to Alteo, I have been removed from the Baumayster family and have become the head of a new Baumayster family.

"I didn't receive any land, but I will receive a pension, so I'm treated as a noble. As a baron, I receive thirty gold coins a year. Since I don't have an official position, I don't receive a salary, but I don't have to stay in the capital. I can attend a preparatory school in Breichburg without much expense or need for a grand lifestyle. It's a pretty easy life."

Next, the topic of ranks. There are ten ranks, from first to tenth. The first rank is only for His Majesty, the second for the Empress, two princes, and two princesses, the third for other royal family members and dukes, the fourth for marquises and margraves, the fifth for counts, viscounts, and barons, and the sixth for barons as well.

The sixth rank is for barons, and the seventh for knights.

Incidentally, the eighth to tenth ranks do not come with inheritance rights. They exist for those who have achieved merit and been promoted from commoners, or for the adult children of barons and above, but only for one generation.

Naturally, if they don't achieve further merit, their children will revert to being commoners.

Incidentally, until just now, I didn't even have a rank. This might be a flaw in the system, or it might be intentional. The wives and children of nobles below baron rank are considered nobles but do not receive a rank. They don't receive a pension, and if they don't inherit a title, they lose their noble status upon death.

Children born into such families cannot be registered as nobles, so being a lower noble is quite challenging.

"So, I've become a noble who can pass on my title to my children?"

"Vendelin's achievements are great, but it wouldn't be right to give his children excessive treatment based solely on bloodline. If they are average, they will remain barons, which is a kind of comfortable confinement. It's a rather enviable confinement, though."

In other words, unless I continue to achieve more, it won't be easy to become a baron or higher.

"But, you've become quite a figure."

"Yes."

My father is a knight, the seventh rank. My brother Erich, who is to marry into another family, will inherit the seventh rank knight title from his father-in-law in a few years. In other words, I have become more prestigious than them.

"It's also about status. No matter how much Vendelin's father or brother is, they are nobles appointed by His Majesty. If they act arrogantly in formal settings, it could cause serious problems."

While they won't be punished easily, they might be ostracized by the noble network as "a noble who doesn't understand the rules of nobility."

"As for Father, it doesn't matter, but Erich..."

He was the brother I got along with the most, but now he has to treat me as a higher-ranking noble. I felt a bit lonely.

"Just be careful in formal settings. Normally, there's no problem."

While we were talking, the carriage arrived at Erich's residence.

"It seems you've had a lot to deal with."

"Yes, it was very difficult."

I thought this might not be the best way to greet after not seeing each other for about seven years, but I was glad that Erich spoke to me formally. He is, after all, the most rational and intelligent brother in the Baumayster family. He seemed to understand my current situation.

"By the way, Vendelin's friends are waiting in the room."

"Of course, Erich."

"Well, I'll take my leave now."

"Thank you for your time."

"Not at all. Networking is important for merchants. I'm glad to have met Vendelin. For me, this is a very profitable day."

Alteo, who had a slightly wicked mouth like Brantak, had been considerate to ensure I didn't make a mistake in front of His Majesty. He could switch his speech style instantly when talking to His Majesty, which is why he has been successful as a new merchant in the capital.

"My brother has been taken care of."

"Indeed, as Vendelin's brother, I think we can form a good relationship."

"I'm just a minor noble, but who knows what will happen in ten years."

It seemed that Alteo felt his role was over now that I had successfully met Erich. He said he was going back to his merchant guild and got back into the carriage, which then headed towards the commercial district.

"Let me show you around."

In the noble district, the residences of higher-ranking nobles are closer to the royal castle, while those of lower-ranking nobles are closer to the commoner district. The Blunt family, where Erich was to marry into, naturally belonged to the latter.

However, as a noble residence in the capital, the gate was much larger than my family's. It was hard to believe it was a knight's family.

Erich led me into the residence, where I met a man in his early sixties with a distinguished appearance and silver hair, a woman in her early forties with brown hair and a calm demeanor, and a young woman who looked to be in her late teens with brown hair and eyes, and a calm demeanor.

"I'll introduce you to the Blunt family, my new in-laws."

The elderly man, currently the head of the family, is Rother Wilhelm von Blunt, aged sixty-two. The middle-aged woman is his wife, Marion Wilhelm von Blunt, aged forty. The young woman is Miriam Wilhelm von Blunt, who is nineteen.

The current head, Rother, lost his first wife, who had no children, to illness, and now has only one daughter with his current wife, who is to marry Erich and continue the family.

Given their ages, Rother must have been impressed by Erich, who passed the lower official examination and was assigned as a subordinate, and decided to marry his daughter to him and have him continue the family.

"Nice to meet you, Lord Baumayster."

"Please, not in this setting. I'd appreciate it if you could spare me the formalities."

"I apologize. The story of Vendelin's ancient dragon slaying is famous in the capital. But, to think that such a renowned mage is Erich's brother, the world is a small place."

Rother, unlike some arrogant nobles, spoke to me in a friendly manner.

"To be honest, I was just trying not to get burned by the dragon's breath along with the magic airship."

No matter how much I trained in magic or hunted wild animals, it was my first encounter with a monster, and it was indeed a tough experience.

I don't remember much about the fight with the bone dragon. I was too focused, and it didn't stick in my memory. I only learned the details from El and Brantak later.

"You know, thinking about it, I'm going to be Vendelin's sister-in-law."

"Yes, that's right."

"Nice to meet you, sister-in-law."

"I'm an only child, so having a brother-in-law is a new experience."

Erich's fiancée had a healing aura, and I felt I could get along with her as a sister-in-law. We might not meet often, but with the teleportation spell, I could visit the capital freely, so it wasn't impossible.

"Oh, you're back already."

"Is it true that you were ennobled?"

"Were you nervous in front of His Majesty?"

"The Double Dragon Medal and the sixth rank of baron."

"Really? I want to be your squire."

"El, you're skilled with a sword, so you should be able to get a position easily."

"But it's not that simple."

"Elwin is right. No matter how skilled you are with a sword, noble families prioritize connections when hiring vassals."

Nobles, to prepare for war, maintain a strong group of vassals. In theory, that's the case, but due to the long absence of war, even if you are skilled, it's not easy for newcomers to get a position, as Rother explained.

For example, if a noble family is short of people, they first create a branch family from their own children. If that doesn't work, they prioritize the children of their current vassals. If that still doesn't work, they can hire skilled commoners from their own territory, leaving no room for newcomers.

"Even then, they help each other through patronage. However, a letter of recommendation is essential. If the person recommended causes trouble, the person who wrote the letter will be evaluated poorly. They won't write a letter for someone they don't know well."

In other words, if you can't get a job in your family's territory, you either have to patiently develop unclaimed land to create your own territory or become an adventurer.

"Vendelin, you're going to continue attending the preparatory school and become an adventurer, right?"

"Yes."

"Then, I want to be hired."

"Sure, that's fine."

"What a stroke of luck. This way, there will be no inconvenience when Vendelin leads the party."

"I want to be hired too."

"Me too!"

"Iina and Louise, it's fine, but is it okay for nobles to do this?"

"Technically, it's not allowed. But..."

There are many lower-ranking nobles in the capital, but about half of them don't have official positions. There are fewer positions than there are nobles, so even though they receive a minimum pension, nobles have to spend money to socialize and try to get a position.

As a result, many lower-ranking nobles have side jobs.

"Technically, it's not allowed, but if they say, 'Then, give us a position!' it's a problem, so it's tacitly accepted."

"It's a tough world."

My family was quite poor, but it seems that lower-ranking nobles in the capital also have their struggles.

"That's why, sometimes, a noble who has a side job as an adventurer dies on the job."

Officially, the cause of death is being