Chapter 48

The day after the celebration, Sora woke up at his usual time.

Lazette helped Sora get dressed.

"You seem surprisingly calm, Master Sora. The lord has already left."

"There's no point in rushing. Father must have gone to the church to ask for help, but he'll probably come back in the worst mood because it will be in vain. Be careful."

By now, the national army must be being briefed.

Sora plans to go directly to the barracks to recruit, but he doesn't expect much success.

The name Kleinserdt is a huge liability.

"It's almost a curse..."

Muttering to himself, he looked outside, scowling at the clear sky, and headed to the dining room.

"Should I bring Lylu?"

If he brings a young, beautiful woman, they might be more inclined to listen.

Lazette was unimpressed by this transparent thought.

"You're being too obvious. Either they'll hate you even more for being seen through, or you'll end up with a bunch of deceived perverts. Want to bet?"

"Just a joke. Lylu and the others are precious to me. I won't show them off so easily."

However, the fact remains that he has no good options. Even if he had leverage, low morale would make it pointless.

He nibbled on his bread while thinking of various strategies.

Since the capital is inland, he hasn't had fish for a while. Not being able to eat salmon or mackerel for a month was wearing down Sora's patience.

Thinking of starting a transportation business when he returns to his domain, he finished his breakfast.

"Nothing comes to mind..."

Holding his head, which felt like it was about to overheat, he got into the carriage.

As soon as they left the Kleinserdt estate, the carriage tilted to one side with a jolt.

It seemed to have broken.

The driver apologized with a pale face. Sora gave a forced smile, forgave him, and walked to the barracks.

"It's a bad day... I have a bad feeling."

By the time he muttered this, he had reached the barracks.

The sturdy stone barracks of the Royal Guard stood there, even though no one was attacking.

The Royal Guard was training in the square next to the barracks, so Sora, Lazette, and two guards went to observe.

They were practicing how to quickly form ranks and split into two groups, which Sora found interesting to watch.

"How about that? The Kleinserdt army couldn't do that, could they?"

A man claiming to be the deputy commander of the Royal Guard looked down on Sora.

Sora was used to such attitudes and didn't react.

"I've already been informed about the duel. Is it okay if I talk to them casually?"

"No, please don't interfere with the training. The Royal Guard has already made its decision."

The deputy commander said this with a seemingly friendly smile.

"Supporting Kleinserdt would tarnish your records. It's foolish."

"...I see."

Sora was practically shown the door and left the Royal Guard barracks.

"The national army should be fine, even if not the Royal Guard."

"Do you have any leads?"

"The lower units of the Royal Guard, the Capital Defense Force, and the Capital Police Force."

Both are inferior to the Royal Guard in quality, but he can't be picky.

He went to the barracks of the Capital Defense Force, which is closer. They had received a notice to assist with the duel, but they were told it would be foolish to risk injury in a losing battle and were turned away.

"The reputation of our family is wonderful. It's a kind of brand."

"What are you being so optimistic about?"

The sun was nearing its zenith, and it was almost lunchtime.

Sora found a shop he knew while wandering around the capital and went inside.

The customers were startled by the notorious noble heir's arrival.

"Grandma, I came to eat some delicious fish."

Ignoring the customers' reactions, he smiled and ordered from the shop owner.

The customers exchanged glances at his unusually friendly attitude, and Sora's guards frowned.

Noticing this, Sora made a gesture as if shooing away flies.

"You guys look scary, so wait outside the shop."

Some customers laughed.

"That's not how it works—"

"Having a scary face would be bad for the shop. Wait outside and greet people with a smile as they pass by. Meow like a cat!"

Some customers bent over, shaking their shoulders.

"As guards, you should also contribute to improving the image of the Kleinserdt family. Meow like a cat!"

"...Why are you so fixated on cats?"

"Would you prefer pigs?"

The customers all facepalmed. Some even laughed with tears in their eyes.

Pushed by Lazette, the guards disappeared to the back of the shop.

Sora stretched and sighed, and the customers looked at him.

When Sora gave a friendly bow to the customers, they applauded.

Disliking the Kleinserdt family is common among the people. Sora deliberately used his background as a joke to make himself more approachable.

People tend to like those who can make jokes.

"Grandma, does a beautiful blonde with red highlights and a bear beastman have anything for me?"

Sitting at the counter, Sora asked in a low voice. The shop owner slipped a letter under a cup as Lazette passed by.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

The old shop owner smiled warmly at Sora's smile.

"I want to buy some really good wine for my guards waiting outside. How much?"

"This shop doesn't have much good wine. I recommend a place called Kell's Box in the western part of the capital."

"Got it. I'll go there tomorrow."

Sora handed the letter to Lazette and stretched.

—Can't afford to be too focused on the duel.

Muttering to himself, Sora thought about the contents of the letter.

If his assumptions were correct, it should contain a report on the results of his instructions to Lylu and the others to contact a mage in the capital.

Sora hasn't used magic because he's wary of the reaction stones that can detect magic. He didn't want to cause unnecessary confusion given the strained relationship with the church.

However, the usefulness of magic cannot be ignored.

As a last resort, he plans to find a mage and secretly recruit them.

After eating lunch, Sora left the shop and headed to the barracks of the Capital Police Force.