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Published at 23rd of May 2023 05:34:46 PM


Chapter 84

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Characters in this chapter:

Sapphiras Perfectio, 2nd son of the Earl of Aldridge

Percival Belisario, 3rd son of Margrave of Vanderwall on the Eastern Frontier

Aurora Steinfeld, daughter of the Duke of Bloomfield

Gideon Harvard, son of Marquess of Wagner

Nigel Bosworth, son Marquess of Jermaine

“Sapphiras-sama, actually Harvard-sama wishes to apologise to Sapphiras-sama.”

Aurora quietly told me.

“Harvard? Who is that?”

Have I heard that before or not?

“Well, Sapphiras-sama, you didn’t even know his name, did you? He’s the one who’s causing you trouble now, Sapphiras-sama.”

“……Ah! You mean the red hair? Apology?……I don’t really want him to apologise to me.”

Of course, I’m not going to forgive him! Considering the enormous damage I suffered, I have no obligation to forgive you.

“Actually, the Marquess Wagner family, that is to say, Harvard-sama’s father, has made a formal request to our ducal family to apologise to Sapphiras-sama.”

“Eh?”

It’s gone beyond the parties concerned, it’s become a big deal.

“Under the circumstances, I can understand why you don’t want to see Harvard-sama, Sapphiras-sama. Of course, you don’t have to forgive him. But please at least accept his apologies.”

“If that’s the case, I don’t mind. Did you book the salon for that apology?”

“Yes. Wouldn’t it be a problem if he apologised in the public eye? A strange speculation could cause new rumours.”

“I am very sorry about that.”

“No, it’s not your fault, Sapphiras-sama. I hope you don’t mind.”

Aurora smiled when she said that, but I don’t mean to drag my benefactor’s leg.

When I went to the salon, I found Percival and a red-haired man with a mysterious face. As soon as he saw my face, he bowed his head. I involuntarily backed away from him because he was so vigorous.

Hey, hey, if you bow so much, you’ll end up on the floor, won’t you? 

“I’m really sorry! I was shortsighted, and I caused trouble for Sapphiras! When Belisario told me, I finally realised how stupid I was……I was just going off on my own tangent, and I didn’t take the other party’s heart into consideration. This is the result of that……I’m really sorry.”

Nnnn? This is an unexpected development. Apparently, the redhead is seriously sorry. It seems that Percival said something to him.

Besides, if he made a formal offer of apology to the Duke’s family, he would have had to confess to his father what he had done, so he would have been given a good squeeze at home. To be honest, I wasn’t going to forgive him, but it’s too narrow-minded to criticise him and not forgive him when he’s seriously remorseful. Anyway, it wouldn’t have been the redhead that started the strange rumour. I should show some leniency here. It would be better to save face for the Duke.

“……Okay, I get it. I accept your apology. Don’t ever do that again.”

“Yes, of course! I swear to Goddess!”

The red-haired man raised his head with all his strength and declared, but I’m worried about how he’s doing so well.

“I’ve done some research on the rumours. It was Bosworth-sama who first started the rumour. After that, it seems that the rumours were spread by people around him. In fact, since there was no partner, he could only give the name of Sapphiras-sama, and since the people who were spreading the rumours were mainly from families below the rank of Earl, he couldn’t give the name of Harvard-sama from the Marquess family, even if he had known about what happened at the library. But it seems that even Bosworth-sama didn’t expect the rumours to grow to this extent.”

I see, so that’s why he has that look on his face. The rumours he started himself began to walk on its own and he completely lost control of them. It is one of the skills of an aristocrat to make clever use of rumours, but Nigel didn’t have that much skill.

“I’m really sorry about that. I don’t mean to blame Bosworth, but he told me that if I went to the library, Sapphiras would be there and I could make a pass at him there without disturbing anyone…….A little thought should have made me realise that I shouldn’t have done that, but I was in a hurry at the time and all I could think about was myself.”

I’d like to ask if that forceful flow was necessary for persuasion, but well, he’s remorseful, so he’s not going to repeat it.

“…….It’s good that it was me, but it would have been terrible if it was against a weak daughter.. You should reflect on that.”

“I’ll bear that in mind.”

I see that the redhead can make decent decisions if he’s in a calm state. I hope he can learn from Percival to maintain a bit more composure.

“We are considering lodging a protest against Bosworth-sama from the Duke’s household, saying that he has seriously damaged the honour of Sapphiras-sama.”

“That might be better for him.”

He’s been spoilt at home, he needs a good scolding. In a decent house, he should be able to listen if told firmly.

“By the way, I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to continue to receive the support of the Duke at this academy because of the bad rumours that have spread about it. and it could be good bait for those who want to drag down Miss Aurora, the candidate for the Crown Princess. That’s why I’m thinking of quitting the academy and becoming a mercenary.”

“……Ha?”

Everyone except me looked blank. As expected, Aurora and Liliana didn’t even speak.

In fact, becoming a mercenary has been on the back of my mind since the long vacation. At that time, I was planning on graduating from the academy normally,  so it was just a matter of thinking that there was such a path if the need arose.

Thinking about it again, I am not suited to the aristocratic society at all. I thought that since I was going to start a new life, it wouldn’t be bad to try things I hadn’t experienced in my previous life, but the basic premise is that I want to avoid things that are bothersome and troublesome. However, I’ve learnt first-hand that it’s difficult to avoid them as long as you’re involved with the nobility, so I’ve decided that the time to do it is now.

“It’ll be a year and a half minimum before I can register as an adventurer, right? Until then, I’ll earn my keep as a mercenary. There are plenty of people my age working on the streets. I’ll pay back the six months worth of support I’ve received from His Excellency with the salary I earn as a mercenary. Fortunately, the monthly support money remains almost untouched, so including that, I think it won’t take long to pay it back. I’ve been in His Excellency’s care a lot, so if something happens, I’ll be there as soon as I can. As soon as possible, I’ll work out the magic to transmit voice to the other party at a distance. If I succeed, I’ll be the first to inform the Duke’s family.”

“Oh, wait. Are you sure you mean that?”

Aurora unusually showed signs of impatience. She even forgot to cover her mouth with her folding fan.

The appearance of not hiding her emotions in this way is a cute young lady appropriate for her age.

“Yeah. I don’t know if I say it myself, but I think I’m a strong fighter. I’m definitely a force to be reckoned with. Besides, I have the strongest connections to become a mercenary.”

I turned my gaze to Percival.

Yes, I can get hired by the Belisario family as a mercenary in Vanderwall. They treated their soldiers very well there. I will work hard on the front lines, and I can go to the depths of the 3rd layer of the magical beast forest on the same day! That’s why I’d really like them to hire me. I’m not good at heavy lifting, but I have summoned beasts, so I can probably manage.

“Percival, please! I know it’s a brazen request, but I feel safe with Vanderwall! Could you please ask the Margrave to hire me?”

I put my hands together and bowed. If Percival is willing to talk to him, I’m sure the Margrave of Vanderwall will hire me. He learned about my ability during my long vacation.

“Sapphiras…….”

“I would like you to graduate from the academy, Sapphiras-sama.”

Although not loud, Aurora’s firm voice resounds in the salon.

“Miss Aurora?”

“Right now, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is trying to reform the academy. Currently, the academy is a place of learning for the nobility, but he is thinking that in the future it will be a school for human resource development. And I think that human resources can be found among the people.”

“……What does this have to do with my graduation?”

“Sapphiras-sama was a former nobleman, but is now a commoner. That alone is unusual for this academy. If we can leave a precedent that Sapphiras, a commoner, graduated from this academy, we can connect to the next one. I had hoped that Sapphiras-sama would be the foundation for this……but I am fully aware that I cannot force you to do so. As a friend, I can’t ask you to walk the path of the briars any more.”

Saying this, Aurora gave a complicated smile.

“I hate to say it, what commoners learn in the current academy is like surviving in the forest of magical beasts.. An average guy would have his heart broken in no time.”

There are a lot of people with a strong sense of being chosen. Maybe that’s normal for nobles, though. But there are nobles like Aurora and Percival, who are high-ranking nobles but have a broad perspective and no sense of discrimination.

“Yes, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince understands that point. We are trying to find a way to improve the situation, but sudden changes to the system can cause friction in various parts of the country. In particular, the more powerful old nobles are more depressed by the new winds. So we have to take our time and gradually increase the number of people who understand us. Besides, the presence of Sapphiras-sama has brought about more than a little change to the Academy.

“Eh? Me?”

What’s changed? I think the security system in the academy has improved.

“Fufufu, don’t you see? I think that Sapphiras-sama’s C-Class has changed a lot, though, hasn’t it? The same goes for those who enjoy sweets together at the tea party. Isn’t there anyone else you can think of?”

Indeed, despite all the malicious rumours circulating, everyone in Class C did not change their attitude at all, but rather showed concern for me. The same was true of the ladies at the tea party.

If the number of such people increases little by little, the atmosphere of the academy will change. And when they come of age, they may decide to support someone else as well. But it won’t happen overnight. It may not happen in our generation. Still, you can’t create a ripple without casting the first stone.

I see. So that’s what the Duke had in mind when they supported me knowing that I would become a commoner. But I quite liked the idea that human resources exist among the people. Nevertheless, if the commoners were to be used heavily, it would likely buy a lot of resistance from the nobility. And the problem doesn’t stop there.

“His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is wondering whether the nobility alone can continue to support this country, which boasts the largest territory on the continent, under the existing system.”

“……But that idea could be dangerous. If the commoners gain power, there may be moves to abolish the monarchy.”

“Yes, that’s true. But if things continue as they are now, there is no hope for further development of the country.”

“Does Aurora……the Duke, agree with that view?”

“Yes, generally. If the water becomes stagnant, it will rot. Some of the old aristocratic houses only insist on their rights as aristocrats and do not fulfil their duties. I believe it is necessary to bring in new water in order to flush out the rotten water.”

Uwah, rotten water is exactly like the Earls of Aldridge, isn’t it?

Well, it is not certain that there will always be a move to abolish the monarchy, and if the country continues to decline, the monarchy will be nothing. The Crown Prince’s desire for change rather than stagnation is not bad.

And I glance at the redhead.

“……By the way, is it okay to have such an important conversation in front of this guy?”

“Yes, the Marquise of Wagner understands the Crown Prince’s position. He is a very fair and magnanimous man, and has been very good to both the royal family and the people.”

“That’s right! Our Harvard family is a proud family!”

“……Hehhh” 

You’ve almost destroyed the name of the royal family’s memorable marquess family. I glared at the proud redhead.

“Uuu……don’t look at me like that. I’m sorry for what I did.”

“That’s all right then. Anyway, I understand the thoughts of His Highness the Crown Prince and the intentions of the Duke. We have to be very respectful of doing things that won’t drag down the feet of excellent people.”

“Yes. I will keep that in mind. Thank you very much, Sapphiras-sama. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your understanding.”

Aurora and Liliana bowed deeply. Aurora is elegant even when she apologises, but it is not such a big deal.

“Oh no, don’t bow to me! The only one who should bow is the red-haired one! I just thought it sounded like fun, so I went along with it!”

“Sapphiras, my name is Gideon. If you could, would you call me by my first name?”

“I’m sorry, but I can’t do that, because I have the worst luck with people whose names start with G.”

“What’s that?”

The redhead often tilted his head, but Percival and Aurora looked as if they were convinced.

Anyway. Since I can quit the academy at any time, I decided to follow His Highness the Crown Prince’s plan. However, I’ll ask Percival again so that I can become a mercenary at any time.

melon: Phew that was a long chapter.

BTW, for those of you who would like to support the author by purchasing the novel, you can now purchase it on Amazon or Comicomi Studio. Comicomi Studio does not ship overseas but you can get an extra illustration card when you order from them.

If you would like to buy from Comicomi Studio to get the card, you can either use a proxy or forwarding service. My suggestions are either Zenmarket or From Japan, these 2 companies charges a flat rate of ¥300 per item. Zenmarket has a ¥300 coupon for new users or if you use the above link to register for From Japan, you can get 500 points (¥500) after your first purchase. Buyee is also lot of people’s go to but I don’t like them because they have a lot of fees here and there which could add up to quite a bit. The upside is that they have coupons for new users.

As for forwarding service, my go it is Big in Japan, they charge a flat rate of ¥500 per package or ¥1,500 to combine packages (up to 10 iirc) + paypal fees. If you are buying more than 2 items from the same store or more than 5 items from multiple stores, using this is cheaper. They also allow undervaluing. You can read up on how to use them here.

There are also a lot of people who use Tenso as their go to (they’re under Buyee). They charge a handling fee based on weight + ¥200 to apply to consolidate packages + ¥300 service fee for every additional package after.

If you need any help with the proxy or forwarding service, feel free to DM me on discord melon bowl#3543.

And here’s a character card released by Alphapolis:

Top to bottom, left to right: Casey Morgan, Gilliam Anderson, Clawis Garcia, Cait Sith, Aurora Steinfeld, Sapphiras, Percival Belisario.




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