Slime Reincarnation

Three in the afternoon. Right on schedule with the advance notice, we arrived at Earl Lubengel’s estate. Just Irina and me. We’d had a carriage take us, but once we arrived at the earl’s residence, we sent it back. Rina, and Logan and the chick corps too, I’d told to keep their distance, just close enough for telepathic range, no need for close monitoring here.

The butler at the entrance opened the door for us. Stepping into the mansion, a middle aged couple stood waiting in the entrance hall.

"Irina chan... welcome home!"

The woman embraced Irina, standing beside me, tears in her eyes.

"Mother..."

Irina cried too, embracing her mother back.

"You must be Yabe kun. Lord Coluna told us about you in a letter. Thank you, truly, for protecting Irina all this time. I’m grateful to you."

The man bowed his head as he said this. Surely Irina’s father.

"Forgive me, I should have introduced myself first. I’m Darren von Lubengel, head of the Lubengel Earl household, and Irina’s father."

"I’m his wife, Angela. Irina’s mother."

"...Is my brother away at the territory, Father?"

"Indeed, Irina’s older brother Toran is the eldest son, currently serving as governor at the territory, so he’s not in the capital right now."

"I see. Allow me to introduce myself properly, I’m Yabe. I normally live in a house built near a pond close to Kaso Village."

"...Forgive me, but whereabouts exactly is Kaso Village?"

Ah, right, nobody has any idea where Kaso Village even is.

"It’s part of the Coluna Frontier Count’s territory, about two days from the town of Sorenarini. A quiet, rural place with not much there, but a good place, honestly."

I gave the royal capital dwelling parents a bit of hometown pride. My family back on Earth had been from the countryside too, after all.

"That’s also where Yabe saved my life, by the pond near Kaso Village."

Irina said this happily, looking up at my face.

"He saved your life? Why would you have gone all the way out there? Weren’t arrangements already made for you to work as an apprentice at a merchant house in the fortress city Felbane?"

"? This is the first I’m hearing of that, Father. I was told I had to make my living as an adventurer, so I went all the way to Sorenarini and registered with the Adventurers’ Guild there."

"Wh, what!?"

"Dear, how did this happen...?"

"My lord, allow me to first show our guests to the reception room and prepare some tea."

The butler’s remark reminded us we’d been standing and talking right at the entrance the whole time.

"Then allow me to guide you."

We followed the butler’s lead.

Once we’d settled in and had a chance to relax over the tea the butler brought, Lord Darren continued his questioning.

"So then, what exactly do you mean by saving her life?"

Honestly, I wasn’t sure how much I should say, and was still weighing how to explain it, when...

"Actually, after I registered with the Adventurers’ Guild, some strange bandit like men tricked me..."

Irina, without hesitation, launched into a fairly thorough retelling.

"So she really was on the verge of being killed..."

Lord Darren turned pale. His wife Angela’s face went just as white.

"But Yabe risked everything to save me!"

...I don’t recall risking everything exactly, but well, I did save her.

"And after that, in the town of Sorenarini too... and in the fortress city Felbane too..."

She kept going, rattling off tales at a level where I honestly wondered whose heroics she was even describing anymore.

...Irina, am I supposed to be some kind of god at this point?

"Yabe even saved Luciana chan’s life... and defeated the demon king too... and wiped out fifteen hundred orcs, all of them..."

At this point her storytelling had drifted straight into fairy tale territory. Even assuming everything Irina was saying was technically true, it was still hard to believe on the spot. Though, given that I was currently a guest of the Coluna Frontier Count’s household, and Lord Coluna’s letter probably included at least some mention that I was a trustworthy person.

"Irina, from what you’re describing, it sounds like Sir Yabe is a hero who saved the kingdom."

"My, my, Irina, really now."

It was clear Irina was piling it on thick, given how thoroughly smitten she was with me. In truth, I’d done enough that being called a hero who saved the kingdom wasn’t entirely off base, but I still had absolutely no interest in being celebrated as one. I hadn’t given up on the idea of a quiet, easy life out in the countryside, not even now.

"Father, Mother, do you not believe me? Yabe has been summoned to an audience with the king tomorrow, precisely because his accomplishments have been recognized!"

"Wh, what!? Tomorrow’s audience, that’s for Sir Yabe?"

"You didn’t know?"

"Well, my, Yabe san really is something."

I was starting to worry Lord Coluna’s letter might not have said much of substance at all.

"I’m scheduled to stand behind Yabe during the audience."

"Behind him?"

"Yes, as Yabe’s wife... Father, Mother, I intend to marry Yabe!"

Irina declared this with firm resolve. As for me, of course, I was in Yabe Hiroki’s form, dressed in the outfit prepared by the Coluna Frontier Count household’s recommended tailor. Appearance wise, at least, there shouldn’t have been anything out of place. But I was still just an ordinary commoner. If anything, Luciana chan and her mother Flora san were the odd ones here, being fine with becoming the second wife, which honestly, what do they even get out of that.

"Irina, marriage might be rather difficult, I’m afraid..." "That’s right, if only Sir Yabe held at least the rank of baron..."

"Yabe declined the royal family’s offer of a title just yesterday, so he won’t be becoming a noble."

Seeing her parents hesitate slightly, Irina stated this plainly.

"D, declined a title... is that really true?"

"Yes... having territory would just be troublesome, and I don’t think being a court noble serving at the palace really suits me. If anything, I’m thinking of traveling around and seeing more of this world..."

"That’s why it seems his reward for all the trouble he’s resolved throughout the kingdom is being settled in gold coins instead?"

"D, declined a title, and gold coins instead..."

"By the way, Yabe already has two more women set to become his wives. Luciana chan, the eldest daughter of the Coluna Frontier Count’s household, and Fileontina sama, the famous fortune teller and older sister of the Earl of Tarbal’s wife."

"Eh...!? So besides our Irina, the Coluna Frontier Count’s eldest daughter and the Earl of Tarbal’s wife’s older sister are also becoming Sir Yabe’s wives?"

"Well, Irina, are you truly alright with this? Can you get along with everyone?"

"Of course, Mother! After all, I’m his first wife!"

...That stung a little. Of course, my first was Irina... right? Well, regardless, there was no denying she’d been by my side the longest.

"N, no, but what does Lord Coluna have to say about all this?"

"He says it’s still too early for Luciana, but for some reason his wife has been remarkably eager about it all..."

I said this, my gaze drifting off somewhere distant.

"Too early, how so exactly?"

"I heard Luciana chan is already of marriageable age... I suppose it’s more that Lord Fenberg himself just isn’t mentally prepared for it, and that’s why it’s too early..."

My gaze drifted even further into the distance as I said this.

"...So it’s purely a matter of feelings, then..."

Lord Darren covered his face with one hand, looking up at the ceiling. This Fenberg, the Coluna Frontier Count Yabe kept mentioning, apparently had already given the green light for his own daughter and even his wife to become the second wife, yet an earl’s household wouldn’t approve of a first wife? That seemed rather unfair. But then again, why exactly had the Coluna Frontier Count given his approval to this man Yabe in the first place... Honestly, meeting him here alone, it was hard to judge.

"Well, my brother is still here to carry on the household, so... Yabe intends to travel the world, and I intend to go with him, so honestly, I don’t think being nobility means all that much."

"No, it’s not quite that simple, Irina..."

Lord Darren looked troubled by Irina’s declaration.

"Why not? With my brother here, wouldn’t the household still be secure?"

Irina pressed her father, Lord Darren, further. After all, Luciana chan had teamed up with her own mother to push this along, and Fileontina had already sold off her house and come alone with nothing to fall back on. Irina clearly felt pressed not to be the one held back by her own parents’ opposition.

"No, listen, Irina. It’s not that simple a matter... To begin with, we sent you away from the capital specifically to escape a forced marriage proposal from the Lycaorost ducal house, arranging for you to apprentice at a merchant house. And now, if you come back only to end up marrying not even a noble, but a commoner, who knows what measures they might take... Sir Yabe’s own life could be in danger too, you know?"

Lord Darren explained this, urging Irina to reconsider.

"But that very same plan leaked out somehow, and behind the scenes, someone arranged for it to become an adventurer’s apprenticeship instead, a lie that put Irina’s life in real danger, didn’t it?"

Here, I finally spoke up myself.

"Ngh..."

"I don’t know exactly why the Lycaorost ducal house is so persistent about pursuing marriage with Irina. From what I understand, they’ve been pushing for marriage with the second princess, Cassina, as well. I do understand the concern for Irina’s safety."

I looked Lord Darren directly in the eye, my expression serious.

"But none of that changes how I feel. I want Irina by my side. Please, give me your blessing to have her."

That’s what I told him.