Chapter 121 : Chapter 121
Chapter 121
Of the news that arrived from the main house, there was only one piece I could possibly like.
A change in status.
By a stroke of chance, I had distinguished myself at the Bahamut Ducal House, and word of it had reached the main house as well. Since the duke himself had said he would write directly to the marquis, there would be no one who doubted its truth.
“The news arrived sooner than I expected.”
“It came by Messenger Pigeon. For now, gather everyone. There is news from the main house that must be announced.”
“Yes, sir.”
Once the order to assemble was given, the butlers who had been working throughout the mansion gathered in the office. Some were people whose names I had learned, while others were still only familiar faces.
I had had a few chances to work with some of them, and all of them were knowledgeable and sharp. Enough that it made me think there was a reason they were working in the Royal Capital.
Standing before roughly twenty butlers, Brituang clasped his hands behind his back and spoke gravely.
“The reason I have called you all here is none other than the arrival of word from the main house. I know you are all busy with your duties, but I ask that you listen for a moment.”
With that preamble, Brituang unfolded a small note and read from it.
“First, this concerns Attending Secretary Dilen. Our master at the main house has ordered that Dilen, who distinguished himself this time at the Bahamut House, be appointed an Assigned Butler and be invested with the rank of Baronet.”
“Ohhh......”
Everyone voiced their astonishment.
Assigned Butler was the rank directly above Regular Butler. It was not enough that I had become a Full Butler. I had achieved the feat of a special promotion by one full rank on top of that.
I maintained a respectful posture and observed proper decorum.
It may have been only a small note, but it contained the command of the head of the Adeline House. It had to be received with the same respect one would show to a royal decree.
“Quiet, all of you. It is the Master’s command that Dilen return to the main house as soon as possible to receive formal investiture.”
“It is the glory of the house.”
“Well then, I heard you refused the butler’s post and the baronetcy before. Are you planning to refuse again this time?”
I smiled and bowed my head.
“At that time, I refused because I believed it was only natural for me to do such a thing for the house. But this time the circumstances are a little different. I shall obey the Master’s command.”
“You have thought well. It seems Sir Yanrof was quite worried that you might refuse again. To judge by the fact that he even sent a separate note by Messenger Pigeon.”
Too much humility could become poison. One refusal was enough. In any case, I needed to return to the Adeline territory, so I might as well receive both the title and the position while I was there.
More importantly, because of what had happened with the master of the Blackstone Merchant Company, upgrading the Status Window had become urgent.
If my prediction was right, the moment I became a Full Butler, an additional function would be unlocked. Now that I was receiving a noble title as well, perhaps two functions might open at once.
If things went well, I would no longer end up making subtle misunderstandings like the one before.
“In any case, congratulations, Sir Dilen.”
“Sir? I have not yet received the title. Please address me comfortably, as before.”
“It is already decided. The moment you return to the main house, it will be carried out at once, so there is no need to cling so rigidly to technicalities, is there? By now, the title and the fief prepared for you must already be waiting.”
“A fief as well?”
That was unexpected.
“When a knight or a butler receives formal appointment, a fief is granted as well. It is small compared to what an ordinary noble might possess, but there is a certain pleasure in managing it in your own modest way.”
“I see. Thank you for telling me.”
In an instant, all sorts of thoughts raced through my mind.
The fact that I would have land of my own meant I would have a space hidden from other people’s eyes. If I arranged it properly, it would become much easier to maintain the secret organization run by the Metis Trading Company.
I could even frame it as leasing my territory out to Metis.
Or I could simply move Metis headquarters outright to my land.
The age of SimCity had truly begun.
“In any case, you should begin preparing to head down soon. I have already informed your lieutenant in advance.”
“Yes, sir.”
He must have been seething with jealousy. Arthas was more competitive than he let on. There was no doubt he would be jealous.
The butlers around me applauded and offered their congratulations.
“Congratulations, Sir Dilen!”
“To go from apprentice straight to Assigned Butler! This must be the first time in the history of the Adeline House!”
“Compared to the astonishing things Sir Dilen has accomplished, it is only natural. I truly admire you.”
“From now on, I shall serve you as my senior. Please take care of me.”
Each of the butlers offered a word of heartfelt thought.
All of them were older than I was and had far more experience. Yet in an instant, I had overtaken them.
A faint pressure was already beginning to wash over me because of it, but I decided I would enjoy the feeling. Was that not the way of things? If you could not avoid it, then you might as well enjoy it.
Brituang saved the final word for himself.
“I would feel disappointed if I didn’t ask one thing as well. How does it feel to have advanced so suddenly?”
“It feels good. So good that I want to send word at once to my parents back in my hometown and tell them this joyful news.”
“You should send a messenger. If you need any help, speak at any time.”
“I am always grateful, Senior.”
I expressed my thanks sincerely.
I had founded a company, grasped the foundations of magic, and achieved a rise in status. Now it was time to spread the wings on my back wide and soar into the open sky.
Suddenly, one person came to mind as someone I wanted to share that happy news with.
Young Lady Sapiela.
“Then may I take my leave now? It is time for me to attend the Young Lady.”
“Yes, yes, of course. All of you may return to your duties now.”
“We’ll be waiting for the celebration banquet in honor of Baronet Dilen!”
“Hahahahaha!”
Amid encouragement from the butlers who had gone from being my superiors to being my subordinates, I stepped out of the office. Then, without delay, I headed toward Young Lady Sapiela’s residence.
On the way there, I ran into Arthas.
Rather, it looked as though he had been searching for me. The moment he spotted me, he strode over.
“I heard you became a noble.”
His expression was stiff. I almost wondered whether severe stomach pain had progressed into peritonitis. He did not look well at all.
“To be precise, I’m minor nobility now. Well, never mind that. What do you mean, ‘you’ to a noble? We really need to sort out your forms of address now. Repeat after me. Noble Sir Dilen, what brings you here today?”
“......”
“You’re not going to say it? How rude of you.”
“Ghk.”
Arthas’s face turned bright red. He looked as though he might challenge me to a duel on the spot, so I patted him lightly on the shoulder.
“What are you so impatient about? Our paths are different anyway. It won’t take long for you either. Stay by my side, and chances to earn merit will come your way, so stop worrying.”
“If my neck doesn’t get cut off before then, that’ll already be a blessing.”
“All the more reason for you to train harder, wouldn’t you say?”
The truth was that I would inevitably keep getting entangled in incidents. If that happened, then the chances of Arthas picking up merit along the way would naturally rise. Any increase in Level would simply be a bonus.
I already thought he was more than good enough, but I intended to reveal my true identity only once I was certain I had truly won his loyalty. That I was, in fact, the Master of the Metis Trading Company.
“I’m already swinging my sword hard enough these days. I can’t exactly let so much as a scratch touch the noble body of the person I serve.”
“Hahaha. Good. Keep it up.”
“I heard the investigation into that attack the other day has been closed. They’re calling it a random crime. Any word from the ducal house?”
It was just as I expected. Those bastards had bitten down on poison and killed themselves. There could not have been anything left behind that would reveal who they were.
“No real news. We’ll just have to keep watching for now.”
“An enemy you can’t see is always more frightening than one you can.”
Arthas was worried. He was the one who had thought my attack was probably a coincidence, yet even so, he looked uneasy.
“For the time being, it’s probably best to lie low. It’s become clear that I can’t rely on the Royal Capital’s security.”
“Agreed. Anyway, we have to head back to Adeline first. Start making the preparations.”
“And the escort force?”
“The two of us will go.”
As if he had expected that answer, Arthas folded his arms and fell into thought. Before long, a sigh escaped him.
“I had figured that would be your answer, but hearing it out loud makes it feel even more hopeless. I still think it would be better to reinforce our numbers. You don’t like that idea, do you?”
“Speed is everything. There’s no point in burdening ourselves with a crowd of extra baggage.”
“I’ll make the preparations anyway.”
As Arthas turned to go, he stuck out his lower lip slightly, then gave me a military salute. I barely managed to suppress the laughter rising in my throat and continued on toward the Young Lady’s residence.
“It is Dilen, Young Lady.”
“Come in.”
When I entered, the Young Lady was spending her time at leisure with Arwen. Arwen was waving a large fan, creating a cool breeze.
“Thanks to Your Ladyship’s help, I was able to seek an audience with His Excellency the Duke. Thank you.”
“It sounds as though the matter went well.”
“Yes. By the way, how was your walk?”
“It’s getting too hot. I think I’ll have to shorten it from now on.”
We were entering midsummer. The climate here was similar to the place where I used to live, so once July arrived, the temperature rose sharply. I had heard that this was a land with four distinct seasons: spring, summer, autumn, and winter.
That was why I had recommended walking in the morning, yet apparently even then it had still been hot.
“Did you get any studying done?”
“......”
The Young Lady hesitated for a moment, then stared directly at me. I had definitely seen that expression somewhere before. That was right. It was the expression a tutoring student made when they had failed to do their homework.
“You really are starting to resemble Sir Merlin.”
“Me, you mean?”
“Yes.”
I gave an awkward smile.
It seemed she did not much care for being pressed about her studies. Even so, studying was like physical exercise. It was better when it was managed steadily.
Even I was currently honing my magic through self-study, but if I had been receiving someone’s direct guidance, I might already have been hurling Meteors around by now.
“In any case, it seems you’re really going to receive the rank of Baronet this time.”
“So you’ve already heard.”
The Young Lady nodded. Arwen was smiling too, which meant the news had already been reported here as well. It felt a little as though I had arrived late with the news, but it was not a bad feeling.
“Are you planning to refuse the title again, as before?”
“No. This time I intend to accept the Master’s command. I believe refusing not once but twice would be improper.”
“Yes. You made the right decision.”
Just as expected, the Young Lady answered coolly. Her expression did not change all that dramatically, but Arwen beside her practically clapped like a seal, so that was enough.
“Then now I’ll have to call you not Dilen, but Sir Dilen.”
“Did you not call me that once before as well?”
“......Ah.”
As though the memory had only just returned to her, Sapiela’s cheeks flushed faintly red. There had been that time, sitting in Rosetta, when she had called me “my knight” and eaten her dinner happily.
Now that I was to receive the rank of Baronet, I would soon be in a position to aim directly for a knightly title as well, like Sir Paramela. Becoming her knight was no longer mere fantasy.
Of course, I had far too much company business and too many other matters to handle, so I had no intention of actually sitting for the knight’s examination.
“Then...... if you’re to receive the title, you’ll have to return to the main house.”
“I’m planning to depart tomorrow with Arthas.”
“You’ll be away for quite some time.”
At that somewhat lonely remark of hers, I smiled as brightly as I could and shook my head.
“I don’t intend to travel by carriage. We’ll go by horse. I’ll ride as swiftly as possible, receive the Master’s command, and return to you at once.”
“Don’t push yourself too hard.”
“Please don’t worry, Young Lady.”
Only then did Sapiela’s expression ease. I told her about what had happened at the ducal house and allowed myself a brief period of rest.
And then, the next day, Arthas and I left the Royal Capital and rode hard for the Adeline territory.
All the while, I hoped that by the time we returned here, the name of our Metis would be known far more widely.