Zack shifted his eyes back to me, his expression suddenly exuding a sharp intensity that contrasted starkly with his usual gentle demeanor.
“Lord Reed, you possess remarkable talent. Words like prodigy, genius, and divinely gifted all describe you aptly. You also have both the strictness and kindness required to lead others. But talent alone is not enough to protect the people most precious to you.”
“Are you saying that’s why I need a shadow?”
Zack nodded silently and continued.
“Precisely. And this is also a request from our king, His Majesty Elias. Capella has been chosen to support and protect both you and Princess Farah from the shadows. I have no doubt he will prove to be a tremendous asset to you.”
“I see.”
The mention of “a request from His Majesty Elias” suddenly brought everything into focus. Father and Zack were indeed working together, and this entire scenario was a test to see whether I was fit to take on Capella as my subordinate. When Father said he was “leaving it to me,” what he truly meant was that he was evaluating whether I could handle such a responsibility. What a cunning way to test me. These adults really had a knack for being insidious. After pondering for a moment, I smiled warmly.
“…In that case, I have one request for Capella.”
“And what might that be?”
Though Capella’s face remained expressionless, I paid it no mind and continued.
“If you are to serve as my retainer, can you swear loyalty to me, Reed Baldia, here and now? I’d like Father and Lord Zack to serve as witnesses to your oath. Would that be acceptable?”
This is partially my rebuttal to being tested, but there’s also an intention behind it. It would be easy for me to make Capella my servant outright if I simply nodded. However, that alone would leave ambiguous whose servant Capella truly is. Of course, even if he swore loyalty to me, it might not change the connection between him and Zack. But by having him swear loyalty in front of Father and Zack, Capella will officially become my servant on the surface. His affiliation would also shift from Renalute to House Baldia.
From Zack’s perspective, he may have simply intended to second Capella to me from Renalute’s organization. Since Capella is talented enough for Zack to recommend him, I’ll take him officially, if only on the surface.
As I finished speaking, I thought I noticed Capella’s expressionless brow twitch ever so slightly. At that moment, Father immediately capitalized on my words.
“Hmm, that may indeed be proper. For one Zack calls an ‘capable man’, he must be quite the talent. If Reed approves, then I shall welcome him.”
“It helps to have your approval as well, father. Zack, is this acceptable to you?”
Zack seemed taken aback watching the exchange between Father and I, but then let out an awkward laugh and replied cheerfully.
“Heh, I understand. I didn’t expect you to go that far.”
And so, with Father and Zack as witnesses, Capella came to swear his allegiance to me, Reed Baldia. Through this, Capella officially became my servant. Of course, since his connection to Zack hasn’t been severed, I can’t let my guard down. Well, there’s no doubting Capella is reliable personnel, so I suppose I’ve unexpectedly gained a good asset. Watching Capella’s expressionless face, I broke into a wide smile.
“Heh, Capella. I’m counting on you from now on.”
“……I shall devote my life to serving you.”
He responded and gave me a deep bow. However, Capella remained expressionless to the very end.
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With Capella becoming my servant, we had some discussion about the details going forward. Eventually, once the discussion reached a point, Zack suddenly muttered.
“Very well, I shall make arrangements for Capella to become Reed’s servant within the country from now on. I’ll have everything prepared by the time you two depart from Renalute, so please bear with me for a little while.”
Saying that, Zack turned his gaze between Father and I. We exchanged glances and nodded.
“Understood. Reed, is that fine with you?”
“Yes, father.”
Capella, standing beside Zack, remained expressionless. Earlier when Zack proposed making Capella my servant, I didn’t immediately nod in agreement. It felt like simply nodding would have gone completely according to Zack’s plans. As a result, my response ended up being a bit of a rebuttal, but it led to having Capella swear loyalty to me in front of Father and Zack.
With those two as witnesses, Capella’s apparent affiliation has shifted from Renalute to House Baldia, at least on the surface. This means that even if Capella and Zack were connected, if their actions were exposed to us, Capella would be subject to punishment. Naturally, Zack who recommended him and Elias who was involved would be considered accomplices. For Zack and Capella, this serves as a bit of a check and deterrent. For coming up with it spontaneously in that situation, I’d say it wasn’t a bad play.
“Lord Reiner, Lord Reed. We shall take our leave then.”
With a satisfied smile, Zack bid us farewell before standing up and giving a slight bow. He raised his head and started heading for the door to leave, with Capella following beside him, but then suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. As if remembering something, he turned back towards me with a mischievous grin.
“You seemed to quite enjoy yourself with Princess Farah today, but don’t overdo it. The two of you have many people pinning their hopes on your future, fufufu. Well then, excuse me.”
“Wha–!?”
At his words, Father’s brow twitched and his forehead creased. I suppose it was retaliation for making Capella swear loyalty in front of them. With a stunned expression, I inwardly muttered “What a sore loser…” as I watched Zack’s retreating back leaving that parting remark.
After they left the room, Father asked me in a low voice.
“Reed, what did those words just mean? Do you have any idea?”
“Well…I’m not quite sure what he intended, but…”
I couldn’t very well admit to sneaking out to the town with Farah and the others against Father’s orders. As I tried to deflect, Father seemed to see right through me, giving me a piercing gaze before saying something unexpected.
“Hmm, I see. Then I shall ask Diana as well.”
“Eh…Diana too?”
I unintentionally repeated Father’s words in surprise. He gave me a puzzled look.
“…What’s the matter? Is there some issue?”
“N-No…”
I tried to stay calm outwardly, but inwardly I was panicking. It seemed Father had gotten some information. Did he hear it from Zack, or did he obtain it through another channel? As I pondered that, the summoned Diana entered the room. She stood beside me, straightened her posture, and bowed.
“You called for me, Lord Reiner?”
“Yes. Diana, I have something to ask you.”
With a sharp gaze, Father glanced at me before turning to Diana and asking solemnly.
“Diana, what were you and Reed up to today? Answer truthfully, with no lies or deception…understood?”
“Understood.”
Instructed to be truthful with “no lies or deception”, Diana proceeded to explain to Father all the events of the day. However, she skillfully glossed over the part where I disguised myself as a maid. As she continued her explanation, Father’s expression grew increasingly stern. When she got to the incident at the Marein mansion , she paused and glanced at me. This was likely because the rest involved my mother’s illness, leaving that part for me to explain. Taking a deep breath to steel myself, I tentatively began speaking to my stern-faced father.
“Father, everything Diana has said so far is the truth. However, the contents from here involve mother’s illness, so may I explain that part?”
“Very well. Go on.”
With Father’s nod, I started explaining my encounter with Nikīku, introduced through Chris. After years of independent investigation, he discovered that cases of magic deficiency syndrome were remarkably low in Renalute and became intrigued. Based on the stark difference in cases between Renalute and other countries, Nikīku hypothesized that some substance regularly consumed within Renalute might unknowingly serve as a preventative measure.
Continuing his research based on that hypothesis, he concluded that the mountain vegetable called “Renalute Grass” has a high likelihood of being the effective medicinal herb. After discussion between Nikīku, Chris and myself, we decided to change its name to “Rute Grass” for distribution, in order to keep its effects somewhat under wraps.
Going forward, by going through Chris’s trading company, House Baldia can procure a steady supply of the medicinal herb from Nikīku without issue. Father, who had maintained a stern expression throughout, let out an exasperated sigh as I finished explaining.
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