“…So that’s why Barst did not invade Renalute during the war.”
“Precisely. Even with the dark elves’ superior intelligence and combat abilities, if Barst did not attack, they could not leverage those strengths. If Renalute’s armies tried to invade, Barst could endlessly field expendable slave soldiers. Not to mention, assassinations can be prepared for if known in advance. Renalute simply had an unfavorable match-up against Barst.”
Hearing the explanation, I was struck again by the realization of what kind of world this was. Thanks to my previous world’s memories, I thought I sort of understood war. But actually hearing about a war that took place in this world, it was truly dreadful.
The reason Barst did not invade Renalute was because they understood the dark elves’ racial limitations. In other words, Barst figured they still had a chance of winning even if war broke out, and so they tacitly permitted the abductions of dark elves. In reality, when it came to war, Barst drew the line.
Viewed this way, it seems Barst was cunningly waiting for Renalute to attack instead. The dark elf abduction issue between the two nations may have simply been a provocative act by Barst. Not considering human lives at all – it was a horrific notion that sent a chill down my spine as I murmured:
“Conflicts between nations…are truly dreadful.”
Hearing my words, Father made an obviously forced cough. “Ahem.”
“…The discussion has strayed. What I wanted to say is that the dark elf intelligence agents are formidable existences. And this time, the one called [Capella] who is to become Reed’s retainer is an subordinate acknowledged by Lord Zack himself, the head of intelligence. There is no way she was simply appointed as your retainer without any meaning or intent.”
Saying that, Father turned his gaze to Diana. She curtsied neatly in response.
“Understood. So I am to [monitor] him, then.”
“Correct. [Capella]…monitor him, and immediately report to us if anything suspicious occurs. Fortunately, Reed had him swear his retainer’s oath before me. Thanks to that, if an issue arises, I now have grounds to punish him.”
Shifting his gaze from Diana to me, Father gave a sly grin. Receiving that look, I responded with a dry “Ahaha…” laugh. Seeing our exchange, Diana bowed deeply to Father before stating firmly:
“I have understood my duty to monitor the dark elf intelligence agent Capella.”
“It will be a more demanding task than a knight’s, but I’m counting on you.”
Hearing her words, Father nodded as if he trusted her. Once their conversation ended, I asked with a puzzled look:
“By the way Father, what does it mean for Diana to be my ‘overseer’?”
“Ah, about that…Reed, are you aware that you may be going a bit overboard?”
“What do you mean?”
I sort of understood, but feigned ignorance while keeping my puzzled expression. At that moment, Diana next to me widened her eyes slightly as she looked at me. Father let out a sigh and shook his head.
“That’s precisely it, Reed. Do you know what the Renalute nobles are calling you these days?”
“No, I do not…”I’ll translate this story segment while keeping its original tone and narrative style:
Father’s eyebrow twitched, and he began to laugh rather ominously, “Fufufu…”
“Let me tell you. Starting with ‘border region prodigy,’ then ‘unconventional prodigy,’ ‘promising talent,’ ‘extraordinary,’ ‘genius,’ ‘exceptional talent,’ and so on – there are quite a few titles.”
“That seems… rather overrated,”
I responded with a strained expression upon hearing father’s list of descriptions. It was easy to imagine these came from my display of rhetoric, martial arts, and magic during my meeting with Farah. Father picked up an envelope from the desk while giving me a daring smile as he observed my expression.
“And then there’s this…”
Father waved the envelope beside his face and carelessly placed it in front of me with an exasperated look. Though unsure of his intent, I nervously picked up the envelope as he continued speaking with his unwavering smirk.
“The contents of that envelope are documents secretly delivered from those wishing to become your concubines in the future.”
“Huh…? Eeeeeeh!?”
Shocked by this startling revelation, I dropped the envelope and jumped to my feet.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT gadgetizedpanda.net
“I’m still a child, and I only just arrived in this country regarding the marriage arrangement with Princess Farah. To speak of becoming concubines now… this is absolutely shameless!”
What could the Renalute nobles be thinking? To want to become concubines to someone who might marry their own country’s princess – did they think the House of Baldia had no principles? While interpretations might vary, this was beyond insulting from my perspective.
“According to Lord Zack, the nobles who sent these envelopes are remnants of Norris’s faction. Having earned the ire of His Majesty Elias and Lord Zack in this recent incident, they must be desperate. So desperate they don’t even realize they’re inviting more anger…”
Father’s expression and words carried an unusual edge of anger. Still, I never imagined Norris’s downfall would have repercussions like this. With a puzzled expression, I asked Father:
“So… what do you intend to do about these marriage proposals?”
“Reject them all, of course. I’ve already consulted with Lord Zack. He said he’ll handle it appropriately.”
Hearing his answer, I showed a relieved expression and sank back into the sofa with a sigh. As I sat down, Father’s expression turned stern.
“However, Reed, this is partly because you overdid things.”
“Overdid things…?”
As I responded with a confused look, Father continued:
“Yes, you showed your talents in rhetoric, martial arts, and magic to too many people. Especially that magic you displayed before Norris – that was excessive. Though His Majesty Elias issued a gag order, many would desire that magic. It’s probably one of the pieces of information Capella is after.”
Remembering what Sandra had told me, I reflected again on my actions. Despite being told that ‘the mechanism of magic is strictly confidential,’ I had carelessly used it in front of many people. As a result, attention on me increased even further, leading to these marriage proposals and Capella being sent.
“That expression suggests you’ve finally understood how much you overdid things.”
“Yes… I’m very sorry.”
Seeing my remorseful state, Father’s expression softened. Then he turned his gaze to Diana.
“Diana, I think you understand from this conversation, but Reed tends to go overboard without restraint. I want you to support him by being someone who can admonish him. I’ll overlook some outspokenness for that purpose. Can you do that?”
Diana responded to Father’s words with a dignified voice:
“I understand. I will support Lord Reed wholeheartedly to live up to your trust, Lord Reiner.”
She bowed her head respectfully to both Father and me. Father nodded at this and gestured for her to raise her head.
“Mm, I’m counting on you.”
After hearing Father’s response, Diana knelt before me and pledged her loyalty as a retainer.
“I pledge my life and loyalty to serve you, Lord Reed.”
Though slightly surprised by the suddenness, I smiled and responded:
“I look forward to working with you from now on, Diana.”
And so today, I gained two retainers – Capella and Diana. Watching this, Father suddenly cleared his throat “Ahem…” and made a slightly stern face.
“Well, that concludes our main discussion, but… there’s something else I’d like to ask you both.”
“What is it?”
After exchanging glances, Diana and I responded. Father fixed us with a sharp glare.
“The ‘violent maid sworn to Baldia’ and the ‘cheeky little maid’ – that would be you two, wouldn’t it?”
“…!? W-Whatever do you mean?”
Though trying to maintain composure, I was breaking into a cold sweat. Glancing sideways at Diana, I saw that she, unusually for her, had gone completely pale.
“Three peculiar individuals captured near Marein’s mansion kept saying they were beaten up by those two. Lord Zack seemed quite amused while telling me about it. Now then, would you care to explain?”
“…Yes, sir”
Diana and I resigned ourselves to explaining everything to Father. As a result, we both ended up getting severely scolded. Diana became dejected after Father told her, “I’ll overlook it this time, but from now on properly restrain yourself as a overseer!” However, Father’s anger toward me was incomparable to Diana’s scolding.
“Even if it was Princess Farah’s suggestion and for Nunnally’s treatment, for a noble’s eldest son to carelessly disguise himself as a maid is unacceptable. Be more mindful of your position! Moreover, you…”
After being lectured by Father for a while longer, I was completely drained. However, I decided this was something I would keep secret from Farah.
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