STGB Chapter 443

Episode 443 Giant Step (5)

The morning after I fell asleep drunk.

Under the blanket, he stretched out his hand on the bedside table and grabbed the canteen.

And when I drank it, it tasted strangely sweet.

As if someone had burnt honey.

‘……Uh, but I’ll live because I drink.’

After a while hugging the blanket and rolling around, I slowly got out of bed. The first thing I saw was a neatly folded letter on the bedside table.

[I have to go to the Holy Land, so I leave first. But don’t worry too much. I think the withdrawal issue will be resolved surprisingly well. Oh and… if you’re having trouble, be sure to tell me! Got it?]

[PS. … I heard that you deliberately left the first member seat empty. Thank you really.]

[PS2. Oh and was that today? Please take care of yourself!]

[Your first colleague, Erwen.]

Yes, Erwen went to the Holy Land again.

If I had come back early yesterday, we would have had time to talk.

Ha, why did you drink so much?

“…….”

I sat still and breathed in the smell of alcohol, searching for memories after parting with Mr. Bear. I even remembered how Erwen and Amelia greeted me when I returned home.

‘And it seems that he went up to the second floor with support, but……’

Is it because he drank alcohol while his fatigue was lessened?

We had a conversation on the way up, but I can’t remember what it was.

Well, I guess I didn’t make a mistake.

If so, I would have definitely remembered it.

“Looks like you’re awake.”

“Oh just.”

“Hurry up and wash up. Today is the day to go to the ecliptic.”

“……I get it.”

“Oh, I’m thinking of going out now, so take care of your work today.”

“okay.”

Afterwards, I heard the sound of Amelia going down the stairs, and I also went to the bathroom to wash myself and get ready to go out.

Today’s quest requires you to pay attention to your outfit.

“…tsk I thought you were like that.”

As soon as I washed up and put on my suit, Amelia came over and helped me get dressed.

It was a little strange.

“But why are you so good at it?”

“…Who do you think got the clothes you’re wearing?”

“Ah… this is what you bought.”

It seems that she has learned everything from buying clothes to wearing them. Unsurprisingly, Amelia is characterized by delicate handling of work.

“It’s all over, so go out now. It looks like the carriage arrived a while ago.”

“I have to go quickly. See you later in the evening.”

“…go.”

I left the house after being seen off by Amelia and headed for the military platform in the carriage that was waiting in front. Then, using the teleportation magic circle, they immediately arrived at the ecliptic.

‘I feel it every time, but it’s very comfortable. Except for getting a little sick.’

Anyway, there was a wagon waiting in front of the platform, and when I got on it, I was able to arrive at my destination in no time.

‘I’m not particularly curious anymore.’

The Palace of Glory, which I visited steadily for several years.

A small event is held here today, and my today’s quest is related to that event.

“I am Mia Arbelto, the first-class butler. I sincerely welcome Baroness Yandel to enter the palace.”

After following the guide into the building, a huge hall appeared.

The place where I reported the survival of the expedition.

“It’s the first time it’s empty again.”

“Because there is still time until the ceremony. The heads of households will arrive soon.”

See how much that is.

Even if everyone gathered, the seats in front would be all occupied.

“…Come this way.”

Afterwards, I passed by the Palace of Glory and moved to my room, where I was informed of the procedures of today’s ceremony by the head butler.

And how long has it been?

smart.

The door opens with a knock sound.

What appeared was an old man who had never met.

It was an old man, but the guide who was educating me stopped what he was doing with surprised eyes.

“…Meeting the Duke. But why are you here…” ”

I thought I’d like to talk to the main character of the day for a while. If you’re not busy, would you mind stepping aside for a moment?”

“…I’ll be waiting outside.”

The guide bowed respectfully and left the room as if he were dealing with an older person, and only then did the formal meeting between me and the old man begin.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Duke Kealunus.”

Yes, I asked which duke it was.

That was it.

“I am Bjorn, the son of Yandel.”

I also formally stated my name.

But what is this again?

“Wrong.”

what is this grandpa?

“……?”

As I frowned, the old man burst out laughing.

“This is Bjorn Yandel. You are not Yandel’s son. Now you are definitely becoming a member of the inner circle.”

I wondered if he had come to pick up a fight, but I didn’t feel much hostility in his voice.

So, hold off on hitting it for now.

I listened carefully to the words that followed to make an accurate judgment.

“Frivolous way of speaking. Even the previous king officially tolerated it, so I can’t say anything about it, but I need to get my identity right now.”

“…….”

“Remember, you are not someone’s son, Bjorn. You are not just the ubiquitous barbarian. You are the Baron Bjorn Yandel of Lapdonia.”

“…….”

“Ah, should I say baron now? Anyway, this place is messed up.”

The Duke laughed and patted my shoulder.

It was a bit embarrassing.

Because my height is getting shorter, even this old man touches my shoulder.

“Thank you for the advice. But no matter how you look at it, it doesn’t seem like you came here to just say hello…” You can’t just

destroy the duke of the kingdom just because you’re in a bad mood, so you hurriedly got to the point.

But would this situation be too unfamiliar?

“……What? Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!”

“…….”

“Kheuheum… Don’t get me wrong. I didn’t mean to disrespect you, I just did it because this situation was strange.”

I understand.

Aristocrats usually like introductions, don’t they?

There must not have been many experiences of getting to the main point as soon as Tongseongmyeong was over.

“Anyway… to answer your question, you’re right. It wouldn’t have to be now to simply say hello. I’ve found you because I have a few questions to ask you.”

oh hey there again

Just say ‘I have a question’ and it will be over.

like me like this

“What’s your question?”

“……”

“……Are you hard of hearing?”

When I asked carefully, the Duke, who seemed to be out of his mind for a moment, came to his senses.

“I’m sorry. I’ve been thinking about something else for a while. No, I didn’t really think about anything else… To be honest, I didn’t know you were done talking.”

“Oh, I see. So what’s the question?”

When I asked again, the duke also began to bring up the business that had come to me.

It seems that he has already learned how to communicate with me.

“I’ll put it briefly. Aren’t you the type of person who yearns for the life of a nobleman? But what is the reason you chose ‘Seungjak’ for this expedition?”

It’s not short at all, but it’s a question that’s the main point.

[······The royal family presented Bjorn Yandel with a title of victory for this expedition.]

The deer antlers spit out such information at the round table, but in fact, the reward presented to the royal family is not only ‘victory’.

A large amount of money to build a mansion on bare land.

Two Essences of Rank 3.

And to the double number.

There were a total of four options presented by the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, and I chose ‘Seungjak’ after much thought.

The reason is simple.

Yes, the first three can be obtained with my own strength…

Even if it’s not that, this one is much more helpful.

in surviving right now.

“I want to hear your sincerity. What is the reason you wished for victory?”

funny old man Seriously, how long has it been since we met?

I answered with a smile at the prompt question.

As if asking for something obvious.

“Well, wouldn’t it be nice to have a lot of wives!”

He shouted lively on purpose, but the duke only hardened his expression as if he had heard something he couldn’t hear.

“Ma’am…?”

Do you really have bad ears?

“Yes, madam. From the baron, we can have only three of the courtiers!”

When he said it again in a natural way, the peacock’s eyes changed significantly.

‘Is this kid serious?’

just those eyes.

However, it is probably because it is not easy to be sure that something cannot be refuted.

Kkeeoeoeok-

Isn’t there an opponent?

***

“Oh sorry, I ate too much breakfast.”

Since he was a nobleman who must have grown up nicely, he quickly apologized for burping his face, but the duke didn’t care.

I just murmur as if I understood.

“Surely… I said you had a lot of women.”

To be precise, a colleague who is a woman.

Perhaps it was because they shared the lodging, but strangely many rumors and gossip spread throughout the city.

anyway.

“So, did you get your question answered?”

“At least half of it. I want to ask you one more question.”

“Try it.”

Did you really like the barbarian’s way of speaking?

The duke asked me as an old man.

“Are you from the Marquis?’

Even if it’s short, it’s too short. Such a boldness isn’t bad, but it

seemed

like an important question, so we went through the confirmation process

. Isn’t the time you were missing a long time working with the Marquis?” ”

…Isn’t it?”

It was a slightly meaningful question

. He was in charge of solving such a special mission.

The announcement of the evil spirits was also carried out because of that mission.

First of all, it was known externally as such.

But…….

‘I didn’t know that even the duke would not know the truth… ..’

An inexplicable feeling of discomfort overtook my body.

“I’ve read all the paperwork about the mission. It did quite a bit. Data is also accurate. At first, I wondered if there was some kind of deal, but the mission itself seems to be real…….”

Even the paperwork has already been completed?

With such a degree of perfection that even the duke can be fooled by surprise

? He said…….’

Is this possible when you become the chancellor of a country?

That question arose anew, but for now, I focused on the conversation with the duke. First of all,

I needed to answer this clearly.

It’s not like a lower person.”

“…Then can you hear the exact relationship?”

“It’s a kind of friendship. Sometimes when we are in trouble, we help each other.”

Perhaps this was the answer he was hoping for, the duke’s expression softened slightly

. smarter than you think He’s quite sensible.”

The duke, who muttered that much, asked me again.

“Anyway, can I take your answer… to mean that we can be friends too?”

A hand that was already reaching out as if not thinking of rejecting it. After rubbing my hand on my thigh, I held her hand.

“Of course, the more friends the better.”

Well, real friends don’t shake hands.

***

Duke Kealunus.

In fact, in the power of the royal palace, he is about the third person after the chancellor. Although he did not occupy a position with powerful real power like the chancellor, it was because the power of the family was so great.

There are dozens of sponsored clans, and among them, there are unusually large and medium-sized clans.

One of the bastards gave me a magic tower.

‘Being friends with such a duke…….’

It was an unexpected situation, but nothing bad.

We didn’t even become real friends in the first place.

Wasn’t the duke just proposing a friendship to keep me from becoming a Marquis? Even on this side, you have to live in a relationship of giving and receiving.

At least until there is no need for such a relationship.

“It’s time to go. Then I’ll go. See you later.”

“okay.”

Afterwards, the duke chatted with me until just before the ceremony began, then left. Most of them were just small talks to build friendships, but there were also meaningful topics included in them.

Is it likely that the reason why the expedition was able to survive this time was because the forces of the Rose Knights and Noark, who were on standby ‘on another mission’, collided?

‘I don’t know if I’ve read this or not……’

The duke’s intentions are unknown, but one thing is certain.

That at least the royal family’s intelligence department was interpreting the situation as I had hoped. ‘What

is

the marquis?’

After the triumphal ceremony, I hadn’t encountered the Marquis even once.

Perhaps today will be the first reunion since that day.

“Quarter Baron Yandel.”

yes, it’s just the beginning

As instructed by the guide, I stood in front of the door and waited for a while. And as soon as the door opened, he slowly walked forward.

trudge trudge.

In the Palace of Glory, which was empty two hours ago, there were quite a few people filling the seats.

Well, the first two lines.

trudge trudge.

It is different from the last improvement ceremony.

Not all the seats in the palace are filled, and there are no soldiers following the sound of grand music.

In terms of scale, it is incomparable to the previous one.

But…

trud trudge.

It would be absurd to describe this event as ‘small’.

Because all the people who filled the positions were titled nobles.

“I don’t think it’s been a long time since everyone got together like this.”

“I’m really surprised to see that the order to attend has been issued. It’s no way that Baron Bjorn Yandel is the victor…….” ”

Haha Actually, this is the first time I’ve received a notice of order to attend.”

“Well, it hasn’t been long since you inherited the title, right?”

“It’s a little to say that it’s been a while, but…… Yes, because the ceremony itself isn’t common.”

Aristocrats whispering about me walking the carpet.

There were some people who enjoyed the unusual event called ‘Seungjak Ceremony’, but there were also opposites.

“…something like a barbarian.”

who despises me

“He’s just a man of the times.”

one who envy

And…

“I hope it’s over soon.”

Even those who were obliged to attend according to the Lapdonia tradition, but had no interest in me and wanted to go back and rest.

trudge trudge.

I passed between them and soon came to an empty throne.

In front of him stood the Marquis again this time.

Jeop, this time I wanted to take a look at the king’s table.

“Long time no see.”

The Marquis, who gave a small greeting that only I could hear, raised his voice before he had time to answer and continued his speech for a long time before handing me an empty box.

“Seal the family symbol in the box.”

This was a ceremony that only happened when a baronet was promoted to baronet.

After all, the difference between a baronet and a baronet is heaven and earth.

A historic moment when one more aristocratic family that has supported the royal family is added.

Swoop.

As soon as the prepared cloth was carefully folded and put into the box, a solemn voice resounded through the hall.

“With this, the eternal oath was concluded.”

The Marquis, who sealed the box himself, handed it over to the royal guards who were waiting next to him, and the guards who received it sternly left the Palace of Glory.

Perhaps now that box will enter the Immortal Palace and be kept under strict supervision.

Either this kingdom is destroyed by fire.

Until I commit the sin of treason.

“Baron Bjorn Yandel, wake up.”

stood up

“I hope you will be happy to congratulate the new pillars that will support the royal family!”

I received a quiet applause, not mixed with cheers or whistles.

And…

“Then, let’s finish the ceremony with this!”

The banquet has begun.

‘Okay then, is it like taking a big step forward?’

It was time to move on to the next turn.