Chapter 194.1
We interrupted that conversation for a moment because the refreshments arrived just then. Apparently, they were waiting for their food until I arrived, for which I apologized.
We couldnt continue talking about something that should be kept secret, so we decided to talk about something casual while the waiter was preparing the food.
In addition to the salad, there was lamb, deer, horse, rabbit, and bird, I think. Each of them were either roasted or stewed, and the dishes were sumptuous. There was even meat jelly. The quantity of each serving was not that large. Apparently, the hero group asked for this so that there would be no rumors that they were extravagant.
Though the presence of royalty, Laura, must have made it difficult for the restaurant.
While thinking about that, I listened to Mazell and his groups tale of their adventures. Although I could not remember the map of the dungeons, the traps and monsters that appeared seemed to be the same as those in the game that I remembered.
Nevertheless, it was doubtful whether what I could remember from the game exactly matched the details of what they encountered. At any rate, I lightly poked Feli, who had a scowl on his face when he was explaining how to deal with traps.
Come to think of it, the Viscount seems to have a reputation in Old Triot.
Huh?
While I continued poking Feli, Elrichs line struck me and I couldnt help but make a strange expression on my face.
I asked him about it in detail, and he told me that there were several towns and villages in the old Triot that were barely safe, and that the Bain kingdom, which had defeated the Demon General who attacked Triot, became highly reputed in those places. And among them, somehow my name seemed to be spreading as well. Why?
I heard that Viscount Grellmann and Baron Xaver are taking the lead in providing support to those safe towns, and that the Viscounts name is mentioned during those times.
Wait, but Im not involved in any of those aid efforts.
Its a big deal from their point of view just to get the information from the outside after all the devastation, so sending the support itself which was caused by you, was more than enough for those people to revere you.
I was at a loss for a response when Laura and Elrich said that to me. I didnt even know that such support activities for the old Triot were taking place.
However, it was true that we could not leave the refugees in the Bain kingdom forever. We would need to make preparations for them to return after the defeat of the Demon King. It would be a problem if there was no restored place in their country where they could go and live safely. Had they already made arrangements to such an extent?
When the demon general was there, they were afraid of being attacked even if the town had barriers, but since the demon general died, at least they dont have to worry about that anymore.
When it came to the Triots royal capital, the restoration might have been slow, but in a small town or village, just being able to get a good nights sleep was a big deal.
I have to agree with Luguentzs line that followed Elrichs comment. I see. It certainly would make a big difference for the residents. I could certainly understand that.
There is also support from Anheim, so I think thats why it also connected to your reputation.
I honestly think its a hassle.
I unintentionally responded to Elrich with a straight face. Certainly, with Anheim residents as a labor force and adventurers based in Anheim participating in the support activities, it would increase the goodwill towards me. But I didnt really want to be famous.
Besides, I was on the verge of defeat when the gates of Anheim collapsed, and if it werent for Mazell and the others, I might have been dead as well.
The residents of Anheim were quite proud of you as well.
Gah, I want to forget it. Thinking about it now is just a pain.
I was just trying to get away from reality. I do understand their reasons though.
I mean, since my father is the head of the Counts family, I dont want it, they should point their awe towards him instead as he allowed me to take the reins. I really didnt want my reputation to grow too high.
Really?
Feli interjected. This kind of fishy talk was something I was not good at.
Its complicated if my reputation is too high. They might forcibly assign me to be the new head of the Count family, but I dont want to change my position right now because it would end up affecting Fathers position as a Minister. He will have to resign from his current position if a generation change is forced in our house.
Oh, I see.
Also, even if I were to be rewarded with enough funding to start a new house to not affect our current house, I would end up with no retainers.
Not only that, but I couldnt rule out the possibility that someone strange might enter the house in the midst of the confusion. We could not afford to have not only spies and assassins but also terrorists to infiltrate our house. Come to think of it, in this world, there existed a decorative coat of arms for a house, but there were no other medals of honor for individuals.
That said, I didnt want to see myself filled with medals as a reward from the state, so I decided not to propose any unnecessary ideas.
Well, if I was offered a position to assist you, Id be happy to be a vassal.
Ill offer you a higher salary if you do.
Thats a promise, okay?
***
After the refreshments were served and the waiters had left, we returned to our conversation. I explained the current situation and the circumstances. But then
The important part is that we cant do anything about it until the underground investigation is done.
And it doesnt look like its going to be easy.
Its because of the location, right?
Luguentz and Elrich nodded at Old Man Uwes words. In fact, I would like to apologize for not doing more research on my end.
I explained the current political situation to them as well, but I told them to leave it to me and the country, and to just think about killing the Demon King first. I didnt notice that Lauras eyes were not smiling for a while during the explanation. I definitely didnt notice.
Welner, if there is a possibility of an attack on the royal capital, should we stay in the royal capital as well?
No, they most likely wont attack the royal capital when you guys are around.
The other partys plan would likely be to attack the royal capital when Mazell was not around, so as long as Mazell was here, the royal capital might be safe. However, if that were to happen, the damage to other places would increase during that time, or in the worst case, the number of ruins would increase.
The first priority should be to defeat the Demon King. I would rather use the royal capital as a decoy to secure Mazells freedom, and I would be prepared to take a stand against those who invade.
As for the research, there was one thing I wanted to experiment with, but I was supposed to do it today, you know?
Oh, I see. Im sorry about delaying that.
Nah, dont worry about it.
It was also true that I wanted to meet Mazell and the others, so I decided to leave the research for later. Oh, I should mention that as well, since were in a discussion.
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