BXBX NOVEL Vol. 2 - Chapter 103 - Quest
It was November and the Baron finally returned after a month's absence.
He looked quite tired, but during dinner he told everyone that the Viscount's matter was settled, so that I, who was serving, could hear too.
And the next day I was asked to visit the Meeting Room.
I was called so I went to the Meeting Room the next day and found the Baron and the Butler. And there were three bags in front of the Baron.
I was told to sit and I sat down in front of the Baron.
(What is it? You're making me uncomfortable.)
The Baron looked at me with some difficulty.
"Allen. You heard from the Magic teacher, right?"
"Yes."
I listened carefully to everything about the history of the Demon King. I learned a lot about the Kingdom's involvement since the birth of the Demon King. I think I know a lot about the problems that the Granvelle Family is facing now.
When Cecile turns fifteen, she will have to serve in the military, where half of the soldiers die in three years. Mihai died because of this.
"Actually, I asked His Majesty the King to pardon Cecile's duty, but he said Cecile must go."
The Baron talked about this while feeling depressed. It seems that he asked the King if he could pardon Cecile from her duty in the Royal Capital.
The King said that Cecile would never be exempted because Mages were a very valuable asset. Even the Royal Family could do nothing about it.
(Well, mastering magic is much more powerful than mastering the sword. And if you're a Mage, even more so.)
"I have one favor to ask you on that matter."
"Yes."
(So this is the Baron's request that the Knight Commander mentioned in the old Orc Nest. I've learned a lot about the Granvelle family, including their duty, so I can assume what he wants me to do.)
"I want you to go with Cecile to the Academy and then to the battlefield to protect her."
"Yes."
"I know it's impossible. This is the reward for defeating Madegarsh, the reward for rescuing Cecile this time, and the reward for guarding Cecile for three years."
The reward for defeating Madegarsh, the reward for rescuing Cecile, and the reward for Cecile's escort were all 200 Gold Coins each for a total of 600 Gold Coins.
The Baron looked at me with concern because he knew that I never really cared about money. I even threw away my mining rights.
And with the sale of Armored Ants and Queen Armored Ant materials, I currently own over 500 Gold coins. I am not lacking money.
(Hmm, I said "yes". Should I say it again clearly? Still, there's something about this situation that is giving me a sense of déjà vu.)
When I was Kenichi in a previous life, the first similar situation I experienced was while playing a game where the player had to save a Princess who was kidnapped by a Dragon.
The mayor of the village, the Lord, and the King all asked players to do many things. I think I fulfilled all of them. Because if I chose "No," the story won't progress.
Sometimes, if I kept selecting "No" for an unreasonable reason, the conversation would start to loop.
In front of my eyes, there was a desperate person whose father, brother and son were killed by the Demon King's army.
His wish was to protect his daughter from the hands of the Demon King's army and meet the same fate.
(This is unmistakably a quest, isn't it? The story has finally progressed. So a quest that happens the next day in the games takes four years in this world, huh?)
"My Lord, I, Allen, will accept your request for Lady Cecile escort."
"Oh!!! You will!!!?""
I once again clearly agreed, and the Baron was so happy that he stood up.
"I'll only take one of the bags, but let me change the rest of the reward."
There were three bags of 200 Gold Coins in front of me, but I only accepted one.
"What changed?"
(So you're new to quests, huh? It's common knowledge that quest rewards are paid after the quest is completed. Anyway, 600 Gold Coins. He must be desperately short of money. Did he use the mansion as collateral to take a loan?)
I found out why the Baron Family had no money. In the first place, not only the Baron Family, but also the Royal Family and other Noble Families are all poor. Due to the state of emergency caused by the Demon King's army for the past few decades, they were not in a position to afford luxury.
I made a suggestion, thinking that 600 Gold Coins might be too much to ask for in this situation, where there is no profit from Mithril. It would still take several years to make a profit.
"Instead of the 400 Gold Coins, please exempt my family from tax."
"Tax? Is that all you want?"
"'Yes, and if you can afford it, eliminate Kurena's family as well. Substitute that for the reward of four hundred Gold Coins."
(Okay, okay, now I might not be able to send money home for a while. I hope Mash and Muras grow up healthy.)
"All right. I will exempt your and Kurena's family from tax."
"And, my Lord, thank you so much for raising me as your manservant for the past four years."
Saying that, I put the Coat of Arms of the Granvelle Family, which I had in my pocket, on the table.
"..."
I knew that the Baron would make such a request. I had also decided what I would do about it myself.
The Baron remained silent after hearing my last words.
"I, Allen, will return to being a commoner. And as a commoner, I will fight the Demon King's army together with Lady Cecile."
"Yes, after all."
(After all?)
When I said that, the Butler standing behind the Baron came forward and retrieved the Coat of Arms of the Granvelle family.
Then, he put another object on the table.
"What's this?"
It seemed to be a beautifully decorated dagger made of silver.
"This dagger proves that you are a guest of the Viscount Granvelle, made by the Royal family."
"Viscount? A guest?"
"Allen. Thanks to you, the Granvelle Family will become Viscounts starting next year."
The Baron hadn't announced it to everyone yet. He would tell everyone at the dinner that night, but he told me before that, probably to thank me for my work.
The King was very pleased with the fact that all the mining rights of one vein of Mithril ore was divided and transferred to the Royal Family and the Nobles. He also said that he would make Baron Granvelle a Viscount in recognition of his contribution to the Kingdom by correcting injustice.
The Baron added, with a dry chuckle, at the end of his reasons for becoming a Viscount: "Well, it's almost as if I bought the title with money."
"You've been made a Viscount. Congratulations. But what does it mean to be a guest?"
"That means that the Viscount Granvelle has invited you to be his guest. It's a sign that if anything should happen, my Family will take full responsibility."
If there is any trouble from any of the Nobles anywhere, I will take responsibility for it. He added that he would tell them whose guest they were causing trouble for.
It is also an ornamental sword with the Coat of Arms of the Granvelle family as a proof that they will jointly and severally bear the responsibility for everything that I have caused and will stand behind me. This sword is also a form of contract.
Allen didn't know it at the time, but the Baron had gone a little overboard at the Royal Castle, egged on by Allen. In addition to the lack of money among the Nobles, the Nobles took the initiative to cooperate, and it can be said that this disturbance was quickly resolved.
(A dagger as reward? Right, all the events are now complete.)
I stared at my sword and thought about the past four years.
And I know why I'm here.
(I've been trying to figure out why I was reincarnated. Was there a reason I was reincarnated?)
I have always wondered why I was reincarnated instead of transmigrating at first. Why reincarnation, why not transmigration? There was a big reason for that.
If I transmigrated, I couldn't succeed in hunting Boars and become a manservant of the Baron's house. I couldn't even go to the Academy, and I might have died because I couldn't deal with the Demon King's army in this world where information about the Demon King's army is highly controlled.
(And Hell Mode had a meaning, too. It had to be Hell Mode. Yes, there was an answer to how I came to be in this other world.)
When I was told about the Demon King, I knew what Hell Mode meant.
When I was Kenichi, I used the words "Game Without An Automatic Mode" and found a site that took him to this world. He probably wouldn't have found the site even if he had searched for "Null Game".
I believe that the Creator God was looking for people who would choose Hell Mode.
(He wanted me to choose Hell Mode and save this unbalanced world?)
In Normal Mode, the Demon King's army is unstoppable even if everyone will fight together.
The balance of this world had already collapsed.
A Dying World if you would say.
Will the Hero who appeared be able to defeat the Demon King?
I, who chose Hell Mode, was born 10 years after the Hero.
I finally recognized what I have been asked to do.
"I'll take care of this quest. Please leave it to me. I will defeat the Demon King together with Lady Cecile."
I stood up, grabbed the silver dagger, and declared.
(Okay, okay, speaking of defeating the Demon King, the first thing I need to do is find friends. I've got the energy!)
The Baron gulped at Allen's overly confident words and couldn't bring himself to say, "No, I didn't say that much."
Thus, I was relieved of my position as a manservant of the Baron Granvelle and became a guest of the Viscount Granvelle.
Then, the stage of Allen's activities moved to the Academy City.
Author Notes:
With this chapter, the 2nd arc of the series, Baron Granvelle's Servant Arc, has ended.
(The other things are about please bookmark and stuff.)
Ah yes, his Twitter handle is
@hamuo_ham
And he is looking for followers. (This really is in Author Notes.)