[V14C16] A Useless Lord

Ray’s fiancée, Frieda Blanquet, had woken from a long coma, but she was already up and walking the day after her recovery. Then, a few days later, she learned about the dire situation of Valmbelk and departed the Albright household with the minimal preparations for travel.

“Well then, I’ll be off now, Ray.”

“I-I… I’ll be there too… As soon as I get permission, I’ll come right away…!”

Ray watched Frieda ride off on horseback with tears streaming down his cheeks. He had done his best to complete the unfamiliar procedures for foreign travel, all to follow after Frieda.

However, the royal capital was still recovering from the chaos of the Gluttonous Zoe incident. It wasn’t easy for one of the Seven Sages to leave the country right now, and Ray knew it.

But in a surprising turn of events, Louis Miller showed up to offer Ray his support.

“It will be far harder to visit the Empire once Thorn Witch-dono starts studying abroad. In which case, you should go and finish your business as soon as possible. I’ll have my spirit, Ryn, send you to the border.”

Ray was surprised to see that the Barrier Mage actually had a heart, but then Louis continued…

“I expect the Empire to make some fuss about involving Miss Frieda in Ridill’s internal troubles, but they’ll have to back down if we send one of the Sages… Go quickly and make sure they keep their mouths shut.”

His thought process was the classic Louis Miller.

With this new support, Ray made quick progress. Louis even called on the Starseer Witch to assist in speeding up the paperwork, then sent Ray off with his spirit Ryn.

The power of a greater wind spirit allowed him to shorten the journey.

…But perhaps they went a bit too fast.

Her inhuman flight speed and so-called “stylish landing” technique had probably shaved a few years off Ray’s lifespan.

Ray felt like he was on death’s door when he arrived at the border.

After staring blankly at Ryn’s equally stylish departure, he staggered into the border control office.

Fortunately, Frieda had informed the officers that her fiancé Ray would be arriving later. Ray’s usual behavior made him seem incredibly suspicious, but that could be overlooked if they knew he was coming.

Ray was a Mage Count from the powerful Kingdom of Ridill, so he was actually quite a big deal. He needed to be treated better than the average noble.

The border control office sent an envoy to Valmbelk Castle notifying them of Mage Count Albright’s arrival. In the meantime, Ray was asked to wait until someone arrived to pick him up.

But no matter how long he waited, no one came from Valmbelk Castle.

Growing impatient, Ray decided to hire a carriage and head to Valmbelk Castle himself.

Then, right before reaching the castle, he found himself surrounded by soldiers in red uniforms trying to capture him. He cast shamanic curses on them to escape, then made his way to Valmbelk Castle while evading several pursuers.

—— “Why is this happening to me? I just want to see Frieda… and give a proper greeting to my brother-in-law!!”

Day had turned to night and Ray felt like crying.

The gates of Valmbelk Castle were firmly closed, so he had no clue how to get inside.

He wandered around the walls with tears in his eyes, looking for someone to ask for help. That’s when he spotted a lit window and headed straight for it.

After dealing with all the people chasing him, Ray was exhausted to the point of collapse.

Still, this was something he had to do. He summoned every ounce of his strength and courage to climb through the window and voice the greeting to his brother-in-law.

＊　＊　＊

“…And that’s how I ended up here.”

After hearing the explanation from Ray Albright, Frieda silently glared at her brother.

Henrik, who was sitting at the top seat of the meeting room table, was sweating bullets.

It was currently the morning after General Strauss’s attempted rebellion.

Now that General Strauss, Richard Konitz, and their conspirators were detained, the related parties gathered in the meeting room to discuss the aftermath of the incident.

The Ridill side included Prince Albert and a few other nobles, the prince’s attendant Patrick, and the diplomatic secretary Bridget. The Abyss Shaman, Ray Albright, was also there, with his hood up despite being indoors.

The Imperial side was Henrik, his sister Frieda, Birendahl, and the craftsman named Kollwitz who seemed to have slipped in unnoticed.

The first topic of discussion was why the Abyss Shaman, one of Ridill’s Seven Sages, came to Valmbelk in the first place.

The Seven Sages were not only the greatest of Ridill’s mages. They were granted the title of Mage Count, allowing them to advise the king.

Unlike a certain lace-loving old weirdo, the unannounced arrival of a Sage could be an international issue.

And so, Ray explained the circumstances leading him here.

“Brother,” Frieda said in a cold tone.

“…Yes?”

“Did you read the letter from the border control office?”

Henrik stared down at the wooden table as his sweating grew more intense.

Now that she mentioned it, he vaguely recalled receiving a letter from the border. But as he had been too busy preparing for the meeting, he set it aside and had completely forgotten about it.

Henrik placed his hands on his knees and bowed his head to Ray.

“Lord Albright, you have my deepest apologies. I can offer no excuse for my negligence.”

“Eh? Um, I should apologize too… Sorry for coming at such a busy time…”

Ray mumbled an apology of his own, but Frieda seemed to feel differently. She mercilessly berated her brother.

“If you had simply read the letter, perhaps none of this would have happened.”

“Urgh… I’m sorry for being a useless lord…”

Henrik apologized again, holding back the growing knot in his stomach. The determined expression from when he held a sword was nowhere to be seen.

Seated beside the whimpering Henrik, Birendahl, a powerful figure from the Empire, offered his gratitude.

“Lord Albright, the way you handled General Strauss and his men was truly superb. Allow me to thank you on behalf of the Schwargard Empire.”

The formal thanks from someone who looked so important was a rare occurrence for Ray. He could not help but freeze in surprise.

The great Sage fidgeted and whispered to the adjacent Frieda.

“I-I’m being praised… I’m really being praised…”

“Hold your head high, Ray. You have saved Valmbelk Castle and everyone in it.”

Ray let out the weird sound of “Hwah…!” as he blushed and started wriggling in his chair.

Meanwhile, Birendahl lowered his head to Albert too.

“Prince Albert, all of the fault here lies with the Empire. I apologize for the great trouble we have caused you.”

At the start of the negotiations, Birendahl had clearly looked down on Albert.

But he was not a high-ranking noble for no reason. Surely, he understood the gravity of the situation more than anyone else.

Henrik joined Birendahl in bowing his head. Since Henrik was the one providing the venue, he bore a heavier responsibility than Birendahl.

(I wonder if they’ll be satisfied with just my head…? At worst, our whole family might be executed…)

Henrik did his best to suppress his aching stomach before speaking.

“I also offer my apologies. Please forgive my inadequacy as lord.”

“Both of you,” Albert spoke with a look of determination on his youthful face. “Please raise your heads. You were also victims caught up in the incident.”

Despite Albert’s request, both Birendahl and Henrik remained in the same posture.

“I also offer my apologies and thanks to Secretary Greyham,” Birendahl continued, keeping his head down. “Without you, we might never have noticed General Strauss’s scheme or Lord Konitz’s true identity.”

Bridget took a handkerchief from her chest pocket and placed it on the table.

The exquisite lace handkerchief was the magical tool that had protected her with the fairy wing barrier.

“I should apologize as well,” Bridget said calmly, as though she had no achievements to boast of. “Though it was an emergency, I ended up using a valuable item from your country without permission.”

The handkerchief Elfriede, crafted by Helmfried Kollwitz, was one of the gifts the Empire had planned to give Ridill.

When General Strauss secured the storage room, he separated out anything that could be used as a weapon. But evidently, he didn’t know that the lace handkerchief was a magical tool.

Once Bridget heard about the handkerchief from Kollwitz, she worked with him to retrieve Elfriede before rushing to the main hall.

Thanks to the defensive barrier woven into the handkerchief, General Strauss was forced to pause his offensive, creating an opening for negotiation. After all, magical tools could become powerful trump cards with the potential to drastically change the tide of battle.

(Well, even so…)

Henrik ruffled his dull blond hair and gave Bridget a sheepish smile.

“I know you were protected by the handkerchief’s barrier, but seeing you walk right in front of General Strauss sent a chill down my spine… You didn’t even hesitate.”

“I was quite scared as well,” Bridget admitted. “After all… the barrier can only be used once.”

“…Huh?”

Henrik doubted his ears.

Come to think of it, the fairy wing barrier had indeed only activated a single time.

Bridget had acted so confident that Henrik assumed it could be used repeatedly.

Henrik wasn’t the only one surprised at this revelation. Albert also raised his voice in shock.

“W-Wait! So you were completely defenseless?!”

In contrast to Albert, the attendant seated next to him, Patrick, nodded in understanding.

“That makes sense, considering the amount of mana that can be applied to a magical tool the size of a handkerchief. The durability of the barrier was incredible though~”

Henrik wasn’t very familiar with the subject, but it seemed to be rare for magical tools to have multiple uses.

“Yes,” Bridget nodded. “That’s why I had Kollwitz-sama explain how great the handkerchief was, to create the illusion that I could cast the barrier repeatedly.”

Certainly, Kollwitz’s fervent praise of the handkerchief made for a strangely fitting combination with the breathtaking beauty of the fairy wings. After hearing that, anyone would be wary of the handkerchief’s power.

(Still, that takes some incredible guts…)

Meanwhile, Kollwitz, the maker of the handkerchief, removed his glasses and wiped away a tear.

“My daughter has someone who trusts her enough to share life and death with her… Elfriede, I will never forget your brave figure… You’ve found yourself a wonderful partner…”

Henrik had no clue what he was talking about, so he ignored the sobbing Kollwitz and moved the conversation forward.

“Um, I have a question… Greyham-dono, your primary target was Richard Konitz rather than General Strauss, right?”

“Yes. From past diplomatic records, I could tell that he was not confrontational and bore no hostility toward Ridill.”

(You can learn that much from diplomatic records? That’s amazing! And scary!)

Henrik suppressed those thoughts and voiced the more important question.

“If Richard Konitz was serious about restoring Solyarg and refused to back down, what would you have done?”

General Strauss lost his cause because Richard had been reluctant about restoring Solyarg from the beginning.

But if Richard had been serious, it wouldn’t be so easy.

“In that case,” Bridget said with a beautiful smile. “I would convince him with concrete numbers, showing him just how reckless the plan was. For example, the number of days it would take for the news of Valmbelk Castle’s occupation to reach Emperor Leonhart and Ridill, how long it would take for them to mobilize their troops, how many soldiers and mages they would send, and so on… Shall I explain it to you as well?”

“B-But could they really send reinforcements so quickly…?”

“The Kingdom of Ridill intends to strengthen its alliance with the Empire in preparation for the marriage of Princess Cecilia.”

Come to think of it, Henrik vaguely recalled hearing something like that.

Bridget fixed her amber eyes on Henrik.

“The coordination between our countries is better than you think. Retaking Valmbelk would be a simple matter, though of course, it is my job to prevent the need for such a situation.”

Henrik was at a loss for words. The more he listened to Bridget, the more he came to understand his own inadequacy as a lord.

“Um… I’m sorry… I’m just so useless as a lord…”

“Brother,” Frieda addressed the discouraged Henrik in a gentle tone. “You being a useless lord is nothing new, so don’t worry about it.”

That was the final blow to his dignity.

Birendahl cleared his throat in front of the utterly defeated Henrik.

“Ahem. Blanquet-dono, your bravery and loyalty to His Majesty are unquestionable. Being a margrave requires absolute loyalty, a reassurance that you will never betray the Empire. You possess that.”

“Lord Birendahl…”

Birendahl had looked down on Henrik at the banquet, but now he faced him with sincerity. The unexpected praises left Henrik with teary eyes.

“All that remains is your skill at diplomacy,” Birendahl continued. “I can introduce you to some good teachers; make sure to study under them.”

“I-I’ll do my best…” Henrik said, shrinking back down.

Meanwhile, Kollwitz, who had been lost in his own world until now, took advantage of the situation to beat on Henrik.

“Any man who leaves blood stains on such a beautifully embroidered jacket is sure to be a useless scoundrel. When I see someone dirty the work of a craftsman, I get the urge to kill them.”

Why was he being insulted even by this completely unrelated weirdo? Henrik was simply tired of the whole ordeal.

“I couldn’t agree more,” Frieda added. “Please take those words to heart, Brother.”

Henrik knew that every time showed up with a dirty jacket, his sister had been quietly seething at him.

On a related note, the jacket he wore last night was so badly stained with blood and wine that it was beyond repair.

“I’m sorry for being a useless lord… I’m sorry for always ruining my jackets…”

“Brother,” Frieda said, patting his shoulder. “The next time you dirty your jacket, I’ll sew a duck applique on it.”

At this point, Henrik could only droop his head and cover his face with both hands.

Q: Why is the weirdo who came with the handkerchief in the meeting room?

A: He barged in to get permission for his daughter to marry Bridget. Apparently, their marriage proceeded without issue after the meeting.

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