Chapter 21: Armand Duchy 03
After that, when I spoke about the various activities of the “Guidance of Sol” and all that had transpired in the Empire, Duke Armand leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and nodded deeply.
“Your achievements are magnificent. And I, no, we must express our heartfelt gratitude to you, Marquis Okuno, and to everyone in the ‘Guidance of Sol.’ Three thousand ‘Kin of Twilight’… that is a tale beyond my imagination. If they had invaded the Kingdom, this domain too would have fallen under their control sooner or later.”
“There were many skilled Adventurers present at that place, so there’s a possibility they could have pushed them back even without us. However, I’m certain the damage would have been considerable.”
“It is truly terrifying. And I hear that this terror is still ongoing. You mentioned ‘Demons’ and the ‘Netherworld Candlestick’ in your story, Marquis Okuno, didn’t you? We’ve received information from the Royal Family as well, and as for the ‘Demons,’ they have already appeared near this domain, and we are currently dealing with them.”
“Are Duke Armand-kakka’s army dealing with them?”
“Essentially, yes. Of course, we also issue requests to Adventurers to subjugate them.”
Even as Duke Armand said so, his face looked pained.
I had felt it from my first impression, but he himself seems to be more of a literary man, or rather, a noble with a cultured disposition. Of course, he likely handles the security of the domain as part of his duties, but it’s probably not his forte.
What’s strange is that his demeanor is gentle, and at first glance, he doesn’t seem like the type of person to harbor ulterior motives.
Whatever his reasons, it’s hard to believe he abandoned Freynil without a second thought.
Perhaps my thoughts showed on my face, as the Duke straightened his posture and finally got to the main subject.
“By the way, Marquis Okuno, regarding Freynil-sama, a member of the ‘Guidance of Sol’… you are, of course, aware that she is my daughter, are you not?”
“Yes. I learned of it quite early on after meeting her.”
“Has she said anything about me?”
“I have hardly ever heard her speak of Duke Armand-kakka himself. I only heard a little about how she received no assistance when she was exiled from the church. Other than that, she almost never spoke of her family here.”
“Is that so… No, I suppose that would be the case.”
The Duke said so feebly, pressed his hand to his eyes, and fell silent for a while.
Presently, he lowered his hand and began to speak again.
“Freynil is the daughter between me and my concubine. My concubine was a devout follower of the Ashram Faith, and even after Freynil was born, she actively took the child to church. Because of that, Freynil was chosen as a Saint Candidate, but immediately after, my concubine passed away.”
“…”
“The problem was that, at that time, Mirannella had already been born between Zeolana and me, and they showed disapproval of Freynil becoming a Saint Candidate. Ordinarily, Freynil, being the daughter of a concubine, becoming a Saint Candidate and leaving the house should not have been bad news for Zeolana and Mirannella. After all, if Freynil became a Saint, it would be decided that Mirannella and her husband would inherit the Dukedom.”
“I see, that’s certainly true.”
“It seems that between my concubine’s death and Freynil leaving home as a Saint Candidate, Freynil was treated quite cruelly by Zeolana and the others. However, I knew nothing of it until she left the house.”
“…”
“Far from it, I only learned that Freynil had been driven out of the church much later. It’s also true that I was preoccupied with responding to and assisting Mirannella after she had her ‘Awakening’ and became a member of the ‘Saviour Adventurers,’ and I neglected Freynil. Looking back on it now, I can only say it was foolish of me.”
The Duke sighed at that point.
“Much later, when I learned Freynil had been exiled, I tried to contact her, even asking the Adventurers Guild to pass on messages. However, since there was no response, I thought Freynil didn’t want to have contact with us. So, after sending a few messages, I decided to leave her be. There was also the matter of Mirannella becoming a Saint, which once again preoccupied me.”
“That incident in the Royal Capital, you mean.”
“Yes. Naturally, I was supposed to be there as well. However, just before that, there was a major development in the southern Mekalinnan Country, and I became unable to leave this domain. Then, from Mirannella, who returned with Zeolana, I heard the full account of the Saint Succession Ceremony. It was also then that I first heard that Freynil was active as a member of the ‘Guidance of Sol’ led by you, Marquis, and had even been named as the Saint by His Holiness the Pope.”
“Is that so…”
Now that he mentioned it, despite my concerns, there had been no interference from the Duke at all until now. However, if those were the circumstances behind it, then it’s understandable. Regarding Mekalinnan, that was something I was involved in too, and I felt a strange connection there.
However, it also feels unnatural that the Duke would be so uninformed. It’s not impossible that he’s lying, but it doesn’t seem like a lie that would serve any purpose. Besides, there was something in his story just now that bothered me a little.
“Duke Armand-kakka, you mentioned earlier that you tried to contact us through the Adventurers Guild. Is there no mistake about that?”
“Yes, I asked my chamberlain to do it, so there’s no mistake.”
“Is that so… Actually, no message from Duke Armand-kakka has ever reached us. We have dedicated staff, so if a message had been sent, I don’t think it would have failed to arrive.”
“Is that true? In that case, does it mean my chamberlain didn’t send them…?”
“I don’t know, but it might be best to confirm.”
“Actually, that chamberlain retired due to illness the other day and returned home, but I will try to contact him. By the way, to return to our earlier topic, due to the circumstances I mentioned, I wish to apologize to Freynil at least once. I believe you can understand that, but what do you think?”
As he asked this, the Duke looked at me with pleading eyes.
From what I’ve heard, it really does seem like he wants to apologize to Freynil as her father.
To be honest, I had imagined Duke Armand to be a more calculating, in a sense, a typical nobleman. But the man himself seems to be the complete opposite, rather an emotional person.
If this were an act, that in itself would be terrifying, but as an Adventurer, my senses have become somewhat sharp, and I do feel that what he’s saying isn’t a lie.
Even so, thinking of Freynil, I couldn’t simply say, “Oh, is that so?”
“I can understand your feelings. However, I don’t know if she would wish for that. Furthermore, as the leader of the ‘Guidance of Sol,’ I consider Freynil to be an extremely important member. If Duke Armand-kakka were to try to force Freynil to return home, I could not overlook that.”
“Yes, I understand that point. To speak frankly, my retainers and others have repeatedly advised me to reinstate Freynil, the next Saint, into the ducal family register. As the head of the ducal house, that is perhaps what I should ordinarily do. However, I have no intention of doing so, nor do I believe I have the right. I simply want to apologize to her as her father. And, if possible, I wish for an opportunity to offer flowers and prayers with her before her mother’s grave. That is all I ask.”
At that, the Duke bowed deeply to me.
For a man of royal blood, the most powerful figure in this country after the King, to bow his head to a suddenly-appeared hero like me—even I could tell that required considerable resolve.
To not respond after he’s gone this far would, in its own way, be heartless.
Besides, the decision of whether or not to accept his request ultimately lies with Freynil.
“…Very well. I will convey this to Freynil and ask her if she will accept. I will also tell her that Duke Armand-kakka seemed greatly pained. I would like her to make the decision based on that, if that’s acceptable?”
“Yes, yes, if you would do that, nothing could be better. Please, I humbly request it of you.”
With a pleading expression, the Duke bowed deeply once more.
Good grief, I never imagined things would unfold like this.
If I were to call it an anticlimax, I feel like I might get tripped up, but in any case, I have no choice but to proceed with this matter being up to Freynil. Whatever decision she makes, I will simply support it.