Chapter 68: Liberation
Milene-sama told me, “That’s Prime Minister Brighton-sama,” but it seemed like things were progressing in a place beyond my reach, so I gave a nod and pretended not to know.
I completely ignored the harsh gazes of the escort knights; if they said anything, I’d silence them with King’s Pressure.
Just as I was thinking that, the so-called Prime Minister also feigned ignorance, leaving the escorts bewildered.
After a while, I was taken to a room where Studd was. Soon after, a man and a lady with faces that closely resembled peacocks arrived.
Following them, His Excellency the Prime Minister appeared, accompanied by his escorts and aide, and the curtain rose on a cheap farce.
To the kneeling pair and Studd, he said, “Owens Halewood and Lady Emelinda, let’s hear your explanation for the false report of Earl Maurice Halewood’s death and for concealing the fact that many deaths occurred.”
Far from being direct, it was an interrogation after getting all the information from Studd. They’re being treated like criminals.
“When I questioned the butler,” Owens began, “he said that due to the outrage committed by the summoned adventurers, the head of the house, the third son, and others suffered great harm, and as a vassal of His Majesty the King, it was shameful…”
“The person standing next to that butler is the outrageous adventurer,” the Prime Minister interjected. “According to his testimony, he was abducted to the Earl’s Residence after acts of violence and outrage.”
“With all due respect, Your Excellency the Prime Minister, will you blindly believe what an adventurer says?” Owens challenged.
“Ah, he has been given an Identification as an attendant by Her Highness the Queen. And the cause of death for the Earl and others was likely poison from Killer Bee stings. He has received Divine Protection from the Tamer God, you see, and it’s said that those who harm him are attacked by Killer Bees and die. Be that as it may, the parties involved are deceased, but the abduction of Her Majesty the Queen’s attendant and forcing unreasonable demands upon him, as well as falsely claiming Consort Cindyra to be His Majesty the King’s favored consort and acting as you pleased, cannot be overlooked. Therefore, the House of Earl Halewood will be demoted to Viscount, and a change of fiefdom will also be ordered soon. Until then, you are to be confined to your Royal Capital residence.”
“Please wait, Your Excellency the Prime Minister! The head of the house is dead, and the third son too…”
“Silence! Your crime of attempting to conceal this disturbance is also great! If you are dissatisfied, renounce your peerage and go wherever you please!”
Oh dear, loose lips sink ships. Because they falsely claimed a connection to the favored consort, used it to their advantage, and acted all high and mighty, the Royal Family seems to have been quite displeased.
Telling them to renounce their peerage if they don’t like it… so they’re only considered talent of that level, huh.
There are always guys who use other people’s names, like saying they’re best buddies with some yakuza boss or close with a certain politician.
This time, they picked the wrong people to mess with.
“Shinya, thank you for your trouble. You too must have suffered various inconveniences. Is there anything you desire?”
Oh, this old guy seems to be reasonable.
“In two or three days, may I visit the Halewood household?”
“Do you have some business there?”
“I have an acquaintance who is being forced to serve there due to the lord’s authority.”
“Permission granted. Do as you wish. You heard him,” the Prime Minister said to Owens and Emelinda, “accommodate his wishes.”
The summoned pair said, “Hah,” and lowered their already bowed heads even further.
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This time, I took a public carriage to the noble district and made a formal visit, albeit through the service gate of the Halewood residence.
It seemed word had gotten through, as the butler, Studd, immediately came to greet me and guided me to the office.
Owens Halewood, who had become the head of the house but had no clear prospects for inheriting the peerage, greeted me with a sour face.
Since he didn’t have a peerage, there was no need to kneel, so I just gave a light nod.
“We have been expecting you, Shinya-dono. Who might this acquaintance be?”
“He’s a knight named Zalm, a former Adventurer. Could you call him for me?”
He nodded lightly and gestured with his chin for the butler to fetch him.
It was an arrogance that made me imagine I’d be treated worse than an insect if I weren’t holding Her Majesty the Queen’s Identification.
Zalm, who appeared accompanied by the butler, looked surprised to see my face.
“Zalm-san, how much is the salary for the Halewood knights?”
“It’s 350,000 Dahla, but what about it?”
“When you were an Adventurer, how much did you earn on average per month?”
“I was earning at least 7 or 8 Gold Coins.”
“The House of Halewood will be demoted to Viscount and their fiefdom will be changed. Since there’s no longer a need for you to serve the Halewoods for a low salary, you’re fired.”
“That’s a relief, but…”
“I happen to have something like this.”
Saying that, I showed him the attendant’s Identification and had the butler explain.
“An Adventurer protected by Killer Bees and holding a Royal Family Identification… you’ve got to be kidding me,” Zalm muttered.
“Well, it just sort of happened. Anyway, His Excellency the Prime Minister is aware that I’m here today. How many years were you forced to serve?”
“Six years since I was summoned… no, it’ll be seven years soon.”
“So you were worked hard for less than half your earnings. Even for a lord, that’s pretty brazen, isn’t it?”
“Even though I’m an Adventurer, my family are subjects of this domain, so…”
“Owens Halewood-sama, could you give him a severance payment for serving you for seven years?”
“O-Of course. Thank you for your long service. Receive it from the butler later.”
“Butler-san, he was serving for less than half his earnings, you know. He was practically throwing away nearly five Gold Coins every month. Seven years times five Gold Coins… that’s 420 coins, right? With compensation for trouble, let’s say around 600 Gold Coins.”
“That’s outrageous!” Owens exclaimed.
“Huh? You’re the one being outrageous, aren’t you? You forced him to serve and made him lose five Gold Coins worth of earnings every month. His family suffered during that time too. Is it outrageous to ask for 420 Gold Coins to compensate for his monthly losses, and an additional 180 Gold Coins as an apology?”
“He served our house without complaint, didn’t he? To suddenly demand such a large sum of money is unreasonable!”
“Unreasonable?”
I unleashed King’s Pressure, and just as he buckled at the knees, I asked in a deep, charming voice, “Wouldn’t you say what you people were doing was more unreasonable?” but there was no reply.
In that case, I’ll press the attack.
“Zalm-san, are there any other people who were Adventurers but were incorporated into the knightly order?”
“There are about two others. Both of their families live in the town of Tanza, so they couldn’t refuse and reluctantly joined.”
I kicked the butt of the butler, who was slumped on the floor, and ordered him to call those two as well.
His legs seemed to be trembling so much he couldn’t walk, so I dispelled King’s Pressure.
“Is this okay?” Zalm asked, looking at me.
As usual, he stood there, not particularly bothered by my bloodlust.
“Yeah, His Excellency the Prime Minister told them to accommodate my wishes, but they seem to have forgotten, so I thought I’d remind them…”
“We’ll pay! We will pay the 600 Gold Coins, so please, spare us any more of this!” Owens pleaded.
“Too late. If only Zalm-san gets a good deal, the remaining two would be pitiful, wouldn’t they? You should pay their severance equally. Or perhaps, will you pay settlement money to me, the one who suffered the most damage in this incident?”
I gave him a bright smile, but considering my earnings, 10 or 20 bags of Gold Coins wouldn’t cut it.
He seemed to realize it when I mentioned settlement money for me; after all, I’m the main victim in this incident.
His face changed color in a different way; I wonder if he was calculating the amount of apology money for me.
The two who were brought in by the butler were asked how many years they had served, without understanding anything, and I arbitrarily calculated their severance pay.
Owens hung his head in dejection, but he ordered the butler to pay without any complaint.
Explaining was too much trouble, so I asked Zalm to do it, and after the two left, I gave Owens a stern warning.
“Zalm-san, after the Halewood family’s fiefdom is changed, I’ll come visit Tanza, so please show me around the nearby forests.”
“Yeah, leave it to me. I and those guys will probably go back to being Adventurers, so come anytime. We’ll be waiting.”
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The matter was thus settled. It was mid-September when I heard that the House of Halewood had been demoted to Viscount and their fiefdom changed.
I occasionally went outside the Royal Capital to hunt food for Hoo-chan and the others, but otherwise, I was enjoying myself wandering around the Royal Capital like a tourist. However, I wanted to secure food supplies before October, so I started stocking up.
I plan to go to the town of Tanza in the Florence domain where Zalm-san lives, have him show me around the area, and go mushroom hunting.
I also started hunting to retrain my dulled body.
That said, by using Agility, Super Strength, and Jump together, there are no beasts around the Royal Capital that give me trouble.
I sometimes went on trips for two or three days, and as expected, I feel calm in the Grasslands and forests.
Camping, which used to be a pastime, had become my way of life, and I’d forgotten, but living in the Royal Capital and occasionally going outside reminds me of those earlier times.
After a long time, or rather, for the second time, I sold my game at the Adventurers Guild and went to the dining hall. As I was looking for an empty spot while holding an ale, a leg stuck out from under a table.
I was impressed by how classic it was, but in situations like this, it’s only kind to step on the foot as expected.
I put all my weight on my heel, ground it in with a twist, and finished with a 180-degree turn.
Hmm… Just when I thought I wouldn’t hear the expected cry, a voice that seemed to echo from the depths of hell went, “Guuuhhh! Daaamn iiiit!”
The source of the growl was a burly, coarse-haired brute with large, prominent fangs. He didn’t quite look human, so, wisely, I decided to steer clear.
Feigning ignorance, I started walking towards an empty table, but it seemed they weren’t going to let me off the hook.
“Hey, Runt! You sure stomped hard on my foot!”
There were six people at the yelling man’s table, but the others were just smirking at me.
The one getting all riled up isn’t scary, but guys like these smirking ones are the dangerous type, you know.
“Runt? Are you referring to me?”
“You sure enjoyed stomping on my foot. And then to play dumb like that? You’ve got some nerve. How about we have ourselves a little Mock Battle, eh?”
“So, that business with the foot earlier was your way of inviting me to a Mock Battle? Invitations in the Royal Capital style are certainly… flamboyant. But I’m not into guys, so I’ll pass.”
“It’s not going down like that. If we let you make a fool of our dear comrade and just walk away, we’ll be underestimated.”
“Your comrade? I’ve never had a Mock Battle in the Royal Capital before… Don’t you have the wrong person?”
“Don’t play dumb! There can’t be that many runts walking around with a Fang Cat on their shoulder!”
“Could it be… you’re comrades with that guy who got so scared by my killing intent that his legs gave out and he ran away?”