Episode 53: Chip Refund
The deal is sealed.
Marlene, aka the Legend-san, will arrange for me to be contacted through her descendant, Margot.
And if I were to marry Margot—”in any form,” she said—she would take on all the troublesome affairs of the Royal Capital, including the royal family and the aristocracy, under the banner of “I’m a descendant of the Legend-san!”
As for me, Margot is a member of the royal family, but she has descended into the common world and is practically a commoner, so I have no objection to marrying her.
Unlike Rosalinde, Margot, being a commoner (in the sense that she’s practically one), is the kind of person who doesn’t come with a lot of troublesome responsibilities, making her an easy target.
Strider women are good. Even if they were nobles, as long as they are Striders, they are treated as commoners, and any woman who becomes a Strider has severed ties with her troublesome background or family.
Margot, too, is a distant relative of the royal family, but she’s been left to live in human society, or rather, “abandoned.” Or perhaps she “abandoned” it herself.
Because she’s a woman. The moment she descended into the common world, she’s considered to be of “unknown parentage.” Treated as a “base existence.” Once that happens, it’s impossible for her to return to “noble society” as a noble.
So even if Margot’s family were to reconnect with her, it would be too late.
Besides, Marlene apparently plans to explain it as, “I happened to meet a distant relative who was working as a Strider in the frontier, and I was impressed by her magical skills, and we’ve had connections for a while now,” and “This is that woman’s husband!”
Apparently, “It’s a magic user thing” is a standard excuse in the magic user industry? Well, it’s true that there’s only one magic user in a town, if that. Maybe one in ten thousand people, or something like that. And that’s in a world where even the Royal Capital only has a population of two or three hundred thousand.
So, “It’s a magic user thing” is an excuse that nobles and commoners alike can’t understand, so they can’t interfere.
…Or rather, it’s too late because I’ve already slept with Margot multiple times.
“Well then, I look forward to working with you in the future.”
“Yes, well, let’s at least keep a hotline open.”
And so, I say goodbye to Marlene… the Legend-san.
Apparently, she’ll also adjust things nicely for the upcoming meeting with the Fourth Princess.
Originally, Count Missgancia had thought that I was a magic user and a Heretic, an existence that didn’t obey the country, and from there, they would try to discredit Count Missgancia for using me! That was the scheme.
The ones who set it up were, of course, the Aristocrat Faction, the right-wing group in this country. They’re like oil and water with Count Missgancia, who’s more left-wing, right?
It should be noted here that the political sensibilities are different from those of modern Japan.
In Japan, if you say something like, “Let’s raise the defense budget a little more,” some people will go crazy and say, “That’s right-wing!” But that’s stupid.
The Aristocrat Faction, the right-wingers in this country, are more like, “All countries should obey our country!”
To give an example… you know, in Tokyo, there are those crazy people who drive around in black vans with intimidating calligraphy fonts that say “Patriotic Something Squad!” and fly the Rising Sun flag while blasting ear-splitting patriotic songs. That kind of attitude is the “normal” right-wing in this country.
“We are the chosen people of God, so foreigners and demi-humans are all trash,” is their stance. And on top of that, they’re nobles, so their sense of superiority would make Hitler blush.
So, from the Aristocrat Faction’s point of view, Count Missgancia is an “evil who makes a fortune by hiring lowly people with the power of money,” so he’s become their enemy.
…The fact that Count Missgancia is treated as left-wing is also kind of… well, that’s probably just the sensibilities of modern people.
Count Missgancia uses anyone who’s useful, even if they’re of low status, and pays them to do the work.
He accepts foreigners, Tribesman, and demi-humans if they’re useful.
It’s kind of like Nobunaga’s movement.
For Japanese people, it’s normal in modern times, but if you did it in the Sengoku Era, it would be like, “Amazing! Revolutionary!” But aiming to renew the old ways in this superstitious world is quite dangerous.
You know, even in Japan, there were people who said, “Don’t accept immigrants! It’ll make the治安 worse!” They’re criticized in that way.
I think they should get along! But apparently there are various reasons why they can’t… Count Missgancia is from a family of upstarts, so he’s ostracized by the Aristocrat Faction, who boast of their old bloodlines that have continued since the founding of the country…
I can understand the political talk thanks to my memories from my previous life, but it’s not like I myself can do politics well. I was just a regular person.
That’s why I’m trying not to get involved in the political zone from the beginning, but it’s not going so well after all.
I wanted to completely cut ties, but somehow I ended up forming a connection, so I guess that’s my loss.
But I’m not crazy enough to just ignore the benefits and “kill everyone I don’t like!”
Probably, when the time comes… or rather, if something happens, I’ll get a call and be told to do this or that.
That will probably be in the form of, “We have this great deal for you…?” rather than an order.
Those kinds of offers will come in a way that you’ll only lose 100% if you resist out of “resentment,” so it’s practically forced.
But since I’ve conveyed my stance, they should have the intention to respect it, and I can safely say that I won’t get any obvious conscription orders.
I don’t know what’s coming, but it’s a troublesome story.
Yes, that’s how it is.
For now, I’ll take care of Rosalinde, who’s trembling in fear after being suddenly hit with magic.
When Marlene disappeared with Teleportation, Rosalinde collapsed. I support her body and help her stand up.
“Fufu… you were scared, weren’t you?”
“I’m sorry, it’s my fault.”
I hug her and stroke her head.
Poor thing, she’s already frail, but she’s even more exhausted from being scared.
“Did you wet yourself?”
“That’s rude, you know? I only leaked a little…”
So you did wet yourself.
Huh…?
“Rosalinde-sama!!!”
Oh, the usual two guards have arrived.
“What in the world is going on? What happened?!”
I was asked, so I answered simply.
“…I see, Archmage Marlene-sama, is it? Rosalinde-sama, are you injured?”
“I don’t think so. But she’s so surprised that her legs gave out, and she had an accident. Take her back and wash her.”
“Yes! Thank you for protecting Rosalinde-sama!”
Well… that’s about it.
The date is canceled, unfortunately.
This is too pitiful, so I’ll take her to my “garden” next time…