Chapter 12: In the Royal Capital – 16
After leaving the castle and returning to the inn, it was already time for dinner.
Once we changed our clothes and sat down at a table in the inn’s dining hall, we decided to exchange information about the events of the day.
“As I mentioned on the way back, I managed to traverse the ‘Foundation of the Royal Family’ up to the fifth floor without any issues. The boss was a Rare Boss, but it wasn’t that difficult,” I said.
“It was equivalent to A-Rank, right? For you to say it was no problem, you must be starting to realize your own strength, Soushi,” Larni replied.
I couldn’t help but nod at Larni’s words.
“Yeah, I think I finally understand the weight of having defeated the ‘Kin of Twilight’ through this incident.”
“The rewards from yesterday were incredible too. Plus, you helped the queen this time, right? Didn’t they say something about making you a noble?”
“Actually, the king mentioned it a bit. Of course, I declined. Hey, Mariane, how many adventurers actually become nobles?”
“The most recent example would be Viscount Barius. However, in his case, he was born into a noble family, so he was allowed to inherit the title after achieving great deeds. There are also over thirty living individuals who serve as knights and are of higher rank than viscounts.”
“Sounds like it’s similar to Anatoria the Crimson. I heard there were a few in the royal family as well.”
“There’s no one more suited than former adventurers to serve as protectors of the nobility. It’s common for trusted high-ranking adventurers to be recruited. The chances of ‘Soul’s Guidance’ receiving offers will definitely increase in the future.”
Upon hearing Mariane’s words, Freinir looked at me.
“But you have no intention of becoming a noble, do you, Soushi?”
“Yeah, just as I told His Majesty. I have no plans to do anything that doesn’t suit me.”
“When you declined, you looked so impressive, Soushi. You said you wanted to reach the pinnacle as an adventurer…”
“I didn’t say it like that! That was just a misunderstanding on His Majesty’s part. I merely expressed my desire to know my limits as an adventurer.”
As I tried to clarify, I wondered if I had inadvertently made such a statement in front of the king, the prime minister, and the princess. If that were the case, I would look like a foolish old man trying too hard. In reality, I still had to visit the castle for two more days…
While I was lost in thought, Sfenia smiled brightly and took my hand.
“I would love to see how far you can go as an adventurer, Soushi. I myself aim for A-Rank, but I feel like I could rise quickly alongside you. However, I think it’s wonderful that you don’t see that as the end.”
“Now that you mention it, I don’t plan to stop at A-Rank either. With you, Soushi, I feel like we can reach even greater heights.”
“I will follow you wherever you go, Soushi.”
“There are voices in the guild suggesting that a rank above A should be officially established. If ‘Soul’s Guidance’ continues to achieve results, that movement might accelerate.”
If this keeps up, I might really end up being seen as a foolish old man aiming for the title of strongest, so I hurriedly changed the subject.
“By the way, Frei, how was the queen?”
“At first, she looked very distressed, as if her life was about to flicker out. However, after drinking the Elixir, her complexion improved immediately, and she was able to converse.”
“Is it really that effective? The Elixir is amazing.”
“Both His Majesty and Margarot were surprised. However, it seems she hadn’t been able to eat properly for a while, so she will need some time to recuperate.”
“I see. Did you try ‘Purification’ on her?”
“Yes, I did. The physician also mentioned that it had a strong effect.”
“That’s impressive. That should speed up the queen’s recovery.”
“I hope so. Also, Margarot mentioned that she wants to apologize to you, Soushi. She feels she said something terrible to her benefactor.”
“I think it was understandable from the princess’s perspective. It was clear she cares deeply for Frei.”
Still, as a princess, she couldn’t just do nothing. This adds more reasons for me to avoid the castle. Being apologized to for something I don’t even care about is stressful in its own right.
“Speaking of the princess, she seemed to really enjoy the playing cards, right? Didn’t she ask you to make some for her?”
“She did mention that. I found them interesting too, so it’s no surprise she wanted them.”
When Larni and Sfenia said this, Mariane nodded and added, “Soushi, how about bringing the playing cards to the Toronto Trading Company? If they think they can sell them, they would gladly handle them, and naturally, they would be presented to the royal family.”
“Are you saying the Toronto Trading Company would start making and selling playing cards?”
“That is a possibility. I do think playing cards could sell, but it’s hard to say for sure.”
“Hmm…”
Suddenly, a strange topic had come up. It feels odd to bring something I didn’t even create to a trading company. I had made them thoughtlessly as a travel companion, but I never considered the possibility of them being sold in this world.
While I have already spread knowledge from modern Japan through skill training methods, I need to be careful about how far I take this.
As I pondered, Sfenia looked at me with a puzzled expression.
“Is there a problem?”
“Well, it’s not like I came up with those cards myself. I was just wondering if it’s okay to spread something that isn’t mine.”
“Since the princess already knows about them, it’s likely that the king will hear about it too. If they formally request it, it might be difficult to refuse.”
“That’s true. If it comes up tomorrow, I might have to go to Toronto. I have no idea how the trading company will judge it.”
I said this, but I felt that in a world with so little entertainment, Mr. Toronto would definitely show interest. If the princess were to ask me directly, I would have to accept that I was foolish this time.
However, I had only been thinking about my adventurer career until now. With the knowledge from modern Japan, I feel like I could actually do some business in this world. Even without knowing how to make things, just having ideas about what products would be popular gives me a tremendous advantage. Thinking about it this way, my existence might hold more significance in this world than I had imagined.
Honestly, as an old man, I would prefer to avoid such discussions.