"Oh, good to see you! So, go to the back…" (Marquis)
The next day, along with Marquis Cerdric, his subordinates, and his guards… that is, me, Marial, and Francette, went around visiting the nobles of our faction.
Wouldn't it be quicker if you gathered everyone together and greeted each other all at once?
That's what I thought, but then I realized that it wouldn't work because it would just be a face-to-face greeting. It seemed that there was no point in calling Marial all the way to the capital.
…In other words, there was no room for misunderstanding about this greeting.
"I’m Viscount Marial von Reifel, please take care of me…" (Marial)
They probably already knew Marial's name, but as a courtesy, start by introducing herself.
Of course, as we were just servants and bodyguards, we didn't introduce ourselves.
Then, Marquis Cerdric briefly introduced each other, and explained something trivial, such as that Marial, who had lost her parents and older brother, had inherited the Viscount Reifel family, and that the Viscount Reifel family would remain in this faction as before....
He wouldn't touch on anything related to the Goddess.
These were things that each person should contact and negotiate individually at their own risk, and it was a place to introduce new members of the faction. It's not something that sticks out.
After all, it's time to connect faces as members of the same faction and build friendships for that time, so unless you were an idiot, wouldn't say anything strange.
And, just like before, this time too, Marial finished the meeting calmly without any incident.
Among these nobles of the same faction, there was no one who set up the match pump that trained those thieves and knights.
That's right, the conditions were overwhelmingly advantageous as they were from the same faction, and there would be a chance to meet each other soon, so there was no way they would risk trying to play some strange trick. Those kinds of things were planned by people who didn't have the opportunity to make contact.
…and the culprit had already been identified.
A member of the Bird Army who secretly tracked those knights found out where they were going, but since there was no way the birds could read the nameplate, they later had Emil guide them around and confirm the owner of the mansion.
But that's nothing to worry about.
The way he did it was a little cowardly, but it wasn't because he had any malice or hostility.
They did hire a thief, but it was just because they wanted to do my favor and get closer to him, and wasn't trying to cause any harm. So if that fails, they'd probably just tried another way to make contact. It's a bit of a cowardly match pump that wouldn't harm Marial or us, but would help after arousing a sense of crisis…
That's how cute it was.
…but I would somehow expose his tricks and get him into it. Knowing the weaknesses of other nobles would be useful to Marial. It's like competing in some kind of game, and it's kind of fun.
…the problem was over there.
The people who hired and gave instructions to those people who killed the orphans and injured Rayette-chan.
I wouldn't forgive you!
Even if you thought no one would find out, the wholesaler wouldn't sell it to you.[?]
Heaven knew what!
"I am Viscount Marial von Reifel, nice to meet you." (Marial)
This was a greeting to the next noble family.
This time, it's the Count's family.
So, the introduction was going on as before….
"The Viscountess is about to become an adult? Also, due to the sudden succession of the family headship, she has not received the education necessary to be the head of a noble family… This means that she needs to take a fiancée as soon as possible and put the family system on solid footing. That would be the first thing to do.
So, what about my son? I have also taught my second and third sons how to properly manage the territory, so you can leave everything to them with peace of mind!" (Count)
Yes, just like other aristocratic families, they had their wives and children present at the meeting, of course.
However, the other nobles did not say anything so obvious. At most, it was something along the lines of, "We're close in age, so we're friends…"
"No, I just lost my parents and brother, so I don't really feel like that…I'm planning on mourning for a while…" (Marial)
What Marial chanted was one of the refusal spells she had thought of beforehand. All the noble houses, who had taken a conservative approach up until now, backed down.
"No, it is precisely at a time like this that we should hire a reliable son-in-law and entrust him with the management of the territory! Also, the Viscountess should strive for political negotiations with the royal palace and temples, and do her best for the prosperity of the family and faction…" (Count)
Yes, by family it means his own family.
Marial had a great name value as "beloved child who has received the divine protection of a goddess," but even without that name, she was still in a position to be targeted by the nobles.
If this was just a daughter of a viscount, not the head or heir of an aristocratic family, Marial would have been in a better position to search for a better marriage partner and work hard at marriage. However, if she was the head of the viscount household, he would send his second or third son to be her husband, and his son would essentially run the viscount household. And once a grandchild is born, the viscount family would be completely theirs. If that happens, it would no longer matter whether Marial died due to illness or an accident.
It also came with the bonus of being "the goddess's beloved child." There's no way they won't be targeted.
Moreover, as the child of the "goddess' beloved child", if things go well, her granddaughter could even marry into the royal family. No, it's probably well within range.
…well, it would bite into it desperately…
"Count, Viscount Reifel, the confusion is probably still not over. We'll talk about that later, when things have calmed down…" (Marquis)
As expected, Marquis Cerdric, the head of the faction and the person in charge of organizing the greetings, intervened. It seems like he's doing his job well.
"What are you being so naive about? Tomorrow, you'll be going to the temple and the royal palace! I'm sure both will try to win over the Viscount! But first, I've decided that you have a fiancée, just for the sake of it. Don't you think it would be easier to avoid them?" (Count)
…however, the Count seemed to have no intention of backing down.
Well, it's true that it would be much faster and more effective to get Marial directly from the royal palace or temple, without having to wait for Marial to have a daughter. It's no wonder the Count was worried.
However, that didn't mean there's any reason why she should be engaged to the count's son, whom I was meeting here for the first time.
"No, I have no intention of getting engaged to anyone related to the temple, the royal palace, or of course the Count's children, so there is no need to worry." (Marial)
"Such selfishness! A noble's daughter marries for the sake of the family! Regardless of the person's intentions, she is the one chosen by the head of the family…" (Count)
"Yes, that's why I am planning to marry the person chosen by the head of the family…with the person chosen by me, the head of the family…" (Marial)
Ah, the count stopped speaking.
Yeah, you're careless.
"No, the Viscount, who is still a minor, should follow the advice of the head of his faction, Marquis Cerdric! That's right, Marquis!" (Count)
I was getting quite irritated with the Count, who was too persistent and had a bad day.
…but before that, Marial gets really upset.
She's smiling, but it's just that. It's like, "There's a blue streak on your forehead."
And Marial was bending her right index finger.
…it's a sign. "It’s done!"…
It can't be helped, Marial… Yes, "The Goddess's Wrath"!
Dokan! Pan! Boom! (Explosion SFX)
The furniture vases and ornaments suddenly exploded and were blown away.
""""Waaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!""""
Then, the marquis, the count, the count's wife and two sons jumped out of the sofa and fell behind us on the other side of the explosion.
Marial stood up in a hurry, turned her gaze upwards about 30 degrees, folded her hands in front of her chest, and screamed.
"Goddess, it's okay. It's not yet to the point where we'd kill everyone in the Count's family or destroy the territory… It's not time to panic yet…"
"…gi…"
"Gi?"
""""Gyaaaaaaa~!!""""
Yeah, Marial didn't come here to make a fuss about her existence.
…she was against it.
I came to the capital to put out fires so I wouldn't get into any weird trouble or get involved.
And how to put out the fire….
Do you know how to extinguish an oil field fire?
Yeah, stick some dynamite in there and blow out the flames!
Translation Note
[?] I didn't get the idea.
Edit History
8 Oct 2023: grammar correction, improved readability.