Happy Daily Life of a Reincarnated Noble Blessed with Vassals - Chapter 18
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- Happy Daily Life of a Reincarnated Noble Blessed with Vassals
- Chapter 18 - The Capital
“It’s been a while, Rex. How is the estate?”
“It has been a long time, Mother. Nothing in particular to report. Life is still the same—hunting down beasts in the forest as usual.”
The journey from Orenang to the capital had gone smoothly, without any trouble. Just as Mary had said, the signature cloak of House Hesselink seemed to do the trick. The design was fairly tasteless, with its deep green fabric adorned with stacks of gold bars, giving off a rather ominous vibe. It was certainly an eye-catcher.
Did they make Yumika wear this too? I should reconsider that—probably not the best for her upbringing.
The person in front of me was Marcia Hesselink—Rex Hesselink’s, my biological mother. She seemed to be in her mid-forties. Yep, her appearance matched that, no surprises there.
According to Command, she’s supposed to be a really kind person.
[Originally the daughter of a marquis family ranked third among the ten Great Noble Houses, but she’s said to be an anomaly, an extraordinarily good-natured person. Your father adored her deeply.]
“Take care of yourself. If I were to lose you as well, I might accidentally end up killing God out of sheer spite.”
“Ha ha ha! You haven’t changed a bit, Mother.”
You’ll get struck down for saying things like that, Mom.
“If I had the strength to fight, I would return to Orenang right away and take up arms in place of your late father. Please forgive your weak and powerless mother.”
“This is not about forgiveness. I protect our house in Orenang, and you protect it here in the capital. It has always been our family’s tradition to support each other like two wheels of the same cart. You needn’t trouble yourself over it.”
Men who could fight would defend the territory, while women who lacked such strength would handle negotiations with other families in the capital. Apparently, that’s been our family’s tradition for generations.
You have to be smart.
You have to be tough.
Sigh, what a hassle.
I’ll send Mother some good meat later. She’s fighting her own battles here too.
“But… there was a letter that said the young lady from the Canilunya family is someone who could break with that tradition. While it’s wonderful that she might lift the curse passed down to the women who marry into House Hesselink, I can’t deny that there’s a twinge of jealousy. She’s doing what I could never do, no matter how much I wanted to.”
“You’re very honest. I think you should tell Lady Amy that yourself.”
A curse, huh. Maybe it’s only natural that she’d have mixed feelings about her son’s wife being the one to break it. The fact that she’s able to express those feelings shows how kind she is. But Amy’s also inherently kind. I’m sure she’ll understand if it’s explained to her properly.
“If I told her that, she’d think I was a mean mother-in-law and end up disliking me.”
“Come now, don’t be ridiculous. Lady Amy is far too generous for such things. I’m sure you’ll get along splendidly. Though she did say she feels sorry that she can’t live with you all.”
“That’s equally ridiculous. House Hesselink’s duty is to subdue the beasts that emerge from the forest. Nothing more, nothing less. Given that we need every fighter we can get, the fact that Lady Amy is able to fight alongside you is a blessing. It’s just such a shame that even though we’re both in the same city, I still haven’t had the chance to meet her.”
“Unfortunately, that’s tradition. It’s a pointless one, out of touch with the times, but if we were to break it, the old nobles would start kicking up a fuss again.”
Apparently, breaking the traditions within the family is one thing, but defying the national customs would stir up a lot of noise—especially for House Hesselink, which would face even more scrutiny.
The more I hear, the more it’s clear that it’s not just me but the whole family that’s disliked.
Isn’t there some way to fix that?
“Ah, being part of House Hesselink isn’t easy. Oh, by the way, here—this is some pocket money from your grandfather.”
Pocket money? Didn’t Command just say that Mother’s family was of marquis rank?
“I’m already in my late twenties, you know…”
“It can’t be helped. A grandson is still a grandson, and a son is still a son.”
Rex Hesselink is clearly being spoiled. But I suppose there’s no harm in accepting it.
…
…
…
“So? You actually got pocket money? Nobles really are something else. Did your grandfather forget that his grandson is one of the most powerful lords in the country? Whoa, how much is in here?” Mary peered into the heavy pouch, laughing in disbelief.
“He probably forgot—on purpose. Otherwise, he’d remember that his grandson is a highly dangerous figure under intense scrutiny from the entire nation.”
“Quite the cursed business you’re in.”
If nobility is a business, that pretty much sums it up.
“Well, since we’ve got some easy cash now, I was thinking of going to buy that knife I promised. You in?”
“Of course. What will you wear? All we’ve unpacked so far is that gaudy, glittering stuff.”
Ugh, that.
I really messed up there. When I saw the ridiculous, over-the-top clothes unpacked in the estate at the capital, I literally collapsed to my knees in despair.
There’s no way I’m wearing that.
“…Don’t remind me. I let myself get too excited and left all the clothes prep to Alice and Irina. We’ll have to buy some plain, comfortable outfits while we’re out.”
“Please do. I’d hate to walk around with you wearing that stuff.”
“If you’ve got complaints, take them up with Alice and the others.”
“Like I could ever do that.”
“Exactly. Neither could I. Our servants may be loyal, but every one of them has something they’ll never budge on, even if it’s me they’re up against.” Like Yumika-related matters with Odolski. And Alice? She loses it if you dirty the clothes she picks, so that’s terrifying.
“Yeah, I get that. Well, just accept being their dress-up doll, big bro. It’s for the sake of everyone’s peace.”
I don’t have much choice, do I?
We headed into a shop to buy some plain, practical clothes, picking out a few pieces. After changing, I finally felt at ease. Next, we headed to the smithy we’d been eyeing. The place was smaller than I’d imagined, more of a personal workshop than anything.
It’s called… “Bear’s Den,” huh?
“Welcome… Oh, that cloak, are you from House Hesselink?”
A young boy who came out to greet us immediately recognized Mary’s deep green cloak, identifying us as related to House Hesselink.
Impressive.
“As expected from the capital’s finest workshop. You can tell just from the cloak? Pardon me, I’m Rex Hesselink, head of House Hesselink.”
“Wha—! You’re the count himself? Please wait a moment, I’ll fetch the master.”
The boy ran to the back and quickly returned with a burly man sporting a thick beard. Just as I imagined, he looked like a blacksmith straight out of a painting. He was in the middle of his work, holding a large machete in his right hand. The man sized me up before approaching. Ugh, he reeked of sweat.
“So, you’re Count Rex Hesselink, huh? Word is you’re a madman, someone who could do anything at any time… heh!”
CLANG!!
What the—!?
The machete he swung down at me was instantly deflected by Mary’s knife, the tip of which was now pressing against his throat. Actually, the blade had slightly nicked his skin, and a trickle of blood oozed out.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
His voice was ice-cold!
Mary, you’re terrifying!
“Whoa there! Easy now! I thought there’d be an opening, but turns out this young lady’s your bodyguard, huh? If that’s the case, at least leak a little killing intent or something.”
What kind of twisted logic is that? I’m tempted to summon Gorimaru and Drazo right now.
“My lord, may I kill him? Attempted assassination of a high-ranking noble. As per Lepmia’s noble laws, a swift trial and immediate execution are permitted.”
Oh, really?
“Yes, unfortunate though it is, there’d be no mitigating circumstances. Whatever you were thinking, you’ll have to regret it in the afterlife.”
“W-wait! Hold on! Listen to me! It was just a test—our way of making sure! There are too many idiots pretending to be nobles these days, so we have to pull surprise tests like this!”
“Is that all you have to say?”
“L-look, I’m serious! Just wait! Damn, this missy’s gaze is terrifying!”
Alright, I suppose that’s enough. If I don’t stop him, Mary might really stab him.
“I’m joking. Mary, put the blade away.”
After a long pause, Mary slowly lowered his weapon, still glaring at him with that menacing expression, his voice low and threatening. “Be grateful I’m the one who was guarding him. The count’s letting it slide as a joke, but there won’t be a second time. Consider yourself lucky.”
“You’re a guy? You’re terrifying… How many layers of traps did you set up? I’m never doing this again! Count, my deepest apologies for the rudeness. I’m Baron, third-generation owner of Bear’s Den Weaponry.”
Baron bowed repeatedly, drenched in cold sweat. He must have been scared out of his mind.
I can understand why.
“Once again, I’m Rex Hesselink. Sorry for scaring you. I’m here to get a new blade for my bodyguard. I heard you’ve recently developed something that balances sharpness and durability?”
“Ah, you’ve got good ears! We just launched it recently. By mixing bones from beasts of threat level B or higher into the metal, we’ve created something far superior in both sharpness and durability.”
“Is it available right away? If not, I can leave a deposit and come back later.”
“We’ve got one in stock. It’s a high-end item, so it doesn’t sell like hotcakes.”
“Not surprising. Alright, I’ll take it.”
“Understood! Heh, it’s a pleasure doing business with a noble like yourself. To apologize for earlier, I’ll knock the price down a bit. How does this look?”
He claimed to be giving me a discount, but I had no idea what the usual price was. Better check with the expert.
“Mary?”
“…Fair.”
“Then we have a deal.”
I pulled out a bag stuffed with gold from Command’s storage and placed it on the counter.
Go ahead and count it.
“You’re paying in full!? Er, I mean, much appreciated. Some nobles are stingy when it comes to payment. Please come back anytime you need something. We’ll be happy to serve you!”
Storyteller Lubai's Words
I picked up this novel from our former staff cosmocat and redid all the chapters up to Chapter 7. It is still in the trial phase, so if it doesn't have a favorable view number and review, I might drop it after 30 chapters. Please show your love!
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