I walked for a full day and finally arrived in the northern part of the Empire, the Duchy of Praha.
“…It’s so damn far.”
Despite enhancing my body using Aura, my bones ached and protested, and my feet were swollen and throbbing with pain as if they would burst. To make matters worse, the harsh cold and blizzard of the North lashed at me, making my skin feel as if it would tear.
The clothes my father had given me were my saving grace; without them, it would have taken even longer to arrive, as I would have had to use Aura to maintain my body temperature.
“Should’ve trained more before coming,” I muttered with a sigh of regret.
What good was drinking the Divine Archer’s Elixir? I still hadn’t trained enough.
The Divine Archer’s Elixir was a potion that increased my potential and empowered the Aura I already possessed, but it wasn’t an elixir that would dramatically increase my physical capabilities.
Of course, it would drastically reduce the time needed for training, but that didn’t mean it would instantly raise my physical abilities to an Expert level overnight, did it?
In any case, I still needed to train to be on the same level as ordinary Aura Novices physically.
“…Who else can I blame? Only blame myself for guzzling alcohol until now.”
I exhaled a faint sigh along with a puff of white mist, then continued walking.
Soon after, a massive building appeared—the Praha Ducal Manor.
As I approached the manor, the guards standing at the entrance raised their spears and blocked my path.
“Halt!”
“What business do you have?”
The guards yelled at me, their expressions full of suspicion.
Strange. They’re not supposed to react to a noble’s arrival like… Oh, right, look at me.
I looked down to check my clothes and understood the suspicious treatment.
My coat was splattered with bloodstains, my pant legs were soaked, my face was haggard with fatigue, and a patchy beard had grown in a single day. I looked like a beggar or a criminal.
I sighed and reached inside my coat. The guards tensed, gripping their spears more tightly.
“Take your hand out immediately!”
“…Hold on. I’m looking for something to prove my identity.” I calmly told the guards to relax and pulled out a metal plaque with the family crest from inside my coat pocket.
A metal plaque engraved with a wolf and a spear.
The guards took the metal plaque and began to scrutinize me from head to toe with suspicious eyes.
I wanted to end this situation quickly, so I let out a faint sigh and advised them.
“…If it’s difficult for you to make a judgment, then go back and inform the head butler or your superior. Tell them the youngest son of Berg County has arrived to gain a promise of marriage.”
* * *
Fortunately, the Praha Duchy’s head butler appeared shortly after and greeted me personally.
“You may use this room.” The butler guided me to the guest room and left to do his duties.
It was customary to assign an attendant, but there was no one by my side. It was likely the Praha family’s attempt to assert dominance.
“Tch, how petty.” I clicked my tongue and took off my coat, hanging it on a rack.
Still, I expected to be guided to a regular reception room, but they surprisingly sent me to a guest room. It seemed things weren’t the absolute worst.
Then again, they probably couldn’t openly treat me poorly, thinking I might be able to save their daughter.
Of course, failing to cure her means I won’t be able to return alive.
The Duke would probably try to kill me himself, wouldn’t he?
I smirked at the thought of the Duke throwing a fit.
Taking off my coat, I looked around. The bed was luxurious, and the chandelier sparkled. The fireplace was constantly burning, melting away the North’s cold, so for being treated as a fraud, this was a rather satisfying level of hospitality.
“Better than I expected.”
After that quick observation, I felt a strong urge to wash up and headed for the bathroom. I soaked in the tub, returned to the room, and dried my hair.
Just then, there were a couple of knocks at the door.
“His Grace has summoned you, Young Lord Louis. Since you are unlikely to have had dinner, he requests your company for a meal.”
“Ah, I’ll be ready and come out.”
At the butler’s words, I put on my clothes and headed for the dining hall.
Upon arriving, I saw a huge man sitting at the head of the table—the Grand Duke of Praha.
Compared to my father, Count Berg, who had a lean and slender physique, the Duke of Praha possessed a truly massive build, like a bear.
“You’ve come?”
I gave a small bow in respect.
“I greet the most solid shield of the great Empire.”
“They call you a wastrel, but it seems the rumors were exaggerated.”
“I hear that often,” I replied unabashedly.
In reality, I had lived like a wastrel until a few days ago and knew nothing of etiquette, but so what?
I possessed etiquette forcibly ingrained in me from my previous life. To others, it would likely just seem the rumors were wrong.
“Don’t just stand there, sit. It seems we have much to discuss.”
“Yes, Your Grace.” I pulled out a chair and sat down.
Dinner was served shortly after, and the Grand Duke invited me to eat.
“You must be hungry. Let us talk while we eat.”
“Very well.”
Only the quiet clinking of silverware against plates filled the dining hall.
After a moment, the Grand Duke, slicing a salmon steak and putting it in his mouth, spoke calmly.
“So, I’m told you would come with your attendants, but why are you alone?”
“I was attacked on the way. The Goblins were quite rampant.”
“Hmm… They were defeated by mere Goblins?”
“A Goblin Lord. I found evidence of its appearance, but there was nothing we could do. My knights risked their lives to send me here,” I said, putting a pickle in my mouth.
This wasn’t really a lie. A Goblin Lord would appear in Gremlin’s Knoll soon, and the person who would deal with it was the man before my eyes, the Grand Duke of Praha.
In my previous life, we killed it with very few casualties. I bet the Grand Duke alone could probably snap its neck.
Reducing casualties and covering my lie. Isn’t that killing two birds with one stone?
Hearing my nonchalant response, the Grand Duke dropped his utensils with a soft clatter and continued, “Is that true?”
“The Goblin Lord, you mean? It is certain. When a Goblin Lord is born, Goblins hang ornaments made of human skulls in their habitat. I found one of those ornaments.”
“…You know that much? You seem to have studied goblins extensively.” The Grand Duke eyed me with a surprised look.
Children of noble families, even from knightly Houses, only knew how to fight; they didn’t bother to remember the habits or characteristics of monsters. Many believed that was the realm of scholars.
Furthermore, wasn’t it the lowest-ranking monster, the Goblin? It was safe to say there were no nobles who studied Goblins.
Well, I know because I fought to the death against them in my previous life.
At the time I lived as a hunting dog for the Artezia family, I was truly thrown into everything.
Before starting the rebellion, I killed monsters to enhance the Artezia Duchy’s prestige. So, how could there be anything I didn't know about monsters?
From Goblins to, in some cases, Drakes and Wyverns. It was all knowledge I had learned firsthand, facing countless monsters.
Recalling the past, I lightly shook my head and continued speaking. “I merely thought that knowing the habits of monsters would allow me to kill more of them.”
“…Excellent,” the Grand Duke remarked with a nod. “I will deal with the Goblin Lord myself as soon as possible. Thank you for informing me.”
“As a noble serving His Imperial Majesty, it was merely my duty.”
“Serving His Imperial Majesty, you say…” The Grand Duke set down his utensils and met my eyes. His gaze was like that of a tiger.
I felt my body instinctively stiffen.
The Grand Duke continued, staring directly at me. “Since it has been brought up, let me ask. Why did the son of House Berg propose an engagement to us? Wasn’t the Bergs part of the Noble Faction?”
“We were part of them, yes.”
“And you know that we are part of the Royalist Faction.”
“Yes, I also know that you are the leader of the Royalist Faction.”
“I don’t understand. Why would someone who knows that much propose marriage?”
“Well, isn’t it because I wish to pledge my loyalty to His Imperial Majesty?”
Only if the Emperor, only if the Royalist Faction’s power is strong, can the Artezia Duchy fall.
The Artezia Duchy was, in name and reality, the leader of the Noble Faction. Furthermore, I had already made an enemy of the Artezia Duchy, hadn’t I?
It was clear that staying in the Noble Faction wouldn’t get me any good treatment.
I calmly set down my utensils and said, “Berg County wishes to leave the Noble Faction and switch allegiance to the Royalist Faction. And as a token of our goodwill, we are proposing a promise of marriage to the Duchy of Praha.”
“…Honestly, that is a surprising story. But why should we agree? I know the potential of Berg County, but there is no proof that you are not spies from the Noble Faction.”
“Isn’t that why I brought a gift for the Duchy?”
“A gift…”
The Grand Duke seemed to sense what I was about to say. He closed his mouth and simply watched my lips—hoping for the words he desired to hear.
I let out a small chuckle and fulfilled the Grand Duke’s expectations.
“I will cure the illness that plagues Lea Praha, my wife-to-be.”
The Grand Duke swallowed hard.
“…Can you truly do it? It is something no priest or healer on the Continent has been able to do. If this is deception, you shall not go unpunished.”
“I will stake my life on it. You need wait only one week—one week, and Lady Lea will regain her former appearance.”
* * *
After explaining the cure to the Grand Duke, I left the dining hall.
Some might worry about being discarded after revealing the cure for the Ducal Lady, but the Grand Duke would never discard me.
He can get the ingredients, but I’m the only one who knows the combination.
The method to cure Lea Praha’s affliction was to brew and drink the petals of the Quoria flower, which only bloomed in the Vallia Mountain Range in the North.
Quoria petals themselves were hard to acquire, but the Grand Duke could surely obtain them.
The problem was that these petals were highly toxic, and processing them was extremely difficult. Doing it wrong could result in returning to the Goddess’s embrace in three minutes after consumption.
Thanks to that explanation, I almost died at the Duke’s hands a moment ago. But when I said I would take it first before giving it to his daughter, he finally suppressed his rage and spared my life.
How could he be so distrustful? It’s unfair.
As I grumbled about the Duke’s lack of virtue and walked around the mansion, I spotted a woman with her face covered walking out of the drill ground area.
Seeing her movements and the veil covering her face even within the mansion, that woman must be Lea Praha.
As I walked towards Lea, intending to talk to her, I noticed a group of knights and soldiers cackling among themselves while looking at Lea.
Someone pointed to their face and made an X with their hand, while someone else feigned vomiting. Seeing them doing this while hiding, they probably thought they wouldn’t be caught.
…Imagining getting up to that kind of shit in a Ducal Manor. They must have dozens of lives to spare.
I clicked my tongue and walked towards the cackling fools.
They continued to laugh among themselves and started walking towards me. When they reached me, I stuck out my leg and tripped one of them.
Thud.
“Eh, huh?!”
CRASH!
After a comical fall, they stared at me.
“Oops, my mistake.”