251 – Anti-Trickery (2)
“Deacon, I have a question.”
To those words, the butler serving Prince Otto responded politely.
“Yes, Baron Cologne. “Ask anything.”
“It seems like a lot of banquets are being held these days, but I’m hardly ever invited. “Is there any reason?”
The butler looked away, pretending not to know anything.
“I don’t know. So, let’s go now and ask other administrators.”
The butlers are responsible for handing out invitations and serving nobles.
Because the administrators know how to handle administrative tasks such as processing documents, but they have no talent for serving extremely picky nobles.
So, a person who is not just a young trainee deacon but also a head deacon does not know about this type of banquet?
I’d rather not believe the bullsh*t that the National Assembly members of the Republic of Korea are innocent…
‘I have to write about that friend who makes me find forgotten memories.’
He called the butler with a few gold coins in his pocket.
“Oh, didn’t this fall from your waist? “Boss, you have to manage your money well.”
Of course, this bag of gold coins is mine and definitely not the deacon’s.
Rather than secretly giving something as a bribe, it feels a little more natural to simply hand it over in the form of picking up a dropped wallet.
The deacon’s face naturally showed joy at finding the lost money.
“Ah, thank you. “If it weren’t for the Baron, something big would have happened.”
“Just in case, check what’s inside.”
“Excuse me?”
Then the head deacon opened the rather heavy bag and grinned so hard that the corners of his mouth reached his ears.
I guess he was very satisfied with the contents of the bag of gold coins I dropped.
“I will definitely repay this favor someday.”
If you want something, ask for it, but in a very complicated way.
Well, I see that what I just said was no, was resolved in an instant…
‘If you are having a difficult time, think about whether you are short of money.’
This was a truth that was true in every era.
“It seems like His Highness Otto is holding a lot of banquets these days, but I’m not often invited. “Do you have any idea why?”
The head deacon looked around and answered in a low voice.
“I will give you a special answer since you found my lost pocket. “Isn’t His Highness Otto a man who reveals his side a bit too much?”
“She is now 20 years old, and I heard that she has had more than four concubines with whom she has had children. “I heard she’s touched quite a few other women.”
In Korea, since a man is a room salon, receiving s*xual favors or keeping a concubine is considered a flaw, but here, rather than a flaw, it is considered an advantage.
So, if I say this, it won’t be an afterthought.
“It’s not as good as the Baron, but it seems like your body is warming up as you reach the level of intermediate Auror.”
The intermediate level referred to here is not the expert intermediate level, but rather the level you just reached intermediate level after awakening your Auror.
Well, at least that’s enough to fight a bear one-on-one with a sword.
At the age of 20, you can join the Knights of the Royal Guard by just honing your sword skills, so that’s great.
“So what does that have to do with not inviting me to the banquet?”
“The banquet held by His Highness the Prince these days is a banquet where women are always included.”
I said it in a different way, but it means gathering nobles and going to a room salon.
A type of banquet where you drink expensive alcohol like brandy and have fun with women while taking love shots.
I didn’t step into that area because I wasn’t interested, but…
In our family, the Barons of Cologne, everyone but me often plays around like that.
“The Baron of Cologne never puts his hands on a whore, does he?”
“That’s not true.”
“So I guess you are not calling Baron Cologne. “Isn’t it the same as recommending something to someone who doesn’t like it?”
It is bad manners to tell a person who doesn’t like fish to eat fish by telling him to eat fish churai.
So there is enough justification for not sending out invitations.
The problem is that I am also a direct vassal and have been holding this type of banquet for over a month.
Doesn’t that mean that they are going to push me out in earnest now?
‘Prince Otto, that bastard is probably trying to use a ruse…’
“That’s true too.”
The head deacon looked at me and bowed his head.
“Then I will go now. “Because work is urgent.”
“Let’s go now. “Thank you for letting me know.”
Then I held my pounding head and continued to think.
Prince Otto The damn bastard is putting pressure on me to pretend to betray him, so should I really go and take off the princess’s head?
Or should we stick to the princess’s side and aim for an even bigger blow since this has come to an end…
I think it would be a good idea to cool off with Otto and bet on the princess’s stock.
“Ha, f*ck. First of all, that damn Prince Otto could wipe out my family. “You have to dig a hole to get out.”
And then, in my head, there was only one person who came to mind who I could rely on in times like this.
Dalton made a mere mercenary leader into a baron even though it was for his own advancement.
Anyway, apart from Karin, Hilde, and Lucia, I am the only one who can be called my family.
“I need to meet Dalton for the first time in a while and have a chat.”
**
As soon as I came to visit Dalton, he started joking.
“Our Count Frost is busy flirting with His Highness Otto, so why on earth did you come here to see the old man? “It’s not that I’m not married, but I’m going to marry Cheongseung.”
Even as I said that, I called Millia over and prepared some simple snacks and drinks.
As expected, as that gentleman got older, his speaking skills became more grumpy.
“Don’t you know that I don’t like being a b*tch?”
“I too should be having a second time with Millia, but you came and ruined it all, man. “Take responsibility.”
“What responsibility is responsibility? Rather, please do some work during the day.”
Give or take, Millia said as she poured Dalton her wine.
“You said that, but when I heard that Baron Cologne was coming, he told me to bring out the precious wine that he didn’t serve even when the Count came. “I asked why you didn’t come today since you were a little later than your scheduled time…”
Dalton grumbled at those words.
“Milia, why are you saying such nonsense?”
“You too, please be honest now. “Lucas will soon become speechless, so he understands everything I say, so I only need to tell him good things.”
Dalton became dumbfounded by those words.
“……. I understand, I understand. “Go now.”
“Call me anytime if you need it.”
After Millia left, Dalton began pouring wine.
“By the way, what business did you come here for? From the look on his face, I think he came here to have a serious talk. “Tell me honestly, if it’s what you’re talking about, I won’t reveal it even if you ask me to go slit His Highness Prince Otto’s head right now.”
Even if he asked me to go slit his neck, his words of pretending not to hear were more trustworthy than simply saying that I would go with him.
Of course, Dalton and I are now in a position to shoulder more than hundreds of vassals, thousands of soldiers, and tens of thousands of people.
What’s even weirder is that you just say you’ll do whatever you feel like.
“Am I crazy? “If you were going to talk about something like that, why did you come to see me in this castle, where there are so many people watching, instead of going to Baron Maurer myself?”
“Well, there’s no way you would say something so stupid. So what do you want to talk about? Even if you ask for my daughter, I will give it to you, so feel free to tell me. “Even though we are 25 years older, I can give it to you.”
Normally, I would have joked and asked if that was true.
Then Dalton said he would think about it again and he would have taken it back.
Then, if I got down on my knees, he would have beaten me up a few times and even held a real wedding ceremony.
Well, now is not the time to think such nonsense…
“If something happens to me, please help me send Karin, Lucia, and Hilde into exile.”
At those words, Dalton squirted wine.
“You crazy bastard! “What kind of bullsh*t are you talking about?”
I wish it was bullsh*t too, but this isn’t necessarily bullsh*t, that’s the problem.
“I feel like those people who are direct vassals of the fortress are looking down on me. “I thought it would be dangerous if I stood there wrong.”
Even though I said this, I rolled my eyes upward.
Dalton’s expression hardened.
“Two, ten…”
“Did we put our lives in danger once or twice while running to get ahead?”
“But, why on earth…?”
“Ah, Captain… Aren’t we between us? Please help me just this once…”
If anyone sees it, it will seem like I’m telling Dalton to stand as guarantor for a debt.
And in fact, in a way, I am asking for something as risky as a guarantee.
Dalton looked at me and sighed.
“You son of a b*tch, only when things like this do you find someone… Yeah, f*ck. Would I still be a baron if it weren’t for you? Instead, just stay alive no matter what happens.”
“Yes, Captain.”
“Oh, don’t f*cking die. “You can’t have s*x when you’re dead, you son of a b*tch.”
Dalton surprisingly easily accepted the offer to help three people, including Karin, escape if they were in danger.
And a month later, Prince Otto ordered us to return to our respective territories.