Chapter 145 – Departure

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Translated by Sylph

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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Before the departure ceremony, Arte and Ferdinand exchanged glances somewhat awkwardly, and smiled at each other.

Even after the barbecue, the two had gone on talking as though to make up for the lost time between parent and child, and by the end they had become able to smile together at least a little.

On the makeshift platform stood His Majesty, Jalpha, Ventury, Ferdinand, and the other upper nobles, as well as lower nobles like Panamera who had been entrusted with part of the command. And for some reason, I was on the platform too.

His Majesty looked over the gathered knight orders and praised the martial valor of each of them. Jalpha and the other upper nobles likewise praised the training and bearing of the knight orders. To put it bluntly, it was a ceremony meant to raise the spirits of each soldier, make them confident, and fire them up.

The day before, they had eaten their fill in something like a grand banquet, and they had drunk alcohol as well. The soldiers’ motivation would rise whether they wanted it to or not.

Thinking that as I watched His Majesty’s back, just when the ceremony seemed about to end, His Majesty opened his mouth.

“Elite warriors of my kingdom! If you wish to have last night’s banquet once more, then shatter Yerinetta and return alive!”

And he delivered a harangue like nothing I had ever heard. However, that seemed to raise the soldiers’ excitement more than anything else, and a tremendous cheer came back.

His Majesty looked this way and grinned.

So this means I should hunt more magic beasts and prepare food again. Either way, a considerable amount would be stored within a week or two. Judging there to be no problem, I returned a smile.

His Majesty laughed as though surprised, but still gave a slight nod and drew his sword.

“Now then, march out!”

At those words, the soldiers answered with brave voices like rumbling earth. Then, just as planned, the Count Ventury House Knight Order moved out first.

At that point, a group of adventurers approached the platform. Orto, Plurier, Kusara, and the others.

“Well then, we’re off.”

“I’m counting on you, Orto-san.”

Orto and the others, who had been commissioned by His Majesty to guard and escort the mountain path, smiled in a relaxed, natural way.

Since they had already been in Seat Village a long time, Orto and the others were fully equipped with the weapons, armor, shields, and so on that I had made. On top of that, they had fought in places where numerous powerful magic beasts lived, such as the dungeon and the Wolfsburg Mountain Range, so that ease probably made sense.

“Well, I’ll take the lead and keep watch, so just relax like you’re on a big ship.”

When Kusara said that, Orto and the others gave him white looks.

“Listen to the innkeeper talking just because the reward for this request is high.”

“You were already the type to put on weight easily, and lately you’ve gotten even rounder.”

“Now hold on, aren’t you all being a little harsh? Thanks to all these noble guests staying over this time, I’ve slashed my debt all at once. Aren’t you all just jealous of me?”

At Orto’s and Plurier’s jeers, Kusara laughed while shaking his round belly. He was getting carried away, this one.

Kusara would do his job properly, but carelessness and overconfidence were dangerous.

“Kusara-san. They say that when you’re heading into a place where your life is in danger, if you start talking about the future, you end up getting swallowed whole by a dragon… so be careful, okay?”

When I muttered that in a low voice, everyone’s eyes turned to Kusara.

“Come to think of it, the ones who say things like, ‘When this request is over I’ll get married,’ or ‘If I survive I’ll open a shop,’ do die pretty often during the request…”

“That’s true…”

Orto and Plurier agreed with solemn faces. At that, Kusara shuddered and his smile stiffened.

“N-No way…? H-haha! That’s a mean joke, young master!”

Watching the frightened Kusara with pitying eyes, he swallowed his breath and fell silent.

Good. That should bring back his sense of tension. Nodding to myself, I sent Orto and the others off.

When I looked to the side, I saw Arte calling out to Count Ferdinand, who had stepped down from the platform and was about to go to his knight order.

“…U-um, please be careful…”

At that expression of concern for her father, Ferdinand looked surprised for just an instant, but immediately floated a gentle smile.

“…I’m off, Arte.”

It still could not be called natural, but the two certainly seemed to care for one another as parent and child.

Watching that with relief, Panamera came over to my side and opened her mouth.

“…Did you do something again, boy? That those two would have a conversation like that is a sight no one who knew them before would ever believe.”

At Panamera’s words, I shook my head from side to side.

“No. I think Arte changed Count Ferdinand’s thinking through her own power. Arte worked really hard. She went back to the count territory without borrowing my power and repelled the Yerinetta Kingdom army.”

When I answered that, Panamera let out a small laugh.

“I see. So it is not only Count Ferdinand who has changed.”

Muttering that, she ruffled my head all over.

“Honestly… being with you, boy, really never gets dull.”

Panamera laughed in high spirits as she said that.