Game Fortune Becomes Reality Chapter 46
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Game Fortune Becomes Reality Chapter 46
14. Rewards for Meritorious Service (4)
'Viscount Dougherty's son', 'Viscount Parma's son', 'Viscount Karma's daughter', 'Viscount Rognier's daughter'.
These four were figures that anyone who entered the Reinhartz Royal Academy at the same time as I did could not possibly fail to know.
They were what you might call the school bullies.
"So you're still running around in a pack even now that you're adults?"
But although they were children of lords, their influence was a bit too weak for them to lord over the Royal Academy where many nobles attended.
To swagger through the academy like it was their own world, they needed a stronger backing than a mere viscount house.
"Where has your mistress gone?"
By their mistress, I meant Isabella of the Marquis Caskbell family, who guards the southeastern border.
Surely they hadn't expected me to show my displeasure right to their faces?
The four of them flushed red, but instead of talking back, they forced their expressions back into composure and offered greetings.
"Hey, Adrian. What's with that?"
"Right, we're still alumni after all."
So they had grown somewhat with age, had they?
Looking at their faces as they showed restraint, I couldn't help but laugh.
I said one thing to the four of them and turned my back.
"I'll come find you in a bit if I have time. Let's have a proper, long talk then."
"Wh-what?"
"Y-yeah. Isabella will come later too."
Even as adults, it seemed they still used Isabella as their shield.
I wiped the chill from my face and walked on with my family.
"Are they friends of yours?"
"Academy classmates."
The academy had a full boarding system.
So my mother, who had no way of knowing what kind of life I led there, gave them a polite bow.
But Arcia must have sensed my feelings, because she shot them a glare full of cold fury and matched my pace.
'This should be fun.'
I am petty enough that I never forget a grudge.
They were people who needed to be taught a lesson sooner or later, and they had the courtesy to show up right before my eyes I couldn't be more grateful.
Wearing a thicker smile than ever, I entered with my family.
* * *
"D-damn… Did you see the look in that girl's eyes at the end? She was staring like she wanted to kill us."
"Haah… Adrian hasn't forgotten us, it seems."
Sometimes, adults dismiss school bullying lightly and merely scold the instigators, saying things like "you shouldn't bully your friends."
But such actions stem from the illusion of adults who don't know just how malicious and persistent children can be.
If the bullying kids had had any common sense in the first place, they wouldn't have taken pleasure in others' suffering.
And in Rondel, where social rank exists, this phenomenon is even more pronounced.
Children of high-ranking noble houses with solid backing would cunningly use their status to twist powerless classmates around their fingers, and teachers, constantly minding the students' moods, would often only offer the most perfunctory responses.
Thus, the children targeted by bullying could find no help anywhere, withering away slowly like flowers blooming in a desert.
The Isabella clique, backed by the prestige of the Marquis Caskbell family, committed so many atrocities that more than ten students left the academy because of them.
"How could I forget."
"This is going to be a pain. Isabella will cover for us this time too, right?"
"Y-yeah, it'll be fine. What can some newly-ennobled brat do?"
In that sense, Adrian was a deeply interesting target for them.
His position in his family was practically that of an outcast, yet he always held himself upright and mostly brushed off whatever they did.
Normally, one would lose interest when the target doesn't react, but sadly, their attacks against Adrian only grew worse and more vicious by the day.
Thanks to that, during his academy days Adrian was always wrapped in bandages, to the point there wasn't a part of his body that hadn't been broken.
"Ugh… I still can't forget the warning he gave back then."
At Viscount Rognier's daughter's words, her friends recalled memories of the past they had tried so hard to forget.
"You'd better be prepared. I'll torment you in the most horrible way imaginable. I'll make you regret ever being born."
That was a line Adrian had spat out when a commoner girl was being gang-beaten by her classmates.
The reason that girl had suffered such a miserable fate was because she had asked Adrian a single question whether he was alright.
For just those few words, a teenage girl had to leave the academy bearing an unerasable wound.
That incident made Adrian who normally showed no reaction no matter how badly he was hurt erupt in violent fury.
His appearance, so different from before and brimming with killing intent, was seared deeply into the memories of Isabella's gang.
"L-let's find Isabella first."
"Why isn't she answering any of our calls?"
Because of the sins they had committed in the past, they couldn't help but fidget like dogs with their tails on fire.
In the past, they might have laughed this off, but now, they couldn't.
The four of them kept their distance from Adrian and hurried off to find some patron who could protect them.
But there was one thing the four of them didn't know.
At around the time they had been stumbling around drunk yesterday, Isabella having re-realized Adrian's position had already been racking her brains desperately to save her own skin.
* * *
A meeting with people one could only find unpleasant to face.
But now that he had gained great power, encountering them felt like a most enjoyable pastime.
"Shall I kill them?"
"No, not yet."
Arcia was someone who, though usually oblivious, was quick to catch on to changes in him.
She must have noticed his feelings toward them.
I shook my head at Arcia's question and spoke.
"I have a promise to keep with those brats."
"Then I shall keep watch."
An event perfect for commemorating his ennoblement had come up.
He'd thought he might run into them here, with all the nobles gathered, but he hadn't expected to encounter them so easily.
"Wow, this is indoors, right?"
Countless nobles were walking down a long corridor, and despite being inside a building, it was as wide as a four-lane road.
Thanks to that, the nobles could walk comfortably without bumping shoulders with one another.
And then they arrived at today's main venue the "Great Hall."
Looking at the stage wrapped in brilliant lighting and the long rows of seats, it felt like being inside a concert hall.
"It's a place large enough for ten thousand people to gather and enjoy a party. The annual Noble Assembly is also held here."
"That's amazing. Isn't this hall alone bigger than our lord's castle?"
"Haha, the floor area is similar, but the volume is far greater."
At her father's explanation, her mother let out continuous exclamations of awe.
Just then, a woman who appeared to be a palace maid approached hesitantly and greeted them.
"I'll help guide you to your seats. May I see your invitation?"
"Here it is."
She must have recognized them.
But judging by the flush on her face, it didn't seem like she was stammering because she felt burdened by them.
"I'll escort you to your seats."
And the way she glanced at Arcia she must be a fan of hers, he thought.
A female Aura Master of commoner origin was a profile that appealed even to other women.
"Is this the right seat?"
"Yes, that's correct."
And the place they were guided to was, by anyone's standards, not somewhere a viscount's family would normally be seated.
A table seat in the very front row.
It was a VIP section treated entirely differently from the back rows that had only bare chairs without tables.
Thanks to the tendency of high-ranking nobles to arrive late like the main protagonists, they had to bear the gazes of a crowd that seemed to number four to five thousand.
The funny thing was, even though people wanted to talk to them, no one dared to approach easily.
Thanks to that, they could feel just how much their family's standing had changed from before.
"Oh, if it isn't the Viscount Lawrence family!"
As time passed, figures from count houses and marquis families began appearing one by one, filling the surroundings.
They all approached with friendly expressions and greeted them, and even his father received the greetings with a slightly stiff face at the arrival of these named nobles that any citizen of the Kingdom of Rhinehearts would know.
My gaze was fixed on a spot far away where the Marquis of Ereiven was located.
Judging by how he clicked his tongue and avoided eye contact, it seemed he'd been warned by the Second Prince.
"I hear there's good news this time. Allow me to offer my congratulations in advance."
The high-ranking nobles all seemed to already know about my marquisate appointment.
My father forced a calm expression and managed a smile.
"Oh my, Lady Lawrence, where did you purchase that jewelry?"
"It truly suits your elegant dress so well."
"Th-this was a gift from my son, so I'm not quite sure myself."
"As expected they say Master Lawrence is a devoted son. So he buys such gifts for his mother too."
"I'm so envious that your son is so capable. My son is the same age as Master Lawrence, but he still lingers around salons chasing after women's skirts. Sigh, when will he ever grow up?"
My mother was the center of attention among the noble ladies.
They were piling on compliments for now, but from the sharp gleam in their eyes, I could easily tell they had ulterior motives.
"Um, Lady Lawrence."
"Yes?"
"If it isn't too forward, might I ask what kind of education you gave your son?"
"Oh, me too. I'd like to hear as well. I'm also curious which tutor provided his early education."
Realizing what their interest was, I shook my head slightly.
Whether in this world or that one, a parent's greatest concern seems to be their child's education.
"I haven't really done anything to educate him myself. He simply handled everything on his own."
Unfortunately, my mother's answer was far from what they'd hoped for.
Still, the noble ladies pestered my mother persistently, but they got nothing out of it.
"I suppose geniuses are simply chosen by heaven."
"Indeed, considering what Master Lawrence has been through, it seems his own will and talent matter more than his environment."
In the end, they switched tactics to building a friendship with my mother and showered her with flattery.
* * *
[We will now begin the victory commemorative ceremony.]
After the brief socializing came to an end, the ceremony began.
On the seats prepared on the stage, royalty and dukes and marquises sat in a row and it was noticeable that the crowd was split around the Crown Prince and the Second Prince.
It was a clear sign of how much this kingdom's political infighting had intensified.
Then my eyes met the Crown Prince's, and when he gave me a cryptic smile, I quickly looked away.
There was no benefit to being caught exchanging glances here.
'Hm?'
Sure enough, the Second Prince had been watching us.
The Second Prince flashed a grin, as if pleased that I'd avoided the Crown Prince's gaze.
But then the Second Prince spoke with what appeared to be a military man beside him, and directed a lingering gaze at Arcia.
'So they're interested in Arcia too, these Aura Masters of the kingdom.'
He was Marquis Vincent, the kingdom's finest sword, who along with Duke Anahaim formed the twin pillars of the Second Prince's faction.
Their attitude, as if appraising Arcia, was unpleasant but since I was planning to cause plenty of outbursts later, I kept my expression in check for now.
'As expected, I don't mesh well with the Second Prince.'
The ceremony moved from the king's address straight into the commendation of merits.
Knights who had distinguished themselves were named, and among them was William, the knight-captain of House Lawrence, who had fought alongside me.
William was granted the generous reward of a baronetcy it seemed the Second Prince had pulled some strings.
A moment later.
After the knights' commendations ended, the nobles began to be called up.
But the one who drew the most spotlight among the meritorious nobles was an unexpected figure.
[To Count Otis, commander of the 23rd Division of the regional army.]
That is, Count Otis my flexible direct superior with whom I shared good memories.
"Count Otis is awarded the Golden Lion Medal and the border city of Ortt, and is appointed Marquis of the Jese frontier."
A marquisate appointment out of nowhere.
He had certainly earned no small merit, but this was a rather excessive reward.
As a result, the murmuring in the hall grew louder.
'Good thing. So Count Otis was in the Crown Prince's camp after all.'
I could immediately tell what was going on.
When the king, the Crown Prince, and the Second Prince offered their congratulations without complaint, the hall filled with thunderous applause.
The commendation ceremony ended in a way that defied many people's expectations.
But no one rose from their seat, because everyone knew that, apart from the commendation ceremony, today's occasion had its own protagonists.
[To Master Adrian Lawrence, son of Viscount Lawrence, and to Sir Arcia Klein.]
Finally, the roll call for me and Arcia came.
As we stepped forward in matching outfits, exclamations burst out here and there.
It wasn't hard to tell that this was due to our youth and looks being displayed on the large holographic display.
-Click! Click!
Bathed in the reporters' flashbulbs as if we had become celebrities, we stood before the king, who was gripping the ceremonial sword prepared for the enfeoffment with a flourish.
"The two of you, kneel."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Then the king recited various admonitions.
Lines such as "As subjects, devote your loyalty to the king and protect the people and the nation's property."
Finally, he tapped our shoulders and heads with the ceremonial sword he was holding, then raised his voice and proclaimed:
"To Adrian Lawrence, I grant the title of Marquis and the territory of Marinkov; to Arcia Klein, I grant the title of Count and the territory of Glendale."
"Furthermore, to the two new High Lords, I grant one Sky Fortress each do your utmost to defend the fatherland."
"We are overwhelmed."
"We are overwhelmed."
The nobles' reaction to the king's proclamation was, if anything, more intense than when Count Otis had become a Marquis never less.
"A Marquis?"
"All of a sudden?"
"Has there ever been a case of someone leaping from a no-name to Marquis overnight?"
Murmurs arose here and there, people wondering if they had heard correctly.
"A round of applause for Marquis Lawrence and Count Klein."
In the end, when the king stepped in to confirm it, the nobles who had failed to gather information in advance had no choice but to swallow dry and clap.
I rolled my eyes diligently, spotted the young nobles with incredulous expressions, and smirked at them.
They were the four brats I had run into at the palace entrance.
"Do you have any words of reflection you'd like to share?"
Was it because of the Marquis's presence?
For the first time, the king gave time for us to share our thoughts.
"First of all, I am at a loss for words before the grace of His Majesty the King, the heart of this nation and its fair scale."
I began my remarks by gilding the king's face.
That was the natural order of things.
Then, not forgetting to express gratitude to the Crown Prince and the Second Prince as well, I calmly continued.
"Once I became a noble with a territory, there was something I always wished to do. I would like to declare that wish before everyone gathered here today."
I paused for a moment, drawing the crowd's attention.
"The House of Viscount Dougherty, the House of Viscount Parma, the House of Viscount Karma, the House of Viscount Rognier."
This was an unexpected turn.
As four family names suddenly flew out of my mouth, everyone tilted their heads in confusion.
And with an utterly fresh expression, I said:
"I declare territorial warfare against these four houses."
People blinked, momentarily unable to grasp what I meant.
The king, the Crown Prince, and even the Second Prince.