Novel Bin Vol. 1 - Ch. 93 - Trump Card
I had come here filled with excitement for the Deareise fishing expedition the next morning, but an unexpected problem popped up in a matter of seconds.
Apparently, a group of white-tailed whales were spotted on what should be our route which put a stop to our voyage.
"Oh damn...... Why would orcas appear at this time, talk about bad luck. There\'s one week \'til the competition so I hope they don\'t linger around for that long, but I feel like we can only look for a substitute fish." (Mimosa)
Hey, hey, must be kidding with me, right? You couldn\'t imagine how much the Deareise fish had infiltrated my mind after she gave me a brief overview of it as if my life would be a waste if I didn\'t try at least once.
If what she said was right, then this Deareise should be like tuna, a supreme filling ingredient for sushi. It seemed like they often weighed above 500 kg and each part offered a different blast of flavor with the cherry on top being its elegant aroma, acidity, and fat.
I honestly couldn\'t get a wink of sleep last night. My head was completely filled with red sashimi shining in a ruby glow.
Like hell, a substitute would be enough to satisfy my unquenchable desire for the Deareise fish burning within me--- not when she preached to me how there was no second or third substitute for it.
"A-Are you kidding me...?! C\'mon, there should be some other way, right, right?"
"......Ugh, no unfortunately. It might have been possible if we just had the monster-repelling magical tool for ships in the Count\'s possession but it\'s so valuable that money simply can\'t replace it..."
......Haa. Of all things, the situation just had to be stuck in that direction, huh? I just wanted to make this trip with only my explorer identity...
I activated my body-strengthening magic to its full potential and rushed to the Count Estate, located similarly in Lacanthal.
Once at the entrance of the estate, I shouted without heed for anything.
"D-A-N-K-U-N! L-E-T-S-P-L-A-Y!!"
Needless to say, that quickly drew in the guards who surrounded me immediately.
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Right at the time Allen was racing to the Count Estate, the Count and his family were having a post-meal tea time in the dining hall.
"I, for one, was confident that you would make it into the Academy in the assessment, but I truly didn\'t expect that you would surpass even those expectations and get a spot in Class A as a 2nd ranker, right next to Leo Zatsinger!
You truly are the pride of our Count family, Daniel! I guess I also outdid myself by leaving no stone unturned and raising you with all the attention and knowledge amassed by our Serdos family!"
Count Serdos had been on cloud nine ever since Dan --- Daniel Serdos --- scored a meritorious result in the entrance examination of the Royal Academy.
The countess, also the legal wife, nodded along with a face flushed with excitement.
"Indeed, he truly is the pride of our count family, Dear. His future prospects are limitless with a score so magnificent... I can\'t even imagine the end of his potential. There has been a dizzying number of tea party invitations from the great Marquis Grauksh and the other nobles, it has truly been exhausting going through them all--- however, it is a welcoming one.
Veena-san, it must have been a headache for you to participate in the tea party of nobles after living as a commoner, so you can leave \'everything\' to me! I\'ll support you on this."
"It\'s as you said, Brient-sama. It\'s impossible for me to get along with people at a noble\'s tea party. I\'ll leave it in your capable hands."
Dan\'s biological mother, Veena, replied while wearing a noh mask-like smile.
Countess Brient\'s gauge of delightedness was further fuelled up hearing the submissive response.
"Daniel would surely take the Serdos family to new heights once he assumes a position in this kingdom.
We have paved the path for you to be here by exhausting yourself for your unofficial--- ah, pardon me, you now have been uplifted to official status. So I hope you don\'t forget the favor, and support Corday-chan who\'ll be leading the Serdos family later."
"Yes, of course, Brient-sama. I\'ll never forget the favor of \'everyone\' who raised me so far."
Dan, too, responded with a similar noh mask-like smile.
"Oi, Daniel! You\'re in the knight course, unlike an intellectual major like me! Who knows when you might be sent to the battlefield one day as a member of the army so make sure to make plenty of connections with the students of the civil courses. Better do it now, who knows about the future!"
After having been lifted to a high pedestal, Corday-chan said so to him in an imperious manner. Then, copying after him, the younger siblings followed with sycophantic voices.
"Ah, stealing a march isn\'t good, Dear Brother! In fact, don\'t you think it sounds like a wonderful idea to flatten that sloven flabby stomach in the army? As for me, I would like to be introduced to some wonderful friends! It would be great if they were from the same class as you, Daniel, but someone from Count houses or upper nobility would also be great if that\'s impossible!"
"I just want a civil position in the Grauksh territory, a post with minimal effort if possible. And one where I can freely continue my horse-riding hobby, except in the army.
Ah, but introducing me to an adorable lady sounds great as well, possibly from a viscount family. Then I can throw my weight around without care."
"Hahaha, you and your lackadaisical attitude~! As for me---"
They were the so-called step-brothers and sisters of Dan. With the sudden entrance of a new but excellent member, and from the commoner rank to boot, they hadn\'t left any chance to ridicule him as \'pleb\' or \'baseborn\', as the typical scenario went.
The ridiculing had waned after his result in the mock exam met the \'almost guaranteed admission\' assessment of him and was invited to the high achievers\' rankings gathering back at the Royal Capital, their cold attitude, however, remained the same as ever.
Having been raised amidst a group of craftsmen as a straightforward individual, Dan never took their demeaning attitude to heart but the sickening attitude they had been putting on after his homecoming had been grating on his nerves.
Just as he was fed up with them, the family\'s butler entered the room.
"Pardon my intrusion. We\'ve received word that one of Young Master Daniel\'s friends is here to see him... Apparently, the reason is \'I\'m here to hang out with Dan-kun\'..."
The humorous expression of Count Serdos changed into a wrathful one the next instant as he bellowed at the butler.
"Moron! Have your pea brain forgotten that Daniel\'s schedule is already full with the greetings to other great nobles!? There\'s no time to play around! And who even is that person, a commoner!? Haa, an ignorant one who doesn\'t know they\'re not in the same world anymore! Why do I still have you if I need to tell you such tiny details!"
After blowing his steam at the butler, the Count then switched his glare to Dan.
"You, what have I told you about to cut off any connection with those plebeians? Did nothing of what I said get through to your head?"
A slight crack appeared on Dan\'s expressionless face as he shook his head.
"I haven\'t, father. I certainly followed your order and stopped sending letters, let alone met them."
\'I hope so,\' Count muttered in response to Dan\'s answer and then bellowed at the butler \'Chase him away!\' as he sipped on the black tea but---
"This... Err, the person has touted himself to be the friend of Young Master Daniel from the Royal Capital... He introduced himself as Allen Rovenne-sama."
The next words of the butler, who continued in a faltering tone, caused him to spit out the black tea he had just taken a sip of.
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"I have confirmed it, there\'s no doubt it\'s him. I never heard of his plan to visit here so I\'m equally surprised. Allen is kind of an unpredictable guy as I had informed you earlier...
Anyway, he apparently had truly come to play around--- something about going out on a hunting trip for 2 to 3 days which is also a sort of training for the upcoming fall\'s Academy field trip, but of course, the young master\'s schedule comes first. "
The humorous mood of the Count was currently at the mercy of erratic winds.
"What are you saying!? I may have said that Daniel\'s schedule is jam-packed but nothing comes first before deepening his friendship with excellent classmates. I\'ll see to the schedule somehow, so you can--- no, you should accompany and entertain him.
As for the others, haa, once I tell them that \'Unfortunately, we might have to cancel the meeting as \'that\' Allen Rovenne-kun suddenly dropped by to hang out with our Daniel, uh-huh, it\'s truly a pinch...\' they\'re surely going to bite their handkerchief in jealousy, but there shouldn\'t be any complaints!
Hmph, it\'s just a matter of time before our Count family becomes the most enviable target among the nobles of the Royal Capital! Goodness, just thinking about it is making me dizzy!"
"......Understood, then I\'ll be out for the next couple of days. Ah, by the way, he wanted to fish in the sea and was looking to borrow the monster-repelling magical tools for safety. Can I borrow one?"
"There shouldn\'t be a need to ask! Take it. He truly is as the rumor says, never ignoring danger even for something like playing around. Make sure to prioritize your time with your best friend Allen-kun.
It would be great if you could bring him here on the way back."
"......He said he can\'t impose himself on the Count Estate any further after barging in without an appointment, so he is less likely to stop by. I\'ll be going then."
The state of the Count as he prattled and one-sidedly called Allen his \'best friend\' in a wheedling tone was so comical that Dan had to keep his expression in control from laughing out as he left the dining hall.
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After making sure Dan had left.
Corday-chan, who had been holding himself from butting in, asked the Count after seeing his flipping attitude.
"Is disturbing the plan to this extent worth it, father? He might be a Class A student, but I don\'t see why there\'s a need to be so servile against a rude fella who visits at the drop of a hat. Besides, Daniel is ranked 2nd in this year\'s exam, so speaking of hierarchy, isn\'t that guy below Daniel?"
He asked while throwing his weight on the support of the seat and cockily stretching out his legs. As they say, typically the habits of loved ones easily rubbed off on each other, so he also had the mentality of a \'big boss\' even though the best result he produced was graduating from the Aristocratic School, and that too from the typical group of \'someone whose result would be easier to find if searched from the bottom.\'
"You haven\'t socialized enough and got out of this countryside territory or else you wouldn\'t be saying that. He\'s the new rising star who had appeared out of nowhere and beaten down Leo Zatsinger in the knight course\'s practical exam ranking and received a unanimously top evaluation from all the examiners.
The rumor is that he has even talked to this kingdom\'s hero, \'Godorfun the Buddha\', on equal footing and there\'s no noble house in the kingdom who hasn\'t been keeping tabs on his movement, even if he\'s just going for a harvest request or inviting someone for a barbecue.
In fact, he has already enrolled in the Knight Order under the edict of His Majesty despite only being in the first term of his first year, an unprecedented move. Even Marquis Grauksh has expressed that he wants to hear about Allen Rovenne directly from Dan\'s mouth when he visits for Dan\'s birthday party."
The dining hall was wrapped in a veil of silence.
"There had been eyes on his summer vacation schedule as well, but no one was able to get a read on his plan, or even find out where he disappeared to... There are even rumors that he is--- was out for a knight order\'s top-secret mission.
But to think the same burgeoning star would visit our territory just to hang out with Daniel and all by himself is just...... Ughhh."
Finally, the Count found himself overloaded by the unexpected situation and collapsed on the spot.
T/N - I gotta prop the author for writing infuriating characters so easily lol. On the other hand, I cracked at MC casually dropping be like \'Let\'s play.\'
E/N - Well... In hindsight, it should have been obvious that this was Dan\'s family as soon as "Daniel" came out of Mimosa\'s story. I\'m pretty slow sometimes