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063 Dwarf-Killer
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Translator : PolterGlast
It was the 75th day
since my reincarnation. Today was the day we departed for the royal capital.
Anneliese and I were inside the carriage, with Jewel acting as coachman.
Gandarvan, Jojok, and Lin rode on warhorses, while Rosalina and Solidia were on
the coachman's seat of a luggage cart, and Bath was on the roof of my carriage.
The luggage cart was a decoy, meant to show we were transporting goods, since
Bath and I had Item Boxes.
The Duke's party,
guarded by approximately 600 soldiers of a regiment commanded by Barukan's
eldest son, Aegis, proceeded along the road in a gorgeous carriage. Aegis, like
the other knights, rode a warhorse. There were over 100 warhorses. The soldiers
weren't walking; they were riding in various luggage carts. So, including the
carts carrying luggage, the number of carts was nearly 100.
The ducal family's
carriages included the Duke's own, his wives', and his children's. Eight
carriages were prepared for them alone. This time, the Duke brought five wives.
What a normie.
The carriage journey
was quite arduous. By the end of the first day, I felt like the skin on my
backside had peeled off. It was the worst. The journey between the royal
capital and Kerniff was reportedly a 12-day carriage ride. I thought being
stuck in a carriage for 12 days was torture. My butt felt like it was going to
split from the vibrations.
The Duke apparently
went to the royal capital every year to pay his respects to the King for the
New Year. In previous years, he would celebrate the New Year in Kerniff, hold
the Great Council, then depart and have an audience on the 30th day of the 1st
month. This time, the Great Council would be held after the Duke returned to
Kerniff. This year, because we had subjugated the demon, the nation was
bestowing a reward upon us, so we were entering the royal capital earlier than
usual.
The nobles under the
Duke's command would also have an audience along with the Duke, but only half
of them would come. It was bad for all the vassals to be away from their
territories, so they would have an audience in alternating years, with half of
them attending each time. This year, due to the demon incident, Barukan would
be staying behind in Kerniff. He had an audience last year, so it worked out perfectly.
Other nobles also had
audiences between the 1st and 2nd months, so the capital would be overflowing
with nobles during that period.
When we came across a
noble's mansion or castle along the way, we would stay there. On the first day,
we stayed at the mansion of a Viscount under the Duke's command. I think we
traveled about 100 kilometers. And it was still within the Duke's territory.
How vast.
"Welcome, Your
Excellency," a man greeted the Duke in front of the entrance. It was
Viscount Bachus, the lord of the mansion. He wasn't very tall, but he was a
solidly built man in his 40s with red hair and a beard. To my surprise, he was
a Dwarf. I had an image of Dwarves being short, but he was about my height, so
not that short. I thought he was in his 40s, but he was actually 120 years old.
"Viscount Bachus,
thank you for coming to meet me," the Duke said.
"Haa,"
Bachus replied. Bachus's appraising gaze turned to me.
"Nice to meet
you, Viscount Bachus. I am Toi Footscythel, recently ennobled as a Baron. I
hope we can become acquainted," I said.
"I am Fushurum
Bachus. Welcome," he replied, greeting me and shaking my hand. I thought
he'd be more boisterous as a Dwarf, but he was a normal person.
Bachus invited the
Duke into the mansion. It was quite a large mansion. I thought my mansion was
big, but this one was several times larger. Since they apparently welcome the
Duke and his party every year, it must have been built large enough to
accommodate many nobles.
This time, only the
Duke, I, and a few other nobles were accompanying him, but other nobles were
also heading to the capital later. I relaxed in the room assigned to me.
Anneliese, Gandarvan, and Jewel were in the room. Rosalina, Bath, Lin, and
Solidia were waiting in the separate soldiers' annex. It seemed not everyone
could stay in the lord's mansion.
Jewel, with his
willow-green hair, made me tea. It was delicious tea. Mondark's training was
certainly effective. Jewel typically performed tasks like gardening and stable
management at the mansion, but he was originally a butler-in-training. I had
asked Mondark to hire more staff, but suitable servants were hard to find.
At the same time, I
had also asked Gandarvan to recruit a few more soldiers, but that wasn't easy
either. They had to be at least Swordsmen, Lancers, Knights, or Bowmen, so it
wasn't simple.
I was even thinking
about buying and raising Villager slaves. It felt like it would be faster for
both servants and soldiers that way.
"Jewel, how many
years has it been since you changed to Butler?" I asked. Jewel's job
wasn't Butler but Battle Butler. He was a fighting butler. Battle Butlers fight
with knives and hidden weapons, making them more like assassins than actual
assassins.
"It's been about
five years," Jewel replied. Since Jewel was 17, he must have changed jobs
at 12. Of course, he must have been a butler-in-training even before that. And
still an apprentice? Mondark was strict.
"It might be time
for you to lose the 'in-training' title," I suggested. Jewel gave a wry
smile, but he didn't seem entirely displeased. I would mention it to Mondark
when we returned to Kerniff.
***
In the evening, Bachus
hosted a banquet. The Duke, Bachus, and other nobles were all present for
dinner, and the food was lavish. There were huge roasted whole birds and pigs,
served by chefs who carved them at the table. It was a feast of only meat and
alcohol, with no vegetables. This kind of food image was exactly what I
pictured for Dwarves. I was a little happy about it.
Bachus was heartily
eating bone-in meat with his hands, but the Duke and other nobles were using
knives and forks. When in Rome, do as the Romans do, so I also grabbed a
bone-in piece of meat and bit into it.
"Delicious,"
I murmured. It had a sweet and savory sauce, like teriyaki, made with Burgan
and sugar.
"Honorary Baron
Footscythel, you can handle your liquor!" Bachus exclaimed.
"I merely tried
to imitate Viscount Bachus," I replied.
"I like you.
Drink! Drink more and more! This liquor is only made in my territory outside of
the Dwarf nation. It's delicious!" he boasted. An amber-colored liquor was
poured generously into a silver tankard. The smell of alcohol stung my nose.
"Then..." To
think that the liquor called 'Dwarf-Killer' would be the first alcohol I'd ever
drink in my life.
Gulp, gulp, gulp,
gulp... Delicious.
"Ugh!?" My
throat burned! It felt incredibly easy to drink at first, but immediately
afterward, I felt a burning sensation as if my throat was on fire.
"Gah-hahahahaha!
Not bad, but for a Human to drink half of that, I commend you!" Bachus
roared. Don't serve liquor that Humans can't drink! I tried to say that, but no
sound came out!
Damn it, if it's come
to this, I'll drown my sorrows! Gulp, gulp, gulp, gulp.
"Oh, you're doing
it! Alright, me too!" Bachus tilted his silver tankard. He drank
impressively.
"Phew!
Delicious!"
I drank, not to be
outdone.
"Hey, Honorary
Baron Footscythel. Are you alright?" the Duke asked. You drink too. This
stuff is delicious at first. Only at first, though.
Huh, my vision's
spinning.
"Gah-hahahaha.
You drank the Dwarf-Killer dry, Honorary Baron Footscythel! No, Toi, you're my
friend!" Bachus was saying something, but I was beyond caring.
***
"..." Ugh, I
feel sick. Where am I? It's an unfamiliar ceiling.
"Are you
awake?" Anneliese asked, looking down at me.
"Beautiful,"
I murmured. Even though I felt sick, my aesthetic sense for Anneliese's beauty
didn't seem to be dulled.
"Thank you,
Master. But if you don't get up soon, you'll miss the departure time," she
replied. Departure? What's that?
"I'll help you
up," Anneliese said, sliding her arm under my neck and lifting my upper
body. Her breasts brushed against my face. Normally, this would be a moment of
pure bliss, but I was too sick to care.
"Ugh, I feel
terrible..."
"That's what you
get for drinking Dwarf-Killer," Anneliese chided.
"Dwarf-Killer..."
I remembered. I had drunk that liquor, not wanting to lose to Bachus. My head
was pounding. I felt nauseous. I just wanted to stay in bed all day.
"Is it okay if I
just sleep like this?" I asked.
"No, it's not. If
this teaches you a lesson, please don't drink recklessly again," Anneliese
said, digging her elbow into my side. Is this the 'Boob Grind' punishment? I
should be happy, but I feel terrible.
"...Understood,"
I conceded. I forced my body to move, but each movement sent the contents of my
stomach rising up my esophagus. I retched several times as I washed my face and
changed clothes. Throwing up helped a little, but I still felt sick.
"You probably
don't want to eat, but please eat this," Anneliese said, offering me a
grated apple.
"I don't need
it," I replied. I really had no appetite.
"Please eat
without being stubborn," Anneliese insisted, scooping an apple with a
spoon and bringing it to my mouth.
"Say 'Ahh~'"
she prompted.
"...Ahh~" I
opened my mouth. I couldn't taste anything. I didn't even feel it go down my
throat. But I felt it enter my stomach. I felt like throwing up again.
"Gah-hahahaha.
You look terrible, Toi!" Bachus roared, looking cheerful. Why is he
calling me by name?
"Here, chew on
this." He handed me a lemon. I'm not pregnant, you know. Whatever, just
don't pat my back. I feel like the contents of my stomach are about to come
out.
"He seems to have
taken a liking to you," Anneliese commented, watching Bachus get into his
carriage.
"Dwarves call
heavy drinkers their friends, you see," Gandarvan added, looking
exasperatedly at me.
It seemed I had become
Bachus's friend. Give me a break.
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