Viscount Carnel

When spring break ended in March, Cecil’s older brother Mihai returned to the City of Academies aboard a magic airship.

Getting a firsthand feel for how quickly people grew in Normal Mode had been a good learning experience. It was also a good chance to see what I could do in Hell Mode. He said he’d be back in Granvelle City next March, so I asked him for a rematch. I still want to know just how strong I am.

"Good morning."

"Ah, good morning."

Allen greeted Rikkerel, the head footman. It was early April.

It had been about half a year since Allen came to the mansion. Some things had changed since then. He carried a serving tray to the seat in front of Rikkerel.

There was soup and bread, along with another meat dish. The soup also contained meat from a different monster than the one used in the meat dish, making for a hearty breakfast. The chef hadn’t added this extra food just for Allen.

Since becoming a gamekeeper at the end of December last year, Allen had continued bringing back the monsters he caught two days a week. Thanks to him, even the lowest-ranking servants were getting enough to eat. His hunts had improved meals for the mansion’s roughly thirty servants.

The gamekeeper position, which paid an extra fifty silver coins a month, was producing impressive results. Allen wasn’t trying to make money, so he was fine with that. He felt relieved when he saw Tomas eating heartily—probably because he was thirty-five in his previous life.

"Watch yourself at dinner tonight."

Rikkerel warned him as he ate in front of Allen.

"Viscount Carnel is visiting today, isn’t he?"

"That’s right. No idea why he’s stopping by here. You only need to do the bare minimum of serving."

"I heard the viscount from the neighboring territory is going out of his way to visit."

Viscount Carnel was scheduled to visit the mansion. They’d received word a few days ago, so it was a rather sudden visit.

Allen had been in charge of serving for about half a year and had waited on plenty of guests. The mansion received many visitors, mostly influential people from Granvelle City. Branch managers from the Adventurers Guild and the Merchants Guild, managers of upscale inns, and others came to pay their respects. Nobles from the royal capital visited from time to time, too.

With magic airships, travel in this world seemed to be quite easy.

"Yeah, apparently he even had an airship held for the trip."

The airship route between the royal capital and Granvelle City didn’t just connect those two places. It also served the capital city of Viscount Carnel’s territory, which bordered Baron Granvelle’s.

There were routes connecting the capital cities of each territory. Apparently, this time Viscount Carnel had even adjusted the airship schedule so he could return to the capital of his own territory.

Viscount Carnel arrived just after noon. The baron had invited him to the dining room where he usually ate. Allen was handed the dishes and served as he always had for the past six months.

Two men were seated in the family dining room on the second floor: Baron Granvelle and Viscount Carnel.

"Welcome, Lord Carnel."

Viscount Carnel looked to be in his late thirties. He had a long, broad face and a very high forehead. A man who looked like a butler stood behind him. Perhaps he had nouveau riche tastes; his clothes glittered. Though maybe some of that shine came from his broad forehead.

Baron Granvelle welcomed him with a smile, but his eyes weren’t smiling.

Usually, the baroness, Tomas, or Cecil would sometimes join them when guests visited. This time, though, it was just the baron and the viscount. They were seated at opposite ends of the long table, a considerable distance apart.

"Not at all. My city is so crowded, you see. A place with nothing to it like this is a nice change now and then."

"Is that so? Well, I’m glad to hear it. Hahaha."

The baron let the viscount’s insult pass without comment.

(Haven’t they been on bad terms for generations?)

Allen kept serving, taking care not to meet Viscount Carnel’s eyes.

Baron Granvelle’s territory and Viscount Carnel’s territory bordered each other across the White Dragon Mountains. Allen had heard this was one of the main reasons they were on bad terms.

Allen had also heard at the Adventurers Guild that mithril could be mined in the White Dragon Mountains. A vein of mithril ran through them, and the territories were divided up to the mountain range’s crest.

Since there was a mithril vein, either territory could mine it. But Baron Granvelle’s territory alone couldn’t, because the White Dragon lived on its side of the mountains.

Only Viscount Carnel’s territory, where the White Dragon didn’t live, could mine mithril.

One territory prospered from mithril mining, while the other focused on agriculture.

But apparently, this balance of prosperity wasn’t permanent.

The White Dragon moved from time to time. Not often, though—the interval was something like a hundred or two hundred years. Allen had heard that over a hundred years ago, it lived on the viscount’s side.

Back then, the barony could mine mithril. Now, because the White Dragon lived there, the barony had about four abandoned mithril mines that had gone unworked for over a hundred years.

That was why they’d been on bad terms for generations over the mithril and the White Dragon. Rikkerel had told Allen that the current Viscount Carnel was particularly ill-tempered and did nothing but harass the baron.

Granvelle City and Viscount Carnel’s city were connected by an airship route that went north, since the White Dragon Mountains didn’t extend very far in that direction. The route went around the mountains, so Allen had heard it was quite a long way on foot.

Allen served Viscount Carnel a dish made with Horned Rabbit meat. They had better monster meat available, but apparently weren’t going to serve it to him.

"Hm? Is this that Boar meat I’ve heard so much about?"

Baron Granvelle’s expression stiffened at those words.

"Indeed, I believe it is. My territory can produce meat, after all."

"Oh! So this is that Boar meat you were hiding!"

"Wha!? What do you mean? I haven’t been hiding anything in particular."

(He’s holding back his anger. And apparently, Viscount Carnel was the reason they’d gotten more Boar meat.)

At an audience with the king, Viscount Carnel had raised his voice to accuse some territory of making a profit without reporting it. The king had asked which territory he meant.

Carnel had said it was Granvelle. They’d produced a great deal of Boar meat without reporting it to the royal family. It was concealment from the royal family—an act of treason, he’d shouted.

The baron really had failed to report it, so he’d been put in an extremely difficult position in the audience chamber.

Rikkerel had told Allen all sorts of things like this before the viscount arrived. He really did tell him everything. Allen also remembered Baron Granvelle recalling the incident at dinner in Krena Village and seething with rage.

"So, what brings you here today, arriving so suddenly?"

The baron seemed eager to hear what he had to say and send him on his way.

"Oh, that’s right. I got so caught up in this delicious Boar meat that I’d forgotten! Hahaha."

"I see, I see. So what is it? What brings you here?"

The baron seemed to want him to get to the point.

"My youngest daughter, you see. She was found to have no talent at her Appraisal Ceremony the other day, so I came to tell you."

"Huh?"

(An Appraisal Ceremony? Come to think of it, those are held in April. Krena Village held theirs in mid-April, so nobles have theirs earlier. Right, Mash’s Appraisal Ceremony is in less than ten days. I’d like to know the results. Should I send a letter? No, my parents can’t read.)

Every year in April, children who had turned five the previous year underwent an Appraisal Ceremony. Everyone, from royalty to serfs, took part. Hearing Viscount Carnel bring up the ceremony reminded Allen that Mash would have his this year.

It seemed Viscount Carnel had come to tell Baron Granvelle the results of his own child’s Appraisal Ceremony.

(So she didn’t have any talent. Hm? Why does he sound so happy?)

He tried to gauge the viscount’s mood by listening to his voice, without looking at his face.

"Is that so?"

That was all the baron could say. He had absolutely no interest in the matter; he couldn’t see what it had to do with him.

"One of my children was found to have talent at the last Appraisal Ceremony, you know. I was worried this one might have it too, but thank goodness she didn’t. It’s such a relief that she has no talent!"

"I see."

The baron’s expression grew more and more severe. His eyes were clearly taking on a hawklike sharpness.

"What a shame, Lord Granvelle. You had three children, and two of them turned out to have talent."

He was referring to Mihai, who had talent and attended the academy, and Cecil, who had a talent for magic.

"Well, it’s only our duty as nobles!"

The baron spoke forcefully, finally losing his temper without trying to hide it.

(Hm? What’s going on? Serfs and commoners are overjoyed when they have talent, but is it a hassle for nobles? A duty, maybe? Do they have a quota? Does it cost a lot to attend the academy? Things are different for nobles than for serfs and commoners. How strange.)

Allen remembered how Dogora and his parent had hugged each other in delight when they learned Dogora had a talent for wielding an axe. The village chief and Peromus had reacted the same way. Rodin had also fervently hoped that Allen would have talent.

But Viscount Carnel had gone out of his way to travel by airship just to brag that his child had no talent. The positions of nobles and commoners really were different.

Having said his piece, Viscount Carnel returned to his territory, looking quite pleased with himself.