Chapter 51
As Lowell had promised, I was expecting a reward.
A grand reward ceremony was held in the Capital.
Everyone who participated in the Investigation Team, excluding the dead and seriously injured, gathered in one place.
Among them, I was recognized for making a significant contribution, second to none, and received a tremendous reward.
However.
"Seriously, what the fuck."
Despite receiving a reward that would astound anyone, I sighed in the garden.
"Wow! You could buy a mansion with this gold!"
"The Dawn Star Medal is almost the highest-ranking merit medal...."
Well, the rewards I received were a medal and gold.
"You're truly amazing...!"
"You've accomplished incredible things out there...."
Almost all of the mansion's servants had gathered around me.
Word of my receiving the medal and gold had spread, and they came to see for themselves.
To me, it's just a shiny badge, but everyone's making a fuss.
"Is it really that big of a deal?"
Honestly, I was hoping for some special weapon or something.
But all I got was a medal I can't even eat.
"Of course! Just wear it and you'll be treated with respect wherever you go in the Kingdom!"
"Is that so...."
Is it really that good?
Well, there were a lot of surprised reactions when I received it.
Well, then, it's not as bad as I thought?
And more than anything, I received a lot of money.
I can use this to buy something at Garret's Smithy, or look for some good armor.
Or maybe even an artifact.
I touched the blue collar still hanging around my neck.
It's single-use, but it makes me feel secure.
I wonder where I can get artifacts. Should I ask Terra when she visits the mansion?
She seems like a skilled Magician Woman, so she probably knows a lot about artifacts.
Anyway.
"Everyone, go now. I'm going to rest."
"Oh, right. You must be tired from receiving it all morning."
"Get some rest!"
I said that to the gathered servants, especially the large group of maids, and they dispersed in an orderly fashion.
I didn't know the medal would attract this much attention.
"You're... Ah, this is your workplace."
"Yes...!"
Once everyone left, only Sienna remained in the garden.
Sienna wasn't interested in the gold or the medal and was just petting Whitey.
…That damn dog follows her well now.
Before, he was like a clingy puppy, always anxious to be near me whenever I was around. He seems much better now.
Anyway.
I roughly organized the gold and medal and stored them in the storage space under the doghouse cushion. Just then...
"Rain, are you there?"
Lowell's voice called from the courtyard, so I went outside.
"Ah, yes Lowell."
"Come to my office for a moment. We need to talk."
"Alright."
I wonder what's up. But he called for me, so I stopped tidying up and followed Lowell to his office.
"It's about your reward."
"Reward? I just received one. Is there more?"
"That was the Kingdom's reward. There's still the Void Family's reward, isn't there?"
As soon as we arrived at the office, Lowell brought up the topic of rewards.
Now that I think about it, I did hear that the Void Family would give me a separate reward.
"What are they giving me?"
"Tell me what you want, and I'll arrange it."
"Oh...."
Judging by the way he's talking, they'll give me almost anything, right?
Then my answer is set.
"The Void Family's Esoteric Technique. Can I learn the advanced version?"
If it's a reward from the Family, not the royal family, it has to be this.
The Void Family's Esoteric Technique is divided into two stages, or three, broadly speaking.
There's the basic and advanced version.
And there's another intermediate stage in between.
"You haven't fully mastered the basics, and you want the advanced version?"
"I can learn it after I master the basics."
I'm a bit shaky right now, but if I'm given a little time, I'm confident I can master it completely.
And I'm more interested in the Esoteric Technique than any equipment I could receive right now.
Didn't I see it with Luke and Arthur Clayton?
How different each individual's Esoteric Technique can be, even if it's the same technique.
"Hmm, the advanced version, huh."
At my request, Lowell closed his eyes in thought for a moment.
And then…
"You haven't contributed enough to learn the advanced version, but I'll arrange it for you."
"Ah, thank you."
"However, the advanced version is, in principle, only taught to Retainers."
"...Is that so?"
"It's about time you received your knighthood."
…Do I really have to do that?
It felt like I was taking advantage of the Family by staying as a Slave after receiving so much from them.
To begin with, even the basic Esoteric Technique is usually only taught to Retainers.
I've been putting it off for quite a while.
"I don't think you're the type to want to be tied down, so I'll exempt you from any official duties."
"Then what happens?"
"You'll just have your name on the roster."
"Thank you for your consideration."
Having just my name on the roster is definitely Lowell's consideration. I don't know why he's being so nice to me.
He could just assign me a position while he's at it, along with the knighthood.
“So, how do you think the Young Lady will react to this?”
“She’s slowly becoming a proper lady. She won't throw any more tantrums, I believe.”
…She considered my continued dog treatment a tantrum, huh. I guess her sudden outbursts and glittering eyes aren't enough to faze Lowell.
“Once you become a Knight, you’ll be given a separate room in the Mansion.”
“Ah, right.”
Is my long stay in the Courtyard finally over?
Whitey will miss it.
“Then I’ll begin my preparations.”
Anyway.
That’s how the conversation regarding the Void Family's reward went.
After that, I rested comfortably in the Mansion without any particular news.
A few days passed like that.
"The Young Lady has arrived."
As planned, the Young Lady returned to the Mansion.
“Doggy!”
The returning Young Lady didn’t look much different than before.
If I had to pick something out, it would be her hairstyle.
Instead of her usual twintails, her hair was down and styled more neatly.
“I heard you earned some Merit this time?”
“Ah, yes, that’s right.”
“Good job!”
Seemingly already informed, the Young Lady reached out to me as soon as she arrived.
…She wants my head, right?
As usual, I knelt on one knee to match her height, and she started petting me vigorously.
“Such a lucky charm!”
*Pet pet.*
My head and face were being rubbed so hard by her two hands that my fur was getting completely ruffled.
“Uh, um…”
Sienna, watching from the side, seemed a little shocked.
…Come to think of it, is this their first time meeting?
“Hm? And who is this?”
“This is Sienna, the Trainer I hired to train Whitey.”
“...I’ve heard a lot about you, Young Lady.”
“Nice to meet you.”
Unlike with Whitey, the Young Lady didn’t react much this time.
It felt like she was just looking at another Servant.
“Young Lady, Lowell is waiting.”
“Oh, right.”
Speaking of which, seeing the Young Lady’s appearance, she seems to have come straight to the Courtyard upon arrival.
I implied she should change her clothes first, and she nodded before disappearing into the Mansion.
“Then I’ll go unpack!”
With the Young Lady gone.
“Uh, um… are you really a dog?”
“Only to the Young Lady.”
I received a bewildered look from Sienna, who was standing next to me.
“But you’re an Aura User, right?”
“Yes.”
“You earned a lot of Merit this time too.”
“That’s right.”
“...Do you… enjoy being treated like a dog? Should I treat you like Whitey, too…?”
“It's not like that.”
Do I really seem like I’m into that kind of thing?
I’m just playing along with the Young Lady.
In a way, she’s my lifesaver and the one who gave me a second chance.
“I owe her a lot.”
Saying that, I lay down in the Garden.
Unlike the stuffy and cold underground quarters of the Colosseum, the grass here is soft, and the open sky is blue.
The meals are delicious, and I can train whenever I want.
Although my home has been a Doghouse, the Maids passing by constantly take care of me, and I’m not looked down upon by other Servants for being a “dog.”
It’s not the best, but isn’t this a decent treatment?
“Still, wouldn’t you get ambitious if you were that strong?”
“Even Lowell, who is far stronger than me, is a Butler in this Mansion.”
Lowell, who seems to be the strongest person I've seen so far, is a Butler, and even Master Alden, who is much stronger than me, is a fugitive.
Perhaps Arthur Clayton is the only one whose position matches his abilities?
Lorenz also seems to be more skilled than his position suggests.
I'm not sure what Terra’s exact job is.
“Doggy! Let's go for a walk!”
Anyway, as I was lying there, I heard the Young Lady’s voice and got up from the Garden.
*Woof!*
“Oh, Whitey, it’s not you…”
Leaving Whitey, who got excited just from hearing the word “walk,” to Sienna, I went to the Young Lady and saw the Leash she was cheerfully holding.
“...That is.”
“I’ll buy you something tasty!”
Well, this is also part of playing along with the Young Lady.
“Ah, yes…”
“And the advice you gave me before was great! Thanks to that, I don’t walk alone anymore!”
The advice I gave before?
Ah, I remember telling the Young Lady something.
I told her that, being from the Void Family and having her abilities, she didn't need to worry about relationships.
“That’s good. Who do you walk with?”
“The Heinzel Baronet’s Daughter and the Beitel Viscount’s Daughter, they're both my followers!”
“Huh?”
“I’m special, so it's only natural that I have people following me, right?”
Um, uh…
I gave her advice, but I didn't expect her to adapt this quickly.
I feel like something went slightly wrong.
But well…
“That’s good.”
“Right?”
Is it that strange?
It wouldn't hurt to learn how to handle people early on.
“I did well, so praise me!”
"You did well."
And so,
I smiled at the Young Lady, who was smiling, asking for praise.