Chapter 377
Visiting Draco Again (3)
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“By the way, Kehmdono . I would like to talk to you privately… may we?”
… What . I’m going to decline if it’s annoying, you know?
Although I was thinking that, I couldn’t exactly refuse a request from a (diplomatic) friend like Cid, so I wound up going to the residence of Draco’s village chief .
Meat and I were sitting with the escorts behind the two of us . Cid’s housemaids quietly served us all tea .
“Thanks to that magic tool, it appears we won’t have to worry about water from here on . ”
“Hm? Couldn’t you manage with lifestyle magic1?”
“Oh, we can . We’ve been managing with water collectors and water-producing magic tools . Since the amount of rain we receive around this area—ah, I suppose this would be common knowledge for Draco’s village chief, Kehmdono . ”
So that’s common knowledge, huh . The amount’s probably different since we’re on opposite sides of the mountain, though .
“So, what’d you want to talk about? Just so you know, I’m going to shoot down any get rich quick scheme . ”
“Nothing like that . I believe it is actually something you would like, Kehmdono . ”
“You say that, but that’s exactly the kind of shady thing a shady person would say to lure people in . ”
“True… but, well, while it is about making money, it’s nothing dubious . Could you hear me out?”
“Yeah yeah, what is it then?”
When I urged Cid to go on, he nodded and proceeded to speak deliberately .
“To put it short, I would like to bind Kehmdono to a Pavueran house . ”
“Hm, hmmmmm… so, a marriage with some Pavueran woman?”
“No—actually, I suppose that’s possible? Right . ”
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I see . So it’s that . Deepening our relationship through marriage, similar to the whole Sia thing . I’m pretty knowledgeable about this whole thing, aristocrats are crazy about blood ties to preserve their lineage .
“Nope . I have Rokuko . Refused . ”
“No, not you, Kehmdono . I mean Kuroinu-dono . ”
“Huh?”
Cid looked toward Meat as he spoke .
“Is there any way you could become engaged to me?”
Cid spoke in a serious tone .
“… Goshujin-sama . ”
“Hey, hold up . You’re embarrassing Kuro . What kind of joke’s this supposed to be?”
“I’m serious!”
Meat looked at me as if for aid, but Cid just kept pushing it forward .
I closed my eyes for a moment to think . Man, I want to sleep . Can’t I? … Probably not… Couldn’t I just push it off onto Village Sub-Chief Wozuma to deal with~? Come ooon…
… Alright, let’s stop the escapism and actually deal with this .
“Kuro is already engaged to Maidence-sama of Sia . There’s no way for Kuro to be engaged to Cid-dono . ”
“Kehmdono, you are misunderstanding something . There is no reason for the engagement between Maidence and Kuro-dono to be canceled . ”
“… Eh?”
“Many aristocrats take second wives . ”
Second wives . For men with excessive resources and who want to hold a flower in each hand .
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That said, the whole thing places the man in an assuredly troubled situation if the two wives don’t get along well .
Not to mention inheritance and who gets what… it’s just a troublesome thing wrapped in trouble served with a side of annoyance!
“No no no, nope! Second wives are no good . ”
“But wouldn’t Kuroinu-dono, Maidence, and I being bound together be a good thing?”
“Disagreements like who would be the legal wife and stuff… that’s a big no . ”
“Oh, but that’s obvious?”
Between Meat, a slave, and Maidence, an aristocrat, Maidence would obviously be the legal wife .
“But then there would be no merits for us in the marriage?”
“I’ve heard from Yudence-dono that Kuroinu-dono is Kehmdono’s child . In other words, a marriage between Kuroinu-dono and I would make you my father in law, Kehmdono . I could promise that you would receive hospitable aid from Pavuera’s lord, my father . If that sounds agreeable to you…”
Cid followed up by taking out a contract already signed by Pavuera’s lord .
“Wait, is that real?”
“It is . I, Cid Pavuera, guarantee it . ”
“Still, a person who can verify it isn’t here right now, so…”
Ichika might have been able to, but no, all I could really do is ask Wozuma, who originally served at Haku-san’s castle…
“Excuse me . ”
“Hm? What’s wrong, Shikina… Ah—?”
Having been standing behind me, Shikina suddenly took a look at the contract .
“Reveal to me the one who signed this name—[Signature] . ”
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—and recited an incantation with her hand held up… the name that appeared said [Sora Pavuera] .
“… Yeah, Sora Pavuera is in fact Lord Pavuersama . ”
“What was that just now?”
“Contract magic to confirm signatures . You can think of it as lifestyle magic for aristocrats . ”
Huh . So this world recognizes signatures enough to be part of its magic?
So I guess it’s not a counterfeit signature? Or maybe there’s some kind of counterfeiting magic? Like something to falsify what appears with the signature-confirming magic .
“… Right, Shikina, you’re an aristocrat as well . ”
“Of course I am? My Kukkoro family name is considerably famous?”
“Who was it, the tamer, Dyne Kukkoro-san, that’s referred to as the Beast King?”
“My prided father . He is excellent in every regard!”
I know it’s a bit late to realize it, but his name is really confusing, given our village’s merchant with the same name . I mean, our village’s Dyne just shares a given name with Dyne Kukkoro though .
Cid stood up as I was thinking about that and bowed his head to Shikina .
“… Shikindono, was it? You were a daughter of the Kukkoro family? My apologies, I wasn’t aware . ”
“Do not worry about it, Cid-dono . It happened due to me performing escort duties . ”
“Would you like be to prepare a seat for you?”
“No, Cid-dono . Right now, I am Master’s—Kehmdono’s escort . My interjection was due to Master being troubled… excuse my interference . ”
Saying that, Shikina resumed her position behind me .
Cid smoothed his expression and took out three more contracts . They were all the same contents .
“One for Kehmdono, one for the Pavuera family, one for the Sia family, and one for the guild . As their contents are somewhat indefinite, I had to press father for these . Once I said it was to form a connection with you, Kehmdono, he signed them straight away . ”
When I had Shikina use [Signature] just in case, they were all three proven to be legitimate signatures .
… I was told to not do anything extreme .
“I still have to refuse . ”
I read through the contract, but it was easy to understand without any confusing aristocratic legalese and just said that [Golen and Draco will be supported once the marriage is performed] . It basically said that with the exception of the marriage, it was an unconditional promise of aid for Golen . Is it really alright for you to sign a document as crazy as this, Lord Pavuersan?
… Well, I don’t intend to make Meat a second wife either way . I mean, it’d be another story if she wanted to be one, but still .
“Why? I might be the one saying it, but I believe I look alright, I consider myself smart, and I have a good reputation . Although I may be overshadowed by one such as yourself, Kehmdono, it is to the point that I am referred to as a prodigy… I believe that I would jump at a similar offer if I were in your position . ”
“… I won’t recognize it without a warm, gentle husband caring for her as the primary wife . ”
Cid just tilted his neck to the side when I spoke .
Seeming to realize something immediately after, demonstrating that his treatment as a prodigy wasn’t just for show, he clapped his hands together .
“There appears to be a misunderstanding, Kehmdono . ”
“… Eh?”
Cid took out a certain magic drug, smiling from ear to ear .
It was [TS2], the sex reversing drug .
“I would be the second wife, of course, Father-in-Law . ”
… Cid, are you crazy?
Tbh, I forgot what I was translating this term as . Lifestyle magic? Livelihood magic? Everyday magic? Transexual .