Chapter 74
Volume 2 Chapter 12 part1 Rematch
Say, in days bygone, nobles wanted statuses and ranks corresponding to the actions they did, right?
I was currently in the lower fifth rank . The upper fifth rank had essentially been guaranteed to me, though! How did things come to this?
The kingdom was basically saying that they had expectations for me now .
I had been put into a very difficult position . In addition to the contributions and other such things regular nobles had to do, I also had to do a suitable amount of work in the event of a war . Promotions were grave matters .
If a war sprung up, it would difficult for me to reject a request to depart for the front, even if I was a student . Due to that, I had decided to carry out a few preparatory steps .
So, I currently in a pub, gathering with boys of the same group as me and having a good time there .
“Leon, do you really have airships?”
“I’m envious . They’re warships, right?”
“Just having an airship alone is desirable . My household doesn’t have any . ”
Heirs of noble households from the countryside had gathered at the pub, with me being the leading guest of the banquet .
People were envious, and there were also those harboring jealousy . ──That was within expectations .
“They’re in maintenance right now . Though as a matter of fact──I’m actually troubled by how many I have . ”
When hearing that, the boys stared daggers at me .
Daniel gulped .
“You guys want them?”
Raymond immediately stood up .
He desperately wanted an airship since it meant being able to succeed his house in the future . There was a big difference between having one and not having one . However, it would cost a lot of money to buy one .
The maintenance costs were nothing to sneeze at either .
Many barons used cheap, old airships .
“W, what are you playing at?”
Everyone knew the value in state-of-the-art, superior airships made by the principality . They knew that they couldn’t just selfishly take them . Rather, I held good will towards them and their inability to simply tell me to hand them over .
Everyone’s gaze surrounded me as I leisurely held my drink to my mouth .
“In fact, I’ve decided to set up a factory in my household . That’s where maintenance for the ships will occur . If you entrust ‘everything’ to me in terms of their maintenance──perhaps I can offer them to you for free . ”
The boys’ gazes immediately swarmed around me .
“A, are you really saying something so opportune?”
“Could it be that they’re defective?”
“But they’re airships from the principality, right? They’re not defective as long as they can move . ”
I sincerely confronted the boys, who couldn’t help but feel uneasy .
“I want you guys to be relieved . I also have something to gain here too . Besides, I vow not to swindle you guys through shoddy repairs or anything similar . ”
I hated the tactic of offering cheap products that came with expensive maintenance costs .
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Even so, that didn’t clear their doubts, causing me to sigh .
“I get it . I’ll also add in four units of armor per airship . Armor from the principality, mind you . I can guarantee their quality . ”
Raymond tried to dizzily approach me while Daniel held him back .
“W, wait, Raymond! This is Leon we’re talking about . He’ll suck you dry to the bone!”
“Ah! Right!”
My delicate heart screamed in response to the cruel evaluation my friends had of me .
The others also had looks of suspicion towards me . It seemed isolating to find that fellow groupmates were treating me coldly, even when we all came here to have a good chat .
“Sorry . I just thought it make for good publicity to give you guys airships . I understand . I’ll take my business elsewhere . ”
Daniel stopped me .
“Wait! I, is it really free? You’re not going to charge us afterwards or give us anything defective?!”
“I want your trust . I am not a man who spews lies . ”
It was sad how several boys replied with “Liar,” but the truth was that I wasn’t lying .
I was planning to do proper business .
I was prepared to have a factory at my household, and I would be the owner of it . For the future, I was thinking about using my earnings from the factory to make contributions to the kingdom . Getting promoted was a grave matter . I needed to earn money .
Perhaps some would claim that I had enough from remunerations . That would be incorrect, though . There was no point in banking on temporary money when asked to make a contribution every year . I would have nothing left before even a decade passes .
I definitely had to make money .
No matter how much thought I put into it, the floating island I owned would only be able to earn at around the level of a semi-baron house .
I even thought about having it be a tourist spot, but this was a dangerous world filled with monsters and sky pirates . There would be few customers .
Therefore, I had thought about setting up a factory in other to increase my sources of future income .
“As if I would sell a broken airship . I would lose the trust I need for future business . I would instantly have no customers for the factory . So, I have to make some concessions in order to get customers . Fortunately, I’ve got some airships that I picked up . ”
I promoted the deal while remembering how it was done in my previous world .
“Right now, I’ve got airships and armor free of charge, a grand total of zero dia! No need to worry about the maintenance! I’ll take care of it! I promise to charge reasonable prices . I’ll even put it down on paper . ”
One by one, the boys raised their hands .
“I, I’ll do it!” “M, me too!” “Me too!”
With a smile, I prepared contracts and handed them to the boys .
“Yes, write your name down on this field and I’ll send them over to your household . You’ll have to explain it to your parents as well . Oh, and if you have any old airships, I’ll buy them . ”
Seeing everyone cheerfully taking the documents, I grinned .
“Everyone──let’s keep in touch as pals . ”
──Thanks for taking the initiative on the freebies .
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Gentlemen, I hope you will continue to do your very best from now on . My airship maintenance schema was within reach, and now that I had some loyal friends, a smile appeared on my face .
There was a duke residence within the royal capital .
Anjie had been summoned to her older brother, “Gilbert”, on a holiday .
“Brother, is there a problem?”
Gilbert made a slightly troubled expression .
There was a document on his table which he showed to Anjie .
“This? This is a contract about the buying and selling of airships, right?”
“Right . It seems that Leon has been handing them out to baron households . ”
“Leon?”
Hearing that, Anjie felt an ominous premonition . She wondered if the duke household had any qualms with Leon’s conduct .
“S, sorry . I’ll stop him at once . ”
“There’s no need for that . The circulation of airships isn’t the problem . ”
She was relieved after hearing that there was no problem .
However, Anjie wondered why she had been called .
“Then what is this about?”
“It seems that he had set up a factory at his household . It seems that he’s doing rapid maintenance on airships and offering them to baron homes for free . Perhaps his goal is publicity──but don’t you think it seems a little too hasty? I’m worried about what someone like him, who single-handedly thwarted the principality, is thinking . ”
Gilbert told Anjie that the kingdom was lightly thinking about this matter as well .
“The royal palace isn’t taking the principality seriously after it had been knocked down by students . Even though the principality has been hindered, it seems that the kingdom is being quite careless towards them . However, the person who fought in the battle is now strengthening his vigilance . What do you think of this?”
He had asked Anjie if there was anything she had to say .
“I, I don’t know . It’s just──”
“Just?”
“It’s just that──he has in fact suddenly been busy . Since then, he’s been training diligently and visiting the dungeon frequently . ”
Leon told her that he lost confidence after getting beaten up by the Black Knight, and that he was working harder because of that, but Anjie thought about it .
(Is he being cautious about the principality? Even when the royal palace isn’t?)
It seemed that the kingdom didn’t think of the principality as a threat since they had been beaten by students of the academy .
When they heard that the Black Knight had lost as well, they dismissed him as a famous knight who had grown old .
Gilbert tapped the desk with his fingers .
It seemed to Anjie that her older brother was irritated .
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“I wonder if we should be alert . I’d also like to discuss the matter of the principality in full later on, but right now the Redgrave family has little influential power . Keep in mind that we are falling behind . ”
Anjie then remembered about Hertrude .
“How was her Highness Hertrude dealt with?”
“Dealt with? I can only say that it was naive . It turned into discussions about her studying abroad in the kingdom . Father did oppose it, though . I heard that there was a marquis who didn’t yield . ”
Anjie’s eyes widened .
(So father’s influence has by fallen that much . Hearing that a marquis can overshadow him──is troubling . )
Anjie was alert about the expanding influence of the opposing faction .
“The marquis said that it was an opportunity to learn about the country’s strength within the academy . It seems he wants to use this opportunity to take in her Highness the princess and make the principality a subsidiary of the kingdom once more . It seemed that he also tried to condemn us for the matter of the Olfery earl household, but that was quickly cut down . ”
The Olfery earl household belonged to same faction as that marquis household .
However, they were quickly punished after the matter of the sky pirates, and their status as nobles, their assets, their territory, and everything else had been forfeit .
The earl daughter who picked a quarrel with Leon had lost everything .
She had done dirty work, and was soon cast away when she made a blunder .
(At this point, I might start to pity that woman . )
Anjie felt a bit of sympathy for the earl daughter . After all, the path awaiting her was not an easy one by any means .
Gilbert changed the topic .
“This may be off topic, but it seems that you’ve gotten along rather well with the honor student . ”
As Anjie hung her head, Gilbert continued .
“You have no reason to get along with people any more than necessary . ”
Anjie sent Gilbert a look of strong will .
“Sh, she is my friend . This does not concern you . ”
Gilbert quietly gazed at Anjie, but soon recognized that his sister wouldn’t back down .
“Do as you please . ”
“I, is that fine?”
“If you’re going that far, then I won’t interfere . Besides, Father and I both feel indebted after this matter . However, if she is your dear friend, then you must protect her yourself . ”
“R, right!”
“In addition, we need to reselect the people who will stand by you . ”
“──What will happen to those two?”
When asked about the two girls who had betrayed Anjie, Gilbert made an eerie smile .
“Do you want to know?”
“──No, that was a foolish question . ”
Anjie understood that the two followers, who she knew since childhood, wouldn’t be let off without retribution .
However, she felt complicated on the inside .
Though she had emotional wounds from the betrayal, more prominent to her were Leon and Livia, who had risked their lives to save her .
(──Perhaps I have been blessed . )
She thought as such while comparing herself to the earl daughter, who had excessively coerced those around her into obeying her .
Once Gilbert finished talking about Earl Olfery and the two traitors, he asked a question, as if prying a bit into something .
“Also──what do you think of Leon?”
“What do I think?”
“Yes, correct . I haven’t heard about who he has decided on for a marriage partner . He has done many things and gotten promoted . I believe it would a problem if he got married to a bad partner . ”
Anjie knew that Gilbert was thinking about taking in Leon . Indeed, it would be very helpful to have Leon as an ally .
Furthermore, there was also a side of him that was easy to control .
Him offering state-of-the-art airships and armor from the principality was evidence of that .
If they monopolized this factor, their own war potential would increase, but on the contrary, it would also be a hazard .
Both the royal palace and duke household would probably be on guard .
Even thought he was a baron from a remote region, his numerous airships would become a threat . In the blink of an eye, he could instantly take control over other floating islands and become one giant force .
There had been many worries about him capturing surrounding territories and bearing his fangs the kingdom .
Gilbert and the others seemed to recognize that Leon wouldn’t do that .
(I was planning to warn him if he got carried away, but since he’s just distributing them to barons, my brother isn’t even considering him a threat . )
It seemed that he was strengthening his connections, but both the royal palace and duke household judged that what he was doing wasn’t a problem .
What Leon had on hand were broken airships and armor . He had presented the ones in good condition to the royal palace and duke house──to the point that it made them say “Are you really okay with that?!”
It seemed like he was a knight who selflessly disregarded profit, and some even gossiped that he was the duke household’s new loyal dog .
Anjie reported Leon’s search for marriage to Gilbert .
“Since he has been busy recently, he hasn’t seen any women . Th, the girls hate him . ”
Gilbert held his hand over his forehead .
“I don’t understand . Why aren’t they looking at him? He’s a knight who will soon get promoted to the upper fifth rank, and yet women aren’t looking his way──”
Anjie began suspecting what Gilbert was saying .
“Brother, isn’t Leon in the lower fifth rank? I heard that he would get promoted after graduation, though . ”
Gilbert looked at Anjie, and felt slightly embarrassed that he had forgotten to tell her .
“Sorry . I forget to tell you . The truth is──”