Chapter 116

What Do You Think?

RGM.

(Short for Ranne & Grandia Academy: The Märchen.)

***

An invitation from House Kihano.

After receiving permission to leave, we headed north without delay.

Ranne’s family home was far away.

As expected of the northernmost edge of the Empire, I supposed.

For the first two days, we traveled by magic tram, but once we reached the North, we had to switch to a carriage.

There were no railroads laid in the North.

‘Magic trams... I guess they’re not that widespread yet. I’ve spent all this time around the academy, so I never really felt it.’

Grandia Academy really was an unusual case.

Not only magic trams, but all sorts of cutting-edge technology were adopted there right away.

No matter how much its scale rivaled a decent small city, the only thought I had was that they were throwing money around.

‘Well, maybe that’s how far they have to go to deserve being called the best on the continent.’

Anyway.

We crossed the North for nearly three full days.

Riding the carriage during the day, resting at inns at night, then repeating the process.

Since there was nothing in particular to do while traveling, the group exchanged bits of small talk now and then.

“Miss Caitlin.”

“......”

“Miss Caitlin.”

“......”

“Woof woof.”

“......What?”

The problem was Caitlin.

Had she gotten sulky because I teased her a little about her drunken antics?

The girl had gone pouty and refused to even talk to me.

‘Mm... now that I think about it, I didn’t tease her a little. I teased her a lot.’

Then she shouldn’t have given me material.

She gave me something that funny and expected me not to roast her for it?

Just kill me instead.

“Wow... Th-then in vampire culture, do you not eat much food? Only animal blood...?”

“Potent Blood is indeed our staple. However, that does not mean we consume only Potent Blood. Vampires eat food as well. Usually for the pleasure of taste. Cooking dishes with Potent Blood added to them, for instance.”

“So the main energy source is blood, but you also eat other ingredients for the pleasure of eating!”

“Of course. Would you not grow tired of it if you put only Potent Blood in your mouth every day?”

“Th-that’s true...!”

Carmilla and Alice.

The two of them had been teased just as much, but they had already gotten over it and were chattering away. Caitlin alone still had her lips pushed out.

Was it because of her incredibly strong pride?

It seemed to bother her that she had exposed her weakness in front of others.

Then I had pounced on the chance and roasted her for it too, so she seemed properly furious.

The more time I spent with her, the more I felt it. She had quite the petty heart.

“Miss Caitlin.”

“What. Why. What. Why do you keep. Why are you calling me? Stop calling me, please.”

“I was wrong.”

“......”

“Although I recorded Miss Caitlin’s drunken rambling, edited it so only the highlight remained, played it on repeat, followed you around all day and made you listen to it, played it at maximum volume in a hallway where other students were walking by, and even now, as I apologize, I am still playing it in my hand...”

[Why’re you like this to me? Do you like me?]

[Why’re you like this to me? Do you like me?]

[Why’re you like this to me? Do you like me?]

“Could you not forgive me anyway? As a friend.”

“......Do you not have a conscience?”

“Of course I do. The only thing I don’t have is parents.”

“Fuck, don’t counter with that. You make me feel like I’m the bad one here.”

“It’s fine. That delinquent side of yours is part of your charm, Miss Caitlin.”

“Haa...”

Thud, thud, thud.

The girl hit my shoulder as if she was having the time of her life.

But there was no strength in her fist, so the blows were only light.

Caitlin spoke fiercely, like a cat hissing.

“I’m never drinking with you again.”

“What about from behind?”

“Shut up, please.”

In any case, the carriage ran for three days straight.

As we drew closer to our destination, the scenery outside the window also changed considerably from when we had set out.

The lush green summer faded away, and white settled here and there as if it were winter.

The white patches became ponds, lakes, rivers, and seas, dyeing my whole view white.

A place where all four seasons were a snowfield.

The North, where the snow did not melt.

Only after reaching that land of perpetual snow did the carriage’s wheels stop.

A five-day journey. We had arrived at Kihano County.

A solemn mansion was waiting for us.

“Mm! We have arrived. I will say this once more, but the North is chilly even in summer, so please dress warmly!”

No, I didn’t think this was on the level of chilly.

I thought that while looking at the thick snow piled outside.

Stepping over the soft accumulation, we approached the mansion.

“Ranne!”

“Father.”

Several people stood in front of the mansion’s main gate.

At the very front stood a giant of a man.

His hair and beard grew like a golden mane.

It was also a face I already knew from the original illustration.

‘Kalax Kihano.’

The head of House Kihano, and one of the top three knights in the North.

Rugged armor. On his back, he wore a greatsword about as tall as me.

He welcomed our group warmly.

“Uahaha! So these must be our Ranne’s friends I have only heard about! Good to meet all of you!”

Ranne’s father.

The girl’s uniquely hearty way of speaking had been inherited from him.

After exchanging a few words with his daughter, Kalax strode toward the group.

“Welcome to Kihano!”

His voice was truly booming.

A huge body that looked roughly three meters tall.

Without getting flustered, I gave a polite greeting.

“It is an honor to be invited. I am Viktor. Miss Ranne and I are close friends.”

“Ooh! So you are Viktor? Ranne has spoken of you quite often! Especially often!”

“To think Miss Ranne did that. I cannot hide my joy.”

“Mm! Sir Viktor has many things worth learning from. On top of that, your martial prowess is exceptional, is it not?”

“To think such praise would come from Miss Ranne’s mouth! You are a young man with quite the promising future...!”

“Haha, I’m glad you view me favorably.”

The conversation flowed naturally.

The group, who had briefly stiffened, soon came to their senses as well.

While each of them exchanged a few greetings and offered formal thanks.

“Mngh...”

Lua blinked with sleepy eyes.

Maybe because she had fallen asleep in the carriage and had only just woken up, she still looked halfway in dreamland.

“Dad... Lua is sleepy...”

Lua stumbled over and clung to my leg.

I carefully lifted her and held her in my arms so she could sleep comfortably.

It was a natural chain of actions.

Lua rubbed her cheek against me a few times, then closed her eyes just like that.

As I took care of my daughter, I suddenly felt gazes on me.

““......?””

Kalax and the vassals beside him stared blankly this way.

Everyone had question marks floating above their heads.

Kalax muttered in a daze.

“Could he be a married man with a child...?”

No.

That was not it.

***

Thankfully, the misunderstanding was cleared up quickly.

Since I was the same age as Ranne but had a daughter who looked around ten years old, everyone seemed shocked.

It made no sense, to be fair. If I had a ten-year-old daughter at eighteen, then the other parent would definitely be serving ten years in prison.

“Uahaha! I nearly had a strange misunderstanding there!”

“It’s fine. I hear similar things often.”

The count personally guided us through the mansion’s interior.

Normally, a vassal would handle this kind of thing, so it seemed to mean he was treating us as important guests.

Maybe Kalax had heard all sorts of good stories from Ranne, because he seemed especially friendly toward me.

‘Honestly, it’s scary.’

I was worried about how much Ranne had deified me when talking about me.

Alice was like that too, but Ranne had that tendency even worse.

She saw me as something close to a Saint.

No, according to my system title, I technically was a Saint, but...

“Uahaha! You really are extraordinary, just as I heard! To think you have already been chosen by an Ego Weapon. From what I heard from Ranne, you are skilled in combat as well?”

“Miss Ranne must have greatly exaggerated. I am only somewhat decent.”

“How humble! If you seized first place by an overwhelming margin in that fiercely competitive academy, does that not say everything?”

“That is right, Sir Viktor. You are far too humble for your own good.”

“Haha! When I heard you were young and highly skilled, I wondered what I would do if you were a slippery fellow... It seems that was a needless worry!”

Kalax laughed heartily.

I could see his favorability rising in real time.

Even though I had not intended anything in particular, he seemed to like every single thing I did.

Ding-!

[Sub Quest]

-Title: The Road Home

-Objective: Accept House Kihano’s invitation. Earn Count Kihano’s recognition. Discover hidden dungeon ‘Lumiera’s Temple’ in Kihano County.

-Penalty if failed: None

-Reward upon success: Count Kihano’s goodwill, ???

[Time Limit: Until vacation ends]

All the better.

I even had this quest active.

If Count Kihano came over to my side, this quest could proceed as smoothly as flowing water.

“As expected, my daughter has an eye for people. Ranne does not often add the title Sir unless that person is quite special. Setting aside the fact that you two are close, it means she respects you first as one person to another.”

“I also deeply respect Miss Ranne. The two of us often share our thoughts on Chivalry. When the conversation grows deeper, I feel that she has much to teach me in many ways.”

“Ooh, Chivalry! You seem interested in it as well?”

“Of course. Though I do not aspire to become a knight myself, I have always had great interest in stories about knights.”

“Then which knight left the deepest impression on you?”

“I would choose Sir Levint. A legendary knight who defended the North in the early Empire.”

“What a coincidence! During my apprentice days, I too took Sir Levint as my role model.”

I squeezed my original story knowledge dry and steered the conversation only toward raising Kalax’s favorability.

I had mobilized every petty trick in my head to complete the quest.

I never thought the day would come when a game helped with social life.

Fortunately, I seemed to have pleased him, because Kalax burst into booming laughter.

“Uahaha! The more I see, the more I like you!”

That conversation continued all the way to the dinner table.

By then, the other kids were also joining in without any awkwardness.

Maybe they had begun to adjust to being in someone else’s house, because they chatted among themselves too.

“Everyone, please try this as well. It is our chef’s pride!”

“I-it really is... It’s so soft, and there’s no gamey smell either...”

“Hm, not bad.”

Dinner tasted good too.

It was less refined and more rustic, but that had its own charm.

The atmosphere was truly friendly.

‘Good.’

Everything seemed to be going smoothly.

Yes. I thought so until the count suddenly spoke up.

“Hm, hm... So, Viktor.”

“Did you call for me?”

Kalax lightly cleared his throat.

He set down his tableware, then quietly called to me.

I was tilting my head, wondering what this was about, when a sudden bombshell landed on the dining table.

“You only have two years left before becoming an adult, do you not?”

“Ah... yes, that is true.”

“After she graduates from the academy, I was thinking it would be about time to send our Ranne into an engagement...”

“......”

......Pardon?

Why are you telling me that?

“What do you think?”

No.

About what?