Chapter 67

They had already eliminated all of the rebel hideouts in the capital, but there were still rebels hiding all over the Alain Kingdom.

Although the range of activity was greatly narrowed, depending on the situation, he would try to move the troops as much as he could.

Above all, he could aim for Harnet again, so he had to take care of it in advance.

‘Rebels are not important.’

The only thing the protagonist could gain by sweeping out the rebels was honor and trust.

It wasn’t that I became stronger or that I had more friends.

Moreover, it was in the mid-to-late half that I faced the rebels, and by that time, the main character’s knights would have accumulated a lot of merit and become quite famous.

In other words, for the main character, the rebel army was only a passing process.

‘It seems like I’ve become a variable, but… … .’

The rebels had raided Harnette to use themselves.

As much as he cared for Harnette, he speculated that he would act emotionally and bring down the chain of command.

However, on the contrary, he reacted more calmly and swiftly, and as a result, the rebels could not enter the capital again.

‘Did I have to be attacked then?’

Shion was still worried until now.

Could it have been that the raid had to happen when he and Hanette went on a trip to Kelidos?

Although it was before entering the beginning, it was never mentioned in the original content.

Considering that Harnett belongs to the main character, it would have to be described in some form.

‘If the original contents were fabricated, and if Hanette also had a change… … .’

Shion could no longer turn a blind eye to that hypothesis.

Did Harnette really have to become the main character’s colleague and join the knights?

Maybe even without Harnett, the main character and his colleagues could have moved forward smoothly.

‘I can’t believe I died before the first part even started… … .’

“What are you thinking about?”

“… I’ve been thinking about how the daughter of the Duke of Ternane disappeared.”

“Hmm… so? How do you think it disappeared?”

“I don’t know. Couldn’t I have hidden my skills like you said?”

“You mean you secretly learned swordsmanship or magic?”

“Probably the swordsmanship. Can you use magic to escape?”

“If you take away the five attributes… There is nothing I can write about.”

“Even if the body is trained, it can move swiftly.”

Hannette nodded and gave a moment of displeasure.

Why was he showing interest in the daughter of the Duke of Ternane?

I should have listened to it roughly and passed it on, but did I have to worry about the way it disappeared?

“Are you interested in that young lady?”

“… I am not very interested.”

Shion instinctively recognized the feeling and quickly denied it.

I asked what he was thinking and made a rough excuse, but in a short time he was arguing.

No matter how much I hate Oz Ternane, is it necessary to go this far?

“I’m not interested, so why do you think that?”

“It’s because it’s the daughter of a duke. Aristocrats from a duchy aren’t common.”

“Hmm… If I had told you that the son of the duke of Ternane was missing, would it have been overlooked?”

“From then on, my sister will show interest, not me.”

“why me?”

“You know, why ask?”

Harnette narrowed her eyes and glared at Shion.

Rather, Zion does not avoid that gaze and accepts it as it is.

“Do you think I am just like you?”

“What is different?”

“under! I wouldn’t do that in front of my fiancé.”

“That is what I want to say.”

“You’ve already done it once.”

“I said I saw the Duke of Ternane back then.”

Shion distorts his impression by lying calmly.

It was true that he had seen Oz Ternane, but he only regarded it as something to be made an ally of.

He had never thought of anything else, but Hannette was subtly digging into that part.

“Okay, I won’t talk about this anymore. It would be better than following around to see only me.”

“My sister did what she wanted, so why blame me?”

“I never asked you to look at me.”

“I haven’t seen the duchess’s daughter.”

“Are you going to keep coming out like this?”

“Your sister started first?”

“Sigh… … .”

Only then did Hannette shut her mouth and turn her head.

It was frustrating, but I didn’t want to obsess.

It was because he reacted sensitively, and he always believed in Zion.

‘Why are you doing this? It’s not like seeing a girl is a problem… … .’

* * *

The mansion of the Marquis Reggiard, the housekeeper’s room.

Fried goes through the file and puts it on the table.

Two of the three children had left the mansion, so a peaceful atmosphere continued.

I felt comfortable because I had seen results in my own way, but I wondered if I was worried for some reason.

“Madam, could you serve me a drink?”

“… Did something bad happen to you?”

“What could be bad? With two children out, it must be a little empty.”

“I will bring it to you right away.”

Rien left the room and came back with the tray.

On the tray were cold drinks, glasses, and snacks.

Freed quietly opened the stopper and poured the drink into the glass.

“Are you concerned?”

“Wouldn’t you like to take care of yourself? Barhen should have finished training by now… … .”

Freed takes a sip and quenches his thirst.

Except for Harnette being attacked, there was always good news.

The family’s commercial rights were also slowly establishing themselves, and there were often talks about marriage with Caltz.

Perhaps it was because of Barhen and Shion that some nobles showed interest.

“Are you going to arrange a marriage with an immediate royal family?”

“It’s too soon. Barhen has not yet become an official member of the Knights Templar. Caltz is still there, so you can watch it a little longer.”

“If you had a daughter, you could wait a little longer, but the head of the family only has a son, right? If it is too late, it may be taken away by other nobles.”

“… You mean Ternane?”

Currently, the Duke of Ternane is trying to make contact with the direct royal family in various ways in order to conclude an arranged marriage.

Of course, it was an act that was implicitly forbidden, but the current king only watched the action.

Perhaps he was waiting for a moment to point out, or he was looking for an advantageous way to negotiate.

“Aren’t Ternane busy looking for the lady? So I thought it would be better to arrange it now.”

“Even so… It’s not yet time to step out. For now, the situation must be stabilized.”

“Are you referring to the thugs who attacked Harnet?”

“I understand that the king himself gave the order to wipe them out. So, for now, you might as well wait a little longer.”

There is a huge difference between bureaucrats advancing the agenda and the king directly issuing orders.

Officials had to move according to the given procedure and form, but the king could ignore the process and push forward unilaterally.

Rather, if a battle took place in the capital of the Alain Kingdom, the officials would come out first and raise a mantra.

“I heard that Zion has cleared the hideout of the rogues. If so, wouldn’t the king also have a good view of our family?”

“… It’s not wrong. Since Shion has done the work, he will keep an eye on our family.”

Of course, Shion would have personally stepped out for Hanette.

However, he unintentionally wiped out their hideout, and even the capital’s garrison commander had to acknowledge his contribution.

As a result, the reputation of the Marquis Regard family rose high, and it was inevitable that they would attract attention from the king and other nobles.

“Also… You were right to choose Adelaira. If it had been with Ternane, it would have been quite difficult.”

“I even had a marriage with a Ternane.”

Fried empties his glass and recalls the memory of that time.

At the time, I was worried about which one to proceed with an arranged marriage with my children.

The Duke of Ternane designated the eldest son or the second son as a marriage partner, but the Duke of Adelaira said that it did not matter even if it was the youngest son.

Fried constantly weighed the scales, and in the end, he chose the Duke of Adelaira and made Zion and Hanette a pair.

“Madam, I will ask you again. Do you still hate Hannette?”

“… Not anymore. Aren’t you getting along well with Zion?”

Of course, it was an answer given only after seeing the given results.

After meeting Hanette, Shion realized his sword skills, and recently made a solid achievement.

After meeting Shion, Hanette stopped drinking and gambling, and even revealed her talent for magic.

Maybe it’s because they developed affectionate feelings while staying close to each other, so they went through a lot of changes.

“At social gatherings, they say that Zion is a waste, and that Hannett is lucky. Does your wife think this is right?”

“Because Hanette has gained a lot. Zion rose from the middle to the top, but didn’t Hanette return from the bottom to the middle?”

“Think again. Without Harnett, would Zion have been able to rise above?”

“… … .”

Lien couldn’t resist and kept her mouth shut.

The distinction between top, middle, and bottom was meaningless.

Because Shion and Hanette were engaged, they were able to raise their potential while helping each other.

If the two had not been connected, they would not have been able to get out of the middle and the bottom.

“Hanet’s reputation may have improved because of Shion. However, Shion must have received help from Hanette. Do you think I am wrong?”

“no. It seems that the head of the family is right.”

“I wish you both well. It would have been better if it hadn’t been an arranged marriage… … .”

Fried gets confused and sips his glass.

They are living harmoniously now, but from the beginning it was twisted.

It was an arranged marriage for the benefit of both families, and as a means to that end, Shion and Harnet had to be weaved together.

If the two of them had still hated each other, wouldn’t they have been gripped with guilt inside?

“When I first wanted to do this… I was heartbroken. It was like abandoning Shion to borrow the power of the duchy. However, Shion adjusted well and came to truly love Hanette. How do you think I feel now?”

“… You must be both sad and happy.”

“I regret my choice, but I am satisfied with the result. It was a bond made by force, but as time passed, love blossomed. Just like my wife and I.”

Fried smiled and looked at Rien deeply.

After getting engaged to Lien, they got married a month later.

Because we had to live with strangers for the rest of our lives, we couldn’t help but feel fear and a sense of distance.

However, as the years passed, they came to understand each other and were able to fill their lives with old memories and deep affection.

“I forced Zion into marriage. Harnette must have been pressured by the Duke of Adelaira, too. Now it’s my turn to yield. Shouldn’t we support the two of them no matter what they do?”