Chapter 105
[Translator – Kie]
[Proofreader – Kawaii]
Chapter 105: The Count (1)
***
Damien returned to the Haksen Estate immediately after leaving the capital.
As he approached the mansion, he saw Victor sweeping the entrance with a broom.
“Hmph.”
Victor yawned, stretching his arms. It was obvious that he had been up all night.
“You’re too young to be yawning.”
“Huh! W-who’s there!”
“Your reaction is always the same.”
Victor was startled by Damien’s voice and pointed his broom like a spear.
He soon recognized Damien’s face and smiled broadly.
“Young Master!”
“Yes, it’s me.”
“You’re safe! I’ve been worried!”
Victor exclaimed and hurriedly checked Damien’s body for injuries.
“Come, come, this isn’t the time for this. Let’s go inside! Everyone is waiting eagerly!”
Damien followed Victor into the mansion.
As he entered the mansion, the gazes of his family members were focused on him. At first, they were all stunned, then they exclaimed in surprise.
“Damien!”
His father was the first to rush over. Viscount Haksen patted Damien’s body and checked him for injuries.
“I heard you were in the capital when the treason took place! Are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?”
After defeating Alexander Apple, Damien stayed in the capital for several days.
He had to cooperate with the Church’s investigation, and the king kept finding excuses to delay his departure.
During that time, it seemed that the news of the treason had spread throughout the kingdom.
“It seems you’re not injured. That’s a relief.”
“My dear, what did I tell you? I said there was no need to worry.”
“You are right. I must have been worrying unnecessarily.”
Viscountess Haksen said with a proud look on her face. Viscount Haksen chuckled.
“You’ve been out and about too much lately. Stay home and rest for a while. If you try to go out again, I’ll scold you.”
His older sister, Louise, said with a stern face. The problem was that she had such a gentle face that she didn’t seem intimidating at all.
“Brother, I was really worried about you.”
“Brother-in-law, I’m relieved to see you safe and sound.”
His younger brother and sister-in-law also expressed their concern. Then, suddenly, Abel asked.
“By the way, brother, there were some strange rumors mixed in.”
“What kind of strange rumors?”
“They say you won against a High-Class.”
“Ah, that’s just a distortion of the truth.”
Abel laughed out loud at that.
“Of course, you’re amazing, brother, but winning against a High-Class is…”
“I didn’t win, I just survived until the High-Class died.”
“?!?!?”
Abel, as well as the other family members, stared at Damien with shocked expressions.
“Hmph, brother… what do you mean by that?”
“The one who stopped the treason was Alexander Apple. That guy used dark magic to isolate the space, and I was trapped inside.”
Damien spoke in such detail because he wanted to spread the rumor.
The more specific the rumor was, the less people would suspect Damien.
“Uh… brother?”
“What is it?”
“Didn’t you win against a High-Class in that way?”
Damien clicked his tongue as if he was disappointed at that question.
“I just barely survived while avoiding a direct confrontation, and the enemy self-destructed. How is that winning?”
Damien was right. But Abel and the other family members still looked unconvinced.
After all, Damien was alive and the High-Class was dead, so wasn’t that a win?
“Oh, right, Father. This is a gift.”
While the family was speechless, Damien opened the spatial ring and took out the parchment.
His father asked with a puzzled face.
“What is this?”
“This is the royal decree from His Majesty the King, elevating your title to Viscount to a Count.”
The Viscount’s eyes widened at those words. The other family members couldn’t help but be surprised.
“D-Damien! Is that true?”
“Is that really the royal decree?”
The family members exclaimed, looking at the parchment. On the other hand, the Viscount Haksen stared at the parchment without saying a word.
Damien asked with a puzzled face at his father’s reaction.
“Aren’t you happy?”
“I am happy. Of course, I am. How can I not be happy when the dream that my ancestors could not achieve has been achieved in my generation?”
All Viscounts aspired to become a Count.
Unlike a Baron or a Viscount, the title of Count required a certain level of qualification and influence, so it was not a position that anyone could attain.
That was why there were many Barons and Viscounts, but very few Counts.
Some people even said that a Count was a true noble.
“But didn’t you have to go through another dangerous experience to obtain this?”
Viscount looked at Damien with sad eyes.
“I don’t know anything about swords, but I know very well how terrifying a High-Class is. Aren’t they superhumans who determine the kingdom’s power by their numbers?”
Instead of the parchment, he grabbed Damien’s shoulder tightly.
“I almost lost you because of this. How can I be happy…”
Damien felt something inside him at his father’s words.
He wanted to tell his father everything.
That High-Classes were nothing, and that this level of risk was not even a threat to him.
“……Dad, I feel bad for you when you say that.”
But he couldn’t say that, so Damien could only mumble.
“I went through so much to get this. Aren’t you happy for me?”
Damien forced a smile and shook the parchment. But his father’s expression remained unchanged.
“My dear, Damien is right. If you don’t celebrate his achievement, who will?”
Viscountess Haksen also stepped forward to persuade her husband. Only then did Viscount Haksen take the parchment.
“Hear ye, Viscount Haksen. I, who reign above all men…”
Viscount Haksen unrolled the tightly rolled parchment and read the contents of the decree.
“…and thus, I hereby decree that the House of Haksen be elevated to the rank of Count.”
As soon as his father finished reading, the family members clapped their hands.
“Oh, His Majesty is granting us a County as well.”
“Which fiefdom is it?”
Olivia was the first to react. She was unusually interested in expanding the family’s power.
“I don’t know perhaps you would know.”
Viscount Haksen showed the decree to Olivia. After looking at it for a while, Olivia exclaimed in surprise.
“His Majesty is granting us the Gargari Plains and the surrounding forests?”
“It seems to be good land.”
“Good? It’s more than that! It’s land that is famous for producing bountiful harvests no matter what you plant! His Majesty is just giving us such high-quality land…”
Seeing Olivia’s surprise, it became clear how good a land the King had given them.
The King was not simply expressing his gratitude with words, but with actions.
“His Majesty has truly bestowed a great favor upon us.”
Viscount Haksen smiled with satisfaction.
Then, he asked his family with a sheepish face.
“It’s good that I’ve become a Count, but… what do I do now?”
Now that he was a Count, he couldn’t live the way he used to. He had to change a lot.
The problem was that neither Viscount Haksen nor anyone else had any experience with this.
Except for one person.
“First of all, Father, you should go to the newly granted territory to receive it officially and then plan for the future.”
Olivia, as the daughter of Count Copperhead, had observed firsthand how her father managed the family.
“As expected, you know this well, Olivia.”
Viscount Haksen said with a relieved face.
“But there’s something we need to do before that.”
“What is it?”
At Viscount Haksen’s question, Olivia immediately answered.
“It is to widely announce to all the nobles of the West that our House of Haksen has become a Count.”
“Is that really necessary? They’ll find out eventually anyway.”
Viscount Haksen, who disliked show-off, showed a negative reaction.
However, his wife, Viscountess Haksen was different.
“That’s a good idea! My dear, let’s have a party. Let’s have a grand party and invite all the nobles of the West!”
Viscountess said, spreading her arms. Viscount Haksen said with a trembling face.
“Do we really have to do that?”
“Of course we do! Have you forgotten? How much the other families have ignored our House of Haksen! They say our territory is small and we’re poor…”
Viscountess clenched her fists and shook her body. It seemed that she had a lot of pent-up anger.
“Bringing all those people and showing them who we are! So they won’t dare to ridicule our family anymore!”
“Mother is right. We should use this opportunity to increase the reputation of our family.”
Olivia also agreed with Viscountess’s words.
“Uh, um…”
Nevertheless, Viscount Haksen still looked uneasy.
“Dear! Why hesitate? It’s a perfect opportunity for revenge!”
She nudged her husband. Viscount Haksen could only tremble.
“Mother is right again.”
Abel chuckled, observing the scene.
“Brother, shouldn’t we go and help Father… Brother?”
Turning to his side absentmindedly, Abel couldn’t help but be startled. Damien had a wide grin on his face.
“Oh, ho… There were so many who disrespected our family to the point where Mother got that angry, weren’t there?”
Only then did Abel realize he had seriously misunderstood.
Damien wasn’t an ally to help Father but rather the one to pour oil on the fire.
“To invite so many people, it’ll cost quite a bit, won’t it? Our family doesn’t have that kind of money.”
“If it’s money you’re worried about, I have it.”
Saying so, Damien opened a spatial ring and took out money. Glittering gold coins poured out.
In reality, Damien’s financial situation wasn’t as good as before.
He had spent a lot of money participating in the black market auctions.
However, he had enough to cover the expenses for the banquet.
“Mother, don’t worry about money. Let’s make it a grand event.”
“As expected, he’s really our son!”
Mother exclaimed brightly, hugging Viscount Haksen.
With even Damien stepping in, Viscount Haksen, as the head of the Haksen family, had no more grounds to object.
“…Alright. Let’s do as my wife wishes.”
In the end, he had no choice but to permit the banquet.
“I truly love you!”
Mother embraced Viscount Haksen warmly as she laughed brightly.
Seeing his wife’s happy face, it seemed that he wasn’t in a particularly bad mood.
‘A banquet, huh.’
Looking at the two of them, Damien became lost in thought.
‘Since we’ve only just become a Count, everyone will probably look down on us.’
It didn’t seem like it would be an easy position.
There would surely be those who would envy and be jealous of the family.
‘Father probably isn’t used to such a position.’
The same would go for the other family members as well.
After all, they were all just simple nobles who had lived in the countryside.
Olivia was the only one he could trust, but she was just one person and experinced authority.
‘I’m not used to such a position either.’
If it was a matter of wielding a sword, that would be different. But when it came to the scheming of the nobles, Damien was also a complete novice.
‘This won’t do. I need to find another way.’
Ultimately, this problem was happening because the Haksen family lacked authority.
If the Haksen family had authority, then everyone would be busy fawning over them.
‘Then let’s just borrow it from the outside.’
Fortunately, Damien had quite a few good connections.
‘A Duke should be enough, right?’
Damien pondered how he would write the invitation to send to the duke.
[Translator – Kie]
[Proofreader – Kawaii]
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