Chapter 106
[Translator – Kie]
[Proofreader – Kawaii]
Chapter 106: The Count (2)
***
The news that Paul Haksen had been promoted to Count spread like wildfire throughout the West.
The nobles of the West were in an uproar.
To the nobles, Paul Haksen was far from qualified to be promoted to Count.
“Just a while ago, they were a family of nobodies. How can they be called a Count?”
“I hear the Haksen family’s entire fortune is a wheat field the size of a mouse’s tail. How can such a small family be promoted to Count?”
“I found out they don’t even have a knight, let alone guards! How can such a family be a Count?”
In fact, the Haksen family was not as small as they thought.
This was because Olivia took half of the family’s land when she became independent, and most importantly, because of Damien.
The Middle-Class knight, the relationship with the Church, and the hero of the Kingdom who stopped the treason.
Considering Damien’s achievements, it was not at all strange for Paul Haksen to receive the title of Count.
However, human jealousy is a way to narrow one’s thinking.
“They’re just bragging because their son is good.”
“They’re nothing without Damien Haksen.”
The nobles of the West began to belittle Paul Haksen and Damien Haksen separately.
There was another reason why the reaction of the Western nobles was so intense.
“Isn’t Viscount Haksen becoming the new Grand Noble?”
The Grand Noble was not a separately appointed title.
It was an honorific title given to the most powerful family in the region.
However, that is what the nobles were after.
After all, there were definitely things that came with fame.
Originally, the position of Grand Noble of the West was held by the Count Copperhead.
However, the Count Copperhead had recently been in great trouble after hosting a jousting tournament and being linked to dark magic.
Not only that, but the eldest daughter, Olivia, had inherited half of the land and became independent.
Now, the Count Copperhead was nothing more than a hollow shell of a Grand Noble.
That’s why the families that had been gaining some power in the West recently were all aiming to be the next Grand Noble.
So, it was no surprise that they were not happy when Paul Haksen suddenly received the title of Count.
Then, one day, an invitation was sent to the nobles.
The nobles could not help but be surprised when they saw the contents of the invitation.
“What? Are they holding a celebration to commemorate receiving the title of Count?”
The nobles were shocked that Paul Haksen would dare to hold a celebration in their honor.
They had already been belittling Paul Haksen and Damien Haksen, and now they were holding a celebration to show off their newfound status.
The nobles of the West were furious.
They decided to attend the celebration, but they were determined to make it a day that Viscount Haksen would never forget.
“Paul Haksen, this guy is definitely crazy!”
The reaction of the nobles was like adding oil to a fire.
“Look, everyone! Paul Haksen is openly showing his ambition!”
“Why else would he invite us? He’s looking for a family to become his vassal!”
“There’s no doubt that Paul Haksen is also aiming to become a Grand Noble!”
In the eyes of the Western nobles, the Haksen family’s actions seemed like a declaration that they would become a Grand Noble.
“A country bumpkin is trying to do something he can’t handle.”
“A man who used to manage a wheat field the size of a palm is holding a celebration? What a ridiculous thing to say!”
“It seems like he thinks this is just a neighborhood party. My goodness, this is ridiculous.”
The Western nobles began to laugh at the actions of Paul Haksen.
“I wonder if he even secured a proper place to hold the celebration.”
“He’ll probably gather people at that old mansion.”
“I wonder if he’ll prepare the food properly? Are we going to get something like gruel when we go there?”
“I wonder how bad the music will be…… Will he bring in a circus troupe that rolls around on the street to perform?”
“More than anything else, I’m curious to see what kind of clothes he’ll come up with. What do people from the middle of nowhere know about fashion?”
The Western nobles were convinced that it would be a miserable celebration.
“I’m going to attend. I’m looking forward to seeing how miserable the celebration will be.”
“I agree. I can’t miss such an entertaining sight.”
The Western nobles agreed with each other.
Thanks to this, the number of participants in the celebration only increased.
***
“This is Spring Castle!”
While the Western nobles were in an uproar.
Damien and his family had come to the castle built on the Gargari Plains.
“Oh my, the castle is really beautiful.”
“Mother, look over there. Who do you think carved that?”
The family exclaimed in admiration as they looked around Spring Castle.
Spring Castle, which was built relatively recently, was a castle that took into account both functionality and aesthetics.
The white walls were as beautiful as well-made porcelain.
The black roof, which contrasted with the white walls, covered the spires.
At the main gate, intricately carved statues were ready to welcome visitors.
“Damien! Did you really say that His Majesty will give this castle to us?”
His father, Count Haksen, asked with an excited face.
Owning a castle was the dream of every noble.
However, not anyone could have it. The price itself was expensive, and the maintenance costs were also high. And you had to prove that you were in a position to match it.
So, it was impossible not to be happy to have just acquired such a wonderful castle.
“It was clearly written in the letter.”
“His Majesty is truly magnanimous!”
The family, who had been looking around the castle, headed to the banquet hall.
The banquet hall, which was prepared for large parties, was very spacious and splendid. It seemed that it could easily accommodate hundreds of people.
“Oh my, I think it would be really cool to have a celebration here!”
Countess was delighted as she looked around the banquet hall.
Count Haksen looked at his wife with a happy face.
“By the way, my dear, what about the chef and the band?”
“Yes, father. You don’t have to worry. I recruited the best people for the job.”
Olivia immediately answered Count Haksen’s question.
“They are the ones who were often invited by the Count Copperhead. They have never received a bad review.”
Olivia, as the eldest daughter of the Count Copperhead, had participated in many family events. Thanks to this, she had a wide network of connections in this area.
“Everything is going smoothly. The celebration will go off without a hitch.”
Count Haksen made a face of great relief. Then Damien spoke as if to ask what the matter was.
“Father, there is still the most important thing left to do.”
“Hmm? What is that?”
“We need to prepare the ceremonial attire to be worn at the celebration.”
Count Haksen laughed out loud at Damien’s words.
“Hahaha, you underestimate your father too much. I have one ceremonial attire, so you don’t have to worry.”
“That old, worn-out outfit?”
Damien knew. He knew that the ceremonial attire the family currently had was nothing to show about it.
On the day of the jousting tournament celebration banquet, it was revealed when Abel took out the old ceremonial attire.
When I was surprised and asked what happened, the answer came that I borrowed my father’s old ceremonial attire.
Because of Damien’s mischief, the family was in debt, so they didn’t even have proper ceremonial attire.
“It’s worn out! This is the clothes that this father wore when he was young!”
“Isn’t it also worn out and out of fashion? If you come out wearing that, everyone will laugh at you.”
People’s evaluations inevitably change depending on their appearance.
It would be even worse among the nobles.
Damien had no intention of making his family wear such old ceremonial attire.
“Ugh.”
However, his father had a look that he couldn’t understand.
Damien sighed softly. Come to think of it, his father had always been indifferent to his clothes.
At times like this, I had to persuade him in a different way.
“Don’t you and your sister need new clothes too?”
Damien looked back at the two on his Father’s words. His mother and sister said, embarrassed.
“Honey, I actually want to get a new ceremonial dress too.”
“Father, me too.”
With even these two coming out, Count Haksen had no choice but to change his mind.
“Damien, I’ll do as you say, but… even if we try to order clothes now, it will take several months.”
My father said with a worried face.
Then Olivia spoke up.
“Don’t worry about that, father. I’ll ask around and find a seamstress who has free time.”
Then Damien shook his head.
“We can’t entrust the clothes we wear on such an important occasion as a celebration to such a careless person.”
“But brother-in-law, then there’s nowhere to make clothes.”
“I saw Moonlight Waves last time, and it seemed to be good.”
The family couldn’t help but be surprised at Damien’s words.
“Damien, it seems you don’t know what Moonlight Waves is.”
“They say it’s the most famous costume shop in the West.”
“You have to wait a few years to get your clothes made.”
The family said one word at a time. Still, Damien had a confident expression on his face.
“You don’t have to worry. I’ve already prepared a countermeasure.”
“What countermeasure?”
Everyone looked at Damien with a puzzled face.
Only Abel realized what Damien meant.
“Brother, don’t tell me…!”
Damien nodded and said.
“There is no such thing as a waiting time in front of money.”
***
Peter Lloyd, the owner of the costume shop ‘Moonlight Waves’ in the Landwalk city, was enjoying a break with quality tea.
“Hmm~ Hmm~.
After eating a full lunch, it’s time for tea time.
It was Peter Lloyd’s favorite time of day.
He couldn’t stand anything that interrupted this break, even if he could put up with anything else.
Peter Lloyd approached the window with his teacup. A sky full of dark clouds was visible through the glass.
“Looks like it’s going to rain. I should put out my umbrella in advance.”
As Peter Lloyd watched the dark clouds, he suddenly recalled a past memory.
It wasn’t a very pleasant memory. It was a memory that made him angry because it was so unpleasant.
“It was the same that day…… It was exactly this kind of weather…….”
It had been months ago, but it was still vivid.
That day, too, Peter Lloyd was enjoying his break with tea.
Then, suddenly, a stranger burst through the door.
“They say you make clothes well here?”
He was a handsome man, but he had a sullen attitude.
‘Moonlight Waves’ is the most famous costume shop in the Western region.
It is so famous that it is so crowded with nobles who want to place orders that the reservation is full for 3 years.
So, the question “Do you make clothes well?” was the most ridiculous thing he had ever heard.
“What can I do for you?”
Still, the customer was a customer. Peter Lloyd suppressed his anger and responded.
“I want to make a ceremonial attire to wear at a banquet.”
“We are currently very busy, so you need to make a reservation.”
“How long does it take to make a reservation?”
“It will take at least 3 years to receive it because the order is full.”
Peter looked at the young man with a smug face.
You who ignored ‘Moonlight Waves’ so much are surprised to find out that it is such a great place…….
“It takes too long. The banquet is just around the corner, so I need the clothes right away.”
The young man’s thoughts were interrupted by the words. Peter frowned without realizing it.
“You seem to have a lot of clothes made.”
“No. All the clothes here are reserved.”
Peter said firmly.
Peter had received similar offers before, but he had always refused them.
All the clothes made at Moonlight Waves were custom-made.
They were children who had already been assigned an owner from birth. He couldn’t give them to someone else.
That was Peter Lloyd’s belief.
The young man stretched out his hand. Gold coins poured out of a black hole that appeared in the air.
“I’ll pay you three times the price.”
Peter’s mouth dropped open as he stared at the gold coins. Saliva involuntarily swallowed.
“Oh, no! I have to make your reservation first!”
Peter barely managed to maintain his sanity.
More gold coins fell from the hole. The pile of gold coins dazzled Peter’s eyes.
“Five times the price.”
“Which clothes would you like to choose?”
In the end, Peter could not help but succumb to the young man’s wealth.
“Because of that brat, my beliefs that I have upheld for decades have been shattered.”
Now that he thought about it, he couldn’t contain his anger.
Although he made a lot of money thanks to it, he shuddered to think of the effort he put into making new clothes that the young man had taken.
“I was crazy back then. From now on, no one will be able to break my beliefs.”
It was then that Peter looked at the dark clouds and made a firm determination.
“Are you here?”
The door of the costume shop opened with a jingle. Peter smiled brightly and looked back at the guests.
“Welcome. As graceful and beautiful as moonlight. I’m Peter Lloyd, owner of Moonlight Waves.”
The moment he saw the guests who had entered, Peter’s eyes widened.
Peter pointed at the guests with his index finger, trembling.
“Y-you are……!”
“It’s been a long time.”
The young man he had seen that day, Damien Haksen, was smiling brightly.
“W-why are you here……!”
“What reason do I have to come to a costume shop? I came to get clothes.”
Damien took a step back and four more people entered.
“Oh, so this is Moonlight Waves.”
“Oh my, look at that dress. It’s so beautiful.”
The group, who appeared to be Damien’s family, started to scatter and look at the clothes.
As Peter looked at them, an ominous feeling rose slowly.
“We plan to hold a celebration soon, so we’re here to get some clothes.”
As expected, the ominous feeling came true.
“W-we Moonlight Waves can’t give clothes without a reservation!”
“Oh, come on, again. When I saw it last time, there were a lot of clothes already made.”
“Those all have owners already…….”
“I’ll pay enough money.”
Damien created another hole in the air. Gold coins poured out.
“Seven times.”
Peter’s mind raced.
If there were six people in total, selling them at five times the price would be a huge profit.
“……That won’t do.”
However, Peter vowed never to give up his beliefs again.
So this time, he would definitely refuse…….
“Eight times.”
More gold coins poured out. Peter laughed sarcastically.
“I will do my best to serve you! Please come this way.”
Thinking that it would be invalid since he was defeated by the same person, Peter guided the family.
***
[Translator – Kie] [Proofreader – Kawaii]
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