CH 17

Chapter 17 Not Your Typical Noble <Count Brand>

Will-san led me out of the guild.

Count Brand seems to be an important person to Will-san, so it’s not good to make him wait too long.

As I followed Will-san together with Karen-san, who was in a good mood that she got a new S rank friend, I saw a large mansion next to the checkpoint on Quall’s side.

「That’s Count Brand’s mansion.」

When we arrived in front of the mansion, we were greeted by several butlers and maids.

Following their guidance, we entered the hall and walked through the hallway, which wasn’t dazzling but clearly high-class.

…… I could tell that the count isn’t a typical noble just by looking at the structure of the mansion, so I’m a little relieved.

When I entered the room I was guided to while thinking so, I saw a dandy uncle and Bogard-san.

「Oh, you’ve come, Jink-kun. It seems that you’ve made it to the S rank. A messenger flew in just now.」

「Jink-sama. My name is Nicolaus Brand, and I am the Count of the Quall Kingdom. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.」

Yep.

He doesn’t have the unpleasant feelings peculiar to nobles, so I think it’s fine to make a connection with him.

「Nice to meet you. My name is Jink. I am also pleased to make your acquaintance. I became an S rank adventurer just a while ago, but I am still inexperienced. It is making me feel nervous if you call me so respectfully like that, so please just call me 『Jink』.」

I’m used to being despised, but I’m not used to being treated with respect.

I was more or less the duke’s eldest son, but… I had been the crown prince’s follower for a long time, so the number one in the group was the crown prince.

…… We followers were just a background, and our roles were flattering him and doing errands.

「Then, I will do that. Jink-kun, I’m looking forward to working with you.」

「Yes!」

「Jink-kun, Will-dono, and Karen-sama, you should stay here tonight. After all, there might be assassins from Rosalta.」

「Jink-kun, Karen, you are fine with it, right?」

""

「Yes.」

「Yep.」

「Then, we will be in your care.」

Thus, we ended up staying at Count Brand’s mansion tonight.

After that, we chatted until dinner was ready, and we ate dinner leisurely for the first time in a while.

The meals at the Count’s mansion were not made with the finest ingredients, but there were a lot of them and the seasoning was outstanding.

To be honest, it was more to my liking than the food at the Nonland’s house, and it couldn’t be compared to the half-price rice balls, the meal I had in my previous life.

The taste was so good that I couldn’t help but ate them greedily… and the count and the Sacred Flame’s members looked at me with warm eyes.

I was embarrassed when I realized it.

…… I think my face probably looked like a boiled octopus.

After my stomach had settled down, Will-san asked me what I’m going to do from now on.

「Jink-kun, you managed to escape from the Rosalta Kingdom. If you could get through the checkpoint on the Quall Kingdom’s side tomorrow, you will be safe for the time being.」

Yes.

I was really lucky to be able to come this far alive.

「Therefore, I would like to ask you about your plans for the future. It would be dangerous for you to go alone in a remote area full of monsters, so you would need several guards. If you have a place you want to go to, we can write you a letter of introduction.」

「Well… I had rough plans, but I did not expect to be suddenly promoted to S rank….」

I was lucky to be promoted to S rank, but since my plans went awry, I have to start over from scratch….

「By the way, what were your plans?」

「I thought that if Rosalta will do something if they find out that I am an enchanter…. I am now a commoner after losing my status as a noble, so they could easily do something to me if I stay in Quall, which is adjacent to Rosalta. Therefore, my final destination was the Yamato Kingdom, which is located on the opposite side of the Rosalta Kingdom. It is a large country with a good reputation and does not have good feelings toward Rosalta.」

According to Jink’s memories, the culture and food in Yamato are similar to those of old Japan, so I was thinking of making a base there for both safety and culinary enjoyment.

「I see…. If you remained a commoner, there was a good chance that Rosalta would try to bring you back. Yamato and Quall are allied nations, so I have visited Yamato several times. From my point of view, it is a good country. I think you made the right decision, Jink-kun.」

「I was planning to use appraisal to buy talented slaves to increase my forces, increasing my adventurer rank while moving around the Kingdom of Quall, and go to Yamato within half a year.」

The scary thing about enchantment is that you can easily turn amateurs into battle forces.

Rather than just buffing myself, gathering people who won’t betray me and buffing them up will increase my force.

「My skills are useful, so I assumed that I would reach A rank by the time I arrived at Yamato… and I was planning to enter a high school after arriving there. I mean, you can only enter a school when you are young. …… However, now that I have been promoted to S rank, which is equivalent to a duke, there is no need to go all the way to Yamato just to escape from Rosalta.」

「Right. Forcibly taking back an S rank adventurer… moreover, an enchanter, will immediately lead to war when it becomes public. Qualta is too close to Rosalta, so I think it is better to avoid staying here.」

I think so too.

I’m sure Rosalta will use any means to bring me back if I’m within their reach….

「How about going to the capital of Quall Kingdom, <Qualarute>? Qualarute has a huge student section, and there is the dungeon city <Gamel> nearby, so it is easy to gain experience in combat. By the way, Jink-kun, I would like to ask you a question…. In order to enter the high school, you have to pass the exam. You would not have a problem with practical skill, but… what about your study…?」

Ah… do I look like a muscle brain?

…… I’m a former Nonland, so I guess I look like one *cries*.

「At Rosalta’s middle school, my grades in study were always top class. It would be tough if I don’t study history and third year’s stuff, but there is no problem with the stuff I have learned. …… Qualarute’s high school, huh~. Maybe I should go there.」

「That’s promising! I’ll write a letter of introduction to my acquaintances in the royal capital. I’m sure you’ll find it useful. Also, I’ll prepare the necessary materials for the exam.」

For about an hour after that, the adults, led by Count Brand and Will-san, discussed about my future in earnest.

The discussion was getting more and more black, and I wanted to make sure I had enough time to sleep since I’ll continue to travel tomorrow, so I left the discussion halfway through after giving misanga bracelets to Karen-san and Count Brand.

I didn’t expect things to change so much in one day….

…… No, I’m still right next to Rosalta, so I won’t let my guard down tomorrow as well!

Jink (14)

Level: 35 (301/350)

Job: Adventurer (S)

HP: 350/350

MP: 110/110

Skills: Swordsmanship 27, Spearmanship 1, Body Strengthening 37, Recovery Magic 3, Enchantment 12, Alchemy 2, Appraisal 9, Etiquette 3

Gift: Item Box (Extra Large)

Others: Title <Nonland’s Outcast>, Aptitude list

Aptitude list

<Martial Arts>

Swordsmanship S, Spearmanship F, Polearms F, Body Strengthening A, Unarmed A

<Magic>

Fire Magic B, Water Magic S, Wind Magic B, Earth Magic A, Recovery Magic S, ~~~~~~

Enchantment S, ~~~~~~, Alchemy A, ~~~~~~