Volume 5 - CH 10.2

Chapter 5-10 : Thugs Ⅱ (part 2)

「…Are they really gone?」(Lorea)

「Yeah, I think we’re fine now. Lorea-chan, were you scared?」(Sarasa)

「Not really. You guys were here for me after all.」(Lorea)

「I see.」(Sarasa)

Lorea-chan said that she wasn’t scared but I’m still a bit worried, so I turned around, trying to look at her face, but what I saw surprised me.

「Lo, Lorea-chan… Why are you holding that in your hands…?」(Sarasa)

Lorea-chan was holding Iris-san’s sword with both hands while Kurumi was standing on top of her head.

They seemed to be ready for a battle… A battle that fortunately didn’t happen…

「Well, I thought Iris-san might need it, so…」(Lorea)

「I, I see…」(Sarasa)

I noticed Lorea-chan went to the back room for a minute, but I didn’t think that she went to grab Iris-san’s sword.

「That’s Lorea for you! You think quickly! Store Owner-san might be able to handle those thugs with bare hands, but I would need my sword to fight them.」(Iris)

「Iris-san, what are you talking about? There’s no way I’d be able to fight those tough men bare-handed.」(Sarasa)

「Says someone who beat a Hellfire Grizzly bare-handed.」(Kate)

「Right?」(Iris)

Ugh… I was trying to show them that I’m just a fragile girl, but it seems impossible…

Well then, I think I’ll just act like usual and say something they might expect.

「Well, you see, I don’t want to touch those filthy men, so…」(Sarasa)

「Ah, I see. So you say that you could beat them easily but you just didn’t want to touch them.」(Kate)

「I expect nothing less from a great fighter like you!」(Iris)

「That’s Sarasa-san for you!」(Lorea)

Ahh… They will think of me as a strong fighter even more instead of a fragile girl…

「Y, You guys may think that I’m a capable fighter but I don’t usually use violence on bad people without thinking, okay? I normally try to talk with them first.」(Sarasa)

Except for bandits, of course.

Those people killed my parents. I will never have mercy on them.

「Of course, I understand. We can’t just kill a noble’s underlings after all!」(Iris)

「I know when to go easy on bad people, okay?」(Sarasa)

「Really? But you threw away the thugs that Kurumi knocked out the other day on the snow like trash. Well, I helped you with that though.」(Iris)

「They tried to hurt Lorea-chan, so of course, I treated them like trash!」(Sarasa)

「Ahaha… I see. I totally agree with you.」(Iris)

「Anyway, that arrogant lord and his people are gone thanks to your quick thinking. Well done, Iris-san, Kate-san.」(Sarasa)

「No problem!」(Iris)

Iris-san put her hands on her waist and made a smug face.

「By the way, how did you come up with that fake story in such a short time? Me? And you? Are engaged? Fufu. That would be hilarious. I was surprised that dumb lord believed it. Haha!」(Sarasa)

「Uhh…」(Iris)

I was laughing, but Iris-san, who was just smiling with a smug face, suddenly looked away awkwardly for some reason.

「Hm? What’s wrong?」(Sarasa)

「Umm… Store Owner-dono, actually… It’s not totally fake…」(Iris)

「Eh? What do you mean?」(Sarasa)

「Store Owner-san, Madam Lotze, Iris’ mother, wants you to marry Iris.」(Kate)

「…Eh? …Huh? Eeeehh…!?」(Sarasa)

「I’m sorry. My parents knew that the debt I owe you has gotten bigger since you rescued us from the cave. You have invested a lot of time and money into us.」(Iris)

「However, we haven’t been able to pay you back. Madam said, “Even if I give her my Iris, I don’t think it’ll be enough. The other thing we can give her is the family inheritance”. 」(Kate)

So Iris-san’s mother is planning to give me the inheritance of the Lotze Family!? Is she insane!?

I don’t think it’s a good thing to hand over to a stranger like me. Inheritance is the most important thing for a noble family after all.

Besides, I can’t say “I’ll take your daughter” either, right?

「Iris-san, Kate-san, your presence in this house is already helpful enough for me. There’s no way I’d take the most important thing to the Lotze Family.」(Sarasa)

Iris-san and Kate-san always help me. When I need some materials, they are willing to go to the forest to collect them for me.

Not just collecting materials, but they also help me with anything else whenever I need their help.

「I’m happy that you think that we’re helpful. However, my parents want to give you a clear form of thanks.」(Iris)

「The Lotze Family is a weak noble house but Madam doesn’t want the other houses to think that the Lotze Family is ungrateful to their benefactor.」(Kate)

「Uhh… I think I can understand that, but…」(Sarasa)

If the other nobles thought that the Lotze Family was ungrateful, they might never want to help them. The Lotze Family would have a hard time looking for help from the other noble families when they need them.

It would be tough to live in an aristocratic society like that where reputation is everything.

However, the inheritance of the Lotze Family is too heavy for me.

Well, I understand Iris-san’s parents’ feelings but to be honest, it troubles me…

「Hee… So, Sarasa-san is going to become a noble, huh? Hee… Isn’t that something to be proud of?」(Lorea)

「Of course, it is! Especially in this kingdom where the number of nobles rarely increases!」(Iris)

In some other countries, you can buy noble status with money, but you can’t do that here in the Kingdom of Laprossian.

In order to become a noble in this kingdom, you have to make a great achievement and a huge contribution to the kingdom. Even so, you will only join the lower ranks of the aristocracy.

However, there’s an easier way to become a noble which is by marrying a daughter of a noble family and taking over its heritance, but it rarely happens since no nobles want to marry their daughters to a commoner. Well… except for the Lotze Family, I guess…