Chapter 54 - Chapter 54: Misunderstood Duel
Steve and his party were traveling by carriage for the first time in a while. Their destination was the territories of Viscount Keard and Viscount Wall.
The group consisted of Steve, Christina, Bella, and also Emmanuel, Cyril, and Aila, six people in total.
As for the journey, they only rode in the carriage to greet the lords of the territories they passed through, and once the greetings were finished, they teleported at the point where they disappeared from view, covering the distance all at once. They could return home at night, but since Christina wanted to experience the feeling of traveling, they stayed at inns or the mansions of invited lords.
Naturally, places without inns or areas with poor security were bypassed using Steve's teleportation, so no problems occurred during the journey.
And finally, they entered Viscount Keard's territory, the first destination.
Emmanuel, sitting on the driver's seat, announced that they had entered Viscount Keard's territory.
「This is Viscount Keard's territory from here on」
Hearing that, Steve looked outside, and a pasture spread out before him.
「It's quite different from the era where it was hard to produce food for humans to eat」
Steve let out that impression.
「The climate in this area is mild and there is rainfall, so the greenery becomes abundant」
Cyril explained that.
「There are cows over there」
Christina, who was also looking outside, pointed at the grazing cows.
It was Christina's first time seeing real cows, and she was slightly excited.
The cows showed no interest in Steve's carriage, lying on the ground or eating grass. Occasionally, the smell of cow dung reached their noses carried by the wind, and Steve remembered his previous life. It was what is called the perfume of the countryside.
Such a smell was something they had no opportunity to sniff in Archibalt Territory, where there was no room to raise livestock.
While they proceeded gazing at the peaceful rural scenery for a while, suddenly a young man jumped in front of the carriage.
Since it wasn't moving at a great speed, Emmanuel stopped the carriage without panic.
When the carriage stopped, the young man shouted.
「I take it this is Lord Archibalt's carriage」
「Indeed」
Emmanuel answered.
Steve, noticing the exchange outside, went out. Not knowing what kind of person would appear, he left Christina and the others inside the carriage. Bella was protecting Christina beside her.
Seeing the young man, Steve sensed something menacing in him.
「I am that Archibalt, what is your business?」
When Steve introduced himself like that, the young man suddenly dropped to his knees in a deep bow.
「Could you please give up on Lucy?」
「What is that?」
Steve was confused by the sudden request. He thought Lucy was a woman's name, but he had absolutely no idea.
「Well, shall we have you introduce yourself first?」
When Steve said that, the young man, still prostrate, introduced his name.
「I am Mitchell Keard. I am the legitimate son of Viscount Keard, the lord of this place」
「I see. So, Mitchell-dono, the legitimate son, has come to ask me to give up on Lucy. But I don't know who Lucy is or where she is from」
「Don't play dumb! It's Lucy Wall, who is supposed to marry you!」
Hearing the words "supposed to marry", Christina and Bella could not hold back and came out of the carriage. Then Aila followed behind, showing off her nosy curiosity. Then Cyril also came out, and everyone was outside the carriage.
「Steve-sama, I am hearing for the first time that you have a fiancée other than me」
Christina said that quietly, but flames of jealousy were quietly burning deep in her eyes. Bella was troubled about which side to support. And Aila was excited about someone else's chaotic situation.
「I am also hearing it for the first time. My Father has not told me anything」
「Um, Lucy Wall-sama is the only daughter of Viscount Wall, whom you will visit after Viscount Keard」
Emmanuel, who had an idea of the name, explained to everyone. Mitchell nodded upon hearing that.
「You know, don't you! Even if you are Lord Dragon Wing Medal, I will not hand over Lucy. If you insist on turning it down, it is a duel」
Saying that, Mitchell threw his gloves at Steve. It was the custom of the Kingdom of Cascade for challenging to a duel.
「Since I have been formally challenged to a duel, I cannot refuse this, but it is a fact that no application for engagement or marriage has come from Viscount Wall. Could you tell me who told you that story?」
「Lucy herself!」
「Eeeeeh!!??」
I don't know what circumstances led to this, but it seems the woman named Lucy thinks she will marry Steve, and Mitchell appeared to stop that.
「Probably that is a misunderstanding, but why did she think that herself?」
「She said she was told by her parents」
「Viscount Wall? I have a fiancée named Christina here. Christina is the young lady of the Marquess Macintosh family, so if they try to send their daughter as a fiancée without permission, they will have a conflict with Marquess Macintosh. I don't think they would do such a thing」
There were no particularly bad rumors about Viscount Wall. So Steve thought Viscount Wall had no ambition to marry his daughter to Steve even if it meant conflicting with Marquess Macintosh.
「They want to succeed in the cattle hide trade by marrying her as a second wife or third wife, whichever. That is Viscount Wall's aim. You came here with that intention, didn't you, My Lord?」
「The purpose is the cattle hide trade, but I came intending to buy from both Viscount Keard and Viscount Wall. I want to secure multiple supply routes. So, whether a daughter marries or not is not a prerequisite condition for the trade. Besides, if that were really the case, I wouldn't come to Viscount Keard's territory first. I would just go to Viscount Wall's place and send a letter to refuse this side」
Told by Steve, Mitchell began to think he might have jumped to conclusions. And he deeply regretted making the challenge to a duel.
「Really, really?」
「Of course. By the way, why did Mitchell come to my place for that Lucy?」
「Steve-sama, please understand that」
Christina was dizzy with Steve's insensitivity, and put her hand to her forehead.
Bella and Aila nodded with "un-un".
Mitchell also noticed Steve's poor understanding, and spoke of his relationship with Lucy.
「Lucy and I are both only children. Our territories are neighbors, but due to past feuds, we did not visit each other. However, we met at a noble's debutante ball, fell in love at first sight, and started meeting secretly, hiding from our parents」
The lord's mansions of Viscount Keard and Viscount Wall were quite close. So, Mitchell could leave home at night, go to Lucy's place, and return by morning.
「If you are a noble heir, shouldn't your marriage partner be decided at this age?」
Christina asked Mitchell.
「Indeed, generally speaking it is so, but we are both only children, and our parents are being cautious to get the best conditions possible. And using that, we are telling our parents that this partner is bad here or worried there, and moving to postpone the engagement」
Both Viscount Keard and Viscount Wall have only one child, so when it comes to choosing a marriage partner, they are being cautious over and over. That is why they are bothered by the other's small flaws, and cannot make the decision to marry.
Also, it seemed Mitchell and Lucy were moving so that it would become like that.
「If you go that far, why not honestly tell them you want to marry someone from the neighboring territory?」
When Steve said that, Mitchell denied it as absurd.
「We have fought over the territory many times in the past, and the environment is not one where such a thing can be said. Especially in the conflict a hundred years ago, many people died, so reconciliation is impossible」
「But then, in the end, the two of you cannot marry, right?」
「We cannot give up on that, so we are buying time like this and waiting for a brilliant idea to come up」
「In that case, why did you rush and challenge to a duel?」
「That is, My Lord has no flaws like the previous candidates for Lucy. What part of you can be disparaged?」
Being praised to his face, Steve felt embarrassed and turned his face away, unable to look directly at Mitchell.
And to hide that embarrassment by turning his face away, he asked Christina in the direction he turned.
「Do I have no flaws?」
「You lack composure and consideration regarding love, but from the outside, that cannot be seen」
Christina showed that she knew Steve's inner side like this compared to Mitchell. Aila, wondering what kind of competition it was, chuckled. Christina, coming to her senses, blushed at her own words.
Instead of Christina, who stopped speaking after that, Bella patted Steve's shoulder.
「To wrap up the cattle hide trade smoothly, Steve needs to mediate the two's marriage well」
「Hmm, it has become more troublesome than I thought. I just wanted to persuade the two Viscounts and buy cattle hides from both」
「Then, shall we do the challenged duel right here now? If Mitchell dies, I think Viscount Keard and Lucy will give up on various things」
Mitchell turned blue, glared at by Bella. Although he rushed and challenged to a duel, when he calmed down, he had no confidence he could survive fighting Steve, who had entered the Royal Capital of the Kingdom of Forest alone and returned alive.
If possible, he wanted to cancel the challenge to a duel, but that was Steve's right only, so Mitchell could do nothing.
He held a faint hope that if he bowed deeply again here, but that was shattered by Steve's words.
「That's right. If Mitchell dies in the duel, everyone can give up, right?」
Steve said that, satisfied by himself, and Mitchell's face became like the end of the world. And he clung to Steve desperately.
「Could you reconsider that? If I die, the dream of being united with Lucy is crushed, and I don't know what will happen to Lucy either」
「That's right. That's why everyone can give up. As it is now, it is half-hearted and nothing moves. Unless you kill Viscount Keard and Viscount Wall, and Mitchell and Lucy take actual power, or do something equivalent to that」
「Killing parents is a serious crime, so you cannot inherit the house」
Christina corrected Steve's plan.
「In that case, we need to make it look like both died in war by causing war in the two territories」
「Please do not include the option of killing my father」
Mitchell pleaded like that.
「Then, in the end, Mitchell has to die in the duel, right?」
The members who came with Steve sensed that a brilliant idea had come to mind in Steve's way of speaking, but Mitchell, who was meeting for the first time, did not understand that. So, he wanted someone here to stop the duel, but not a single person showed such a gesture.
「Well, if we arrive too late, Viscount Keard will become suspicious, so for now, let's stop here, and tonight I'll try to go meet the person named Lucy. Can you guide me?」
「Understood」
Mitchell, who had escaped death nine times, agreed to guide Steve and the others to Lucy. However, that was just postponing the duel, and it was not a fundamental solution, so he was not completely relieved.
In contrast to such Mitchell, the other members were approaching the matter of how the two's love would end with the mood of an audience of a play. The theme of the play was the love between children of two opposing families, material that could become either comedy or tragedy, and they could not stop being excited that they could see it from a place closer than the audience seats.