“I cannot repay you enough. Not just my daughter — my wife too… truly, thank you.”
In the drawing room, the duke bowed deeply again. I am not good at this. I’d lost count of how many times he’d bowed to me.
Sue was with her mother. We’d been brought into this room, seated on expensive chairs across from the duke.
“Please don’t worry about it. Sue is safe, your wife is healed. That’s enough.”
“No, that won’t do. I want to properly thank you. Laim, would you bring the items?”
“Of course.”
Laim arrived with a silver tray loaded with various things.
“First, this. For rescuing my daughter and for the escort along the road. Please accept it.”
He held out what was clearly a bag of coins.
“Forty platinum coins inside.”
"" !? ""
The others apparently understood; I didn’t quite. Gold I get, but — platinum?
I asked the dazed Elze beside me.
“Hey Elze, what’s a platinum coin?”
”…A currency above gold… one platinum equals ten gold…”
“Ten!?”
I’d been in this world long enough to figure one gold was roughly a hundred thousand yen. So one platinum was a million, and forty was forty million yen. Forty million!?
“No — this is too much! I can’t accept!”
The weight of it finally hit me; I tried to refuse.
“Don’t say that. If you’re going to operate as adventurers, you’ll need this kind of money. Treat it as your operating capital.”
“Right…”
It would help, true. There were problems money could solve. And given the duke’s character, refusing would not have worked.
“And one more — these.”
He laid four medallions on the table. About five centimeters across. A shield with two lions facing each other in relief — that crest…
“The seal of our duke house. With this, you pass checkpoints. You can use facilities reserved for the nobility. It signals that, if anything happens, the duke house backs you. Identity proof.”
Originally these went to merchants under the duke house’s patronage. Each one was inscribed with the bearer’s name and a unique word, so no two were identical — to prevent misuse if lost.
Mine read Calm. Elze’s: Passion. Linze’s: Compassion. Yae’s: Sincerity. “Calm,” huh. Well — being calm is good.
These would actually be very useful. Visiting Sue again, or getting past checkpoints when looking suspicious — both solved. And if it really mattered, Gate would get me straight here.
The money was split four ways — ten platinum each. Each coin was ten gold — a million yen each. Dropping one would be a disaster.
Carrying it around was too risky. We kept one each and had the duke deposit the rest with the guild on our behalf. Bank-like — accessible from any guild branch.
We were getting ready to leave when Sue and Lady Ellen came to see us off at the entrance.
“Come back to play! Soon, you must!”
With the family’s enthusiastic farewell, we took the carriage straight to Viscount Swordreck’s residence.
“Wait — the recipient of the letter is Viscount Swordreck?”
I’d never gotten around to explaining that to Yae. I watched her surprised face from across the carriage.
“You know him?”
“Know him? The ‘person who helped my father’ I mentioned earlier — that is Viscount Swordreck.”
Really? Small world.
The carriage, driven by Elze, rolled through the upper-class district and stopped in front of the Swordreck estate.
If I’m being honest — after the duke’s mansion — the viscount’s place looked modest. Still a mansion, of course. With some age. Some sense of history.
Capital-resident nobles also had estates on their own holdings; maybe this was actually the secondary residence.
We gave Zanac’s name to the gatekeeper, asked to see the viscount. After a wait we were shown in by what appeared to be the butler.
If I’m being honest — this room, too, compared to the duke’s — okay, okay, stop. That’s just rude.
We waited, and a red-haired man of imposing build entered. This person is strong. Even through clothing you could see the conditioning. Eyes sharp — hawk-like.
“I am Carlossa Garn Swordreck. You are Zanac’s messengers?”
“Yes. We were contracted to deliver this letter. Instructed to bring back a reply.”
I handed over Zanac’s letter. The viscount cut the seal, read.
“Wait briefly. I’ll write a reply.”
He left the room. A maid arrived with tea — and even this tea, compared to the duke’s, was — no, stop it.
“Sorry to keep you.”
The viscount returned with a sealed letter.
“Take this to Zanac. Done. And—”
As he passed me the letter, his eyes went to Yae.
“I’ve been noticing — you. Have we… no, we haven’t met. But — what’s your name?”
He cocked his head, trying to place her. Yae met his gaze directly.
“My name is Yae Kokonoe. Daughter of Kokonoe Juubei.”
”…Kokonoe — Kokonoe! You’re Juubei-dono’s daughter!?”
He slapped his knee, delighted, and stared at Yae with a wide smile.
“No mistake. The spitting image of Nanae-dono in her younger days. Got your mother’s looks — lucky you!”
The viscount laughing happily; Yae returning an unreadable smile.
“Um — Yae, how do you…?”
“Hm? Ah — this child’s father, Juubei-dono, was the swordmaster of House Swordreck. When I was a green snot-nosed boy he gave me brutal training. Strict, that man. Twenty years ago, I think.”
“My father said that of all the swordsmen he has raised, the viscount has the most talent and the strongest sword arm.”
“Oh ho? Well — even flattery from one’s master is welcome.”
The viscount grinned, pleased with himself. Yae, voice serious, continued:
“If we should ever meet, my father said, please do request a lesson.”
“Mm…?”
The viscount’s eyes narrowed with interest.
Uh — what is this atmosphere…