Trails with Cuddle-Cuddle Osbon
Translator: Tsukii
Editor: Helen
Read at Watashi wa Sugoi Desu!
Author Note:
Thank you for the typo reports as always.
Chapter 071 – Fufufu, Son. Let’s Make a Demand
On a free day in July, in the principal office of Thors Military Academy, a meeting that would decide the future of the Empire took place.
Jusis, facing his older brother, Rufus Albarea, was with Rean Schwarzer, who was beside him.
Sitting next to him was Olivert, who had suddenly shown up after receiving a call from Vandyck and Rean, and also—— Cedric.
Although they weren’t present, there were also Kurt and the witch Emma waiting outside the room as guards. Furthermore, Millium was also standing by, invisible through her use of optical camouflage, separate from Rean and the others.
What was originally meant to be a negotiation about the Divine Knight had changed into a discussion that included other issues as well, as the imperial family had become involved.
When the time was right, Rean called them to the negotiation table.
“First of all, thank you for accepting my invitation despite your busy schedule.”
“No, don’t worry about it. I’m one of the chairmen of this academy, so I’m also involved in this matter.”
As Rean bowed, Rufus replied with an elegant smile befitting a nobleman.
With a nod, Rean immediately started the topic.
“Since Prince Cedric and Prince Olivert have also joined us today, I would like to start with talking about the current arrangements.”
The nominal reason for the summons was to deal with the terrorists who had infiltrated the military academy.
In reality, it was also a measure to gauge the cooperation between the Albarea Family and Duke Cayenne, and for Rean, it was a move to corner the hated terrorists.
“Though we managed to recover the stolen items, this incident had led to Professor Schmidt deciding to leave the academy, and a student, whose name I will not reveal, has also been harmed. The risk of this crime recurring has not been resolved. I would like to request Lord Rufus’s assistance in capturing these terrorists, including the one who caused a commotion in the Imperial Capital the other day.”
Only Rean, Olivert, and Vandyck were aware that the stolen item was the Salt Pale’s fragment.
Therefore, Rean presented the stolen items as a loss of data obtained through experiments and development in Schmidt’s classroom.
In response to Rean’s question, Rufus replied without changing his expression.
“I am aware of this incident, which caused quite a commotion in the Empire. As a member of the Duke Albarea family, it is only natural that…… but is there really any need to call me here to inform me of the knowledge of something that is already so widespread?”
“Yes. I have a request related to this matter not to the Albarea Family…… not to Lord Rufus Albarea, but to Rufus-san on a personal level.”
Rufus’s smile deepened at this.
Cedric, who was sitting next to Jusis and Olivert, stiffened.
But Rean didn’t care and continued.
“I have heard from Jusis that while Lord Rufus is likely to become the next head of the Albarea Family, you are not the current head. In that case, I thought that your actions would be restricted by a single word from the current head, Lord Helmut Albarea.”
“That’s right. I haven’t become the official head of the family yet. I can’t use the soldiers and wealth of the Duke Albarea Family at my own discretion.”
The result was that it was difficult to contribute to counter-terrorism effort.
If he made a large-scale use of Albarea’s Provincial Army and assets, Helmut would notice his movements. No matter how much Rufus wanted to, if the family was connected to Duke Cayenne as part of the “Noble Faction”, he wouldn’t be able to lay hands on them if the public investigation continued.
And at the present, the connection was unclear.
Olivert might have been able to grasp this so that might be the reason he decided to participate in the discussion, but to be honest, Rean had no words to draw it out, so had no choice but to entrust it to the priest.
“Although I don’t know the purpose, if it’s a terrorist attack against the Empire, wouldn’t one expect Lord Helmut to fully cooperate?”
That was when Cedric joined the conversation.
He still had a poor understanding of politics and didn’t fully understand the balance between the imperial family, nobles, and Four Great Houses…… or rather, the balance between “Noble Faction” and “Reformist Faction.”
Furthermore, he probably didn’t know that behind the scenes, the imperial citizens were fighting among themselves.
It would be fine to tell him right away, but at the very least, it shouldn’t be done during this discussion.
At that moment, Jusis spoke up.
“With all due respect, Your Highness. The Four Great Houses are all working hard to maintain peace in their respective regions of the Empire. If Albarea were to allocate their forces to search for terrorists, we wouldn’t have enough troops to maintain the peace of Kreuzen Province. The terrorists caused trouble in the Imperial Capital previously, but there is no telling how they may not choose to target elsewhere.”
“So that’s why more soldiers can’t be mobilized.”
“Protecting the territory under our jurisdiction is, so to speak, a mission entrusted to us by the Emperor. I hope Your Highness will understand that.”
“N-No, sorry for butting in.”
“I also apologize for being so intrusive. But I believe it is the duty of a noble…… to protect the territory in the place of people who are powerless.”
Jusis talked about the “Noblesse Oblige” that he apparently learned from Rufus.
Olivert spoke up, admonishing Cedric, who was about to bow his head.
“Rean-kun seems to have understood that, yet still sought help from Lord Rufus. Is there a reason for that?”
While Rean was grateful to Olivert for setting the stage, Rean’s reasons were actually quite simple.
[“Fufufu, son. Rufus Albarea’s abilities are outstanding. If we let him use his skills, we’ll be able to capture terrorists in no time.”]
It was because Osbon gave his stamp of approval. That was all.
Otherwise, Rean’s knowledge of the situation wouldn’t be any different from Cedric’s. In fact, he might have even asked him directly to quickly confess the collusion between Duke Cayenne and Duke Albarea in exchange for the information of the Divine Knight.
[“Besides, if Miss Vita is cooperating with terrorists, poor mobilization will only serve as easy targets.”]
Osbon said this, but it was unclear whether Vita’s cooperation was a one-time thing or if it was ongoing.
When Rean asked Emma, Roselia, and Celine, he didn’t get a direct answer.
She seemed to be only getting involved due to the Salt Pale issue and wasn’t actively cooperating with them. Rather, it seemed like it was more of an alliance.
It was because Roselia said that if the terrorist had a Divine Knight, then Vita could be their guiding witch.
She said Vita might just be watching over them since the Awakener was a member of the terrorists.
Since she can manipulate causality, a method to break the causality that keeps me from meeting Vita-san is necessary. If dad says Rufus-san can serve as that, then there’s no choice but to rely on him.
Even so, they had the opinion that if they cornered the terrorists, the Awakener might resort to escape, but Rean thought that as long as they could capture a member of terrorists, Scarlet, who was Rosine’s acquaintance, it would be fine.
At first, Rean had thought about handling it, but since Rosine wanted to handle it personally, it would be best to leave it to her.
Therefore, the ideal situation would be to leave the terrorists to Rufus, get some information, and hand Scarlet over to Rosine.
If he explained that Scarlet was an acquaintance of a student, Rufus, who was one of the chairmen, wouldn’t treat her that badly. If a push came to a shove, Rean could just secure her personally.
“Yes. I have heard a lot about this from Jusis, but in these days when there are many nobles who neglect the commoners, I believe you are a true noble who will carry out ‘Noblesse Oblige’. When it comes to those who threaten the people of the Empire with the despicable tactics of terrorism, I believe you will be able to demonstrate skills similar to that of the Blood and Iron Chancellor, even though our positions are different.”
Since it was none other than Osbon who said that, Rean answered Olivert without any doubt.
Olivert nodded as he placed his hand over his mouth as if pondering his words, while Cedric looked at Rufus with eyes that seemed to express his admiration for Rufus.
Next to him, Jusis felt a strange sense of discomfort, as if he was feeling itchy somewhere.
In contrast, Rufus, who was showered with praises, remained unmoved.
Rean had the impression that Rufus was wearing a mask under his smile. His true feelings were still unclear.
“And in exchange…… well, I shouldn’t call it a reward, but I have prepared some information in return. It is the Trial—— the Trial to obtain the power of the Divine Knight sung in the Empire, and the location where it can be done.”
“You mean the Divine Knight that became the prototype of the Panzer Soldat, is it?”
“Yes, that’s right, Your Highness Cedric. It is an ancient giant that is said to appear when disaster strikes the Empire. I would like to use that as a reward to Lord Rufus for taking measures against the terrorists.”
Rean had heard from Osbon that the important point here was to make sure not to ask Rufus to defect from the “Noble Faction”.
At first, Rean wondered if it was an attempt to alienate people, but Osbon taught him that such a thing was useless.
Osbon even told him that there was no point in requesting that of Rufus.
Therefore, instead of saying things that both parties were aware of, it seemed that in this case, it was enough to just present the benefits to both parties.
If anything, it was more of a request than a negotiation, but since it was a request from the Empire to Rufus on a personal level, not to the Albarea Family, it wasn’t wrong.
And Rufus understood that without even being told.
Furthermore, Rean added that he would like to have the woman named Scarlet left alone and not arrested. At the very least, he wanted to be contacted before anything happened.
After hearing the whole request, Rufus finally spoke.
“Fufu…… Someone I thought was just a child has requested something like this. The reward is certainly there, right?”
“Yes. After this, I will guide you to the Old Schoolhouse, so you can see it for yourself.”
“T-The legendary Divine Knight is in a place like that……?”
“The reason we invited Professor Schmidt to the military academy in the first place is because we managed to excavate a Divine Knight there, after all.”
“I-Is that so?!”
“Your Highness Olivert, didn’t you explain it to him?”
“Well, I planned to explain it during this discussion. But I guess Cedric is also just a boy. Your eyes lit up immediately when it came to legends and things like that.”
“Ah, hahahah. I can’t help but admire the concept of ‘hero’ after all……”
Cedric smiled bashfully.
At this moment, Vandyck coughed and turned to look at Rufus in a panic.
However, Rufus didn’t lose his temper, instead bowing his head with a pleased look on his face.
“No, I apologize if it caused trouble to Your Highness. Well then, in conclusion…… I will accept that deal.”
“Really?”
“Yes, it is. I have heard a lot about you from Jusis. It seems that you basically are a troublesome man who doesn’t like to lie and acts on your emotions…… so I didn’t expect a negotiation like this.”
“Jusis……”
“B-Brother!”
Jusis was shaken by the unexpected revelation.
For some reason, Vandyck wholeheartedly agreed with the words that Rean basically acted on his emotions.
“So I thought by giving a fake Divine Knight…… I thought that it wouldn’t be a bad idea to give the much talked about Panzer Soldat a similar exterior. If it’s Professor Schmidt, it wouldn’t be weird if he could create a Panzer Soldat that could pass as a real Divine Knight.”
“Yes, I think so too. If it’s him, as long as he has the data, he seems to be able to accomplish anything. He might create something known as False Knight instead of Divine Knight.”
The person in question must be in Eryn, teaching witches there about Orbal technology.
Rean wanted to go and see him, but he had been banned from contacting him, so he had no choice but to wait until Schmidt gave permission.
However, they would inevitably meet when they delivered Testa-Rossa to Eryn, so Rean thought he could just look forward until then.
“Then let’s guide you to the Old Schoolhouse…… Jusis will, that is.”
“Hou?”
Since Rean had already informed him beforehand, Jusis wasn’t shaken by Rean’s words.
But Rufus, who had assumed that Rean would be the guide, frowned.
“Since I am going to summon the site of Trial on the Old Schoolhouse, I cannot personally guide you there, therefore, Jusis will do it in my stead. With the help of Rufus-san’s younger brother Jusis, I believe we can guarantee a more successful outcome.”
Although he did intend to flatter, Rean himself was helped by many bonds during the Trial of the Ashen and the singularity of the transformed North Ambria.
The most notable example being the rescue of Rosine, but there were many other things that Rean could never have accomplished alone.
So while Rean personally had no deep motives behind this, it was merely him being nosy and asking fellow brothers to overcome it with the power of their bonds.
Although Jusis had grimaced when he first heard this, he was grateful for his thoughtfulness.
“Thank you for your consideration. As a member of Albarea…… no, as one of the chairmen of Thors Military Academy, I will use this power for a good cause.”
Saying this, Rufus held out his hand.
Rean’s eyes widened at the unexpected turn of events.
“Oh, you’re not happy being offered a handshake by me?”
“Ah, no…… It’s just, I was wondering whether it was okay for me to take that hand when nothing has been done yet.”
“Then let’s save this for when we have caught the terrorist.”
“I personally think it is fine after you contracted Divine Knight…… but I understand, I’ll look forward to working with you then.”
With that, the negotiation concluded.
Rufus left behind an extravagant contract with Olivert and Cedric as witnesses, and after answering all of Rean’s questions, or rather, a bit of small talk, Rufus, accompanied by Jusis, went into the Old Schoolhouse.
＊
“How was it, Millium?”
“Hm~ I think the impression is somewhat too perfect~?”
At present, in front of the Old Schoolhouse.
The Old Schoolhouse was bathed in light and its wall seemed to ward off intruders.
Rufus and Jusis seemed to be currently undergoing the Trial.
Rean provided the necessary mana…… the energy necessary for the trial, and utilizing it, Emma, who was still using magic next to him, continued to summon the Trial Ground.
The strange happenings at the Old Schoolhouse had been communicated in advance through Vandyck, so no commotion occurred at Trista.
Rather, the residents accepted it as another experiment of Schmidt’s Classroom.
The professor himself was no longer at the academy, but when people found out that Rean was in charge of the situation, they just thought he was doing his things again.
Meanwhile, Rean was talking to Millium, who had concealed herself in the room earlier.
Naturally, Rean had told Millium his guess that if there were terrorist spies, Rufus would be a good candidate, and Millium spoke her evaluation of Rufus as an agent of the intelligence agency.
“Too perfect?”
“It seems he was aware of the suspicion that he was a spy, which Rean didn’t mention, so his foresight was impressive. According to Jusis, he must be a master swordsman, right? On top of that, he is a nobleman who sings of ‘noblesse oblige’…… that makes him sound like a perfect superhuman. But I wonder why~”
“You found something off?”
“Uh~n……”
Millium placed both her fingers on the sides of her cheeks and moved them around in a circle.
It was an expression of confusion, but when it was done by Millium who looked like a young girl, it was nothing short of adorable.
“I guess I found it weird that despite knowing he is suspected of being an insider, he’s just acting so normal.”
“He is often present in high society, so maybe he’s good at hiding his true feelings?”
“Hmm~…… If I had to say, it’s more like he doesn’t give a damn about it?”
“He’s not interested in it?”
Was it because he was confident he wouldn’t waver even if he was suspected, or perhaps…… Just as Rean thought of this, Millium said.
“Uhn, I guess he feels similar to me~?”
“…………That’s right. Millium seems smart, after all. I guess it’s expected of Ironbloods.”
“Nishishi, right, right~?”
Perhaps a childish sense of competitiveness has arisen in her, thought Rean as he prayed for Jusis’ safety.
“But Rean-san…… is it really okay?”
Emma then joined the conversation while using her magic.
“What do you mean?”
“It’s about making Rufus-san into a Divine Knight Awakener. Although Jusis-san is also there, was it really a good idea to guide him……? I mean, if there is a Divine Knight Awakener that nee-san guided, and that person is in a cooperative relationship with ‘Noble Faction’, then if he turns traitor, the opposing side will have three Divine Knights, right?”
“That’s why we asked Prince Olivert and Prince Cedric to be witnesses. As nobles, they wouldn’t betray the trust of the imperial family. After all, he is the older brother whom Jusis adores. Emma, too, even if Vita-san is involved with terrorists, you still love her, right?”
“T-That’s…… that might be true, but……”
Still, Emma’s concerns were valid.
It was Rean who was strange in treating the enormous power of Divine Knight so lightly, but originally, an Awakener should be guided only after conducting strict investigations.
[“Fufufu, Miss Emma. Here’s my advice. He…… Rufus Albarea has no interest in such balances, so you don’t need to worry about it. Besides, under the contract with Their Highnesses Olivert and Cedric as witnesses, the contribution of the Divine Knight will come after the terrorist issue is resolved. At the very least, it won’t become a one-on-three Divine Knights showdown like you say.”]
[“I-Is that so?”]
With Millium there, Emma replied via telepathy.
Rean once again realized how great it was to have a friend who could hear his dad’s voice and respond to it.
[“I guess my son’s nosiness caught on to me——This was what was needed to bring out the individual in him. And you’re not as against it as your tone suggests, are you?”]
[“Hm? Is that so?”]
[“N-No! That’s not true!”]
Emma thought as she skillfully blushed while closing her eyes and concentrated on doing magic at the same time.
Even though there were people who opposed it, I still went ahead and did what Rean-san asked me to do. I’m still immature, so immature——
This would make her not a witch who guided the Awakener, but a witch who was guided by the Awakener.
Emma felt this way and was so determined not to let herself be manipulated by Rean from now on that she felt ridiculous even counting the number of times she had made such a decision.
Author Note:
It was a forced contract, but I think the Trial in Crossbell was pretty forced as well, so let’s just think of it as the Deus Ex Machina in effect.
This encounter will drag out, but this is just an introduction, so I’ll have a chapter with proper interaction with Rufus eventually…
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