Chapter 346 - Episode 10: Nakanohara Light Infantry Commander Lewis's Inspection
The next day, since I heard Lewis-san was coming for an inspection, I decided to be present with Beatrix.
Today, since Fiona is the day to serve the Queen of the border as the head maid, I asked Bonnie and two Alraunes to mind the main shop.
Lewis-san and his adjutant arrived in a bowl operated by the Paratroop Jaegers. They seemed to have aimed for the time when the breakfast bento sales were over and the men at the silica mine were at work, so there were no customers.
The three Light Infantrymen are not in their usual bandit attire. Of course, they are not in farming style either. They are wearing surcoats with emblems over chain mail. The swords they usually carry on their backs are at their waists. It can be called formal dress. I hope it's not, but is it the third farce?
"Is Priestess Jeanne here?"
Lewis-san, who usually barges into the premises without permission, called out from the front. It's quite solemn.
"Yes. I am here."
"Sorry, but I'll be inspecting. Jeanne, oh, Beatrix is here too. Then both of you, guide me."
Saying so, he entered the shop with his adjutant. They go straight to the back.
Despite saying to guide them, they are moving on their own. There must be something.
Leaving the shop to Beowulf and Miana, I followed them with Beatrix, and we went out of the shop through the back door.
"Sorry. I have a private consultation for the two of you."
They kept walking and reached the place where we usually have banquets.
Apparently, it's not just an inspection.
He's sending glances around to confirm that no one is there.
"For the time being, I want what I'm about to say to be kept between just the four of us."
"Do you want a Vow of Silence?"
When Beatrix asked, the reply was that it wasn't necessary.
"Actually, there's something I want to confirm with you two."
"What is it?"
"It's about Beowulf."
"It's faster to ask her directly, isn't it? Shall I call her?"
"No, I want to ask you two before that."
What on earth is it?
"For Beowulf, that, what is it..."
"What?"
"You know, that... is there a man?"
"A man?"
"Yeah, someone she's dating, or a man she's promised her future to."
"In other words, you mean a boyfriend?"
"Yes, that! A boyfriend!"
I thought he was mumbling, but it was sudden. It's bad for Beowulf, but it was an unexpected question and I was surprised. Beowulf is ranked sixth in the 'who will marry first' ranking we secretly do in the Class of 175. After all, she can't do any housework. However, as a priest, I'm in last place, losing even to the boyish Lyudmila.
"Oh? Are you curious? Which of the two? Or both? Shall I arrange a date for you?"
"No, it's not us. So, is there one? Or not?"
"Who? You can at least tell us that much, can't you?"
Beatrix is smirking. Of course. We must know about our friends' love stories. Keeping secrets is a violation of the rules.
Lewis-san and his adjutant sighed together.
"Jeanne. You know Crown Prince Edward of Primordia, right?"
This time, Edward-sama's name came out suddenly.
"Yes. I met him when I went to Primordia the other day."
If I think of Edward-sama, the sea snake subjugation comes to mind, but that's an official request, so it should go through the Marcelo Company from the Royal Palace. Also, I haven't heard that the Paratroop Jaegers are involved. Beowulf is also scheduled to participate, but is she thought to have a fiancé? If she's removed for such a reason, Beowulf will be furious.
"Actually, that Edward-sama seems to have, well, an interest in Beowulf as a woman."
"An interest? The Crown Prince of Primordia?"
"So it seems. So, a background check has begun, but the Royal Palace told us to go and ask about her current relationships with men, so we asked you two, since it's a bit much to ask her directly."
It doesn't seem like a joke. I catch Beatrix's eye.
However, it's strange. In that place, including her cousin Sianya, there were four princesses. Even excluding Aira, who has announced her engagement to Eowyn-sama, there were three fiancé candidates.
"I hear that Edward-sama has quite a large build."
"Yes. I think he was about two heads taller than Beowulf."
"He's that big!"
Beatrix is surprised. No wonder. Even Lord Roberts only has his head above his nose.
"That seems to be it. It's said that an ordinary woman wouldn't be able to handle him. In that regard, Beowulf would be a safe bet."
That? Of all things, he chose her for her large build? Usually, it's the opposite.
Of course, Beowulf's face and voice are cute. The heavy infantry herself is bothered by it, though.
No, but the two of them standing together looked like a good match, if I say so myself. More than anything, Beowulf, who overwhelms most men with her build, looked small.
"But Beowulf is older."
She's five years older. Usually, men marry around thirty, and women marry from their late teens to late twenties.
Of course, an older wife is not rare, but it's rare for a man to be in his late teens.
"They are both royalty. Age probably isn't considered much."
"Both royalty? Beowulf is a commoner... ah!"
Beatrix, who had said halfway, covered her mouth.
"Did you remember? I heard from Bishop Catherine that you all know. That Beowulf carries royal blood."
Beowulf is a nickname, and her real name is Francis. She's the illegitimate child of the previous or the one before that King of the Kingdom of Sertogne on the continent.
Before we were born, a girl moved from Sertogne with her whole family to a village in southern Sertoria. That was Beowulf's grandmother. The grandmother found out she was pregnant shortly after moving and gave birth to a daughter. That was Beowulf's mother. The family lived quietly and peacefully in the village, but the war began. The family had their only daughter move to Nakanohara. And she met and married one of the Royal Army soldiers of the Nakanohara garrison. The daughter born was Beowulf. The family who were in the village near the border died in the war. To make matters worse, her father died in battle. Her mother, devastated by the repeated deaths of her family, became ill and died. And Beowulf came to the orphanage. When she was ten.
"But she herself says she's a person of Sertoria. Her father was also a heavy infantryman of the Royal Army. That's why she herself wants to be a heavy infantryman. Well, fortunately, her body is also large."
Beowulf found out the truth after her mother's death. Among her mother's belongings were a ring and a letter. And there was a letter addressed to her mother from her grandmother. In that letter, the circumstances were written. The letter had the signature of the King of the Kingdom of Sertogne, stating that he recognized Beowulf's mother as his daughter. The ring was of course with an emblem. For the grandmother, who did not remarry and remained single, it must have been her emotional support. Beowulf was, of course, greatly surprised and was flustered about what to do if her true identity was found out by others. As a result, when she came to the orphanage, she was extremely quiet, and eventually couldn't even say her own name at the self-introduction. The nickname Beowulf was given by the Headmistress, who couldn't bear to see it.
Usually, even for royalty, they don't seem to look at the results of a one-night stand. Even more so if the opponent is a commoner. He recognized her. Surely, he truly loved Beowulf's grandmother. It must have been a forbidden love that crossed status, and the marriage must have met with fierce opposition from those around them. The family was not particularly wealthy, but they weren't poor either. Perhaps they were forced to move as if being kicked out.
"Apparently, the Kingdom of Sertogne says they recognize the right of succession to the throne. Though, the rank is quite low, and Beowulf's children aren't applicable, so it's almost irrelevant."
"Could it be that you were asking Primordia to mediate that?"
"You guessed well, Jeanne. That's right. When Beowulf was born, Henry-sama, who was the King at the time, apparently confirmed it."
So that's why it was fast. No matter how much he fell in love with her build, it hasn't even been a month. An ordinary royal, let alone a one-night stand, wouldn't look at a commoner's daughter. Edward-sama must have known from the beginning. The first joint work of the two together was pushing open the stone door of the ancient ruins by themselves. Thinking about it now, Edward-sama invited her to a drinking party immediately after that. If he fell for her, it must have been then.
"However, there seems to be a condition. If Beowulf has the letter from the then King of Sertogne recognizing Beowulf's mother as his child and the ring with the emblem of the Kingdom of Sertogne."
Actually, she has them. We were shown them. When she told us her real name. They should be in the Headmistress's care now.
However, it's strictly as her mother's memento, and she said she wanted to live a life unrelated to Sertogne. The reason she aspired to be a Royal Army soldier was also to become strong and surpass her father who died in battle, and to reduce the commoners who get caught up in war. It would be a nuisance to have bloodlines brought up now.
"So, His Majesty says he's also considering making Beowulf an adopted daughter of the Sertorian Royal Family and sending her out as a royal of Sertoria."
I see. If it's as a Sertorian, she herself might be convinced.
Also, Edward-sama is a fan of Sertoria. Like many warriors, he's also an ardent fan of Lord Roberts. Lord Roberts' marriage partner is Gladys-sama, famous as a spear user, and Magdalena-sama is the original demon wife... no, a former Royal Army Central Light Cavalry. There should be no problem even if a Royal Army heavy infantryman is the Queen.
"But it depends on her."
"The Royal Family is also concerned about that. So, how is it? Is there a man?"
We're back to the start, but the answer is simple.
"There isn't. Because the men are weak, they all seem to be afraid of her."
"I see, I understand. Then, the rest depends on her."
"Wait a minute. Are you going to ask her now?"
"No, such a thing is beyond our station. Our investigation ends here."
"Can we tell her?"
"No, it's not confirmed yet. Besides, it's better if the proposal is between the individuals themselves. Keep quiet."
"But in the end, you won't know the truth unless you ask her."
"You all have an iron rule, don't you? If you don't know, there probably isn't one."
Actually, there is. It falls under Article 5 of the Class of 175 Rules: "Thou shalt report to the members as soon as possible when a man thou hast a liking for appears, and regarding love and marriage." This is to avoid a love triangle among friends, and was included at Mary's insistence. You must report at the stage when you've come to like someone. So far, we haven't received a report from Beowulf.
"You know well, don't you?"
"Don't underestimate our information network."
Where do they hear it from?
"But you know, if only we know, that's a violation of the rules at that stage."
"Then, would it be okay if the other side cancels after Beowulf has heard the story and become interested?"
"Th-that's... no."
"Then, keep quiet. Besides, you're going for the sea snake subjugation soon, right? At that time, there should be a second assessment. I think it's better to keep quiet at least until that's over."
In cases involving affection, it's allowed even if kept quiet.
However, the person who was told will become conscious of it. It might have been better not to be told at all. Incidentally, they seem to be checking with the Royal Army as well.
"I can tell the other friends, right? Like Mary, who's going for the sea snake subjugation together."
"Hmm. It can't be helped. But tell them to keep it quiet."
That part should be fine.
"Then, the inspection of this farm is over. There seem to be no problems with this residential area. We will now inspect other shops and the silica mine to deter crime."
Saying so, he walked briskly and entered the shop.
"Beowulf. I think there are no problems because you are here, but we are responsible for the safety of the Flatlands. We'll come for inspections like this from time to time, so if anything happens, cooperate with the guard outpost and report immediately."
"Yes, I understand."
"I've seen the farm once. After finishing the inspection of the nearby shops, it's the inspection of the main silica mine."
"Good work."
"Well, this is also a mission. Then, Miana--tono, do your best too."
"Ah, yes. Thank you very much."
I see. So that's the pretext they came with.
After Beatrix and I took a deep breath, we returned to the shop.
"They went out after seeing the residential area."
It's not a lie.
"He said the main thing was the silica mine. There are people who came from Engrio, so maybe he's being considerate."
Of course, Beowulf doesn't believe such words. She must think they just made a pretext for Miana's protection. If the Light Infantry comes often, wicked people won't be able to do anything careless.
"Then, sorry, but I'm making scrolls. I'll be back for a break."
"Me too."
"Ah, good work. Don't overdo it."
Ugh. When she shows us her usual kindness as we run away from the place, my heart aches.
Withdrawing, Beatrix and I sighed together.
"Hey, what should we do?"
"What do you mean, what should we do? We just have to pretend we don't know."
Mary is good at this kind of thing, but she's gone back to the Royal Capital.
"Anyway, as Lewis-san said, the worst thing is if Beowulf becomes interested and the other side cancels, so we just have to keep quiet. Just think about the sea snake subjugation."
That's true. However, I was with them but didn't notice at all. Royalty really don't show their true feelings on their faces. The easy-to-understand ones are Henry-sama and Lord Roberts.
In the end, I made scrolls at the Marcelo Company in the afternoon, and Beatrix went hunting, so I was able to have time to calm down.
When we gathered to eat dinner together, the atmosphere wasn't particularly strange either.
However, she's an inquisitive mage. She seems to want to confirm one point at least.
It's Miana. If Miana has fallen for Edward-sama, the story will become complicated.
It's during the Boar Club dinner.
"Hey, Miana, what do you think about marriage?"
Beatrix brought it up.
I heard from Saxburg that for royal girls, their partners are usually decided by their early teens. Sertoria seems to be different, but she must be getting some offers.
"M-me?"
The bandits fell silent. Some are swallowing hard. Their gazes and faces are turned in completely different directions, but their upper bodies are all leaning toward where Miana is.
"I don't particularly... right now, I'm full with learning about the shop."
"But, you know, you're meeting Crown Princes of various countries too. You went to Primordia the other day, didn't you? Even if you don't like them, like, 'maybe this person is okay', or something."
"Edward-sama was concerned about Sianya-sama. Besides, he's too big for me."
She seems to be afraid. Come to think of it, she only spoke to him when she received the consultation, and didn't speak to him at all after that. If she was interested, she would try to get closer using that as an opportunity.
"Besides, my mother said the partner can be a commoner."
Well, that would be so. She herself is from a commoner background.
Several bandits are secretly making fist pumps.
"I see, sorry. I asked a strange thing."
"No."
For some reason, Beatrix, who asked, turned red. However, with this, it's clear that at least the worst-case love triangle won't happen. It's a relief.
"But, how about you, Beatrix?"
Miana's counterattack began.
Love-related stories should have been trained daily at the third shop where Mary is the manager. And Beatrix was a famous beautiful girl. Now, at twenty, she's becoming a beauty.
"Me? I have things to do. Until then, maybe making money."
"But you have childhood friends, don't you?"
"Well, yeah. But Mary takes them all. We have no chance."
"The manager?"
It is a fact. Since the orphanage days, she has boasted immense popularity among boys of the same generation. Of course, the fact that Beatrix and Will's 'old man' attributes are too high is also a reason.
"Well, she's a little devil. Besides, I have more fun drinking and making a fuss with the old men."
"Then, how about one of those old men?"
Miana, you're completely enjoying this.
"They're all married."
Look, you bandit over there! Don't pose just because you're single!