Dragon Knight Chronicles ~ From a mere mercenary, rise to success through tactics! A small harem with the princess and the lord's daughter!? I'll also develop my territory! ~ - Chapter 79

Chapter 79   Guard Shinker

In October of the Unified Calendar year 566, Opal officially became the head of the Rilburn family as the new Duke, and the funeral of the former lord, Shinker, was held. Due to the mysterious circumstances surrounding his death, the funeral was a small affair, attended only by close associates.

“All clear!”

I had been hired as a guard for the Rillburn family. The sense of falling from being a duke was undeniable, and my monthly salary was less than 1,000 rahl.

To maintain secrecy, Io had used magic to create the appearance of a large burn scar on my face, so only a few trusted individuals knew I was still alive. …Though, my name remained unchanged.

“Hey, Shinker! I’ve recommended you for the next promotion exam. Do your best!”

“Yes! Thank you!”

I had been favored by Jim, the captain of the guards and an acquaintance of Elder Arias, and was given the opportunity to take the promotion exam. The exam was said to consist of swordsmanship and a written test. While I felt confident that no one could beat me in swordsmanship, the thought of the written test terrified me.

◇◇◇◇◇

After the practical swordsmanship exam, it was time for the written test.

“Begin!”

The examiner, Elder Arias, wore a stern expression, which made me stifle a laugh.

The test covered topics like basic magic theory, law, and the history of the Kingdom.

…This is bad. I don’t understand any of it…

“Time’s up!”

As I handed in my nearly blank test paper, Elder Arias leaned in and whispered in my ear.

“…Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it.”

…Oh! What a relief!

After all, I’ve risen through the ranks by the sword alone. There’s no way I could handle a written exam. I left the exam room feeling triumphant.

“Hey, old man, give me two of those potatoes and one of those leafy vegetables!”

“Sure thing, that’ll be 2 rahl.”

I handed over two copper coins and received the goods. With my low pay, buying meat was out of the question.

“I’m home!”

“Poko~♪”

I returned to my home on the outskirts of the town of Lebe. This house was something I had arranged back when I was a knight, and it was genuinely mine. I sat down to sip potato porridge with Pokorina.

“Poko!”

“Hang in there; I’m not a noble anymore, you know.”

I soothed the dissatisfied Pokorina and went to bed early, as even candles to light the dark night were expensive.

◇◇◇◇◇

The next day…

I went to check the results of the exam.

…I passed. Although it feels like I might have cheated my way through, it’s best not to dwell on that. I went to Elder Arias to receive my certificate.

“Ahem, Shinker. Your passing was more of a bonus. You won’t be serving as a guard for the lord, but instead, you’ll be assigned as Lady Io’s bodyguard. I’m counting on you!”

“Understood.”

With the other successful candidates around, I couldn’t speak too casually. With my appointment letter in hand, I went to greet Lady Io, the widow of the late lord.

“Nice to meet you. My name is Shinker.”

“…Pfft, hahaha!”

When I entered the room to introduce myself, only a familiar maid and Lady Io were present. They both burst into laughter. It seems I had been set up.

“You’ve had it rough. So, how’s life as a guard?”

“Well, it’s not bad, but Pokorina isn’t too happy with the food situation.”

To my surprise, Lady Io offered me the seat of honor. If someone else saw this, they might think that’s how it was supposed to be.

“Poko~♪”

Pokorina eagerly jumped out of my backpack and onto Lady Io’s lap, happily snuggling against her.

“Will you be moving into the castle?”

“Yes, it’s a small room, but I hear they’re setting up a secret passage to the office.”

“That’s wonderful news.”

I chatted with Io for a while, and later met with Opal, who ended up crying.

She was probably scared by the burn scars on my face, though they were just a magical disguise. It’s a hassle to remove them.

I spent the day guarding Lady Io and, as before, retreated to my study at night.

◇◇◇◇◇

The Lord’s Office—

The one sitting at the lord’s desk was not the lord, but someone dressed in a guard’s uniform.

I lit the candle and diligently attended to my duties.

“Kim, how are things in the capital?”

“Well… it seems that Marquis Clock has taken the position of Chancellor and is now overseeing the government.”

“And what about Her Majesty, Queen Charlotte?”

“She’s reportedly bedridden, staying in her room due to illness. There’s talk that she might actually be under house arrest… It seems the recent incident was essentially a coup.”

“I see. How unfortunate.”

“Yes. Given the situation, I believe it would be wise for you to stay out of the public eye for a while. Conveniently, we are keen on focusing on the development of the Gale region. Perhaps you could relocate there with Lady Io?”

“But wouldn’t that be unfair to Opal? This time, I think it would be better to bring Adelheid along.”

“Understood. I will make the necessary arrangements immediately.”

After consulting with everyone, I appointed Moltke as the deputy steward and entrusted Adelheid with the official duties during my absence.

Over the next month, I continued my role publicly as a guard, while privately, I spent time closely with Io and Opal.

◇◇◇◇◇

“Raise the anchor!”

The merchant ship carrying me set sail from the port of Europa, heading towards the Gale region under the command of Captain Lobos.

Accompanying me on this journey were Adelheid, Pokorina, and her adopted child, a Mithril Golem.

The Golem, hidden within a massive suit of metal armor, was posing as a giant knightly bodyguard. It would be troublesome if anyone discovered it was actually a monster.

By the way, it seems its name is Gau, named so because it occasionally roars “Gau.”

“Land ho!”

The voyage went smoothly, and we safely arrived at a small port in the Gale region.