Life as an Adventurer with the Banished Marquis' Daughter - Chapter 02: Carriage Journey with the Exiled Marquis’s Daughter, Part 2

Chapter 02: Carriage Journey with the Exiled Marquis’s Daughter, Part 2

It was exactly one week before Erika Solnzari was exiled from the country when my father, with a stern look on his face, suddenly disowned me.

During the short spring break before the final year of school began, on the very first day, my father told me to leave the house. I looked up at the ceiling and thought for a moment.

My older brother, the eldest son, would likely inherit the house. Fortunately, he was healthy and recognized more for his academic achievements than his martial prowess, working at the royal palace. He wasn’t likely to die any time soon.

Additionally, we had a younger brother in case of an emergency.

Indeed, the house would be fine without me.

“I understand, Father. I’ll leave.”

What was unfortunate was that I wouldn’t be able to attend school anymore. At least for another year, I could have seen her profile.

I pictured Erika Solnzari’s profile in my mind and regretted that I wouldn’t be able to see it anymore.

“No, no, wait, wait, my son. You’re agreeing too easily. I know I didn’t explain everything because I was in a hurry, but show a bit more attachment to the family.”

Despite my resolve, my father hastily told me to wait.

“It’s not a grand enough family to be that attached to.”

“It’s a noble viscount family with a long history. Our ancestors will curse you, you fool.”

Was it okay for him to say it only had history? I thought so as I was prompted to sit, so I sat down on the sofa.

My father sat across the table, looking around his own room as if searching for hidden intruders before finally looking at me. 

His face was tense, and from what I knew, this was the expression he wore when he was suppressing strong anger.

Had I done something to make my father look like this? I wondered.

I admit I wasn’t a serious noble.

After all, with a proper heir in place, I was the kind of guy who was enrolled in school while also working as an adventurer on the side.

Given the academy’s founding principles, this was far from commendable. Honestly, my primary reason for attending the academy was to gaze at Erika Solnzari’s profile.

Naturally, my grades were as low as a worm crawling on the ground.

…Hmm, it’s no surprise I’m being disowned.

As I pondered the reasons for my disownment, my father slowly began to speak.

When my father mentioned Erika Solnzari’s name, I wasn’t calm inside, thinking my unworthy romantic feelings had been exposed.

But as I listened to what he had to say, I found myself clenching my teeth.

What was that? That was my reaction.

Erika Solnzari hadn’t done anything wrong.

The high-ranking nobles and the royal family, wanting to get close to the Maiden of Light, schemed to eliminate the innocent Erika Solnzari. Their plan was exploited by someone, leading to the catastrophic decision of exiling the chancellor’s daughter from the country.

The fault lay with the high-ranking nobles and the royal family. 

More specifically, it was the prince, who was so obsessed with the Maiden of Light that his eyes swirled and his head was filled with flowers.

If the prince had been more sensible, the royal family wouldn’t have gotten involved in the scheme. If that had been the case, no one would have tried to create a rift between the royal family and the chancellor by using his daughter.

The thought that the bright future promised to Erika Solnzari was being closed off because of these fools made me want to scream in anger.

As I clenched my teeth to hold back my anger, my father let out a sigh and slightly relaxed his face.

“I understand your anger, my son.” 

My father continued with a somewhat tired smile.

“So, about you leaving the house.”

“Yes, Father. How does that relate to what you just told me?” 

I only felt anger at what had happened to Erika Solnzari, but I couldn’t understand how that explained my disownment. 

As I looked at my father’s face, waiting for him to continue, he said:

“I want you to go into exile with Miss Erika.”

“…What?”

An unbelievable statement came from my father.

“…What?”

I asked twice.

Erika Solnzari’s current situation is quite delicate. 

She was exiled from the country because the church accused her of plotting to assassinate the Maiden of Light.

If this had been the result of political struggles within the court, even if she had been exiled, she could have lived as a noble in one of the marquisate’s estates abroad. And, if circumstances changed, returning home would have been easy.

However, her accuser was the church, and for the church, the Maiden of Light, loved by God, held more value than the king himself. 

Legally, in the kingdom, merely planning the assassination of the Maiden of Light meant a death sentence.

Due to the large-scale, intricate schemes used against her, it was now impossible to prove that the accusations were false. 

In fact, it was almost a miracle that she was only exiled.

During the negotiations, the kingdom promised the church that Erika Solnzari’s noble status would be revoked.

Consequently, the chancellor could no longer openly support his exiled daughter.

While the chancellor was furious, he couldn’t risk his daughter’s life.

So, he accepted the decision, albeit with a red face. 

There was now a deep-seated resentment between the royal family and the chancellor. 

Whoever orchestrated this did a remarkably good job.

But the issues didn’t end there.

In truth, neither Erika Solnzari nor the Maiden of Light had been informed about any of these events.

The reason is simple: to consider the feelings of the Maiden of Light. 

Although the royal family, the high-ranking nobles, and the church have different reasons, the assassination plot has been completely hidden from the Maiden of Light.

The original plan was to resolve everything during the spring break, so the Maiden of Light would be separated from Erika Solnzari without ever being told the reason.

Therefore, neither Erika Solnzari nor the Maiden of Light has been informed about their current situations.

The royal family, knowing that a death sentence for the chancellor’s daughter would make their relationship irreparable, desperately maneuvered to ensure her exile instead. 

However, a significant problem remained: how to explain this to the Maiden of Light.

They couldn’t honestly say, “Your friend plotted to assassinate you, so we exiled her.” 

Whether she believed it or doubted it, the outcome was uncertain. 

If the Maiden’s heart were troubled, the country could be in jeopardy.

Thus, to solve this problem, they came up with a plan involving me.

I should have clarified this earlier. 

The plan concocted by those fools was this:

Erika Solnzari fell in love with someone of a lower status, secretly married him, and eloped. So, they would ask the Maiden to pray for her friend’s future and happiness.

And so, I, Shin Longdagger, was chosen to be that someone.