The Engagement of the Baron of Flowers and the Withered Tree Lady. - Chapter 24
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- Chapter 24 - The Defensive Abilities of the Withered Tree Lady
The Engagement of the Baron of Flowers and the Withered Tree Lady.
Chapter 24: The Defensive Abilities of the Withered Tree Lady
“So, in reality, is there something happening at the royal palace tomorrow? I won’t be able to enter the palace, but is Miss Julia’s safety truly guaranteed?”
“I’m sorry, but as the baron’s servant, I don’t know the details. However, the Crown Prince has assured Julia’s safety. And I’m certain Count Woodcliff is involved in tomorrow’s affair.”
“Is it related to my father?”
“Most likely, tomorrow’s soirée is connected to matters of national defense. As you’ve both noticed, suspicious individuals from the western country have been lurking around Count Woodcliff for some time now. The palace authorities seem to be aware of this and have been conducting investigations. It seems they have already identified these individuals.”
“However, since the opposing party has yet to make any moves, there’s little we can do to address it. Therefore, for now, our only option is to devise defense measures and prepare as much as possible.”
“Oh, and Rufie will be allowed to enter the royal palace tomorrow, along with Robert.”
Upon Romand’s words, the three of them widened their eyes. Question marks hung in the air, questioning why.
“The royal palace seems to want to gather as many confident and skilled individuals as possible. That’s why I recommended the two of you to the Crown Prince.
Both of you will be temporary members of the Royal Guard tomorrow. However, you’ll be blending in with the regular guests incognito, so you don’t need to wear knight attire, just regular formal attire will do.
Tomorrow morning, Robert will take Rufie to the costume rental shop.”
“So, in other words, we’ll be serving as private escorts for the Master and Miss Julia, right?”
“Well, essentially, yes. The three of us, including myself, will be Julia’s guards.”
“Baron, if I may ask, are you strong?”
“Um…”
While Romand crossed his arms and pondered, Robert, wearing a slightly exasperated expression, spoke in place of his master.
“I wouldn’t say I’m exceptionally strong, but I believe I have the ability to protect both myself and Miss Julia. Please rest assured.”
“What do you mean?”
Rufie furrowed his brows. If they were going to cooperate, it would be difficult to coordinate without knowing each other’s capabilities. In this case, where they had no idea who their enemies were or what their objectives might be, it was even more challenging.
Romand understood what Rufie was concerned about. Despite looking slightly troubled, he began to explain.
“My swordsmanship is average. I learned it through school lessons and practiced on my own. If I were to compare, I’d say my skills are about average for a knight academy student.”
That sounded sufficiently strong to Julia.
Since she had never attended school and never seen students from the knight academy, she couldn’t judge their actual abilities. However, considering that the academy trained knights, the students there should be considerably strong.
She had heard rumors in town that the practical selection exams for the knight academy were quite rigorous.
“I think my martial arts skills are decent. I’ve been training with Robert since childhood. We used to spar on par with the top students of the knight academy.
The teachers always tried to recruit me to transfer from the liberal arts department to the knight academy.”
Julia was amazed by that. Robert was tall but slender, so she never expected him to be that strong.
“Master has a lean muscular build. Despite his appearance, he has quite a bit of muscle. Since childhood, he constantly trained his body, aspiring to become a strong man who could protect his childhood crush. It was always tough for me as I was often made his sparring partner.
And then, after he became the ‘Green Spirit User,’ well, I completely lost track of how to deal with him. I became more of a record-keeper than a practice partner. I had to verify one by one what desires he needed to hold in his heart to unleash his powers.
Well, no matter how difficult the task, if you’re not aware of it, things can go terribly wrong when the time comes.”
In other words, he was already strong like a knight, and gaining the power of the ‘Green Spirit’ made it challenging to control his strength. Julia nodded, understanding the situation.
As a ‘Green Spirit User’ herself, she could command the power of the ‘Green Spirit,’ but she had never tried to engage in battle using it, so she didn’t know the extent of her own abilities.
Until now, she had only relied on it instinctively when she felt her life was in danger.
Like when she was almost hit by a carriage or when she was about to be attacked by thugs. And that was before Rufie became her bodyguard.
Well, just recently, when she saw an assassin and instinctively made a request out of sheer terror, she was genuinely surprised to find herself assimilated with the plants that were growing nearby.
Nevertheless, the fact that Romand had been training his body to protect her since childhood… Julia blushed at the thought.
“So, Baron, you’re moderately strong in individual combat and incredibly strong in group battles… to the point where you can’t control it?”
When Rufie inquired, Romand nodded.
“That’s right. That’s why I can’t just go around fighting recklessly. If I were to unleash that power in the royal palace, I could easily blow it away.”
“I haven’t informed His Highness the Crown Prince about it, though.”
“…”
Julia and the others were speechless.
In the silence that filled the living room, the only sound heard was the steady ticking of a pendulum clock.
And it was Julia who broke the silence.
“Do all ‘Green Spirit Users’ possess such formidable power?”
“Well, it seems there’s quite a variation among them. I exchanged information with other spirit users, and it appears that no one else has such destructive attacking power as I do. In fact, the majority of them can only utilize defensive abilities.”
“Perhaps I, too, can only use defensive abilities. Now that I think about it, I’ve only used it for defense in the past. I don’t think I have any offensive capabilities. If it were an unconscious power like mine, I should have attacked those maids today.”
“Indeed, that makes sense. Not just today, but over the past two and a half years, Miss Julia has endured countless hardships, yet she has never resorted to violence.”
Rufie spoke these words, then fell into silence for a moment before slowly continuing.
“Well then, how about Count Woodcliff? Do you know how strong he is, Baron?”
In response to Rufie’s question, Romand answered silently, mouthing the words, “I have no idea.”
The head of the Woodcliff Earl family has been responsible for national defense for generations. It’s not just because they are “spirit users,” but rather because they possess exceptionally strong powers within that group. That’s why the successor is not chosen solely based on direct lineage, Julia and the others understood.
“But why did the Woodcliff Lord approve of Julia becoming his daughter-in-law? It would be natural for him to want to marry off his daughter to the powerful ‘Green Spirit User’ Baron as a successor.”
Despite asking the Baron to help with his own duties as a condition, it’s strange for him to marry off his daughter, isn’t it?” Rufie questioned, genuinely puzzled.
“Come to think of it, that’s true. When I first heard about this arranged marriage, I didn’t know I was my father’s only daughter, so I didn’t think much of it. But now that I know the circumstances, it’s strange.”
“Well, even if they suddenly said I couldn’t get married unless it was through a marriage arrangement, it would be troublesome,” Julia said.
Indeed, there doesn’t seem to be anyone else in the Plant family who could inherit the baron title besides Romand…
“Well, if it was insisted that I had to marry Julia only through a marriage arrangement, I would have followed that, of course. So when I received the earl’s permission to marry Julia as long as I accepted the conditions, I was honestly surprised,” Romand said, causing Robert’s eyes to widen.
“Are you planning to abandon the Plant Baron family, my lord? Leave behind me, my lady, and the servants!”
“Why are you getting angry? I revived the nearly bankrupt Plant Baron family and successfully managed the estate. Do you have any right to complain? Besides, the know-how of managing the estate is already established. It’s not necessarily me, but anyone from the Plant family with the ability to win people’s hearts and knowledge of estate management could inherit the position without any issues. The Plant Baron doesn’t have to be a ‘Green Spirit User,’ but the Woodcliff Earl has to be one.”
Romand’s casual remarks left not only Robert but also Julia and Rufie astonished as they stared at him.