Chapter 11 – Kingmaker (5)
Although there were many people that were interested in Jade, there was no one that interested him.
He had come to the royal palace just to relax for a short while.
However, there was someone next to him that told him everything that was currently happening within the kingdom, so he was well versed with what was actually happening outside.
-He should take care of him. He placed his life on the line to help him defend his spot. He shouldn"t forget that loyalty.
“It seems like they were talking about giving him an extra step in peerage too. And, in a way, it"s fair. The Crown Prince needs to build his own strength, since the n.o.bles are currently alive and well.”
-Politics is so hard!
“It"s easy if one"s strong enough. But, because he isn"t, he needs to use his head like this.”
-It would be easy for you then, Jade.
Celestine laughed as she tapped Jade in the cheeks with her elbow.
However, Jade shook his head.
“I hate getting headaches.”
-It seems like they"re planning on giving you a t.i.tle as well Jade. They have a lot of empty s.p.a.ces available right now.
-They need to give you a t.i.tle to keep you in their grasp, since they saw your strength.
Elestra spoke as if it was a matter of fact.
The n.o.bles weren"t sending him invitations for nothing.
And, although the Crown Prince knew this, he continued to keep it to himself.
“I just hope it"s at a moderate level.”
-What level do you want it to be at?
Celestine"s eyes sparkled.
She was asking what t.i.tle Jade wanted to receive.
“It should at least be higher than a baron, right?”
-Your worth is at least the level of a duke.
“Realistically that"s impossible, since there is only one duke in all of Paulstein. Nevertheless, there is still one possible method of gaining the t.i.tle of a duke.”
-It"s possible if you marry the princess.
-I don"t like that!
Hearing Elestra"s words, Celestine violently shook her head.
Jade was barely 25 years old, so marriage was too quick.
There was no way she was going to accept that.
“I don"t want that either. The higher the t.i.tle I get, the more responsibility I"ll have. That"s why I"d rather get a moderate t.i.tle. A t.i.tle that"ll allow me to enjoy a good amount of rights without any responsibility of obligation.”
-Aren"t you taking advantage of them too much?
“Humans usually have this type of mentality. Should I just say it"s a trait of our race?”
-You"re not just trying to pa.s.s over it like that are you?
“You caught me.”
Jade laughed yet seeing this side of Jade made Elestra smile as well.
She knew that he unconsciously believed himself to be an outsider, but when she listened to his words, it didn"t sound like he had a for sure plan to go back to his world.
"I wonder if this world is just uncomfortable for him. I"m not sure. He"s not the type to pour his feelings out."
Watching Jade take jokes from Celestine, Elestra made a queer expression.
Although some time has pa.s.sed since they"ve been together, there wasn"t anything she really knew about him.
-Then wouldn"t Marquis be perfect then? It seems like Viscount Aus will become promoted to a count. Then that would mean you would have to receive the Marquis t.i.tle, since you contributed more to the battle than Aus.
“If that was the case, then Arelia would have to get that t.i.tle. She was the one that took care of Madrane.”
-Elves aren"t interested in human t.i.tles. They get placed in their positions by their responsibilities, so they don"t care for t.i.tles.
Celestine firmly shook her index finger.
This meant that she was sure Arelia wouldn"t receive the t.i.tle, even if she was given it.
Although she and the War Elves came to the royal palace for Lloyd and Laney, they were bound to leave as soon as the situation became more stable.
“There are honorable t.i.tles too and my heart is leaning more towards that route. It"ll be quite convenient to have a n.o.ble t.i.tle when travelling the continent, and I"ll have to deal with the flies even less.”
-That"s definitely true.
Jade spoke as he watched Hwid curl up into a ball.
It would be more comfortable to have the ident.i.ty of a n.o.ble rather than a mercenary when traveling or doing some sort of foreign activity, and the siblings were sure to want to form some sort of connection with Jade.
“I think it"ll be okay to gain a single victory t.i.tle as well.”
-You think it"s going to work out that way? Both siblings are quite greedy you know. The Crown Prince even appears to be planning on ripping apart and rebuilding the whole kingdom again.
“Aren"t you spying on them too much?”
Jade burst out laughing.
Although they couldn"t see her, she was eavesdropping on them way too much.
-It"s not like I"m hearing it because I want to. My little ones are the ones hearing it and telling me. The amount of spirits in the royal palace have grown because of the War Elves, though the humans living here don"t seem to realize that.
“That"s true. It really is rare to find someone who has a strong affinity with the spirits. I haven"t seen a single one yet, even though there are so many people living in the kingdom.”
-Even if there was, it"s because they don"t know they have talent in that field.
-That"s why it"s important to have a summoner who can help guide them. Unless you"re someone like Jade.
-Cases like Jade are REALLY rare.
Celestine wrapped her arms behind her head like a pillow and floated in the air as if she were swimming against her back.
She used her legs to move back and forth through the air.
“In a way, I"m glad to hear that. As much as it"s a unique talent, it"s also quite capable. If I didn"t have any affinity to spirits, I don"t think I would"ve even survived like this.”
Although he had grown up as a Hunter, he wasn"t a genius in that field.
He was average for his age, so it was obvious he wouldn"t have been able to run away for so long in the Great Forest without the help of his spirit friends.
And, even if he did survive, he would"ve barely been sc.r.a.ping by each day.
-What"s the point of thinking about that. It"s not like that"s ever going to happen.
-That"s right. Life is short even when you just think about the present and the future.
Ggyoo!
Hwid curled up into Jade"s arms as if telling him it was there as well.
It had quickly flown over to him and took a spot in his chest.
“Little rascal.”
Completed – Chapter 11 (5)