212th Chapter
Count Silia.
Standing in this place as the Emperor’s proxy, Count Silia calmly fulfilled his role.
“By the authority granted to me on behalf of His Majesty, I hereby command you…”
Count Silia elaborated for quite some time on topics of honor, dedication, and loyalty.
Though he added many details here and there, it ultimately boiled down to a discourse on the responsibilities and duties that nobles must uphold.
Jimy and Matthew’s eyes couldn’t focus and kept spinning around.
Even someone dim-witted would realize, after listening to Count Silia, that this was about granting a title. However, the situation was too sudden for Jimy and Matthew’s minds to fully grasp it.
Count Silia looked down at the bewildered Jimy and declared,
“The Castle of Helm is bestowed.”
Ray muttered with disappointment that it wasn’t “Pong Pong.”
Perhaps they should have considered another castle, like giving Disi Castle to Jimy and Wash Castle to Matthew…
While Ray entertained such useless thoughts,
Count Silia handed the imperial decree to a knight and received the emperor’s ceremonial sword, pointing it towards Jimy.
Tap tap
Count Silia tapped both of Jimy’s shoulders with the ceremonial sword and handed him a wooden box.
The same procedure was then repeated for Matthew.
After repeating what he had said, Count Silia looked down at Matthew and announced,
“The Castle of Belmore is bestowed.”
Following this, he handed over another wooden box, marking the end of the ceremony.
Despite being somewhat simplified, the process felt rushed, but this was exactly what Ray had hoped for.
Now, Jimy became Sir Jimy Helm or Lord Jimmy Helm, and Matthew became Lord Matthew Belmore, entering the ranks of the Empire’s nobility.
The reason for granting these titles was summarized as significant contributions to the defense of the Empire… Detailed explanations were to be filled in later by the royal family and the Prizzran Clan.
Jimy opened the wooden box he had received with a dazed expression.
Inside was an insignia ring granted by the royal family.
The seal engraved on the ring symbolized the future crest of the Helm family.
As soon as the ceremony ended, the knights and Count Silia prepared to return to the Imperial Capital without delay.
Everyone was busy; they couldn’t afford to linger leisurely in Phillip’s County.
Count Phillip, preparing to leave, exchanged polite farewells with them before approaching Jimy and Matthew.
Having been one of the few witnesses to the title-granting ceremony, Count Phillip extended a handshake with a smile.
“Congratulations.”
“Ahh, thank you…”
Jimy shook hands while still unable to regain his composure.
From a commoner’s perspective, all nobles might look similar, but among the nobility, there was indeed a clear hierarchy.
When commoners gained titles, they were usually absorbed into powerful noble houses as vassals, briefly imitating nobility before passing away.
However, the titles granted to Jimy and Matthew were hereditary.
Moreover, these were directly conferred by the Emperor, or rather, by the Emperor’s proxy.
Unless they committed serious crimes leading to the Emperor revoking their titles, Jimy and Matthew’s positions would now carry an eternal and unchallengeable authority and prestige.
Jimy and Matthew took deep breaths.
In this world, all lowborn individuals were destined to despair and feel powerless against the wall of social status from birth.
Therefore, even those who claimed adulthood could not help but harbor a deep and primal longing for the status of nobility.
“Haa…”
The reality of having obtained titles finally hit them.
Overwhelmed with emotion, Jimy and Matthew embraced each other.
Their reddened eyes filled with tears, but they felt no shame.
Amidst the mingling emotions, Ray approached the two men.
“There are quite a few things you two need to know…”
The titles granted to them weren’t merely nominal.
Thanks to the Emperor’s generosity, much more came attached than what Ray had originally requested.
Of course, compared to Ray’s actual achievements, this was still just a drop in the ocean.
With an excited face, Ray smiled broadly at the two.
“For now, let me just congratulate you. I owe you both a lot. It’s fortunate that I can repay you, albeit a bit late.”
Jimy pulled away from Matthew and gave Ray a strong hug.
Holding Ray tightly, Jimy spoke with a trembling voice.
“Ray… You’re my greatest son.”
“Jimy, I’ll be your son again if I’m reborn.”
“Kraaaaack…!!”
Unable to contain his joy, Jimy spat blood.
After sending off the overwhelmed Jimy and Matthew, Ray turned to Bella, who had been watching the ceremony from a distance.
Bella hugged Ray back and patted his back.
“You’ve worked hard, our son.”
Although Bella didn’t fully understand how much effort Ray had put in or how difficult his journey had been, she knew her son had achieved much and worked tirelessly.
Nearby, Lea began whining.
“Mommy, I want to go home! I really want to go home!”
Lea wanted to quickly unwrap the gift she received from Ray and use it.
Watching the armored knights was interesting for Lea, but opening her gift took precedence.
For Ray, however, Lea’s whining was unacceptable.
‘How dare you throw a tantrum…’
Ray flicked his finger at Lea.
“Come here. The gift will be confiscated.”
“…!!”
Through her slightly enhanced data processing, Lea realized Ray was truly capable of taking away her gift.
Sensing the danger, Lea clutched the gift to her chest and began fleeing awkwardly.
Despite her desperate escape attempt, Lea’s vision was obstructed by the gifts she held tightly, causing her to bump into someone.
Phewk!
“Ouch!”
“Oh dear.”
Ripa caught Lea as she stumbled backward.
Even while stumbling, Lea bowed deeply and apologized, prompting Ripa to burst out laughing at her cuteness.
“Where are you running off to so urgently?”
“My bad brother is chasing me!”
Ripa laughed again.
Just then, the bad brother approached.
Ripa shielded Lea behind her and greeted Ray.
“Hello, did you come back in good health?”
“Ah, Ripa. How have you been…?”
Ray stopped mid-sentence when he noticed something on Ripa’s finger.
It looked like a wedding ring.
“Eh? Did you get married? Who’s the husband?”
As Ripa was about to answer, Philip nearby cleared his throat and stepped forward.
Seeing a ring similar to Ripa’s on Philip’s finger, Ray burst out laughing.
“Oh my, Brother!”
Ray put his arm around Philip.
Philip used to cause trouble during his youth, earning stern warnings from Ray, but that was long ago.
Now grown into a solid young man with a good reputation, Ray patted Philip’s back contentedly.
“Oh my, congratulations! When did you get married?”
“Two, two months ago…”
Philip felt uneasy around Ray.
Everyone knew that his wife, Ripa, had once harbored feelings for Ray.
On top of that, Ray’s exceptional abilities made Philip feel inferior.
Still, with Ray celebrating and addressing him as “brother,” Philip couldn’t feel too bad.
Ray lowered his voice and slipped two platinum coins into Philip’s pocket.
“Brother, take this and use it for whatever you need.”
“Uh, yes, thank you…”
“Hey, don’t be formal. Anyway, take good care of Ripa.”
“Mm…”
After patting Philip’s back, Ray looked up at the sky.
Above the clouds near the sun,
Knife, smiling warmly at Ripa, gave Ray a thumbs-up before turning away.
Knife’s figure walking on the clouds grew distant and blurry.
Having ensured his daughter was safely married off, Knife was now disappearing to where he belonged.
Ray watched Knife’s retreating figure with satisfaction.
Knowing when to leave and leaving gracefully—what a beautiful sight.
Having taken advantage of Knife’s presence far too often, Ray now understood it was time to bid him farewell.
As Ray waved his hand lightly toward the sky, someone poked his back.
Turning around, he saw Alesya standing there.
“Father wishes to discuss something with you!”
“Ah, alright.”
There was still much to discuss with Count Phillip.
Nodding, Ray approached the waiting Count Phillip.
*
Once inside Count Phillip’s study, Ray recounted everything that had happened recently.
Only regarding Meteo could Ray not be entirely honest with Count Phillip. This was something only Ray and Luna needed to know.
Looking at the documents on the table, Ray explained,
“This is nominally the trade cost…”
“Trade…?”
“Uh, well, it’s the price Prizzran Clan paid either for recruiting or extracting someone named Johanna.”
The document stated that tax rights for certain regions belonging to the Prizzran Clan would be ‘transferred for 100 years.’
The revenue from the regions mentioned in the document amounted to five times what Phillip’s County collected.
Moreover, the document clearly stipulated that the maintenance responsibility for these areas rested with the Prizzran Dukedom, along with liability for any reduction in revenue due to poor management.
Additionally, the document bore the signatures of key Prizzran figures and the imperial seal.
As long as the Empire endured, there was no room for dispute, even decades later.
In short, the Phillip’s County would receive funds equivalent to five times its current revenue for 100 years without doing anything.
How to utilize this fund was up to Count Phillip and Alesya.
They could slowly build their house’s power in the frontier or aim for entry into central politics.
Count Phillip took a deep breath.
This was more than enough foundation to rebuild the house.
Though delighted, Count Phillip couldn’t quite understand Ray’s intentions.
If Ray’s intent was simply “Take it and disappear,” it would make sense.
In the past, Phillip’s County might have greedily pursued Ray, singing praises of Swordmasters.
But now, with the stakes raised, they clearly recognized they couldn’t compete with Ray.
Yet, Ray’s tendency to hide his accomplishments made his motives hard to fathom.
Reading Count Phillip’s expressions, Ray paused momentarily before holding back further words.
He sensed the right time to reveal issues concerning lifespan was approaching, though not yet.
With Luna nearby, bringing up lifespan concerns seemed burdensome.
Count Phillip, seeing Ray fall silent, offered his thanks first.
“I’m grateful. I owe you greatly.”
“Do I not owe you equally, my lord?”
Ray humbly responded.
Thus concluded their private meeting with an ambiguous atmosphere.
Exiting the room, Ray approached Ulte who had been waiting outside and asked,
“Would you like to accompany me to see Lady Resina?”
“…”
Ulte appeared troubled.
Clue (2)
