Chapter 177 - Purity

The Start of Spring Festival was not called a zoo for nothing.

It was a place where, in a space of about five hundred people, more than a hundred illicit affairs were caught in the act.

By unwritten rule, everything that happened that day was supposed to be buried.

Because once people started bringing it up, it would become uncontrollably sordid and messy.

Which meant the very fact that it had started being brought up also meant this affair would continue in a sordid, messy way.

Ferda read the letter that had arrived at Count Concillus's domain.

The wording was formal, but its contents could be summarized simply and brutally.

Arwen Wolfheart, a knight of Count Concillus, had raped Lyudmila Purity, the third daughter of the Duke of Purity.

And they were now on their way to Count Concillus's castle to confirm the truth of it.

"Is it true?"

Ferda slowly shifted his gaze from the letter.

The man standing there like a criminal answered with difficulty.

"... It is not true."

"You did not have relations with her?"

"We did have relations, but that was... with mutual consent."

"Yes, I imagine it wasn't."

He was not being sarcastic; he truly did not think Arwen would have done it.

When he looked at both Arwen and the woman named Lyudmila, neither of them had given off the impression that one side was coercing the other.

The reason they had come out so forcefully was simple.

"It seems they have some other purpose. What do you think it is?"

"It's because of the dowry."

When noble houses married off their daughters, it was customary to send a dowry.

Since the head of the household took all responsibility after marriage, it was a practice they took for granted.

But nothing in the world was fair, and the amount of that dowry varied depending on rank and circumstances.

The lower a house's rank was compared to the woman who would become the wife, and the more fault lay with that house, the smaller the dowry became.

Right now, Arwen was a mere knight from the borderlands.

Add to that the claim that he had raped a noble young lady, and instead of receiving a dowry, he was in a position where he would have to pay compensation.

"... I apologize."

"It will be fortunate if this ends with an apology."

Concillus let out a deep sigh and covered his face.

He smacked his lips with a grave expression, then opened his mouth again.

"Arwen."

"Yes, Your Excellency..."

"Can you take responsibility for that woman named Lyudmila for the rest of your life?"

"... Pardon? By take responsibility for her for the rest of my life, you mean..."

"What other way is there to take responsibility for an innocent maiden?"

"O-Of course, since I sowed the seed, I must reap it, but I don't think things will go that smoothly..."

"Why would things not go smoothly? I need only take you in as my adopted son."

"M-Me, sir?"

Arwen blinked.

Seeing Arwen like that, Ferda was reminded of Malcolm.

Concillus scowled and said,

"Why are you pretending not to know? Everyone in the knight order knows it in secret."

"I truly did not know."

Arwen had often heard the other knights say that he was the one who would become the young master.

But Arwen had naturally assumed it was only a joke between knights.

Concillus clicked his tongue and said to Ferda,

"Judging by the look of him, if I leave it to this fool, the far east will suffer a great disaster. I will simply hand him over to House Purity."

"I agree."

"N-No! Please do not abandon me!"

Concillus laughed in disbelief at the sight of him floundering over a mischievous joke.

Without wasting time, they immediately proceeded with the conferral process.

"Arwen the Wolfheart. As of today, I grant you the right of succession as an adopted son of House Concillus, and Regent Ferda Valdrova shall bear witness to this fact as the Grand Duchess's proxy."

Arwen drew his sword, laid it on the floor, and answered.

"I, Knight Arwen, swear to protect this domain as a knight of the county, to accept the will of my adoptive father, and to neither disgrace the name of the house nor fail to bring it honor."

"Have you not already disgraced its name?"

Concillus answered mischievously and clicked his tongue.

"Originally, the succession ceremony should have been held with more splendor, but with matters turning out like this..."

"... I apologize."

And so, the relationship of lord and vassal changed to that of father and son, but nothing else changed.

It meant they had already been as close as father and son.

A short while later, they received a report that a group was heading toward Count Concillus's domain.

On the banners borne by their standard-bearers, the crest of the Duke of Purity fluttered in the wind.

In the north, the concept of nobility differed from that of other countries.

Less than a hundred years had passed since the kingdom alliance was formed, and it was around then that they began attaching the known titles to themselves.

Because of that, the "roots" of their nobles were sometimes questioned.

The Duke of Purity's house was a family of warriors with a long history even within the northern kingdom alliance.

The closer one was to the northern wall, the closer one was to death, and warriors close to death were considered honorable.

The Duke of Purity's house was one of the most honorable noble families in the north.

The people watching their procession from beyond the castle walls could tell.

Clad in death like a mantle, they seemed to turn even this warm spring sunlight into frost.

Among the people with black hair and vicious expressions, one man with grizzled hair and beard stood out.

It was Valery Purity, the head of the Duke of Purity's house.

A warrior recognized another warrior, and a true warrior was recognized by all.

He was now an old man leaning on a cane, but everyone knew he had once been a warrior who stood at death's very edge.

The most out-of-place person among them was the noble young lady, Lyudmila Purity.

Among men with ferocious eyes, she was looking at Arwen and waving brightly.

As Arwen watched her, he felt complicated emotions.

"I greet the head of House Purity of the allied kingdoms, guardian of the great snow mountains."

Concillus offered a ceremonial greeting.

Then the head of House Purity also greeted him politely.

"I greet the head of House Concillus, who protects the Serdes Continent from the Land of Demons."

Without stopping there, he turned his gaze toward Ferda.

"And I see I have the honor of meeting Regent Ferda Valdrova as well."

"I greet you, my lord. This is the first time since the Grand Council."

"We did not even exchange a word of greeting. Can that truly be called a meeting?"

"The atmosphere was so bloody that I found myself reading the room."

"Reading the room, you say... After making such a radical statement, you are truly shameless."

Valery Purity chuckled.

"Let us get to talking. Even if we are deciding whether someone lives or dies, we must do it like nobles if we are to reach a conclusion, no?"

"Indeed. This way..."

Lord Count Concillus guided him to his mansion and received his guests.

After a few trivial exchanges, Concillus seized the chance, patted Arwen on the back, and broached the subject.

"This child here is Arwen Wolfheart."

"Hmm..."

Beneath eyes sagging with age, his gaze gleamed sharply.

Arwen felt a chill, as if his whole body were being examined.

"Imperial types are so unimpressive that I thought he would be some gigolo, but it seems the far east is different?"

"We live in a place where one mistake turns into a bloodbath, so how could we be the same as the central lot?"

"The central lot! What a splendid phrase!"

Valery laughed heartily.

Concillus followed with a hearty laugh of his own, then spoke cautiously.

"He has shared this harsh environment with us, but Arwen is a child who believes in chivalry. He has a conviction to protect the elderly, women, and children."

He was indirectly saying that Arwen was no shameless villain who would commit rape.

At that, Valery waved his hand.

"No need to worry. I know it is not true. Nor is this some shameless act to reduce the dowry. Lyudmila said he is the man she loves as well."

"Then the reason you said such a thing was..."

"These days, due to my health, my eldest son is handling my duties in my stead. The man standing behind me on the right is my eldest son. The one on the left is my second son."

The massive warrior who had been introduced offered a greeting.

His gaze toward Concillus was rough, but it contained courtesy.

The only gaze that sent a chill down the spine was the one directed at Arwen.

It was truly strange.

The two did look like brothers, but once Lyudmila was added to the picture, the first thought that came to mind was whether they were truly blood-related.

"It seems the two brothers treasure their third sister like a precious jewel?"

"Please understand. My eldest and second daughters both took after me, so they were belligerent enough to often fight even with these hulks. But Lyudmila alone took exactly after her late mother. She would embroider and mend our worn training clothes and pack our lunches, so she was a child more motherly than her own mother."

"Please don't say things like that..."

Lyudmila hid her face in embarrassment.

Concillus chuckled.

"She is a proper young lady with warm familial affection. It would be good if this led to marriage without issue."

"I agree."

If the current head had no intention of strongly opposing it, that meant matters would proceed smoothly.

"And so..."

Valery Purity looked at Arwen and asked,

"You will be family from now on. May I hear your resolve?"

"My resolve..."

Arwen swallowed hard once and answered.

"I will not disgrace the name of my adoptive father, House Concillus, nor the name of my father-in-law, House Purity, and I will protect Lyudmila as my lifelong companion."

"At least your spirit is good."

Valery nodded in satisfaction.

"I am satisfied, but I do not know about the man who will become the next head."

Valery slowly turned his head back.

"You know, don't you? I am a bit dull in the head. Unless I clash bodies with a man, I do not understand a thing."

Young Master Igor Purity grinned and wriggled his fingers as he loosened his joints.

CRACK!

CRACK!

"And the second? You use your head a little, don't you?"

"Maybe it's because an arrow got lodged in my head last year? I don't really understand with words alone either."

The great warrior, Sergei Purity, also loosened up.

CRACKLE!

CRACK!

"Is that so? Then..."

Respecting the opinions of the two, Valery said this.

"How about those who will become future heads of houses promote some fellowship among themselves?"

"I am in favor. We should, shouldn't we? Future head of House Concillus?"

His face looked just like an incarnation of vengeance risen from hell.

Even though Arwen tried to look detached, there was no way to overcome the approaching terror.

"... I will go."

"Ha ha, that is how you should answer!"

"His guts pass, at least. This will be a pleasant 'conversation.'"

Arwen rose from his seat.

Igor and Sergei placed their hands on Arwen's shoulders.

Hands as large as pot lids gripped both shoulders as if they would crush them.

Half restrained, Arwen was being escorted toward the door.

"Brothers."

Lyudmila's voice came like welcome rain in a drought.

Its softness seized control of the icy atmosphere.

"He is the man who will become my husband, you know?"

"Do not worry. Our small and adorable Lyudmila, would I make you a widow?"

"We will only go moderately. Moderately."

It was the softness of men soothing a daughter.

"You will only do it like sparring, right?"

"Of course."

"We will do exactly that much. Promise~."

Lyudmila's face brightened after receiving her brothers' promise.

That warm atmosphere lasted only a moment.

The looks directed at Arwen still contained dense murderous intent.

"Eastern bumpkin."

"... Yes."

"Do you know what northern sparring is like?"

"... What is it like?"

"Sparring time is five minutes. If one man passes out within those five minutes, we start again from the beginning."

"..."

"How many minutes can you last?"

Arwen squeezed his eyes shut.

He felt as if he would faint already.

Lord Count Concillus and Duke Purity discussed the dowry and coordinated the date of the engagement.

Beyond that, Ferda was not needed, so he stepped out toward the garden and quietly enjoyed the spring sunlight as he caught his breath.

"Regent Valdrova?"

A woman's lovely voice interrupted his rest.

She greeted him with a pure smile.

"Lyudmila Purity greets Regent Valdrova."

Lyudmila lifted her dress slightly in greeting.

Unlike her two black-haired brothers, she had rich, voluminous brown hair.

She had dressed herself up with great effort, giving off the impression of a strong-willed northern woman, but overall, her awkwardness stood out more.

"I do not use the title Regent Valdrova, Lady Purity. Please call me Regent Ferda."

"Ah! I have committed a discourtesy."

Lyudmila apologized, her face turning bright red.

That embarrassment lasted only a moment, and she soon began speaking to him readily.

"This Start of Spring Festival was very enjoyable. Thanks to it, I was able to speak a great deal with Sir Arwen as well. Come to think of it, I should have greeted you, Regent..."

"It is fine. Having to receive every single greeting was an ordeal, so by not doing so, you lessened my burden."

"Is that so?"

"Yes."

The conversation abruptly cut off.

Just as he was about to savor the silence again.

"... And also!"

Lyudmila opened a new topic.

She spoke brightly, to the point that it did not feel as though she was speaking to a superior.

"The sight of you dancing with the Grand Duchess was incredibly wonderful!!"

And it was a subject he had not wanted to bring up.

"My dancing must have been a mess that day..."

"No! I nearly cried when I saw how hard you were trying to dance well, Regent."

She nearly cried after seeing that messy dance?

Was this woman making fun of him?

That was what he should have thought, but Lyudmila's eyes were truly brimming with tears.

"The two of you love each other, and that desire to do well by each other. It seemed that it would not quite connect, and I found it terribly tender."

"... Thank you."

"I did not think Lady Valdrova was such a frightening person."

"Is that so?"

"Have you ever seen Lady Valdrova's face, Regent Ferda?"

"I have seen her twice."

"What is she like? I feel she must be truly beautiful..."

"She is beautiful."

"I am curious..."

Lyudmila murmured, wriggling her fingers.

"I want to speak with her someday. When I was in the north, I never had time to speak with other noble young ladies. It might be nice to become friends with the Grand Duchess..."

Friends.

At that moment, Ferda snapped fully to attention.

When Ferda whipped his head around, Lyudmila covered her own mouth.

"Oh my, I have said something rude again. Someone like me could never dare meet Grand Duchess Valdrova..."

"Lady Purity."

Ferda ended up committing a discourtesy as well.

He had closed the distance with the woman engaged to Arwen and clasped both of her hands tightly.

Ferda asked in a voice filled with deep yearning.

"Do you wish to go meet Her Highness the Grand Duchess?"

"Pardon?"

"It is possible even today."

Ferda did not want to let this opportunity slip away.