Chapter 80 – 080. The Plum Blossom Swordsman Reincarnated Into The Baek Family.
080. The Plum Blossom Swordsman Reincarnated into the Baek Family.
Leaving Elaine’s office, I headed towards the Plun Knights training grounds. The dormitories and training grounds were connected.
Thanks to the ancient artifact, the smartphone, I could move around the mansion alone for the time being without a personal attendant.
‘Elaine also attends noble ladies’ gatherings regularly. There, the other noble ladies will show interest in the changed perfume.’
Of course, Elaine wouldn’t reveal the source. She might not even use the perfume. Elaine is a cautious woman.
‘It doesn’t matter if she doesn’t. I can just send it as a gift to the other noble ladies.’
In the process, I’ll lie that I made it. Of course, I don’t plan to send just perfume. I’ll gift other modern items to the noble ladies as well.
‘That way, I’ll slowly spread my reputation… and start selling things in earnest. Hahahaha!’
After gaining some popularity, I’ll slowly raise the prices. The Magic Tower will surely manufacture and sell knockoffs, but it doesn’t matter. There will be limits to how much magic can replicate modern science.
‘Let’s not get too carried away and take it slow. I don’t have my own power base yet.’
Still, the Purkus County is behind me, so they won’t be able to touch me easily.
I stopped in front of the Plun Knights training grounds.
‘Plun Knights Commander Hent Embis. I shouldn’t be on bad terms with this guy right now.’
I came to apologize to him, Lexi’s father.
I’m aiming to become the head of the County. In a normal situation, the eldest son would naturally become the head.
‘A succession battle can only happen if you have supporters. Especially the support of the Knights is a great power.’
I couldn’t afford to be on bad terms with Hent Embis here. If our relationship completely falls apart, I would have to assassinate him for my future.
As I stood still in front of the training grounds, a boy inside approached me.
A squire. A trainee knight. A disciple and attendant of a knight.
“Young Master Eugene! What brings you to our training grounds?”
It was a mere squire speaking to me. He was hiding his body and expression, but he couldn’t hide the subtle hostility in his eyes and tone.
‘So the rumors have spread.’
Also, the fact that I’m sickly must be one of the reasons why I’m being looked down upon.
“I’ve come to see Sir Embis. Guide me.”
“The Knights Commander is currently…”
“Currently?”
I looked at him. At my indifferent gaze, he quickly came to his senses and bowed his head.
“…It was a slip of the tongue. I will guide you right away.”
He seems to have grasped the situation. I was about to give him a piece of my mind if he kept crossing the line.
If you’ve become a noble, you have to act like one. And I was a man who suited being a noble very well.
Freedom and democracy? What’s that? Is it edible?
***
A burly man in his forties was sitting in his office. Wearing armor, he stood up to greet me. It was a formality.
“It’s been a while, Young Master Eugene.”
His eyes were filled with hostility, as if it were natural. There was no way he, who had clawed his way up to become the Knights Commander from a mercenary background, couldn’t hide his expression.
Well, I understand. From his perspective, I’m the guy who tried to assault his daughter.
“It’s good to see you. It’s been a while since we’ve seen each other like this.”
“…Yes. You’ve changed quite a bit since I last saw you. Your way of speaking, for example.”
Eugene Purkus was an introverted guy. Since he was sickly and couldn’t go outside, he was cooped up in his room, so his personality naturally became dark.
“I’ve been getting healthier lately. And since I had my coming-of-age ceremony recently, I should pay more attention to my way of speaking.”
“I’m glad you seem to be doing well.”
Contrary to his words, his attitude was cold.
From his perspective, I must be quite annoying. I’m the son of the lord he swore allegiance to, so he can’t hit me, nor can he curse at me.
There’s no point in dragging out the introduction, it will only make the atmosphere more hostile.
“About what happened today. I’m sorry. I’m apologizing like this. I was out of my mind for a moment.”
“……”
I bowed to him. Me, one of the three children of Count Purkus!
“…My daughter cried. It was the first time I’ve seen her cry like that.”
“I’m sorry.”
“…Hah.”
Hent sighed. He also knows that he can’t do anything to me. Even if he’s hostile to me, he can’t pin a crime on me.
In the Purkus territory, Count Purkus is like a king. And I, his son, am a prince. And I didn’t actually commit rape. It’s impossible to pin a crime on me.
There’s only one thing Hent can do.
“I will forgive you. Please raise your head.”
“Thank you.”
“……”
“……”
An awkward silence fell.
I sensed it.
If I just back down here, my relationship with Hent will become the worst.
One of the Knights is hostile to me. Even if it’s a lower-ranked Knight among the six Knights in the family, it’s still a Knight. I shouldn’t be hostile to them.
I recalled the information about Hent Embis mentioned in the original story. Being a mercenary, he really likes alcohol.
“Sir Embis. Have you heard of Dutch beer that existed in ancient times?”
To improve a twisted relationship, there’s nothing but gifts… no, bribes.
***
7 PM.
Hent returned to his home. Compared to the Purkus County’s mansion, it was just a small house.
“You’re back, Father.”
“Yeah.”
Hent responded vaguely to Lexi’s greeting and quickly moved towards the kitchen.
Lexi tilted her head at his behavior. Her father wasn’t the type to accept greetings so casually. He was a bit of a goofball. Also, he usually goes to a bar after work and returns around 9 or 10 PM, not home.
Moreover, he spends more than half of the week at the Purkus County’s mansion. It was rare for him to return home every day of the week like now.
Feeling something was off, Lexi followed Hent into the kitchen.
“You’re here, Baron.”
The cook working in the kitchen greeted Hent as if it were normal.
“Yeah, yeah.”
Hent, having received the greeting, naturally passed him and headed for the refrigerator. A magic refrigerator. A magic tool that keeps food fresh. It usually costs 5 million Ner and is considered an essential dowry item among commoners.
Hent reached deep into the refrigerator and took something out. It was a cold can of beer.
“Father. What’s that?”
“Huh? What is it, Lexi? Are you hungry too? Didn’t you have dinner?”
“I had dinner an hour ago. Didn’t you eat at the mansion, Father?”
Hent sat down at the small table right in front of the kitchen with the can of beer. The cook set down a plate with meat.
“I ate. This is beer. Beer.”
“Beer? What’s that?”
“It’s Dutch beer from the ancient civilization.”
Hent smiled and opened the can.
*Tsssh! Clack!*
It was a refreshing and cheerful sound every time he heard it.
Hent quickly put the can of beer to his mouth and started gulping it down. The beer, with a taste incomparable to the cheap beer sold in bars, went down his throat coolly.
“Kyaaaaaa!”
He then picked up a fork and put the well-cooked meat in his mouth. Cool beer and juicy beef. It was the best combination.
Lexi watched silently. She knew that Hent liked alcohol, especially beer, so she didn’t interrupt his happy time.
When the meat was gone and the beer was finished, Lexi asked.
“Father. Is that… Dutch beer really that delicious?”
“Yeah! Compared to Dutch beer, the beer sold in bars is just piss! Piss!”
Hent, having spoken boldly, looked at the kitchen with regretful eyes. He wanted to drink another can, but the number of cans was limited. He had to save them as much as possible.
Hent turned his gaze with difficulty and took out a cigarette from his pocket and put it in his mouth. He took out a Zippo lighter and lit the cigarette with familiarity.
“Wh, what’s that again?”
“It’s a cigarette. A cigarette. They call it a cigarette. You know about pipe tobacco, right?”
“That looks worse for your health than pipe tobacco! Isn’t it like a drug?!”
“I’ve already confirmed it through a herbalist. It’s okay to smoke occasionally.”
*Sssip. Whoosh.*
Hent stared at the cigarette smoke with dazed eyes. A week ago, cigarettes themselves were awkward and off-putting, but now he wanted to smoke whenever he had the chance.
“…Don’t tell me. Did you get those from Young Master Eugene?”
“Yeah. He gave it to me as an apology. You got chocolate and coffee, right?”
“I, I did receive them.”
Lexi’s face became awkward.
Hent looked at Lexi. A week ago, his daughter, who had almost been raped by Eugene and cried her eyes out, had returned to normal after a short time.
The current Lexi wasn’t afraid of Eugene. No, even back then, it would be more accurate to say she was surprised rather than scared. She had no experience with that kind of thing at all.
‘What if. Back then….’
Hent suddenly thought. What if Lexi had been raped back then? Even if he was angry, he would have acted calmly. He would have protested as much as possible, and perhaps Lexi could have become Eugene’s wife.
‘Becoming Young Master Eugene’s father-in-law…. Wouldn’t that mean I could drink beer and smoke cigarettes every day?’
Wouldn’t it have been better if his daughter had been raped?
‘…I’m drunk.’
Hent shook his head.
“Lexi. When are you going to get married?”
“Huh? What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
“Aren’t you 22 years old? Why don’t you quit your maid work and look for a marriage partner? If you want, I can recommend someone. There’s a decent guy in our Knights.”
Lexi’s face hardened at the mention of marriage.
“…Father. You said you would respect my choice about marriage.”
“I said I would respect it, but I didn’t say you shouldn’t get married. Do you have no intention of getting married at all?”
“……”
Lexi closed her mouth.
Hent sighed inwardly. He, who was a farmer’s son, became a mercenary in pursuit of freedom. He had once been an adventurer exploring labyrinths, and he had also experienced war as a soldier. He also dated freely and married the woman he loved.
Because he was like that, he respected his daughter’s marriage and dating.
‘I’m worried when I see Lexi these days….’
He was a knight.
He kills monsters that invade the territory, eliminates dungeons, and goes to war. It was a job where he could die at any time. So he wanted to see Lexi’s marriage as soon as possible.
“Are you going to quit your maid work?”
“…I’m thinking about it. Actually, I’m regretting Young Master Eugene’s incident a little. Young Master Eugene is still young… If I had handled myself properly.”
Hent was about to say that Young Master Eugene was a proper man who had recently had his coming-of-age ceremony, but he stopped himself. Eugene had a heart disease, and his sickly body was small compared to other men his age. He looked like a child, not a man.
“Young Master Eugene doesn’t have a personal attendant. He seems to have been quite shocked by what he did.”
“…Oh, really? There’s no way the Madam would allow it because of Young Master Eugene’s illness….”
“It seems his condition has improved a lot recently, so she allowed it. Still, it seems that servants are constantly walking around near Young Master Eugene to check on him.”
“Hmm….”
Lexi began to consider whether to continue her maid work.
Hent looked over Lexi’s body again. It wasn’t a sexual gaze. It was a kind of habit. When there was someone in front of him, he would unconsciously assess their abilities.
‘…She seems to be steadily training in the self-defense techniques I taught her. She’s better than most guys.’
On the surface, she was just an ordinary maiden, but she couldn’t deceive Hent’s gaze, who had experienced all sorts of things as a mercenary.
“Lexi. How about becoming a knight this time?”
“Huh? But I’m a woman?”
“There are many famous female knights in this world. Above all, you know the mana breathing technique, don’t you? How much mana can you handle right now?”
“I can strengthen my body for a moment. …No, wait. I told you before, but I have no intention of becoming a knight?!”
She was at the intermediate level of an aura user.
22 years old. From the point she could feel and handle mana, her talent was already proven.
“You don’t suit being a maid. I heard from the head butler that you’re not good at cleaning or laundry, and you can’t even cook properly.”
“Ugh.”
“If you work as a general maid instead of Young Master Eugene’s personal maid, you’ll only be doing manual labor.”
It was an undeniable fact.
The reason Lexi pushed out Eugene’s nanny and became his personal maid was because of this background.
“Just as there are things that only maids can do, there are things that only female knights can do. Think about it.”
As always, he had no intention of forcing her. He was a man who knew how to respect his daughter’s opinions and choices.
Hent took out another cigarette and put it in his mouth.
“Sssip~ Hah!”
“Father! Can’t you smoke that outside?!”
“This is my house. If you don’t like it, get married and move out.”
“Aaaah!”
She screamed at the word marriage. The word Lexi hated to hear the most these days was marriage.
