Chapter 183 – Ep.183 Smith, a Black Company in Another World
Three white-silver-haired people bowing their heads.
Although I couldn’t see his face, I could tell from the clothes he was wearing that the person in the lead was Ardella.
… What kind of situation is this all of a sudden?
Sweat is pouring out of my palms, which I politely place on my knees.
I’m not kidding, if you take his hand away now, you’ll see my handprint very clearly on his thigh.
There is no pressure directed at me.
However, a heavy energy that is difficult to express in words is creeping out from my mother-in-law sitting in front of me, weighing down the surroundings. It felt like that.
If possible, I wanted to break the window to get out of this place, but unfortunately, there were no windows in this room.
I eventually decided to accept the current situation.
And at the same time as I composed myself, my mother-in-law’s lips moved.
“Ardella.”
My mother-in-law called Ardella’s name.
She got up from her kneeling position and stood in front of her mother-in-law.
Ardella’s face is as emotionless as when we first met in Mallingta. She had a stern face.
“Recite what mission I gave you.”
“… “I invite the Smith of the Adventurer’s Guild as a guest of the family. Please treat him with the appropriate courtesy and bring him to Fort Lebellum without any inconvenience.”
“Yes.”
My mother-in-law, who was sitting right there, gracefully lifted one leg and placed it on the other thigh.
Then he rested his chin on the back of her delicate hand and said.
“When is the original arrival date?”
“… “It’s in five days.”
“Even if you think generously, this frame arrived quickly.”
“…”
Ardella did not answer.
Instead, my gaze towards my mother-in-law turned slightly downward.
“I heard from Crombel’s management. “After completing the minimum supplies, we left the city immediately.”
The city my mother-in-law just mentioned was the last supply point we stopped by before arriving at the fortress.
“If there is something different from the facts, you can point it out.”
“Doesn’t exist.”
Ardella’s eyes turned a little lower.
“Was the mission I gave you difficult?”
“No.”
“But why couldn’t even that simple thing be done properly?”
“…”
Sweat was dripping from her palms and now her back and armpits.
Fuck… What is this?
I was thinking of a scene like that that would make me laugh a little bit, even if it wasn’t that bad, but what is the meaning of this heavy atmosphere where it’s hard to even breathe?
Could it be that the reason Ardella is getting scolded is because she made me uncomfortable?
If that’s the case, I can confidently say that I wasn’t uncomfortable at all.
But no matter how I looked at it, it didn’t seem like I was in the mood to intervene, so I decided to keep my mouth shut for now.
“Answer me.”
Ardella’s mouth, which had been tightly closed, opened at her mother-in-law’s question.
She “Got a report that a monster wave had begun and her mind became so racing that she forgot about her mission.”
“I got anxious.”
After hearing Ardella’s answer, her mother-in-law rested her chin and tapped one of the armrests with her fingers as if she didn’t like something about her.
“Was it me who delivered the news?”
“No.”
“Okay. No. I didn’t say that. “Then did the guy who delivered the news mention my name?”
“No.”
“Okay. “No.”
Sooooo
Suddenly the surrounding air became chilly.
“So, you were thinking that I would have to lend your help in dealing with monsters and such?”
“… No.”
Took.
The sound of tapping on the armrest stopped.
“Of the three things I hate, which is the first?”
“… “It’s a lie.”
“You just did something I hate the most. Do you admit it?”
“… Yes.”
As I was just watching, my lips became dry and my back became tense as if I were standing in front of him.
Come to think of it, my mother-in-law had a record of matching exactly what I had in mind even when we first met.
“It’s not even funny. “It’s like four years ago, when you haven’t experienced even half of my life, you doubt my skills and forget the mission I gave you.”
“…”
Gulp-
I closed my eyes tightly.
This is because the sound of my spitting was unusually loud in this quiet space.
But fortunately, no one seemed to care about that.
Because my mother-in-law continued speaking immediately.
“Ardella.”
“…”
I opened my tightly closed eyes.
Ardella was seen silently closing her mouth and looking at the floor.
“Do you know what the first thing the current King Bridel did after ascending to the throne?”
“I am sending a letter to the lord to apologize for my past attempts to covet the family symbol.”
“Yes.”
My mother-in-law nodded slightly, and I was inwardly surprised.
Fuck. He is the king under his mother-in-law.
After learning the truth about the kingdom hierarchy that I didn’t want to know, I felt dizzy for a moment.
However, despite my needing a moment to compose myself, their conversation continued.
“Do you think the King really thought what happened back then was wrong and that’s why he sent me the letter?”
“No.”
“Okay. No. “The reason he sent me a letter of apology was probably because he saw a record of my past from the late king.”
I don’t know what it is, but it looks like my mother-in-law’s past is really colorful.
Of course, what you are showing right now is showing such a tremendous presence that it is enough to take your breath away.
At that time, my mother-in-law, who was looking at Ardella who was silently lowering her head, rested her chin and lowered her hand to straighten her posture.
“Ardella. You are clearly my successor. “Not only I, but also my vassals and relatives who have devoted themselves for a long time, also think this way.”
Ardella’s head slowly turned upward.
Their eyes met.
“Ardella. “He is my successor.”
“Yes. “My lord.”
“Do you think you can take my place now?”
“It’s impossible.”
“Why?”
In response to her mother-in-law’s question, Ardella raised her head and said with a small sigh.
“The reason why our family and its knights are able to exert a strong influence without being ignored by other lords and nobles. “It is because the lord is alive and well.”
Ardella continued speaking.
“All the power of the family begins with you, and the greatest power of the family is also you. I am busy chasing the path you have pioneered. “How can I take your place?”
After finishing her sentence, Ardella got down on one knee and bowed her head.
“… “The family still needs you.”
She said, giving her mother-in-law a small nod.
“I laid the foundation for the family and built and laid everything from the small cornerstone to the roof myself. That is why the elders who were with me are still loyal to me, and those who remember me still bow to me because they cannot forget the past. However.”
My mother-in-law’s head turned slightly to the side.
Where the gaze landed, two people who appeared to be Ardella’s younger brothers were bowing their heads.
“In fact, your closest relatives are more ignorant about your mother than others. But I understand. “No one told me or told me to do it.”
The mother-in-law turned her head again and looked down at Ardella.
“In the end, everything that happened today happened because of you. This happened because I didn’t tell them what I knew, and they saw and learned my suspicious attitude. Do you admit it?”
“… “I admit it.”
Her mother-in-law nodded her head in response.
“Get up.”
Ardella stood up from her seat.
“I will punish you for forgetting the mission I personally ordered and for what happened today.”
Punishment?
Suddenly her heart sank.
But, unaware of my feelings, Ardella was silently nodding her head.
“During the end of the monster wave, you take charge of the northern rampart by yourself. Also, cut off eight hundred heads a day. If you are short on numbers, go out and fill the quota. Until then, resting, eating, and everything else is prohibited. “Do you have any objections?”
“Doesn’t exist.”
Ardella may not be there, but I have my objection.
So she raises her hand.
“However, considering their dedication to the family so far, if there is someone who volunteers for this position, I will specifically allow them to join us.”
As soon as the mother-in-law finished speaking, a knight in familiar armor came out from halfway between her and knelt before her.
“Bellanis.”
It was Sir Belanis, Ardella’s lieutenant and vice-captain of the Knights.
Sir Belanis raised his head at his mother-in-law’s call.
“I allow the White Plum Knights to join us. However, members should not be forced to do so.”
“Thank you. And I will keep that in mind.”
As the Mother-in-Law nodded her head, knights came from all directions and began to kneel behind Lord Belany.
All of them were leaders of the knights.
The number was a whopping eight.
One-third of those present here volunteered for Ardella.
“The northern castle tower is not that big. Ardella.”
“Yes. “My lord.”
“Distribute the personnel yourself.”
“I will.”
It was clearly a bee at first, but when I checked at the end, it was no longer a bee.
That was the time when, knowingly or unknowingly, the heavy atmosphere changed into a slightly warmer one, and the leaders who had moved forward found their places.
The girls, who had been staring at the floor with their mouths shut until now, stepped in front of Ardella.
The girls, who surprisingly missed their mother-in-law, kneel before her mother-in-law just like Ardella.
“My lord!!”
The knights who were returning to their seats hesitated.
The mother-in-law waved her hand as if she was annoyed, and the knights who had stopped returned to their seats.
“What.”
A voice full of annoyance.
It looked completely different from when he faced Ardella.
“Sister-“
“Where is your older sister here?”
It was clearly an urging word, but it did not contain an ounce of anger.
Nevertheless, the two girls trembled their shoulders and opened their mouths again.
“Bae, Captain Baekmae is ahead of schedule…”
“Know. That you guys did that. Didn’t you listen to the conversation between me and Ardella earlier?”
“D-I heard…”
“Done.”
My mother-in-law rested her chin again.
“So. “What do you want to say?”
“… We will pay for the mistakes we have made. “Why are you holding the White Mae Knight Commander responsible for all the crimes?”
“You’re asking something simple.”
The mother-in-law’s head tilted awkwardly.
“The answer is simple. Because you are not worth it.”
“Well, what is that…” !!”
The two angrily raised their heads.
However, as soon as I made eye contact with my mother-in-law, I lowered my head again like a scared puppy.
“You have no obligations whatsoever as members of the family, and I have not given you a single mission.”
“No!! We kill monsters to keep the territory safe…”
“Okay. All the money you spend on clothing and eating is taxes paid by Young Ji-min. Therefore, we must pay attention to the security of the territory.”
“Therefore…”
“However, this is a duty not only given to you but also to everyone who receives wages from the family, and is different from the duty borne by those who use the surname Filoria.”
The two girls fell silent.
My mother-in-law clicked her tongue and said.
“It’s amazing how there is such a difference after caring for and breastfeeding for the same period of time.”
The mother-in-law treated the two girls kneeling in front of her as if they were not her own children.
“If you really wanted to ease Ardella’s burden, you should have come and knelt before me before Bellanis. But you didn’t do that.”
The two girls became completely dumb.
“I don’t like what you’re saying, but my desire to help Ardella is sincere, so I will grant your special request.”
Only then did the two who had their heads down slowly raise their faces.
“Ardella. “We will reduce the quota to five hundred.”
“Thank you.”
The mother-in-law looked down at the two girls who raised their heads and said.
“You two, take charge of the eastern rampart. The number of heads to be filled per day is three hundred, and all conditions are the same as for Ardella.”
“Okay, thank you.”
The two girls bowed their heads.
However, Ardella, who was watching from behind her, did not have a good expression.
To exaggerate a little, his face looked twice as dark as when he was visited by his mother-in-law.
My mother-in-law spoke to the knights lined up left and right.
“If there are any people willing to join these two, please come forward.”
In the case of Ardella, Bellanis immediately ran out and fell to his knees.
But the two girls.
“…”
“…”
No one came forward.
At first, both of their faces turned bright red.
However, as more time passed, the red face became so pale that it looked pitiful.
The mother-in-law said, looking down at the two who had turned pale.
“Even though you spent twenty years in the family, you were unable to gain the loyalty of a single person.”
Ardella sighed softly behind her.
My mother-in-law watched this and continued speaking.
“I don’t go back on what I say once I say it. You two, take responsibility and defend the eastern castle tower. If you can’t do that, I will cut off your veins and take back Filoria’s castle.”
Ardella closed her eyes tightly.
It seems like he cares a lot about his younger siblings.
The mother-in-law stood up and said, treating the two girls kneeling on the floor as if they were not there.
“Finally, make sure you don’t be rude to my guests.”
-Yes!!
My ears were deafened by the loud noise.
My mother-in-law waved her hand.
“So that only Ardella remains and disperse.”
The tightly closed door opened wide, and the listed knights left the room in an orderly manner.
When all the faceless knights left, Sir Belanis, who had been waiting behind them, approached.
“Take me out.”
At Ardella’s command, Sir Bellanis left the room, lightly carrying the two girls, who were hanging like dolls with their strings broken, on her side and shoulders.
The door that was wide open closed quietly.
Ardella let out her sigh and she said.
“Mother… Why did you bring Smith here? When did she come to these days?”
“Ask questions one at a time.”
My mother-in-law showed that she was annoyed and sat down in her chair again.
I blinked at the sudden change.
What… ?
The coolness that had made my skin tingle had suddenly disappeared.
Ardella came up to me, who was sitting quietly, and gently grabbed my sweat-covered hand.
“Many… “Are you surprised?”
“Little?”
She turned her head, smoothing her wet bangs with her own hands.
“Why did you bring Smith with you?”
“You’re going to be a family, so you need to know how the family works.”
Ardella struck her forehead with her hand.
“… “When did you return to these days?”
“Last night.”
“Haaa.”
A deeper sigh.
Ardella turned her head again and looked at me.
“My mother is a person with clear merits and demerits, but… This is how it usually looks, so there is no need to worry too much. No… Doesn’t exist.”
“I see.”
The atmosphere suddenly changed, as if I had become a completely different person.
At that time, her mother-in-law, who was sitting in her chair, peeked her head out and looked back.
“Smith.”
“Yep!!”
At my mother-in-law’s call, I unconsciously straightened my back.
Ardella, who was standing next to her, sighed, but her priority was to win points with her mother-in-law, so she put a lot of strength into her body.
My mother-in-law looked at me with an expressionless face that seemed to have no emotions and said.
“Please feel free to call me mother.”
“Okay… Yes?”
“Call me.”
“Oh my… Sir?”
“Stop stuttering.”
“Mother.”
“Great.”
My mother-in-law nodded and stood up.
“Well then, let’s eat first before we talk about the night fairies.”
My body reacted to the word ‘meal’ and stood up on its own without any command from my brain.
My mother-in-law looked at me and asked.
“Is there anything covering it?”
“I can eat anything!!”
“It’s good.”
My mother-in-law nodded her head and she walked slowly towards the closed door.
The door that had been closed quietly opened wide at the steps of my mother-in-law.
She said as her mother-in-law left her room with silent steps.
“Bring your competitors to the parlor.”
