Chapter 42: CH 36

Translator: Nisarah    Editor: Nisarah

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(Info dump warning! Click here to skip)

Summary: The royal palace in this kingdom is divided into 3 areas, public areas, office areas, and private areas. Nobles and knights can freely stroll the public area. There is an outer garden, plaza, salon, the knights’ office, the soldiers’ training ground, and the knights’ horse track. 

The office area is where governmental and political-related affairs take place. There are government offices, a courtyard, a dance hall,  high-rank nobles’ exclusive salon, the knights’ headquarters, and the mages’ research labs. 

The private area is exclusive to royalty. There are the Crown Prince’s palace, the palaces for retired royalties, the mansions of the various concubines, the inner palace, and the royal family’s treasury.

I don’t know if every palace in this world is like this but, in this kingdom, the royal palace is divided into 3 areas. They are public area, office area, and private area.

There’s no official law for this division, but when you’re moving between these 3 areas the guard will ask for your identification. 

The first is the public area. It’s called the public area because the nobles and knights that came into the palace had relatively more freedom to walk around this area. There’s an outer garden located in this public area. If you’re a noble, no one will scold you if you take a walk in this garden.

There are also several other facilities in this public area. First is a plaza. It’s a pretty vast plaza that’s usually used for events like military parades. Then, there is also the knights’ office, the soldiers’ training ground, and the knights’ horse track.

Meetings between nobles are also held in this public area so here, there’s also a salon used for the noble lady’s tea party.

The second is the office area. Like its name, the office area is where many governmental affairs are done. This is the area where the King or the Prime Minister will discuss their conspiracy…ahem, I mean a place where they will discuss politics. In a sense, it’s number one on my list of places that I don’t want to get close to.

This office area also has government offices and a courtyard. It’s called a courtyard, but its size is actually larger than your average house. The courtyard in the office area is usually used to hold tea parties that have a thick political entanglement or to hold secret meetings with important people. This courtyard is also the place where I and Mazell talked to Laura.

There is also a dance hall and a high-ranked nobles’ exclusive salon here. The reason these two places are here is that events held in these two places are often deeply entangled with the kingdom’s politics. The knights’ headquarter and the mages’ research labs are also located here. I’m sure the basement prison is also located here.

The last is the private area. This is the area where only royalty can enter. This is where the inner palace is located. In the kingdom’s history, some good-for-nothing kings shut themselves in this private area and never came out. The current king isn’t like that though.

By the way, generally in this world, one husband has one wife but it isn’t uncommon for a man in a high position to have some concubines. I can say concubines aren’t rare among nobles.

Anyway, the private area also has the Crown Prince’s palace and palaces for retired royals. Sometimes, concubines will also receive mansions from the kings that are located in this area.

I heard that the royal family treasury is also located here. It’s something along the lines of the country’s possession is the King’s possession.

[Info dump end]

I sat on the bench in the public area’s garden and let out my voice. I act like an old man? Well, I am an old man on the inside.

While basking in the sun doing nothing, I sort out my thoughts.

This time, I’m most concerned about the Black Mage. In the game, the Black Mage is only a random encounter monster without any line.

A character that’s not even in a supporting role in the game is capable of doing something like that in reality. I really need to change my perception of this world. It’s better for me to think that the game is based on this world, not the other way around.

Next, I’m also concerned about my actions. Regardless of my skill and ability, the result of my actions can bring influence to this world. In other words, depending on my actions I can change the result. Just like what I did to the Crown Prince’s death.

That means it’s fine for me to think that I can change the result of the attack on the royal palace.

Lastly, there’s one problem that’s always bugging me. Names.

Obviously, the people of this world have their own names but many times I passed them off as being ‘nameless’.

For example, I don’t know the name of the owner of the weapon shop or the workers of the bakery. This is not that different compared to my previous life. I mean, there’s no way I remember the name of every stranger I met.

The problem is the names of this world’s important people. People who, as someone who had lived and grown up in this world I should remember their names but for some reason, I didn’t.

Like the Crown Prince and the Royal Grandson. As a noble of this kingdom, I should have known their name, yet I only knew their name after the demon outbreak incident. Now that I think about it again, that’s strange.

Another example, I remember the name of this kingdom’s second princess, Laura since she appeared in the game but I can’t remember the name of Laura’s elder sister, the first princess. Even though as a noble I should’ve heard about her name.

My current guess is there’s some kind of detachment between my memory of the game and my cognition as someone who had lived in this world. If that’s really what happened, then why?

“Um…”

I looked in the direction of the voice and became flustered. 

“Your Highness! Pardon my discourtesy.”

I didn’t notice the Royal Grandson is here because I was in deep thought.

“Ah, no, it’s fine, Viscount Zeavert.”

Why are you in this kind of place? While asking that in my head I bowed to him and he returned my bow. I always thought about this since I met Laura but aren’t the royals in this kingdom a bit too humble?

After that, I stand up and let the Royal Grandson sit on the bench while I stand in front of him. The gaze that I felt, is it Prince Ruwen’s hidden guards?

“Your Highness, pardon me for asking but is there something you need me for?”

“Ah, no. I just want to talk to the hero of the recent demon outbreak.”

I almost blurted out ‘who do you mean by hero?’ Fyuh… That was dangerous.

“I feel honored by your praise, but I am not great enough to be called a hero.”

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“But while laughing, Lord Father said you have the character of a hero.”

Crown Prince, your son seems to have taken your joke seriously. Spare me the hero title and just give it to Mazell.

Though It’s rude to keep negating the Royal Grandson’s words.

“At that time, I was unable to go to the frontline. I kept thinking about how great it would be If I had the courage like you, Viscount.”

What are you talking about, Your Highness, you’re 10! The reason why I thought a 10 years old kid going to the frontline is strange might be because of my memory of the previous life.

Wait, now that I think about it, it’s not unprecedented for a young kid to go to a battlefield. I mean, Minamoto no Yoritomo[1] had his first campaign when he was 13 years old. If it’s only to let the child see the battlefield on the sideline, then younger than 13 years old is fine. There’s a case like Kikkawa Motoharu[2] but he’s an exception.

“When I was around your age, Your Highness, I was a scaredy cat.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Feeling fear is natural, Your Highness. Once you get used to something, you will naturally feel the courage.”

Though it’s a problem if you ended up loving war, Your Highness. Still, as expected of royalty. He didn’t feel it was strange for him to be the only one who was sitting while talking.

“But someone once told me the battlefield did not suit me.”

“Your Highness, there’s no need for you to pay attention to what others say.”

Though I say that, it’s true that this little prince can pass off as Laura’s ‘younger sister’ if he dresses up like a woman. He will definitely grow up to become a beauty. I won’t say that right in front of his face though.

“I had once heard the story of a man who was nicknamed ‘princess’ when he was young but became a famous general when he grew up. That is why, Your Highness, there is no need for you to worry.”

Well, Chosokabe Motochika’s [3] ‘princess’ nickname wasn’t because of his appearance, but he was nicknamed ‘little princess’ so I didn’t lie.

“Is that true?”

“Yes, it is. Only results matter. That is why, Your Highness, you merely need to prove them wrong.”

I’m technically in the same generation as him so why did I even tell him this kind of thing like an adult, is what I thought inside. I feel somewhat complicated.

“Ru…Your Highness, you are here,” As I was thinking about something like that, a lovely child-like voice called His Highness.

The person who almost called His Highness by his name is a girl about the same age as His Highness. Unlike His Highness’s blond hair, she has black hair. When she noticed me she gave me a skillful curtsy like an adult. 

“Pardon me for interrupting your conversation. I am Rosemary El Schramm.”

“Thank you for your politeness. I am Welner von Zeavert.”

A noble courtesy must be returned with a noble courtesy so I returned her curtsy with a gentleman bow. I will ignore the fact that Miss Rosemary almost bit her tongue when she was talking.

“I often heard rumors about you, Viscount-sama.”

“You flatter me.”

Let’s just answer it like that. But Schramm, huh. I remember it’s a marquis house. Still, to see a ten years old girl acting like this, as expected of nobles. Her family must’ve drilled the noble’s manner into her from a very young age.

Since she almost called His Highness by his name, they must be quite close….Let’s just leave it at that.

“Viscount. I apologize as we were in the midst of talking.”

“Not at all, Your Highness. I also just remembered I have another appointment.”

Since His Highness bowed to me he must have a prior appointment with Miss Rosemary. It didn’t feel like His Highness disliked Miss Rosemary so I must be the third wheel between them.

We bowed to each other and separated. The sight of a blond boy and a back-haired girl getting along while they entered a building as I looked back is quite pleasant.

At the same time, that sight makes an unknown feeling fill my heart. Miss Rosemary didn’t appear in the game but as expected in this world, the Royal Grandson also has his own relationship.

If the Royal Grandson died at the demon outbreak, will that girl cry? If at that time I just ignored everything and ran away… Even if I did that technically it’s not my fault that the Royal Grandson died… right?

Will that girl die when the capital got attacked? If an attack happened right now will those two become lifeless corpses? Where will they lay? What sort of expression will they have on their deathbed?

When a man that didn’t care about the news of children’s starvation in the newspaper, saw a child that didn’t have enough money to do his surgery on television, he immediately tried to gather money for that child.

It was a story that I’ve heard many times in my past life. That’s how humans are. The impression of what they saw is stronger compared to numbers. People move because of a story, not numbers.

That’s how it is for me too. When I think about the demons’ attack on the capital, what crosses my mind isn’t about how many victims it will cause but rather, the image of those two children dying. Is it hypocritical for me to not want that image to become a reality?

“So what if it’s hypocritical?”

It might be hypocritical but I will definitely change the result. It’s better than doing nothing while having goodwill. Is this the kind of time they said to show a bitter smile? As I made an excuse to no one, I walked out of the garden and left the palace. 

Plus, I also managed to investigate what I wanted.

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T/N: I always thought of the palace as the only ‘place where the royal family is living’ . I never knew that there was even a public area in a palace. Thought stuff like office area always popped off here and there in a medieval fantasy setting stories, but it’s the first time I heard something like ‘public area’ where nobles can freely walk around.

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