Absolutely Do Not Touch ELdmia Egga – Chapter 140

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Yuziro
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Was I the strange one?

The person who had just dropped a bombshell was so incredibly calm that I felt a sense of dissonance.

As I watched Duke Lesrom chuckle at my reaction, my hand reached for the teacup in front of me without thinking.

Well, he did brew a good cup of tea.

“Oh. Drinking it this time?”

He asked.

“After hearing such a thirst-inducing story, my hand moved on its own.”

I replied.

“There’s no need to be so tense. I don’t make a habit of forcing people onto the same boat after dropping a bomb on them.”

“If it were any other story, I might have believed you, but frankly, this is hard to swallow.”

It was strange that he was so calm after revealing something that could shake the very foundation of the kingdom’s political landscape.

I glared at Duke Lesrom, my distrust evident, but he remained unfazed, maintaining his relaxed demeanor.

“You can address that directly to His Majesty later. I only spoke because he gave me permission.”

“Passing the buck? That’s rather irresponsible for someone of your stature, Your Excellency.”

“It’s a royal decree. As a subject, I must obey.”

Duke Lesrom chuckled as if we were exchanging pleasantries, then set down his teacup and continued.

“In any case, there’s no harm in you knowing this. It also explains why I’m helping you with the boar hunt. Tell me what you need.”

“Your Excellency…”

“If you’re about to suggest that I’m deceiving you by pretending to help His Majesty, he did tell me to show you a personal letter he wrote. Would you like to see it?”

“I don’t think you have any reason to deceive me, so I’ll politely decline.”

A royal letter?

That was something best avoided.

I already had enough headaches.

Before he could even take out the letter, I quickly presented the document I had received from Zikmel, changing the subject.

“As you may already know, it seems the boar is secretly raising private troops and expanding his forces. The training ground seems to be operating legally, so it’s not my place to interfere, but the mercenary group he’s running with those troops doesn’t seem to be following the rules.”

“Hmm? That’s new information. Let me take a look.”

He read the document without even flinching, suggesting his eyesight was still sharp despite his age.

I sipped my tea and waited, and after a moment, Duke Lesrom nodded slowly.

“We’ve overlooked the mercenary group. It was originally a training ground established a few years ago to supplement the declining quality of troops due to the prolonged war… but I had no idea they were being siphoned off like this. We’ll need to do some house cleaning.”

He seemed to have used the word “house cleaning” as a euphemism for “purge”, but that wasn’t my concern.

“It seems you need help dealing with this mercenary problem. What kind of assistance do you require?”

“I’d like to borrow Gies, the wyvern pilot who testified as a witness, and his wyvern.”

“So you’ve already pinpointed their location.”

“Not exactly, but close enough.”

I had hoped that offering the document would be enough to secure the wyvern, but it seemed Duke Lesrom would have agreed even without it.

Either way, I didn’t care as long as I got the wyvern.

Just as I was about to get up, thinking the conversation was over, Duke Lesrom gestured for me to stay.

“Your business seems to be concluded, so now it’s my turn.”

I had no idea what business he could possibly have with me after I had barged in unannounced.

But I couldn’t just walk out, so I sat back down.

“Did you have something to say, Your Excellency?”

“Not so much to say, but rather to give you a heads-up about what will happen after this matter is resolved.”

“What will happen…?”

Was it not enough that Count Bosha would be beaten to a pulp and Lagnis acquitted and compensated?

Even if there was more to it, I didn’t see why I needed to be involved.

“Surely you don’t think everything will be neatly wrapped up once the Margrave of Levien is acquitted and compensated, do you?”

“Come to think of it, the abandoned dungeon incident was a royal commission.”

“I hadn’t expected you to be involved in that either. The royal family wants to compensate you appropriately and declare you a hero.”

“I’d like to politely refuse.”

It was strange.

Even after all the excessive… retaliations… I had committed, I was still being considered for hero status?

Did Itsiel have such a shortage of talent?

“I anticipated that to some extent. And I’ve acted accordingly to avoid it. Am I still on the list of potential puppet heroes?”

“Killing a few people in the capital for honor isn’t something that can be easily swept under the rug.”

“It’s true that my retaliation was a bit… excessive.”

“Subduing such rumors and manipulating public perception is also part of politics.”

I needed a refill.

I poured myself more tea and sighed inwardly.

I briefly considered asking Esmee for asylum in the Empire.

I didn’t want to be a pawn in the political games of the royal family.

I was already in too deep, helping Lagnis.

The way they were treating her, even after everything she had lost, made it hard to trust them.

My plan had been to earn the wandering knight title in a few months and leave the capital for the front lines.

Once I was gone, it would be difficult for them to recall me without a very good reason, due to the customs and conventions of this world. I thought it was a perfect plan.

Now, not so much.

If I got further entangled with the royal family, there was no telling how far their interference would reach.

Duke Lesrom seemed to sense my distrust and continued his explanation.

“This offer isn’t about using you for the royal family’s benefit. If necessary, we can put that in writing. Try not to be so negative.”

“I’ve been taught to be wary of goodwill without compensation. This situation feels exactly like that.”

“It’s not without compensation. Having someone like you under the royal family’s protection brings secondary benefits. It would be far more troublesome if we tried to suppress you and you ended up being poached by another country.”

Of course, I had considered that.

That was why I wanted to avoid them.

“I don’t know what impression you have of the royal family, but judging by the fact that they’ve maintained the kingdom and their power through a seven-year war against the demon army, they’re not incompetent. They know how to make rational decisions and contracts. I’m not asking you to decide right now. Just consider it seriously when you have a moment to breathe.”

It was an unpleasant proposition, but it was difficult to outright refuse someone who had been nothing but courteous and had even granted my request.

Especially after I had accepted his tea and his help.

“I’ll… consider it,” I said.

“That’s enough for now. We can discuss it properly once this matter is resolved.”

Duke Lesrom smiled, seemingly satisfied with my noncommittal answer.

I would honestly prefer facing hundreds of sword-wielding enemies.

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