Level Down 40 (Patreon)

Volume 1 Chapter 40 - Reward for Stopping the Stampede

RAW

A few days after successfully stopping the stampede of the Dragon Dungeon within the dungeon due to Allen’s great effort (?), those who participated in the battle gathered in the audience room of the Lord's mansion in the center of Lilac City.

Naveen El Lilac, the Lord, sat in a chair several steps higher than the prostrated adventurers, and expressed his gratitude to the adventurers.

Kenneth stepped forward as the representative, then received a list of rewards from a servant.

After Kenneth returned to his original position, servants then handed over lists of rewards to the adventurers. These were chosen by the adventurers in advance from among several candidates, including money and weapons from dungeons.

After the awards were given to the adventurers, the servants urged them to leave the audience room.

As mithril class adventurers, they often receive requests from nobles, so they are used to it to a certain extent, so their responses were smart and no problems occurred.

Of course, not all adventurers of mithril class and higher are able to respond in this way, and there are some exceptions who are indifferent to such things but are allowed to do so because of their nonstandard strength, but fortunately those who participated in the battle were all adventurers with common sense.

In the audience room, which felt a little deserted now that the adventurers were gone, Allen, dressed as Nella, wondered, ‘Why am I in a place like this,’ escaping reality a bit.

Allen had made the decision himself after thinking about various things, but the hurdle was a little too high for him, as he was not accustomed at all to such a respectful place.

Since his face was hidden behind a mask, no one could sense Allen's emotions, and the situation progressed as a servant informed him of the progress.

“Soldier leader, Eric. Come forward.” (Servant)

“Yes, sir!” (Eric)

Eric, hearing his name called, moved forward with a brisk gesture and stopped at the same spot where Kenneth was given the list.

Seeing him looking more dignified than the previous adventurers, and his beloved sword slung around his waist made Allen's cheeks loosen involuntarily.

Eric pulled out that sword, held it in both hands, and presented it to Naveen, his head bowed. And when he sensed that Naveen had received it, he quietly knelt down.

“I have heard of your arduous activity in the battle to defend against the stampede. For your valor and achievements, I appoint you as a knight and give you the rank of baronet. From now on, you are to take the name of Eric Zem Falx and serve as a shield that protects the people.” (Naveen)

Naveen held the sword he had received upright, and placed the slightly reddish blade on Eric's shoulder as he proclaimed his knighthood.

Then Naveen held out the sword to Eric, who took it and solemnly announced.

“My sword, my life is for Lilac.” (Eric)

Then Eric kissed the hilt of the sword, and now a new knight was born. Although there was no applause or cheers, the knights and soldiers who saw this were smiling softly, and a warm atmosphere of congratulations for Eric spread through the audience room.

While looking at such a scene, Allen was doing his best to hold back his tear glands that were about to loosen.

(I’m glad for you, Eric. You've been working hard all this time for this after all.) (Allen)

Suppressing the urge to run up to him and praise him, Allen desperately tried to keep his composure. But it was very difficult.

His figure waddling along behind Allen.

His figure reading books to his younger siblings in Allen's place.

His figure attending the swordsmanship dojo and swinging his sword with all his might, saying he wanted to become an adventurer to help Allen.

His figure coming and checking on the house, taking up the little free time he had after becoming a soldier, bringing souvenirs bought with his meager salary, and smiling shyly when he heard Allen's words of gratitude.

Memories of Eric from his childhood were running through Allen's head.

In addition, Eric's anguish over having his beloved wife, Julia, abandon her noble status, that Allen understood all too well.

Eric didn't show it outwardly or confide his worries to Allen, but as Allen had been watching over him since he was a child, it was all clear to him.

However, there was nothing Allen could do about it, and he wasn't asked for help, so he couldn't do anything about it, but he was still worried.

Although he is a baronet, the lowest rank among nobility, his treatment will be distinct from that of a commoner.

Starting with his status as a noble being guaranteed, he will be given a mansion, although it won’t be that large, and in addition to his salary as a knight, he will receive an annuity as a noble.

That said, his annuity as a noble would be just enough to hire servants to maintain and manage the mansion, so it cannot be said to be that much money.

Of course, there are not only advantages but also disadvantages of becoming a noble. A typical example is the obligation to serve in the military during wars, but that disadvantage is not that different to knights who put their bodies into battle.

In other words, the advantages overwhelmingly outweigh the disadvantages when it comes to knights.

However, from the Lord's point of view, the more nobles there are, the more his expenses will increase. In addition, among the noble families that had been in existence for generations, there were a certain number of them who disliked the idea of commoners becoming nobles.

The reason why Eric was able to become a baronet this time despite that was largely due to his achievement in defending against this stampede, but this can also be said to be proof of his high level of competence and the fact that his work on a day-to-day basis was beyond reproach.

As Allen watched on while holding overwhelming feelings, Eric sheathed the beloved sword that Allen gave him and stepped down.

No one noticed Eric's worried glance in Allen's direction for a moment on his way down.

Eric was worried. He followed Naveen's order to invite Nella, and although it was Eric himself who casually told Allen about today's event, he never thought that he would actually come as Nella.

‘Could it be, because I told him that I will be knighted here?’ That kind of worry was swirling inside Eric.

Eric's prediction was half correct.

Being knighted is a big moment that might or might not happen once-in-a-lifetime. Moreover, it is something that the general public will never be able to see.

Being able to legally watch his younger brother's big moment held a very high weight in Allen's heart.

But that wasn't the only reason Allen bothered to come here.

“Hero Nella, come forward.” (Servant)

‘Gufuh’ Allen received damage in his heart at the unexpected words spoken by the servant, but Allen still stepped forward as he did.

The moment Allen moved, the audience room became filled with tension, as if the celebratory mood from earlier had been a lie.

(Oi, oi, don't look like you’re about to put your hand on the hilt of your sword.) (Allen)

Allen's cheeks twitched as he noticed the hands of the knights around Naveen twitching around.

As expected, they seemed to have restrained themself from doing anything beyond that, but it was clear what they would do if Allen showed any suspicious behavior.

(I wonder if this situation is really okay. I believed her because she was so confident, but now I'm starting to feel anxious.) (Allen)

Allen grumbled inwardly toward Iseria who wasn't here as he advanced and then stopped in the same place as Kenneth and Eric.

While hearing someone let out a sigh of relief, Allen bowed his head and got down on one knee.

“Hero Nella. Thanks to your efforts, peace has been maintained in Lilac City. I thank you.” (Naveen)

After saying that, Naveen bowed towards Allen, causing a stir among the people around him.

Allen couldn't see him as he was bowing his head, but he could clearly tell that something bothersome was happening.

“I was planning on responding to your wishes as much as possible as a reward, but... are you really okay with that?” (Naveen)

Allen was shaken by the sudden question.

(Didn’t she say it’d be over if I just kneel down and wait?) (Allen)

Because it was different from what he had heard beforehand. As he thought about what to do, an awkward silence and a disturbing atmosphere spread around Allen.

Realizing this, Allen resolved himself and nodded his head slightly. In response, Naveen's cheeks relaxed, even though it’s just a little.

“Understood. I will certainly grant the wish of my citizen. I will make sure to have your citizen card that was lost somewhere delivered through the Adventurers' Guild.” (Naveen)

Hearing those words, Allen secretly felt relieved that things were going to go as he had originally planned.

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