Happy Daily Life of a Reincarnated Noble Blessed with Vassals - Chapter 22

“Young master! The marquis himself has just stated that he will handle this matter! Yet you act so rashly. I cannot overlook this, even for you!”

“Silence, Filmy! How dare a mere scout speak such nonsense! I am simply doing what is right!”

“There is no righteousness in your actions right now! It’s not too late—please, go back!”

“Enough of your nagging!”

Filmy bravely stood between us and Gaston, desperately trying to persuade the heir. But Gaston’s words and behavior made it clear that none of Filmy’s pleas were getting through to him.

The way he dismissed him as “just a scout” was harsh.

Even Jean-Jacques acknowledges Filmy’s competence.

Mary’s eyes were wide with shock.

“Wow, this guy’s the perfect picture of a foolhardy noble. And he’s supposed to be the successor? Artemitos is finished.”

“No matter how great the lineage, if their education and mindset are wrong, trouble is inevitable. Rest assured, Lord Rex and Lady Amy’s children will be raised as proper Hesselinks, with all our devotion.”

“Proper Hesselinks,” huh? Why do I get a bad feeling about that?

I silently vow to raise my children to be decent, well-rounded people, ones society will accept.

“Hesselink’s legendary feats are all smoke and mirrors! Defeating the Dark Serpent alone? I can’t understand how people believe such nonsense! He probably used his usual tricks!”

“You’re wrong! Those weren’t tricks! The Hesselinks are—”

“Enough, enough! My forces will be here soon. Prepare yourself for defying me! Defying your master is unforgivable. I’ll demote you back to a foot soldier!”

Seriously!? If he actually did that, I wouldn’t be surprised if Filmy left the Artemitos army altogether. This could be my chance to recruit him!

“Oh, this is good! Hey, we could totally invite that guy to join us, right? Let’s poach him and offer him the position of scout captain!”

“Hmm. Jean-Jacques, I leave the negotiations to you.”

“As you wish.”

“What are you all whispering about? And how dare you raise your head in front of the marquis’ household! Bow!”

“Oh, Lord Gaston? You’re merely the heir to the marquisate, while I am the head of a count’s house. Are you familiar with the difference in rank?”

Me, a count. You, a marquis’ son. Do you see the gap here?

“Even a child knows that a marquis outranks a count. Do you not understand your position? If I tell my father, Artemitos will go to war with House Hesselink!”

He didn’t understand at all.

Is this kid serious? Does he even realize that he’s essentially saying, “My dad’s stronger than yours!”? Look, Lady Amy is staring at him with a look that says, “Wow, this guy is pathetic.” She probably thinks he’s lower than dirt.

“War is indeed terrifying. But, can I take your statement as the official stance of the marquis’ family? That House Artemitos believes Rex Hesselink has used vile methods to brainwash or threaten Lady Amy of House Canilunya for his own gain? And that to correct this injustice, House Artemitos will wage war against House Hesselink?”

“Lord Protector! That’s a misunderstanding—”

“That’s right! I am the heir of Marquis Artemitos. That means I am the next marquis! My words are the same as my father’s. There’s no need to bother him. Rex Hesselink, I will personally see to your downfall!”

Filmy’s attempt to save the situation was cut off halfway through. Mary and Jean-Jacques started cracking their necks, wrists, and ankles, warming up for the fight.

Oh, so he’s serious, huh?

But I decided to make one last attempt to defuse this.

Please, Gaston, just realize how foolish you’re being.

“I see. You heard that, didn’t you, Jean-Jacques, Mary? House Artemitos has openly declared its enmity towards us Hesselinks. Well, this is quite a predicament.”

“Yes, indeed. It seems all avenues for peaceful, rational resolution have been closed. At this point, I fear we may be forced to use strength to make our case, as this old man humbly suggests.”

“Ah, I see. If Jean-Jacques, known as the ‘Massacre General,’ says so, then I suppose we have no choice but to resolve this by force.”

“Wow, the fake innocence from both of you is strong. Hey, dumb noble over there. Do you even realize you’re picking a fight with another house, despite not being the head yourself? Do you get what that means? Like the scout captain said, if you apologize now, we can forget all this. So cool down,” Mary just laid it all out.

Well, that’s basically it. I beg you, Gaston—swallow your pride and apologize.

“Who are you!? Hmph, your face may be beautiful, but you lack manners. Fine then. Once this is over, I’ll have you serve under my house of Artemitos. You should be grateful.”

No! This guy’s an even bigger idiot than I thought. Come on, Marquis Artemitos, please at least teach your son some basic manners.

“Lord Gaston, I understand now that it was you who interfered with my marriage to Lady Amy. I’m relieved to know the marquis himself wasn’t involved, but why would you do such a thing? You’re the heir to a marquisate, yet you’ve acted against noble customs. Why?”

“It’s simple! Lady Amy is frail and hasn’t even debuted in society. I’ve known her since childhood. She may be physically weak, but she is intelligent. And now, she’s being married off to some backwater noble whose only skill is hunting magical beasts? How could I not find that absurd?”

Huh? I’ll ignore the part where he insults me for now. Wait—he actually knows Lady Amy?

“Well, would you look at that? Turns out this fool is just after Big Sis Amy all along. Seriously? You know him?” Mary asked.

“No, I don’t recall meeting him. I’ve mostly lived within our territory, so I’ve hardly had the chance to meet people from other families. If I had met someone from House Artemitos, I certainly wouldn’t have forgotten,” Amy replied, confused.

“It’s no wonder. I only saw her briefly when we were children. But since that day, I’ve never forgotten her. I knew she was being kept within her estate for some reason, but I always thought that once I inherited the title of marquis, I could do something about it. And now she’s to marry into some rural noble family like the Hesselinks!?”

Enough with the “rural” nonsense. It’s a beautiful place. Rich in nature. Full of magical beasts. We’re always on the edge of death, you fool!

Breathe… stay calm.

“I commend you for recognizing Lady Amy’s beauty from such a young age. But this is a matter between our families. Regardless, I’ll need to speak directly with the marquis. Afterward, we can settle things like men,” I said, trying to steer the conversation toward reason.

“There’s no need to speak with my father. You’ll be dealt with here and now by me! Prepare yourself, Madman Rex Hesselink!”

Is he serious? There’s no way to save him at this point.

“Oh, look! A cavalry unit is coming from the city. Friend or foe?”

“House Artemitos declared themselves our enemies, did they not?”

“Wait! That’s the marquis’ personal guard—they are not our enemies!” 

“Sir Filmy, the heir of Artemitos has openly stated his intention to kill my lord. Right now, Artemitos is our enemy, whether we like it or not. Unfortunately, we cannot leave this battle unscathed.”

“What are you going to do!?” Filmy tried to rush toward Jean-Jacques.

Too bad for him—he had already entered the range of our assassin. Without a sound, the assassin appeared behind him, pressing a knife to his neck. “Easy there, Captain. If Artemitos is our enemy, that makes you one too.”

“…!”

“Just watch. It’s not often you get to see the ‘Massacre General’s’ techniques up close. A pity, really. Thanks to that love-crazed fool, this entire squad is doomed.”

“Stop! Please, stop!”

But Jean-Jacques clasped his hands together in a complex gesture, raising his voice, “Witness the essence of earth magic—‘Earth Prison!’”

A massive amount of earth and rubble, seemingly from nowhere, rained down on the cavalry unit charging toward us, quickly forming a small mountain that blocked their path.

Whoa. I take back what I said about earth magic being boring.

“Wow, Gramps! That was flashy. With that much, I’m sure they saw it from the city too. More reinforcements will be on their way soon.”

“No matter how many come, they’ll only end up as more prisoners in my prison of earth.”

“Impressive as always, Massacre General. So, Captain Filmy, how does it feel to witness the reason behind Jean-Jacques’ infamous title?”

“What was that!? That goes far beyond earth magic! What kind of mage can create a mountain in an instant like that!?”

“He’s right in front of you. And just so you know, that wasn’t even the full extent of his power. You ever heard of his title, ‘Massacre General’? The word ‘massacre’ alone means murder is always close behind.”