Happy Daily Life of a Reincarnated Noble Blessed with Vassals - Chapter 24

“Lord Gaston, I’ll ask one last time—are you sure you won’t back down? This is my final offer. If you refuse, I won’t be able to return you unharmed to Marquis Artemitos. Please, just bow your head and apologize. A simple ‘sorry’ would do.”

“Enough, Rex Hesselink! I will take your head and marry Lady Amy. It’s you who should be bowing to me! Your disrespect toward me, the future marquis, is utterly unforgivable. Even if you somehow escape alive, it will only lead to war with House Artemitos. Sooner or later, your fate is sealed!”

If he still doesn’t understand after all this, then there’s no hope. No more playing nice.

From now on, I’m the terrifying count.

I’m the terrifying count.

Alright!

“You may be a fool, but in one respect, you’ve shown a rare bit of insight: recognizing Lady Amy’s brilliance. It’s a pity. Though you claim to be the future marquis, right now you’re nothing more than a man, acting with utter disrespect toward me, the head of a count’s family. Know this: it’s your fate that is sealed. As a parting gift, I’ll show you why I’m known as the ‘Madman Rex Hesselink.’ Come forth, Gorimaru, Drazo.”

Summoning two beasts at once—this has become a bit of a habit lately. I’m used to the sensation of something being drained out of me when I do this.

Without delay, Gorimaru and Drazo descended from the sky, landing with a thud that shook the ground. Despite their terrifying appearances, they nuzzled up to me like affectionate pets.

Ha! Good boys, good boys.

“Whoa! You summoned both of them?! That’s overkill! Think about the damage to the surroundings, you idiot count!” Mary shouted angrily as he shielded Filmy, whom he had been restraining up until now.

Who’s he calling an idiot count?

Oh, wait, that’s me.

“Insulting the head of a noble family is a crime punishable by death. Since you’re fated to die soon, witnessing a glimpse of Lord Rex’s power should make for quite the impressive send-off, wouldn’t you agree?”

“It’ll traumatize his family for life, though. Imagine their son becoming beast fodder. And there goes our reputation again. Poor Big SIs Amy, marrying into a house like this.”

Don’t say that! What if she decides not to marry me because of it?

But to my surprise, while Mary was half-smirking, Lady Amy puffed out her chest with pride. “Not at all. Just thinking about becoming the wife of ‘Madman Rex Hesselink’ fills me with excitement! If the reputation has fallen, we’ll just raise it again. Mary, you’ll help us, won’t you?”

Turns out, my future wife is an angel. Am I destined to be surrounded by angels? Thank you, gods.

“Heh heh, you’re optimistic. Is the lady’s word law around here?”

“Oh my, will Gorimaru and Drazo help as well? Haha, that tickles. You two are such sweethearts.”

As Mary’s grin shifted from a smirk to a wry smile, Drazo and Gorimaru rubbed up against Lady Amy, too.

Are you guys dogs or something? I thought you were an ape and a dragon?

“Why are you two so attached to her? Or rather, how did she tame you?”

“Perhaps they recognize that I’m Lord Rex wife? Look, they’re both nodding in agreement. Aren’t they clever? Do all high-level beasts have such intelligence?”

The summoned beasts nodded along enthusiastically. If we were on Earth, a video of this would go viral for sure.

Smart pets can be so heartwarming. Though maybe a two-headed ape and a skeletal dragon are a bit too much to be heartwarming for anyone but me and Lady Amy.

“These two might just be special. The wild beasts we encounter in the forest are all driven purely by instinct. What do you think, big bro?”

“Yeah, they live for eating and defending their territory. Gorimaru and Drazo are summons, not wild beasts, so maybe that explains their intelligence. If not, they wouldn’t recognize Lady Amy as my wife.”

The next time I summon a beast, if it’s smart too, that must be it.

Another summon, huh? Two are more than enough, honestly. I’d rather upgrade these two than call for more.

“Got it. So, what do we do with this one? He’s sprawled out like a starfish with his eyes rolled back. Feed him to one of them like we planned? No? Thought so.”

Yeah.

Gaston went completely quiet the moment he saw Gorimaru and Drazo—he passed out instantly. Was it too much for him to handle?

They’re so cute, though.

When Mary suggested turning him into beast food, Gorimaru and Drazo both shook their heads in unison. Utterly adorable.

I get it; he probably doesn’t taste good. I wouldn’t want to feed something like that to my precious beasts.

Now, what to do?

“My lord, riders have emerged from the town. What shall we do? If you permit it, I can have them restrained.”

“Hmm, yes. It’d be a hassle if they went on a rampage. Let’s just keep them buried for now.”

Seeing Jean-Jacques form his seals again with my permission, Filmy shouted in panic.

Mary, deciding he wasn’t a threat, had already loosened his restraints. “Wait! No, please wait! Marquis Artemitos himself is here! He’s leading them! The man in the black cloak!”

“Oh? So the man himself has come out? That guy up front, racing ahead? Hah, doesn’t seem anything like his foolish son—he’s got real presence. As expected from the upper echelons of the elite.”

Indeed, he had an imposing aura. His hair was stark white, but the buzz cut suited him perfectly. Even from a distance, his body was massive, and the horse he rode was equally enormous. Most impressive of all was how he left his supposed bodyguards in the dust, charging ahead on his own.

“For someone of his status to come riding into battle himself… Quite the fiery old man, isn’t he?”

Still vigorous despite his age. First Jean-Jacques, now Marquis Artemitos. There sure are a lot of cool old men around here. Hameslot and the Count Canilunya, too—they’re all aging like fine wine.

Well, the marquis might end up being our enemy, depending on how things go from here.

“The current Marquis Artemitos is a rare breed in his family, who tend to favor scholarly pursuits. He excels in the martial arts, though he is also learned. It was well within expectations that he’d rush out when his son’s life was in danger, foolish as that son may be.”

So, he’s a bit of an oddball in his family? I guess it’s pretty unusual for a marquis to charge headfirst into a place where someone known as “the Madman” is, without much armor or anything. Definitely an odd one.

I don’t dislike him, though, so I’d rather not make him an enemy.

…

…

…

“That cloak… You must be the Madman Rex Hesselink.”

Ooh, what a deep voice. An attractive old man, for sure. He’s probably around the same age as Count Canilunya.

Alright, I can’t afford to be outdone. Ahem!

“Yes, indeed. It’s unfortunate that our first meeting must take place under such circumstances, Marquis Artemitos. There’s much I’d like to say, but I won’t keep you, a busy man, here longer than necessary. Shall we get straight to the point?”

I did my best to project a dignified tone. It didn’t crack, right? I’m good, right?

Oh, Jean-Jacques is nodding approvingly. Good, good.

“By all means. My foolish son has caused quite the trouble, and I’m ashamed beyond words. I cannot face Count Canilunya like this.”

Oh? That’s a promising start.

“You’re aware of the situation, then?”

“Of course. As a father, I’d ideally want my son to marry the woman he desires, but as a high-ranking noble, I must prioritize the protection of our house. House Artemitos will give its full blessing to the marriage between Rex Hesselink and Lady Amy of House Canilunya.”

Yay! No war! And the marriage to Lady Amy is secured! This is the best outcome I could’ve hoped for, isn’t it?

Alright, stay calm. There’s still a bit more to confirm.

“Just to clarify, you personally didn’t send that letter to Count Canilunya, did you?”

“Why would I do such a thing? As a noble, it is of utmost importance to uphold our ancient customs. Meddling in a marriage agreement between two houses is unthinkable. Most likely, my son rallied a few retainers and acted before word even reached me.”

Some retainers must have tried to cozy up to the future marquis for their own benefit.

“It’s outrageous that your son, even as the heir, would impersonate the head of the family and send such a letter to another house… However, I have no intention of escalating the matter further. As long as you rein in your son and those cronies of his, that will suffice.”

“I am grateful. Things could’ve gotten much worse. It’s a shame about the men who lost their lives, though…”

Huh? Oh, right. That’s how it must look to him.

“Lost their lives? I’m sorry, what are you referring to? Did someone die from falling off a horse or something? If that’s the case, my condolences.”

Feigning ignorance to needle him, I could see the marquis grinding his teeth in frustration, his face twisted in anger. He was furious, but struggling to hold it back.

How could such a rational father raise such a reckless son? Maybe the pressure of having a great father got to him.

No, he was just trying to exploit his father’s connections—this must be his true nature.

“Count Hesselink, this is no laughing matter. I fully acknowledge our fault in this, but mocking the deaths of our soldiers is—”

“Jean-Jacques.”

Time for the reveal.

Alright, everyone, eyes on me.

“Yes, my lord. ‘Release,’” Jean-Jacques formed his seals and chanted the spell. He told me later that the gestures are reversed when casting versus dispelling.

In any case, the small hill vanished in an instant with a simple movement.

Magic truly is fascinating.

Once the hill was gone, dozens of soldiers and horses, buried under the dirt, lay collapsed on the ground. Immediately, the remaining soldiers rushed to check on their comrades, signaling a large circle with their arms to confirm everyone was safe.

“Oh, oh! What is this…? They’re alive? All of them?”

“I never intended to kill anyone. At worst, Lord Gaston might have lost his life, but as you can see, even he is alive.”

Eyes rolled back, loss of bladder control, lying in a spread-eagle position.

Yeah, as a parent, I can imagine why the marquis would want to cover his face in embarrassment.

“How much more shame will you bring upon me? Quickly! Take this fool back to the estate! Make sure he doesn’t leave his room! Station guards both inside and outside, and assign men from the First Unit so there’s no chance of him pulling anyone into his nonsense.”

The First Unit seemed to be the marquis’ personal guard, known for never following the orders of that foolish son.

“Now then, about the matter at hand…”

“Indeed, this is hardly the place for such discussions. Allow me to escort you to my estate. We can talk over a meal.”