Volume 4 Chapter 6 The Kondrad Father And Daughter
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
The next day, as promised, Kondrad came to visit me in the morning with his daughter, Ane.
It seems they arrived in Estfort on military horses from the western garrison.
Next to Kondrad, a dignified young officer dismounted from his horse.
”Lord Blackdagger, I took the liberty of bringing my daughter to visit you, as you suggested yesterday. Ane, greet him.”
The young officer next to him greeted me.
”I am Ane, Kondrad’s daughter, and a member of the kingdom’s cavalry. It is an honor to meet you, Lord Blackdagger.”
I confirmed that this young officer was indeed Ane, Kondrad’s only daughter, as Aurelia had mentioned, but unfortunately, she still appeared as a man due to the Illusion Glasses.
Her voice was that of a young woman, high-pitched yet strong enough to carry over the battlefield.
Because of this, I was curious about her appearance, but as the host who invited Kondrad to my home, I couldn’t sneak a look.
For now, I decided to ask Milly and the others about Ane’s appearance and guided Kondrad and his daughter to the living room.
During the tour, Ane stumbled and fell several times in seemingly empty spaces.
Each time, Kondrad and his daughter apologized profusely.
It seems that while Ane is skilled at riding, she struggles with walking on the ground.
”We recently had to let go of our previous residence, so please excuse the small living room as we are in temporary housing.”
I offered the sofa to Kondrad and his daughter.
Once they sat down, Annabella and Feria began serving tea.
”I feel embarrassed to be treated so well. Considering that you have been taking care of Lady Aurelia, how can I possibly thank you?”
”Lord Kondrad, Aurelia was also delighted to meet you. She has been waiting since this morning to see Ms. Ane. Annabella, is Aurelia still not here?”
”I just sent Dee to call her, so please wait a little longer.”
While Annabella was serving, she had already given instructions to Dee.
Soon, Aurelia would likely arrive as well.
”Lady Aurelia… it’s been ten years. I’ve heard from my father that she has grown into a beautiful lady…”
Ane seemed to be reminiscing about Aurelia, who had gone missing ten years ago.
”Actually, today is a special occasion for Aurelia, and I was hoping both of you could celebrate together. Is that alright with you?”
”Both my daughter and I have taken the day off, so we have time. But… what is this special occasion?”
”I think it’s best if you hear it directly from Aurelia herself.”
At that moment, Aurelia opened the door and entered the living room.
Instead of her usual armor, Aurelia was wearing a knight’s outfit with a mini skirt, just like Milly.
”Ah, Ane! It’s me, Aurelia. Do you remember me?”
Aurelia rushed over to Ane and embraced her.
Ane, in turn, hugged Aurelia back.
”Lady Aurelia! Ten years ago, I was told by my father that you had gone missing, and I was so worried about you. Ever since then, I practiced horseback riding in hopes of finding you, but I ended up unable to walk properly without a horse.”
Indeed, Ane had stumbled and fallen several times just getting here from the horse.
The reason was that in her quest to find Aurelia, she had honed her riding skills to the point where she had become better at riding than walking.
”You practiced that hard just to find me… Ane, you’ve gone through so much.”
”The reason I came to the south was to join the Southern Expeditionary Force, thinking I could search for Lady Aurelia during my off time. I couldn’t find you in the west, north, or even in the royal capital…”
It seemed that Ane had been searching for Aurelia on her own for ten years.
I thought to myself that Ane, who could dedicate so much of her time for the daughter of her father’s employer, was a girl full of loyalty.
”Since I was also driven from my home, I’ve been living a nomadic life. I only recently settled down at Lord Kent’s place.”
”But I’m so glad to see you safe. I couldn’t sleep a wink after hearing from my father yesterday that you were alive.”
The two were joyfully confirming each other’s safety.
Watching them, Kondrad had tears in his eyes.
”I’m so glad. I heard that Lady Aurelia is living happily as Lord Kent’s concubine, so I feel I can hold my head high in front of Sir Iskarl.”
It seemed that Kondrad felt regret for not being able to fulfill his duty to Aurelia’s late father.
”I hate to interrupt your joy, but Aurelia, please make your important announcement.”
”Ah, understood.”
Prompted by Kent, Aurelia turned to face Kondrad and the others again.
”Actually, yesterday, I was granted the title of Kingdom Knight by Sir Arbalest.”
The two froze at Aurelia’s words.
It seemed they couldn’t understand the meaning of her statement.
After a moment, Kondrad asked a question.
”…Lady Aurelia was granted the title of Kingdom Knight? You’re joking… The Klaushten family is a name that has been abolished by the current His Majesty. Even Sir Arbalest of the southern Margrave would not be able to reinstate that family name…”
”Yeah, that’s why I discarded the family name. I will be establishing a new family called Vermillionblade. Although it’s considered a branch of the Blackdagger family, Lord Kent has said that if he acquires new territory, he will bestow it upon my Vermillionblade family and elevate me as a Lord Noble.”
Ane was so shocked that she nearly collapsed.
Kondrad’s hands were trembling slightly.
”Oh, Lady Aurelia! Does that mean you are going to restore the Klaushten family!?”
”Kondrad, that’s not quite right. I am establishing the Vermillionblade family. However, my child with Lord Kent will carry the blood of Klaushten. So, if you say ‘restoration,’ it could be considered a restoration.”
”Lord Kent, is this true? That Lady Aurelia has been granted a title?”
”Yes, she was granted the title under my father-in-law’s authority as of yesterday. Her identification has also been changed to the Vermillionblade family name.”
”The Klaushten family name is extinct… However, if Lady Aurelia bears Lord Kent’s child and becomes part of the Vermillionblade family, the bloodline of Klaushten will continue…”
Kondrad looked regretful at Aurelia’s decision to abandon the Klaushten name, but he also showed signs of joy upon hearing that the bloodline would remain.
Meanwhile, Ane was delighted that Aurelia had regained her status as a knighted noble.
”Lady Aurelia, congratulations on your elevation in rank!”
”Thank you, Ane.”
With the major announcement concluded, it was finally time to get to the main topic.
”By the way, I have a request for Lord Kondrad. Would you be willing to hear me out?”
”What is it?”
”Actually, I would like Lord Kondrad to serve as the steward of the Vermillionblade family. I know you are serving in the military, but I am struggling to find someone to help establish the newly formed Vermillionblade family.”
Kondrad’s eyes widened in surprise at my sudden request.
”I have been appointed as General Gertroud’s deputy. I cannot simply leave the military on a whim.”
Kondrad, as expected, rejected my invitation.
Even though he was concerned about Aurelia, it must be difficult for him to part ways with General Gertroud after serving for ten years, as a soldier.
So, I decided to focus on his daughter.
”I see… then how about Ane? Would you like to work under Aurelia? I can make you the captain of my cavalry unit. I need to gather my own troops, so I have plenty of positions available.”
Ane seemed quite moved at the prospect of working alongside Aurelia.
She looked troubled as she glanced between her father and Aurelia.
”T-to work by Lady Aurelia’s side… and on top of that, the position of captain of the cavalry…”
”Ane, in this military, there are no delays in salary or embezzlement by superiors, so as a captain of the cavalry, you could earn about 2 silver coins a month.”
”S-such a salary… I could buy new riding gear and grooming tools…”
”Ane! What kind of soldier worries about their pay?”
”Father… but the kingdom’s army over there barely pays even me, an officer. As an officer of the Asura Clan, I find myself in such a situation. I can only imagine how the other races’ officers and soldiers are faring.”
Ane was exposing the harsh realities of the southern deployment force that General Gertroud had brought from the capital.
It seemed that the southern deployment force stationed in the west was suffering from severe salary cuts.
For me and my father-in-law, who were struggling with a shortage of personnel, the southern deployment army that came from the capital was a feast.
If we could lure capable individuals with money and better treatment, it might be surprisingly easy to attract them.
”I’ve mentioned this to General Gertroud multiple times. He is exceptional at analyzing battle situations and developing tactics, but he cannot understand the feelings of his subordinates and soldiers.”
Kondrad also shared some interesting insights about General Gertroud.
As I and my father-in-law had predicted, General Gertroud was biased towards knowledge; he excelled in analysis and directives but lacked the charisma to lead on the ground.
The one who compensated for that weakness was the soldier standing before me, Kondrad.
It was likely that his ability to achieve the general’s strategies and tactics on the battlefield had genuinely improved his superior’s reputation.
I found myself wanting Kondrad even more, so I decided to play my last card.
I called Annabella to confirm Ane’s appearance.
If she passed the checks from Annabella or Milly, she would almost certainly be my type of woman.
As Annabella was observing her appearance, she leaned in to whisper to me.
’Sir Kent, Ms. Ane is a pass. I believe you will find her to your liking.’
”I see… understood.”
I decided to confirm with Kondrad before making Ane a part of my team.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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