Kays Translations

Chapter 86: Good Neighbor

“Yo, I’m back~~”

“Welcome home, Ishud-sama… um, may I ask you one thing?”

“Hmm? What is it?”

“Well… It’s not that you were expelled and came back, is it?”

It’s undoubtedly a rude question to ask the lord’s son, but Ishud isn’t so short-tempered as to get angry over such a minor offense.

“Hahaha!!! Don’t worry. As I said in the message, I just brought back some classmates since I’m on a long break. Well, the thing is, I caused some trouble legally, so I won’t be expelled.”

“I see, as expected of Ishud-sama. Please, come inside.”

Dealing with the phrase ‘legally caused trouble’ without any particular sense of panic or surprise, and saying ‘as expected’, it’s quite impressive.

(He said even the soldiers, knights, and mages aren’t just brute force… Is that true?)

Well, in the first place, it’s pretty out of the ordinary for gate guards to ask the lord’s son, “So you didn’t come back because you got expelled?” 

“Alright, there it is, the mansion you see far away. Just follow the road, and we’ll get there.”

““““……..””””

Gulf, not having much to compare to, was simply amazed by the hustle and bustle of the city… Ibuki, on the other hand, mainly had knowledge about the position of a border count from above, so while she was somewhat surprised, she wore an expression of understanding at the liveliness.

However… despite the various rumors and hearsay they had heard so far, the scene was completely different from what they had imagined. The liveliness, the clothing and appearance of the people living there, the exterior of the buildings… Even though they could anticipate that it would be different from the stories they had heard, they couldn’t help but be surprised again.

“Hey, what’s got you two so stunned? Come on, let’s go!!”

“O-Oh, right. Sorry, sorry.”

Philip and the others followed Ishud, but their surprise at the scene being different from the rumors was like that of children coming from the countryside to the city for the first time.

As they made their way to the mansion, Ishud was greeted by children, adults, and elderly alike along the way.

“Ishud seems to be very well-liked by the common folk.”

“…I guess you could say that. Although, my family has always had good relations with the villagers… probably. It’s like, they probably see us as good neighbors who manage the territory well, you know? They might have a certain level of respect, but I don’t think most of them fear us, do they?”

Ishud didn’t particularly aspire to be revered, so he thought it was just the right amount of distance.

“If other nobles heard, they’d probably start shouting.”

“Well, there are some who enjoy being respected by others and feeling that respect… And then, it’s also about the teachings of the household, right? If children are taught garbage like ‘commoners are just tools’ from birth, then it’s no wonder people with trashy ideologies keep popping up forever.”

“Well, Ishud’s words really hit close to home for us.”

Christille herself is a decent noble lady in a positive sense, but she has seen many people like the ones Ishud mentioned.

Every time, she felt uncomfortable and never agreed with words that devalued the lives of commoners… but she had completely given up on changing their thinking.

“Yeah, exactly. But it’s also the reality we can’t change right now.”

“As for me, I don’t want to give up just because of that.”

“Wow, President Pai-sen is amazing~~. But isn’t it better not to push yourself too hard?”

“Well… perhaps it’s because my own strength isn’t enough after all?”

Seeing Ishud’s expression genuinely darken, he said, “You’re really serious and kind… I kinda wanna hug you~” while thinking some slightly blush-inducing thoughts, and then he continued with his own theory.

“It’s not like that. Basically, all we can do is enrich the territory we were born into. Territories ruled by people who think of commoners as trash, as tools, are no different from foreign lands. When you think about it like that, you understand how difficult it is to steer everything in the right direction.”

“…Ishud-kun. By any chance, has the current head of the Regula family ever asked you to succeed him?”

“Hmm… I don’t think so, maybe when I was even younger, it might have been said as a joke or maybe not… Well, even if it was said for real, it was probably just a joke.”

Ishud denied it with his usual smile, but everyone internally retorted, “It definitely wasn’t just a joke.”

“Alright, we’ve arrived.”

Ishud and the others arrived at the mansion.

Word had already spread about Ishud bringing his classmates back to the mansion, so numerous knights, mages, and servants had come out of the mansion to prepare to welcome them.

“Welcome back!!! Ishud-sama!!!”

“Yes, I’m back~~. Thank you for the warm welcome. Well then, you can go back now.”

While Ishud genuinely appreciated the effort made to welcome him, he also felt embarrassed, so he wanted them to disperse quickly.

As they were told by Ishud to return to their positions, they obediently went back, but many of them cast glances at Michela, Ibuki, and Christille.

(We expected him to bring male friends, but to bring female classmates as well…)

(Wow~~, bringing such beautiful ladies… Could they all be potential brides!!!??)

(Maybe Ishud-sama entered the academy to find a fiancée? Even if the head of the family doesn’t pay much attention, he’s still a noble, so lineage is important, after all. I had various doubts, but if that’s the purpose, then it makes sense.)

Everyone was thinking almost the same thing.

(You guys… Your thoughts are practically oozing out from behind.)

Meanwhile, Ishud had a rough idea of what they were thinking, but since he was the one who told them to get back to work, he didn’t bother to call them back just to correct their assumptions.

(Hmm? These footsteps…)

Detecting footsteps approaching them, Ishud quickly gestured to Gulf and the others to stay behind him.

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