Chapter 77: The Families Are Worried ①

Translated by AmaLynne

「Father! What is the meaning of Sam’s duel with Albert Frege?」

It was late at night when Lise popped into Jonathan’s office.

She was wearing light makeup and a nightgown, she was sweating heavily.

This was unusual for Lise, who had been showing as little vulnerability as possible since Sam had come to live in the mansion. She must have come here in such a hurry.

The fact that Sam had met Delight and Fran and sold a fight to the court wizard Albert had already been conveyed to Count Walker’s family.

But they had no idea that the duel would be approved before the day was out.

「You heard about it, too, I see. I have just received word from a fellow member of the royalist faction via a messenger. The official notification will come tomorrow, though.」

「Did Sam know about this?」

「I don’t know yet. I will tell him tomorrow in a more relaxed setting.」

「……I see.」

Jonathan sighs heavily.

When he was told that there had been a fight with the most powerful wizard in the Skye Kingdom, he thought it was a joke, but if the duel was thus recognized by the state, then it was true.

He wishes he heard wrong.

Lise probably felt the same way.

「Uncle! What do you mean Sam is dueling with Albert!」

「……Günther. You’re still at the mansion.」

Günther Ignaz, the duke’s heir and the fifth seat of the court wizard, bursts into his office in his pajamas.

Perhaps he is using the guest room without permission.

If Jonathan remembers correctly, he also brought in various personal belongings, so he probably thinks of it as his room.

「Of course here I was! As a wife, I was concerned about Sam and Delight-tono. Earlier, I asked for Sam’s room and was surprised to find that the man of the house had brought the information to me just as I was being knocked out.」

「You don’t look down, either. Well, good. Lise and Günther, first of all, calm down and sit down.」

He has them sit down on the sofa and tries to call the maid to prepare tea.

「Oh, I’d rather have wine.」

「Me too. I know father has a secret bottle of wine hidden on his bookshelf, and I’d like to have that one.」

「…I secretly bought an expensive vintage from Grace behind her back. Well, okay. In exchange, keep it a secret.」

He reluctantly reaches for the wine he has been saving from the back of the bookshelf and sets it down on the table with a glass.

Popping the cork, the mellow aroma hits the nose.

He feels his aroused emotions subside, though not to the same extent as his daughters.

Pouring the wine into the glass.

There was no toast.

He was not in the mood to make a toast.

「I’d like to taste your delicious wine, but I’m more concerned about Sam. I never thought the state would allow him to duel with Albert.」

「I agree.」

It all started when Sam challenged Albert to a duel.

Knowing Albert’s character, Jonathan and Günther could easily imagine that he would accept Sam’s challenge.

However, they did not expect that the state would give official permission for a duel between the two.

Jonathan secretly hoped that the story would go away if at all possible.

「Sam told me that apparently, Albert-sama had made a pass at Fran, and he stopped him, and that’s how the duel started.」

「……No matter how many times I hear it, I still don’t understand how it ended up in a duel.」

According to Sam, Albert’s character was not worthy of being a court wizard or the most powerful in the Kingdom of Skye, so he decided to rob it.

It is understandable.

But Jonathan wishes that he would have thought for a minute before he acted.

He knows Sam is strong, but he’s not sure if Sam can take on the strongest in the kingdom.

He knows that Sam’s magic skills are considerable because he has made Günther, the fifth seat of the court wizards, concede defeat.

Even so, he still wonders if it is not a little premature to challenge the strongest.

「I think it was a good thing that Sam protected Francesca. He is known for his bad taste in women. Even among the court wizards, there is no one with that many problems.」

Albert must be doing whatever he wants, because he is called a problem child by a problem child.

「…I hear he does other things like bullying. It’s sad to hear that a man like that has replaced Delight as the most powerful man in the kingdom.」

「That’s simply because Albert is so strong.」

「I don’t need Günther to tell me that!」

Lise glared at Günther.

Even though she knew it in her head, she didn’t want to understand it emotionally.

Before he became addicted to alcohol, Delight Sinatra was worthy of being the most powerful wizard in the kingdom, both in terms of ability and personality.

He was well-liked and a friend to the weak.

Lise knows well that he was well-liked by the people.

She also knew that her friend Fran was very proud of such a Delight.

「Even though I know that, I can’t accept it!」

「I don’t like the guy either. But the strongest in the kingdom are the strongest in magic.」

「Even warding master as good as Günther admits that Albert is strong?」

Günther’s neat face contorted and nodded at Jonathan’s words.

「I hate to admit it. Of course, I didn’t let him break my wards, but if you are looking for pure strength, Albert is the best of all the court wizards. As for me, I’m not very strong when it comes to fighting.」

Günther is a defensive specialist, not an offensive one.

Of course, as long as he is sent to the battlefield as a court magician, he has some means of combat.

However, in terms of simple firepower, he falls far short of Albert.

「I wonder why the king approved of the duel. And so soon?」

「I heard that the aristocrats were all in favor of a duel. But it seems that His Majesty the King has his agenda.」

「But I don’t think we’ll be ready for battle in a week!」

Even if it was the king’s decision, Lise could not agree with the sudden decision.

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