Chapter 20 - CHAPTER 19

The day of the debut party of highest nobleman and nobleman children to turn into five years old and has arrived in the royal capital.

The ones about to leave the mansion are, Jake, Jane and me.

James, the butler, is in charge of the carriage.

And since my big brother Gin has nothing to do with the debut party, she stays at home.

[Gin, you must listen to your Older sister Janna]

Jane tells Gin.

[I fully know that. It's the long-awaited debut party of Fukiba, so I wanted to see him, but since I was in the room with him the whole time while he was trying on different clothes, I'm a little satisfied]

Gin was with me the whole time while I tried on different clothes in my room. Not only her, but Cicily too.

[Seriously, it's a problem that you don't have an exclusive maid to help you dress you, Fukiba]

Even though she said that, she just stared at me the whole time with sparkling eyes.

[I'll be going then]

Jake gets in the carriage.

[Big Brother Gin!, I'm going. Cicily, I'm entrusting you with the house]

[Have a good time]

Jane and Fukiba, they both got into the carriage and it departed.

[Fukiba, you were made a baron at your last audience. It's unlikely you'll be granted independence at your age. You will be the focus of today's debut party. Be careful though. Especially watch out for parents who introduce you to their daughters. After all, the fact that Her Royal Highness is engaged to you is still a secret]

[I understand, father. I'll try to handle it well]

[That's not a five-year-old's way of thinking, good grief]

Even Jake is astonished.

[We should be arriving at the castle any minute]

The voice of James, the coachman, reached our ears.

[Finally, though I'm somewhat nervous]

Then we arrived at the royal castle.

In the hall of the waiting room, there were already quite a few Highest noblemen and their children.

There were probably about 25 children alone, and if you include their parents, there are about 95 people in the hall.

The parents also seem to be divided into groups and discussing while drinking wine.

I wonder if they divided themselves into groups according to their factions?

There was also Marquis Matthew, who glared at me and opposed my decoration.

With him, a cheeky-looking child. And behind the child, following him, two other children.

We walked into the hall and went around greeting the others as a family. And since the royal family hasn't arrived yet, we went to greet Duke Andrew. Young Master Hiro is right next to him. She sends me a smile while she gives me a little wave with her hand.

Duke Andrew saw me answering her little greeting with another.

Duke Andrew looked at me and Young master Hiro in turns and then smiled at me.

I'm afraid of that smile, though.

[Thank you, Duke Andrew, for all your help the other day. Let me introduce him again.  My Second son, fukiba]

Jake introduces me. Even though we talked once the audience was over, it's a secret that we had that talk, so we're introducing ourselves as if it was the first time we've met.

[I'm Fukiba Hanes Shino, Margrave Jake Hanes Shino Gracia second son. It's a pleasure to meet you]

I straighten up and say hello. How's that? Perfect, right?

[Well, well,  you must be Baron Cain, the hero.  I'm the Duke Andrew Hanes Rohan. Thank you once again for helping my Son Hiro]

Duke Andrew greets me with a smile.

[She's Hiro, my second Son. I would like to thank you again]

Duke Andrew winks at me. Then, Young master Hiro appears in front.

[Hiro Hanes Rohan. Thank you, Young master Fukiba, for saving me from a dangerous situation]

Hiro was wearing a white Suit. Her long hair was set on top of her head and she looked pretty much like a princes.

[Young master Hiro, the dress looks great on you.  You look very handsome.]

I'm a high school student, plus I'm five years old, So even if I see a five-year-old child, I can only think of them as cute.

However such words may have had a great effect since Hiro's was embarrassed.

[Young master Fukiba, does it really suits me?]

[Yeah. It looks great on you. You're handsome, Young master Hiro]

[Fukiba also looks very nice in that white blue outfit. It looks great on you, Young Master Fukiba]

As they were entering their world, Duke Andrew coughed deliberately.

[Margrave Jake, I wonder if it's really okay for Baron Fukiba to be able to handle women that well being a five-year-old child? I'm worried about the future, After all she is Fiance of our Princess Valentina..]

It sounded incredibly sarcastic. Hey, I'm not lusting after a five-year-old child!

「No, no, Gin, his older brother is quite very good brother , so if he's not careful enough she can get cranky easily, so he's used to it]

They're both laughing.

[Then, I'll see you later]

He said and we went into a different group. Hiro gave me a small wave and I waved back.

[Cain, are you not too used to dealing with people?]

Jake secretly asked fukiba.

[His older brother Gin gets in a good mood whenever you flatter her. I try to pay attention to the other person's face]

[That's really unlike a normal five years old child]

Jake smiled bitterly.

As expected, as we greeted the known nobleman of Jake, all talk went straight to how I was conferred a rank as well as the elimination of the orcs and goblins. And if I preferred older or younger women among other things... It's just as Jake said.

From the parents' point of view, everyone seeks to give their daughter in marriage to a high-ranking nobleman and eldest son. Or to an aristocrat who can go independent. The fact that I was conferred with a peerage at the age of five may mean that I'm considered to be excellent.  Well, it's not a surprise given the flashy battle I had while exterminating them.

I went around greeting the children's parents while replying blandly to their questions.

As I spent my time greeting and giving a small talk, the music suddenly began to play. After it became quiet, His Majesty, the Queen, and Her Royal Highness Princess Valentina, the third princess, appeared.

His Majesty sat in a chair in the center of the room, with the Queen beside him and Princess Valentina on the other side.

The princess was one step higher, and she looked very pretty in her red dress and with the tiara on her head.

»Author: A tiara is a jeweled, ornamental crown traditionally worn by women.«

She also looked like she was wearing a thin layer of makeup.

The other children were also staring at her with a blank stare.

Then His Majesty's greetings began.

[I thank you for coming here from so far away. The children who are here have turned five years old and have been baptized. In the future, I wish that each one of you give the best of yourselves and become a pillar of this country so that this country can grow splendidly. So now, let's have a toast]

Every visitor has a glass.  The children, of course, have juice.

[[Cheers]]

[[[[[[Cheeeeeeeers!]]]]]]~~~

After the toast is over, everyone takes their children to greet His Majesty.

I leave that part to Jake. If possible, I don't want to talk too much to His Majesty.

After all, I don't know what he could have planned for me.

[It's almost time for us to go and greet His Majesty]

Jake called me and we went to greet His Majesty.

[His Majesty, congratulations for the Princess Valentina. This is Cain, my second son]

[I'm Baron Fukiba Hanes Shino. Thank you for inviting me here today]

Jake and fukiba introduce themselves.

[Jake, Fukiba, thank you for coming. Please, enjoy your day]

[Baron Fukiba, you look lovely today in that outfit. It suits you very]

Her Higness, Princess Valentina says.

[Her Royal Highness Princess Valentina is also very beautiful. When you appeared, I thought an angel had descended]

Valentina's face turned completely red.

[Jake, how in the world did you raise this top-notch lady-killer? Look at Valentina]

With a bright red face, she was holding down both cheeks with her hands while wiggling.

Both His Majesty and Jake could only smile bitterly.

[That reminds me, Your Majesty, today I have bought something with me that I'd like to present to you. May I take it out of the item box?]

Fukiba asks His Majesty for permission.

[Humm. You may do it]

His Majesty nodded.

Fukiba took out a set from his item box. A set of the game chess. Moreover, and as a gift to His Highness, this cost an entire gold coin.

[It will be an entertainment product made in conjunction with Petra company. It's called 'Chess'. We're planning to register it with the God of Commerce and start selling it in the future. But before we start selling it, we wanted to present it to you]

[Hooo!. So, an entertainment product? Fukiba, once the ceremony is over, you will come with me to the reception room. I want to hear more about this. Is that okay?]

The pressure of silence came.

It was just a gift, but I have a feeling that this gift will become quite a nuisance.

[I understand. When the ceremony is over I'll come to you]

I answered, dripping with cold sweat.

Since there was someone else waiting his turn behind me, I moved to the side.

I looked at Tina again, but her face turned red again and now is in the middle of a delusion.

[Fukiba. Even I didn't know you were involved in that kind of thing]

Even Jake has a dumbfounded look on his face.

[The other day when I was out with mother and older brother Gin shopping, I met an acquaintance who had come to the debut party in Ensia territory, and that person happened to be from a company. So I consulted with them and I had them do it. I still have a couple more so I'll give you one later]

[Magic, sword techniques, item box, and now a business? Good grief.  Well done]

[Along with the appointment of the baron rank, I was given a salary, however, I thought it might not be enough if it were to include the maintenance of the house that I was given, that's why I thought about doing business. Besides, not having credibility, I couldn't do business, so I thought I could sell my idea and get some fee]

[Okay, I understand. You have been conferred with a rank, and now you are a splendid noble, Fukiba. Indeed, now it's time for you to have some responsibility for yourself. I plan on chatting around, so try to act like a child for once and go chat with the other kids] (Jake)

[Fukiba, try not to fall for any weird kid's trap, okay~?]

With that, Jake and Jane went away.

I'm finally free. Let's try to gather information from now on.

Fukiba walked towards a group of nobleman children.