"Kneel, Hero Deek of Chalm." The prince said, lowering his sword on my shoulder, "And rise, Sir Deek Deekson, Viscount of Chalm."
The was a roar of clapping as the sword went to my other shoulder and I stood up. It was only two days since I woke up, and the Prince had summoned all the nobility in the Capital in order to provide rewards after the Demon Lord's rising. I had only just gotten to the point where I was walking normally again, and now I was kneeling in front of a crowd of hundreds.
Becoming a Viscount was actually an extremely big deal. It was the lowest level of being a high lord, or so I was told. Prince Aberis had to fight to get this approved with the House of Lords. Essentially, not only was I granted land and a royal income, but my children would also be born as Lords, although only my direct successor could take the Viscount name. Lower lords included Knights, Baron, and Governors. Normally, I would have been a Baron since I had land I ruled, but I was given two additional increases to Viscount. Above me, there was Count, Earl, Marquis, and Duke before the royal family.
As for Deekson, I didn't have a choice in the matter. I had even explained to him that I had a last name, but he had already gotten all the documents signed before I was even out of my coma. I signed various other paperwork, and Chalm was now a part of the country.
"For saving the city from a demon lord, and protecting this here Prince… I grant the Lordship of Chalm all of the land along the wilderness up to the border of Dioshin and the Imperial Cloud Meadow. Chalm will remain free of taxes for a period of ten years. Lord Deekson will also be given a mansion on the nobility block, a salary of 100 gold coins per month, and access to two knights. You have also been given the right to promote someone to Knight, should you choose so."
Like Hero, Knight was a job. I was handed a token. If I used it, I could give any person a Knight job. Unfortunately, they would start at level 1 and have to level up on their own. That's why most people used it on a knight trained in the Capital, as they are already leveled up. I had already considered giving the jobs to my girls. I'd rather not put my life in any stranger's hands.
As it turned out, Lord Tibult was only a Baron, since he wasn't the direct descendent to his father, Marquis Tibult. That was also why he insisted on being called Lord, as being Baron Tibult was a smack in the face, reminding him that he wasn't a high lord like his father. He was actually in the crowd, having been resurrected after the fiasco. However, he couldn't even meet my eyes, let alone give a disdainful look.
As I had been told, he was going to be brought to his father who was currently defending the border against the Ost Republic. Skirmishes broke out daily there. His father decided to turn him into a man by having him fight in a few battles. It went without saying that Count Tibult was pale white, and had very little energy. He even looked like he was losing weight rapidly. The trauma from dying and then his future fate had put the man in very low spirits.
When the ceremony was finally done, I went to leave. I still had to move my stuff from the palace to my new home. On top of that, there was a great deal of work to do. It made me sigh when I thought about all the stuff I had to do. That's why I had just spent the last two days with my girls. I had also wanted them to get over the trauma of their own deaths, but they didn't seem bothered by it. Rather, they found it a sense of pride that they went in such a manner. It's hard to understand how women think.
Speaking of which, my sleeve was suddenly grabbed by another woman, who pulled me away from the crowds. It was Eliana, and she was blushing.
"My lord," she curtsied. "I was hoping you could accompany me."
"I'm just a Viscount and you're royalty, between the two of us, your status is much greater. You don't need to lower your head to me."
"Even if you say that…" She said, refusing to meet my eyes.
See? Women made no sense.