68
オリビアによるレオルド着せ替え大会が終わり、レオルドはベルーガが用意した馬車に乗り込む。
馬車には両親と双子の弟と妹。そして、ギルバートを含めた使用人。
これから、馬車に乗って向かうのは王城である。モンスターパニックを無事に乗り切った祝いだという。
(猛烈に帰りたいな~)
馬車の中では両親と会話はしているが、双子の弟と妹は目を合わすだけで舌打ちをされる始末だ。レオルドはそれを悲しむが、こんな態度を取られるのも自業自得なのでどうしようもない。
今は弟と妹がこれ以上不機嫌にならないように努めるしかない。
無限にも感じた馬車の移動時間は終わった。レオルドは今、朝方に訪れた王城を再び見上げている。中からは明かりが漏れており、パーティが始まろうとしているのがわかる。
これから向かうのは高位の貴族が待ち構えているパーティ会場だ。権謀術数に長けた
レオルドも公爵家の一員ではあるが、歴戦の猛者に比べれば赤子に等しい。
とは言っても、レオルドは次期当主から外れており、ゼアトに引きこもっている身だ。レオルドを手中に収めても旨みはない。
なので、擦り寄ってくる相手はいないと言ってもいいだろう。
ただ今回は、モンスターパニックの終息を祝っての催しだ。そして、レオルドは国王に褒賞を貰えるほどの活躍を見せている。つまり、モンスターパニックを終息に導いた立役者なのだ。
注目されているが、中にはこれまでのレオルドの素行から見て信じていない者もいる。
しかし、騎士団長であるベイナードがレオルドについて触れ回っていた。勿論、レオルドとの模擬戦のことを。
つまり、レオルドが何か汚い手を使ったわけでもなく、自分の力で得た結果だという事が判明している。
それでも、半信半疑のようではあるが。
かんと意気込んで、レオルドは会場へと入場する。
視界に広がるのは立派なシャンデリアに大理石で出来た綺麗な床。そして、パーティ会場に広がっている数多くの丸テーブルに並べられている豪華な料理。
使用人達がお盆にワイングラスを載せて歩き回り、そこから好きなのを手にとっていく貴族たち。
フィクションの中でしか見た事がないような光景が目の前に広がっている。レオルドは目を輝かせたが、すぐに思考を切り替える。
過去の所業から嫌味を言ってくる者もいるだろう。だけど、弱気な姿は見せられない。今日は自分が主役の一人でもあるからだ。
そして、公爵家の人間として恥ずべき行動をしてはならないとレオルドは息を吐き、気を引き締める。
ハーヴェスト公爵家一行が会場に入ると、早速他の貴族たちが集まってきて各々挨拶をする。
一応主役とあってか、レオルドにも挨拶をして来た。挨拶が終わると囲んでいた貴族たちはいなくなり、レオルドは一安心する。
(なにも言われなかったな~。まあ、明らかに馬鹿にしているような視線は向けられたけど)
レオルドへと向けられた視線は半数以上が見下したような視線であった。恐らくは内心で馬鹿にしているのであろう。
だが、レオルドは特に気にはしていない。多くの人間に馬鹿にされても真に理解してくれる人が少数でもいてくれるなら、自分は大丈夫だとレオルドは思っている。
しばらくは家族と共に過ごしていたが、各々別れて仲の良い友人のもとへと散る。
そしてレオルドだけが一人残された。何せ、王都にレオルドと仲のいい友人などいないのだから。学園ではよく一緒に行動していた人間はいたが、それらは公爵家の権力が目当ての寄生虫のようなものだ。
レオルドという圧倒的な権力者に縋りつき、甘い蜜を吸うだけの寄生虫だ。
悲しくはない。だって、今は美味しい料理があるのだから。会話はないが、胃袋は喜んでいるので他の事は気にならない。
「見ろ、金色の豚が卑しくもフォークやナイフを使っている」
「くくっ。本当だ。味がわかっているのだろうか」
(聞こえてるからな? 陰口なら聞こえない所で言えよ。それとも俺が反撃しないと思って、ワザと聞こえるようにしてるのか?)
美味い飯も不味くなるからと、レオルドは離れた場所で一人料理を食べる。陰口を言ってきた人間を叩き潰すのは簡単だが、そんなことをすれば両親に迷惑が掛かってしまう。
折角、自分を信じてくれた二人の思いを裏切る事は出来ない。
そんな風にレオルドが一人で料理を食べ進めていると、いきなり肩を叩かれる。振り返ってみると、そこには騎士団長ベイナードがはにかみながら立っていた。
「ベイナード団長!」
「よく来たな、レオルド! また会えて嬉しいぞ!」
「それより聞きたいんですけど、もしかして陛下に俺のことを話しました?」
どうしてもレオルドは気になっていた。あまりにも国王がレオルドの情報を知っていることに。これは、誰かが話したに違いないと。
そしてその誰かは、陛下が信用するに値する人物に違いないと感じていた。
「うむ! 部下からお前の事を聞かれてな! これは陛下にお伝えせねばなるまいと、俺が話しておいた!」
レオルドは過去の所業からあまり信じては貰えないだろうと思っていたのに、割とあっさり信じてくれたのだから戸惑うのも無理はない。
しかし、答えが分かってしまえばどうということはない。
今、目の前にいる、王国でも信頼が厚い騎士団長の言葉だ。国王も疑うはずがないだろう。
「それより楽しんでいるか? 先程から一人で寂しそうにしているが」
「料理は美味しいですよ。ただ、他の方とは気が合わないので」
はははっ! すっかり忘れていた。まあ、お前が仕出かした事など可愛いものだがな。だが、婚約者を他の男に襲わせたのは見過ごせんが」
「しかし、わからんな~。今のお前を見る限りではそのような事をする人間には思えん。
もしかして、悪魔にでも乗っ取られていたのか?」
「いえ、そんなことはないです。ただ、強いて言うなら決闘で思いっきり殴られた衝撃で、色々と思い出しただけです」
「ぷっ、はははっ! そうかそうか!
殴られた衝撃か! それなら、もっと早くに父親かあの執事にでも殴られるべきだったな!」
「ええ、全く......」
気心の知れた相手というわけではないが、一度剣を交えて戦った相手だ。他の貴族を相手にするよりもよっぽど気分がいい。
レオルドは笑いながら、ベイナードとの会話を楽しんだ。
Ch 68
Aftertheir shopping , Leolde  gets into the carriage that Beluga has prepared for him.
In the carriage were his parents, his brother and sister  and servants, including Gilbert.
The carriage would take them to the royal castle. They said it was a celebration for having survived the monster panic.
(I want to go home so badly!)
In the carriage,  he is talking to  his parents, but  his brother and sister are getting tongue lashing just for making eye contact with him. Leolde is saddened by this, but he can't help it because he deserves this kind of attitude.
The only thing he can do now is to try to keep his brother and sister from becoming even more angry .
The seemingly endless carriage ride was over. Leolde was now looking up again at the royal castle , that  he had visited earlier that morning. The lights were leaking from inside, and he could see that the party was about to begin.
They are going to the party place where the high ranking nobles are waiting for  them . The Deceptive spirits of rivers and mountains are all over the place.
Although Leolde is a member of the duke's family, he is no more than a baby compared to the fierce warriors of the past.
But Leolde  is not the next head of the family, and he was send  in Ze'at. There is no benefit to get along with him.
So, it is safe to say that there is no one to come close to him.
This time, however, the event was to celebrate the end of the monster panic. And Leolde is  dne well enough to be rewarded by the king. In other words, he was the one who led the monster panic to an end.
Despite the attention, there are those who don't believe him,  due to his past behavior.
However, Baynard, the Knight Commander, had been mentioning  him around. Of course, he was talking about the mock battle with Leolde.
In other words, it turned out that Leolde  hadn't used any dirty tricks, and that the result was obtained by his own power.
Even so, he seemed to be skeptical.
With great enthusiasm, he entered the venue.
What he saw was a magnificent chandelier and a beautiful floor made of marble. And the gorgeous food laid out on the many round tables spread out in the hall.
The servants walked around with wine glasses on trays, and the nobles took their favorite ones from the trays.
A scene that  he  had only seen in fiction was spreading before  he eyes. Leorde's eyes lit up, but he quickly changed his mind.
There will be people who will be sarcastic because of what  he did in the past. But  he  couldn't show any weakness. Because today,  he  was the star of the party.
Then, Leolde exhaled and steeled  himself against acting shamefully as a member of the duchy.
As soon as the Dukes of Harvest entered the hall, the other nobles gathered and greeted each other.
As the main  star , they greeted Leolde as well. When the greetings were over, the nobles who had surrounded him disappeared, and Leolde was relieved.
(They didn't say anything to me.  Well, they did look at me as if I was a fool."
More than half of the gazes directed at Leolde were condescending gazes. They were probably making fun of him inwardly.
But  he didn't particularly care. As long as there are even a few people who truly understand him, even if many people make fun of him, he thinks he will be fine.
For a while, he spent time with his family, but then they split up and went off to their good friends.
Leolde  was the only one left alone. At any rate, there is no one in the capital who is close to  him . At the school, there were people that he often worked with, but they were like parasites that were after the power of the duke's family.
They are just parasites that cling to the overwhelming power of  his and suck the sweet honey.
( I'm not sad, because now I have a delicious meal. There is no conversation, but my stomach is so happy that I don't care about anything else.)
"Look, the golden pig is using a fork and a knife.
")Yuck. It's true. I wonder if he knows  how to use it "
(I can hear you, can't I? If you're going to talk behind my back, do it where I can't hear you. , or are you deliberately making it so I can't hear you because you think I won't fight back?)
(If you're going to talk behind my back, say it where I can't hear it. It would be easy to smash the person who had been talking behind  ,y back, but doing so would cause trouble for parents.)
He couldn't betray the feelings of the two people who had believed in him.
As Leorde was eating food alone, he suddenly felt a tap on her shoulder. When he turned around, he saw the Knight Commander Baynard standing there with a smile on his face.
"Commander Baynard!"
"Welcome, Leolde! Good to see you again!
"I'd like to ask you, did you tell his Majesty about me?
Leolde couldn't help but be curious. The king knew too much information about  him . Someone must have told him about this.
And he felt that this someone must be worthy of His Majesty's trust.
"Mmm! I heard about you from my men! I told them that I had to tell His Majesty about you!"
he  had thought that  he would not believe  him very much because of  his past behavior, but he believed rather easily, so it is understandable that  he  was confused.
However, once I knew the answer, it didn't matter.
It was the words of the knight commander in front of  him  now, who was highly trusted in the kingdom. The king would have no doubt about  him .
" You've been looking lonely since a while ago."
"The food is delicious. I just don't get along with the other people."
"Hahaha! I forgot all about it. . Well, what  you have done is pretty  bad  And  he can't overlook the fact that you let your fiance be attacked by another man."
"I don't  belive it , though. I don't think you're the kind of person who would do something like that.
"Have you been   under the control of  the demon or something?"
"No, it's nothing like that. I just remembered a lot of things from the shock of being hit  so hard  in the duel."
"Pfft, hahaha!  I see . I see
"That's right! The shock of being hit! Then you should have been hit by your father or that butler earlier!"
"Yeah, right .......""
It's not that  he  know him very well, but  he fought him once with a sword. It feels a lot better than dealing with other nobles.
Leolde laughed and enjoyed the conversation with Baynard.
Eroge Reincarnation, Struggle of a Golden Pig Aristocrat Against Fate
エロゲ転生　運命に抗う金豚貴族の奮闘記
https://www.novelupdates.com/series/eroge-reincarnation-struggle-of-a-golden-pig-aristocrat-against-fate/
Action Adventure Comedy Fantasy Harem Romance Shounen Slice of Life
Adapted to Manga Age Progression Aristocracy Beautiful Female Lead Broken Engagement Butlers Character Growth Complex Family Relationships Cowardly Protagonist Crafting Dense Protagonist Domestic Affairs Doting Parents Elemental Magic Emotionally Weak Protagonist Empires Fallen Nobility Fantasy Creatures Fantasy World Fat Protagonist Fat to Fit Galge Handsome Male Lead Hard-Working Protagonist Harsh Training Kingdom Building Kingdoms Knights Late Romance Lost Civilizations Loyal Subordinates Magic Magic Formations Maids Male Protagonist Management Manipulative Characters Marriage Misunderstandings Modern Knowledge Monsters Naive Protagonist Nobles Reincarnated in a Game World Royalty Sadistic Characters Sword And Magic Sword Wielder Time Skip Transmigration Underestimated Protagonist Weak to Strong Wizards
https://ncode.syosetu.com/n4214gk/
名無しの権兵衛