By Zephyria 
The discussion on how to meet Lady Diamang was brought up with dessert.
Hugh Benson, born in Owen, said he didn’t know much about it either. Hugh Benson was sighing repeatedly and running his hands through his hair, showing signs of irritation.
“It’s been over ten years since I lived in Bardiol. I hated it so much I rarely came near the border, so what Diamang are you talking about? The Diamang I knew was a pot-bellied man with a mustache.”
“Still, roughly the location…”
“Northwest of Bardiol… that was it. I don’t know where she’s moved to now. It’s a place where losing and gaining territory is the norm.”
“She’s still in the northwest.”
Tedros, who had just finished a cup of tea heavily flavored with cinnamon, replied as he refilled his cup. His attitude was casual, as if there was no need to hide the information.
“Ten years ago… compared to then, she’s actually grown quite a bit, hasn’t she? She’s swallowed three territories.”
“…Really?”
“Mustached Diamang wasn’t very capable, but Lady Diamang is quite skilled. Especially when it comes to handling people, she’s absolutely amazing.”
Hearing this, I felt a pang of curiosity. I rarely held back my questions. I asked directly.
“When you say ‘handling people,’ do you mean she’s good at placing talented individuals in the right positions?”
“No. She’s good at messing with her suitors. All three territories that Rodia Diamang has now skillfully devoured belonged to her former suitors. They agreed to marry whoever won the fight, and she devoured them while they were weakened.”
“……Hmm.”
I had thought she wouldn’t be ordinary from the moment I heard she bought a man who offered himself as a slave, but she was quite an extraordinary woman. A wry laugh escaped me. The rest of the party looked only at Tedros’s face, waiting for his next words. As expected, he readily provided the answer.
“Still, it’s fortunate that Diamang is collecting jewels. I’ll procure a few luxury items separately. If the newly arrived merchant guild wishes to meet Lady Diamang, she might show her face.”
“Then do we have to go back to Bardiol?”
“No, there’s a Diamang mansion in Bardiol too. Given the mention of a ‘separate residence,’ it seems to be that one?”
Having come all the way to the capital, wasting time by moving around again felt like a waste. If the matter could be handled within Bardiol, my worries lessened. Her straightforward way of speaking put me at ease.
Marianne quickly raised her right hand to shoulder height, requesting permission to speak.
It was cute and amusing that traces of Academy lessons remained even though she had graduated over a year ago. I watched her with fondness.
“Alright. Then I’ll go into the mansion and see the woman directly to check if there are any traces of Black Magic. Whether it’s her or the slave. Ah, but the separate residence…”
“Hmm… I don’t think Owen nobles usually guide merchants to their separate residences.”
“…Then shall we all just meet Lady Diamang together?”
As Tedros pointed this out, Marianne was about to meekly agree when Benjamin interjected in a low voice.
“What if we split up?”
“Huh? Why?”
“There won’t be many opportunities to enter the mansion disguised as merchants. We need to take the chance to check the separate residence, which will be impossible once our identities are revealed.”
“But if there’s something truly suspicious there, they wouldn’t allow us to approach the separate residence, would they?”
“We have two knights specializing in Stealth techniques, don’t we?”
He was referring to me and Hugh. Before I could even respond, Marianne countered.
“Uh, but you can’t distinguish Contaminated Mana, can you? You two.”
“They can tell if someone is alive or dead in the separate residence, can’t they?”
“That’s…”
“How many mercenaries… did you say went in?”
Benjamin’s gaze fixed on Ruben.
He was asking a question he already knew the answer to. I knew exactly why he was looking at Ruben like that. It was as if he was asking Ruben for permission for me to go… Why was he asking Ruben about my business?
I wanted to scold him, but I felt awkward and just swallowed a couple of dry coughs, unable to interject.
Rubel, who had been silent for a long time, answered in a small voice.
“Eleven… that’s what was said.”
“Yes. If that many Sword Experts of high to top rank are gathered, it would be more difficult not to recognize them. Both Benson Senior and Young Master Ernhardt are Sword Masters.”
“……”
“And that acquaintance called Dan… if something unexpected happens, wouldn’t Benson Senior be able to recognize him? It would be good if we could save him.”
That made sense.
Because she was wearing a veil, I couldn’t tell what expression the child had. I felt unnecessarily anxious and awkward. Fortunately, my age had made me accustomed to hiding my true feelings.
As I waited silently, Ruben gave a gentle reply.
“…I understand. What kind of person is this Dan?”
As soon as I received permission, I let out a sigh of relief without realizing it. Hugh Benson, watching us with a crumpled expression, let out a wry laugh and answered easily.
“He was two years younger than me, I think. He just looked ordinary. Dark, medium-brown hair, and eyes to match.”
“A younger brother…?”
“No.”
Hugh Benson let out another deep sigh and crossed his arms. He seemed to be completely covering himself by folding his arms in front of his body. Then he leaned back deeply in his chair and stretched his legs out far away. His posture seemed defensive, as if he was being forced to do something he really didn’t want to.
However, he didn’t hesitate even as he spoke casually.
“Someone I knew from the orphanage.”
Everyone fell silent for a moment.
It didn’t cost much for a child to grow up in the Central Plains. If one tried hard to raise them into fine individuals, perhaps. But by their mid-teens, they could earn a living and take care of themselves.
In the Sierran Empire, those who couldn’t inherit titles were generally similar. If they had parental support, they studied further; most learned a trade and took it over before the age of twenty.
Of course, there were also children born to irresponsible parents and abandoned on the streets, or those who lost their parents to accidents early on. Such children made a living by working as innkeepers or shop clerks at a younger age.
If the child was too young to even work as a clerk, the country would feed them. The lords of each region in Sierran, in conjunction with the temples, cared for the orphans within their territories. There were no Sierran territories where orphans under ten years old roamed the streets.
However, Owen was a land where lords changed by the day. How would the orphans there grow up?
I didn’t know, so I didn’t ask. Amidst the quiet children, Hugh Benson continued his explanation as if nothing was amiss. It was delivered with the same calm tone as when he taught how to cut along the grain of an Ogre’s leg muscle or how to distinguish an Owlbear’s cry.
“A lot of mercenaries means a lot of healthy men and women… and the strong ones have excessive stamina. That’s why Owen has so many orphans. It might be thanks to them that the population hasn’t decreased despite so many Owen mercenaries dying.”
“……”
“But mercenaries have to live on the battlefield. Whether it’s a Territory War or a monster battle, it’s not a place to bring children. So, usually, as soon as a child is born, they’re entrusted to a designated orphanage for a fee. Because they have no home and no confidence to raise a child.”
“…Ah, so their parents are alive…”
“Yeah. Those who truly have nothing wander the streets before their hands are even calloused, and children with mercenary parents grow up in orphanages. Like me.”
But didn’t Hugh Benson say he was an orphan with no family?
There was no need to ask. He continued immediately.
“Usually, they pay once a year. In exchange for raising a child, it’s fifteen to twenty gold per year. As long as the parents are alive, they can visit once a year and stay at the orphanage. Then, if the parents die, they can’t pay, so they’re kicked out of the orphanage.”
“……”
“My father died when I was nine, and my mother died when I was thirteen. I became independent at fourteen.”
“……”
“Raul and Dan, and the others, are people I met there.”
It was awkward to give a light answer, and equally awkward to give a heavy one.
Unlike me, who remained silent, Marianne rested her elbows on the table and grinned. Her playful voice was as affectionate as ever.
“Is this Dan a girl? Is she pretty?”
“……Huh.”
Hugh Benson chuckled as if incredulous and nodded.
“Yeah. She’s a girl, and she’s pretty.”
“First love?”
“Are you crazy?”
“Ooh. A sister-like figure. What does she look like?”
“Well… she used to dress as a boy until ten years ago. I don’t know now. She must be all grown up.”
She used to dress as a boy.
Indeed, ten years ago, she would have been at most in her early teens. If she wore men’s clothes, she would have looked like a boy, and if she wore women’s clothes, she would have looked like a girl. It would have been more convenient for hanging around on the streets.
“Is she a very kind person? That person named Raul, he seemed to dislike her a lot.”
“……Why are you asking so many questions?”
“I’m asking while the topic is up. When else will I get to ask?”
“Seriously, no wonder you’re from Sierran.”
“Wow, that’s funny. Senior, you’re from Sierran too, right now?”
Hugh pursed his lips for a moment, then smiled bitterly.
“That bastard Raul was already a scoundrel back then… Dan’s father lived for quite a while. When I ended up on the streets… her father took both me and her in and looked after us. If it weren’t for him, I would have ended up a pickpocket and my life would have been over.”
This time, I asked.
“Then did you learn swordsmanship from him too?”
“Well, the basics. How to control aura, how to fight dirty, and how to hunt monsters.”
“He must have been quite skilled.”
“Right. He wasn’t a Sword Master, but he was top-tier Sword Expert… Honestly, can we stop this story? The atmosphere is so somber, really.”
Following Hugh Benson’s chuckles, the others also let out awkward, lighthearted laughs.
It was then that Tedros, who had been listening quietly, suddenly spoke.
“If the two of them go to the separate residence, what about our new bride? Who will carry her?”
“……”
Oops.
A chilling silence fell. Hugh Benson abruptly pushed his chair back, recoiling. Marianne quickly followed suit, pulling her chair back with such force that the floor scraped with a screech.
“I’m out, for starters.”
“Wow, I don’t want to either.”
“You can’t hear that guy anyway, can you?”
“Still!”
The children’s chattering and joking echoed in my ears.