Coming Out(1)

The royal family wants to marry me off to a noblewoman of human descent.

There are many ways to interpret that move.

If you’re naive, you might be happy, thinking the royal family has taken a liking to you and is now planning to support you…….. But…

“Rapir, let me ask you one thing.”

“Go ahead.”

“Does the royal family want to put me on a leash?”

At my question, he hesitated to answer immediately.

“Well… I don’t know for sure. But… your choice will be an answer in the eyes of the royal family.”

“If you marry a human, it will mean bowing your head and submitting…”

“And if you refuse, the opposite.”

Now I understand why Mr. Dragon said that no matter who I marry, I’ll inevitably be used politically.

“Rapir, is that promise from back then still valid?

“If you mean the unconditional support and cooperation of the dragon tribe toward you, then yes. It’s still valid. Ah, of course, only if the king hasn’t intervened, as we discussed back then.”

“I see……”

“But aren’t you assuming the worst too quickly?”

“It’s a habit of mine, to first consider the worst-case scenario.”

This was something I needed to think over on my own. So, after asking him a few more questions, I ended the subject.

He’s unsure whether this decision came from the king, and who the bride even is.

Still, since I’ve been given a heads-up, I should be able to respond calmly at the royal council.

“So if marriage is the first news, what’s the second?”

I asked about the second piece of news, and heard something I hadn’t expected at all.

“The second is the sealing of the labyrinth.”

“…Sealing?”

“Just as it sounds. I don’t know the reason either, but the sealing of the labyrinth will be on the discussion list at the royal council.”

“Does that mean it’s not finalized yet?”

“Not exactly. It’s just formally put on the agenda for discussion, but it seems the decision has already been made internally.”

“I see……”

I asked Mr. Dragon about the schedule and details of the sealing, but he didn’t know that far.

“……”

As I stood there, lost in thought, he spoke again.

“Since we’ve come this far, may I give you one more piece of advice?”

“From you? Always.”

I nodded, and he repeated the very words I had spoken at the inter-racial meeting.

“You are the chief of the Barbarian tribe, a baron of the Kingdom of Rafdonia, and the master of the rapidly growing Anabada Clan.”

I already guessed what he was getting at.

“No matter how you think of yourself—you can no longer live as just a warrior.”

The warriors of the Sanctuary.

The thousands of Bifron villagers who have now become my household retainers.

And my comrades as well.

“There are countless people you must take responsibility for. Whatever you think or do, your marriage cannot be only your own.”

He was speaking.

No, to be precise, he was scolding me very gently.

“Make your choice for their sake. And for yours as well.”

It felt like I’d been struck on the back of the head.

From his perspective, I must have seemed like I was avoiding responsibility by postponing marriage.

After all, political marriages among nobles were not optional.

To them, love was romance, and regardless of the era, romance always meant inefficiency.

“That’s all I wished to say. I hope you don’t take it too harshly.”

“……Harsh? It’s not like you’re wrong.”

Maybe I am a romantic.

It’s not that I haven’t shed my modern habits… Well, to begin with, there have been such cases even in modern times. And I wasn’t just referring to those strategic marriages among the wealthy. Everyone had to come to terms with what it truly meant to marry someone.

“I hope this helps you.”

“Don’t worry. It did.”

I mean it, not just as a courtesy.

Thanks to him, I think I now know what to do.

***
“What about Rabien?”

“Well, that child hasn’t been coming to the sanctuary much lately. Actually, I don’t really know where she is or what she’s doing.”

“You don’t talk often?”

“You’ll understand once you have children. It’s not like we can talk just because I want to.”

“…I see.”

“From some point on, we hardly talk unless it’s necessary. Rabi… she wasn’t like that when she was little……”

Seeing Mr. Dragon grumble was kind of funny.

Do all parents with children become like that?

Anyway, after our conversation ended, he suggested that I meet with Pen again.

“You came? I thought you’d never show up again.”

“So you’re saying you have no idea what happened to me?”

“I’m glad. That you came back alive.”

“…….”

Is it because I’m her benefactor who brought back the Dragonslayer’s heart?”

She didn’t seem as irritating anymore, and overall, she was acting a lot gentler.

“But… don’t you notice something different about me?”

“No.”

“I got taller! This much!”

“Oh.”

Now that she mentions it, she does seem to have grown a little. She was still kind of childish, though.

Right. Her body stopped aging after she cast that curse on the Dragon Slayer.

It seemed her growth had resumed now that she’d recovered.

“…Just wait. Soon I’ll be like big sister.”

“Uh…”

Aiming to be like Rabien? That was ambitious. Even if she kept growing for another year, I doubted she’d outgrow being labeled ‘small.’

Of course, I couldn’t say that to a child who’d just gotten her health back.

“Sure, sure. I’ll cheer for you.”

“Anyway, since you’re here, tell me a story.”

After that, I spent time telling her about my exploration of the basement floor 1, and so, I stayed overnight at the Dragon Temple.

The next morning, I had breakfast with Mr. Dragon and Pen and then set off early for the imperial capital, Carnon.

And…….

‘Being a noble is pretty good.’

I arrived at the Palace of Wisdom a day before the royal council was scheduled and spent the day eating and relaxing in my guest room.

Well, that was the plan.

But…….

Knock knock.

I don’t know how they found out, but nobles kept visiting as soon as I entered the palace.

“Haha! I heard Baron Jandel arrived early, so I came. Shall we have a cup of tea and chat?”

Those who came purely for socializing.

“I have a proposal for you, Baron Jandel. Would you like to hear it? I assure you, you won’t lose out.”

Peddlers disguised as businessmen.

“I hear you’re seeking a bride…”
—Match-makers.

And then…

What’s this?

A letter slipped in under the door.

[Midnight. Garden fountain. Come quietly.]

That was all. No sender’s name.

I hesitated briefly, but…

How could I resist a mysterious letter?

Eventually, when night came and it was time, I slipped out the window and went to the meeting spot, the fountain in the middle of the garden.

As I waited there for a while, tthe anonymous sender revealed himself.

“Jerome Saintred.”

The captain of the 1st Royal Knights with the title of Count, also known as the Knight of Light.

No, to be precise, the ancient hero who had taken over his body.

The Dragon Knight, Cornelius Brungrid.

“I didn’t expect you to be the one who sent the letter.”

“I thought it would be better to meet secretly. Fortunately, there don’t seem to be any rat bastards following us.”

“So why did you call me here?”

When I got straight to the point, the Village Chief frowned.

“Are you really asking because you don’t know? Or are you indirectly saying you have no intention of keeping your promise?”

Ah, right.

I’d promised to return his item.

I quickly opened my subspace and took out the Heart of Karui, which the village chief had entrusted to me.

It bothers me a little, but… a promise is a promise.

Besides, I had no choice.

If I didn’t hand it over, who knew what he might do.

“……”

He inspected it thoroughly, then hid it away.

“Now, is that all?”

“That was the main thing.”

“So there’s more?”

I braced myself. This was probably the real reason.

And indeed…

“At the royal council, your marriage will be discussed.”

“I already know.”

“Good. Then I’ll be brief.”

No matter what he said, I kept a poker face. But then—

“If possible, marry that woman. The royal family is throwing you their last rope.”

“A rope…? What do you mean?”

“Exactly that. If you refuse, you and your companions likely won’t survive.”

Perhaps because he’d lived as a monster too long, I had a hard time keeping up with the pace of the conversation.

“Slow down. Explain more clearly.”

“The royal family… no, to be precise, the Chancellor is wary of your growth. You can legally have multiple wives, and there are several women who would qualify.”

Misha Karlstein, daughter of the Red Cat tribe leader.

Erwin, who carries the pure blood of the fairies.

And…….

‘There are also Mr. Dragon’s daughters.’

Of course, I’m not a womanizer, and I have no intention of marrying all of them.

But from their perspective, who see marriage only as a ‘political’ tool, it’s enough to be wary.

It feels a bit conceited to say this myself.

But they might be concerned about a situation where different races unite around an unparalleled hero from the barbarian tribe.

However, there was one contradiction here.

“I see what you mean. But what does marrying a noblewoman of human descent have to do with it? Frankly, even after that, if I take other women—”

“Because that would be impossible.”

“…Huh?”

As I paused, the Village Chief looked at me and chuckled.

“According to one of Rafdonia’s noble laws, even a titled noble can only have one wife.”

“……Ah.”

Only then did I remember a law I had forgotten.

“When the wife is also a titled noble……”

“You knew. To be precise, it applies when the spouse holds a higher title……. I don’t know why such laws never change even after thousands of years.”

He went on with old-man grumbling, but I wasn’t listening anymore.

Wait a second…

Among the noble families of Rafdonia, it is extremely rare for a woman to inherit a title.

Moreover, among those, it is even rarer for a woman to hold a title of countess or higher…

‘Was there even a single unmarried female noble of such rank…?’

Not that I know of.

…No, there wasn’t.

At least, not when I became a noble and studied this stuff diligently.

But time always brings change.

“W-wait, hold on…”

As of now, there is exactly one such person in Raphdonia.

An unmarried female noble whose title is higher than mine.

“Could it be Countess Ragna Litaniel Phefroc? My proposed marriage partner?”

“Correct.”

“…”

Marquis, has this guy seriously lost his mind?

 

Continue reading more chapters at henprogressive.com

Please join here, I need supporters to help me continue translating Surviving game as a barbarian and Lee Gwak
If it doesn’t work support me here buymeacoffee.com/hennoveltranslations. There are advanced chapters for supporters as well.