After Retirement, Living a Stud Life in Another World - 141
Episode 141: Ceremony of the Dark Clan
There were many things that happened on the way back, but let’s skip all that. Our journey, which also served as a honeymoon, quickly came to an end, and we returned to the city of Stuttgart after a while. The capital was nice, but coming back here, it started to feel like home again.
Max kept sending letters urging us to come back quickly, so I thought maybe the governance wasn’t going well, but when we returned, everything seemed fine. Maybe they didn’t need me at all; I should have taken it easy a bit more.
And from that first day onwards, Gretel and I spent every night together as a matter of course. It was one such evening.
“On the next Dark Thursday, keep it free, okay?”
“Sure, but… are we going to have sweets at ‘Lilie’ again?”
“That’s a secret. Don’t make any plans!”
Gretel, who had won decisively even in tonight’s sports festival, was giving me strange orders while making me her pillow.
“Isn’t it okay if you tell me…?”
“Things like this are more fun when you don’t know until that day. If you really want to know, shall we have another match? If I lose, I’ll tell you.”
“All right, remember those words, okay?”
I rallied my spirits and bravely faced Gretel… or at least that was the intention. In the end, I was soundly defeated, and needless to say, I didn’t get to know.
—
The next Dark Thursday was a clear winter day.
Even though it was a holiday, I was awakened early in the morning and made to get a haircut, shave, and even take a bath. Well, Gretel seemed to imply something meaningful, but there shouldn’t have been any important guests scheduled to come.
“Hey, can you tell me why I have to dress up like this?”
“…I have been strictly instructed by Lady Margarete not to reveal it under any circumstances.”
Even the butler who took care of me was uncommunicative. We’ve been getting along for quite some time now, and I think we’ve built up a level of trust… but within our household, Gretel’s orders seem to carry far more weight than mine. Well, this power dynamic is quite common in this world… although it’s particularly strong in our case. All the servants always seem to defer to Gretel rather than me. After all, I’m technically the head of the Stuttgart Marquis family, even though I don’t often exercise that authority.
Well, in my Japanese household, my wife was the stronger one indoors, too.
“Then it’s time to go out, please hurry.”
“Hey, I’m still in my casual clothes, you know?”
Despite being meticulously groomed, I was wearing the same… kind of like work clothes. If an important guest is coming, this won’t do.
“You will be able to change your clothes at the destination, so don’t worry. Now, hurry…”
I was almost being pushed out, and the destination I was heading to was across the town, in the pioneer area… right where the Dark Clan was trying to establish their base. Unlike the log house we live in, there were neatly arranged houses with plastered walls, which brought back memories for me.
I was taken into one of these houses and surrounded by the men of the clan to change my clothes.
The attire felt like déjà vu… similar to Japanese formal wear, but with subtle differences, a quite sophisticated design. The crest of the Stuttgart family, shaped like a lilac, was also dyed into it… such a splendid thing couldn’t possibly be made in the Baden region. Surely, Chief Kanako had been preparing and sending it from the capital for a long time.
It was clearly a high-quality kimono… but when I, with silver hair and blue eyes and distinct foreign features, wore it, the visual discrepancy was quite pronounced. Well, since the members of the clan were innocently delighted, I suppose it’s fine.
Once I finished changing, I was hurriedly taken to the outskirts of the village. There, where the houses dwindled, a part of the Demon Forest had been left uncut, and… at its entrance, there was something familiar to me, like a crimson torii gate… Beyond that, there was a small but shrine-like building.
“Is this… a shrine?”
“Hmm? My lord, did you know about the Kamiyashiro?”
“N-no… I read about it in a book.”
Oh no, oh no. Even though Ayaka knows about it, I can’t just spill the beans about my past life in front of the clan members.
“My lord, it’s quite mysterious that you know about our characters and have an understanding of the Kamiyashiro. Surely, you are the one destined to become the leader of our clan.”
No, no, the one who will become the clan leader is Ayaka. I love ninjas, but I’m not cut out to be their leader.
As I was guided into the shrine, there was a person who seemed to be a shrine priest, wearing a hunting robe and a formal hat. However, unlike the male shrine priest in my memory, this person had a calm demeanor and was a woman. In places like this, the roles of men and women were reversed… what a truly mysterious clan.
“My lord, welcome. Look, the young lady is over there, she can see you.”
Turning at the woman’s words, I saw a long procession coming down the approach to the shrine. Members of the clan dressed in traditional Japanese attire from ancient times, holding lanterns and wearing kasa hats. And in the center of them, a young woman dressed in all white was slowly approaching. Of course, I knew exactly who that person was.
“…Ayaka!”