"The Talented Dragon Hides Its Claws" ~ The Eldest Son of the Baron Family, Called Useless, is Actually One of the World's Strongest ~ - Episode 57

The journey from Arden to Grace is not very long, and even with a few breaks along the way, one can generally arrive by that evening. This time as well, they reached the first city where the border lord resides before nightfall.

“Wow! It’s so big!”

Lena leans out of the carriage and looks around.

Seeing that, Ryu smiled gently.

Grace’s first city is the largest in terms of both area and population in the frontier, and it is incomparable to Arden’s. Honestly, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say it’s a different world. Although Lena has been out of Arden a few times in her life, this is her first time stepping into such a large city, so her reaction is understandable.

“Tomorrow morning, we’re going to greet the most important guy here, so Lena, get yourself mentally prepared.”

“Understood!”

“You too.”

“Yes!!” “Yes!”

Maids, knights, and coachmen are no exception either.

By the way, the servants who usually surround Lena, her mother, and Sebas are all highly trusted and exceptional individuals selected from among many others, and the members brought along this time, including knights and coachmen, also fall into this category.

I stopped the carriage in front of the inn where I had a previous altercation with the stingray and sent a knight to check for available rooms.

While waiting outside, the coachman muttered.

“It’s rare not to be attacked by monsters or thieves this far in… or rather, it’s the first time I’ve experienced this…”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. I have confirmed the monsters from a distance several times, but whenever we got within a certain range, they would always run away in the opposite direction. It was as if they were terrified of something.”

“I wonder why that is. Is it because we have such a big family?”

“No, I don’t think the number of people matters much…”

“The mystery only deepens.”

“Yes…”

The reason the monsters were scared and ran away, of course, is the man wearing the magic circle gloves.

Dragon species are classified as monsters.

The dragon, reigning at the top of the world’s ecosystem pyramid, is synonymous with the king of monsters.

Such a King Ryu, walking towards us while emanating a crackling magical energy, is something that the monsters cannot stand. The monsters, who usually live in a world where the weak are preyed upon by the strong, have far superior sensory abilities compared to humans. Therefore, even if Ryu does not take any action, they will instinctively tuck their tails and flee.

However, if we deliver Lena to the capital, that strange atmosphere will likely dissipate.

“Lord Ryu, we have reserved six single rooms and one double room. If possible, we would have preferred to reserve eight single rooms, but… we apologize.”

“Actually, it’s quite a success. This time slot tends to be crowded.”

“I would be grateful if you could say that.”

“The problem is who will stay in the double room. Can we pair up a knight and a maid?”

At that moment, the carriage window swung open forcefully.

“Please, just the two of us!!!”

“Well, even though I’m twelve, staying overnight with my brother as a noble lady…”

“I want you to teach me how to study for the entrance exam!!!”

“But, you know…”

Lena resorted to her last option.

With teary eyes, she gives her brother an innocent look.

“Is it… not okay…?”

“Ugh…”

Here comes the knight.

“Ryuu-sama, if you’re twelve, it’s safe.”

“Yeah, yeah. When I was twelve, I was still taking baths with my mom.”

“Well then… I guess it’s fine.”

“Yay!!!”

Lena has achieved a great victory.

After moving the carriage onto the inn’s premises, I took Axel and the others to the stables.

“Sorry, Axel. Always making you park in such a tight spot.”

“Brubru”

Axel doesn’t like cramped spaces very much.

In the Arden Baron’s household, they are almost in a free-range state, wandering in the forest or lounging around in the backyard for a nap except during meal times. Thanks to the familiar contract, we can roughly know their whereabouts, so there’s no need to worry too much.

That night, we studied intensively for the exam as Lena wished.

“I’m sure this will definitely put me in the top ten…!”

If you can place in the top ten of the entrance exam for the Imperial Academy, your tuition for three years will be waived. Ever since she learned that, Lena has been dedicating herself to her studies, not wanting to burden the baron family. She is a very good child.

“Just between us, you don’t have to push yourself so hard because I plan to receive a mountain of gold coins from His Majesty as a reward for the war.”

“That’s not good enough! As you said before, brother, our aspirations must always be high…!”

“As your brother, I’m worried, but if Lena is motivated, I’ll support her with all my might.” *pat pat*

“Hehehe”

The next morning.

“……Sir. Please wake up……Sir.”

“?”

“Brother, please wake up~”

“Uh, uh. Good morning, Lena.”

“Yes, good morning.”

“……””……”

“By the way, why are you on top of me?”

“That’s because you never wake up at all, big brother… I feel like you’ve been sleeping worse than before…”

“Well, I have an idea.”

“Really…? Then should I tuck you in every night?”

“Stop treating me like a baby…”

“Eh~ you don’t have to hold back~”

“……””……”

“Could you step back for now?”

“Huh?”

After eating the breakfast that had been brought to me, I headed to greet the Count of the Borderlands.

The knight asks.

“Lord Ryu, I would like to confirm something, if I may. Is the permission granted…?”

“I made an appointment with Lord Grace himself about a week ago, so don’t worry. There’s a saying that goes, ‘Even among friends, there should be courtesy.'”

That said, I only mentioned that I would visit around this period, but I haven’t specified an exact date.

However, according to the person themselves, they said it’s fine to come anytime since they will be busy and swamped with paperwork anyway.

“I understand. And I apologize. Normally, we should have checked more in advance, and if it hadn’t been done, we should have had our horses run yesterday.”

“Don’t worry about it. From my perspective, just being able to reflect like that makes you a fine knight.”

“Lord Ryu…”

“I wouldn’t be happy even if a man looked at me with sparkling eyes.”

“Eh…”

When I arrived at the Count of the Frontier’s residence, the gatekeeper immediately greeted me.

“Lord Ryu Arden, head of the Arden Barony, and your entourage, correct? We will open the gates immediately, so please wait a moment.”

“Thank you for your prompt response.”

Following the guide, as I walked forward, I saw another carriage parked there, and for some reason, I could also see the figure of the marquis.

“Wait… Ryu, Ryu-kun!? Why are you here!?”

“You said you would stop by on your way to the capital… but why are you in the garden, Lord Grace?”

“Yeah, I remembered that, but I was surprised by how early Ryu-kun arrived. And the reason I’m here is that my daughter is actually leaving for the capital today.”

“Daughter?”

“Yeah, dear. It’s Flora, the second daughter of the Grace family.”

“Oh, is this Miss Flora, the second daughter?”

“You definitely don’t know, right?”

“Yes, I don’t know. But I’m sure we’ve made eye contact once.”

When Ryu severed Baron Cassano’s arm here, Flora was observing him from the window behind. The moment Ryu noticed and turned around, Flora hurriedly tried to hide, but she was too late and ended up making eye contact with him.

“Putting that aside for now, my sister is in the carriage… Lena.”

“Yes!”

My sister responded to the call and got off the carriage.

“Here, this is the interesting old man in question.”

“Interesting Uncle… no, I mean, Baron Grace. I am Lena Arden, the eldest daughter of the Arden Baron family. It is an honor to meet you. I look forward to working with you from now on.”

Lena grasped the edges of her dress and performed a graceful bow.

The border count was momentarily captivated by her beautiful appearance.

“Ah, ah. Nice to meet you, Lena-kun. You can call me whatever you like, whether it’s Baron of the Frontier or Lord Grace. I think you’ve heard from him, but I want to continue walking together with Arden. Also, good luck with your exams. I’d be happy if you could get along with my daughter who attends the academy.”

“Understood! I would like us to get along well too!”

Lena was delicate and beautiful, exuding a somewhat gentle and warm atmosphere. Even the marquis was enveloped by her kind aura.

I had heard the rumors, but I didn’t expect it to be this beautiful… It seems like Lena and Flora will get along well, so for now, I guess I can relax.

Ryu grabs the side of the border lord.

“While grinning, what on earth are you thinking…?”

“Ouch! It hurts, Ryu-kun! It’s going to tear!”

While I’m just fooling around…

“Father, sorry to keep you waiting… Huh? Who are those people over there?”

Flora appeared from the direction of the mansion.