"The Talented Dragon Hides Its Claws" ~ The Eldest Son of the Baron Family, Called Useless, is Actually One of the World's Strongest ~ - Episode 58

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

“This is Ryu-kun, the one I mentioned. And next to him is his younger sister, Lena-chan.”

“!?!”

The moment she saw Ryu, she remembered the time their eyes had met before.

“Ah, Baron Arden, I apologize for the delay in my greeting. I am Flora Grace, the second daughter of the Grace Marquess family. I look forward to your continued acquaintance.”

“I am Ryu Arden, the head of the Arden Baron family. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Even though Flora comes from a marquis family, she is still a noble lady, so formally, Baron Ryu holds a higher position.

After that, Lena also introduced herself to Flora, and before they knew it, they were hitting it off.

“If I pass, I want to join the same club as Flora!”

“Of course, we’d be delighted to welcome you. How about a tea party?”

“Eh, is that really okay!? But…”

“But?”

“I haven’t participated in a tea party yet…”

“I will teach you from scratch, so don’t worry.”

“Thank you very much!”

“Could it be that I am Lena-chan’s first friend?”

“Yes… I’m embarrassed to admit…”

“There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. Since everyone is new when they enter the academy.”

“F-Flora-san…! I love you!”

Lena hugged Flora.

“Hehehe. I’ll protect you, Lena-chan.”

Who would have thought you could get so close to Flora on the first try… As expected of Ryu-kun’s little sister.

I see. Now that I think about it, Lena still didn’t have any friends her age. I should have thought about that more carefully…

Ryu is the type of person who doesn’t need friends, but that doesn’t mean Lena feels the same way.

“Hey, Ryu-kun. If we’re headed to the same destination, could you also escort Flora while you’re at it?”

“Understood. You two seem to get along quite well, so let’s take the same carriage. I’ll continue to guard outside. Is that okay with you, Lena?”

“Yes!!”

“Please take care of it from my side as well.”

With all that going on, I ended up heading to the capital with Flora.

“By the way, I know it’s a bit late to ask, but isn’t Lord Grace going to the imperial castle?”

“I can’t go, of course. But I’ll make sure to get my reward delivered properly.”

Although Lord Grace showed his prowess this time, he is currently in no position to face the Empress because he declined the previous military request. In this situation, only someone incredibly fearless or extremely foolish would dare to meet that terrifying Empress.

Ryu mounted the Axel.

“Well then, it’s about time to head out.”

Flora and Lena have already bid farewell to Lord Grace and are boarding the carriage.

“I’ll leave Hinomaru to you, Ryu-kun.”

“Yes. I will definitely secure the contract.”

Ryu and his group passed through the gate.

The Border Count watched over them until their backs disappeared from view.

“With Lena-kun, we have an amazing chemistry… but with Ryu-kun, it feels a bit off, I guess?”

Well, this is just a matter of the present, and those two should be able to handle it well.

As he said, Flora’s first impression of Ryu is actually not very good.

What happens from now on is up to them.

The two carriages had departed from the First City of Grace and were now traversing the grasslands.

“Grace’s influence is really something.”

“Yeah, just by seeing this emblem, all the carriages will give way.”

The one who replied was a B-rank adventurer hired as a bodyguard. They had joined him when he passed through the city gates, and now here they were. Ryu wasn’t too surprised, as that doting frontier count wouldn’t miss the chance to assign bodyguards to his daughter. By the way, all the bodyguards were female adventurers. Lord Grace never overlooked such details. He was still the capable man he always was.

“By the way, are you guys affiliated with the Grace Marquess family?”

“Yes. The Marquis of the Frontier has been very kind to me.”

“Really? What do you usually do?”

“I’m guarding the wheat fields. Herbivorous monsters often come out from the nearby forest. They get a taste for the wheat, and it’s seriously a pain.”

“Like our Axel, huh?”

“Brrr…”

“That warhorse was indeed a familiar, wasn’t it? What kind of monster is it?”

“It’s a thousand-mile horse.”

“S-senrima?! Isn’t that a high-ranking C-rank monster?‼”

“Well, you know. The rank honestly doesn’t matter.”

“It’s not good… it’s the most important thing…”

“I’m Axel, so I made a familiar contract. Even if it’s an S-rank monster, if I don’t like it, I won’t form a contract. And even if it’s an E-rank, if I like it, I will. It’s surprisingly like that, you know?”

“Y-Yeah, that’s how it is, huh…”

“If the opportunity to form a familiar contract ever comes your way, you’ll understand then. Right, Axel?”

“Baruru”

After a few hours of running the horse while chatting casually.

The female adventurer’s stomach growled.

“I’m starving…”

“Is it already that time? Let’s get something to eat soon.”

When Ryu said that, the coachman pulled the carriage over to the side of the road.

“Lena, Miss Flora. It’s lunchtime.”

“Yes~” “Understood”

Since lunch had been purchased in advance in the first city, each person took it out from their pockets, and lunch began immediately.

“The recommended lectures at the academy are…”

“Hmm, hmm.”

“There are a few great teachers, but the most popular one is…”

“If that teacher becomes your homeroom teacher, you’ll be lucky!”

Lena and Flora are enjoying their meal while getting excited about stories from the academy.

Ryu, being considerate, eats a sandwich with the knights from a distance.

“I don’t know, but I feel like I’m being disliked.”

“To Lady Flora, is it?”

“Ah. In the end, we haven’t had a proper conversation since the initial greeting, and even when our eyes meet occasionally, they are quickly averted.”

“Any idea or clue…?”

“Exists”

“Is there…?”

First of all, when Lord Grace introduced me, he said, “This is the infamous Ryu-kun,” so he must have heard about me beforehand. The details are unclear, but if it’s related to the war, it certainly wouldn’t be anything positive. My current image is “probably” that of a barbarian who severed Baron Cassano’s arm and a madman who rampaged during the war. And…

Ryu shifted his gaze to his own hand.

“A person with gloves that have magic circles on them, huh?”

“I think those gloves are cool. I want to snap my fingers and cast magic.”

“I’m envious too. It would be perfect if you also had an eye patch and bandages wrapped around your arm.”

“Well, since it’s something Lena knitted for me, it’s a national treasure at the very least, but I don’t think girls would like it.”

At that moment, I locked eyes with Flora again.

Ugh, now I’m being glared at. I want to clear up my image for Lena’s sake, but… it looks like it’s going to be a tough road.

Human relationships sometimes can’t be resolved with just intelligence or force. That’s why they are difficult.

Let’s go back in time a bit.

Inside the carriage.

“Hey, hey, Lena-chan. What kind of person is Baron Arden?”

“Um… is it okay if I just give a rough estimate?”

“Yes. A rough estimate is fine.”

“My brother is handsome, kind, a genius, has a good personality, is a great conversationalist, has a big heart, is sincere, trustworthy, skilled, considerate, has the best smile, and is stronger than anyone else…”

Flora involuntarily hit the brakes.

“Wait, wait a moment, please.”

“Eh, what’s wrong?”

“It seems like our conversation was a bit off just now…”

“My older brother simply explained the perfect thing, so there wasn’t anything particularly strange.”

“Ha, ha”

Indeed, he is handsome, and he is trusted by our father. I’ve also heard that he is quite intelligent, but I can’t believe he is the kind of person who would make his own sister so blindly devoted to him… Moreover, he once severed the arm of Baron Cassano, who was supposed to be his ally, and he apparently caused quite a stir during the war. Plus, he wears those mysterious gloves with magic circles drawn on them…

“Huh! No way!”

Lena-chan is… brainwashed…

Flora looked at Lena with a worried expression.

“Flora…?”

And then I hug tightly.

“Lena-chan, don’t worry. I will definitely protect you. Definitely…”

“Y-yes. Thank you (?).”

The group, having finished their lunch, set off immediately.

Because the journey was too peaceful, the adventurer yawned.

“Whoa. It’s my first time experiencing not being attacked by monsters like this… At this rate, there’s no point in having a bodyguard.”

“But we’re going into the forest now. Let’s stay focused.”

“Got it!”

Monsters are sensitive to magical power, so they don’t come close, but human thieves are different.