Resurrection of Duke Werstein ~ I Didn’t Hear Anything About Being A Middle-aged Man ~ 38

At the southernmost tip of the Kingdom of Lunamilia, facing the sea, is the Werstein territory and its main natural port town, ‘South Gate'.

The town, known for its fishing, aquaculture, and trade with other countries, was trepidation about the visit of Duke Werstein, its lord.

The main topic of conversation was what the lord, who had neglected his domain for almost 12 years, was doing here now.

They wondered why the owner of the land, who was the cause of it all, had come to a place that was exhausted and on the verge of bankruptcy.

In fact, they were aware that taxes were only going to increase.

So, has he finally come to announce the tax increase?

Such rumors were circulating, and the young lords were in a tight spot.

It's not that they can't afford to live, but they are on the edge of life and death.

... In reality, they are not that trapped because they only collected the same amount of taxes as before as the prices of goods in the country rose, but since the epidemic 12 years ago almost completely uprooted the people who were the mainstay of the economy, the remaining children and old people were forced to work. I guess you could say it was inevitable.

The disease took the lives of nobles and commoners alike.

If one were to ask whether the young children and immigrants from other territories would be able to understand how the people of that time worked and how hard it was to work in this territory, one would have to say no.

Against this backdrop, the young lords, now twelve years old and made up almost entirely of grown-up children, generally believed that the nobility, including the lords, were all evil and that the lords were exploiting the people more than necessary.

No matter how much the old people and the surviving adults tried to tell them otherwise, there was a limit.

If you just look at the numbers, the taxes were indeed going up every year.

Being young is generally accompanied by the fetters of inexperience.

That's why they tend to act on their own assumptions and are easily influenced by others.

If one person is vocal, even if he or she is wrong, they will think that's the way it is.

Especially someone you trust, ... For example, it would be inevitable if the priest of the Lunamilia Church, who had devoted himself to helping the children and the elderly who had lost their parents 12 years ago to survive, always repeated his skepticism about the nobility of this country.

And the next generation of boys and girls were no exception.

That's why, probably.

When the lord's carriage came into the city, a boy threw a stone at it.

"Get out!!"

Perhaps inspired by the sight of the boy shouting and throwing stones, or perhaps ignited by the resentment smoldering inside, even the adults who were watching started throwing things at hand as if they were caught in the act.

"Go home!!"

“Damn nobles!!"

People were throwing rocks, plates, chairs, and desks at each other, screaming in their own way.

As it was just after noon, even the dishes on the table were thrown, and the scattered food and other things caused a temporary commotion in the area.

It was true that for the past twelve years, the Duke had been extracting taxes from his subjects once a year for some obscure reason as a celebration of the king's birthday.

However, it was enough to live on, and it was still better than what the land of other lords, who were at the bottom of the heap, had.

Those who knew this despaired at the sight of people throwing stones at them.

They don't even try to think about what they have done, but instead threw stones at people without even trying to figure out what they have done.

They do not think because they are stupid.

So when it happened, they could only be frightened.

Suddenly, a flame rises.

The panic-stricken people ran for cover, not knowing why.

As the flames licked at their skin, pieces of wood from chairs and tables that had been broken and scattered by the carriages that had been thrown at them burst into flames, and at the same time, the distinctive smell of burning cobblestones filled the air.

As people fled in fear of death by fire, I finally noticed the presence on the other side of the flames.

In fact, its presence was so strong that it was unclear why they had not noticed it before.

However, it was impossible for it to appear in the city like this.

It could be some other creature, similar to the one I saw, but the intimidating feeling that seemed to dispel even such a question spread fear.

"Is that a... a dragon…!?"

Someone's small murmur spread with fear.

"A dragon?"

"Oh, my God, how could it be in the city like this?"

They were supposed to live only in the steep mountains surrounding the country.

There are two of them.

They were about the size of a horse, but the mere fact that they were dragons was terrifying.

Everyone's face was distorted with fear to the point that they no longer cared about the truth, and they just screamed.

“Aaaaah!!"

"No! No! I don't want to die! I don't want to die yet!!"

In front of these people, two small dragons moved their paws at the same time, and then.

‘… Fuh'

He mocked with his nose.

If not a mistaken, both dragons snickered at the people at the same time.

The dragons continued on their way, leaving the people stiff with fear.

It was in this situation that the people finally realized what was happening.

Every time the dragons walked, the lord's carriage was also moving.

The carriage was moving as if nothing had happened, making rattling sounds and occasionally running over burning pieces of wood with its wheels.

This is because the dragons were pulling the carriage.

It was a scene so far removed from reality that they thought they were dreaming.

The people were stunned by the sight of the dragons proudly pulling the carriage, wearing the same equipment as horses.

Dragons are generally proud creatures, and it was unthinkable that they would pull a carriage ridden by humans.

However, in reality, the carriage was being pulled by dragons.

Why hadn't they noticed its presence until the flames rose?

It was because the dragon itself was clad in an illusion that made it look like a horse, but no one knew that.

The people who hadn't yet returned from the rigors of desperation or fear combined with astonishment were pale.

It could not be helped.

At any rate, even if the lord was an evil nobleman, the people could only imagine their own destruction if he had a dragon in his service.

After all this time, they regretted their actions, but time would not return.

Before that, throwing stones at the lord was not a commendable action, and all of them should have been beheaded, but they were too stupid to realize it.

They had no education, knowledge, or experience, and they just went along with the flow and remained rigid.

The carriage passed by gracefully in front of these foolish people.

A painful silence prevailed as several carriages passed by, one for the lord and one for his bodyguards.

All that could be heard was the faint sound of burning wood chips.

It was only when the line of carriages disappeared from the sight of the stunned people that I suddenly realized the reality.

“What?"

“Huh?"

It was completely, definitely, unmistakably perfect.

The people were staring at the end of the road where the carriages had disappeared, their mouths hanging open in a daze and their faces looking as if they had lost their nerve.

“Master, are you sure that was a good idea?"

“Don't mind, let it be."

I responded to the butler-san's matter-of-fact question with a matter-of-fact response, and processed another sheet of paperwork.

Of course it's an escape from reality, thank you for your hard work.

No, I don't have time to think about it, but I know that putting it off won't do any good, but I need to pretend that I don't have a choice.

“Wah, I was out of line, my apologies."

"Don't worry about it."

I ran my pen through with the usual exchange with the butler-san, who seemed as though thanking me politely.

But I think it was a good decision to evacuate the soldiers into the other carriages, thinking that something would definitely happen.

I was expecting rocks to be thrown at me, but I didn't expect chairs and tables to be thrown at me.

I wonder how much he’s hated, Augusto-san.

I couldn't believe my ears when the butler-san reported it to me, but the view from the window gave me a good look of the rampage by the enraged people.

I'm glad we chose this carriage as the lead.

If it had been any other carriage, the horse in tow would have been startled and there would have been a major accident.

But with the dragons, it wouldn't hurt or itch.

No, I thought it was very brave of them to throw rocks at the dragons.

People in the city are so insensitive.

I thought they were crazy when they threw all sorts of things at the carriage of Augusto-san, who was supposed to be the most important man in this territory.

I don't know if it's because there are no schools in this town.

I don't know what it is, but it's only in the royal capital, and I heard that commoners who don't have any background in wizardry can't go to school.

It seems to be basically only for the children of nobles.

In other words, the correct answer is that there are many people who are that stupid.

In the meantime, I asked the dragon to only threaten the people in the territory if they did anything, so it seems that no one died, but I think there was no need to breathe fire.

The people in the city were so scared.

It was a order like I got scared so I run away, but I think it can’t be helped.

Of course they would run, because as far as I could see, there was a big commotion.

The people in the town were running for their lives.

By the way, I asked the adventurers to leave before we entered the town.

I didn't know what to do if they followed us into the territory.

But, what should I do now?

I'm pretty sure that now Augusto-san's low reputation has become even worse.

I have to pay for it! I don't want to spend too much money, though.

I don't want to spend too much money on this. No, but that was self-defense, right? I'm sure that’s right.

I'm sure it was.

It's okay, it's probably okay!

I thought about what would happen if they made some incomprehensible changes and sent me a bill, but I was more worried about what would happen if they created a rebel army.

I don't care how much I say I'm not going to oppress them, they're not going to believe me.

I'm not sure if the rumors about Augusto-san becoming a wise man have reached this town yet.

No, even if it had come, it probably wouldn't have mattered because of what it's been up like until now, but it's a huge hassle to think that I'm going to have to deal with it all and everything from now on.

I don't want to do it, I want to throw it all to someone else!

I don't even know what to do about governing, how am I supposed to regain the trust of the townspeople?

I'm so shallow that I thought I could do something if I actually came to the territory.

No, but I really thought so until I came here, seriously.

Once I saw the current situation, I lost confidence! I guess it can’t be helped!

Oh, I want to go home. I want to go back to my mansion in the capital.

I've just arrived, but I want to go home.

I want to go home and take a nap.

No, I'm not going to do that, though.

It's just a wish, yes.

“Master, we're about to arrive, so please get ready."

"Well, okay."

The butler's call brought my consciousness back to reality, so I gently stopped my hand and put my pen into the pen holder.

Apparently, I had arrived at Augusto-san's parents' house, my destination this time.

It was a little past noon when we arrived at this town, and we were now probably 30 to 40 minutes away.

In Augusto-san's memory, his parents' house, which was renovated from a fort built on high ground, was more like a castle than a mansion.

The current residents were the family of servants who had been appointed as acting lords, the servants who were there to take care of the household, and Vaneila Werstein, the wife of the previous head of the Werstein family who had retired and was spending the rest of her life here.

In other words, she is Augusto-san's mother.

By the way, his father died of a different disease than the one that took Julia-san away from him, a few days before Augusto-san became the head of the family.

It was when Augusto-san was still a student, and it was really sudden.

He was so healthy that people suspected that he had been poisoned instead of dying from the disease.

He was the leader of the Royal Knights, and with the memory of him as a very strict, stern, and cold person.

Augusto-san was forced to become the head of the family at a young age, following in the footsteps of his father who passed away when he was about the same age as the current Augusto-san.

When I think about it, it was a very tumultuous time.

It was a tough time for you, Augusto-san.

The reason why he didn't join the knight order, which was recommended by the king, was probably because he couldn't afford it and also because he wanted to be close to Julia-san.

We were engaged to be married by our parents, but they really loved each other.

After graduating from the school, Augusto-san took over the reins of the family and lived here until Julia-san's death.

The memories were so painful that he didn't come back to his parents' house for 12 years.

In addition, for the past twelve years, he had left the estate in the hands of the acting lord.

He only came to town once every two or three years, not even once a year.

Even when he did come, he didn't do anything in particular, he didn't even meet the acting lord, he just threw the whole thing in writing and left.

Somehow, how to say it, it’s to the point you feel sorry for.

It's all very selfish, but it's all a bit late now.

Maybe it couldn't be helped because no one could stop him, but I wonder how his own mother must have felt.

She might have thought that she should be the one to run the estate.

But no matter how noble she was, she probably didn't have that level of education.

At that time, it was common sense for noblewomen not to interfere in men's business.

This was before the war started 12 years ago.

"... Master, we've arrived."

“Okay."

I stood up from my seat, replying to the butler-san's words with a dignified attitude, just like Augusto-san, as I was gathering my papers while thinking.

This was the first time in twelve years that Augusto-san had seen his mother, whom I was about to meet.

Since that sad day when Augusto-san had changed, Augusto-san's mother had never met him on her own because she was afraid of seeing her son in such a transformed state.

I can easily imagine such a thing.

From my memory, Augusto-san's mother was a very sensitive person.

And the reason why Augusto-san didn't see his mother, who was supposed to be his real mother, was probably because he would remember Julia-san like a string of potatoes.

... However, the thought of meeting her now made me a little nervous.

I wonder if she'll find out that I'm not the same person inside.

A mother's intuition can be very powerful at times, so I wonder if she'll find out that it's not me.

I'm getting more and more anxious, what should I do, I can't not see her now, I can’t right, yes I can't, I'll give up.

As the butler-san reverently opened the door for me, I gave up everything.

I covered my legs, which felt heavy, by forcing myself to feel better, and moved them, trying to appear calm and imposing.

As I stepped out of the carriage, I saw an incredibly gorgeous view that I had never seen before, but I remembered it.

It was the kind of scene you would expect to see in the homes of rich people in foreign countries, where the servants were all bowing their heads in front of the magnificent entrance.

As expected of the servants of a house that is the second largest in the country after the king, they did not show any reaction to my sudden return, and remained motionless with their heads bowed.

At that moment, an old butler appeared without a sound.

"Welcome home, Master. The Grand Mistress is waiting for you in the study."

"Well, I'd better go."

According to Augusto-san's memory, this man was the butler who had been supporting Augusto-san's parents for a long time, and his name was Geraldini Strohm, the father of our very talented butler.

He is a very valuable person that none could hold their heads up to, not even Augusto-san nor butler-san, because he has been around for a long time.

He is much older than the man in the memories, and his gray hair and carefully trimmed mustache have gone completely white in the twelve years that have passed, but his unchanging, gentle smile seems to be just as Augusto-san remembers it.

It was the first time I had seen him in 12 years.

The reason why he didn't see him was because he reminded him of Julia-san.

Augusto-san really is a useless person.

While thinking about this, I followed behind the old butler in a relaxed gait.

"But what kind of change in mind is this?"

The old butler's question was somewhat amused, yet skeptical.

"… There should have been a report, though?"

"Yes, of course.

But you can't help but want to hear it from the person himself, no?"

All I could think of was, of course, what came out of my mouth was something close to sarcasm as I struggled to think of what to say.

"Hmm, you've become quite the big deal."

"No, no, not at all.

I am, and always have been, the butler for the Wersteins, Young Master Augusto."

The old butler smiled cheerfully and I felt a little uncomfortable.

"... Stop with the Young Master, I’m not at that age anymore."

"To me, the Young Master will always be the Young Master."

"… I can’t win against you."

When I called him the same as I remembered, the old butler narrowed his eyes nostalgically and smiled.

... I swallowed the words, well, I'm a different person inside and I'm a girl, without saying anything.

It still hurts me to be naked, I like bathing but at the same time I hate it.

Then, the old butler suddenly stopped, and I realized that we had arrived at the study where Augusto-san's mother was waiting for us.

The old butler reverently opened the double doors, which seemed to have the same luxurious but calm atmosphere as the one in Augusto-san's memory.

On the other side of the door, in the middle of the study, she was there.

Perhaps because she was older than I remembered, her gray hair and wrinkles had become more prominent, but she still had the same pretty smile that Augusto-san remembered.

She was wearing a light pink fancy dress with lots of frills, and as soon as she saw me, she spoke to me in a very happy voice.

"Clifford! You've finally come home to me!

How much longer are you going to make me wait? I'm not going to let you get away with this without some kind of apology! You really can’t be helped!"

I had a very uncomfortable feeling when I saw Augusto-san's mother laughing like a little girl and calling Augusto-san, who was supposed to be her son, by another name.

"... Grand Mistress, this is not the Grand Master, but his son, Augusto-sama."

"What are you talking about, Geraldini? Augusto is still a student. Oh, by the way, Augusto never writes to me. Don't you think so too, Clifford?"

The old lady smiled happily and lovingly, like a fluffy, dreamy, doll-like cutie, calling Augusto-san Clifford and smiling.

"...... Yeah, I guess so."

That was all I could say.

... God, let me hit you for real for a second.¹

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[1] : she literally means she wants to give god a smack in the face or something.