It was after the evening and the restaurant was quiet, so I explained Theodore's background and my relationship with the girls who worked there to the girls who worked there.

　It's not much of a story, however.

　He's a nobleman with a hobby of hunting dragons, and that he's a man who became an adventurer and rose to the A rank just for that reason.

　I got to know him when I was smoldering as an adventurer.

　I was just one of the many people there, and until recently, they didn't even remember my face or my name.

　When a dragon from the Demon King's Castle Realm appeared in the Sundial Forest, Green Hollow was in an uproar, and I called out to a high-ranking adventurer I knew to calm the chaos, I knew he would be happy to fly over.

　He took a liking to me because of that one incident, and I was able to get priority for wholesale dragon materials.

　--This is the only relationship between me and Theodore.
　It's only a connection that can be talked about in five minutes at most.

'As I recall, that was before I started working ...... oh, no. The dragon's leather was a little after that, right?
Yeah. It wasn't until shortly after Erica's arrival that I started buying dragon material.

　Time goes by fast, and many of them don't even know about the chaos just before the Demon Lord's War started.

　This is because there are more and more new residents who came later, like Erica and Layla and Harriet here.

　The day when Green Hollow becomes a city instead of a town may not be so far away.

By the way, is the Beaufort house really that great?
It must be great. They're a real frontier family.

　Leila reacted quickly to the question that Harriet casually overflowed with.

　However, Erica and Harriet didn't seem to have a clue about the term 'frontier count' itself in the first place, so they just nodded their heads together.

''Um ...... could it be that I'm crazy ......?''

　Layla shifted her gaze towards us confidently, so I'll explain the reason for Erica and Harriet's reaction.

''Including Green Hollow, it seems that this whole area has always been an autonomous territory under His Majesty's direct control. That's why they have no ties to nobility or anything like that.
Yeah, I guess so. That's why I'm not going to be able to tell you what to do. I don't even know how it works at ......, because aristocracy is just a story from somewhere far away.

　Erica folded her arms and nodded repeatedly as she tuned in to my explanation.

　Her speech is closer to the bare minimum, probably because she's talking to Leila, her junior at work, rather than me.

　I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make the most out of the situation.

''...... I understand. Since this is just the right time, let me explain about our country's aristocracy.
Let's wait until after work. See, I'm sure you've got company. I'll see you later.










　--The aristocracy of the Kingdom of Westland is divided into three main classes, five in detail.

　There are three major divisions: duke, count and baron.
　The count is further divided into three, and then the duke, the frontier count, the count, the deputy count, and the baron.


　The barons are the lowest rank of petty nobility.
　These are the nobles whose estates have been confiscated and have fallen into decline, or who have been seized from the commoners.

　It's closer to the reality of the situation to say a great landowner than a nobleman, and Green Hollow Town is even larger than a lowly baron's domain.


　The Earl is the closest thing to the image of a nobleman that most people have of him, an ordinary nobleman.


　The 'frontier' of the frontier count, the one above him, means 'border'.
　Because it is difficult for noblemen whose territories are adjacent to enemy countries, they are treated one rank higher than ordinary noblemen.

　Of course, now that most of the continent has been unified, there are very few frontier counts in the original sense of the word.

　Most of them are remnants of the past, and there is a movement to change their name to 'Grand Count' because it doesn't fit their image.

　This is what Leila was referring to as a 'real frontier earl'.
　Theodore's family is a special aristocrat in charge of border security, with a territory facing the border that has now almost disappeared.


　The Deputy Earl is, in fact, a fairly non-existent class.

　It seems to be a delicate existence that is difficult to deal with, which arose when the count entrusted a portion of his territory to him, 'Let's at least treat him higher than the baron'.


　And the highest-ranking duke is a genuine great nobleman.

　It's not just a matter of how much time you have left, it's also a matter of how much time you have left.




　-- The time when the nobles were the absolute power holders who ruled over their fiefdoms as they saw fit is long gone.

　Currently, they are in a position where they are subcontracted by the royal court to manage the land, and if they behave as arrogantly as they once did, it's said that it's normally possible for them to be raided by the knights and arrested and have their fiefdoms confiscated.......

　Not only is the power in the fiefdom, but the financial power is also stagnant compared to the past.
　It is not uncommon for powerful knights who are entrusted with official duties by the royal court to hold more power and financial power.

　For example, the Argentia family that leads the Silver Wing Knights is lower than the barons in terms of rank, but in terms of financial power, they are on par with the average count family and even have the authority to arrest and detain the head of a noble family that is in violation of the law.

　This reversal was caused by the weakening of the aristocracy in order to strengthen the rule by the king, and at the same time, they began to delegate military and security functions to the knights.

　This is the result of making knights from all over the country directly under the royal court as a knightly order, delegating some of their official duties to the knightly order, and increasing their fiefdoms as a source of budget for official duties as ......, or something like that.

　Of course, there are exceptions to everything.
　The duke and the book (...) thing (...) frontier counts are still given strong autonomy, and in some cases they are allowed to have their own knights.










　--While Leila and the others were having this conversation while drinking herbal tea in the living room, I was in the back of the house checking the inventory of materials for tools.

　Business hours are long gone and the store has already been locked up, but sometimes the employees relax in the living room like this before they leave.

'(In short, Theodore's parents' house is inside, top to bottom. The adventurers (me) are used to that guy's presence, but is it any wonder Leila is surprised?

　Adventurers come from a variety of origins, so the longer their careers go on, the less surprised they are that there are people with special titles.

　Or rather, Theodore wasn't the only noble adventurer in the first place.

　I've never met him in person, but I've also heard of people from even higher-ranking dukes in the past who eventually climbed to the B rank before retiring and taking over the reigns.

''The white wolf. Those guys look like they're about to head home, I'll take you back to the inn.
Can you do that?　Oh, and while you're at it, buy some more ink for me.
...... but, hey, are you sure it was a good idea?
What?

　When I stopped working and turned around, my eyes met with Garnett, who was standing there with a look on his face as if he wanted to say something.

'Of course it's about Theodore. That's the best case for a spectacular return as an adventurer, no matter what you think. It's a good thing you kicked it off so easily.

　Garnett is worried about me.

　Can I turn my back on the opportunity to fulfill the dream I once longed for - to become a great adventurer?

　Isn't this the right time to return to my old way of life?

　In that case, the answer I should give back has long been determined.

'It's fine. It's not that I don't want to resume my adventurer's work, but I enjoy living like this for now. I'll be able to relax and enjoy myself more when the ...... branch opens in this town, in this shop, with you and everyone else.

　For some reason, Garnett closed his lips tightly and swept his gaze as if he had something to be guilty of, and then opened his mouth in a deliberately joking manner.

I'm sure you'll be able to find a great deal more to say about this. You can't help but feel sorry for your family.
'It's not your concern. I hear you have veto power and they've come up with some other solutions, so I'll try my best to come full circle.

　When I made that clear, Garnett smiled with a bit of relief.