WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Haruto
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The Pushover Young Lord in a Romance Fantasy Won't Take It Anymore ◈
Chapter 17: Responsibility
──────
Lucia looked down at her hands, folded neatly in her lap.
Her fingertips trembled faintly, betraying the turmoil within her.
“Fifty million shillings....”
An outrageous sum bid by Crown Prince Zenon.
Rather than feeling honored, Lucia felt as though a massive boulder weighed down both her shoulders.
‘I shouldn't have put it up for auction.’
The proceeds would surely be used to help the underprivileged and society at large. That was undoubtedly a good thing.
She tried to comfort herself with that thought, but the burden wouldn't ease.
It was painfully obvious why the crown prince had so readily offered such an enormous sum.
She had worried something like this might happen.
She should have withdrawn it while she was still in the waiting room. Lucia closed her eyes as regret washed over her.
“Next item! A keepsake of the late General Vermang, former commander of the Imperial Army's Third Legion! The General Star Sword of the Ring!”
Lucia's eyes flew open at the auctioneer's call.
General Vermang. It was a name she knew well.
A knight of the Sun Ring, an old general who never laid down his sword until the end.
Others might remember him as nothing more than an aging general, a knight forgotten amid the rapidly changing tides of history.
“General Vermang....”
To Lucia, General Vermang's name carried no small weight.
Lucia was the only daughter of a fallen border baron family.
She had been able to enter the Academy with ease because many people had helped her.
Above all, there was the support of an unknown benefactor.
Lucia only learned the benefactor's identity three months ago, after the man had passed away, when her father finally told her.
“General Vermang. Never forget that name.”
General Vermang had once served at the border and received a great kindness from House Elzerna.
To repay them, he secretly cleared the baron family's debts and covered Lucia's tuition in full.
General Vermang had erased his own name completely.
A regular army general could have faced political suspicion for colluding with a noble house.
He had wanted this to remain unknown even after his death.
Even now, few people knew of the connection between General Vermang and House Elzerna. Lucia herself had only learned of it recently.
“...Four million two hundred thousand shillings.”
“Four million five hundred thousand.”
“Four million seven hundred thousand here.”
The bids rose sluggishly, nothing like before.
Lucia's brow creased faintly. The very idea of assigning a monetary value to it had bothered her from the start.
“Five million shillings! Any higher bids?”
Unremarkable luxury goods had sold for over ten million. Yet her benefactor's sword had not even been valued at half that.
Something surged in Lucia's chest.
She couldn't let his final honor be trampled like this. Lucia gripped her bidding paddle tightly.
‘Ten million shillings.’
Twice the current bid. Even if she had to offer that much, she had to preserve her benefactor's dignity.
She firmly believed that was how she could honor his memory.
She didn't want to do this with money, but....
If money could do it, she had no choice.
“If there are no further bids, it will be sold to...”
Lucia drew a deep breath. She was about to raise her paddle.
“Number 326! Please state your bid!”
The auctioneer's gaze and shout were directed somewhere other than Lucia. Her eyes naturally followed.
There stood a man holding his paddle high.
Astin von Cardenos.
He spoke quietly.
“Fifty million shillings.”
The instant the bid was called, every breath in the hall seemed to stop. A silent flood of stares converged on Astin alone.
“O-oh.... Fifty million shillings? Did you just say fifty million shillings?”
Astin nodded indifferently. He neither lowered nor withdrew his bid.
Bang! Bang!
The auctioneer finally came to his senses and brought down the gavel.
“S-sold! Sold! Item sold to Number 326 for fifty million shillings!”
“Has he lost his mind? He's spending fifty million on that rusty hunk of metal?”
“Lord Cardenos must be completely insane.”
“It's all just showing off. He's saying he can splurge that much without taking a hit.”
The silence shattered, and the hall erupted with whispers of shock and ridicule.
Amid the uproar, Lucia stared blankly at Astin.
She didn't even know what expression she wore.
“No, seriously, is he in his right mind? He should've bought Lady Lucia's item with that money. Why spend such a fortune on a worn-out sword like that....”
A young noble openly sneered. Lucia's brow furrowed as she looked at him.
It was truly shallow of him to put down a general's keepsake while dragging someone else's auction item into it. The man himself was shallow to the core.
“Did you call it a worn-out sword?”
Before Lucia could speak, Astin spoke first.
“Ahem! I-I misspoke, Lord Astin.”
“You didn't misspeak. You're ignorant.”
Astin openly singled him out.
“It isn't worn-out. It's a medal of honor. That sword rolled through the front lines for thirty years, drenched in blood and sweat as it upheld the Empire. It bears thirty years of toil and hardship on the eastern front lines. Do you still not understand?”
“M-my lord, why are you...?”
“It means it can't be compared to your toys. Its worth cannot be judged so carelessly.”
Even amid the commotion, his voice carried with strange clarity.
“If it must be priced, it's worth far more than Lady Lucia's item. At least to me. So don't ever say something like that in front of me again.”
“Y-yes, my lord....”
Lucia stared blankly at his profile. He was all she could see.
Thump. Thump.
The sound of her heartbeat. Lucia found herself parting her lips without realizing it.
Perhaps sensing her gaze, Astin turned his head. By chance, their eyes met in midair.
Astin's deep, steady golden eyes. Lucia's trembling ruby-red eyes.
Astin's brow creased almost imperceptibly.
“She sure is quick to notice when someone badmouths her.”
Astin muttered to himself, then looked away.
“.......”
Even after he turned away, Lucia couldn't take her eyes off him.
* * *
Before the immense main gate of Eterna Imperial Palace.
Long after everyone had entered the banquet hall, a carriage arrived late.
Creak.
The door opened, and someone carefully stepped out. It was Knight Julian.
“Stop. We need to verify your identity.”
Imperial guards stopped Julian. Two spears crossed in an X before him.
Julian unfolded the certificate of knighthood in his hand.
“Julian of House Calvert. I have been formally knighted.”
“Calvert? Was there such a house?”
“...It's a fallen house.”
“Ah, I see. You may enter.”
Julian passed the checkpoint and moved on without trouble.
“What kind of noble looks like that?” Mocking whispers came from behind him.
Julian had to agree.
His appearance was miserable for a noble attending the Founding Festival.
One eye was swollen so badly it could barely open, while bandages covered his crooked nose.
He looked less like a noble attending the Founding Festival than a patient who had been bedridden until recently. In truth, he had been.
“Don't mind it.”
Julian didn't care.
What did his face matter?
He hadn't come here for some petty socializing.
He had come to take responsibility for what he had done.
Bang.
The banquet hall doors opened, and quite a few eyes turned toward him.
“Oh my, look at him. What happened to his face?”
“Isn't that Knight Julian? Tsk, tsk. I heard Lord Astin gave him a thorough beating. He looks terrible.”
Julian held his head high as he walked. He felt no shame. He had gained more than he had lost.
His eyes swept busily across the banquet hall.
“Lord Astin truly is remarkable, isn't he? Fifty million shillings for an old sword.”
Julian stopped dead at the passing conversation.
“He bought General Vermang's keepsake for the highest price in auction history. His intentions are so obvious, which makes it even more moving.”
“Of course. All those rumors about Cardenos's reckless heir must have been nonsense. He's a true young nobleman who understands honor and glory.”
The praise spread among the elderly nobles.
As Julian listened quietly, a faint smile appeared on his lips. Something even stirred in his chest.
“You people are always like this. Even when someone tells you, you don't understand. Then you dismiss them as ghosts endlessly circling the Infinite Rings. You should respect knights who endure hardship.”
Astin respected old knights and retired soldiers to his very bones, showing it not only in his heart but through his actions.
Overwhelming skill and firm conviction. The courage to protect the honor of retired soldiers.
Julian was glad he had recognized Astin's true nature, even if it was late.
So my defeat hadn't been meaningless after all.
“A true young nobleman? Can't you see it's an obvious scheme?”
A young noble snorted loudly enough for everyone to hear.
“His reputation is in the gutter because he assaulted Lady Rosenthal. He's probably trying to make up for it with his family's money. I would've done the same.”
“Well, fifty million shillings must be pocket change to Cardenos. If you're going to put on a show, you need to spend at least that much.”
They giggled, saying behind Astin's back what they would never say to his face.
Julian's brows drew together sharply. He limped toward them.
“You.”
The young nobles flinched and turned their heads.
“Can you spend that much money?”
“W-what? What are you talking about, coming over here out of nowhere?”
“It wasn't a stunt to salvage his reputation. It was the boldness of a man. Don't belittle another person's actions so carelessly.”
The knight with half his face battered in radiated killing intent. The young nobles could only fall silent before him.
“Sir Julian?”
A soft voice called from behind him.
It was Lucia, the young lady known as the star of high society.
Julian had been about to address her casually, as he usually did as her Academy senior, but closed his mouth. This was a formal occasion.
“Lady Lucia. How are you?”
“Oh.... I'm sorry about what happened with Azelin.”
Concern showed in Lucia's eyes as she looked at his mangled face.
“I didn't think you'd be out and about. Your injuries look serious. Are you all right?”
“I'm fine. This was all my fault.”
“Don't blame yourself too much. It wasn't your fault. The bad one was....”
For some reason, Lucia trailed off. Julian gave a bitter smile.
His current state was a tragedy brought on by trying to defend Azelin. That seemed to be what Lucia believed.
“Do you happen to know where Lord Astin is?”
Lucia's eyes narrowed.
Was he going to challenge Astin to another duel in that condition? Or try to harm him?
“Why do you ask?”
“I wish to apologize to him.”
“...Apologize?”
Lucia blinked repeatedly. Apologize?
“Did you just say apologize?”
“Yes. While I'm at it, I plan to thank him as well.”
“No, what do you mean.... Why would you apologize to Lord Astin? And thank him for what?”
The victim who had been beaten senseless wanted to apologize to and thank the perpetrator.
It made no sense at all.
Where should he even begin explaining this?
Lost in painful regret, Julian slowly opened his mouth.
“As I said, I brought all of this upon myself. Lord Astin....”
The truth came from the person involved.
Throughout the calm confession that followed, Lucia's pupils trembled faintly.
“...Ah.”
Her lips fell open in disbelief.
A Word from the Author
The Plus goal is complete! Looks like I'll be able to post consecutive chapters soon!
Footnotes:
Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried