“Have you ever thought about living as a noble?”

“...Hm.”

Had she reached the conclusion that there was no other way?

After keeping her head lowered in thought for a long while, Ariella finally raised that question to me with a heavy expression.

“At this rate, whether you want it or not, that is what will happen.”

She was right.

According to the promise made with that grand duke, once Ariella accumulated enough standing, I would be transformed into a noble after receiving even the grand duke’s blood.

‘That’s what the grand duke promised under a [Vow].’

As long as I remained in this land, unable to return to the Legion, that [Vow] meant I was fated to become a noble someday.

And—

“So in that case... I’m asking whether it might be better to accept life as a noble and prepare for it from the start.”

If it was something I couldn’t avoid anyway, then Ariella’s point was that I might as well accept it sooner rather than later.

“Of course, I’m not an idiot. I know at least this much—that there was a time when you were hostile to every monster that wasn’t human.”

“And somehow you still managed to make that suggestion.”

“Didn’t I say there was a time when you were like that?”

Meaning—

“That isn’t the case now, is it?”

“...Well, no. It isn’t.”

I mean, she’d seen me risk my life to bring those ghouls back.

Realizing something like this wouldn’t have been hard after witnessing that.

“If you truly don’t hold hostility toward other races, then becoming a noble may not be such a bad choice. Especially...”

“Especially?”

“This is only my own guess, but.”

She stared at me intently, then, as if reaching a certainty, nodded and said,

“You... would likely have outstanding talent as a noble.”

“Huh?” 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

What kind of nonsense was that?

“I’m not saying it to deceive you, and I’m not joking. I, too, have now attained standing worthy of being called great nobility. I do have an eye for these things.”

“And what exactly did those eyes see when they looked at me?”

“It’s not guaranteed that becoming a knight or a noble of another race will make someone stronger. But some people are especially compatible with a noble’s power, and show incomparably rapid growth.”

I had some pride in my cooking.

But in everything else... especially combat, I’d never really thought of myself as talented.

I’d survived by luck and built up quite a bit of power along the way, so I had become fairly strong in my own right.

But if someone in my unit had my current stats and skills, I’d usually lose to that person.

The people in my unit now had all been carefully selected, and every one of them was exceptional in their own field.

But—

“From what I can see... you could become a truly remarkable noble.”

Was she saying talent could change if you became a different race?

That as a human, I might not be much outside of cooking—

but as a noble, it could be a different story.

“...Thanks for saying that, but it’s hard to believe that so easily. A noble? I’m not exactly cut out for a refined species like that.”

“If what worries you is your standing or position after becoming a noble, then you needn’t worry. By the time you become one, I will already have become the head of a bloodline. And if I, as such, personally grant you proper standing... then you too will be treated with respect as a dignified noble.”

“But I’d still just be a lower-ranking noble under you, wouldn’t I? Your bloodline can’t be that large.”

“...No.”

At that, Ariella replied with a complicated look.

“If it comes to that, you would not become some mere lower noble... You could become a truly, exceedingly exalted noble... one equal in standing to me.”

“...?”

“We already said as much... so even if I were to object now, that is likely what would happen.”

At those words, I remembered the conversation Ariella had had with the grand duke.

‘When Ariella said she was planning to create a noble equal to herself... the grand duke was shocked out of their mind.’

As if asking whether she understood what that meant.

They’d even looked like they were trying to stop her.

I still didn’t know what it meant.

But—

“...Putting me aside for the moment.”

And from what I remembered—

“Are you really okay with that?”

“.......”

“Even when I asked you back then, it felt more like an excuse you made to get out of the situation than something you genuinely wanted.”

When I’d asked her later what it meant, Ariella had refused to answer.

And even now, from the way she was saying things like “even if I object at this point,”

it seemed highly likely that, from her perspective, it was not something she welcomed, but something she’d only said because she had no other choice then.

But—

“...If you cannot escape this land, then that is my responsibility. If I must take responsibility, then I must accept it.”

“Responsibility...?”

“You don’t need to worry too much. It’s true that I had never once thought about such a thing before, so I do find it deeply uncomfortable, but...”

She looked at my face for a moment, then quietly went on.

“Having come this far and thought it over, someone like you may not be so bad after all.”

I didn’t know exactly what it meant, but it seemed she thought well of me.

“Think seriously about it. This really would be a tremendous opportunity.”

“.......”

“For me as well, it would truly require giving up a great many things... but I am willing to bear that responsibility. So... you should consider a life as a noble too.”

Hearing that, I thought, what she said about having to give up a great many things was probably true.

And that offer was likely born of genuine goodwill as well.

When the [Vow] had first been broken, she’d been afraid I might take revenge on her for treating me like a slave.

But far from taking revenge on me, that girl was thinking about my safety even at the cost of giving up much of what was hers.

“...Thank you.”

“Then!”

That really was something to be grateful for.

The words that came out were sincere.

I really was grateful.

But still—

“I’m deeply grateful... but I don’t think I can accept that offer.”

“.......”

Being grateful for it and accepting that offer were two slightly different matters.

“What is your reason?”

At my answer, Ariella looked at me as though she truly didn’t understand.

“Is it, after all, because you feel resistance to becoming another race?”

“.......”

“If that is the reason.”

Ariella hesitated briefly, then carefully opened her mouth.

“If you were to become another race once... your thoughts might change afterward.”

“...?”

“I too... at first...”

She seemed like she was about to say more, but I shook my head.

“That’s not the only reason.”

“...It isn’t?”

“Like you said before, I don’t really have any prejudice against other races. Well... I do have some anxiety about it.”

But that wasn’t why I was refusing.

Right now I was stuck here in this land, barely scraping by—

but eventually, someday—

“I have to return to the Legion.”

“.......”

I had too many people depending on me to act that irresponsibly.

“Right now, because of my own greed, my return’s been delayed a little. But in the end, I have to go back to the Legion and move forward with it. If I become a noble, it’ll create major obstacles to my work as the Legion’s commander.”

“......I understand they have already become sufficiently strong. Your unit members have grown stronger, and they have a secure fortress now. Even that incompetent executive has become quite capable by now, hasn’t he?”

As if urging me to think about it one more time, she looked at me with serious eyes.

“The reason they survived this long, and were able to become that strong—most of that is thanks to you.”

“.......”

“So even if circumstances beyond your control force you to be absent for a time, the Legion could never blame you for it.”

Well.

That wasn’t wrong either.

If it really were a situation where nothing could be done, maybe I would’ve thought a little differently.

“But the thing is.”

“...?”

Actually, there was another, bigger reason I had refused her offer.

“Accepting your proposal in the end means doing it only when there’s truly no other choice, right?”

“...?”

I called to mind something I’d seen not long ago.

The map Luor had spread out.

All those countless red dots pinned across it.

...and the fact that the closer those dots got to the south—

to the lands the vampires hadn’t conquered—

the more numerous they became.

‘This procession still has a long way left to go before it reaches its destination.’

If that was the case—

“Then giving up already would be a bit of a waste, wouldn’t it?”

There still was—

a chance to escape.

***

“...I still don’t see what other way there could be.”

Ariella looked at me as though she still couldn’t understand, then shook her head and said,

“If you refuse that strongly, then I won’t press you any further. But if you ever change your mind...”

“Then I’ll grab your leg and beg you to save me.”

“Hah. Then pray that my own mind hasn’t changed by that point.”

Well.

To be honest, Ariella was right.

This really was a very bad situation for me.

If I failed to escape this procession before Ariella accumulated enough power,

then I’d be dragged before the grand duke and end up becoming a highly talented, capable noble with Ariella’s personal guarantee.

And yet, escaping this procession was another problem.

The grand duke’s forces included in it were considerable, and in every respect, the future looked grim.

But...

well, how should I put it.

‘Oddly enough, I actually feel a little relieved.’

For me, the current situation wasn’t purely irritating.

There had already been too many things weighing on my mind.

If, in the middle of all that, I’d returned to the Legion with Ariella’s help, that too would’ve left me feeling deeply unsettled.

But refusing her help outright would’ve been awkward in its own way.

Now, though, the situation had become one where I couldn’t escape even with Ariella’s help in the first place.

It was clearly bad.

But because it made what I had to do unmistakably clear, I felt oddly relieved.

‘Whenever I do return to the Legion, I’ll settle these nagging issues first.’

Of course, that didn’t mean I ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) could just let myself be dragged along wherever this procession went.

There were already too many things I wanted answers to.

And even for the sake of escaping this procession someday and returning to the Legion, I couldn’t stay as I was now.

‘In that case.’

With that thought, I hesitated for a moment, then rose to my feet.

I stepped down from the ornate palanquin and planted my feet on the ground.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“For a moment...”

Then, looking toward a certain spot, I muttered in a low voice,

“I’ve got something to take care of.”

I started walking, heading toward the rear of the massive procession.

After passing countless monsters, at the very tail end of the procession...

Roll, roll...

I found what I was looking for.

“So then.”

Yeah.

What was there was none other than—

“How’s the rolling going?”

“...Ah.”

A man following along behind the procession by rolling sideways.

...the man commanding this “special task force.”

“Good... day.”

It was Lirei.