I Kidnapped the Hero’s Women

[Translator - Peptobismol]

[Proofreader - Demon God]

Chapter 88 - Dad Send All of These People Away!

The road heading toward the North was far from smooth.

Maybe it was due to the harsh environment.

Though it was supposed to be a proper route, there were places where the road was damaged or muddy.

If we were just ordinary merchants, it would have been quite troublesome to get the wheels unstuck from the mud...

"Oh dear. The wheel's caught. Everyone, get off for now..."

"No, there's no need to bother. Just wait a moment, please."

"...?"

"Heave-ho."

Sylvia, yawning lazily as if annoyed, grabbed the carriage with one hand.

The carriage tilted heavily and pulled out of the mud.

Even the horses pulling the carriage ended up hanging in mid-air, looking bewildered.

No matter how many times I saw it, her brute strength never ceased to amaze me.

And just as we got back on our way...

"Sniff sniff. Bandits ahead."

"...What?"

"Yuria. We'll engage them. Cover me."

"Yes, Instructor."

Sylvia, as if she had sniffed out something, leaped off the running carriage.

Yuri followed her, naturally getting off the carriage as well.

Where the hell are the bandits?

Moments later.

There was a loud thud! Startled, I looked to see Sylvia and Yuri casually re-entering the moving carriage.

"The bandits have been taken care of. You don't need to worry."

"Oh. Not worried at all. I'm actually more worried about the bandits."

"They're fine as well. There were no fatalities."

"..."

Sylvia and Yuri’s nonchalant demeanor made me let out a hollow laugh.

Was this how a bandit attack usually played out?

Wasn’t it supposed to be like when they suddenly block the road, arrows fly in, and chaos breaks loose?

Never thought it’d end without even getting to see the bandits' faces.

‘It’s almost too reassuring.’

Come to think of it, the composition of the escort team was quite impressive.

A former Hero Candidate Sword Expert, a Hero (in the making), and though inexperienced, a Necromancer and a Dark Knight as well.

Bringing together all of Vermont’s forces was almost equivalent to a formidable army.

It felt like a waste to have such power moving for a mere pittance.

If their reputation rose a bit more, it wouldn’t be strange for a single commission to earn them millions.

If they could quickly build their fame, I could earn enough money and then spend the rest of my life lazing around.

A wife who makes good money.

A stay-at-home husband.

Ah, what a dream.

"We’re almost there."

At the coachman's announcement, I pulled the curtain aside.

A high cliff came into view.

No, not a cliff—it was a castle wall.

“Wow! It’s so high…!”

“Did people really build that?”

Charlotte and Julia were glued to the window, gasping in amazement.

Yuri also seemed a bit fidgety.

Maybe he wanted to look outside as well.

‘Don’t be so stiff.’

I nudged Yuri’s back, and he jerked back in fright.

Swish.

He shrank his body, shooting a fierce glare through the eyeholes of his mask, as if to ask where I was touching.

Oh, right. I had to treat this guy like a young lady...

I keep forgetting.

Just get over it, will you?

"We’ll be meeting the Grand Duke of the North soon. Be careful not to show any disrespect."

"Yes!"

"Understood. ...Yes."

With the children's enthusiastic replies, the carriage approached the castle gate.

As soon as the Vermont crest was confirmed, the gate creaked open.

‘Security seems rather lax?’

...Or so I thought, until I saw that once we got inside, there was another area surrounded by a wall.

Thud, the gate closed behind us, trapping us in.

So they have a separate area inside for security screening.

Thorough indeed.

It really could be called an impregnable fortress city.

Guess it’s time to disembark.

First, I extended my arm to help Charlotte down, as she waited.

Julia was trying hard to descend gracefully, holding my hand elegantly, but I ended up lifting her off instead.

...Which made Julia’s cheeks puff up with frustration.

“Uuuu…”

She clearly wanted to complain, but held back, likely to avoid being disrespectful in front of the Grand Duke.

What a commendable child.

I quickly poked Julia’s cheek, making her face flush with irritation.

“Aslaaan…”

“The Grand Duke has arrived!”

Julia’s irritated voice was drowned out by the announcement.

At that moment, the gate on the other side opened.

A large, imposing middle-aged man with a pleasant expression appeared.

The Northern Grand Duke.

It was Richard Friedrich.

Seeing this, Sylvia and I knelt on one knee, and Charlotte and Julia, following our lead, knelt as well.

“Hahaha! We have some welcome guests! Get up quickly! The ground is quite cold!”

“Yes. It is an honor to meet Your Grace, Grand Duke. I am always grateful for your hard work.”

“No need to be so formal. The soldiers in Ester carry enough discipline as it is.”

He had such a cheerful personality, he seemed almost like a neighborly uncle.

That didn't mean he lacked dignity, though.

The sense of confidence and strength hidden beneath his seemingly relaxed demeanor spoke to the authority of a royal trained in statecraft.

“Is this all the escort force you brought?”

“Yes. Three escorts of a similar age, and my personal knight make up the entire party.”

“Hmm. I thought you'd bring just one or two of similar age for Merilda, and fill the rest with proper guards...”

“Have you heard about the monster rampage that occurred in the Arient territory, Your Grace?”

“I have. I heard about it and worried since it happened in a place not known for monster activity. But I heard that Vermont handled it well.”

“All those who participated in that are right here.”

“Hoho! In that case, questioning the quality of your guards any further would be rude of me! My apologies!”

The Northern Grand Duke laughed heartily and patted me on the shoulder.

He seemed to have intended it to be a friendly tap, but...

It felt like I’d been struck by a sledgehammer, and I had to stumble from the impact.

He really was a giant of a man.

“This won’t do. I wonder if you'll even be able to fulfill your role as a man at this rate. Eat some meat! Lots of meat! And don’t skip the banquet either!”

“Yes, I will attend with gratitude.”

“Hahaha! Introduce yourselves, boys! What are you all standing around awkwardly for?”

The door leading to the inner castle swung open.

As if they’d been waiting, nine young men bowed politely, greeting me.

They were young men who looked just like the Grand Duke, with curly blonde hair.

“These are my sons! Aren’t they a lot, ha ha ha!”

“They are tall and handsome. They are promising young men for the future.”

“Except, apart from fighting, they have no talents whatsoever… But my youngest daughter is different! Ah, my sweet Merilda already has a head for studying and has even developed an interest in magic without any formal teaching...!”

Before I knew it, the topic had shifted to his daughter.

The Grand Duke, clearly excited, began enthusiastically boasting about his daughter, almost spitting with every word.

His sons nodded along, echoing his praise.

Just from listening for a short time, my head already felt dizzy and I started to feel overwhelmed.

It became abundantly clear why they were called a doting father and brother.

“...By the way, why hasn’t Merilda come out yet? I remember telling her to be ready since the Count of Vermont would be arriving.”

“Well, Father, she finished getting ready a while ago, but it seems she has no intention of leaving the garden…”

“Hahaha. I apologize. My youngest daughter is quite shy.”

The Grand Duke offered an awkward smile, looking troubled.

It’s becoming pretty clear what’s going on here.

After having only sons, they must have cherished the late-born daughter so much that they spoiled her, resulting in her growing up stubborn and headstrong.

And neither the Grand Duke nor her brothers were inclined to correct her, leading to the current situation.

A peer escort, they say.

It was fortunate that we had Charlotte and Julia.

Otherwise, we wouldn’t have been able to avoid trouble.

“We’re in big trouble…”

“Ch-Charlotte, do you think she’s going to complain about us...?”

I turned to see Charlotte and Julia whispering to each other with worried expressions.

The fact that the person they had to guard was a fellow young noble was already a heavy burden.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

And it turned out that child was a spoiled brat, adored by the entire city?

Their faces were already turning pale at the thought of what lay ahead.

‘Making money is this tough, you know.’

Relationships with people are the hardest thing in this world.

To make money, this much trouble is to be expected.

I sighed deeply as I prepared to head inside.

“Daddy!”

“Oh, my darling Merilda! Have you come?”

“Are those people from Vermont Security? I told you to send them back...!”

“Come now, don’t be like that. These are the people who will escort you safely to the capital.”

Holding up her skirt, the young girl appeared with a flourish, shrieking at the top of her lungs, her twin blond pigtails bouncing.

The Grand Duke almost got down on the floor, lowering himself to meet her eye level.

Unbelievable.

Maybe escorting her would be more stressful and difficult than I initially thought.

...Or so I feared.

“You told me to hire an escort of similar age!”

“Ugh, seriously! Why’d you actually go find one! I only said that because I didn’t want any guards at all! Why does something like a peer escort even exist in this world!!!”

“Now, now. Staying in Ester is very dangerous, my dear.”

“Dangerous? This place hasn’t been breached by monsters or had a single fatality in a hundred years! How much did you spend on these escorts? Huh?”

“That’s not something my daughter needs to worry about…”

“We're already struggling financially, so why waste money on guards! You say it's an evacuation, but it's basically a vacation to the capital! The citizens work hard even in the cold, and I'm supposed to go play in the warm south on their tax money? Even using strategic resources like warhorses? No! I'm not going! I told you clearly, Dad! Send all of these people back!”

“Merildaaa…”

Stomp, stomp, stomp, stomp.

Merilda stomped off, clearly furious.

Watching Merilda’s retreating figure, the Grand Duke collapsed on the ground, wailing.

His massive back looked utterly pathetic.

‘So it’s just the overly doting father and brothers who are the problem...’

A headache began to form, pounding in my temples.

No matter how I looked at it, it seemed the princess was the only one here with any sense, while everyone else was out of their minds…

[Translator - Peptobismol]

[Proofreader - Demon God]