"I mentioned it in the advance notice, but… I came here today because there is something I need to tell Lord Rest. It concerns the subjugation of Sabnock."
Celestine spoke with a gentle smile.
He had already learned from the advance notice that she would be visiting the Rosemary family's townhouse.
The purpose of Duke Celestine's personal visit was to speak with Rest about the subjugation of Sabnock.
"Good day, Celestine. Please, have a seat."
"Good day, Lady Celestine."
Viola and Primula greeted Celestine with bright smiles.
The two of them—Viola in particular—had grown completely comfortable with her, their tone and manner soft and familiar.
"Hey, Celestine."
Yuri raised a hand in a casual wave of greeting.
The four of them, Rest excluded, seemed to interact fairly often. Apparently back when they were at the academy, they would hold tea parties and salons without a single man in sight.
Thanks to all that, they had become close friends—and for Rest, who now found himself surrounded by four beautiful young ladies, it was just a little uncomfortable.
"Ah… hello. Thank you so much for coming all this way to tell me in person. Lady Celestine."
"No, not at all. Normally an official envoy from His Majesty the King would handle this, so I'm truly sorry that it's ended up being an informal report from me. I'll explain the details shortly, but the royal palace has been rather busy at the moment."
Celestine tilted her head apologetically, pressing her palm to her cheek.
Each of her refined, elegant gestures was perfectly graceful as she settled onto the sofa across from Rest and his sisters.
A maid who had been standing by immediately set tea and sweets before her.
Celestine took a sip of tea, moistening her lips, and then spoke.
"First of all… what I am about to discuss was decided through consultation between His Majesty the King, the prime minister, and Marquis Rosemary. It has not been officially announced yet, but once things have settled down, the formal procedures will be carried out."
In other words, her father-in-law, Albert Rosemary, had also given his approval.
Albert had been staying overnight at the royal palace day after day to handle the aftermath of the Magic Hunt Festival and had not returned to the estate.
"Hm? Can I listen in on this too?"
Yuri blinked.
They were friends, but Yuri had no connection whatsoever to the House of Rosemary.
"If all three of you have no objections, there's no problem. I would ask you to keep this confidential, of course…"
"I don't mind. You two don't mind either, right?"
At Viola's question, Rest nodded. Primula did the same.
Celestine paused briefly, saying "Well then," and turned back to face Rest.
"Rest, you are being recognized for serving as part of the rescue team during this incident—slaying numerous monsters and saving the lives of students. Furthermore, among the carcasses of the defeated monsters, remains belonging to the lord of the demon realm, Sabnock, were confirmed. On the basis of these contributions, you will be awarded one hundred thousand platinum coins."
"Platinum coins… and a hundred thousand of them at that…"
A single platinum coin was worth one hundred gold coins.
The average monthly salary of a commoner was one gold coin—roughly equivalent to a hundred thousand yen.
(That means the platinum coins are worth a hundred million yen each, and there are ten thousand of them… so that's a hundred billion yen?)
"…Isn't that too much?"
"It's not nearly enough, actually."
Celestine shook her head, as though the suggestion were absurd.
"With Sabnock defeated, development of the plains has become feasible. If the remaining monsters are eliminated before a new lord of the demon realm emerges, the Kingdom of Aiwood will gain access to a vast and fertile breadbasket."
The Sabnock Plains were a demon realm—a land where monsters spawned easily, but if successfully reclaimed, the soil would prove exceptionally bountiful.
If the kingdom could secure a breadbasket capable of feeding its people indefinitely, the profits from exporting crops would be enormous.
Compared to the income that could be obtained, a hundred thousand platinum coins was not an excessive reward.
"Additionally, Rest will be granted the title of 'Viscount' along with a domain. You'll be joining the ranks of the nobility."
"W-What!?"
Celestine's words drew cries of surprise from Rest and the Rosemary sisters.
Yuri didn't raise his voice either, but his eyes had gone wide.
"A noble...? Rest is supposed to be marrying into House Rosemary!"
"Does this mean you won't be able to marry us anymore...?"
Viola and Primula leaned forward, pressing Celestine for answers.
In response to her friends' interrogation, Celestine smiled wryly and waved both hands dismissively.
"Not at all. I have no intention of preventing Rest from marrying into House Rosemary. Simply think of it as increasing the number of titles and domains your future children can inherit."
In other words... Rest would hold both the position as head of House Rosemary and that of the newly established viscount's house.
For high-ranking nobles, holding multiple titles was not uncommon.
"Regarding the domain... one-third of the Sabnock Plains that will be developed in the future will be granted to Rest. The remaining two-thirds will be divided among the royal family and other noble houses. Lord Lubeth, who accompanied Rest in the subjugation of Sabnock, will also be granted the title of 'Baron' along with a domain, in recognition of his second-greatest contribution. A formal investiture ceremony will be held at the royal palace at a later date."
The sword saint who despised women... Wilhelm Lubeth.
It seemed he too would be able to rise in rank thanks to his contributions this time.
*(So he's taken one step closer to becoming knight commander... That's something to celebrate.)* "A third of the plains. That's a remarkably generous allocation."
Yuri, who had been listening from the side, wore a puzzled expression.
"Defeating the enemy's general certainly warrants a handsome reward... but isn't 'Viscount' a bit low for that?"
The size of the domain being granted didn't match the title rank.
Given that they were being granted a third of the plains—a vast stretch of land—the appropriate title would be at least Count or higher.
Following Yuri's words, Primula, who was beside Rest, also raised her hand.
"What Yuri says is correct. Furthermore... even with House Rosemary as a backer, won't there be many people who grow jealous if Rest, a commoner, is suddenly given such a large domain?"
Primula spoke with a worried expression.
Even just the fact that Rest, a commoner, had inherited House Rosemary had already sparked envy in many quarters.
If he were to be granted such an extensive territory as well, other nobles might subject him to relentless harassment.
"There is no problem. The major noble houses close to the royal family are slated to receive portions of the land as well. Moreover... any noble who openly defies the royal family's decision will likely be removed altogether in the near future."
"Removed...?"
What did that mean?
When Rest looked a question at her, Celestine spoke with a somewhat exasperated expression on her face.
"The leader of the anti-establishment faction... Marquis Eiger, has launched a rebellion. He is using Third Prince Rodele as his standard and has declared war on the royal family."