The road to the North was anything but smooth.
Perhaps due to the harsh environment,
even though it was a regular road, there were noticeable spots where the road was damaged or muddy.
If we were ordinary merchants, we would have been in trouble if our wheels got stuck in the mud and had no way to get them out...

"Oh dear. Is the wheel stuck? Let’s all get down for a moment..."
"No, there’s no need to go through the trouble of getting down. Please wait a moment."
"...?"
"One, two, three!"

With a yawn, Sylvia grabbed the carriage with one hand as if it was bothersome.
With a heave, the carriage tilted greatly and emerged from the mud.
In the process, the horses pulling the carriage were left hanging in the air, looking bewildered.
It truly was an unimaginable display of strength.

Just when I thought we were on our way again...

"Sniff, sniff. Bandits ahead."
"...What?"
"Yuria, I’m going out to intercept. Keep an eye on my back."
"Yes, Instructor."

As if she had caught a scent, Sylvia jumped off the moving carriage.
Following her, Yuria also naturally got off the carriage.
Where could the bandits be?

A moment later.
With a loud thud! I was startled to see Sylvia and Yuria smoothly opening the door of the moving carriage and climbing back in.

"We’ve dealt with the bandits, so you don’t need to worry."
"Oh. I’m not worried at all. Rather, I’m worried about those bandits."
"You don’t need to worry about them either. There were no casualties."
"..."

I couldn’t help but chuckle at Sylvia and Yuria’s calm demeanor.
Was an ambush by bandits usually like this?
Didn’t they suddenly appear to block the road, arrows flying, creating chaos?
I never expected it to end without even seeing the bandits’ faces.

'They’re reassuring to the point of being overly reassuring.'

Now that I think about it, the lineup of the escort team was quite impressive.
There was a sword expert from the hero candidate program, a hero-in-training, and even an inexperienced necromancer and dark knight.
With all of Vermont’s forces gathered, they were as powerful as any decent army.

It felt like such a waste that they were being paid so little for this kind of power.
Once their name value goes up a bit, it wouldn’t be strange for the fees per request to reach hundreds of thousands.
My dream is to have them gain fame quickly and earn enough money to live comfortably for the rest of my life.

A wife who earns a lot of money.
A husband who’s a stay-at-home dad.
Ahh.

"We’ll be arriving soon."

At the coachman’s announcement, I pulled back the curtains.
What lay ahead was a towering cliff.
No, it wasn’t a cliff; it was a castle wall.

"Wow! It’s so high...!"
"Did a person really build that?"

Charlotte and Yuria were glued to the window, continuously exclaiming in awe.
Yuria seemed to be hesitating about something.
She probably wanted to look outside too, joining in.

'Don’t act so robotic.'

I nudged Yuria’s back, and she jumped back in surprise.
Shashashak.
She shrank back, glaring through the eye holes of her mask as if asking what I was touching.
Ah, right. I had to treat this one like a girl...

I keep forgetting.
Get a grip, you brat.

"We’re about to meet the Duke of the North. Be careful not to be rude."
"Yes!"
"Understood. ...Yes."

With the children’s energetic responses,
the carriage approached the castle gate.
As soon as we confirmed the Vermont crest, the castle gate creaked open.

'The security seems more lax than I expected?'

...Just as I thought that,
upon passing through the castle gate, we arrived in an enclosed area surrounded by another castle wall.
Bang, the gate closed behind us, and we were effectively surrounded.

They must have a separate security search area inside.
Thorough.
It wouldn’t be surprising to call this a formidable fortress city.

Should I get down now?
First, I stretched my arms and grabbed Charlotte’s waist to help her down.
Then I forcibly lifted Yuria, who was struggling to gracefully grab my hand to get down.
...As a result, Yuria's cheeks puffed out.

"Ugh..."

She seemed to want to express her annoyance, but was holding back, fearing it would be disrespectful to the Duke of the North.
What a commendable girl.
Quickly, I poked Yuria’s cheek, and her face turned red with irritation.

"Aslan...!"
"Your Grace the Duke has arrived!"

Yuria's irritated voice was drowned out by the booming announcement.
At that moment, the opposite door opened, revealing a large, well-built, kind-looking middle-aged man.

It was the Duke of the North,
Richard Friedrich.
As Sylvia and I knelt on one knee, Charlotte and Yuria followed suit after observing the situation.

"Hohoho! It’s delightful to have such honored guests! Rise quickly! The ground is quite cold!"
"Yes. It is an honor to meet Your Grace. We are always grateful for your hard work."
"Don’t be so stiff. The soldiers have enough discipline as it is."

His cheerful personality made him feel like the friendly neighbor next door.
That said, it didn’t mean he lacked majesty.
Behind his seemingly relaxed demeanor lay confidence and strength.
He possessed the regal presence befitting a member of the royal family trained in the art of kingship.

"Is this the entirety of the escort forces you brought?"
"Yes. Three peers as escorts, and one of my personal knights make up the entire group."
"Hmm. I thought you’d bring one or two peers as escorts for Merilda and fill the rest with proper guards..."

"Have you heard about the monster rampage that happened in the Arient territory?"
"I’ve heard. I was worried since it caused chaos in an area not known for monsters. I was told Vermont handled it well."
"The people who performed admirably during that incident are all here now."
"Hoho! If that’s the case, then I shouldn’t doubt the quality of the escort anymore! My apologies!"

With a hearty laugh, the Duke of the North gave my shoulder a friendly pat.
To him, it may have seemed like a casual display of camaraderie,
but I felt like I had been struck with a sledgehammer.
He truly was a man of impressive stature.

"What’s this? Looking so frail, I wonder if you can act like a man. Eat some meat! Eat! Don’t skip the feast!"
"Yes. I will attend with gratitude."
"Hohoho! Greet them, you lot! Why are you standing there looking dumbfounded?"

Suddenly, the door leading to the inner sanctum opened,
and as if they had been waiting, nine young men bowed their waists with grace and greeted me.
They were young men with curly blond hair, strikingly similar to the Duke of the North.

"My sons! Aren’t they splendid? Hohoho!"
"They’re tall and handsome. They’re promising young men."
"They’re just good for brawling; they have no other talents... But the youngest daughter is different! Oh! My darling Merilda has a sharp mind, and without much instruction, she’s already opened her eyes to magic..."

In a moment of distraction, the conversation shifted toward the princess.
The Duke of the North started boasting with enthusiasm, practically drooling over his daughter.
His sons nodded along, chiming in as they supported him.

Even just hearing it briefly, I began to feel dizzy, realizing how overwhelming this situation was.
It was in that moment I truly understood why he was nicknamed the doting father of a daughter and the indulgent brother.

"...But why hasn’t Merilda come out yet? I distinctly remember telling her to get ready for the arrival of Count Vermont."
"Well, father, she’s been ready for a while, but it seems she has no intention of coming out of the garden..."
"Hohoho. I’m truly sorry. Our youngest daughter is quite shy."

The Duke of the North, looking quite troubled, wore an awkward smile.
This is starting to look like it could get complicated.
Having doted on a daughter he obtained after so many sons, he raised her with too much indulgence, resulting in her being a stubborn little brat.
And it seemed that neither the Duke nor the brothers had any intention of correcting her behavior.

Young escorts, huh.
If it weren’t for Charlotte and Yulia being here,
I might not have been able to escape.

"This is bad..."
"Charlotte, is she whining to us...?"

Turning around, I found Charlotte and Yulia whispering to each other, worry etched on their faces.
The fact that the target of our close escort was a noble peer already put a heavy burden on us.
And now to discover that this girl had grown up pampered as the darling of the entire city, with a high and mighty attitude?
Charlotte and Yulia’s faces turned pale with anxiety.

'Making money is really this hard.'

In reality, the hardest thing in the world is human relationships.
To earn money, I guess this kind of suffering is necessary.
Letting out a deep sigh, I was just about to step inside.

"Papa!"
"Oh, my darling! Has Merilda arrived?"
"Are those people from Vermont Security? I told you to send them back...!"
"Oh dear. Don’t be like that. They’re here to escort you to the academy."

Strolling in proudly while grabbing her skirt was a girl with twin braided golden hair, screaming at the top of her lungs.
In response, the Duke of the North crouched down almost to the floor, trying to meet her gaze at eye level.
This is maddening.
It seemed like the road ahead for the escorting would be even more challenging and stress-inducing than expected.

...That was my thought.

"Listening to you, I hired peers to escort you!"
"Are you kidding me! What will happen if you really bring them! I told you not to get an escort on purpose, I was just saying nonsense! Why on earth is there a peer escort in this world!!!"
"Hoho. You say that again. If our daughter stays in Esther, it’s very dangerous."
"What’s dangerous about it! In the last 100 years, no one has died from monster attacks, let alone break-ins! How much did you spend to hire these escorts? Huh?"
"That’s something our daughter doesn’t need to worry about..."
"We’re already struggling financially, why are you spending so much on escorts! It’s practically a vacation for you at the academy under the pretense of seeking refuge! While the citizens work hard even in this cold weather, you want me to play with their taxes in the warm south? Using up our strategic resources for war horses? No! I’m not going! I’ve said it clearly, Dad! So send these people back!"
"Merilda..."

Bang bang bang!
Merilda stomped out angrily, her footsteps heavy.
Watching Merilda’s retreating figure, the Duke of the North fell down and started wailing.
The sight of that massive back was truly pitiful.

'So it’s just that foolish dad and brothers who are the problem...'

A throbbing headache began to set in.
No matter how I looked at it, the princess seemed normal, while everyone else seemed abnormal...