Cedric and Letia opened their eyes wide in surprise. The Captain of the Royal Guard was known to be the strongest knight in the country, and it was also well-known that she was a duke's daughter. The fact that this duke's daughter was hugging and calling a ten-year-old boy "Master" was shocking.
"Tifaana! You're not supposed to say that we're engaged, it's a secret!"
Kain stopped Tifaana.
"Engaged!!!!???"
At these words, Cedric and Letia were even more surprised.
"Oh, I shouldn't have said that."
Kain regretted his slip of the tongue.
"So it was the rumored Kain, or should I say Baron Kain?"
Edin's words made Cedric and Letia freeze.
"Baron Kain...?"
Cedric whispered.
"What? You didn't know? Baron Kain was ennobled at the age of five for single-handedly exterminating thirty orcs when Princess Therestia and Duke Eric's daughter Silk were attacked by a group of orcs. Moreover, he is the son of Garm von Silford, the Margrave."
"Wait, he was just a commoner... and the Margrave's son..."
Cedric's face turned pale.
"I didn't want to be treated as a noble, so I registered as just Kain. Let me introduce myself again, I am Baron Kain von Silford."
At these words, Cedric's face turned from pale to white.
"And when Tifaana and I get married, I'll become your brother-in-law."
Edin said with a full smile.
"Whaaaaat!!!!"
Kain was surprised by these words. It was the biggest surprise of the day. He remembered that Tifaana had called him "brother" when she entered the room.
"That's how it is, understood? Cedric, Letia."
When Edin said this, Cedric trembled and prostrated himself before Kain.
"I apologize for my earlier behavior. I will be more careful in the future, so please forgive me for my disrespect."
He bowed his head to the floor in apology.
"Tifaana, what is 'disrespect'?"
Kain, who didn't know, asked Tifaana.
"It's a law that allows nobles and royals to punish commoners who speak rudely to them. Noble heirs and children don't have this authority, but since Kain is an independent noble, it applies to him."
Tifaana explained honestly.
"Hmm. I didn't know such a law existed. I won't do anything like that, so it's fine, Mr. Cedric. Please get up."
But Cedric remained prostrated and didn't lift his head.
"Kain said it's fine, so sit down."
At the words of both of them, Cedric finally got up and sat down as Edin instructed.
"Baron Kain, I apologize for my earlier behavior."
Cedric apologized again, placing his hands on the table.
"It's fine now. Just make sure you don't do the same thing again in the future, to anyone."
Kain emphasized to Cedric.
"Of course. I won't repeat it. I will be more careful in the future."
"Then, can you take the lizards?"
For Kain, this was more important.
"The lizards' tails are the required delivery. However, since they are covered in scales that can be used for armor, they can be taken whole."
Letia, standing next to the still pale and frozen Cedric, answered.
"Then, I'll give you the goblin ears and ten lizards."
"Understood, I'll handle it."
"By the way, a G-rank rookie bringing in fifty goblins and ten lizards can't be left as is. I'll upgrade your rank and apologize for the inconvenience. C-rank should be appropriate for this."
Guild Master Edin said this. If he raised Kain to C-rank, Kain would be grateful, as there were no proper quests at G-rank.
"Oh, Master, you delivered a ground dragon to the knights when you were five. And there's a red dragon trophy in our house, which you also defeated when you were five. By the way, we often have mock battles, and you're stronger than me."
Tifaana said something unnecessary.
"Ground dragon!? Red dragon!? Those are A-class and SS-class monsters! And you're stronger than Captain Tifaana..."
Letia was even more surprised.
"In that case, I need to reconsider your rank. Ideally, A-rank would be appropriate, but to reach B-rank and above, you need a record of defeating bandits. You can't protect people if you can't kill. By the way, for S-rank and above, you need to apply to the country and get permission. For A-rank, you just need to report."
Edin folded his arms in thought.
"Hmm. I might need to ask you for some favors in the future, so let's make it A-rank. As Baron Kain, the country won't complain about the reports. Of course, you'll need to defeat bandits."
Edin made a proposal.
"That's not necessary... Can I just capture the bandits and turn them in?"
Kain asked Edin.
"That's fine too. Bandits will be sent to the mines as criminal slaves, and capturing them will increase the reward."
"Understood. That's fine."
"From now on, I'd like you to take on my designated quests. So, A-rank it is. I'll register you as A-rank using the authority of the capital guild master. Letia, take care of the procedures."
"Understood."
Letia took the guild card Kain had just received and left the room with Cedric, who apparently needed to approve it. The room was left with Edin, Tifaana, and Kain.
"Kain, please take care of my mischievous sister. I'm the only one in the capital with my sister Tifaana, as the eldest son is the heir and stays in the territory."
Edin bowed.
"What do you mean by 'mischievous'? I just wanted a strong opponent."
Tifaana puffed her cheeks in anger.
"Please stand up. I also ask for your cooperation."
Kain bowed in return.
"Still, I was surprised when Tifaana suddenly reported that she had found a marriage partner. Really. And he's only five years old. I was surprised at first, but when I met you today, Kain, I felt I could entrust her to you."
"I appreciate that. I was also surprised when I suddenly became engaged to three people."
"That's true. I heard from my sister that it was Princess Therestia and Duke Eric's daughter Silk. I was also surprised when I heard that. I thought, is this really okay for my sister?"
"Exactly! Even you say that, brother!"
Tifaana puffed her cheeks again.
After a while of chatting, there was a knock on the door.
"Excuse me. Kain's guild card is ready."
Letia brought the card and the reward for the quests.
"This is your new card."
She presented a golden A-rank guild card. When Kain took it and infused it with magic, his name and rank appeared.
"That's perfect. I might give you designated quests in the future, so please cooperate."
Edin stood up and offered a handshake. Kain also stood up and shook hands.
"Then, I'll leave."
Kain said and left the room. Tifaana followed him for some reason.
"I'm going back to the knights."
Kain and Tifaana left the adventurer's guild and returned to the noble district together.
"I'm back. I just got back."
He parted ways with Tifaana and returned to his mansion.
"Welcome back. Did you complete the guild registration?"
Sylvia was waiting for him.
"Yes, I did. A lot happened, and I suddenly became A-rank."
He showed her the golden card.
"It's not surprising for Kain."
Sylvia smiled. Normally, this would be impossible, but Sylvia was generally blind to Kain's capabilities.
"It's impossible normally..."
Coran muttered from behind.
"Let's study for the academy entrance exam soon. Dinner will be ready soon, so I'll prepare it. Please change your clothes, Kain. I'll call you when it's ready."
She added and returned to her work.
A few days later, at the royal palace, Magna the Chancellor was reviewing and approving documents. He found one and opened his eyes wide, then rushed to the king's office with it.
"Your Majesty, look at this!"
"What is it? Why the rush?"
The king took the document and read it, his eyes widening and sighing.
The document was the A-rank registration report from the guild. It explained that Kain had been upgraded from G-rank to A-rank on his first day of registration, and the guild master had vouched for his abilities.