Chapter 22 \n<h1>Master of the Brave (Part 1 Epilogue)</h1>\n
It was in the Cliffdorf estate at the imperial capital.
Many luxurious carriages were lined up before the gate, and from within them, noblemen all filed into the estate.In the hall, an orchestra the marquis hired performed, while extravagant dishes and delicacies were served on a buffet table.The table was also lavishly decorated with fresh flowers, giving off a resplendent image.The dressed-up men and women engaged in small talk, and danced to the orchestraâs music, as waiters moved among them, offering the guests wine and juice.
âJade-dono, were you promoted for having saved Her Highness the Imperial Princess?â
âAs expected of General Cliffdorfâs son. The family is peerless.â
âTruly so. Also, the empire is safe again.â
Surrounded by the flattering smiles and comments of the nobles around him, Jade looked down at the glass of wine in his hand.
âNo, no, I was able to rescue Her Highness the Imperial Princess, but I didnât liberate the capital. I have come to realize that I am powerless.â
âIn those circumstances, there was no way you could have done that. Rather, for even only having saved Her Highness the Imperial Princess, you deserve a substantial reward.â
Jade showed a relieved expression as the nobles surrounding him unanimously affirmed that statement.
âSince everybody is saying such things, I feel relieved from the bottom of my heart[1]. As I am still inexperienced, from now on, I will continue to respect everybodyâs guidance.â
Jade frowned as he watched his father, Marquis Welt van Cliffdorf, on his feet, pacing back and forth.They had successfully taken custody of Cornelia and were headed to the Cliffdorfâs vacation estate.As they had summoned their knights to receive the princess, they received news that the coup was suppressed.
âWhy!? They had occupied the fort. They activated the magic-sealing barrier.Theywould gain control of all of the empireâs institutions. Everything would have succeeded, but why did the coup fail?â
âSomehow, that Brave Mavis, intervened.â[3]
âThe Brave intervened in a fight between humans!? Shouldnât the Brave have been watched, or otherwise kept in check by the Seven-fold barrier formation? I thought they had used a demon! That incompetent Zaunas!â[4]
It was Welt, though his subordinates, who had introduced the black-hooded demon to Zaunas, who had feared the Braveâs intervention. [5]Trusting in his subordinates, and not knowing that Welt had intervened, Zaunas was manipulated into using the the demonâs Seven-fold Barrier Formation as the countermeasure to the Brave that he was searching for.Of course, Zaunas needed enough determination to borrow the strength of his mortal enemies, the demons.After hesitating for a while, he borrowed the power of the demon, in order to check the strength of the Brave, Leticia van Mavis.However, they were still unable to seal her with that much.
âWe stayed on the sidelines, knowing the insurgents were gathering an army! Furthermore, using Princess Cornelia, we would have an excuse to attack the capital!â
After the insurgents harmed the imperial family, he could say that he raised an army by using under Princess Corneliaâs banner.But with only an excuse, the Cliffdorf House would lose influence.However, unlike the impatient Welt, Jade wore a slight smile.
âThatâs not it, Father. I had taken Princess Cornelia into our protection.â
âI guess so⊠Then we should hold a banquet.â
âBanquet?â
âThatâs right. At the suggestion of Father, the Knight Order Commander, we will invite those who were meritorious.â
âYou mean, Brave Mavis, too?â
âWe had sheltered Her Highness Cornelia, and raised an army to liberate the capital, but the Brave had quelled the rebellion first. When we invite Brave Mavis to the banquet, you, Father, will congratulate her along with the Princess. This will give the other nobles, and the populace the impression that we, the Cliffdorf House, worked alongside the Brave.â
In the end, Welt approved of Jadeâs plan and held a banquet.Thanks to their prior knowledge of the coup, the nobles of the marquis faction, and those belonging to the military did not come to any real harm.On the other hand, their rivals, especially the Reinhardt Marquisate, which had lost their eldest son, had been weakened.In this incident, many influential people lost their lives.Though it wasnât the best outcome for the Cliffdorf marquisate, it was an acceptable outcome.The only problem was to explain why the Cliffdorf House was the only faction who didnât sustain any substantial harm.Despite this, there would be no influential people in the other weakened factions who could pursue the matter.But they still had to pay attention to this matter.Inviting the Brave and the royalty to the banquet would the cement the perception of the Cliffdorf as the foundation of the empire.Due to the subordinate nobles, they had skillfully manipulated the perceptions.Jade took a sip of the wineglass that he was looking at, and then greeted the arriving nobles with a refreshing smile.
It wasnât just the principal nobles, but the nobles of allied nations were also presentâ
âOh! Your Highness!â
A loud voice echoed through the hall.Everybodyâs eyes moved to the entrance of the hall.Smiling as he entered, it was the 11th generation Emperor of the Remulshil Empire, Alexei Raul Lute Remulshil.His daughter, Cornelia accompanied him.The organizer of the banquet, Welt, hastened to kneel down and bow before the two.Taking that cue, the whole hall knelt down.
âIt is our highest honour to receive Your Highness at our mansion.â
âUmu. It is because your son has helped Our[6]Â daughter. When the father of that hero invited us, We couldnât not go.â
âI am delighted to hear such gracious words. I am sure that the Princess was also worried by this incident.â\n
âNo⊠Thanks to the Marquis, I was not injured.â
Cornelia bowed.She used her willpower to maintain her smile.
âThis evening, the people assembled here have rendered distinguished service. Please extend their thanks to them, Your Highness.â
âIs that soâŠâ
Maintaining her smile, Cornelia wanted to immediately take her eyes off of this man.
âThat is so. Let us leave these matters for later. You may all stand. You have taken great pains in preparing this banquet. You may all enjoy yourselves.â
Bowing once more at Alexeiâs words, they all stood.The hall became filled with sound.Welt raised his hands, and the orchestra that had stopped playing when Alexei entered began playing again, filling the hall with music.Welt nodded, satisfied, and turned towards Alexei and Cornelia.Ignoring the plodding Welt, who continued to greet people, Cornelia quickly glanced around the room.She had been told that Wynn and Locke survived, but since then, Cornelia, having been shut inside the castle, was unable to meet them.At the banquet, she had heard that many of the people who had played a big role were invited.That was why, the ten or so students who survived the subjugation mission were invited, or so she heard.In her group, apart from her, there were no more than four students who survived.Though they should have been in that hall, but she couldnât see the figures of Wynn and Locke.Before she knew it, Cornelia was surrounded by nobles coming to greet her one by one.They wanted to make connections with the person who was second in line to the throne.There were also nobles who introduced their sons to her.Listening to those flowery words, in which their intentions were plainly visible, she struggled to maintain her deteriorating smile with all her will, while searching for a glimpse of those two through the gaps in the crowd.
âHey, why are we here in a place like this?â
âIsnât it pretty much because we survived? At least you look fine, Locke. But with this being my first time, what should I do?â
âYou ninny[7]. If you want to become a knight, experiencing this sort of place is a must, no? Well, did you think it was fine just to study diligently?â
The students that had survived the subjugation mission.
Including Wynn and Locke, four people from their group survived, but several students from the groups deployed to the fort also survived.That was why they were invited to the banquet.Though they were students, they were also nobles.Only by obtaining the appropriate clothes, Locke was making acquaintances with the nobles.Also, Locke was the son of a wealthy family.Since he had experience with high society, he didnât feel out of place.Wynn felt out of place, being the only one wearing the knight school uniform.Of course, the uniform was worn for ceremonial purposes, so it didnât look strange in this place, but he stood out as the only one wearing it.Unable to just let it be, Locke had arranged for clothes for him, but Wynn refused it, saying that the uniform was fine.
Now, he slightly regretted it.
At the beginning of the banquet, Locke also conversed with nobles he knew, and prominent merchants who were potential trade partners, whom Locke could not ignore, and exchanged greetings with them.Left alone, Wynn had nobody to talk to.In the end, there was nothing else Wynn could do other than reach for the food on the table.However, since it was a banquet, he treated himself to the foods that he normally couldnât eat.He smacked his lips as he ate.
âPoor peasants also have poor eating manners.Donât believe that you belong here.â
While he was eating, somebody called out to Wynn, who was gazing at the dressed-up nobles.
âJadeâŠâ
âOutside the school, itâs Lord Cliffdorf to you. Well, since youâre a commoner, I can disregard a little impoliteness.â
Leading his lackeys closer, Jade made a faint smile.
âAt any rate, so you also survived, huh.âitalics for disdainâŠ
âCockroaches sure are tenaciousâŠâ
âIf only for their resilience, they deserve some respect.â
They pointed scornful gazes at him.However, in that place, they were nobles.Wynn stood upright without moving, and wordlessly received their words.
âThe group that caused the coup, were a bunch of plebeian knights like you. Commoners who defend His Highness the Emperor, are a burden.â
âIt is as Jade-sama said.â
âAs expected, an honourable job like knighthood should be given only to we of high nobility.â
Jade nodded in agreement at his followerâs words.
âThatâs right. As Father has advised me, I have reported this to His Highness. Commoners really are just a liability.â
With a smirk, Jade and his lackeys turned their backs on Wynn.Wynn remained standing upright, looking at their backs.His face betrayed no emotions, but both his fists were tightly clenched.
The departing Jade stopped in his tracks.Before they knew it, the orchestra had stopped playing, and everybodyâs eyes gathered on the entrance.Wearing a simple, neat dress that was in no way gaudy, a girl had entered the room.Though she hadnât yet reached maturity, with her blond hair arranged, everybody let out a sigh upon seeing her divine beauty.The attention everybody paid to their own countryâs Emperor Alexei, and even Princess Cornelia, paled in comparison to that overwhelming presence.
It was Leticia van Mavis, the Brave.
She had entered with her Father, Duke Mavis, Lady Mavis, and also her siblings. \nThe whole ducal family moved towards Alexei, and knelt before him.Among them, only Leticia remained standing, holding her dress in a slight curtsy.Blessed by Goddess Anastasia, she was above the authority of humanity, and so she need not bow to any king of a country.
âWe are extremely sorry for being late. Good day, Your Highness.â
âItâs a banquet. Donât be so formal, Duke Mavis.â
Alexei took Duke Mavisâs hand, and helped him up.
âIt has been a while, Brave-dono.â
âYou havenât changed, Your Highness.â[8]
Leticia smiled.Leticia then looked towards Cornelia and greeted her.Cornelia also returned the greeting.
âThis is, His Excellency Duke Mavis, and this is Brave-sama. Welcome to my estate.â
Shamelessly breaking into the conversation between the Emperor, the Ducal House, and the Braveâs conversation without minding the situation, Welt approached with his arms held out wide,
âThanks to Brave-samaâs efforts, we were able to stop the lowly insurgentsâ schemes. Well, we had also raised an army in the defense of His Highness and the capital, but thanks to Brave-samaâs swift action, we were only able to rescue Princess Cornelia. As expected of Brave-sama.â
âIt will become another chapter in the legendary history of the Brave, Leticia van Mavis.â
âApart from being the Brave who slew the Demon Lord, you are now also a patriotic Hero who saved the country.â
The other nobles who were looking on, added words of praise.Acknowledging their words, Alexei once again turned to Leticia.
âBrave-dono. In appreciation of your deeds, I had wanted to reward you, but you already have status, so We cannot think of anything else we can give you. You have not changed your mind about marrying Prince Alfred, have you?â
âI am pleased that you value me highly, butâŠâ
âBesides, the person who did the most work this time was not me. Somebody else was the one who accomplished the deed.â
âHou⊠If Brave-dono goes so far to say it like that, then We would like to greet that other person.â
âThatâs right. I believe it is the right time for me to introduce him to Your Highness.â
Leticia turned around. walking in front of Alexei.
âHmm? A more distinguished person? Who is it?â
Welt, who was unable to conceal the smile of having obtained power, felt a tinge of doubt at Leticiaâs words.Who was the person who had done more than the Brave, who had defeated Zaunas and stopped the battle between the knight order and the insurgents?If this went awry, the Cliffdorf factionâs influence would be diminished, and an obstacle might appear.If that happened, then he would need to take measures against that person.[?1?]Welt, who trailed behind Leticia and Alexei, was deep in thought.The nobles stepped aside before Leticia, forming a path.The nobles who had stepped aside followed the gazes of the Brave and their Emperor.Among the several ecstatic young nobles, a plain-looking youth wearing a school uniform stood there with a bewildered expression on his face.
Dressed in beautiful garments, Leticia, followed by the Emperor, slowly walked towards Wynn.
âEh? Eh? What should I do? Should I kneel?â
He had seen Leticia when she entered the hall, but his childhood friend was instantly surrounded by nobles.It felt like she and the Emperor with whom she talked were a world apart from him, the commoner.Recently, he had avoided doing more than greet her, but he could not even approach her during this banquet setting.The people around them, their gazes moved to the place the Emperor and the Brave were headed towards, but instantly, the crowd broke into a commotion as the people who were in their way moved aside, exposing Wynn, and also Jade and his lackeys, who were standing in front of him.Leticia was leading the Emperor in this direction.
âWhat should I do!?â
He reflexively cried out.Going with the flow, Wynn probably should also step aside.However, since he was originally at the edge of the room, there was nothing behind him other than the wall.Leticia and His Highness shouldnât have any business with a wall, and moreover, Leticiaâs gaze was fixed straight at himself.Locke, who he usually relied on for times like this, was not anywhere near him.
Wynn nervously looked backwards, and saw Jade and the others kneel down gracefully.Flustered by their actions, Wynn also knelt down.
His heart beat furiously.His face, on the other hand, grew pale as the blood drained from his face.The Emperor, who held rights from the heavens, was approaching.His whole body trembled.He couldnât bring himself to look forwards.Apart from the Emperor, eminent nobles followed behind him.Wynn heard the conversations of those nobles.
âOh, is the distinguished person Brave-sama referred to my son, Jade? That is so. He has saved the Princess from the hands of those traitors.â
âSo itâs Marquis Cliffdorfâs son. I have heard that he saved Our daughter, so We were also planning on giving him Our gratitude.â
Wynn could only tell from the presences he felt, but Leticiaâs feet have stopped.In front of her was Jade, who had knelt down.
âJade. This Brave Mavis-sama. You should greet her.â
âIt is nice to meet you. I am called Jade van Cliffdorf. It is an honour to attend the same school as you.â
âNice to meet you too, Mister Cliffdorf.â
âIt may be my parental bias speaking, but my ingenious son, upon hearing of the plot, immediately moved to rescue the princess. As a father, I am proud to have a son like that.â
\nPlease wait as I write the second part.
Translator notes
you donât have to reach that far for the bottomâŠâback This is a flashback.âback I donât really like it, but Brave is now used as a titleâŠâback sitting back and watching people fight againâŠâback In the raw, it is unclear whose subordinates they are, but it might be corrupted subordinates officially under Zaunasâback royal weâback chose an exotic(to me) synonym, affectionate connotation of baka, unlike Jadeâs previous use, translated to imbecileâback I assume this is standard Japanese formalityâŠâback Iâm starting to suspect a lolicon author, and nobles, hereâŠâback Is this how galges work? âObtain her?â This is the theme of escape galge right?âback For the inexperienced, this is a laugh sfxâback Locke, you wingmanâŠâback or maybe with just closing his eyes to calm down?âback