I was foolish.
Yes, I was foolish.
I can only gape in disbelief at the immaturity of myself, whose heart was thrown into chaos by such trifles.
My name is Alfred.
Alfred Machio.
Though I remain an unseasoned man, I have not forgotten the will to glare defiantly at the heavens.
……
I have not forgotten! Would that be better?
I hesitate, just a little.
-0-
Now then, I am in Raywhite Kingdom.
Until now, I was a guest of Raywhite Kingdom.
I was treated as such, and I accepted it.
That was my error.
One cannot learn as a guest.
Why did I come to this country?
To be coddled and praised?
No.
It was for my own growth.
And then, my father spoke.
He spoke for my sake.
Act in your own way.
Thus, I abandon the role of guest.
As a single man, I shall act from this moment onward.
When I declared this to Fushu-san while striking a pose, she answered by cheering me on with a pose even more magnificent than my own.
I feel a resonance of souls, yet to be surpassed by her is… well, somewhat vexing.
I must hone myself.
-0-
The first thing I shall do now that I have ceased to be a guest is……
First, the toilet.
The toilet is not beautiful!
Unbearable!
Until now, being a guest, I did not give it thought……
But now, there is no choice but to create it myself.
I receive spending money from my father and mother.
Then I shall secure materials…… like slime.
It would be best if one were nearby.
If there is none, then the next time I return to the village, I shall take one.
As such thoughts crossed my mind,
Hm?
What is it?
The attendant whom Fushu-san assigned to me calls out, hesitantly.
「Um, where is Alfred-sama?」
What are you saying.
It is I.
「………………………………Alfred-sama?」
Indeed.
「…………My apologies. In Alfred-sama’s absence, the three royal houses are earnestly begging for a chance to offer their apologies. How shall we respond?」
A reply…… a reply, you say.
Hmm.
Very well.
At once.
Summon them.
「Understood. Then, this way please」
This way?
-0-
Was it prepared in advance?
Or were the princes and related parties waiting in the adjoining room?
It was arranged so quickly that such thoughts crossed my mind.
I was surprised.
But to show that in my demeanor would not be beautiful.
Remain calm.
Calm, I say.
Before me stood the three princes from that time, and… the chancellors of their respective nations.
Behind me were Fushu-san, and her son, Mikel-san.
Also present were the priest warrior commander named O’Brien, and his deputy.
This priest warrior commander O’Brien apparently rampaged together with Fushu-san.
I see.
So that is the selection.
Let us end this swiftly.
Before I could open my mouth, the princes called for a halt.
More precisely, one of the chancellors standing behind them stopped things.
And then he said,
「……Who?」
How rude, asking who.
It is Alfred.
「No, your appearance…」
How troublesome.
However, if I mishandle this here, it will only become more troublesome.
As I was pondering how to respond, Fushu-san stepped forward.
「He has grown」
「Grown, you say…」
「He has grown」
Ngh, as expected, Fushu-san’s posing is magnificent.
It is educational.
「S-so this is not a case of treating this person as Alfred…?」
「It is him」
「O’Brien, do you share that view?」
「One can tell at a glance. It is Alfred-dono」
「…V-very well. I will do my best to accept it, even if by force. Sorry for the interruption」
No, no.
Um, then let us proceed to the main point.
An apology.
An apology from the princes, was it.
…Unnecessary.
Ah, yes.
I will not accept your apology.
If one considers the situation carefully, there was no reason you could agree with or praise the words and actions of some suspicious and ill-defined individual.
Even if you say you are apologizing because you could not agree, that can hardly be from the heart.
Such an apology is unnecessary.
Besides, that incident was… my own failure.
I should have first shown my strength, made my efforts known, and only then spoken.
I was at fault for rushing ahead with words alone.
I apologize for disturbing the scene with my unnecessary remarks.
Allow me to offer my apology instead.
Perhaps because I apologized, Fushu-san and O’Brien also apologized.
「We were reckless」
「We should have charged in a little sooner」
……
Um, Fushu-san?
Standing stiff?
And your face is not apologizing at all, is it.
Is that just how apologies are around here?
And O’Brien, you are apologizing for something else entirely, aren’t you?
Aren’t you supposed to be apologizing for disturbing the scene?
Look, Mikel-san and the deputy are even scolding you.
It is true that you ruined the banquet they went to the trouble of preparing.
W-well, fine.
This concludes the matter.
Just as I was about to bring the discussion to a close, the princes, who had remained silent until now, protested.
「W-wait!」
「This is not over yet!」
「Listen to what we have to say…」
Eeh.
Ah, the chancellors standing behind them each struck the princes on the head to stop them.
Um, it seems the chancellors understood the intent of our apology, so they will likely explain things to the princes later.
Indeed.
Then this matter is concluded.
-0-
The matter did not end.
Troublesome.
But after training with Fushu-san and O’Brien, it somehow worked out.
Why, I wonder?
Well, the princes are helping with improving the toilet conditions of Raywhite Kingdom, as well as with cooking and the creation of fields, so it is a great help.
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