Reincarnation of a Hunter

 

Then the knight, Lawrence, made a dumbfounded sound.

 “Eh, my lord?” 

In his place stood my father, the lord of this land, Count Michael Marcel Westphalia.

 

The presence of my father brought him to his senses, and he sheathed his longsword and stepped back. 

 

He didn’t know what kind of ill-will he might provoke. Naturally, there was a moment of silence.

 

It was my father, Count Michael, who broke the silence.

 “Eric, what’s all the fuss about?” 

He said, calling me by name. It had been so long since he remembered my name.

 “I have a matter to report to my lord. It’s urgent and important.” 

I spoke quickly, and he looked me in the face.

 “Have you been practicing your sword?” 

He must have seen our fight from the beginning.

 “Yes, my lord. It’s a pity…” 

My father said, his voice tinged with a mixed emotion. I couldn’t tell if it was pity or regret.

 

Perhaps it was the omission of the sentence,

‘not having the gift of knighthood’.

 

As far as I’m concerned, if I had the talents of an Auror, I might have been a Swordmaster before.

 

My father turned and spoke again,

“Follow me.” 

We walked to the office, and he sat down on the couch. He asked for the report.

 “Come on, tell me, you said it was urgent.” “Yes, my lord. The procession of tax collectors I was with was attacked, all poisoned and zombified by warlocks of unknown alliance.” 

My father leans back on the couch, muttering to himself.

 “Warlocks…” 

He rubbed his chin, paused, and then looked at me.

 “How are you still alive?” “We must haven’t eaten any poisoned meals.” 

My father continued to ask without any change in his expression.

 “I see. But what do you think happened?” 

I was surprised by his question. He’s not even worried that his son must have eaten poison, and yet, wanted my opinion.

 

‘That’s ridiculous. And why do you ask? You should be the one to judge.’

 

When I didn’t answer, my father spoke up again.

 “Don’t you have an opinion?”

he asked.

 

I knew it was a provocation, but I couldn’t let him get away with it.

 “I think Pfalz has been playing tricks on you.” 

The Palatinate was a neighboring province of Westphalia, and relations between the two were bad.

 

In particular, there was a dispute over the village of Siegen, which the Pfalz claimed used to belong to them, and they wanted it back.

 “What do you think they’re planning to do?” “I think it’s going to be some sort of conflict localization. Specifically, they’re going to call in the priests of the Sun Cult, show them a bunch of zombified tax collectors, and play a public relations game.” “A publicity stunt?” “They’ll make it sound as if this unholy thing is happening because Westphalia rules Siegen, and if it gets out of hand, they’ll either station troops to absorb Siegen and the neighborhoods, or they’ll engage in some localized warfare.” 

If the answer was good enough, the next thing he would be asking…

 “What if we apply to the imperial court for mediation?” “The imperial family is a devoted member of the Sun God religion, so there’s a chance they might favor the Palatinate this time.” 

My father frowned because it did not like what he heard.

 “Then tell me what we can do about it.” “There are two short-term responses. First, destroy the evidence. We leave right now, burn their zombified bodies and camps, and pretend we didn’t see them. Second, is bribery. We’ll need to make a large donation to the Cardinal, and he’ll turn neutral. I’d advise doing both at the same time.” 

Taking a breath and continued

, 

 “And if we can, it’s best to capture the warlocks and hand them over to the Cardinal, if that improves his rank, he’ll side with us.” 

He stared at me, not expecting me to answer so well, and then rang the handbell on his desk.

 — Ding, dong, ding! 

Soon, a servant heard the bell and came in.

 “Bring me the captain of the knights.” “Yes, my lord.” 

The servant hurried off somewhere, and my father came to stand in front of me.

 

He took both my arms in his hands and looked me in the face.

 ‘Ugh, why are you acting like this all of a sudden, embarrassing me.’“You’ve grown so much.” “My lord’s grace.” 

My father was a slender 170 centimeters tall and I, on the other hand, was 185 centimeters tall and strong. I couldn’t remember the last time we stood face to face-like this. I was much smaller then.

 “Stop calling me lord. You may call me father now.” “Yes… Father.” 

‘Summer flew by, is this guy suddenly having a heat wave?’

 

After an aptitude test at the age of three, we rarely had a private conversation.

 

And on top of that, I had to call him Father. It’s the first time I’ve ever called him that in my life.

 “When is your coming-of-age?” “The 10th of next month. It’s about two weeks away.” 

He doesn’t even remember his son’s birthday. His lack of interest in me was more funny than frustrating. Maybe it’s because I’m a pretty worldly person myself.

 

He nodded, checked the calendar on his desk, and then spoke again.

 “The destruction of evidence, I will send the knights himself. May I leave it to you to meet with the Cardinal?” 

I’ve been riding all night, and I’m traveling again. I didn’t like it, but it’s part of the job of the manor I live in.

 

Likewise, I accepted it for the sake of my peaceful and comfortable future.

 “Yes, I will prepare to leave immediately.” “Tell the chamberlain what you need.” 

I bowed to my father and left. I wasted no time in gossiping with Lawrence the Knight. It was such a busy day.

 

I headed straight for the chamberlain’s office.

 

The chamberlain greeted me as if he had just arrived for work.

 “Master, what are you doing here…” “The Lord will call for you, please take care of something I’m marking down here.” 

He didn’t answer, but I quickly drew the location of the camp and the warlocks’ bodies on a blank sheet of paper.

 “What is this?” “They’re sending knights here. You can give it to your lord or the captain of the knights.” “I will.” “I… and.” “As you wish.” 

I cleared my throat in embarrassment and continued,

“Ahem. I’d like some travel expenses and a fund for a bribe.” “What?”