I Got My Engagement Annulled… Even Though We Were Never Engaged - Chapter 21

The day after we finished dismantling the griffin.

To prevent the materials from spoiling, we cast preservation magic, and Fevan-sama and I decided to return to the royal capital.

Although Fevan-sama still had vacation time left, we figured the news of us defeating the griffin would eventually spread, so it would be better to return to the royal capital before things got noisy.

After all, when you defeat a high-ranking monster like a griffin, you’re expected to offer a portion of the materials to the duke who manages this entire region.

It’s not exactly an obligation, but it’s necessary for maintaining smooth social relations.

After some deliberation, Father decided to offer one large magic stone and the liver said to be good for vitality—to Duke Dauvergne, along with the report of our griffin encounter.

Although Duke Dauvergne resides in the royal capital, the defeat report must be submitted promptly, so we sent a letter yesterday. Given that, word of our successful griffin subjugation would spread through the royal capital in no time. Duke Dauvergne himself would likely make sure of it.

If we took too long to transport the materials to the royal capital, we’d probably get urged, so it’s better to head there before that happens.

“Please give my regards to Duke Dauvergne.”

“I wish Father would go himself.”

“I have my medicine research to attend to.”

I wanted to retort that it was just part of his hobby, but I held back. Saying it would be pointless anyway.

Carrying the items to be offered to Duke Dauvergne and the remaining materials, we headed to the building with the teleportation magic circle.

Unlike the royal capital, this place isn’t very crowded, so if you apply, your turn comes around within a day.

And so, when we teleported to the royal capital with the massive griffin materials, several magic knights were waiting, as if they had been expecting our arrival.

“Captain?”

Fevan-sama called out, his eyes wide, to a middle-aged man wearing a black cloak.

It was Aubrey Belom, Viscount and Captain of the Magic Knights. I’d never met him before, but I knew his name. He’s the third son of the Blond Count family, and a few years ago, he was honored with a peerage for his achievements in the Magic Knights and began using the name Viscount Belom.

Thirty-eight years old and unmarried.

He’s a workaholic, practically married to his job, and an eccentric who rarely attends social parties which also serve as matchmaking opportunities for nobles.

However, thanks to his handsome features and gentle personality, he’s very popular with women. According to my sister, he’s extremely popular among widowed or divorced women and is the number one choice among women of appropriate age seeking remarriage.

Incidentally, the reason he can’t be number one for first marriages is because he publicly states that “women more than five years younger than me look like children.” It’s probably a statement meant to deter various marriage proposals, but since he says it on every possible occasion, women in their late teens to early twenties. the prime marriageable age have long given up on targeting him.

…Indeed, he does have that attractive appearance.

He’s a different kind of handsome from Fevan-sama.

He has black hair and black eyes, giving off a quiet impression, but he doesn’t seem cold. His almond-shaped eyes are narrowed kindly, and his slightly curved lips have an approachable quality.

If Fevan-sama is like a dazzling, glittering chandelier, then Aubrey-sama is more like gentle moonlight.

“My apologies for the suddenness.”

I had been staring without realizing, and Aubrey-sama’s quiet voice made me startle. I hurriedly bent my knees and performed a curtsy.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Viscount Belom. I am Adeline Cambrelive.”

“I am Aubrey Belom. There’s something I’d like to discuss, but if we stay here too long, we’ll be in others’ way. May we move elsewhere?”

“Captain, that’s rather rude, no matter how you look at it.”

“Hmm, I know that, but this is also orders from above.”

The “above” that the Magic Knight Captain refers to is limited.

It’s either the Minister of the Ministry of Magic, who oversees mages and magic knights, or perhaps the Prime Minister or the royal family. Since ministers from other departments shouldn’t be able to order the Magic Knight Captain around, it’s probably instructions from one of them. Still, it’s sudden.

“Adeline, is that alright?”

When Fevan-sama asked me, I nodded, and Aubrey-sama smiled gently.

“Then let’s move.”

With that, Aubrey-sama invoked spatial magic.

The moment I blinked, we had teleported to an unfamiliar place, and Adeline tilted her head in confusion.

When I quietly asked Fevan-sama next to me where we were, he told me, “It’s the reception room of the Magic Knights in the castle.”

…The castle!?

I’m surprised by Aubrey-sama’s magic that teleported us without a magic circle, but I’m even more astonished that we were suddenly brought to the castle.

I am the daughter of Count Cambrelive, but the only time I’ve been to the castle was for the debutante ball.

The castle hosts parties on various occasions, starting with His Majesty’s birthday celebration, but only a select few are invited to castle parties.

In the case of the Cambrelive Count family, it’s either Father or my sister acting as his representative.

Since I don’t work at the castle, I have no reason to frequent it.

Given that, it took me a little time to swallow the shock of being brought to the castle.

Our luggage was transported with us, and the griffin materials were piled up in a corner of the room.

Taking my dazed hand, Fevan-sama had me sit in a chair.

“I apologize for the forceful approach. Ah, I’ll have tea prepared now.”

Aubrey-sama ordered the magic knights who had teleported into the room with us to call a maid and have tea served.

By the time the tea and cookies arrived, I had calmed down. I was surprised, but he is the Magic Knight Captain, so it’s not strange for him to bring us to his department’s reception room. Yes. The location being the castle surprised me, but considering the situation, it’s normal. Normal.

Slowly sipping the fragrant black tea, I looked at Aubrey-sama again.

“Um, so, the reason we were brought here is about the handling of those materials. I assume?”

Father sent a report letter to Duke Dauvergne yesterday. It wouldn’t be strange if the duke had already reported to the castle.

And if the Magic Knight Captain acted immediately, it seems the griffin materials are being taken more seriously than I thought.

“Just as you’ve surmised. Normally, monsters—what hunters do with their materials is their own freedom. Ah, of course, trade with foreign countries is prohibited, but I mean in terms of using or selling the materials themselves.”

“Yes.”

Organizations that buy and sell monster materials must obtain national approval, but if it’s an approved place, hunters are free to bring them wherever they want.

Like Father, using them for his own research materials is fine.

Monsters are considered national property, so trading with foreign countries without going through the nation is forbidden, but within the country, you won’t be penalized for what you do.

However, if the materials are valuable, the story changes a bit.

Of course, they mustn’t forcibly take them from the hunters.

But for materials recognized as problematic if carelessly released into the market, the nation steps in.

…I thought research institutes might put in purchase requests, but it seems it’s beyond that level.

Griffins are A-rank monsters in terms of subjugation difficulty, so I thought they’d be treated similarly to other A-rank monsters, but come to think of it, they’re rarer than others. Since the materials are hard to obtain, their handling might be equivalent to S-rank monsters.

“To be direct, please provide the griffin materials to the nation. Of course, we’ll pay compensation, and you and Count Cambrelive are free to use any parts you wish. I’ve heard there are offerings for Duke Dauvergne, and I don’t intend to stop that either. However, we’d like you to provide all the remaining materials to the nation. Regarding compensation, since we’re making an unreasonable request, we’ll sweeten the deal somewhat. “If you’re going that far, does that mean a behind-the-scenes struggle has already begun?”

When Fevan-sama asked, Aubrey-sama gave a wry smile.

“Yes. The duke has been boasting about it everywhere. Thanks to that, we’re having a hard time keeping the various factions in check. …Given that background, it was decided that it would be better for the Ministry of Magic to purchase them once and then reconsider the distribution. By the way, we want them too. Griffin feathers have high resistance to magical attacks, you see. We want to use them for armor. Incidentally, the Knight Order has also raised their hand. It’s truly a battle for dominance. After all, it’s been twenty years since a griffin was subjugated in our country.”

“It’s been that long?”

“Yes. Griffins usually live on high mountain peaks and such. They rarely come down to human settlements, so encounters are rare. Naturally, there are no fools reckless enough to think of going into griffin territory to subjugate them.”

This griffin happened to choose a place near a human settlement as its breeding ground, which is why we encountered it. In one sense, we were lucky, and in another, unlucky. If ordinary territory citizens had encountered it instead of us, they would have been eaten alive.

“Griffins act in groups within fixed territories. The fact that a griffin pair appeared this time might mean there was a change in leadership somewhere. They probably lost in the struggle for the next boss and were driven out of their territory.”

Nodding at Aubrey-sama’s analysis, I thought there was certainly some truth to it.

Griffins often lay eggs within their territory or nearby. Yet, for one to appear in that forest where there are no griffin territories nearby suggests they might have been driven out.

Griffins driven from their territory often wander in search of a new base. They probably chose that forest simply because it coincided with their egg-laying period; being creatures that prefer high places, they wouldn’t settle in a low area.

The abundance of prey, the egg-laying period. It was the convergence of these factors that led to our encounter in that location.

“And this time, I hear there are griffin eggs too?”

“Yes, well.”

It seemed she was truly close to laying eggs, as during the dismantling, eggs came out from the griffin’s belly. Two of them. Fevan-sama said “just in case” and cast preservation magic on them, so presumably the eggs aren’t dead yet.

“…So, you want them after all.”

Fevan-sama shrugged his shoulders.

“Of course. We definitely want the eggs. Griffins imprint on the first thing they see right after hatching from the egg. If you want a griffin as a familiar, there’s no other way. Having a griffin familiar would be an unprecedented achievement in our country in three hundred years! And also, you see… I like birds!”

Aubrey-sama’s black eyes sparkled with excitement.

Treating a griffin as equivalent to a “bird” in the whole wide world, only Aubrey-sama would do that.

Which means, then. Aubrey-sama wants to hatch the griffin eggs and make them his familiars.

“Captain, you’re not planning to make both your familiars, are you?”

“Of course! Griffins live in groups! Besides, they’re siblings! Wouldn’t it be pitiful to separate them?!”

“What you’re saying might be correct, but isn’t it just that you want them for yourself?”

Fevan-sama let out a sigh of exasperation.

“And the higher-ups are okay with that?”

“When I submitted my resignation letter saying I’d quit if I didn’t get the eggs, they gave me permission regarding the eggs. The other materials are open for discussion. In exchange, I was entrusted with negotiating with you, so if I fail, I’ll get yelled at from above.”

“Captain!”

Fevan-sama glared at Aubrey-sama, who answered with his chest puffed out.

Aubrey-sama smiled sweetly.

“You, my dear squad member, wouldn’t do something to put me in a difficult position, would you? Ah, by the way… if I don’t get the eggs, I’ll submit my resignation as planned and name you as the next captain.”

“Please don’t! I’ll negotiate with Adeline for the eggs.”

Watching Aubrey-sama threatening his squad member with a smile, I couldn’t help but think Fevan-sama had it tough, though it felt like someone else’s problem.

I hadn’t planned to refuse the proposal anyway, so it didn’t matter, and besides, Fevan-sama was the one who defeated both griffins, so I didn’t think my opinion was necessary. Fevan-sama gave both defeated griffins to me, so technically I’m the owner, but I had intended to split the money from selling the materials half and half.

But if I said that here, Aubrey-sama who now recognized Fevan-sama as having the rights to the materials might make unreasonable demands of him, so I decided to keep quiet.

I was thinking I’d just watch how things unfold when Fevan-sama looked at me with a pitiful expression.

“…Is it okay to give both eggs to the Captain? It would be bad if the Captain really left, and I don’t want to be the next captain anyway.”

His dejected face was kind of cute.

I chuckled and nodded, saying, “That’s fine.”

“The planned offerings for Duke Dauvergne are one magic stone and one liver. The materials Father wants are already back at the territory, so it’s okay for the nation to purchase all the remaining ones.”

Actually, it would help me out if they did. I’d be troubled if hopeful buyers came swarming.

Aubrey-sama’s face lit up brightly.

“Thank you, Miss Adeline! I will definitely repay this favor later!”

With the prospect of obtaining the eggs secured, Aubrey-sama gripped both my hands and shook them vigorously.

This person is known in public as calm and composed, but I couldn’t help thinking that perhaps his interests are just too extreme.

 

The day after we finished dismantling the griffin.

To prevent the materials from spoiling, we cast preservation magic, and Fevan-sama and I decided to return to the royal capital.

Although Fevan-sama still had vacation time left, we figured the news of us defeating the griffin would eventually spread, so it would be better to return to the royal capital before things got noisy.

After all, when you defeat a high-ranking monster like a griffin, you’re expected to offer a portion of the materials to the duke who manages this entire region.

It’s not exactly an obligation, but it’s necessary for maintaining smooth social relations.

After some deliberation, Father decided to offer one large magic stone and the liver said to be good for vitality—to Duke Dauvergne, along with the report of our griffin encounter.

Although Duke Dauvergne resides in the royal capital, the defeat report must be submitted promptly, so we sent a letter yesterday. Given that, word of our successful griffin subjugation would spread through the royal capital in no time. Duke Dauvergne himself would likely make sure of it.

If we took too long to transport the materials to the royal capital, we’d probably get urged, so it’s better to head there before that happens.

“Please give my regards to Duke Dauvergne.”

“I wish Father would go himself.”

“I have my medicine research to attend to.”

I wanted to retort that it was just part of his hobby, but I held back. Saying it would be pointless anyway.

Carrying the items to be offered to Duke Dauvergne and the remaining materials, we headed to the building with the teleportation magic circle.

Unlike the royal capital, this place isn’t very crowded, so if you apply, your turn comes around within a day.

And so, when we teleported to the royal capital with the massive griffin materials, several magic knights were waiting, as if they had been expecting our arrival.

“Captain?”

Fevan-sama called out, his eyes wide, to a middle-aged man wearing a black cloak.

It was Aubrey Belom, Viscount and Captain of the Magic Knights. I’d never met him before, but I knew his name. He’s the third son of the Blond Count family, and a few years ago, he was honored with a peerage for his achievements in the Magic Knights and began using the name Viscount Belom.

Thirty-eight years old and unmarried.

He’s a workaholic, practically married to his job, and an eccentric who rarely attends social parties which also serve as matchmaking opportunities for nobles.

However, thanks to his handsome features and gentle personality, he’s very popular with women. According to my sister, he’s extremely popular among widowed or divorced women and is the number one choice among women of appropriate age seeking remarriage.

Incidentally, the reason he can’t be number one for first marriages is because he publicly states that “women more than five years younger than me look like children.” It’s probably a statement meant to deter various marriage proposals, but since he says it on every possible occasion, women in their late teens to early twenties. the prime marriageable age have long given up on targeting him.

…Indeed, he does have that attractive appearance.

He’s a different kind of handsome from Fevan-sama.

He has black hair and black eyes, giving off a quiet impression, but he doesn’t seem cold. His almond-shaped eyes are narrowed kindly, and his slightly curved lips have an approachable quality.

If Fevan-sama is like a dazzling, glittering chandelier, then Aubrey-sama is more like gentle moonlight.

“My apologies for the suddenness.”

I had been staring without realizing, and Aubrey-sama’s quiet voice made me startle. I hurriedly bent my knees and performed a curtsy.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Viscount Belom. I am Adeline Cambrelive.”

“I am Aubrey Belom. There’s something I’d like to discuss, but if we stay here too long, we’ll be in others’ way. May we move elsewhere?”

“Captain, that’s rather rude, no matter how you look at it.”

“Hmm, I know that, but this is also orders from above.”

The “above” that the Magic Knight Captain refers to is limited.

It’s either the Minister of the Ministry of Magic, who oversees mages and magic knights, or perhaps the Prime Minister or the royal family. Since ministers from other departments shouldn’t be able to order the Magic Knight Captain around, it’s probably instructions from one of them. Still, it’s sudden.

“Adeline, is that alright?”

When Fevan-sama asked me, I nodded, and Aubrey-sama smiled gently.

“Then let’s move.”

With that, Aubrey-sama invoked spatial magic.

The moment I blinked, we had teleported to an unfamiliar place, and Adeline tilted her head in confusion.

When I quietly asked Fevan-sama next to me where we were, he told me, “It’s the reception room of the Magic Knights in the castle.”

…The castle!?

I’m surprised by Aubrey-sama’s magic that teleported us without a magic circle, but I’m even more astonished that we were suddenly brought to the castle.

I am the daughter of Count Cambrelive, but the only time I’ve been to the castle was for the debutante ball.

The castle hosts parties on various occasions, starting with His Majesty’s birthday celebration, but only a select few are invited to castle parties.

In the case of the Cambrelive Count family, it’s either Father or my sister acting as his representative.

Since I don’t work at the castle, I have no reason to frequent it.

Given that, it took me a little time to swallow the shock of being brought to the castle.

Our luggage was transported with us, and the griffin materials were piled up in a corner of the room.

Taking my dazed hand, Fevan-sama had me sit in a chair.

“I apologize for the forceful approach. Ah, I’ll have tea prepared now.”

Aubrey-sama ordered the magic knights who had teleported into the room with us to call a maid and have tea served.

By the time the tea and cookies arrived, I had calmed down. I was surprised, but he is the Magic Knight Captain, so it’s not strange for him to bring us to his department’s reception room. Yes. The location being the castle surprised me, but considering the situation, it’s normal. Normal.

Slowly sipping the fragrant black tea, I looked at Aubrey-sama again.

“Um, so, the reason we were brought here is about the handling of those materials. I assume?”

Father sent a report letter to Duke Dauvergne yesterday. It wouldn’t be strange if the duke had already reported to the castle.

And if the Magic Knight Captain acted immediately, it seems the griffin materials are being taken more seriously than I thought.

“Just as you’ve surmised. Normally, monsters—what hunters do with their materials is their own freedom. Ah, of course, trade with foreign countries is prohibited, but I mean in terms of using or selling the materials themselves.”

“Yes.”

Organizations that buy and sell monster materials must obtain national approval, but if it’s an approved place, hunters are free to bring them wherever they want.

Like Father, using them for his own research materials is fine.

Monsters are considered national property, so trading with foreign countries without going through the nation is forbidden, but within the country, you won’t be penalized for what you do.

However, if the materials are valuable, the story changes a bit.

Of course, they mustn’t forcibly take them from the hunters.

But for materials recognized as problematic if carelessly released into the market, the nation steps in.

…I thought research institutes might put in purchase requests, but it seems it’s beyond that level.

Griffins are A-rank monsters in terms of subjugation difficulty, so I thought they’d be treated similarly to other A-rank monsters, but come to think of it, they’re rarer than others. Since the materials are hard to obtain, their handling might be equivalent to S-rank monsters.

“To be direct, please provide the griffin materials to the nation. Of course, we’ll pay compensation, and you and Count Cambrelive are free to use any parts you wish. I’ve heard there are offerings for Duke Dauvergne, and I don’t intend to stop that either. However, we’d like you to provide all the remaining materials to the nation. Regarding compensation, since we’re making an unreasonable request, we’ll sweeten the deal somewhat. “If you’re going that far, does that mean a behind-the-scenes struggle has already begun?”

When Fevan-sama asked, Aubrey-sama gave a wry smile.

“Yes. The duke has been boasting about it everywhere. Thanks to that, we’re having a hard time keeping the various factions in check. …Given that background, it was decided that it would be better for the Ministry of Magic to purchase them once and then reconsider the distribution. By the way, we want them too. Griffin feathers have high resistance to magical attacks, you see. We want to use them for armor. Incidentally, the Knight Order has also raised their hand. It’s truly a battle for dominance. After all, it’s been twenty years since a griffin was subjugated in our country.”

“It’s been that long?”

“Yes. Griffins usually live on high mountain peaks and such. They rarely come down to human settlements, so encounters are rare. Naturally, there are no fools reckless enough to think of going into griffin territory to subjugate them.”

This griffin happened to choose a place near a human settlement as its breeding ground, which is why we encountered it. In one sense, we were lucky, and in another, unlucky. If ordinary territory citizens had encountered it instead of us, they would have been eaten alive.

“Griffins act in groups within fixed territories. The fact that a griffin pair appeared this time might mean there was a change in leadership somewhere. They probably lost in the struggle for the next boss and were driven out of their territory.”

Nodding at Aubrey-sama’s analysis, I thought there was certainly some truth to it.

Griffins often lay eggs within their territory or nearby. Yet, for one to appear in that forest where there are no griffin territories nearby suggests they might have been driven out.

Griffins driven from their territory often wander in search of a new base. They probably chose that forest simply because it coincided with their egg-laying period; being creatures that prefer high places, they wouldn’t settle in a low area.

The abundance of prey, the egg-laying period. It was the convergence of these factors that led to our encounter in that location.

“And this time, I hear there are griffin eggs too?”

“Yes, well.”

It seemed she was truly close to laying eggs, as during the dismantling, eggs came out from the griffin’s belly. Two of them. Fevan-sama said “just in case” and cast preservation magic on them, so presumably the eggs aren’t dead yet.

“…So, you want them after all.”

Fevan-sama shrugged his shoulders.

“Of course. We definitely want the eggs. Griffins imprint on the first thing they see right after hatching from the egg. If you want a griffin as a familiar, there’s no other way. Having a griffin familiar would be an unprecedented achievement in our country in three hundred years! And also, you see… I like birds!”

Aubrey-sama’s black eyes sparkled with excitement.

Treating a griffin as equivalent to a “bird” in the whole wide world, only Aubrey-sama would do that.

Which means, then. Aubrey-sama wants to hatch the griffin eggs and make them his familiars.

“Captain, you’re not planning to make both your familiars, are you?”

“Of course! Griffins live in groups! Besides, they’re siblings! Wouldn’t it be pitiful to separate them?!”

“What you’re saying might be correct, but isn’t it just that you want them for yourself?”

Fevan-sama let out a sigh of exasperation.

“And the higher-ups are okay with that?”

“When I submitted my resignation letter saying I’d quit if I didn’t get the eggs, they gave me permission regarding the eggs. The other materials are open for discussion. In exchange, I was entrusted with negotiating with you, so if I fail, I’ll get yelled at from above.”

“Captain!”

Fevan-sama glared at Aubrey-sama, who answered with his chest puffed out.

Aubrey-sama smiled sweetly.

“You, my dear squad member, wouldn’t do something to put me in a difficult position, would you? Ah, by the way… if I don’t get the eggs, I’ll submit my resignation as planned and name you as the next captain.”

“Please don’t! I’ll negotiate with Adeline for the eggs.”

Watching Aubrey-sama threatening his squad member with a smile, I couldn’t help but think Fevan-sama had it tough, though it felt like someone else’s problem.

I hadn’t planned to refuse the proposal anyway, so it didn’t matter, and besides, Fevan-sama was the one who defeated both griffins, so I didn’t think my opinion was necessary. Fevan-sama gave both defeated griffins to me, so technically I’m the owner, but I had intended to split the money from selling the materials half and half.

But if I said that here, Aubrey-sama who now recognized Fevan-sama as having the rights to the materials might make unreasonable demands of him, so I decided to keep quiet.

I was thinking I’d just watch how things unfold when Fevan-sama looked at me with a pitiful expression.

“…Is it okay to give both eggs to the Captain? It would be bad if the Captain really left, and I don’t want to be the next captain anyway.”

His dejected face was kind of cute.

I chuckled and nodded, saying, “That’s fine.”

“The planned offerings for Duke Dauvergne are one magic stone and one liver. The materials Father wants are already back at the territory, so it’s okay for the nation to purchase all the remaining ones.”

Actually, it would help me out if they did. I’d be troubled if hopeful buyers came swarming.

Aubrey-sama’s face lit up brightly.

“Thank you, Miss Adeline! I will definitely repay this favor later!”

With the prospect of obtaining the eggs secured, Aubrey-sama gripped both my hands and shook them vigorously.

This person is known in public as calm and composed, but I couldn’t help thinking that perhaps his interests are just too extreme.