Let’s Go to the Palace
Luchila knew about the Hero Ruck .
“Yo-you are the Hero Ruck?”
“Cluck-cluck . ”
“Yes, I am . ”
Gerberga must have been surprised too .
I hadn’t expected Gerberga to know about Ruck as well .
Luchila was a member of a faraway tribe in the north .
I felt a little gloomy when I thought about how far my name had spread .
“That’s why I’m close with Eric . ”
“So that’s why . That’s amazing . ”
“Cluck!!”
Gerberga flapped his wings furiously and then flew over to my lap .
Chickens could fly if it was a short distance .
“Wh-what is it, Lord Gerberga?”
“Cluck!”
“Lord Gerberga wants to greet the Hero Ruck . ”
“Is that right . ”
If Luchila said it, maybe it was true .
But did Luchila really understand what Gerberga was saying?
I doubted it . I really did .
“Cluck-cluck . ”
Gerberga clucked as he stretched his neck towards my shoulder .
It was almost like he was asking for a hug .
And so I gently hugged Gerberga .
“Cluck . ”
Gerberga cooed .
“Lord Gerberga loves the stories about the Hero Ruck . ”
“Really?”
“Yes . He was very happy when I read the storybook to him . ”
“What? Storybook?”
I didn’t know that there was such a thing .
I looked at Goran .
“Ah, now that I think of it, there was such a thing . Eric decided to have them freely circulated across the country in order to facilitate reading comprehension . ”
“We have one too! Do you want to read it?”
“…No . Not at all . ”
There was no part of me that wanted to read a book about myself .
After that, Goran contacted the palace .
We were immediately granted an audience which would allow us to see Eric .
“I am so nervous . ”
“You don’t have to be so nervous, you know?”
“R-really?”
Serulis tried to help Shia relax .
We entered Goran’s carriage and went straight towards the palace .
When we arrived, a servant led us to a waiting room .
“So this is the palace . ”
“It’s amazing . ”
“Cluck!”
Shia and Luchila were looking around .
Luchila was holding Gerberga, who was also very excited .
I hadn’t been in the palace for a very long time . Over ten years, really .
The atmosphere seemed quite different .
I looked around the room . All of the decorations and furniture was different from ten years ago .
They were of high quality but not extravagant . It was probably Eric’s taste .
Just then, a boy came in with some tea .
He seemed very confident in the way he moved but looked younger than Serulis .
After he left, I said to Goran,
“He seems pretty young for a Chamberlain . ”
“He’s the chamberlain’s apprentice . Eric supports countless apprentices . ”
“Really?”
“Apprentice knights, apprentice chamberlains, apprentice cooks . Many occupations . I think he is supporting over 2,000 . ”
I didn’t know that .
But 2,000 seemed excessive .
“It’s part of his education policy . The second or third sons of poor nobles . The children of knights who died in battle…”
So it wasn’t just about education, but also a welfare policy .
There would be wide-ranging effects as well .
There was a lot of meaning in having the palace raise children of knights who died at war .
Knights would be more loyal if they knew that their children would be taken care of if they died .
The second and third sons of poor nobles had no titles or lands to inherit .
But still, they could not be treated poorly as they were still nobles .
If the palace took them in, then the lower class of nobles would owe him a debt .
“He also has orphaned children from all around the country enter into an apprenticeship . ”
It would be easier for people raised at the palace to become self-reliant .
And the ones that were especially brilliant could continue to work at the palace .
And because of the debt they owed, they would serve Eric loyally .
“Eric has really thought this through . ”
“He’s very passionate about education . ”
Goran said with a laugh .
But considering that this ‘passion’ resulted in him spreading books about me, I did not join him in his laughter .
In fact, I meant to make a complaint to Eric about it .
As I thought this, the door opened .
Eric entered with the biggest smile .
“Ah, Ruck . I hope you have been doing well?”
“Yes, thanks to you . ”
“That is good . ”
There were two young girls behind Eric .
One was around 10 and the other was 3 or 4 years old .
“Ruck . You’ve never met them before, have you? These are my daughters . ”
He had been informed in advance that everyone present knew my identity .
And so he had called me Ruck .
“Nice to meet you . I am Charlotte . ”
“Nice to meet you . I am Ma…rie . ”
Marie must have been nervous because she stuttered .
But it was cute .
Her sister Charlotte did a graceful bow .
Marie imitated her, but it was shaky .
“Nice to meet you too . I am Ruck . A friend of your father . ”
“It is an honor to meet you . Grand Duke Franzen . I have heard much about you . ”
“He’s the heero Ruck!”
I had never been called Grand Duke Franzen before .
The older sister was very calm and had a mature air .
Perhaps more so than Serulis .
The younger one, on the other hand, was looking at me with sparkling eyes .
And then I introduced everyone else .
After that, Marie took an immediate interest in Gerberga .
“So he’s called Gerbie?”
“Cluck . ”
“How cute . There, there . ”
“Cluck . ”
Gerberga seemed quite pleased as Marie petted him .
As she was a young child, Luchila did not say anything .
The rest of us watched for a while before getting to the main subject at hand .
Chapter end
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