Aria?
Sean felt like it had been a long time since he'd heard that name. After leaving Koga City last time, he'd had little contact with her, mainly because the struggle for succession among the heirs had been too fierce back then, leaving even a baron like himself barely surviving in the cracks.
And at the time, Aria hadn't thought much of him either; her so-called courtship was just a way to increase the number of noble supporters she had.
But to be fair, during the avalanche in Tyremian, Aria Hamilton had been a great help to the town. If she hadn't sent supplies and money back then, it would have been hard to get through that period.
"Let's talk inside," Sean said, gesturing for the three to enter.
In the private room, only the four of them remained...
The letter hadn't been opened yet, and the three stood waiting for Sean to finish reading before they'd voice their opinions.
"Sir, what did Miss Aria say?"
Seeing all three looking at him with [puzzled] expressions, Sean handed them the letter...
"She hopes that, considering her past help to Tyremian, I could put in a good word with Grand Duke Haruman, at least to let her keep her knight title... She also mentioned that Count Hamilton has been pressuring them heavily lately, clearly intending to drive them out of Koga City..."
He briefly relayed the contents of the letter to the three.
"Granting a title, and asking Grand Duke Haruman for a knighthood at that. Hah~ Isn't that overestimating us? She's pushing us into a fire pit. I'm grateful for her past help, but getting involved with such high-ranking nobles—how could we possibly have any say?" Luke said, somewhat dissatisfied after reading the letter.
A knighthood was a type of nobility, but it couldn't be inherited and came with no land. In the Basharan Empire, it was usually given as a reward—some estates or farmland—but in the eyes of outsiders, it still counted as nobility, especially in the south where nobles were scarce, and it would command some respect.
"But why does she want us to ask the Grand Duke for a title?" Esmeralda asked, puzzled.
"She probably wants other nobles to know she still has backing," Sean said.
Many nobles could grant knighthoods, but Aria specifically wanted him to request it from the Grand Duke...
The implication was interesting.
"That's the Grand Duke, you know. I often heard my mentor say that before His Highness the Prince came south, Grand Duke Haruman once ruled the entire south!"
"That's right... But there's something I've never told you."
The fact that his family had once been vassals of the Grand Duke had never been fully explained to those present.
This information had likely been dug up by the other party, or maybe Aria had found out about his meeting with the Grand Duke!
"There's such a thing... I've never heard of it." After hearing Sean's words, the three all showed [surprised] expressions.
"I was surprised too when I first found out, but the Vigil family genealogy does record it, so it must be true. Otherwise, the Grand Duke wouldn't have called me in to discuss it alone back then."
"Then... what does Miss Aria mean?"
"She probably wants to make one last effort. For the Grand Duke, granting a title isn't hard—he doesn't even need to handle it personally—but getting a higher-level reward would be even better," Sean said.
In truth, before understanding noble struggles, it might not feel real, but after seeing a few nobles fall from grace, the impact was strong.
Just a few months ago, he had to bow and call Aria "Miss," and now, after losing her inheritance, she had become a fringe relative of the nobility. Relatives could be close or distant, and she had instantly lost all her former status.
A child raised in a garden of wealth—how could they bear a sudden fall from grace?
Even if there was only a sliver of a chance, they'd fight for it.
To be honest, Sean owed a lot to the convenience of his noble status; otherwise, he wouldn't have this much money or respect. If it were him, without all these flashy skills and clever tricks, he'd be fighting for it just like her.
"But just because she helped us once, we're supposed to ask the Grand Duke directly? Couldn't that backfire on us?"
"That's why it's called a try," Sean said, smiling at the three.
Somehow, Esmeralda had already started considering herself under his jurisdiction, which pleased Sean.
"So, are you going to help, sir?" Luke ventured.
"No, it's not that simple," Sean said.
The three looked at him again...
"Read the last few lines again."
So Luke and the others read it once more, and the end mentioned that the new Count Hamilton intended to drive them out.
"Oh, I see, sir means that..." Luke was never slow-witted. Sometimes, without prompting, he could come up with a whole string of solutions; a single hint was enough.
"What does it mean?"
Esmeralda, in contrast, didn't have Luke's quick thinking.
"It means someone is trying to force Miss Aria into a decision that makes Sir step in..."
That narrowed it down instantly.
"And what's your opinion, sir?"
Sean looked out the window and at the map on his desk.
It seemed he'd have to go to Koga City again, not just for these matters... but also for the Sun Crown organization. He remembered Ignia saying it was a wizard organization from the Adak region, and just now, he'd received news that an Adak person had arrived in town yesterday.
Staying with a townsperson, and it happened to be during the last few months of the previous Baron Vigil's life...
An Adak person, constantly sending out letters.
This series of actions was too suspicious, so Sean needed to investigate.
If he remembered correctly, there were Adak people in Koga City; he'd even seen a female driver like that in the spring!
"It looks like we'll have to go out again..."
Even his own subsidy hadn't come through yet, and Sean suspected Count Hamilton might be behind it.
"Going back?"
"..."
"About time!"
………………
After deciding to head to Koga City, Sean spent the remaining time arranging the next steps.
Aside from leaving the town's normal operations to Luke and Danti, Esmeralda this time also asked to stay in town temporarily to help, saying she'd return on her own when she needed to.
Sean watched the development between Luke and Esmeralda during this time; they wouldn't want to part so soon anyway.
Since they'd miss each other wherever they were, they might as well be together.
As for the Adak person, he actually had Ignia check it out...
The result was that the person was likely a wizard or... a ranger!