The Protagonists of Romance Fantasy Novels Have Escaped

141 – 141. The Deal (2)

He signed the marriage registration form handed to him by the princess and the saint, under the condition that they would repay the astronomical amount.

As the news spread, my father rushed in urgently.

“E-Ethan…! You signed the marriage registration form! Is that true?”

“That’s how it turned out.”

I know.

This is not something to be brushed off indifferently.

It is a matter of welcoming both a princess and a saint as daughters-in-law. It was only natural for my father to rush into his office with a pale face. Since I had already signed the marriage registration, it was now a foregone conclusion that Rudmila and Jeblinne would become my wives.

“I’ve known for a long time that you have feelings for Princess Rudmila and Lady Jeblinne… but isn’t this a bit too sudden?”

“It’s about repaying the astronomical amount proposed by the Mage Tower. Naturally, we must pay a corresponding price to the Valteria Empire and the Gael Kingdom.”

“So that price is marriage, then.”

“I’m fine with it. I intended to take the princess and the saint as my wives someday.”

The astronomical amount proposed by the Mage Tower was at a level that even the empire and the kingdom, which dominated the continent’s affairs, would find hard to accept.

Repaying it without compensation is impossible.

No matter how much the decision of the second princess and the first saint may be, the empire and the kingdom would never accept it.

That’s why I chose marriage as collateral.

If the champion chosen by the Earth Mother were to become a son-in-law, even repaying that astronomical amount would be a tremendous gain for the Valteria Empire and the Gael Kingdom. Knowing this, Rudmila and Jeblinne must have suddenly presented me with the marriage registration.

Perhaps it was merely a choice driven by desire.

“It’s unthinkable! To decide on marriage as a condition for repayment!”

“Father?”

“Even if the debt is overwhelming, you can repay it over half a lifetime! How could you send off your precious son as if selling him!”

“Are you really okay with this? The Mage Tower is demanding five thousand pounds of gold.”

Five thousand pounds of gold.

That was a little over 2.2 tons in weight.

Since the Mage Tower demanded gold, it would naturally have to be paid in gold bars issued by the empire or the kingdom.

“…….”

“…….”

Upon realizing the weight of that astronomical amount, my father fell silent. There was no way a noble from the outskirts could bear a sum that even the emperor ruling the empire would find burdensome.

“Thinking it over, if we were to welcome both the princess and the saint as daughters-in-law, it would be a lifetime glory and a legacy for the Hoenberk family, wouldn’t it? You said you signed the marriage registration? Well done, Ethan!”

“…….”

What a sudden change of heart.

I never expected him to reverse his stance in less than a second.

I watched my father, shaking his shoulders with a pained expression, trying to lighten the mood.

* * *

The chancellor of the empire and the bishop of the holy kingdom attended the scene where they signed the marriage registration as representatives.

It’s suffocating.

Isn’t this truly the scene of an unequal treaty?

Yet, lacking the means to pay the five thousand pounds of gold, I ultimately signed.

“Edanant von Hohenberg”

There has never been a more chilling and fearsome signature than this. And there likely never will be.

In front of the watching chancellor and bishop, I filled in the signature line as the imperial princess and the holy maiden.

The fateful moment, drenched in cold sweat, came to an end. The chancellor and bishop dispatched from the empire and the holy kingdom reviewed the marriage registration of the princess and the maiden several times before placing it in an envelope and sealing it.

Anyone who saw would think I was being dragged onto a distant fishing vessel…

No,

It might not be an incorrect expression.

The ‘marriage’ that determines the turning point of life has just been formalized with that signature.

“I will now return to the emperor. Surely His Majesty will be pleased.”

“The merciful Earth Mother will bestow her grace upon the couple who have formed their bond today.”

The chancellor and bishop exited the office, holding the envelope containing the marriage registration with both hands. They resembled con artists hastily fleeing the scene, fearing a change of heart.

As the witnesses departed, Ludmila and Jeblinne blushed and began to murmur.

“Your Excellency… No, I suppose I should stop using such a rough title now.”

“Since we are officially married, it’s only natural that the titles should change. It’s a bit embarrassing, though.”

Is it through the wedding ceremony that we become a couple?

Or is it through the marriage registration that we become a couple?

It’s perplexing.

Is this a debate over whether the chicken or the egg came first?

For the record, I believe the chicken came first. Because chicken is tastier than an egg.

“Well then, from now on… I will call you husband.”

“I’ll call you dear! That’s okay, right, dear?”

Husband. Dear.

What truly awkward titles they are.

As the newlyweds called each other in soft voices, a sense of embarrassment washed over me.

“Ludmila. Jeblinne. There’s something I want to tell you both. I’ve been pondering how to bring it up until now… but I will speak of it now.”

Ahem.

I took a moment to gather my voice and organize my thoughts.

At that, Ludmila and Jeblinne showed eager anticipation, waiting for my words. They probably expected a romantic proposal, asking for marriage once more.

But unfortunately, what I was about to say was not the proposal they hoped for.

“The Saint Party that resurrected the Ashes of Death has likely returned to the Demon Realm. I want to go directly to the Demon Realm and negotiate with those who have turned against humanity.”

This was a decision I had reached after much contemplation since returning to the Hoenberk family.

I would head to the Demon Realm.

And I would once again hunt down the resurrected Ashes of Death and the Saint Party.

The Holy Kingdom had not yet officially recognized the Saint Party. It was as if they were keeping silent about the identities of the culprits who had raided the sanctuary. However, if the Saint Party were to invade the continent alongside the fully resurrected Ashes of Death, the Earth Mother would ultimately have no choice but to command a holy war.

“Don’t say you’re going to recklessly head to the Demon Realm alone.”

“…….”

“Are you planning to make your new bride a widow right away? No matter how benevolent the Saint may be, there are times when she can genuinely be angry, you know? This is one of those times.”

“…Hmm.”

I received news from Querisa Nesserhane, who had visited the Hoenberk family to demand payment, that the Second Saint Beatrice, possessed by the Ashes of Death, had clashed with the avatars of the One True God.

Beatrice had fallen to the Apostle of Death.

And all members of the Saint Party had become followers of Death.

The news conveyed by the Tower Master was akin to a notification that the situation had reached its worst. The pessimistic outcome chosen by the heroes who had fought alongside me on the battlefield pierced through reality like a sharp dagger.

“P-please help me.”

I forced my stiff lips, as if coated in mud, to move and squeezed out my voice.

In response, Ludmila and Jeblinne wore faint smiles on their beautiful faces.

* * *

Early morning.

Carts laden with gold bars made their appearance.

The golden double-headed eagle symbolizing the Empire.

The three-tiered crown and two keys symbolizing the Holy Kingdom.

Through the signing of the marriage registration, we had legally become a couple. The Empire and the Holy Kingdom had bestowed upon us gold bars amounting to five thousand pounds in a lump sum to fulfill their promise.

“Woohoo!!”

A woman with deep green hair cascading down to her waist let out a cheer as she jumped around the metal boxes set down by the elite soldiers of the Empire and the Holy Kingdom.

Inside the sturdy metal boxes were gleaming gold bars.

It was truly a treasure chest.

The patterns of the double-headed eagle and the three-tiered crown were engraved on the gold bars. This indicated that they were genuine, officially issued by the mints of the Empire and the Holy Kingdom.

With a keen eye that could discern the truth, Querisa stroked the gold bars, drooling with anticipation.

“Isn’t it just the greed of a shallow materialist, blinded by gold? Can the Master of the Magic Tower really act this way?”

“How much money is needed for magical research! To continue the advancement of humanity and the pinnacle of magic, a stable source of funding is essential.”

“There’s no more money to be squeezed from the Kingdom of the Alliance, so you’re saying you’ll side with the misfortune… That’s a ruthless loyalty even demons would shun.”

“Gold is just gold. Where it comes from or who it’s received from isn’t particularly important.”

It was nothing short of a severe gold-centric ideology.

If Madveigh had seen this materialistic side of her foster mother, she would have been unable to suppress her sighs.

The Master of the Magic Tower hummed a tune as she sent boxes filled with gold bars into the void. Watching her back, a heavy sigh escaped.

“Now that the payment has been made, can I give you orders as your employer?”

“Of course. The Magic Tower will never disappoint its employer, as long as the employer continues to promise financial support.”

Nodding at Querisa’s words, she opened her mouth.

“Within the next week, open a portal leading to the Demon Realm.”

“…Huh?”

“I want to confront the Death’s Misfortune and the Saint Party in the Demon Realm. I hope the Magic Tower can take the lead.”

“…….”

Faced with the successive commands, the Master of the Magic Tower gazed at her own void, greedily devouring the gold bars.

She seemed to be contemplating whether to spit out the payment even now.