Kiraware Yūsha ni Tensei Shitanode Aisare Yūsha o Mezashimasu! - Chapter 44

[Hated Hero, Going to His Fiancée’s Home【Part 2】]

“The long journey must have been tiring. Come in.”

“Y-yes.”

Prompted by Lord Alonso, aka my father-in-law, I entered the mansion.

Barrett likely had met him multiple times, but this was the first for me. I’d learned Lord Alonso’s face and disposition from his memories.

However, his memories barely contain any personal information about him.

A part of it was likely due to the fact that Barrett had only been to Tayte’s mansion a few times, despite the fact that Tayte visited his often.

My guess was Barrett thought of it as a bother.

Incidentally, Barrett practically never came into contact with Lord Alonso in the original storyline, either.

The reason being, Lord Alonso only made an appearance in the original work after Barrett was defeated by the Protagonist Raul and vanished into the slums. On that occasion, Raul conveyed his wish to officially court Tayte to him.

…By the way, fans of the【The Rise of the Weakest Holy Swordsman】made various speculations regarding Lord Alonso’s attitude toward Raul.

They pointed out that Lord Alonso appeared somewhat curt to Raul. I wasn’t sure what the author intended by making the relationship between the two seem that way, but when I read those fans’ comments, it dawned on me that the two did appear somewhat distant.

The reason for that had yet to be mentioned as of the latest chapter, but some had argued that it was perhaps because Lord Alonso didn’t approve of Raul’s having multiple partners at the same time—or his harem, essentially.

In my opinion, the author didn’t make it seem that way for any particular reason, but that was in the past. Seeing how Tayte had changed so much made me think that perhaps Lord Alonso took such an attitude because he was aware of Tayte’s feelings for Barrett.

“Is something the matter, Barrett?” Lord Alonso asked.

“—! N-no, not at all, My lord.”

That aside… I was getting extremely nervous now.

We had moved to the drawing room and were sitting on a sofa, facing each other.

Tayte was beside me, whereas Lord Alonso was seated across us.

“U-um.” I stuttered.

“Yes?”

“W-where may Lady Lilia be?”

“Unfortunately, she felt slightly unwell this morning, so she is resting at the moment.”

“O-oh no?! Is she fine?!”

“Yes, no need to worry.”

Come to think of it, Lady Lilia, Tayte’s mother, had a weak constitution.

Lord Alonso was a man of few words and hardly revealed his emotions, but I got a feeling that he was actually worried about her.

The same went for Tayte.

“Mother…” Tayte muttered anxiously.

“Rest assured, Tayte. She’s just feeling a bit under the weather.” Lord Alonso assured her.

“Yes…”

“I apologize on her behalf for her being unable to welcome you, Barrett.” Lord Alonso turned toward me.

“P-please don’t be. I also wish Lady Lilia to prioritize health.”

“! I see…” For a moment, surprise flashed across Lord Alonso’s face.

It was only natural, I supposed.

I mean, (former)Barrett would never say such caring words.

“How was school, Tayte?”

“Ah! R-right! Please listen to this, Father!” Tayte told Lord Alonso her thoughts on her school life.

However, 90% of them were about me.

I never imagined that the improvement of our relationship would make Tayte so happy… on one hand, it also made me happy, and on the other, it made me somewhat embarrassed. I mean, she boasted about everything I’d done.

“Hm. I’m glad for you, Tayte.”

“Yes♪.”

Lord Alonso, meanwhile, watched Tayte talking happily with a gentle look on his face.

…I supposed Lord Alonso had been hoping for Barrett to reform and get along with Tayte. Perhaps, regardless of the political marriage, he, as a father, only wished for his daughter’s happiness…

“—So, I will be showing our garden to Barrett.”

“Oh, very well. You may go.”

As she had promised, Tayte would be showing me the garden—but right before I left the room, Lord Alonso stopped me.

“Barrett.”

“? Yes, My Lord?”

“I… leave my daughter to you.”

“! Y-yes! I will be sure to make her happy!”

Although I ended up getting swept up in the mood and speaking a rather impertinent remark, Lord Alonso gave me a smile.

“I see… it’s as the report says.”

“Huh?”

“No, never mind. I was just speaking to myself. Now, off you go.”

The report that Lord Alonso just muttered… was definitely about my behaviors at the academy. Glad my efforts didn’t go to waste. If my conducts were the same as before, he wouldn’t have put his trust in me, no doubt.

Anyway, since my father-in-law had said so, I couldn’t make Tayte sad.

I also must continue my training so that everyone would acknowledge me as the Hero chosen by the Holy Sword.