“Cain. Would you be willing to marry my Telestia, as well as Eric’s daughter, Miss Silk? The official wedding can wait until you’re adults, but for now, I would like to see you betrothed.”
Garm was completely taken aback. It went without saying, but Cain was as well. Cain looked over at Telestia and Silk, but they were blushing and looking down towards the floor.
“…Wh-what did you… Why, Your Majesty?”
“Cain. Do you not remember? What happened within the carriage, and what happened at the lodgings you stayed at on the way here?”
Cain tried to recall. He had joined Telestia and Silk in their carriage and sat in the middle of them while they clung onto his arms. As for the inn, Telestia had insisted that they stay in the same room, and he had given in. They didn’t sleep in the same bed, and they were still only ten years old—Cain assumed it wouldn’t be problematic.
“Telestia is a member of the royal family, and Silk is the daughter of a Duke. They slept in the same room as an unmarried man and they clung onto his arms while riding within a carriage. They can no longer marry anyone else. Are you saying you’re not satisfied with my daughter?”
The king narrowed his eyes as he glared at Cain with reproach. The king and the duke silently assaulted Cain with pressure. Cain had not been aware that royalty had such strict rules. Unsure of what to do, Cain looked over at the prime minister. The prime minister remained silent and simply nodded.
Nobody is speaking out against this!
Cain broke under their pressure and he weakly responded, “…I’ll marry them if Princess Telestia and Miss Silk wish it.” That was the best he could do.
“A man’s word is his vow. You heard that, Telestia, Miss Silk? Satisfied?”
The two girls blushed, covered their mouths, and nodded with tears in their eyes.
Thus, Cain was betrothed to two girls at the age of ten.
Let’s go back in time for a bit.
Two of the guards assigned to protect the carriage went on ahead of the group and rushed over to the knight’s headquarters located near the palace.
“Urgent report. Please call for the captain or vice-captain.”
The knight manning the receptionist booth was taken aback by the sight of a panicked knight in tattered armor rushing into their headquarters.
“Wh-what happened? The captain is currently out of town. The vice-captain is here, I’ll bring you to him. This way.”
The knight showed him in. The vice-captain of the Royal Guard, Daim von Gazart, was in the office. The tattered knight rushed into the office, breathing heavily. He reported the situation to Daim.
“What?! An assault by fifty orcs, including orc generals?! Are Her Highness and Miss Silk okay?!” Daim, who was in his knight uniform working on paperwork, slammed his desk and got up.
“Yes, we faced off against the orcs with ten knights and managed to slay twenty of them. However, we also lost four, and we continued fighting while injured. We were at our limit, when someone came to our assistance.”
After a beat, the knight continued.
“A young boy came to our rescue. The third son of Margrave Garm, Master Cain. He was on his way here to the capital to debut at this year’s social gathering, so he must be ten years of age. This young Master Cain slew the remaining thirty orcs himself with his sword and spells. He even took down the generals by himself. He moved at speeds that even we struggled to follow.”
“A child saved you? Not Margrave Garm’s knights?”
“There is no mistaking it. Master Cain is the one who slew the orcs. Margrave Garm caught up later and is now on his way here along with our group.”
“Wh-what of the injured knights?”
“Master Cain chanted a spell, and those still alive recovered fully from their injuries, including me. However, those who already passed on…”
Dain saw the knight’s face take a dark turn. He swiftly changed the subject.
“A ten-year-old that can use offensive magic, recovery magic, and is skilled with a sword… I must report this to the palace at once. Well done. You may now rest.”
The knight who made the report was led out of the office. Daim wasn’t far behind. He stopped by the receptionist’s desk.
“We just received urgent news. I need to report to the palace.”
In a drawing room of the palace, King Rex Terra Esfort, prime minister and marquis Magna von Terahart, Duke Eric von Santana Maalbeek, and Royal Guard vice-captain Daim were gathered around a table.
Daim began to report what he had just learned. “Thank you for coming on such short notice. The carriage Princess Telestia and Miss Silk were riding in was assaulted by a horde of fifty orcs, led by orc generals.”
“What?! Are the two of them okay?!”
The king and Duke Eric immediately stood up, banging the table.
“Yes. The ten knights protecting them managed to take down twenty orcs, but four of them were lost in the process. The rest of the knights were all injured and in a precarious situation. That is when the third son of Margrave Garm, Master Cain, appeared and offered his assistance. He annihilated the remaining thirty orcs—including the three generals—all by himself.”
The other three exclaimed in unison, “What?!”
An orc general operating alone was viewed as a C-rank monster. A horde of fifty orcs was without a doubt on the level of an A-rank threat. Hearing that a child was able to annihilate such a threat all by themselves was naturally cause for surprise.
“I thought Margrave Garm’s children were attending the Royal Academy, were they not?” Prime Minister Magna asked.
“No, the one who annihilated the orcs was Margrave Garm’s ten-year-old third son, who is scheduled to make his debut at the capital this year.”
“A ten-year-old with that much ability… Do you speak truly?”
Faced with an unbelievable story, everyone furrowed their brows. Daim continued with his explanation.
“When the knights accompanying Margrave Garm were questioned about Master Cain, they answered that he was tutored by adventurers since he was five years old, and that he sparred with dozens of soldiers at Lamesta Fortress. According to them, he was a genius, already capable of wielding advanced spells.”
“A ten-year-old who can cast advanced spells…? I don’t believe it.”
Every new piece of information seemed more outlandish than the last.
“After annihilating the orcs, Cain healed all of the knights using recovery magic, and he stored away the fifty orcs as well as the fallen knights into his Item Box. He’s currently on his way here to the capital.”
The three of them chorused once more, “He can use Item Box too?” They couldn’t help but feel Daim was telling a tall tale. It sounded like a ridiculous story about a fairytale hero.
“A ten-year-old with that much combat strength that can also use healing magic and Item Box… Do you think people like that appear often, Eric?” the king asked.
“I’ve never heard of anyone like that before. On top of it all, Cain is the third son, which means he doesn’t have the right of inheritance. I’d love to have him marry into my family. He did save Silk, after all.”
Daim then added one more detail as a finisher.
“It appears that Princess Telestia and Miss Silk are already completely infatuated with him. They appeared to have invited him aboard their own carriage as a guard, and they clung onto him from both sides… I hear they also shared the same room at an inn.”
The king and Duke Eric were speechless. Their foreheads began to twitch.
“A ten-year-old lady killer on top of it all? Is that the case, Daim?”
“No…I don’t know enough to confirm or deny that.” Daim was beginning to sweat under the king’s cold gaze.
“Magna. What do you suggest?” the king asked.
“Sir Cain is the third son, meaning he lacks the right of inheritance. How about we convey him a title, and allow him to become independent? I believe it wise to make it so he can marry whomever he wishes in the future. I believe I heard he was coming here to participate in the debut party. It will be another two years before he enrolls in the Royal Academy, so it’s likely he will return to Gracia after this visit. If we grant him an estate within the capital, it will keep him close and allow us to evaluate his character. Fortunately for us, Garm’s other sons are also staying here in the capital, so it shouldn’t prove a problem.”
“Good idea.”
Both the king and Duke Eric approved of Magna’s plan. At that moment, a knock sounded at the door.
“Your Majesty, Princess Telestia and Miss Silk have arrived at the palace.”
“Bring them here immediately. Both of them.”
A short while later, Telestia and Silk entered the reception room.
“Father, I sincerely apologize for causing you concern.”
Telestia and Silk both bowed their heads.
“It’s fine. Teles, Miss Silk, it gladdens me to see you two are safe.”
The two of them reported what happened from their point of view. It was more or less the same report that Daim gave, but they tended to overly glorify Cain. In their minds, Cain was a prince riding in on a white horse. They gushed on and on about Cain, blushing all the while. The king and Eric both sighed as they listened to the girls talk.
“So, Teles, the report stated that you and Miss Silk were all over your savior, Cain.”
The two of them blushed and faced down towards the floor.
“Based on your reaction, it seems that report was true,” Magna said, stroking his beard.
“We want to bring Cain into our fold. If we were to say that one of you needs to become his fiancée, how would you respond?” the king asked the two girls.
“I’ll do it!” the two girls responded at the same time. They looked at each other and blushed.
The king and Duke Eric sighed once more.
“Is this Cain truly that impressive? Eric, are you fine with this?”
The duke silently nodded.
“However, the highest title we can confer to him at the moment is that of baron. In order to marry Teles and Miss Silk, he must rise to become at least a count. He is still ten years old, so perhaps we should find him some tasks to accomplish.”
The king, Eric, and Magna looked at each other with a devious smile.
“Summon Cain here to the palace. Prepare the audience chamber.”
This was the moment Cain’s marriage and ennoblement was decided.