Upgrade (6)

Although I set out for the imperial capital, Carnon, early in the morning, my ennoblement ceremony wasn’t scheduled until much later.

Well, it wasn’t like I was the only one being promoted today.

Wondering when I’d be able to leave, I had memorized the entire schedule the royal family sent in advance.

‘First period… the prime minister’s speech, right?’

As the nobles took their seats, the man who would rule the nation as prime minister from this day forward stepped up to the podium and began his address.

“Nia Rafdonia! May this great city know eternal glory and an endless future!”

Duke Kealunus opened with a deep bow and a stirring rallying cry. It was clear he had practiced extensively for this moment.

As far as I knew, Duke Kealunus had never been a soldier.

In fact, his usual speaking style was quite gentle and composed.

The Kealunus family had always been known for producing mages and scholars.

Oh, right. I should probably add “prime ministers” to that list as well.

The introduction was impressive, but the content that followed was painfully predictable.

“Those vile traitors coveted these eternal walls, we protected this city…”

He cursed Noark, mourned the fallen, praised their victory in the war, and in the end, gave all the glory back to the royal family.

That took about an hour.

And just like that, first period ended and we moved on to the next—the succession ceremony.

“Bear this in mind! Your young blood is the future of our city!”

One by one, the heirs who had inherited their families due to recent events stepped forward and were officially granted their titles.

‘This many people died…?’

The number of heirs stepping up to take charge of their families reached nearly two hundred.

Even though Duke Kealunus kept his remarks short and processed things quickly, the second period took a very long time.

Watching it was exhausting.

But the other nobles seemed to feel differently.

“Tsk tsk, that reckless brat inheriting the house… the Bleshe Count family is finished.”

“And I’d say the same for the House of Viscount Bertrand. To think a member of a branch family would inherit the title. They should have named him a temporary stand-in until the rightful heir came of age, even if the child is only an infant…”

“From what I’ve heard, their only heir has a disability. That bastard took advantage of it and moved to seize control of the house. He even pushed to name himself as the successor.”

“How dare he ! No matter how chaotic the times are, such a thing is an outrage against heaven!”

“Don’t be so angry. They’ll ruin themselves soon enough. Most houses will be severing their business ties with House Bertrand.”

“Indeed, no noble would associate with such an ungrateful bastard.”

The old, stuck-up nobles spat out critiques of every single person walking up. Perhaps it was because they had spent their entire lives being nobles, but they were suspiciously well-informed about the internal affairs of other families.

“It’s being filled with young blood.”

“A new era is opening…”

“I wonder what will become of the world…”

Occasionally, a few nobles would voice their regrets, hopes, or concerns for the next generation, but in my opinion, well……

‘I don’t think things will change much just because there’s been a generation shift.’

Even the famous Socrates complained that the younger generation was rude and foolish. In the end, history simply repeated itself.

“With this, the succession ceremony is concluded. A banquet has been prepared, so I hope our honoured guests, who have given up their valuable time, will enjoy themselves!”

By the time it ended, the succession ceremony had dragged on far longer than expected, and everyone gathered for lunch. As we ate, the royal orchestra filled the hall with music, and dancers stepped forward to perform an elegant show.

Of course, I couldn’t exactly relax.

“Baron, it’s my first time meeting you. I am Meteia Piesra. How is the food—”

“BETHEEEELRAAAAAAA!!!”

“Ah… haha. That must’ve felt good.”

“It did. Since I can’t exactly hit you.”

“I’m busy eating, so get lost.”

Nobles I barely knew kept approaching me to talk while I ate. Most were young nobles who had just inherited their titles.

‘There really is a generational difference.’

Perhaps it was because they were young, but nobles usually avoided getting close to non-human nobles like me. Then again, maybe my reputation had grown too big for that kind of discrimination anymore.

“Haha, my young friend! How have you been? I was hoping you’d attend the festival…”

While most were young, not all were. Count Alminas, who regularly deposited “friendship fees” into my account, and Count Ferdehilt, who offered a marriage alliance with his daughter every time we met, were among them. Whenever I encountered nobles I already knew, I had to pause my meal and chat for a while.

Among them was the Rabbit Baroness.

“It’s been a while, Baron Jandel. Or should I call you Viscount now?”

“…The ceremony hasn’t even happened yet. Anyway, it’s been a while, Baron Lirivia.”

We started with a polite exchange fitting for nobles and drifted into some small talk. But once I made it clear I wanted to get back to my meal, the rabbit baroness took her leave, visibly deflated, muttering a few pitiful words as she went.

“Um… Your Lordship? You haven’t been attending the Melbes gatherings lately…”

“I’ve been busy.”

“Ah, but you’ve been meeting Count Alminus often—”

“So what are you trying to say?”

“C-could you… please not abandon Melbes…!”

“Then… enjoy your meal…”

Watching her hurriedly run off, I felt something strange.

‘Melbes…’

At first, it was simply a place I had to visit to solidify my standing as a noble. I even planned to leverage the situation in Melbes to gain as much support as possible, and it worked exactly as intended.

But now…

‘It feels like an obligation.’

It was hard to explain.

As someone from the same non-human background, I felt I should help them, plus it wasn’t as if I hadn’t received anything from them.

‘I should attend the next meeting.’

While thinking that, the banquet ended, and third period began.

This time, Count Alminas took the podium instead of Duke Kealunus.

Because it was the Prime Minister’s inauguration ceremony.

“Yaaawn…”

With a full stomach, I dozed off, and before I knew it, the ceremony was over.

Finally, it was time for the fourth period, led once again by the new Chancellor.

It was the final part of the event.

“Countless heroes were born in this war. However, among them, there is one who has shone brighter than all the others through his deeds.”

To be precise, I took down the Corpse Collector, defeated Demon Eye, and carried out the execution of the traitor and greatest evil, Marquiss Tercerion.

Kealunus spent some time going over each of my achievements while I waited backstage for my cue.

This wasn’t my first ennoblement ceremony, but it felt distinctly different this time—far more streamlined than the last. Back then, I had risen from baronet to baron to join the ranks of thousands of recognized noble houses, making it feel more like a welcoming ceremony than a—

“What are you doing? Hold the chest.”

Oh, right.

I came back to my senses, took the chest as instructed, then knelt on one knee and raised it high.

The Duke removed the indigo cloth and replaced it with a blue one. That marked the end of the ceremony.

Then, without warning, it was my turn to speak.

I hadn’t been briefed about it beforehand, but that wasn’t a problem. I could feel the Chancellor’s eyes on me, as if he were expecting some words of praise in return. But…

‘What exactly are you expecting from a Barbarian?’

Ignoring him completely, I boldly stated my thoughts. As a Barbarian warrior standing before thousands of people, there was only one thing to shout:

“BETHERAAAAAAA!!”

I roared at the thousands of nobles, but the reaction was surprisingly lukewarm. Or rather, they seemed bored.

“There he goes again.”

“Honestly, I knew he’d do that the moment they asked for his thoughts.”

“It’s not even strange anymore.”

No one clicked their tongues.

No one criticized me for lacking manners.

But… why did that somehow feel disappointing?

I didn’t know—and didn’t need to.

“If you’re done, step down.”

“Understood.”

And just like that, I became Viscount Yandel.

「Character’s Fame has increased by +10.」
「Character’s Fame has increased by +10.」
「Character’s Fame has increased by +10.」
「Character’s Fame has increased…」

My title had been elevated from Baron to Viscount, but my daily life remained the same.

The difference between a baron and a viscount usually comes down to things like the size of the private army allowed, but since the Jandel House didn’t have one to begin with, it didn’t change much. I was just a little more ‘honourable’ now.

‘Would it be different if I became a Count or a Marquis?’

Probably. I’ve heard that benefits increase significantly from the rank of count onwards. However, even then, the change wouldn’t be dramatic. At most, I’d be able to establish a noble faction similar to Melbes’.

‘Back to work.’

After the ceremony, I quickly returned to my routine.

I attended Melbes meetings and had lunch with Duke Kealunus, discussing various matters.

Now that he was Prime Minister, he wanted to maintain a good relationship with me—and I felt the same.

Being close to the Prime Minister meant access to high-level information.

For example, dungeon opening dates not yet revealed to the guild…

The number of explorers allowed…

Which clans would participate…

Whether the royal family would enter as well…

He told me such valuable information quite freely.

Well, his goal was to win my favor.

“Property damage within the sanctuary is almost fully restored, and starting next month, warriors will be drafted for the restoration of Sectors 7 and 8.”

As always, Shabin Emure was handling all the major and minor affairs of the Holy Land. In fact, she seemed to be working even harder lately.

“Shabin Emure, are you getting any sleep…?”

“Don’t worry. I get some sleep in the early morning.”

Seeing her push herself so hard worried me, but I didn’t think forcing her to rest was the answer either.

‘…Time will take care of it.’

Thanks to Shabin tackling the sanctuary’s administrative tasks like a madwoman, there was nothing for me to worry about regarding internal affairs.

So I devoted all my remaining time to the upcoming expedition.

I mapped out the exploration route in detail and kept gathering the clan members to practice coordination.

And just like that, time flew by…

“Wow… how long has it been since I last entered the labyrinth?”

At last, the day had come.

Continue reading more chapters at henprogressive.com

Please join here, I need supporters to help me continue translating Surviving game as a barbarian and Lee Gwak
If it doesn’t work support me here buymeacoffee.com/hennoveltranslations. There are advanced chapters for supporters as well.