Cheat na Kaineko no Okage de Rakuraku Level Up

“Yes, we’ve heard not only did you save our daughter’s life, but you also risked your own to protect her when you thought Geizel was pursuing her.”

I wondered when they’d heard about this, but probably Lena told Geizel, who then sent the message. Information has value in any era, and nobles have their ways of transmitting it.

“We can think of no better way to repay such a debt than with land.”

“Is that really okay?” Misha interjected.

“Owning land would mean ascending to the ranks of nobility, right?”

Ah, yes, this isn’t just about becoming wealthy.

“Yes, at the very least you’d become a baronet, a title good for one generation. However, Cage, you’re an A-rank adventurer, aren’t you?”

“Yes, I recently achieved that rank.”

“In that case, it wouldn’t be surprising for you to be promoted to the knightly class. With my recommendation, you could inherit the land as a viscount.”

This is beyond anything I had imagined. Becoming a noble wasn’t something I’d even considered until a few minutes ago.

“I don’t have any subordinates, so that seems a bit difficult.”

Suddenly becoming a village or town leader feels out of reach.

“We’ve discussed this,” Lena’s father coughs and looks at his wife. I don’t know why they needed to consult, but I guess in their position, they’re sort of like politicians.

“Cage, we’d like you to become our daughter Mireille’s son-in-law.”

“W-What!? Son-in-law!?” I almost choked.

This conversation has taken an unexpected turn.

Misha is silent, but her tail is swishing back and forth vigorously.

She’s clearly not happy. And she’s not the only one struggling to keep her composure—I see Lena blushing deeply too.

“Father, that’s… that’s not going to work. What are you talking about?”

“Why are you so embarrassed? It’s far more shameful to continue living as a servant, even if it’s to hide your identity,” her mother responded sternly.

“And you’d say no to marrying another noble, wouldn’t you? In that case, marry the man who saved you and govern a piece of land. It’s a good compromise.”

“Compromise? What about how I feel?”

“Don’t you like Cage?”

Her father looked genuinely surprised.

“It’s not about liking or disliking him! Sure, he’s been good to me, and I think he’s a good person, but—”

Misha cleared her throat meaningfully. This is her way of saying, ‘Don’t forget about me.’

“Look, Cage already has a wife, Misha. Their relationship might be different by noble standards, but they’ve been together long before I moved in, and they even own a mansion!”

For a moment, Lena seemed relieved. She probably thought that would settle the matter.

But we didn’t fully understand the noble mindset yet.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re not the first wife, Mireille. If you’re the legal wife, there’s no issue,” her father said.

I wanted to object, but it seems this is acceptable in their world.

“As for the beastwoman, she can be a concubine. She won’t be mistreated, and all the women of the Selwood family have my guarantee of their status,” Lena’s mother added.

I realized then that to large noble families like this, it’s less about family and more about organization.

Misha’s tail was twitching even more now. She’s really upset.

I needed to say something.

“Look, I’ve sworn eternal love to Misha, and I intend to have her as my only wife.”

I figured this would be understandable since polygamy isn’t the norm among commoners.

“But Misha just referred to you as ‘Master,’ which doesn’t sound like an equal partnership,” Lena’s father noted.

That’s true; we probably don’t sound like a typical couple to them.

“Well, Misha originally had a lower social status, and it’s sort of a holdover from—”

“Enough! They love each other, and there’s no room for me in between them! If you continue this discussion, I’m leaving!”

Lena stood up and raised her voice.

“That’s why I left. The moment I come back, we start talking about what to do with the house… I couldn’t take it anymore,” she vented.

It seemed like her genuine feelings.

“I understand. We’ll drop the marriage topic. It’s pointless to force an unhappy marriage,” her father conceded. Then he turned to me.

“But we still want to reward you. Would you accept the estate in name at least? We’ll handle its management.”

“If that’s the case…”

And so, I became a noble in name.