Chapter 159
XC8Y0UjHarald had prepared wine and glasses and was waiting in the reception room.A5v
tDhIXQAfter a short while, someone with their hood pulled deeply down entered the room in silence.Z3t
4IfSoon, the visitor revealed his face and slightly inclined his head toward Harald.JqfhYlS
4bs“It’s been a long time. Do you remember me?”rRDqREh
lyHg“Of course. It feels like yesterday when you were celebrating your coming-of-age ceremony, and now you are already a respectable head of a family, Baron Lesta.”j2opm
XXEoK“I’m glad to see that Baron Harald is as healthy as ever.”5fLhHT
aJOuv4wSince they had already met before through Torkel, the conversation between them flowed naturally.xopG9w9
yN3However, the cordial atmosphere did not last long. As soon as the greetings ended, Harald adopted a serious expression and asked,5qdyp
HxPy5co“But tell me, what brings you here at such a late hour? As the head of a house, you could have come openly as a guest during the day.”alN
67RMdEe“I would have liked that as well, but given the nature of the matter, I could not present myself so openly.”z4alm
fA2K“Is it something so serious that it must be concealed even from the duke?”Vzg
G0t5“Rather than concealing it, I would say that it is not necessary to reveal it and disturb him with it.”F7ev
pGYY2uWith a bitter smile, Lesta took a seat and raised his glass.SEb
tuTuKQ“Before we begin, I’d like to moisten my throat a little.”Ah32bc
xoHEo“Go ahead. The wine was intended precisely to entertain the guest.”5h4o
CtbBoth raised their glasses and drained them in one gulp.RDQP5G
FMCcThe burning sensation as it passed down his throat and the intense aroma of the liquor made Lesta let out an exclamation of admiration.qM8m
h1865“It’s an excellent wine.”hw8CjN
3l5“It’s one of my treasured reserves. Has your throat loosened up a bit now?”pjwheNc
0wynDS“Completely.”omoxRGR
sPRUF2fLesta set the glass down on the table with a light clink and erased the smile from his face.EEIEk
f8c7eWhat he was about to say was not something pleasant even for himself.RtT
JFbTqtJ“Lately, the behavior of some lords has been strange.”7hcy3Q5
qkbSM“Strange? What do you mean?”BpKMxnL
faxB“Many are showing concern over the steps the duke is taking. To be precise, they fear falling under his direct dominion.”xKXgQ
JvGThe north was one of the regions least affected by the silence of the imperial family.Nvv5u7E
BSGbDIf one were to be precise, it could even be said that it had welcomed that silence.xjiXCD
aAzXaqThe only institution capable of officially interfering in the affairs of the lords had been paralyzed.N4F9
CsWDgRAmid the chaos, they believed they could continue living in relative peace in the north until the situation calmed down.ddoKs
h2cBut when Lucian proclaimed the liberation of the first prince and let his ambition show, unease began to arise everywhere.v0ea
vwr2dr“As you well know, Baron Harald, in chaotic times lords inevitably become warlords. And to increase their power, they begin to devour those around them.”9N6Vn
DSVZDD“Do they fear that the duke will start wars against other houses to strengthen his power?”FjJn
d0mo“Even if he does not annihilate them and merely subjugates them, that is hardly reassuring either. In the end, they would go from being independent forces to vassals under his direct control.”PV2dHT
62joH“That sounds rather sudden. The duke has not yet initiated any military action, has he?”99Bt
26DOvD“That is true, but it is not an entirely unfounded assumption either. Once he has proclaimed the liberation of the first prince, the expansion of forces for war becomes an inevitable path.”Y4TT
pUZFTIn turbulent times, if one did not expand one’s power by absorbing the weaker, sooner or later one would be devoured by someone stronger. Even without ambition, to survive it was necessary to grow stronger.FAuKmk
h5AzmL“Even lords who previously supported His Excellency have changed their minds now that the imperial family is silent. They say they no longer need his help.”kYcjIk
o1Cj1d“To my ears, that sounds like they want a royal house that raises its voice against the imperial family, but not one that interferes directly in their affairs.”JGaF93
4zOhP“Exactly. They believe that if they remain calm in the north, sooner or later an emperor will be appointed and peace will return. It’s a naive idea.”dTTHyn
1HALesta clicked his tongue in disdain. If things could be resolved so easily, it would not be called an era of chaos.16OvI
fXmDiiPAnyone aspiring to the throne would not be satisfied with taking only the capital.zyFyh
coMrozThe north had always been a region difficult to control even when the imperial family was at the height of its power; for any ambitious person, it was a thorn in the side.IrmZa
I5d“I understand that there are unsettling discussions among the lords. So what is it you intend? That I ask the duke to reassure the others?”BTduYy
SzKKM“No. Just the opposite. We want to gather people like us and promote the restoration of the Kingdom of the North. Not a symbolic restoration, but an official one.”InrQBfJ
ji4H“…!?”K6AXjj
QkLCHarald opened his eyes wide at the unexpected proposal.XAGr
RjV6Officially restoring the Kingdom of the North meant turning the lords of the north into direct vassals of the royal house.teq8B
c7yRight after speaking of unrest, that would only fan the flames even further.MvO
Kzah9“What intention lies behind this?”fRov
ExeyB“There are no ulterior motives. If the duke were to learn of the current atmosphere in the north, what do you think he would do?”IO6
cYx“Well…”ACCFJ
C8rKHarald recalled the actions Lucian had taken so far, while at the same time assessing Asagrim’s military power.i1Di1zF
QHrNo matter how he thought about it, it did not seem that Lucian would be troubled just because a few lords started stirring.wyhVd
AvhtoYzAlthough it might be different if the entire north turned against him, the reality was that there were still ardent supporters like Harald and Lesta.9C8PNx
OtFtG4AIf he made even a modest effort, it would not be difficult for him to subdue the rebellious lords and make everyone kneel.VsB
0ZSt“…It doesn’t seem like it would be a major problem. In fact, it almost feels as though His Excellency would use this as an excuse to completely pacify the north.”8sy9l0q
iMNAVK“That is precisely the problem.”eMqWvNn
4vnGuo“What do you mean?”byx
LrembnS“If the north is completely pacified, our usefulness will disappear. In particular, Torkel and I handled the cleaning of areas that the duke’s hand and eyes could not reach, but that work is about to vanish entirely.”lbP5wV
AfkvHHarald wanted to reply that this was an exaggeration, but he could not.Q3u
Um6JeDuNo matter how close his relationship with Lucian was, as a head of a family there were limits.C0K
RyNd4wOnce Lucian’s power extended throughout the north, it was obvious that he would prefer to send his own vassals rather than entrust those tasks to others.y0zn
yEv“Even if we have gained enough trust under the duke’s command, it is still too early. I still need opportunities to accumulate merit.”WjDb
zcJHnx1“And that is why you want to actively promote the restoration of the Kingdom of the North? As a warning to unstable elements not to even dream of challenging His Excellency, and at the same time to shift public opinion?”pr4Rjv
7q01je5“If it conflicts with the duke’s plans, there is no need to truly restore it. What matters is demonstrating that we have the ability to suppress minor disturbances and help ensure that His Excellency does not have to be distracted by unnecessary matters.”EUb1D
VGmDe3The proposal was not bad, and Harald’s ears perked up.vGKp
NpT4zDGIt was a somewhat pragmatic approach, but in essence it meant dealing with problematic elements on their own so that Lucian would not have to worry about the north.bYUiga
Zfblj2v‘How pathetic I am. I trusted His Excellency so much that, instead of supporting him, I ended up depending on him.’eGiw3y
14DVAz1It would not be bad if Lucian pacified the north, but ideally it would be better if it did not have to come to that thanks to proper management beforehand.unRvbX
qve68x1With his decision made, Harald nodded and said,XwOCIi
cP8F“Very well. Then what exactly am I supposed to do?”lAKJjBt
HTfTr“To begin with…”6NamMFD
iWnSmiling, Lesta explained his plan to him. That night, the two talked until dawn broke.U14
ZmhI6O***37l
Qgr1Z“This smells bad.”koDT
hTIOn the way to Asagrim, Malcolm frowned as he looked at the ground.iLP06
BDO3He had stumbled upon the corpses of an entire family, crudely covered with dirt.A0clWTK
lNHBY0At the sight of the bloodstained bodies, Malcolm’s son recoiled in horror.US2STUC
PelkjHm“D-did they run into bandits?”JxW6
qMK“So it seems. They even took their clothes.”lu76Hf
Iny“But this place isn’t that far from lands ruled by a lord…”eGbE
CFG“It looks like the guard has stopped patrolling.”UK9j
iq1P“Huh? Why?”F4nuy7
95QYoAt his son’s question, Malcolm left the sentence hanging in the air.NkI
yLGTe8In truth, he had a rough idea of the answer.BwDP
SEpFiWith so many resources being consumed by preparations for war, they had probably cut back even on expenses meant to maintain order.0AaXL
Sb2Even so, one never knew into whose ears a careless word might fall.pIJpOhG
tUHAnd being so close to lands governed by a lord, any remark could turn into a dangerous criticism.X17
JZS“Let’s keep moving.”7NDfgS
8EmO“Will it be all right? Maybe it would be better to hire mercenaries…”taf
R1i“There’s no money. With security this bad, they’re surely charging more too.”cNS3b
P8V1z“Ugh…”NWj
oarxAt the word “money,” Malcolm’s son let out a groan.Oai
Fk1L5lbThe travel expenses were already being eaten up quickly by absurdly high prices.gw7AV
M5oBfJfIf the cost of hiring mercenaries had risen as well, even the next day’s food would be in danger.N3tsj
UPpQntK“There’s no choice. At least give me the hammer.”Vkq10
gDyT“Are you planning to use it as a weapon?”iDdua
RY46“Better that than nothing.”1H7HBr
lcALt“No. Actually, it would be better to have nothing.”RbkLX
PPEJhnMalcolm and his son froze when they heard the voice coming from behind them.RFiAUr
apErTurning around, they saw several fierce-looking bandits sneering at them.bBCe
NU3It seemed they had been hiding in some nearby shelter, lying in wait for travelers, and had just appeared.lsERazy
cuXAG3t“Today’s a day of rich harvest. Having prey come one after another in less than an hour doesn’t happen every day.”8QtQ1fg
Glz9nEk“…We don’t have any money. Even if you search us, you won’t get anything, so let us go.”X73L
ZWYE6“It doesn’t matter. If there’s nothing, there’s nothing, and you can still be satisfied. They say you shouldn’t disdain even a single coin, right?”HJ87tFM
gGL7tPrSeeing the murderous gleam in the bandits’ eyes, Malcolm frowned.kZTTJ
qdKrThese were not men driven to crime by necessity, but genuine degenerates who enjoyed seeing blood.zRfr1Hy
FjawdEven if a beggar with not a single coin passed by, they would be capable of killing him just for fun.pbqW
oT6fzCC“F-father.”pah
jkjH“Take the hammer.”pbTI2V
MeXJGvo“I told you it’s better to have nothing. If you resist, the knife ends up going into strange places. Judging by how you look, old man, you don’t have much life left. Do you really want to complicate things?”Entx90d
g63CgThe bandits advanced toward Malcolm and his son with disgusting smiles, as if enjoying cornering prey that had already been caught.Lhh
6SvDiNAs both tightened their grip on the hammer and the tongs, it happened.szxp
pF2“Don’t worry. You’ll die quickly.”VdeHxbY
SPlHSlash!5tfxsSv
LdX1Along with the cold voice, a flash of a sword shone, and at the same time the head of the bandit on the far right went flying through the air.5Ez
fsSxXG1The others blinked in shock at the sudden death of their companion.hdz
E9FKOLA“W-what…?”QxnbYz
R8wSlash!3gNEskt
e6Q59While they still did not understand what was happening, the dazzling flashes of the sword did not stop.Saw
5MMwEach time the light flashed, a bandit lost his head and fell to the ground.
By the time they finally reacted, most of them were already dead, and only three remained.XEN
PNXi0“What the hell…?”Uto
xlNhPYMSlice!JKPDDP
QvcPBefore they could scream, the heads of the remaining three flew off at the same time.cORrBPp
iPQzqTOSeeing the bandits annihilated in an instant, without even being able to let out a final cry, Malcolm and his son were completely petrified.pTi77O
QQmA moment later, the earlier voice rang in their ears again.dAj
ctC“Are you hurt?”maBwSv
5QyPn0I“…!?”RMQL
KJzStartled, both turned around. In front of them stood a swordsman dressed in plain clothes.t1hlXw
R45EyAt first glance, he could be mistaken for a wandering mercenary, but Malcolm immediately understood what kind of man stood before him.DLh
OSEmeC‘A knight.’6Zg4O
nnEjzAnd not one of those pampered youths from wealthy families, but a true knight who had passed through countless fields of death.DjZ
UcxvOSuch a dense smell of blood could only come from someone who had cut down far too many people.TEq
GkyQ22Seeing Malcolm so tense, Vincent, a knight who had once belonged to the Black Lions, let out a laugh.giuNw
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