Chapter 180 : Chapter 180
Chapter : 180
Damn. I had thought I was forgetting something, and to think it was the cavalry I had left in ambush.
Because I had personally stepped forward for the duel, I had gotten carried away and forgotten them completely. And then the battle ended so absurdly quickly, too.
“C-cough.”
So I could only clear my throat in embarrassment as I looked at the knights who had come to me.
“Tsk, tsk. A commander forgets that? What? You set them aside to use as the final blade?”
“How was I supposed to know they would collapse this easily, Magician Agpiel? Ahem.”
“So you did not forget?”
“…….”
That mercilessly sharp remark shut my mouth. I turned my head away. He really was quick to catch on.
“Do not look so dejected. There are still plenty of stragglers. I will help you earn merit by cleaning up what remains.”
“Ah, will you?”
“As expected. Only Your Excellency truly thinks of us.”
“Of course. Right. How could His Excellency forget us?”
At those words, the knights’ expressions finally brightened. Starving for merit as they were, the promise of an opportunity made their faces glow.
But the problem was—
“M-my lord!”
“What is it?”
“The peasant rebels’ remnants have all fled beyond the border! If we go just a little farther, there are piles of abandoned weapons and armor. It is a perfect victory!”
Now there was not even a chance left for them to distinguish themselves.
“…….”
“…….”
Honestly.
---
I was not the only one stunned by the news that the peasant rebels had collapsed in a day—no, in less than three hours after we met them.
“Y-Your Excellency! Thank you so much for helping us!!”
Baron Ryuieg, who had been holed up in his castle, yearning only for reinforcements, received the messenger’s report and threw himself flat before me.
He had heard rumors—people said it was astonishing, astonishing—but to think it would truly be like this. How could the enemy already be defeated while he was still preparing to welcome the reinforcements?
‘Does that even make sense?’
Baron Ryuieg was dumbfounded.
For a moment he even wondered whether I had conspired with the peasant rebels to kill him. But when he saw the other nobles gathered in the crowd, he finally felt relief.
So it was true.
Unlike the king, this Margrave had truly come to help him.
And then, in the depths of his heart, anger toward the king began to rise in a slow, creeping boil.
‘They take taxes whenever it suits them, and then they do not protect us!’
Catching Ryuieg’s mood, I let out a small chuckle and waved my hand.
“Help you? We are members of the same customs union council, are we not? As one heart and one purpose, the danger of a council member is the same as my own. I only did what I was supposed to do.”
“What you were supposed to do? Only Your Excellency would willingly step forward while bearing the loss yourself. Thank you truly.”
“Hoho, why are you making such a fuss?”
“No! What do you mean, ‘why’?”
At my words, Baron Ryuieg flared up and continued.
“That filthy king did not do what he was supposed to do. Every year he squeezes out taxes in the name of a shield tax, yet he does not protect us! That is betrayal. Is it not? Everyone?”
“C-cough. That is… true.”
“Certainly, it is a problem that the king is simply watching and leaving the central army idle.”
“Still, defending one’s own domain is, in truth, the lord’s own responsibility—”
“Hey now. This is a different matter, is it not?”
There was one opinion in there that was almost excessively reasonable(?), but overall the nobles present agreed with Baron Ryuieg.
The backlash that had built up against the king—who had been so aggressive in checking the nobles—was spilling over.
Then Magician Agpiel came close and whispered quietly.
“Do not step in. Just agree and nod. It is good for you.”
“I was going to do exactly that.”
If they cursed the king and lost all goodwill toward him, whom would they rely on?
A great noble who could protect their rights. And as for the southern region, the Duke of Bourgogne was too far away—so the only one left was me.
As Agpiel said, it was a situation where my standing rose even if I did nothing.
If I tried to speak too decisively, people would suspect ambition.
In any case, when the moment felt ripe, I raised a hand and calmed the nobles who were still spitting fire.
“All right. Enough. Let us go into the castle, shall we? Are we going to stand here forever? The battle is over—everyone should rest.”
“That is right, Your Excellency! I will attend you. I will repay you with a grand banquet.”
“At this rate, will he not squander his fortune on banquet expenses?”
A noble suddenly said that. And indeed, Baron Ryuieg was a minor lord with a very small keep.
To entertain nobles of this caliber could truly break his back.
“Huk.”
Only then did Baron Ryuieg remember his finances, and his face turned ashen. It was unthinkable, for the sake of noble dignity, to admit he could not host them.
Pretending not to notice, I turned to the noble who had spoken and said smoothly,
“Hey now. Are you belittling Baron Ryuieg? How can you say such a thing? Our Baron Ryuieg can host us perfectly well. Is that not so?”
“Y-yes, of course, Your Excellency. Hahaha. I will hold a truly grand banquet.”
Baron Ryuieg wanted to cry.
---
The banquet hall in Baron Ryuieg’s keep.
“Hahahaha!”
“Pour it! Drink!”
“I did not realize Baron Ryuieg was wealthier than he looked. So much fine-quality meat!”
“Indeed. I wondered why the peasant rebels would target his land—turns out there was a reason!”
The nobles and knights at the banquet ate and drank with wild delight. True to the world of [Pangea Universalise], where stuffing oneself with fine meat was considered a manly display of noble splendor, the amount they consumed was unbelievable.
‘Ugh. These lunatics.’
Baron Ryuieg, watching it all, felt as if he were dying.
He had to preserve appearances, and money was bleeding away. It was an enormous burden for a minor lord. But he could not afford to be negligent in his hospitality.
“My lord Baron, all the meat we stored has run out. What should we do?”
“What should we do? Go to the surrounding villages and requisition more at once. Now, quickly! If His Excellency the Margrave is displeased because you were late, your head will not remain on your shoulders!”
“Y-yes, my lord.”
This was a great noble who held sway over the entire south.
And not just any great noble, but a great noble with a rising fame, the Margrave. And he had saved Ryuieg’s life today—so Ryuieg truly had to give everything.
Besides, he also had a thinner, shrewder calculation in mind.
‘Hmmm. If I satisfy him like this and flatter him a little, it should be enough.’
The vast army the Margrave of Bellua had brought.
Even if its pretext was to protect the customs union, Ryuieg was not naive enough to believe that no price would be taken.
Something would be extracted, surely.
So Baron Ryuieg planned to show just how strained he was, to signal that there was nothing left to give.
‘Good grief….’
Of course, that shallow thinking was perfectly obvious to me.
“Tsk, tsk. That fellow is overdoing it for no reason. I am enjoying the food, but still.”
“Ah, Magician Agpiel, you thought so too?”
“Of course. Are you the sort of man to waste this opportunity? You should manage this domain properly while you can. Hoho.”
After spending so long with me, he was now sharp enough to read my intentions at a glance.
“Still, do not provoke too much resentment.”
“Resentment… from him?”
“What are you saying? From those nobles stuffing themselves to bursting. Why are you concerned about Baron Ryuieg? He cannot influence anything anyway. We need to pin it thoroughly on Baron Ryuieg’s personal incompetence.”
“Hah….”
I gave a bitter smile at Magician Agpiel’s cold tone.
On the face of that seasoned Great Sage, there was not a trace of pity or compassion.
But then again, he was the sort of man who believed that a ruler must bear the proper responsibility and duty. It suited him.
Thinking that, I called for Baron Ryuieg, who was busy hosting guests at the far end of the hall.
“You called, Your Excellency?”
“Yes. Thanks to you, I am enjoying a truly splendid banquet.”
“Haha. What are you saying? It is only what I ought to do.”
“Still, hosting this many people must be exhausting. Your circumstances cannot be good, with famine after famine and an attack from peasant rebels. I am truly sorry.”
“Thank you for saying so.”
Baron Ryuieg swallowed the bait at once.
“Just as you said, repeated misfortunes have left my domain in a wretched state… but is it not an honor to host Your Excellency and the nobles gathered here? A noble is no noble if he forgets honor, Your Excellency!”
“Hahahaha! Who knew Baron Ryuieg could be so hearty!”
“Indeed. To worry about honor before mere money—what an admirable noble, Your Excellency!”
As Baron Ryuieg spoke with a forced, sturdy voice, trying to imply things without stating them outright, the surrounding nobles laughed and praised him. To them, it was a stylishly noble display.
To me, it looked… lacking.
Still, since he had bitten so readily, it could not have been better.
“Is that so? Then it seems your situation is rather tight?”
“How could I answer such a question, with my dignity at stake, Your Excellency. Ahem. Ahem.”
“Hmmm… I see. Very well! Then I will make a great decision for you!”
“Oh?”
Baron Ryuieg’s eyes shone. He seemed to think what he wanted was finally coming true.
Of course, what I was about to say had nothing to do with what he hoped for.
“Because you have suffered for my sake, I should repay you accordingly, should I not?”
“Ah… pardon? R-repay me…? I do not ask for repayment—”
“Hey now. What do you mean? Of course I must repay you. As I came through this area, I saw quite a few strongholds that looked like brigand dens. This time, I will lend you troops to deal with them. Subjugate them all and restore stability to your people.”
“???”
Baron Ryuieg flinched in shock at my sudden words.
“Lend him troops,” it sounded nice, but was it not, in truth, leaving my army in his domain?
“W-wait—”
He tried to speak, sensing something wrong, but it was already too late.
“Oh! Yes, Your Excellency. If that is the repayment, Baron Ryuieg will be delighted.”
“Indeed. We had no chance to earn military merit, but we will participate this time!”
The surrounding nobles and knights nodded, eager to agree.
‘These rotten bastards?’
Because it was not their domain, they behaved like that. If another lord’s army were stationed in their lands, they would scream in horror—yet here they were, running wild.
Reading Ryuieg’s thoughts, I smiled and pushed further.
“And your land is terribly barren. Your irrigation is lacking as well. I will remain here for a time and support those matters. I will call in administrators and instruct you on irrigation works and land reclamation at once.”
“N-no… Your Excellency, that is—!”
At the idea that I would essentially settle in and oversee administration, Baron Ryuieg blanched. I ignored him and continued quickly.
“And the Great Sage is with us. He can help immediately. Can you assist, Great Sage?”
“Hohoho. Why would I be unable? If the Margrave requests it, who would refuse? Besides, it is a repayment the nobles themselves deem honorable, so I must do my part as well. Is that not so, all of you?”
“That is right, Great Sage.”
“The Magician understands honor as well. Hahaha.”
There was no way to stop it.
Had he not admitted with his own mouth that things were difficult? Then by what pretext could he refuse “help” offered without demanding compensation?
‘I… I am finished….’
And with that, Baron Ryuieg collapsed onto the floor without even realizing it.
To have your nose cut off while your eyes are wide open.
Baron Ryuieg had never imagined that this stale old saying would become his reality.