Chapter 139 : Chapter 139
Chapter 139. Acting Lord of the Territory
“What is this happening…….”
The Lizardmen groaned.
Getting beaten by humans without even being able to lift a finger was a first in their lives.
Humans were a race numerous enough to occupy the continent, but they were very weak.
Sometimes there were strong humans, but they rarely came to remote corners of the countryside.
“Why are humans with such skills here……!”
Lando Chau, a warrior of the Lizardman tribe, shuddered while looking at the humans who captured him.
A guy using strange martial arts making no sound when moving, a human magician firing magic randomly, and even a terrible guy hitting where he already hit.
It was baffling why guys with such skills appeared now.
Lando Chau glared at the humans and lamented once again.
“……We were too careless.”
Raviedel was a land whose owner had been absent for a long time.
Judging by Lizardman common sense, such absence of the owner was tantamount to giving up the land.
The Tsar Mountain Range where the sacred mountain of Lizardmen was located. It should be Lizardmen, not humans, occupying this place.
As Lando Chau kept muttering, the magician human taking them got annoyed.
“If you are caught, be quiet! Why do you talk so much?”
“Would you be quiet if it were you! This is unjust! I demand fair treatment for a prisoner!”
Then Radel, who was riding in the carriage, stuck his head out and asked.
“What is unjust?”
“Although we are caught, shouldn't we have the freedom to speak?”
“I said it’s noisy because you muttered so much. I didn't say you couldn't speak. Right, Armandy?”
At Radel’s words, Armandy nodded.
“That is correct. Even if I tried to ignore it since earlier, it didn't work well. If you did wrong, you should reflect on it, I don't know why you have so many words.”
Lando Chau got angry hearing those words.
“Wrong? If there is a wrong, it is you guys entering the land where we are living well who are wrong!”
“Wrong, you say. This wasn't originally Lizardmen’s land either.”
As far as Radel knew, the Lizardmen’s territory and Raviedel were attached across the mountain range, but they were strictly distinguished as different regions.
But at some point, Lizardmen crossed that boundary and invaded Raviedel’s territory.
“This is land without an owner! So it is fine for us to do as we please!”
Lando Chau beat his chest in frustration and protested.
In Lizardman common sense, an object or land for which the owner did not claim rights was as good as having no owner.
Radel sighed watching the Lizardman shouting shamelessly.
Trying to talk with a Lizardman instead of a human, common sense didn't work.
But incorrect information needed to be corrected.
“What are you talking about? There is an owner of this land.”
When Radel spoke as if asking if he didn't even know that, Lando Chau was flustered.
“That cannot be. The owner has never appeared here! Even if there is one, he must be an incompetent fellow. Who is it?”
“Uh, it’s me.”
Seeing Radel’s confident attitude, he was speechless for a moment.
“You are the owner?”
“Yeah. I am the Lord of Raviedel.”
Then Lando Chau snorted.
Lizardmen had much longer lifespans than humans. In their eyes, Radel was just a human brat not even twenty years old yet.
In the Lizardman world, to claim rights as the owner of the land, one had to be at least an adult.
There was no concept of inheritance for them.
Leader or land, everything was taken by the one who fought and won unconditionally.
Radel gave up talking further.
Lizardman common sense and human common sense were too different.
“A human brat reeking of mother’s milk like you? Playing tricks……. W, wait! Ugh!”
It was time for physical therapy.
* * *
Clop, clop.
Radel’s carriage entered the territory of Raviedel.
Seeing the carriage from afar, people came out of the territory and watched them.
“It’s a carriage!”
“Look there, it’s Lizardmen!”
“They must have been caught again.”
Hearing the territory people chattering, Radel wondered what they were talking about.
‘Again?’
Lizardmen being caught again.
Does it mean someone else besides them caught Lizardmen.
Maybe there was an outstanding swordsman or mercenary in the territory. Radel guessed Raviedel’s combat power and thought he should meet the acting lord to hear the detailed story.
However, Radel’s guess missed the mark.
“What took you so long!”
“Prince, we were waiting.”
Waiting for Radel were the unexpected Inette and Gusto.
“Your territory is in big trouble right now, you know? And we solved that!”
Inette boasted and poured out words as soon as she saw Radel.
Gusto also explained the situation to Radel.
“On the way here, Lizardmen were blocking the road, so we captured them.”
So that's why the territory people said they were caught again earlier.
What was in the territory wasn't an outstanding swordsman or mercenary, but one imperial family member with an Ability and one apprentice holy knight.
It was news more welcome than anything to Radel.
“Really? Just in time, I went through the same thing, it’s fascinating.”
Radel showed the Lizardmen following behind the carriage.
They were prisoners escorted with the help of Armandy and Pirenzo.
Inette was surprised seeing the Lizardmen Radel captured alive.
“What, there are more than what we captured?”
“To think this much force was continuously blocking the road, how cheeky. It seems they are not just bandits.”
Radel also nodded and agreed.
“I think the same. Listening to what these guys say, it seemed like it wasn't just a day or two.”
Inette and Gusto discovered Armandy and Pirenzo who came with Radel.
“Oh right, you know the two are from the same hometown, right? They joined in the middle while coming here.”
Radel made up a story that he met the two by chance while on the way knowing something happened in the territory and asked for help.
Since it wasn't exactly wrong, Armandy and Pirenzo also agreed.
“I see. Certainly, the skills of the two are reliable.”
Gusto nodded readily, but Inette scanned Armandy and Pirenzo with suspicious eyes.
“Does that make sense?”
Inette’s suspicious gaze turned to Radel this time.
“Does this make sense. You left for the territory without saying a word to me but asked those two for help?”
So it was about that.
Radel calmed Inette, who was trembling with a sense of betrayal.
“Originally, I intended to go quietly alone. If I was going to play, I would have told you.”
“Hmph, of course.”
Inette grumbled and added.
“Anyway, it’s fine to consult on problems like this. Pay a little attention next time.”
“Got it. Thank you both for coming all the way to the territory even though I didn't say anything.”
Not just coming, but even catching the Lizardmen blocking the road.
To Radel, the two were not just thankful but at the level of a surprise gift.
It was then.
“Are you perhaps Prince Radel Silvert Cretian?”
Someone approached Radel’s side carefully and asked.
Radel looked at the young man who appeared as if he knew him.
“Yes, that is correct. Excuse me, but who are you?”
He had a gentle impression, a young man who gave the feeling that anyone would think he studied a bit.
“I am Chariot Sapphire, the acting lord of Raviedel. I have been waiting for the day to meet the Prince continuously.”
Chariot stopped talking and caught his breath for a moment as if choked up.
“I thought you had forgotten our territory. Since there was no contact even once…….”
“Ah, I am sorry about that. It might sound like an excuse, but I only recently found out that I had a territory. Looking at the ledger, I saw taxes were sent regularly all this time.”
Radel spoke to Chariot with sincerity.
“Even when I didn't know about the territory, I wondered who the person sending the territory tax faithfully was. I thought he was a trustworthy person. I am truly grateful for taking care of and protecting the territory on my behalf.”
“Not at all. It was something I naturally had to do.”
Chariot felt the lump in his chest disappearing at Radel’s words.
It seemed he had been unconsciously anxious while serving as the acting lord until now.
Did the Prince really forget the territory.
How much he despaired realizing there was no proper place to ask for help even when problems arose in Raviedel.
But the Prince not only didn't forget the territory but appeared like a miracle when help was needed.
That alone was touching enough.
“……I have no face to see the Prince. As you can see, due to my lack of ability, things have come to this.”
As the acting lord, he was ashamed to show his powerless self unable to do anything about the Lizardmen.
When Chariot lowered his head, Radel comforted him.
“Don’t say such things. I am the one who should reflect. Since I, the lord, didn't know the situation of the territory was serious at all. Now if we talk together, an answer will come out.”
Is this person really the powerless and young Prince?
Chariot realized he had been thinking wrongly until now.
It wasn't that there was no place to ask for help.
The one lacking trust in the lord was himself, the acting lord.
* * *
Radel and his party unpacked at the lord’s castle.
Although the lord’s castle was old, it was still neatly managed.
It was much cleaner and more pleasant than the old 8th Prince’s Palace.
Radel could feel how much effort Chariot had put in while he was away.
When it got dark, Chariot treated everyone to dinner.
Candles were lit in the dining hall of the lord’s castle after a long time.
They were still using candles because they didn't have money to buy magic lamps.
Moreover, Chariot, the acting lord, usually had simple meals in his office, saying it was a waste to light candles in the dining hall without guests.
“I am only sorry that these are the only meals I can offer to the precious people who came all this way.”
Chariot was repeating only sorry repeatedly.
However, people who saw the situation of the territory had no particular complaints.
Even Inette didn't complain.
Radel examined the dinner placed on the table.
Bread, soup, and a little meat were all.
With the lord and guests present, if it was this much, he could guess more than enough how they lived usually.
Radel dipped bread in soup and asked Chariot.
“How is the food situation of the territory?”
“It is presumptuous to say, but very difficult. There is no promise whether we can last a week.”
Radel finished his meal quietly and went outside with Chariot.
There was something he prepared knowing this would happen.
“It’s not much, but take this for now.”
It was various spices and preserved food Radel brought a carriage full of.
There were also dried fruits and various other daily necessities.
“By tomorrow, more goods will come from the guild. Before that, we need to clear the road a bit though.”
“Prince…….”
Chariot choked up again.
He could feel that Radel didn't just come to visit but really came to solve the territory’s problems.
The attendants of the lord’s castle also had red eyes as they carried the goods Radel brought.
Hope that perhaps the territory could survive spread in their hearts.