Chapter 46 : Chapter 46
Chapter 46
The marquess's gaze, filled with blatant disregard, was directed at Ian.
‘Who does this bastard think he is……?’
As the marquess pointed out, Ian had no right to be here.
The regent recognized by the royal family was Markberg, and until he held his succession ceremony on his 18th birthday, he only had the nominal title of young lord.
Annoyance surged at the sight of the marquess's smug smile, but losing my temper here would be the worst possible move.
I sat down with a composed expression and opened my mouth.
“Is the marquess ignoring the will of the Moner family, which thought I should be in this seat?”
“Of course not.
I am merely trying to be certain, as I have come here on behalf of His Majesty the King.”
The marquess, his tongue flickering like a snake's, looked at Ian as if to say, ‘Go on, speak.’
“...I am qualified to be in this seat.”
Even though I enunciated each word with force, the count chuckled and ignored me.
“Well, qualification isn't something you can get just by wanting it.
Can a commoner become a noble just by dreaming he is qualified to be one?”
The marquess had a firm grasp of Ian's weakness.
The young lord had been acting as if the Moner family was behind him, but according to reports from the past few years, the scoundrel of the Moner family was not recognized as the young lord.
In fact, the annual lord's meeting had never once been held, so no matter how much the young lord barked, it was just meaningless noise.
He was curious as to why Ian, not the regent, had come to this place, but he was confident that even if Ian got angry, neither Sven of Moner nor Mogul would move.
In reality, Ian, who was a young lord in name only and received no help from his family, could not respond strongly to the marquess's blatant disregard.
“The marquess speaks as if I am not a noble.”
“Of course not, you are a noble who inherited a noble bloodline recognized by the kingdom.
I just think you are not qualified to be in this seat.”
The marquess, thinking he had seized the upper hand before the negotiations even began, said with a vile smile.
If he could just bring the regent to the negotiation table, the count, who held a mere life peerage, would have no choice but to follow his orders.
He thought this negotiation was as good as over.
“So you're saying that I, the young lord and sole heir of the Moner family, must prove my qualifications?”
Ian still did not get angry, nor did he erupt with murderous intent.
He just looked at the marquess calmly with emotionless eyes.
The prince, who had been watching the two's argument, opened his mouth.
“Marquess, as the young lord says, he is the only blood relative of the Moner family.
Even if he is still young and not directly ruling the domain, who else can represent Moner now that the duke is gone?”
“Your Highness, I can understand emotionally, but since this is a meeting proceeding under His Majesty the King's orders, we must follow the principles.”
The marquess, unshaken by the prince's words, looked at Ian coldly and said.
“Besides, if the young lord can prove his qualifications himself, there would be no problem, would there?
Isn't that right, Young Lord?”
To prove his innate qualifications.
Anyone could see that this contradictory demand was aimed at Ian.
There was no way a scoundrel, who wasn't even recognized by his own family, could prove that he represented the family.
Just as the marquess's gaze, filled with disregard and contempt, was becoming more and more blatant, Ian opened his mouth.
“Since you put it that way, I understand.
I will have to prove my qualifications.”
* * *
Ian inwardly suppressed his surging annoyance.
This damn moniker, ‘the scoundrel of the Moner family,’ seemed to rear its head and shout just when I was about to forget it.
You will never be accepted in this world.
But things were different from when I had first fallen into this world.
In just a little over three months, I had brought about numerous changes.
I had proven myself, overcoming the gazes mixed with hatred and contempt.
Reina, Lina.
Rylae, Rick, Puck, Akasha, the Black Noble Troop, and the Rangers.
They were all the proof.
“Ah, before that, there is something I must tell you first.”
“Young Lord, whatever you say─”
The marquess interrupted with a displeased expression, but I didn't care.
I didn't know what misunderstanding he was under, but he should never have disregarded me.
This moment, this place, even this composition was of my own making.
“Listen, Marquess.
It's an interesting story.”
After giving a smile to the marquess, who was frowning as if to ask what I was doing, I looked at the Merchen and Lyt counts.
“It's the first time I'm meeting the two counts.
I apologize for the late greeting.”
Seeing the two counts nod their heads slightly in greeting, I continued.
“I heard that bandits appeared in Failsafe.
And that all three merchant guilds were attacked.”
At those words, Count Merchen flared up and shouted.
“Hmph!
You can only know if they're bandits or not after you catch them!
Who knows, maybe one of us staged it!”
Seeing Merchen, who still believed Obsol had committed the banditry, glare at Obsol, Ian smiled.
“After hearing the news that the three merchant guilds were attacked by bandits, the Moner family has been tracking the bandits with all our might.
Failsafe is the pride and heart of the Moner family, so we could not just stand by and watch.
And finally, we have succeeded in catching the bandits.”
Then, I turned my head and looked at the marquess again.
“Before we begin the mediation with Obsol, since all three lords are gathered, may we first discuss the punishment for the bandits?
Since I caught the bandits myself, I should be qualified enough, right?”
At Ian's sudden question, the marquess frowned like a mute who had eaten honey.
“Since this is also one of today's agendas, I will take it that you have given your permission.”
“Young Lord!
Did you really catch those bandits!”
Count Lyt shouted, glaring alternately at Obsol and Merchen.
“My precious youngest daughter was almost seriously injured!
Whoever it is, they'd better not think they can get away with messing with my daughter's merchant guild!”
Merchen, who was next to him, chimed in.
“Yes, tell us quickly!
Just where did those bastards come from that they could rob all three domains' merchant guilds and get away scot-free!”
Merchen glared at Obsol with eyes blazing with anger.
Obsol, flustered at not knowing why the two were glaring at him, looked at Ian and asked.
“Y-yes, tell us quickly.
Who on earth are these bandits to cause such a ruckus?”
After confirming that everyone's eyes in the meeting room were on him, Ian slowly opened his mouth.
“Before that, there is someone, no, an Elf I would like to introduce first.”
Creeak.
Click, clack, click, clack.
The closed door opened, and Akasha's footsteps echoed as she entered.
No longer having any intention of hiding, she was not wearing the robe that covered her entire body as before.
The three counts let out a gasp at her stunning beauty and her smooth, attractive brown skin.
“A-a Dark Elf……”
“Young Lord!
What is the meaning of this!
To bring a Dark Elf to a meeting for mediation!”
“This is Akasha.
She is here as a member of the Moner family, recognized by the previous dukes, and to represent the Dark Elves who manage the western forest.”
At the words that the previous dukes had recognized her, an uncomfortable silence fell for a moment.
“A Dark Elf is a member of the Moner family……?”
The Dark Elves, a race cursed by the gods and called remnants of the demonic race in history, were not recognized anywhere on the continent.
Yet, at the words that a Dark Elf was a member of the Moner family, they could only look back and forth between Ian and Akasha, as if they didn't understand.
“Yes, they live on the territory of the Moner family, so they are subjects of the Moner family, and since they have been entrusted with the management of that land by the previous lords, the Dark Elf tribe of the western forest is a member of the Moner family.”
Ian gestured to Akasha, and she nodded slightly.
Her gaze, which had not bowed to either the prince or the marquess, was fixed on Ian.
“...So what is a Dark Elf doing here?”
“To catch the elusive bandits, wouldn't we need the help of those who know the mountains and forests well?
Fortunately, we have Elves in our domain, so we received their help.”
At those words, the three counts looked at each other.
“Young Lord, there are no mountains in Failsafe……”
“Since they are bandits, I thought we would surely find their traces in the mountains.”
After smoothly brushing off Count Lyt's unexpected point, he gestured to Akasha and said.
“Actually, there is another reason Akasha has stepped forward this time.
Akasha?”
* * *
Akasha, who was appearing before humans for the first time, took a deep breath at the gazes filled with blatant displeasure and contempt, and then spoke as if spitting out the words.
“Last month.
There were humans who attacked us.”
Calmly.
Without letting any emotion show.
A beautiful, melodious voice, suppressed to not show any weakness in front of the damn humans, spread through the meeting room.
“It is not that there have been no humans who tried to hunt Dark Elves in the past, but we could not stand by and watch humans invade the forest of the Moner family, so we went to see the young lord of the Moner family.
And, under his command, we succeeded in tracking down and killing the elf hunters who dared to invade the land of Moner.”
Akasha's eyes, speaking calmly, swept over the faces gathered in the meeting room.
The humans in this room, except for the young lord, were no different from the eldest son of Obsol.
They hated the Dark Elves, yet were curious about them; they found them dirty, yet wanted to see them.
Those unpleasant gazes clung to her body.
What was strange was that they looked at the young lord with the same gaze.
Her young lord, who had promised to embrace the Dark Elves, stood there with such a relaxed expression, enduring the same gazes and insults as she did.
“And we tortured their captain to find the bandits' group, and killed every single one of them.”
At Akasha's signal, two Rangers who had been waiting entered, carrying two large sacks.
Thud.
Thud.
Thud.
At the Rangers' gesture, the heads of the knights who had been protecting Treon rolled out of the white sacks.
Count Obsol, who saw a familiar face among them, screamed.
“What is the meaning of this!”
* * *
“Young Lord!
Do you not know that His Highness the Prince is also here!
Mind your manners!”
As Ian chuckled at Obsol, who had stood up and was shouting with a flushed face, the marquess, thinking the situation was taking a strange turn, shouted along.
Then, Ian looked at the marquess calmly and said.
“Since this is a direct order from His Majesty the King, shouldn't we follow the principles?
This is a necessary step for the investigation and punishment of those involved, so I would appreciate your understanding a little more.”
“Grr!
You, until the very end!”
The marquess, unable to say more because of his own words, sat back down, and Count Obsol shouted.
“This is a trap!
How can we believe Moner's words about whether they are really bandits or not!”
His suspicion was very reasonable, but unfortunately for him, there was an abundance of circumstantial evidence on this side.
“As a result of tracking their movements, we have heard testimony from various places that a suspicious group wearing unmarked leather armor has been going back and forth between Lier and Obsol.
And without leaving any records, at that.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Count Merchen, who had been sitting, stood up and started pointing his finger at Count Obsol.
“I knew it!
Count Obsol!
Reveal who they are right now!”
Everyone's gaze naturally turned to Count Obsol, and a sense of despair settled on his face.
* * *
‘Damn it!
What the hell happened!’
The heads rolling on the floor were all undoubtedly Obsol's knights.
The problem was why they were only heads here.
'Could it be…….'
A sinister feeling crept over him.
His son and a few knights had suddenly left.
His son's guests who had said they would be staying for a few days.
The suspicion arose that his son's guests might be the hunters the Dark Elf had mentioned.
At first, he thought it was a coincidence, but it was highly probable that it wasn't.
Having finished his thoughts, the count opened his mouth with a stiff face.
“I do not know these faces.
You two counts, get a grip.
Are you going to just accept the words of a cursed Dark Elf!”
In any case, those two wouldn't think the heads rolling on the floor were Obsol's knights.
Even if they did, they would only know the renowned commander or vice-captain.
There was no way the two counts would know the knights whose names he himself couldn't even remember.
'It's fine.
As long as I don't get caught…….'
Just as the count's gaze turned to the marquess for help, Ian opened his mouth.
“Really?
You don't know any of these faces?”
At that uneasy and ominous voice, the count's face turned pale as he took in each head with his eyes.
Fearing that his son might be rolling on the cold floor.
He looked at the severed heads on the floor several times in anxiety, but he let out a sigh of relief when he couldn't see his son's face.
As if to mock the count, Ian's jeering voice followed.
“Well then, that's a relief.”