After everything was over, Arathion decided to stay for a few more days. The reason was that there was nothing urgent anyway, so there was no problem even if I took my time.
“Sometimes you may need to personally inspect the trade to see if it is running properly. Just because I am there, no one will dare to make a fuss.”
“Isn’t that too much? If Your Highness continues to stay, you won’t even be able to eat.”
“Anyway, aren’t you leaving soon too? I should be back by then.”
In a word, he said that he would stay as long as Luke was there. Luke immediately recognized Arathion’s intentions.
‘Lid line.’
If Arathion left here, of course, Eldira had no reason to stay. It must have been his intention to bring his daughter closer to Luke.
Eldira also seemed to have noticed the intention and actively approached Luke.
“Good morning, dear! Have you finished your meal?”
“I haven’t eaten yet… … .”
“Then let’s eat together! I was about to have breakfast too!”
Luke sighed. It was Eldira who had accepted marriage meekly, but after that day, she was aggressive enough to be outspoken.
She seemed more impressed by the strength of her husband-to-be than by her father’s defeat. Actually, Luke was in trouble with that aggressiveness.
“My dear, don’t be so awkward. After all, if you become a couple, you will be closer than this. This is a period of getting used to each other.”
“That is true, however.”
“And at this point, I want to be friends with her too. They might become sisters someday.”
“yes? sisters?”
Ray, who was suddenly included in the story, looked at Eldira with a bewildered face. Eldira looked at Ray like that and smiled subtly.
“What, did you not tell me? You are also very naughty.”
“No, not that… … .”
“I can’t help it. As the person who will later become my older sister, let me tell you!”
After the meal, Eldira went into the room with Ray and talked for a while. And when the two of them came out, Ray’s face was stained red.
That day, a small smile did not leave Ray’s lips as he looked at Luke.
* * *
All the elves expressed their astonishment at the result of the sparring, but Luke’s party, Max, was the most upset.
When the situation was settled, Max shouted at Luke with a face that looked like his eyes would pop out.
“What was that!? Were you that strong from the beginning?”
“I wasn’t this strong from the beginning, so I went to the north and got some health food.”
“If you eat some health food, do you even transcend humans?!”
“The heart of the dragon.”
“Yo, dragon heart… … !”
Luke explained the work in the north step by step. Participation in the election of the King of the North and awakening after swallowing the dragon’s heart in the first trial.
And with that power, he even dealt with countless dragons. After hearing the whole story, Max’s jaw dropped open. After a while, Max, who came to his senses, grumbled.
“It seems that I am the only normal human in this group.”
“You are the only pure human being. It’s a great rarity. Congratulations.”
“I think it’s better if you’re not just a pure human.”
After bursting into laughter at Max’s voice, the party checked their plans for the future. Everything that Luke had originally planned had been accomplished.
All that remains is to return to the Bernstein family. The problem was the fact that there was still time left for the article to be performed.
“Come to think of it, less than a year has passed since the uproar.”
“It’s winter soon, so there isn’t much left.”
There are still more than two months left before the year ends. Even thinking about the return time, it felt too early to head back to the family now.
“As befits an acolyte, helping people for the rest of the time isn’t bad, either.”
“I wouldn’t know if it was when I just left the family, but now it’s impossible. Bocchan’s name spread all over the North, and there’s no one here who doesn’t know Sir Ray.”
“Right, that’s the problem.”
The moment you go to the north and say, ‘This is Rook, an acolyte knight!’, it is certain that the local lord will come out and kneel down to save you.
Conversely, in the West, as soon as they see Ray’s face, they’ll roll their eyes and faint. Either way, normal ascetic knight activities were close to impossible.
“Is there any way? It would be very unpleasant to look at if I was idle like this.”
“I have one way, though.”
“Is there?”
Luke looked at Rey startled. Ray spoke with his cheeks slightly reddened by that gaze.
“Yes, if the value of the name has risen too high, we can do an article worthy of it.”
“A knight line worthy of the name?”
“There is a story I heard from Leon yesterday. There is one problem with the West these days.”
* * *
“Is it true that there have been disturbing movements in the three families recently?”
“You heard it from your sister.”
At Luke’s question in the morning, Leon nodded with a wry smile. I half expected that if it was Ray, he would report to Luke anyway.
“Are you serious?”
“I’m not sure what to answer.”
“Are you vague?”
“It’s serious for the Winslow family, but it’s nothing special for the Herning family.”
In a word, it’s bad news for Leon, but it doesn’t affect Ray. With that word, Luke guessed the situation.
“It’s a battle for supremacy.”
“That’s right.”
Leon sighed deeply and said.
“No one is dissatisfied with the current regime in which the Hernings rule the West. The important thing is not the position of the first person, but the position of the second person below it.”
The reason is that Ray is scary, but Leone is maximizing the benefit of the Herning family while minimizing the benefits to the Winslow family as much as possible.
The important thing is that even the gains that have been reduced and reduced so far exceed those of the other three families.
“I don’t know what to say, but if it’s pure profit and loss from trade volume, it’s only slightly higher. Because the amount of concessions to other families is considerable.”
“I know. It was just like that when I checked the documents.”
“Yes, but, as Lord Luke knows, power in and of itself creates wealth and profit.”
Luke nodded. Luke, too, had easily passed over all the troublesome things he had done with just the prestige of the Bernstein family.
Furthermore, Leone is the acting count of the Herning family that rules the West. The added benefit of that name in the West would outweigh the net profit.
“Of course, the three families wouldn’t like it at all. Because the Winslows, who had been equal up to now, have completely pushed aside the other families.”
“At the same time, he must have realized how attractive the position of acting count is.”
“It is as you say. Thanks to that, it’s giving me headaches these days.”
In important matters, they cooperate relatively meekly, but in trivial matters, the three of them work together to oppose Leon.
It’s to drag on for a long time by nitpicking about insignificant things. Thanks to this, Leone had to pay attention to the conflict because he lacked trade and governance of the territory.
“Isn’t it very naive to aim for the position of acting count?”
“It’s not rude. Under normal circumstances, even the seeds would not be eaten.”
“Then what is the problem?”
“My sister’s feelings for me are the problem.”
“ah.”
Luke nodded as if he knew.
“Looks like the others got the family relationship right.”
“To my shame, yes.”
It was really embarrassing, but Leon lowered his head. It was worth it. It was because of Leon’s karma that things got to this point.
* * *
“After my sister ascended the count, many people investigated my relationship with her. What had happened in the past was quickly revealed.”
Children of concubines are usually looked down upon within the family. Of course, there are no outside activities, and their existence is not well known to other families.
But that doesn’t mean it’s kept secret. Having a concubine and making a bastard isn’t a big flaw for a noble.
If you investigate, the existence of a concubine or a bastard will soon be revealed. It’s just that there are no nobles to investigate because it’s useless information.
‘But the Winslow family is an exception.’
The son of a concubine who was treated poorly in the family. A family that only tried to use it when it had power. And the relationship was completely turned upside down when the concubine’s child rose in the world.
The other three families would have wondered what kind of rice cake this was. He must have known that even if Leone went against the count’s feelings even a little, he could be kicked out of the count’s place.
“It’s not about doing anything big. I just want to show you that I can’t control the families under my command. That alone is enough to make my sister feel sorry for me.”
“What did Ray say when he heard that?”
“You know well,” he said.
As he spoke, Leon’s face turned dark. In Ray’s words, ‘that’s your situation, anyway, if you can’t do it right, I won’t let you go’.
At that, Luke burst into laughter.
“It was the perfect strategy. Did you eat right?”
“This is no laughing matter!”
“I will laugh, vicar count.”
Leone was taken aback by Luke’s voice, which instantly became chilly. Luke looked at Leon with slightly sunken eyes.
“I urged my vassal to use the family he disliked. Why do you think so?”
“Now, I don’t know.”
“Because the Winslows themselves know all too well what they have done. Neither you nor your father.”
The deputy count is literally a position that takes the power of the count as it is. Of course, you need to prepare a strong leash in advance.
But the Winslows didn’t need that leash. Because the karma they had committed became the leash of fear that held them back.
“The Winslow family helped me a lot. In particular, I still vividly remember the fact that I helped decapitate Count Valdemar.”
“Is that so?”
“But if you hadn’t accepted my offer at the time, I would have let Ray do whatever he wanted. Even if that means the end of the Winslow family.”
“… … !”
Leon’s eyes shook violently. The day before Count Valdemar’s head was cut off, the memory of Ray’s visit came to mind.
If you don’t support Luke, the Winslow family will fall. When I remembered what had happened at that time, my dry saliva passed.
“Don’t assume that Ray is possessed by an irrational rage and that I am a reasonable man and will side with the Winslows. Because Ray’s anger is perfectly justified. If Winslow forgets where they are, I’ll come out and throw them out myself.”
“Yes, yes!”
Leon lowered his head at the cool voice. I complained for nothing, but I couldn’t even find it. But after a while, Luke opened his mouth.
“Well, I’ll take care of this at least.”
“yes?”
“I don’t like it when things get in the way of useless quarrels.”
“Go, thank you!”
“All right. Keep doing it like this.”
“of course! Winslow will never forget where he is!”
Luke laughed at the boastful words in a trembling voice. This prevented the Winslow family from being freed. Next came the turn of the other three families.
‘They haven’t come to their senses yet. Since the lord doesn’t interfere, there’s nothing to be afraid of, right?’
It doesn’t matter how much there is a dispute behind the scenes. The problem was that he tried to use Ray’s anger.
Those who have even sworn to vassal are trying to use their master, whom they dare not even look at? It’s unreasonable.
From noble mtl dot com
‘I guess I need to fix the habit.’
Luke’s eyes flashed coldly.