Chapter 369

Public sentiment had quieted down.

There was only one major event left:

The distribution of rewards.

It was an event that had many people tossing and turning in their beds, consumed by a mixture of anxiety and excitement.

This particular distribution of rewards was special.

The civil war, a rare and significant upheaval, had resulted in the deaths of many lords who had sided with the opposition.

This meant that there were numerous vacant territories throughout the empire.

Moreover, even those who had survived but had sided with the treacherous prince could face punishments ranging from partial confiscation of their territories to complete revocation of their titles, leaving them landless and exiled.

It was an unprecedented opportunity for those seeking to gain land and power.

The atmosphere in the Imperial City was already heated, with the distribution of rewards just a day away.

…Even right in front of me.

“Heeheehee, thanks to our dear brother, our family’s fortunes are about to blossom. I knew he would succeed all along.”

What happened to all the scorn and disdain you used to heap on him, Liss?

I shook my head in disbelief at my sister’s 180-degree change in attitude.

“You’ve done well, my son. Very well.”

The countess patted my shoulder with a proud smile.

…Ugh, she was acting like a real mother, and it was making me emotional.

I quickly composed myself.

“I was so worried when that incident happened, but thankfully, the wise empress saw through the lies and quickly uncovered the true culprits.”

The count said with a relieved expression.

“Yes, dear. I was so worried…”

The countess sighed, as if she was reliving the moment.

They were my family.

This was what family was all about.

My heart warmed.

So I replied, “It’s all thanks to you, Father, Mother. You raised me well.”

“Oh, my son…”

“Haha, it seems like it’s time for me to step down. You’ve become a fine young man.”

“Don’t say that, Father. I haven’t even graduated yet.”

The atmosphere was heartwarming.

I guess this made up for all the trouble I had caused in the past.

“Hey, what about me? I’ve done a lot for you too, you know. Give me some land, brother.”

Liss pouted.

“Liss, how could you say that to your brother…?”

The countess was about to scold her, but I interrupted with a smile.

“No, it’s fine. She has done a lot for me. But Liss, you should talk to Father about that. He’s the one who’ll decide what to do with the land, not me.”

I had made contributions on behalf of the Celtrine family.

So it was only natural for the rewards to go to the family.

“Oh, right? Then Father, Father, give me…”

“No, you should talk to your brother about…”

“Ugh, what am I supposed to do?!”

I chuckled as I watched my sister get frustrated.

* * *

Numerous officials stood in solemn formation before the towering throne.

They were all those who had contributed to the victory in the civil war, in one way or another.

They couldn’t hide their nervousness.

They knew that this distribution of rewards would determine the fate of their families for decades to come.

I was one of the few who seemed calm.

‘Well, it’s not like it doesn’t matter to me.’

I had to receive a reward that was commensurate with my contributions if we wanted to stabiLisse the political situation.

And the higher my family’s status and influence, the more I would be able to do when I returned to the Holy City.

In terms of power, manpower, and financial resources.

But I was calm because,

‘She’ll take care of it.’

There was no conflict between the empress and me, so there wouldn’t be any problems with the distribution of rewards.

“It seems like everyone’s here. First of all, I would like to thank everyone who contributed to ending the civil war, which brought so much chaos and suffering…”

The empress began to speak.

She started with the usual words of praise.

But it was a necessary formality.

It was the distribution of rewards, after all.

It felt like a principal’s lecture, so I was lost in my own thoughts.

“Then let’s get started.”

She gestured to Marquis Safia.

He stepped forward and knelt on one knee before her.

She handed him a document filled with writing.

He took it carefully and turned around.

It was finally starting.

“Not everyone who contributed to the civil war deserves to be rewarded. There are also those who committed crimes. And they must be punished. On behalf of the emperor, I will announce her judgment.”

Punishment before reward.

It was an expected sequence of events.

They had to punish and confiscate before they could reward.

“The late Duke Cavern and his descendants are hereby stripped of their titles and territories. Marquis Henatus is demoted to count, and all his lands in Amar are confiscated. The late Count Odinel and his descendants are hereby stripped of their titles and territories…”

Right from the start, two major noble families had their territories completely confiscated or lost their most valuable lands.

Odinel, the fertile land that I had used as a strategic base, was now ownerless.

The punishments were swift and decisive.

The eyes of the lords who had contributed to the victory gleamed with excitement.

They knew that those confiscated lands would soon be theirs.

‘Dreams are always the most exciting.’

I chuckled inwardly.

The greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment.

But those who were disappointed would only have themselves to blame.

After a while,

Marquis Safia stopped speaking.

The punishments were over.

The lords’ anxiety and excitement reached a fever pitch.

The distribution of rewards was about to begin.

“Ahem, ahem.”

Marquis Safia cleared his throat, as if he was aware of the weight of the moment.

His own family’s fate was also written in that document.

It must have been an awkward feeling to have to announce it himself.

“Once again, on behalf of the emperor, I will announce her wise decisions.”

*Gulp*

Someone gulped nervously.

“Fifth-class contributor, Baron Peter. Your taxes for the year are halved, and you are awarded one hundred gold coins. Fifth-class contributor, Baron Buckley. Your taxes for the year are halved, and you are awarded one hundred gold coins. Fifth-class contributor…”

The distribution of rewards had begun.

The faces of those who were called stiffened.

The one hundred gold coins were a nice bonus, but the main reward was the tax reduction.

They hadn’t received any promotions or land.

But it was understandable.

Fifth-class contributors were the lowest rank.

Their contributions had been insignificant, so their rewards were insignificant as well.

‘Choosing the right side doesn’t guarantee success, you guys.’

Choosing the winning side might have been the best choice, but it was still up to them to prove themselves.

They wouldn’t be treated like high-ranking contributors just for being on the winning side.

“Fourth-class contributor, Viscount Bernard. Your taxes for three years are halved, and you are awarded three hundred gold coins. Fourth-class contributor, Baron Solton. Your taxes for three years are halved, and you are awarded three hundred gold coins…”

The distribution of rewards moved on to the fourth-class contributors.

Three years and three hundred gold coins this time?

The empress seemed to have a thing for matching numbers.

And once again, there were no promotions or land grants.

It was understandable, since fourth-class contributors were still below average.

The lords’ expressions were grim.

Being below average was never a pleasant feeling.

And I noticed something else.

Most of the western lords were only fourth-class contributors.

‘I told you not to act up.’

Many of them would have been third-class contributors if they had just stayed quiet.

Their troops had played an important role in holding back the enemy on one of the fronts.

But they had gotten greedy and angered the empress, so they had failed to secure even a third-class ranking.

‘Well, it wasn’t just because they were annoying. They had tried to cause trouble at a time when the situation was already unstable.’

Thinking about it that way, the empress had been quite lenient.

But the western lords didn’t know that.

They trembled with suppressed rage.

I was about to sneer at them, but I stopped myself.

I couldn’t cause trouble in front of the empress.

“Third-class contributor, Count Semphil. Your taxes for five years are halved, and you are awarded five hundred gold coins…”

The distribution of rewards moved on to the third-class contributors.

Five years and five hundred gold coins.

The empress definitely had a thing for numbers.

And once again, there were no promotions or land grants, but the reactions were mixed.

About half of them seemed satisfied.

They had at least reached the average, and the monetary reward was significant.

There were definitely those who would be content with accumulating wealth beyond their wildest dreams.

But everyone knew.

That the real rewards were yet to come.

Those who hadn’t been called yet looked tense.

They were praying that their names wouldn’t be called.

And finally,

“Second-class contributor, Viscount Napier. You are promoted to count, and the land of Monson is added to your territory.”

“Y-Yes!”

Viscount Napier, or rather, Count Napier now, couldn’t help but cheer and pump his fist.

He coughed awkwardly and lowered his gaze when he Realized that everyone was staring at him.

But he couldn’t hide his excitement. His body was trembling, and his face was flushed.

Everyone understood how he felt.

This was where the real rewards began.

Promotions and land grants were rare opportunities.

Countless nobles had held the same titles and territories for centuries.

The hall was filled with excitement and anticipation.

More second-class contributors were announced.

Camian’s Kreutzer barony and Annette’s Lyle barony were among them.

They were both promoted to viscount and received additional land.

They couldn’t hide their joy and clenched their fists.

I was happy for them.

I smiled, and they bowed their heads when our eyes met.

They were such cute kids.

I waved at them.

The announcement of the second-class contributors continued.

The list was as expected.

But,

Marquis Safia’s name wasn’t called.

Not even at the end.

‘Marquis Safia, who suffered a crushing defeat, is a first-class contributor?’

I blinked in confusion.

It was unusual for a commander who had lost tens of thousands of soldiers to be awarded a first-class ranking.

Even Marquis Safia himself looked surprised and confused.

The atmosphere in the hall was also strange.

‘Hmm, I see.’

A hypothesis formed in my mind.

The empress had said that she wanted to be a wise ruler.

This was a gesture of reconciliation.

She was showing that she wouldn’t mistreat the Safia family, one of the most important families in the empire, even though they had been on the losing side.

She had probably entrusted him with the investigation to give him a chance to redeem himself and earn a reward.

‘She’s quite capable.’

I hadn’t Realized it when she was a tyrant, but she was a talented ruler when she was in her right mind.

I didn’t know how long her reign would be, considering her lifespan, but if she continued like this, she would definitely be remembered as a great emperor.

‘…Yes, be remembered as a good memory.’

I looked at her with mixed emotions.

And then,

“Y-Your Majesty…”

Marquis Safia couldn’t continue.

He seemed overwhelmed with emotion.

“Hehe, it’s just a reward. Please continue, Marquis Safia.”

The empress smiled gently.

“A-Alright, Your Majesty.”

He continued reading the document, his voice trembling.

“F-First-class contributors… Count Celtrine, acting head of the Erenbert family, Marquis Safia… First, Count Celtrine is promoted to marquis, and the lands of Wharton, Bearsti, Trench, Camrose…”

The announcement of the first-class contributors’ rewards began.

“G-Gasp?!”

Count Celtrine gasped in surprise.

It was understandable.

He had been promoted to marquis, which was almost impossible, and he had been granted numerous lands in the central region.

The Celtrine family, or rather, the Celtrine marquisate now, was the undisputed ruler of the central region.

They had become a major noble family.

I couldn’t even imagine how overwhelmed Marquis Celtrine must have felt.

“Next, the Erenbert family…”

The announcement of the other first-class contributors’ rewards continued.

Their rewards were also substantial, but they paled in comparison to the Celtrine family’s.

They were already marquises, so there were no promotions.

The biggest winner of this distribution of rewards was the Celtrine family.

It was something everyone had expected.

“I-I am eternally grateful for your grace, Your Majesty.”

Marquis Celtrine was overwhelmed with gratitude.

Marquis Safia was as well.

Only acting head Robert Erenbert remained calm and thanked the empress.

The distribution of rewards was finally over.

‘It’s been a long journey in the empire.’

I was feeling sentimental.

“And lastly…”

Huh?

Was there something else?

“Max Celtrine, step forward.”

The empress called my name.

I walked forward, my eyes filled with confusion.

“I would like to personally announce the reward for Max, the most distinguished contributor.”

The most distinguished contributor…?

What? The rewards weren’t over?

I stared at her blankly, surprised.

The others also looked dumbfounded.

They hadn’t expected her to personally announce a special reward for me.

Even I hadn’t expected it.

“Max has made numerous decisive contributions to ending the civil war. He is the undisputed most distinguished contributor. Therefore, I hereby grant him the land of Odinel as his territory, and I bestow upon him the title of Duke of Odinel.”

W-What?!

“G-Gasp?!”

“N-No way!”

“A-A duke?!”

Gasps of shock filled the hall.

I understood.

I hadn’t even known it was possible to become a duke in this game.

…And so, I suddenly became Max Celtrine, Duke of Odinel.

And then,

[Achievement Unlocked]

-You have obtained the title of duke.

-Your presence and fame have reached their peak.

-You have fulfilled one of the conditions to become a hero.

-A new hero ability has been unlocked.

An achievement notification appeared, congratulating me on becoming a duke.