Ch.139Aftermath (2)

“Is this the first time you’re seeing it in person?”

“I am in the presence of Your Majesty, the rightful ruler of the two kingdoms.”

The Duke of Aquitaine kneels before me on one knee and bows his head. A typical and classic oath of allegiance.

‘Seeing him in person, he looks unexpectedly clean-cut.’

There were various rumors among the nobles—that he couldn’t be trusted, that he had ulterior motives—but since he’s pledging his loyalty like this, I suppose I can trust him. Throughout my life, I’ve never seen nobles able to fake this kind of gesture.

Of course, nobles do lie, but they seem incapable of performing such symbolic actions falsely. Perhaps for nobles, things like honor and pride constitute an essential part of their identity.

“Are you satisfied with your newly acquired territory?”

“Indeed, Your Majesty. The lands are all fertile, enough to recover all losses from the recent war and more, which has greatly pleased my treasurer. However, what truly satisfies me is not these pieces of land, but the opportunity you’ve given me to tear Provence, my family’s enemy, to shreds. I sincerely thank Your Majesty for this magnificent opportunity.”

“…Opportunity?”

Opportunity? He’s the one who arbitrarily proclaimed me king, yet he talks about me giving him opportunities? I was just living peacefully, enjoying time with my children, when suddenly I heard I’d been nominated as king. Do you know how shocked I was?

Thinking about it now makes me angry again. Originally, I only intended to reap benefits from the Carolingian civil war, but instead, I was forced to become the leader of this massive group project called Carolingia.

While being the leader is certainly honorable and represents the pinnacle of power, I could have lived my entire life in leisure just ruling Lotharingia until my death. There was no need to swallow up Carolingia.

“Ah, aah…! I misspoke, Your Majesty. Not opportunity, but rather, it was Your Majesty’s great assistance.”

Seeing my slight irritation, the Duke of Aquitaine first contorted his face in confusion, then suddenly seemed to realize something and hastily corrected himself.

…Assistance, huh? Originally, I reluctantly participated because I wanted to give minimal compensation to the nobles who supported me, but from his perspective, I suppose that’s not entirely wrong.

They couldn’t have known my true intentions, but on the surface, they did receive significant help. Moreover, since they received compensation anyway, saying they received assistance isn’t wrong… no, it’s completely accurate.

“Was the help sufficient?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. More than I deserve.”

“Well, that’s good. Wouldn’t anyone agree that a man who ascends to the throne by his own merit looks more impressive than one who becomes king unexpectedly through others’ actions? If the leader of the supporting faction thinks so, I needn’t worry about public perception.”

“…Hahaha, indeed so.”

Hearing my words, the Duke of Aquitaine momentarily catches his breath before forcing a laugh and agreeing.

He’s always acted smoothly and played along with my words, but now that I’ve directly pointed out how they put me on the throne for their own benefit, it seems even he knows when to be embarrassed.

“…”

Hmm… I should stop needling him. His face just completely crumpled.

Originally, I planned to be angrier about their presumptuous actions, but for Carolingia’s stability, I need the cooperation of his faction, so I should moderate my approach.

If I become uncooperative out of sudden irritation, I’ll only hurt myself. When a group member suddenly goes crazy and acts on their own, the damage falls entirely on the leader who must guide them.

Feudalism is such a hassle.

“Of course, it wasn’t solely my own power. Thanks to your cooperation, I was able to obtain the Carolingian throne. I’m truly grateful.”

“Grateful? Your words are too generous, but I’m pleased that Your Majesty thinks so.”

“Hahaha, since you’ve come all the way to Dijon, why not look around? Though smaller in scale than Lutetia, I can assure you the quality of the city is undoubtedly higher.”

“Yes, having come this far, I certainly can’t return empty-handed. Are there any precautions about wandering alone?”

“Of course not. Feel free to explore on your own. I’ll ensure you enjoy the utmost comfort during your stay in Dijon.”

“I’m grateful for Your Majesty’s kindness.”

Compared to just exchanging letters, being able to converse face-to-face like this allows me to gauge his emotions, which is excellent.

I should provide him with maximum convenience during his stay in Dijon to prevent any wayward thoughts. And while I’m at it, I’ll invite him to banquets and have him serve as a figurehead.

……….

“…Well, well.”

Initially, I gave my granddaughter to him simply because we were neighboring countries, and I wanted to establish blood ties with the powerful Duchy of Burgundy.

Of course, it was quite uncomfortable given that he was an illegitimate child, but since he had been officially recognized and my granddaughter kept insisting she wanted him, I reluctantly approved the marriage… only for it to yield such remarkable results.

At first, he was just a legitimized bastard, then suddenly became a duke, then wore a crown, and now he’s added another one on top of that…

“What do you think?”

“Isn’t this a tremendous honor for House Lorel? Even before, nobles wanting to establish connections with Lotharingia were lining up at our door, but now it’s incomparable to that time.”

“Yes, yes, with this, our Lorel will enjoy great prosperity.”

The Duke of Lorel is, naturally, overjoyed that Claude has achieved such great feats.

That’s only natural. Though somewhat diluted in modern times, in medieval society where people relied on blood ties due to distrust of others, two families united by marriage were essentially a community of fate, bound together until the end.

Two houses connected by blood were expected to share any benefits gained—not just as a reasonable expectation but as common sense. Beyond just benefits, if one house suffered losses, the other would help alleviate them.

Of course, this common sense weakened considerably when the blood relations involved less important figures, but Claude is a king, and Ines, though distant, is a legitimate daughter with succession rights to Lorel. It’s not unreasonable for the Duchy of Lorel to expect gifts from Claude.

“Well… I’ve heard various rumors that his personality is quite ferocious—no, eccentric—but even someone like him can’t completely ignore Lorel, given what we’ve provided so far.”

Above all, the Duchy of Lorel had helped Claude during the civil war his uncle started, frequently mediated with Imperial forces, and assisted in various incidents including the unification of the Holy Empire’s currency. Thus, the people of Lorel believe that no matter how much Claude lacks noble common sense and dignity, he will naturally look favorably upon their circumstances.

“There is some concern since he has a history of mistreating Ines… but well, the less humanity a person has, the more strictly they adhere to debts, so it should be fine.”

The Duke of Lorel grits his teeth recalling how Claude openly took a concubine and neglected Ines, but soon dismisses it with a hollow laugh and begins writing a congratulatory letter to Claude. Naturally, he includes a few modest requests as well.

……….

The Duke of Aquitaine, who decided to stay in Dijon for the victory celebration banquet, is exploring various parts of Dijon as Claude suggested. Among everything he’s seen, the factory has impressed him the most.

The new city outside the walls is still under construction with only a few buildings erected, and while Dijon is certainly prospering, it’s still just a city with similar architectural styles. Apart from the canal system and waste management, there wasn’t much to see. The factory, however, is truly something unique to Dijon.

“Hmm, hmm…”

Impressive indeed.

I’d only heard about factories but never seen one in person. Now that I’m witnessing it with my own eyes, all I can say is that it’s truly remarkable.

Of course, I have my dignity to maintain so I can’t express this aloud, but if I were alone, I would have openly gasped in admiration.

“You seem pleased.”

To think that products of such consistent quality keep coming out—I want this.

They say the king himself conceived this production method? While his thinking seems somewhat barbaric in some ways—comparing Lutetia that he destroyed to Dijon, or openly checking me despite being on the same side—in this aspect, he’s at the opposite extreme, truly at the forefront of civilization.

“Would it be possible to apply this production method in Aquitaine as well?”

“Well… of course you could apply it. However, His Majesty has ordered that no technicians or knowledge be transferred outside of Dijon, so we cannot assist you.”

Tsk, I hadn’t even mentioned hiring anyone yet, and he’s already refusing. I suppose my expression gave me away.

At any rate, while technicians and technology cannot be exported, it seems imitation isn’t particularly problematic. When I return to Aquitaine, I’ll try to replicate this production method.

Well, it’s simply producing parts separately, so it should be easy to copy.

“Hahaha, that’s fine, that’s fine. It’s just a matter of doing tasks separately, isn’t it? I don’t need your help.”

“…That’s right. I wish you luck.”

Seeing the Duke of Aquitaine make comments that seem to belittle the factory and its craftsmen, the artisan guiding him slightly grimaces but quickly dismisses it.

If he were to get upset and contradict the Duke, it might make him realize his mistake.

Let him struggle on his own and see how it goes.