Ch.160Rebellion (4)

After the successful completion of the prototype operation, and with the elimination of the leadership and the suppression of the villagers, the rebellion was finally resolved.

‘Father, it’s over.’

[Well done, Camille. You did excellently!]

Father lavished praise on me for subduing everyone except the leadership—who had fallen to a point of no return after being recruited for some reason—without any casualties.

I had completely neutralized an entire village, bringing it under my control while minimizing damage and suppressing their forces.

Honestly, I wondered if it was even possible to achieve better results than this, so it wasn’t particularly surprising that my father, who loves me dearly, was delighted by my accomplishments.

After reporting the day’s events to my father, we entered the village to examine the minds of the villagers…

‘…As expected.’

Just as I—and by extension, my father—had suspected, most of the villagers who had fainted from the gas were under some form of magical mind control.

While the “ringleaders” had been so thoroughly distorted that not even their sense of self remained, making them mere puppets, the villagers, though magically controlled, had their souls untouched by anyone.

In other words, they were simply under mind control, and once that control was removed, they could immediately return to normal…

And so, having assessed the situation, I began the process of waking them from their slumber.

With the Chimera, Golem Armor, and even the shadow of a Basilisk that I summoned using my pendant’s function—something I hadn’t used in quite some time.

In this overwhelming display of force that would intimidate even intermediate-level mages, I gathered every single villager from throughout the village into the central square and… commanded the Chimera.

“Roar.”

[─■■■■■!!!!]

The goat head among the Chimera’s four heads opened its mouth wide and, following my command, released a precisely calibrated “stunning sonic wave.”

Originally, this wave was designed to shake the mind and brain of those exposed to it, causing them to faint. But when directed at those who were already unconscious, it had an effect similar to shaking someone awake…

In other words, in this situation, the sonic wave could wake up unconscious people all at once.

Additionally, since this magical sonic wave was structured to affect the mind, my experiments with the amplification vocal cords suggested it could also potentially break mental control…

And indeed, as a result of this principle, the villagers who regained consciousness were simultaneously freed from their brainwashing, making this incident remarkably easy to resolve.

“…Huh?”

“AAAAAAHHHHH!”

“Monster, monster, mons—”

The reactions of the people who suddenly regained consciousness, faced with the shock of the changed situation and their past experiences of being controlled, not to mention encountering three Golem Armors and a Chimera, were dramatically varied.

[GROOOOOWL—!!!]

“”””””””””…..””””””””””

But since I couldn’t just let them cause a commotion, I used my “amplification vocal cords” to deliver a shock that calmed them down, then explained the situation.

Of course, having experienced the events firsthand and been brainwashed themselves, none of them failed to accept the explanation, which made things proceed more smoothly than expected.

So as an atmosphere of general understanding gradually spread, albeit with some variations, our group waited in the village for a day, anticipating the “cleanup crew” my father had mentioned…

The very next day, the cleanup personnel sent by my father arrived in the village one after another.

“…Lady Leana?”

“Yes, it’s been a while, Lord Alzar.”

“My, it’s been a long time, young master.”

“Librarian unc— Master! It’s good to see you!”

The lead supervisor was Lady Leana Pantrien, one of the victims of my past “initiation.” There was also the librarian, Charlotte Mainster’s father and my academic mentor. Additionally, several officials and about 50 men-at-arms.

Since their intention to resolve the situation was clearly evident, I could happily leave these troublesome matters to them and return “home”—

※ ※ ※

Baron Alzar, Hugo de Alzar, was deep in thought as he held the magical communication device he had badgered his old friend into making.

Is this right? Is this really the correct answer? After much deliberation, he finally took out an unfamiliar communication device instead of his usual one, turned it on, and…

[…Baron, Your Excellency?]

“Yes, it’s me.”

Before long, he heard the voice of Sir Corin Lanster, a promising talent who now served as his son’s attendant.

Not only had he secretly arranged a communication network with his son’s subordinate, but he even regularly contacted him like this.

Anyone would find this suspicious, but the reality was slightly different from what one might expect.

In essence, it was similar to a doting father who wasn’t satisfied with just hearing about his son’s achievements secondhand and wanted direct reports.

Hugo de Alzar was a typically stoic father who, having grown up in a rough and authoritarian society, had developed an aversion to “weak” emotions.

Of course, as he experienced life, love, separation, and various other experiences, he had changed somewhat from his former rigid self, but he still couldn’t completely abandon his previous demeanor.

In other words, the stubborn Hugo de Alzar, while projecting a “badass” image that garnered support, secretly harbored a tender heart.

In the society of the Frankish Kingdom, where romanticism had become mainstream, his taciturn nature born from shyness was packaged as coolness.

His tendency to keep his words brief to minimize the verbal missteps of his youth created a mystical image, punctuated by his occasional crime-fighting efforts to reassure his subjects and boost his approval.

Thanks to this, while the genius swordsman Camille, who often wandered leisurely around the domain, was popular for his friendly image, Baron Alzar was popular as a kind of guardian and solid pillar.

Of course, contrary to this image, he was just an ordinary father who wanted to remain a strong role model for his son. Feeling both proud and somewhat conflicted about his son’s achievements that surpassed his own, Hugo finally asked his question.

“So, does my son truly possess the qualities of a Lord?”

It was both a question from a proud father and a lord inquiring about his sole heir’s qualities from a close associate.

After a moment’s consideration, Corin opened his mouth to answer this dual-purpose question.

[He is more than capable, my lord.]

“…Is that so?”

[Yes. For someone not yet twenty to have achieved so much, he’s unlikely to lose his position due to coercion, barring extraordinary circumstances.]

In this world, nobility belongs not to those born with noble blood but literally to the strong. The privileges of nobles stem entirely from their individual power to dominate groups, which also means that without power, maintaining those privileges is difficult.

It’s not hard to find examples of those who lacked the qualities to become intermediate-level mages being forcibly installed as lords, only to be usurped by siblings, close associates, or even passing outsiders.

By this standard, Camille, who had grown to beyond intermediate level before even turning twenty, would at least not lose his position due to such circumstances.

While the Baron was secretly pleased and listening with satisfaction, Sir Corin Lanster brought up a contrasting point.

[However… as excellent as he is, there is one thing that concerns me.]

“…A concern?”

[Yes. If I may speak frankly, Lord Alzar lacks a clear will.]

“What do you mean by a clear will?”

[Well… a firm conviction to push forward in a specific area. He lacks the conviction of a ruler. His reason for wanting to become a lord stems not from a desire to lead but from a sense of duty.]

“Isn’t that normal for most people?”

[It is. Most are like that. …This is merely a complaint about someone capable not doing what they could.]

‘….’

[However, if I may offer my limited insight… won’t such an approach eventually lead to failure?]

“I… see. I’ll take your opinion into consideration.”