Ch.198War – Aftermath (2)

By all accounts, it was well past the time I should have returned home, so my return to the pioneer village was practically a settled matter.

However, regardless of my desire to comfortably return to my home in the pioneer village, it seemed that the territory—or more precisely, “Yester”—didn’t want to send me off in an ordinary manner.

In fact, when I carefully reconsider the details, I strongly feel that their reaction is quite understandable.

Being the child of the territory’s savior, my father, the citizens’ goodwill toward me was already considerable. On top of that, I returned and eliminated the evil undead threatening the territory—the former Baron Lur.

Of course, this Baron Lur wasn’t actually himself but a completely different person, but the only people who knew this were at most myself and the city’s leadership.

As a result, I was not only the already quite popular son of my father, but due to this incident, my father’s “savior” image had been superimposed on me, causing my popularity to reach its absolute peak.

It was so extreme that a few amateur conspirators who suggested I take the territory and declare independence were promptly sent to the stake and burned alive.

Given this overwhelmingly positive image, it seemed that even among the people of Yester, there was a desire not to simply let me leave. At this point, a grand farewell ceremony on the scale of a welcoming ceremony was probably already decided among them.

However, the position of the territory, buzzing with excited public opinion, was clearly different from my own stance.

‘…Can they really afford to waste money like this right now?’

To be blunt, such a lavish welcoming ceremony was starting to feel somewhat wasteful to me.

I was well aware that the prestige and influence of a ruler’s dignity were greater than one might imagine, and I had not the slightest intention of foolishly losing something more important just to save money.

But the most fundamental and essential reason for my thinking this way was that I knew the financial situation of the city of Yester wasn’t actually very good.

It wasn’t that Yester, as one of the foremost industrial cities in the Frankish Kingdom, was poor or lacked funds. More precisely, there had been significant expenditures in the process of replenishing resources consumed during the recent battle.

The main ingredients, sulfur and saltpeter, were absurdly expensive, making gunpowder cost an unreasonable amount. There was also considerable loss of cannons and ballistas mounted on the walls.

Additionally, they needed to replenish ammunition after firing countless shells and crossbow bolts, provide compensation for approximately 50 casualties, and pay “rewards” to mercenaries and adventurers.

Furthermore, they needed to make donations to the temple in return for their assistance, repair damaged walls, and purify the land contaminated by those creatures.

When you added it all up, the financial outlay was beyond imagination. To be frank, if they spent on all of that, they would exhaust their immediately available funds.

While they could certainly recover financially once supply contracts and export schedules resumed, I couldn’t help but worry about the financial situation of those who were eager to hold a grand and splendid welcoming ceremony when they barely had money to spend…

Though I was truly grateful and happy for their sentiment, I couldn’t help but be concerned about their financial circumstances.

“Lord Regent, I have a request.”

“What is it, Lord Alzar?! Whatever it may be, we of Yester will gladly comply.”

“Ah, it’s nothing much. I simply wish to ask that you reduce the scale of the farewell ceremony.”

Thus, I approached the person in charge, the Lord Regent, and straightforwardly requested that the farewell ceremony be scaled down.

“W-why? Have we perhaps displeased you in some way…?”

“No, not at all, Lord Regent. I truly appreciated the love that the people of this territory have shown to someone as inadequate as myself. The trembling I felt in my heart when I first witnessed the welcoming ceremony is beyond words.”

“Is that so? Then why…?”

Perhaps sensing something in my sincere words, he finally seemed to realize I wasn’t employing any political rhetoric. As he asked for my reasoning, I spoke in a calm and composed tone.

“While I am deeply grateful for the love shown by the territory’s residents, I do not wish to see them suffer for something as practically worthless as a farewell ceremony for me.”

“Suffer? What problem could there possibly be with a farewell ceremony—”

“Money. You don’t have enough, do you?”

After those words escaped my lips, the Lord Regent’s mouth completely shut.

Of course, being qualified enough to serve as Lord Regent, he must have known this much.

But when someone insists on an opinion that seems foolish at first glance while maintaining such a firm stance, it usually indicates some political intention or related matter is involved.

“…It’s the public opinion. It’s because of public opinion.”

And my prediction was confirmed as the Lord Regent confessed the truth as if in a confessional.

“I know it too. Yes. How could I not know that our city’s budget is insufficient right now? But if I were to reduce the scale of the farewell ceremony because of that, I… I might literally be hanged…!!”

Whether he had truly been suffering mentally, his pleading expression from midway through was enough to evoke my sympathy.

The pain of genuine mental anguish, the overwhelming scars from being caught between a rock and a hard place.

Therefore, both to comfort him and to achieve my goal, I looked at him seriously and spoke.

“Lord Regent, I understand your concerns. Then—how about we try this?”

※ ※ ※

The residents of Yester, the major city (by this era’s standards) of the Lur Barony, loved their lord.

Their love was adoration and reverence for a savior, a genuine happiness and joy born from well-founded admiration.

A true ruler who had once rescued them from the abyss of darkness and oppression, dramatically improving their lives through righteous and excellent governance.

Perhaps even more than in his native Alzar Barony, the people of Lur sincerely loved their baron, and this affection naturally extended to Lord Alzar, the baron’s legitimate son and heir apparent.

Of course, this affection was directed toward Lord Alzar only as “the baron’s legitimate son.” In reality, it was quite far from respect or loyalty toward Lord Alzar himself.

But—that was all in the past.

After the undead former Baron Lur’s invasion of Yester—an event that someone of unknown identity began calling “The Lur Counterattack Incident”—and Lord Alzar’s direct repulsion of the attack followed by his triumphant return, he came to enjoy popularity not unlike the baron’s.

In fact, among the younger generation who had never experienced the old Baron Lur, Lord Alzar’s popularity grew even greater as they had witnessed his exploits firsthand.

Thus, after news spread that Lord Alzar, who had gained explosive popularity, would be leaving to return home, public opinion naturally formed within the city that a farewell ceremony as splendid as the welcoming ceremony should be held.

Of course, this public opinion formed without knowledge of the poor internal financial situation, but even if they had known, his overwhelming popularity was such that it likely wouldn’t have changed anything.

Therefore, in an atmosphere where a riot might genuinely break out if the farewell ceremony went wrong…

“Official announcement posted!!”

“What?! This guy right now…”

“…It’s official!!”

An official document, said to have been written by Lord Alzar himself, was delivered to them.

The content of the document expressed Lord Alzar’s wish that the farewell ceremony be conducted as solemnly and frugally as possible.

It was the result of a simple but correct principle: with sufficient authority, humility operates not as poverty but as virtue.

“Sob…”

“Ah, bound by such lofty love…!!”

Apart from the appearance of some rather strange individuals, Lord Alzar’s sincere intentions expressed in the official document deeply moved people’s hearts.

Thus, the actual farewell ceremony was not particularly close to splendor.

Rather than some grandiose event or parade, it was a modest and beautiful farewell ceremony true to its original purpose of sending off the protagonist—a ceremony befitting the expression “farewell ceremony.”

And perhaps this farewell ceremony was more magnificent than any splendor could be.

In the hearts of the people of Yester, something nameless was clearly engraved.