Ch.347Respect and Reverence

Finding the soldier’s frozen corpse was a bit shocking, especially since I hadn’t intended to kill him.

“My lady, is something troubling you? You’ve looked rather gloomy since we left the castle.”

Leonore had noticed my poor complexion.

“…It’s because of the body hanging on the wall. It’s my fault for hanging him up and forgetting about it, but I never thought no one would take him down…”

“Oh, that? I specifically ordered that he not be taken down. Lady Frider agreed with me. Since you didn’t say anything, I thought you agreed too… but I guess not.”

“…What?”

Her confession was appalling.

They deliberately left him hanging—wasn’t that just an execution rather than simple punishment?

To think Leonore and Frider had taken the initiative in such an act…!

“Wait, you knew? And you still left him to die?”

“Of course. Despite Lady Frider’s direct orders to watch his mouth, he was caught openly spouting such vulgar gossip. And not just any gossip—a mere soldier speaking about an Imperial Count. Not executing him would have been the strange choice.”

Leonore tilted her head.

Her attitude was so nonchalant, as if this were perfectly normal. Looking at her expression, one might think I was the unreasonable one.

“Even so, there was no need to kill him just for that…”

“Just for that…? My lady, I don’t know how things work in Ka’har, but in the Empire, such matters aren’t ‘just’ anything trivial.”

Her demeanor grew more serious.

“Now I understand clearly. I thought you were exceptionally merciful to your subordinates, but that’s not it. You simply lack awareness of your status. My lady, do you realize what position you hold in the Empire?”

My position? Well…

“…I’m a Marquis-to-be, right? And a future Margrave. Other than that… the Empire’s strongest swordswoman?”

“Yes. Marquis, Margrave. And if you inherit Landenburg, you’ll also succeed to the position of Prince-Elector. Do you know what that means? In this Empire, excluding the Imperial family, only two or three people outrank you. You are, in every sense, among the highest of the high nobility.”

…She’s not wrong. By that point, only the Duke of Faelrun and Lord Wien would be above me.

Third in the Imperial nobility ranking—it doesn’t feel real, but…

“And for the high nobility, after loyalty to the state, the most important duty is maintaining one’s authority. Being merciful is fine. Lacking etiquette or refinement… well, that can be understood for someone of foreign origin. But allowing disrespect from subordinates is unacceptable. The Empire’s social order is built not just on the nobility’s military power, but on the reverence held by those beneath them.”

Leonore particularly emphasized the word “reverence,” as if it were the key point.

“Most people may welcome those they don’t fear, but they won’t respect them. Being admired is desirable, but if excessive leniency prevents you from inspiring fear, you’ll ultimately be nothing more than a decorative ornament. Think about it, my lady. If your subordinates don’t fear you at all, will they faithfully follow your orders?”

…Probably not.

I knew well that respect and obedience largely stem from fear.

On a battlefield raining with artillery fire, it was far more efficient to prepare a group of enforcers to shoot deserters in the head than to inspire patriotism to make soldiers advance. Not that I’ve done that myself.

“…So, while you can be merciful to a certain extent, those who cross the line must be executed as an example. Controlling a hundred people by punishing one—that’s the most fundamental way to maintain social order. If left unchecked, everyone would think that level of disrespect was acceptable, and your authority would gradually erode.”

By the standards of this world, where hierarchy based on bloodline and status was firmly established, Leonore’s words were irrefutable logic. I had no counterargument.

“If you had been punishing those who spoke nonsense until now, would that soldier have dared to harbor thoughts of such vulgar gossip? Of course not. It’s because you haven’t particularly restrained rumors among your subordinates that he fearlessly spoke that way. What if Lady Frider had been the subject of his vulgar gossip instead? He wouldn’t have dared open his mouth. If he had spread such gossip about the Lady, Faelrun’s knights would have torn him to pieces.”

So she’s saying they took advantage of me because I seemed easy-going by staying quiet?

Put that way, I don’t have much to say…

“Lady Frider understood this well, which is why she agreed to execute that soldier. She said she would step in on your behalf since you were too indifferent about maintaining your own authority.”

Frider said that…?

I’m not sure what to say. It seems too brutal to call it an act of friendship, yet too well-intentioned to dismiss as meddling.

And according to Leonore, it was something that had to be done.

In the end, I couldn’t argue further about it.

—-

“Speaking of disrespect, aren’t you being disrespectful by speaking informally to me when you’re my guard knight…?”

“That’s because you permitted it. If you had ordered me to observe proper etiquette, I would have complied without question. Besides, I only speak informally in private settings—in public, I show proper respect, don’t I?”

Leonore smiled wryly.

It was true, so I had no rebuttal.

—-

The journey back to the estate was peaceful.

A procession full of dozens of women. One might think bandits would be salivating at the sight, but… they were all mounted and wearing armor—clearly a knightly order. No one was foolish enough to attack such an obvious group of knights.

Of course, monsters lacking the intelligence to make such deductions occasionally attacked…

“Haaaaaah!”

A heavy greatsword fell like a guillotine blade.

Demian, the “wingless” one who seemed to have made it his identity, unleashed jumping attacks against monsters he could otherwise defeat in ten seconds.

His karma-infused slash split an attacking monster’s body in half.

“He’s never going to break that habit.”

“Does it really matter anymore? I saw him recently—he’s eliminated his weak points. You probably didn’t see it, but it was quite impressive.”

He eliminated his weak points? It doesn’t look that way to me.

His reaction speed and attack power might have improved, but he’s still completely exposed to enemy attacks while airborne.

“Unless he can fly, that weakness can’t be fixed.”

“Actually, he did fly. I was surprised too. I wondered what he was asking Lord Aingen so earnestly about—turns out he was learning magic. It’s not proper flight, but he can generate wind in mid-air to change his position.”

Leonore let out a laugh of disbelief. I felt the same way.

I thought he was committed to being a greatsword one-trick, but he learned magic? Just for his jumping attacks?

This guy—maybe he’s not emotionless, but rather has all his emotions focused on his obsession with jumping attacks?

It was absurd enough to make me wonder.

After cleaving the monster in two with a single strike, Demian wiped the blood and entrails from his greatsword and headed toward the carriage behind us.

A private carriage carrying only him and Millia.

What happens inside… I’d rather not mention.

I should be thankful that the high-quality carriage is well soundproofed. Though I can still hear everything.

“Hey Millia? You want to do it again…?”

“You can still go more, right? Just one more time. We can use magic to get rid of the sweat and smell.”

…I think I need to teach Millia some self-restraint.

I understand she’s happy that her years of unrequited love have finally been fulfilled, but how can they do it five or six times a day…

After that came an unmistakable symphony of moans, so I shut my ears completely.

I can’t even properly enjoy my cigarette because of them.

When I inhale the Mana Herb smoke, my senses become more acute, which means the sounds leaking from that carriage become even clearer.

—-

Instead of passing through local lords’ territories or cities, we traveled via highways and forests, camping in suitable clearings at night.

At first, I thought staying in cities would be better, but after the chaos we experienced in the first city we visited…

As soon as we entered the city, crowds gathered to see the rare procession of female knights, and when word spread that I was in the carriage, the number of people nearly quintupled.

Fortunately, Leonore, experienced in such matters, managed the situation well with the knights, controlling the crowd—otherwise, we might not have been able to move at all.

That wasn’t all.

Not long after my arrival became known, the city’s lord personally came to extend a formal invitation.

He wanted to host a banquet for the Empire’s hero, if I would be so kind as to attend.

Since the lord had come in person, it seemed rude to refuse, so I visited his castle—only to have him randomly introduce his son and ask what I thought of him.

His intentions were obvious, but since I had enjoyed his hospitality, instead of getting angry, I gave a diplomatic answer: that his son was gallantly handsome and would surely find a good match someday.

Seeming to understand my meaning, the lord made no further unpleasant proposals afterward.

Fortunate for them, not for me.

After that, I never looked at another city again.

It was obvious the same thing would happen repeatedly.

—-

After ten days like this.

Finally, Extrashafel’s triple walls appeared on the horizon.