Ch.813Land Transaction

What should I do with the Median Marquisate?

The Duke of Wien’s answer was extremely simple.

“Sell it to me.”

“…What?”

When I first heard it, I thought it was nonsense.

—-

“So… instead of handing over the Median Marquisate, you’ll help me devour the territories of nobles adjacent to Landenburg?”

It was an oversimplification that caused a brief misunderstanding, but after hearing the detailed explanation, it was somewhat acceptable.

“More precisely, I’ll gift you the justification to punish them.”

“Punish?”

“Yes. I’ve already achieved my goal of bringing minor nobles under me… now I must purge those vermin who’ve been committing atrocities while considering me their backing. I’ll hand over information and evidence of their misdeeds, so you can use it as justification to judge them and incorporate their masterless territories into Landenburg.”

“Hmm….”

I nodded slightly with interest, narrowing my eyes.

What should I do? It was a proposal beneficial to both myself and the Duke of Wien.

The Duke of Wien would acquire one vast marquisate, while I could secure territories near Landenburg instead of the Median Marquisate, which would be troublesome to manage independently, thus securing sufficient land for self-sufficiency.

“…But shouldn’t you have reported such people to me?”

In other words, it wasn’t a welcome proposal from Leopold’s perspective.

The territories the Duke of Wien offered as bargaining chips were lands that should have been confiscated as imperial direct territories after executing their lords.

“Your Majesty. You don’t have the resources to deploy punitive forces anyway. If you hastily move troops and they all revolt at once, things would become extremely troublesome. Rather than taking such risks, it would be wiser to have Count Median handle the judgment to resolve territorial issues and gain the goodwill of the Church of Astraea.”

It was a persuasive argument that flowed smoothly.

I never knew the Duke of Wien could be so eloquent. Do politicians and administrators become more competent as their foreheads expand?

His argument was so convincing that even Leopold nodded in understanding.

“…Not all border territories of Landenburg could be corrupt. What do you plan to do with territories that have no justification for punishment?”

Eleonora, who had been quietly listening, pointed out the flaw in the proposal in a soft tone.

As she said, not all lords in the east would be criminals deserving execution.

We couldn’t touch the lands of innocent lords, so if we accepted the duke’s proposal to expand territory, small fiefdoms would remain scattered throughout the newly acquired land like squatters.

“Do not worry, Your Highness. Persuading them won’t be difficult. Those loyal to His Majesty will obey his orders, and those indebted to me will have no choice but to follow my will. As for those who are neither…”

The Duke of Wien nodded lightly in respect to Eleonora and explained his plan to persuade them.

“I will make them an offer they cannot refuse.”

If they want to preserve their territory, they must swear loyalty to Landenburg’s master and become her vassal.

If they absolutely cannot do that, they should abandon their territory and come to me. I’ll give them part of the Median Marquisate.

It seemed like a somewhat flimsy proposal for such a confident attitude…

“When nobles of adjacent territories are being burned at the stake one after another, they’ll have no choice but to consider my proposal with trembling fear. They’ll wonder if they might be next should they refuse my offer.”

The Duke of Wien smiled like a cunning fox. He looked more like a fox that had lost quite a bit of fur, but nevertheless, he appeared remarkably reliable.

I never thought I’d find the Duke of Wien reliable.

Until last year, I had been contemplating whether I should eliminate him someday, but I was glad I hadn’t.

He used to seem like an old man obsessed with power… but now that he had achieved the position of being second only to one and above all others, he seemed deflated by the realization that the power he had so desperately craved was actually a curse that brought baldness.

Should I consider this a good thing?

—-

After Leopold and I agreed to the Duke of Wien’s proposal, things began to progress very quickly.

Thanks to the Duke of Wien, who began cooperating fully as if urging me to become independent as soon as possible.

His behavior reminded me of Orhan’s children, who had eagerly cooperated with my special admission to drive me away.

“So… these are the ‘evidences’?”

Adamante Clair, Astraea’s judge, scanned through the documents handed over by the Duke of Wien with ice-cold eyes.

She looked ready to rush out and impale the lords on stakes if I gave permission.

Indeed, even I found the contents so disturbing that I wondered how such bastards could still exist in the Empire. As a judge, she must have felt even greater anger than I did.

Suspicion of heresy worship.

Slave trading.

Operating illegal brothels.

Numerous missing travelers.

Killing subjects without justification.

Suspicion of collusion with Isabella’s faction during the civil war.

There were even those who operated secret fighting arenas, feeding captured monsters with their subjects.

“There are so many. What has His Majesty the Emperor been doing all this time?”

Leonore also frowned and let out a sarcastic laugh.

It was typical of Leonore. She had always viewed Leopold unfavorably.

Though she secretly acknowledged his competence as an emperor… that competence could only be a burden to her.

Although she had severed ties with her own hands, her mother was the enemy of Leopold and Eleonora.

In fact, had I not protected Leonore, Leopold would have either confined her to a convent or sold her to the King of Panam.

Rationally, one could understand that it would be wrong to make Leonore pay for Isabella’s crimes…

But hatred is an emotion that devours reason first.

“…So, what are you going to do? Miss.”

“What else?”

I tapped Durandal’s hilt lightly and grinned.

“Burn them all.”

The dragon remains-reinforced scales clinked lightly as they rippled.

—-

The armor I had requested from Asha the day after arriving at the island was only completed when it was time to leave the island and return to Landenburg.

If it had been just my armor, it might have been different, but since I also requested armor for my companions, it took longer than expected.

Still, it was worth the time invested.

Not only my armor, made from the red phosphorus powder extracted from my previous armor mixed with dragon remains, but also my companions’ armor was remarkably enhanced.

“I lined the inner layer with fabric woven from fairy hair to improve comfort, and for the armor parts, I preserved the magic resistance and corrosion resistance of dragon bones, so it will provide sufficient protection even against mages.”

“Perfect.”

With less than half the weight of steel but greater strength than black iron, I smiled with satisfaction at the feather-light weight compared to before, praising Asha’s skill.

It wasn’t just the armor. The cloth binding my chest and the undergarments covering my private parts were incomparably softer than before.

I was almost tempted to shave the heads of any fairies I defeated or captured in the future.

A fabric softer than a child’s skin that neither tears nor gets soiled. Who would have thought fairy hair had such uses? These were luxurious undergarments unavailable even in modern society.

“By the way… Asha, you’re going to stay here?”

“Yes. The east is too far from my homeland. Unless my family moves to the island, I should stay here. Besides, I’m still nominally a student of the academy.”

That’s a shame.

“If that’s the reason, I guess it can’t be helped. Please take care of Demian and Millia. They’ve both gotten stronger, but they still have many flaws.”

I planned to leave Demian and Millia on the island. Though they would technically become citizens of the Kingdom of Hestella rather than the Empire, they would stay at the Thousand Sword Corps mansion for the time being, moving according to Leopold’s requests.

With the death of the 3rd Corps Commander Frederick, they would need to protect Leopold, the island, and the surrounding cities until a new hero-class knight was recruited.

Well, they could also improve their skills while at it.

Master-level fighters tend to die easily away from home, so I had to keep them close and nurture them…

But once they reach the realm of heroes, they won’t easily die unless deployed in large-scale wars, so they should grow well enough on their own.

“Leave it to me. Haschal should also come visit occasionally when you have time!”

“Sure. When I have free time.”

I nodded readily.

Establishing my own country doesn’t mean opposing the Empire, so once things calm down in the east, I’ll have opportunities.

—-

And so, I finally set out on my return journey to the east.

With all my forces except Demian, Millia, and Ophelia, along with Adamante, Bethania, and other clergy from the Church of Astraea, and the coffin containing Ludwig.

It was a journey filled with the smell of roasting meat and the scent of blood incense.