Chapter 142: More Gold Has Arrived
“So… Rodel is dead, huh…”
A month had passed since the rebellion led by Marquis Aiger was suppressed. Hearing the news in the townhouse of the Rosemary Marquis House, Rest felt an odd sense of loneliness. Sitting on his bed in his room, he sighed, feeling a chill despite it being summer.
(If he was going to die anyway, perhaps it would have been better to kill him on the battlefield?)
It might have been a more honorable end than being forced to drink from a poisoned chalice. For a proud man, waiting a month for death must have been a torment.
Rodel Aiwood was a detestable person. He bore an uncanny resemblance to his foolish brother, Cedric, and was the kind of man Rest could never bring himself to like. Yet… when they faced each other on the battlefield, he felt a strange sense of empathy. If only Rodel had been a little more decent… perhaps they could have fought together as comrades. It was a vague thought that lingered in his mind.
(Rodel’s corpse will be taken to a remote monastery, buried as an unnamed body without a proper grave in the royal family’s tomb… If that’s the case, maybe I should build a temple somewhere and create a proper grave for him.)
Despite Rodel being a notorious villain, it was disrespectful to treat the body of a powerful man carelessly. It would be troublesome if he became a vengeful spirit like Minamoto no Yoshitsune or Sugawara no Michizane. The fact that they had clashed in single combat was at least a connection worth honoring. Rest decided that when he eventually acquired his own territory, he would retrieve Rodel’s remains and construct a temple in his memory.
(Still… I can’t believe I’m a Count now.)
In this past month, significant changes had swept through the Aiwood Kingdom. The same could be said for Rest’s surroundings.
First, the nobles aligned with the Queen Dowager faction who had supported Marquis Aiger were punished. Those who directly participated in the rebellion faced execution without exception. Those closest to the instigator were sent to the gallows along with their entire families. Even those who belonged to the faction but did not join the rebel army received appropriate punishment, losing their territories and falling to the status of commoners. Nobles who had narrowly avoided joining the rebellion—those who distanced themselves from the faction once Aiger raised his banner—were granted clemency, but they were stripped of their titles and ordered to relinquish their lands.
The territories owned by the nobles of the Queen Dowager faction were redistributed; important strongholds became direct royal domains, while other lands were allocated to the loyalist nobles who participated in the suppression. The Rosemary Marquis House also received an increase in territory, and the head of the family, Albert, was busily shuttling between their lands and the royal capital.
And as for Rest, due to his contributions in battle, he was awarded the title of Count, along with a medal and reward money. During the already-held ceremony, he received direct praise from the King and had the opportunity to converse closely with the Crown Prince. During the event, other nobles attempted to approach him, trying to peddle their daughters as potential brides, which left him feeling exasperated. Viola and Primula, who stood beside him, also appeared displeased.
Since the incident at the Monster Hunting Festival, the Royal Academy, which had been closed, had resumed classes, but Rest had hardly attended. He had shown up once, only to be approached by female students who suggested that being a wife or concubine would be acceptable, while male students insisted they would serve him as vassals if he made them governors.
The territory granted to Rest was mostly untamed plains, but it still held great potential for future development, with vast resources lying dormant. This drew many people like moths to a flame, and at times, individuals even flocked to the Rosemary Marquis House, seeking positions.
“On top of that… Rodel’s inheritance has come to me. It seems I have more troublesome matters ahead…”
Rest lay back on his bed and opened the letter sent from the royal family. It stated that, according to Rodel Aiwood’s will, Rest was to inherit his estate. Rodel had left behind the Queen Dowager’s hidden fortune—savings he must have hoarded during his lifetime. Among these were national treasures that had gone missing, and the total value was said to rival the national budget. While the royal family confiscated paintings, vases, and sculptures, the direct assets, such as gold coins and jewels, were to be granted to Rest. Additionally, he was burdened with magic books of uncertain value and deeds to lands in the frontier.
While having wealth was delightful, honestly, having more gold than one could spend in a hundred lifetimes was merely a nuisance. Those who possessed wealth were compelled to use it. Otherwise, the economy would stagnate, and people would flock to the gold. It was akin to suddenly winning a lottery and being bombarded with proposals for donations or investments, or receiving calls from self-proclaimed friends whose contact information one had never exchanged.
(If that’s bothersome, then the best course of action is to spend it all at once… but having a purpose for spending it is also a dilemma…)
“Perhaps… I should venture into the Demon Realm for development.”
Ideally, such an endeavor should be led by the royal family, but it would be wise for him to start developing the territory he had been granted. Deep down, he even suspected that the royal family was pushing this wealth onto him with that very intention.
“I should discuss this with my father-in-law…”
Rest got up and headed to his father-in-law’s office to consult about the development of the Subnock Plain.