Episode 79: Inauguration of the New Lord
“No, I don’t understand what’s going on…”
“Ho, ho, ho. Well, to be honest, I should say I ended up like this before I knew it.”
“It’s not ‘before you knew it,’ Barbatos-sama. It was bound to happen. That’s all it is.”
“Hey, Claffy-kun, aren’t you Zieg’s child?”
“That’s right! I’m a hunter’s son!”
I’m definitely not from noble lineage!
“But a Lord…”
“I don’t know! I won’t do it!”
“Ho, ho, ho. Now, now, don’t say that.”
“Can you abandon the people of Cladfield Territory?”
“I don’t know them!”
Whose people are they!?
“Well, please listen. This is a serious matter.”
“I’m seriously refusing here!? And if it’s about nobility, shouldn’t Barbatos or Beatrice do it!? I don’t know anything!”
“I am a Knight, but not a noble.”
“I am not participating in any succession disputes either.”
“Then it’s even worse! Isn’t this territory in trouble!?”
“We believe that we can entrust it to our master.”
“Daaaaaah!”
I don’t understand any of this!
“The origin of this is the previous Lord’s downfall.”
“…That’s right. That Adventurer caused him to be ousted. What was his name again? Let him do it.”
That man whose name I can’t even remember. That thief’s kid.
“Krimlock-kun, perhaps?”
“That’s right, that’s right.”
That guy.
“That was considered, but after all, the son of a thief leader is out of the question.”
“A hunter’s son is pretty impossible too, isn’t he?”
“Well, that’s because it’s not known to those around us.”
“This guy…”
Just because it’s not known doesn’t make it okay!
“Until a replacement for the fallen Lord was appointed, a Magistrate was sent from the Royal Capital… and this one was quite the troublemaker.”
“He was a piece of trash with no manners, intellect, education, or common sense.”
“…That’s quite the way to put it.”
For Beatrice to say it so clearly, it must have been serious.
“Well, there were various things, and he made quite a few problematic statements.”
“I won’t go into detail, but he said things that were far too rude to Claffy-sama. Well, that became his last words.”
“Eh? Last words?”
“Yes. I cut him in half.”
“You did it!?”
“Indeed.”
That’s surprising! And it’s not something to be proud of!
“Well, he was a truly rude man, so it was a good thing.”
“Don’t just say ‘it was a good thing’ after cutting someone in half!”
“Barbatos-sama, you’re as ruthless as ever.”
Eh? Has she always been like this?
“It doesn’t matter. He was a truly, truly, truuuuly rude man.”
“What did he say to you guys…”
“We do not wish to say.”
What kind of man was he? Pitiful.
“The problem was that the man had contracts with a large number of slaves.”
“Ah, he was the master of the Slave Crests.”
“That’s right. He seemed to have been doing some pretty shady things, and the number of slaves he kept was astronomical.”
“His death led to the simultaneous liberation of all those slaves.”
“Eh? What about inheritance of rights?”
“What is that?”
“Well, it’s dangerous, isn’t it?”
If you’re going to use Slave Crests, you need to have insurance between master and servant. If the master dies, the next master should be able to inherit the rights, or it’ll be a disaster if a rebellion occurs.
“I don’t understand very well. As a result of me killing that man, a large number of slaves were liberated.”
“This is why Beatrice came to be known as the Maiden of Liberation.”
“I hate it! Really!”
She’s really poking at Barbatos-sama, looking so happy.
“But Barbatos-sama is the same. No matter what conditions are presented, she is the ‘Loyal Demon’ who swore allegiance to her master.”
“Ho, ho, ho. I simply did what was natural.”
Well, wasn’t that also due to the effects of Oath Magic?
“Well, anyway, the Magistrate died, and we were thanked immensely. Most of those he brought with him were slaves, so it became quite a commotion.”
“Some of the former slaves turned into rioters. Beatrice-sama and I suppressed and quelled them, but…”
Did you just try to say “submerged” them?
“Before we knew it, we were being revered. If you’re going to revere us, then revere our master, Cladfield-sama, we instructed.”
“No, no, no, no!”
That’s what’s wrong with it!
“From there, it was a huge Cladfield fever.”
“Indeed.”
“Don’t just say ‘indeed’!”
You’ve completely become the instigators!
“Among the liberated slaves were many relatives of nobles. Some were even blood relatives. Their liberation and appearance caused a great uproar in the Royal Capital.”
“I bet.”
People who were supposed to be dead suddenly appeared. And they were nobles.
“The Royal Capital side also had to put effort into these problems, so no replacement for the Magistrate came… and Nielson Territory was required to operate independently.”
“Well, there are nobles in this country, right?”
“No one from the Nielson family line can be involved in the territory’s management. It’s a family that caused problems. And the Magistrate and his associates are out of the question, so the territory’s civil officials searched and searched for someone who could do it… and that’s when they heard our master’s name.”
“…Heard my name?”
Those guys were trying to make me take responsibility?
“They were trying to frame Claffy-sama as the mastermind behind this incident, so I suppressed them. And while I was at it, I confiscated the documents related to the territory’s management and rewrote them all in Claffy-sama’s name. In name and in reality, this territory belongs to Claffy-sama.”
“Come to think of it, you did say ‘suppressed’!”
I certainly heard “suppressed”!
“Fortunately, among the former slaves were some who were familiar with national politics. With them at the center, we are currently restoring this territory.”
“They were originally brought here to manage the territory. They have more than enough knowledge.”
“Yes. It seems that many were forcibly enslaved, and most have returned home. But those who have no place to return to or can’t return now are still working in the territory’s capital. Everyone is working diligently with a spirit of zero tolerance for corruption.”
“Then let them do it. I don’t know anything.”
“No, there are benefits for us as well…”
“Benefits? What’s that?”
“Concealing the base. From now on, the warriors from the base will be traveling between the base and this Town of Solva, but there are too many things there that can’t be shown to people.”
“But realistically, it’s impossible to reach, right?”
To reach the base, you have to cross several mountains thousands of meters high, and the Forest gradually becomes more difficult. It’s not easy to break through.
“People will try just because there’s something there.”
“And eventually, someone will reach it.”
“…Well, that’s true.”
When that happens, we can just welcome them. I think the Onmitsu and the warriors will welcome them.
“Base?”
“It’s nothing.”
Oh yeah, Iserina-san was here.
“In the first place, you can’t become a Lord just by changing the entries in some documents.”
“The Magistrate had the authority to appoint the Lord. It seems he was allowed to appoint a suitable person on the spot.”
“He was definitely going to abuse that… even against nobles.”
At least, that’s what I would do if I were in the Magistrate’s position.
“So there are no problems on paper!”
“There are too many other problems!”
“Indeed. The management situation was terrible, even from what I could see.”
“Neither the previous Lord nor the Magistrate who came next were very competent.”
“That’s not the problem with the territory!”
I want you to notice the other problems!
“For now, I’ve separated the documents waiting for our master’s approval.”
“I don’t want to!”
“It’s set up so you only have to sign!”
“That’s definitely going to become a fait accompli!”
Can’t deal with this!!