Chapter 4: Smashing the Prince’s Scheme
“Refuse Prince Leon’s orders and welcome Servia as family? Cain, what in the world are you saying?”
Father blinked, utterly dumbfounded.
It was no wonder.
After all, until yesterday, my affection for her had curdled into intense hatred, and I was fully intent on bullying Servia.
“This is a precious chance to get into the good graces of Prince Leon, the next king, you know. Surely there’s no value in showing loyalty to that fake saint girl, is there?”
Father, with an expression as if he couldn’t comprehend it at all, flatly rejected my demand.
“If we abuse that girl as Prince Leon commands, she’ll eventually commit suicide. After that, I’ll find a more suitable fiancée for you.”
“No, Father. Servia, who received the church’s oracle, still has the possibility of being the 【World Tree Saint】. Looking back at our long history, there are a few examples, albeit rare, of saints finally awakening to their powers in their late teens. Wouldn’t it be premature to cast her aside now?”
I put on a malicious-looking smile.
Father is a noble astute to profit. He would never be swayed by sentiment.
I had to convince him that welcoming Servia as family would bring exceptional profit to the Schwartz Earldom.
To do that, I decided to thoroughly feign that I was only thinking of the Earldom’s interests.
“Hmm…?”
Father showed a slight sign of interest.
As a margrave entrusted with defending the border with the Atlas Empire, Father isn’t necessarily sworn to absolute loyalty to the royal family.
He was the kind of man who maintained relations with the Atlas Empire’s royalty and nobility, and who even factored in defecting to the Empire if his own position became precarious.
I made a proposal that played right into that.
“Why don’t we observe her for about three years, and if Servia still hasn’t awakened to the power of the 【World Tree Saint】 by then, that’s when we can follow Prince Leon’s orders, bully her relentlessly, and drive her to suicide? This is a remote borderland where the royal family’s eyes don’t easily reach. If we send false reports to Prince Leon, we can deceive him in any way we want!”
It was exactly the kind of act a villainous noble would put on when scheming.
The reason I set a three-year time limit was because in the world three years later, when the main game story starts, Father no longer exists, and Cain had become the lord.
Presumably, something would happen, and Father would lose his life.
That would be a sad thing for me… but for now, I’ll use this game knowledge to protect Servia.
“The 【World Tree Saint】 possesses power great enough to sway the fate of the world. If things go well, our Schwartz Earldom, not the royal family, could monopolize that power. Don’t you think it’s not a bad gamble? For that purpose, let’s do our utmost to beguile that little miss. Ahahahaha!”
Imitating the game’s Cain, I put on a loud laugh befitting a villainous noble.
“I see… There’s some truth to that. You’ve become quite cunning, Cain. As expected of my son.”
Father smirked, the corner of his mouth twitching upwards.
“I am honored by your praise.”
“However, Prince Leon seems to be extremely displeased with Servia. If it’s discovered that we are ignoring Prince Leon’s orders, this house could very well be crushed. Considering the risk, I don’t think it’s a particularly favorable gamble…”
Kgh, just as I thought, he’d bring that up.
Since the royal family denies that Servia will awaken as a saint, it was surely a preposterous assertion.
In that case, I’ll use my trump card too.
“Father, how long do you intend to remain subordinate to the Albion royal family? Right now, a wind of glory is blowing for the Schwartz Earldom…!”
“What!? What do you mean?”
“Actually, my men have discovered a Mithril Mine within our domain. With this, we can obtain a powerful army and vast wealth. Now is precisely the time for the Schwartz Earldom to make a great leap forward!”
The Mithril Mine in the domain was a hidden area that wouldn’t be unlocked until the latter half of the game.
Because if super-powerful mithril equipment could be used from the early game, the game balance would collapse.
However, if it physically exists, I think it can probably be discovered.
“Is that true!? A Mithril Mine!?”
“Of course, it’s true.”
I puffed out my chest and replied to my wide-eyed Father.
“Father. Will you report the existence of the Mithril Mine to the royal family? If things go badly, wouldn’t our mining rights be stolen, or heavy taxes imposed?”
“Mmph…”
“Rather than that, wouldn’t it be better to secretly mine the mithril and organize a powerful army with it? If that happens, the royal family wouldn’t be able to treat the Schwartz Earldom lightly. If worst comes to worst, we should even be able to use the mithril as a bargaining chip to be welcomed by the Atlas Empire under much better terms.”
“…That’s certainly true. I see, so this is a time when luck is on our side, is it?”
Father fell into thought.
Father is a rational thinker, but he always used to say that life has its ups and downs, and when an opportunity comes, one should seize it without hesitation.
“The Mithril Mine is located on the border with the neighboring Fernando territory. In other words, to hide the existence of the Mithril Mine, the cooperation of Servia’s family, the Fernando Viscounty, is indispensable. Wouldn’t it be more advantageous to build a relationship of trust with Servia here…!”
“I-Is that so! If that’s the case, then it’s a different story. Cain. Did you treat Servia politely, so as not to displease her?”
It was a splendid flip-flop. I was a little taken aback.
But I can’t let my guard down here. I have to push it further to make sure…
“Of course. In fact, I’ve already taken steps to make her trust me completely.”
I took out the torn letter from Prince Leon from my pocket.
“Th-That’s, don’t tell me…!?”
Father’s shock was immense.
“Yes, it’s a secret letter from Prince Leon. I showed it to Servia, then tore it up and declared that I would not follow Prince Leon’s orders, and that I would protect Servia no matter what. Servia was smitten with me, you know; she was crying with joy.”
I snorted derisively and said something I didn’t mean at all.
With this, Father’s escape route was cut off. He should have no choice but to go along with my proposal now.
Because if Servia reported this to Prince Leon, the Schwartz Earldom would undoubtedly be condemned.
“No, but, that’s…! N-No, I see. Considering our friendly relations with the Fernando Viscounty, it is indeed the best move…”
“Exactly. To gain their trust, I deliberately let them hold a secret that could be our weakness.”
With their daughter being a false saint, the Fernando Viscounty is being looked upon coldly by other nobles and is isolated.
In that situation, if the Schwartz Earldom prioritized its relationship with them over the Prince’s orders, they would surely become allies who would never betray us.
Originally, my engagement to Servia since childhood was for the sake of strengthening friendly relations with the Fernando Viscounty anyway. This would be a natural progression.
“Father, at this point, let me state it clearly…!”
I paused there and looked Father straight in the eyes.
“For Prince Leon to send such a secret letter means he looks down on our Schwartz Earldom. Let us aim to acquire both the Mithril Mine and the 【World Tree Saint】, and become a great noble house boasting power surpassing even the royal family!”
I puffed out my chest and roared.
For Father, who has a strong spirit of independence, this should be extremely effective.
“…I-I see, I understand. As nobles, we must always calmly assess the trends of the world, and at times, even if it means crossing a dangerous bridge, we must boldly seize profits, or else downfall is inevitable.”
Father broke into a wide smile.
“I am pleased that you have grown so much as the next head of the family.”
“Then, Father, at tonight’s banquet, let’s warmly welcome Servia as a member of our Schwartz Earldom. The beginning is crucial in all things, after all.”
“Of course.”
Having drawn those words out of him, I breathed a sigh of relief.
With this, Servia would no longer be abused in this house.
Servia would surely never again show that shadowed smile she had in the main game. With this, she should regain her true smile.
I thought about how much I wanted to see that face soon.