Chapter 130
Chapter 130
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 130
Chapter Title: Even a Treacherous Subject Has His Uses
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"As expected! As expected of Prime Minister Neumel! Very, very satisfying! This... this girl! Hehehe! That! With just that signature, it can be done right now, right?"
After touching, licking, and examining them for a while, Count Vanilo selected one girl, took her hand, and approached Prime Minister Neumel, his lower abdomen swollen as he excitedly awaited Prime Minister Neumel's approval.
"You are a Count, but still, I hope you will hold the engagement ceremony and spend your first night. It's a moment that only happens once... isn't it?"
"That's right! As expected! Prime Minister Neumel understands a man's heart well! Hehehehehe!"
Count Vanilo's ecstatic attitude was disgusting in itself, but Prime Minister Neumel responded with a smile without batting an eye.
As if very accustomed to such matters, she received a document and a quill pen from the elf knight guarding her and handed it to the Count.
"Anyway, since you've chosen a girl you like, please sign and seal the contract... right away."
"That... that! Will you help prepare the wedding too?"
"Yes, of course. It's an important event, so of course I will take care of it."
As soon as Prime Minister Neumel finished speaking, the Count signed the contract and stamped his family seal, completing the procedure.
And then, staggering with joy, he immediately ordered his servants and attendants to prepare for the wedding.
Prime Minister Neumel handed over the other elf girls who were not chosen to the knight, approached the elf girl unfortunately chosen as Count Vanilo's wife, placed her hands on her shoulders, and spoke as if giving advice.
"As I said before we came, this is... for the sake of our kin. That human is currently over 40, and his health isn't very good. So, no matter how much he struggles, he won't last 30 years. I even told him not to be too harsh beforehand... but just in case, be prepared for that."
"Yes, Prime Minister. Do, don't worry. I will definitely... fulfill my mission."
"I too will definitely not let your sacrifice be in vain. Endure until the day you return to the forest......"
Prime Minister Neumel sent the chosen elf bride to other maids to begin the wedding preparations in earnest.
And then, as if swapping a mask, she changed her expression differently from when she was comforting the girl, shrugged her shoulders boastfully to the knight guarding her, and said.
"Heheh, what luck. The imperial princess I was originally supposed to marry went missing, who would have thought~ Is this the Goddess helping? Heheheh."
"It seems so."
Laughing mischievously like a girl, she was delighted with this situation that had turned out very well for her.
Prime Minister Neumel. The one called the Iron-Blooded Elf was very pleased that the marriage contract with Count Vanilo had been concluded.
Her goal was to use the marriage to obtain part of Count Vanilo's territory and a portion of the vast granary region, and also to use Count Vanilo like a puppet to weaken the national power of the Calleum Empire.
"Moreover~ the Calleum Imperial family currently has no resources left, you say?"
"Yes. Because an ancient ruin was discovered in the Haldeon region... they are said to be in a standoff."
"Ruins......."
She clicked her tongue.
"Such shameless humans~ It hasn't been long since... ancient~ Pfft! It's absurd~"
"Prime Minister?"
"Ah~ no need to worry about that. Anyway, with humans' current level, even if they salvage the artifacts there, they won't be able to use them properly. So, let the fools struggle. Well then, shall we go play land-grabbing games with those foolish humans?"
Speaking as if she knew what was in that ruin, Prime Minister Neumel waved her hand to end her subordinate knight's words and moved to go wage a battle of wits with Count Vanilo's retainers, subordinate nobles, and knights.
About 10 days later, Valderian Territory.
Beonald's party had finished sorting things out in the capital to some extent and headed to the Valderian Territory to interpret and unseal the artifact located in the Valderian family.
Originally, they planned to go to the ruin in the Valderian Territory, but because it was designated a forbidden zone by the religious order, Beonald, who had no choice but to go there only to interpret and unseal the artifact, was feeling regretful.
"Haa~"
"Is something worrying you?"
"When things that can be done at once... have to be done separately, it's inevitably frustrating."
"We've arrived at Valderian Castle~ everyone!"
With the coachman's shout, Beonald's party finally arrived at Valderian Castle, and Beonald peeked out the window... surprisingly, the surrounding scenery was almost unchanged from 500 years ago.
Of course, due to the long passage of time, vines and moss covered the castle walls, and the color had faded considerably, but seeing the nostalgic architecture, his own creation, preserved made him feel moved.
"Ahh... seeing it like this is truly touching."
"Touching enough... to bring that out?"
"Ah, ah! It looks much more beautiful and grand than the imperial capital. Hahaha! Hmm~ whoever built it was truly amazing. It must have been hundreds of years, yet it's still standing! Hahahaha!"
In his haste to cover up, he ended up praising himself in an unconvincing way, making him feel slightly embarrassed, but anyway, he managed to fool Sain.
However, there was someone else who felt the same as Beonald: Vesia. She too was looking at Valderian Castle from the opposite window, her eyes shining with the same moved sentiment.
"Wow... looking at those worn-out spots here and there, it must be very old, yet it looks sturdy... who on earth built it? My goodness......"
"Hoh? Can you tell?"
"Just a little. It's truly amazing. I want to learn how it was made... haa~ I want to build something like that......"
"Umm! That's right. Amazing, amazing."
Nodding.
A being who revels in his own excellence is a noble. With the continuous stream of pure praise, Beonald felt like he was intoxicated with happiness.
The Valderian family was an important place for Beonald von Neumel, the Duke, so he had been responsible for everything from the castle's design to the procurement of construction materials. Therefore, it was no exaggeration to call it his own work.
He had worried it might have been damaged by war, but seeing it well-preserved and receiving praise from people 500 years later, especially from a talented and wise imperial princess, felt the best.
"Hey, did you eat something wrong this morning?"
"...It's the same principle as feeling good when you see a good work, mage. Don't you get excited or happy about excellent formulas or magical achievements? I saw something good, so I'm feeling good."
"When you put it that way, it sounds strange."
"Ahem! Anyway, let's move on!"
Fearing that his identity as a person from 500 years ago might be exposed, Beonald cut off the answer and continued looking out the window.
Still, as 500 years had passed, the appearance of the people inside the castle and buildings like shops had changed quite a bit, but the stone-paved roads, the Valderian family mansion, guard posts, and other main buildings remained the same, making it perfect for reminiscing about the past.
'Is this... the feeling old people who have lived abroad for a long time have when they return? Hoooooou…….'
If he narrowed his eyes and blurred the scenery, memories of the past slowly surfaced, and he was immersed in nostalgia, but only briefly; they soon crossed through the castle and arrived at the Valderian family mansion.
And as soon as the carriage door opened, a middle-aged man with a sturdy physique greeted them.
"Welcome to the Valderian family, Beonald Callermain. I am Oswald Valderian, currently guarding the family in place of the family head. I am also the younger brother of the current family head."
"Thank you for welcoming me like this. I didn't expect a proxy family head like yourself to come out personally to greet a half-baked person like me......"
"As it is an important matter for the family, I had to come and see for myself. Ah, Young Master Kedron is here too. Oh, seems the order is a bit off? Hehehe."
'...One way or another, they are ultimately descendants of Kerwel, aren't they?'
There was something clumsy about them that seemed noble but not quite noble. Even though 500 years had passed and the bloodline should have thinned, seeing this made Beonald think that 'bloodline' is truly mysterious.
After exchanging simple greetings and talking, they entered the mansion and immediately headed towards the place where the sealed artifact was kept.
As it was an extremely important object, everyone else waited in the guest room, and only Beonald, Kedron, and Oswald went through a separate passage, winding through the mansion until they entered a secret passage and descended underground.
"Hahaha... sorry the way is cumbersome. But it's a family treasure, so it's kept in a very secure place."
"Not at all. That's something a noble, a prestigious family, should naturally do."
"Actually, in the past, we weren't this thorough with defense... but this Valderian Castle was once captured. At that time, many important family treasures and past legacies were stolen... after retrieving them, only one sealed artifact remained."
'So that's the story. Well, if you think about it a little, the Valderian family was nurtured and cared for considerably as my close aides... if they had survived beyond that era unscathed, there's no way they would have fallen to being just a noble faction. Those Dina and Bolea bastards established a kingdom......'
It's strange that they declined like this despite other circumstances.
At the very least, they should have established a Valderian Grand Duchy or Valderian Kingdom... Of course, even now they are one of the empire's high nobles, so it proves that a prestigious family can maintain its status unless they do something incredibly foolish.
"Anyway, those damned Dina bastards! Someday, I will definitely repay this grudge!"
"Wait... so those magic perverts looted it?"
"Oooo! You know well! Yes! Those magic perverts! How dare they! From our territory! The legacy of the Unified Empire! Grrrrrrr!"
'...Indeed, I can see how the continent's nations were divided. Those magic pervert bastards…….'
The Dina Kingdom, located northwest of the Calleum Empire. In the past, they were the Dina family, who prided themselves as a magic prestigious family, gathered many talents in the Magic Tower, and formed a huge faction.
Of course, they were also a family that trembled and were crushed before Beonald, who controlled the Magic Tower and practiced alchemy.
So their family treasure was also taken, and they swore submission to Beonald, but as soon as he died, they immediately rebelled.
'...Well, they earned my resentment, so it can't be helped... but those magic pervert bastards were troublemakers even if that hadn't happened. Anyway, I'll have to deal with them later.'
"Here it is."
"Ooh……."
Passing through the deep underground path, they reached a stone chamber entrance; when the stones on the wall were removed, buttons familiar to Beonald came into view.
And Oswald began carefully pressing the buttons in order.
It was only natural, as the castle and mansion designed by Beonald von Neumel used the same basic system as the ruins.
'It's only natural, of course.'
"There, done. See."
Kugugugugugung!
As soon as the button input finished, the stone chamber door slowly began to open, and soon a rectangular steel box far larger than a person came into Beonald's view.
And on the surface of the box, various magic formulas and numerous characters shimmered in a faint blue light, floating chaotically; there was no latch, keyhole, or lock to open it.
Beonald silently approached the box slowly to see what kind of object this was.