Chapter 158
Chapter 158
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 158
Chapter Title: The Treacherous Subject Has His Uses
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"Count, please listen carefully. I was merely doing my utmost in the position I was given. As proof, I wholeheartedly created the magic armor for your heir, Young Master Cedron. The most important point is... while managing this territory, Sir Heidi and I did not increase our private military forces, and we operated the soldiers of the Valderian territory only after receiving approval from Young Master Cedron."
"U-ummm..."
He pointed out the facts that Count Valderian had forgotten in the shock of seeing the city, one by one.
The core of power is, without a doubt, military force. Beonald emphasized that he had thoroughly excluded private military power, and that everything was carried out with the approval of Cedron, the heir to the Valderian Count's family. Hearing this, Count Valderian's fear subsided a little.
"So, in the end, it's all effectively the property of Count Valderian."
"Hmm... I suppose that's true?"
"Moreover, it's autumn now. The planned food crisis will soon arrive. Not just for one or two years, but a food crisis that will last a very long time. Considering that, isn't developing the territory like this actually a blessing? Or, if you're still worried, I can leave this place today, go to the Valderian territory, and stay there quietly."
It was a bold statement, brimming with confidence—'Who else could do this besides me?' Count Valderian, despite the late evening hour, looked out the window at the bustling people and the prosperous cityscape. He pondered whether there was anyone who could manage that, but no one else came to mind.
'This fellow built this city from the ground up, so he's built up goodwill... But all things considered, controlling a city of this scale would be impossible for anyone but an exceptional person...'
In the end, there was no replacement. And if he suddenly tried to undo the work that had been done so far, the dissatisfaction of the territory's people and nobles would inevitably grow.
Even when he thought about someone with the ability to take over, no one came to mind.
That is, he ultimately had to continue employing Beonald.
'Well, I did boast to the Prime Minister that I'd appoint even a Baron... If he's this capable, isn't that even better?'
'If you can't use him, hand him over to me~'
As the shock gradually subsided, allowing for rational judgment—or perhaps because of it—Count Valderian was slowly acknowledging Beonald and accepting the current situation.
Moreover, the words Duke Kremel had spoken during the previous meeting were now swirling in his head, so even out of pride, he had no choice but to push Beonald forward.
If such talent were to go and display his skills in the Kremel family's territory, nothing could be more terrifying.
"Hoo~ I see. Alright. I trust you. Good! The title! I'll grant it right now!"
"Ah, you don't need to go that far. I don't need the title right now either. It would be better to receive it later, after Young Master Cedron has arranged a marriage for me. It would serve as a perfect justification. And from a working perspective, I'm most comfortable with my current position."
Being someone naturally more accustomed to handling practical work one step below the very top rather than at the pinnacle, Beonald declined the title once again.
Next, as the autumn season was now truly approaching, Beonald intended to bring up the matter of negotiations with the religious order.
"Anyway, let's think about the next task. What are your thoughts regarding the religious order?"
"I'll leave it to your discretion. Even if we come up empty-handed from those ruins, with skills like yours, it would still be worth the investment. You take the lead in the talks with the order and report back later. I'll inform Cedron."
"No matter how capable and seemingly loyal a subordinate is, you shouldn't stop overseeing them. I will proceed as I have been, consulting and educating Young Master Cedron."
"Do so, then. I shall take my leave now. Good work."
Count Valderian felt slightly irked by Beonald's tone, which sounded almost like he was lecturing him, but a feeling of understanding washed over him, so he didn't show his displeasure. He stood up and quickly withdrew.
Even as he left, he looked back at the hardworking Beonald and the city prospering day by day, sinking into sentimentality once more.
'I, too, have spent my life striving to develop my family and territory... But this is on a different level.'
Though his nature was that of a knight and warrior, and he might not know many things, he prided himself on having a good eye for people. He had worked hard to bring prosperity to his territory... Yet seeing the momentum with which Beonald achieved all this in about half a year, proceeding without a moment's hesitation as if solving a problem with all the answers known, made him feel a sense of self-reproach, as if he had merely been sitting as the territory's lord without doing anything.
'Is that what they call kingly material? Hooou~'
And Count Valderian, thinking of Beonald's presence and ability, which were beyond imagination, placed him briefly above himself in his mind.
Doing so, Beonald radiated an overwhelming presence that seemed fit to rule without any sense of incongruity.
Imagining himself standing beside such a monarch in these turbulent times, commanding the world, didn't seem like such a bad feeling.
However, he was the head of the Valderian family, which boasted a 500-year history. He had a duty to protect the family, its traditions, and its lands.
'Hoo, even trying to calm down, my heart won't settle. Hahah!'
When was the last time he had felt such a thrilling, burning passion?
Was it 20 years ago? No, perhaps 30? He had lived striving to avenge the wrongs against the Daina Kingdom in his generation, but reality was not easy. After fighting with the Empire and engaging in political struggles, that spirit had long since faded. His only wish was to safely pass the family to Cedron and be done with it.
'...Just how far does that friend's potential reach? Perhaps he could even achieve our family's mission of avenging the Daina Kingdom? But in a way... am I not raising a monster I cannot control? If that's the case, then perhaps the method is to place our family under him and ask him to maintain it... Hooou~ It's truly complicated, so complicated.'
Thinking it might be simpler to just fight on a battlefield, Count Valderian ultimately decided to postpone finding an answer and resolved to watch and see. He then returned to the Valderian territory.
A few weeks later, the autumn harvest season finally arrived. In the southern territory of the Vanilo Count's family and its lands, they began harvesting the golden wheat fields.
"This year... it seems we won't starve, at least. That's a relief."
"We should be grateful it's not a poor harvest. Hahah! Last year was truly terrible."
"We had to buy food... so it wasn't exactly abundant."
Last year, due to the aftermath of the war, they couldn't properly harvest and could barely produce any food, nearly starving to death during winter and spring.
Fortunately, it seemed they could hold on without issue thanks to the promised support from the Garkan Republic, but reality was not so kind.
First, what the Garkan Republic had promised to provide free of charge was only half the food that had been strategically burned. The problem was that the nobles, who had received this food distributed according to their territory's production, were supposed to deduct taxes and distribute the remainder to their people. Instead, they sold it to their own people.
'You saw the mess last year, right? We'll exempt you from taxes this year, but in return, buy and eat the food we're selling.'
It was a sham measure. Naturally, discontent arose among the people, but the nobles tacked on additional reasons: the defeat in the war, surrender reparations, compensation for the bereaved families of dead soldiers and knights, and so on. Then they had the knights intimidate those who protested, leaving the people with no choice but to buy the food.
"Come to think of it, Luke even went into debt, right? Those merchants must be ruthless..."
"What else can he do? His wife just gave birth... He has to feed the children and his wife properly. Anyway, he says he'll manage somehow with what's left after paying this year's taxes."
"We should help him later. Tsk, tsk, tsk..."
Thus, some of the people even went into debt to buy food.
However, no matter what suffering the people endured, the territory's finances improved slightly by selling the food that should have been distributed for free after taxes. But the storm didn't end there.
Of course, the food lost during last year's war was a much larger amount than what was to be preserved for strategic purposes. The Valderian family's army had brazenly harvested on the battlefield, baking bread in a desperate manner, thoroughly screwing them over. Similarly, the invading Kremel family army and the Imperial Capital forces caused significant damage during their stay, requiring an even larger amount of food. How did they manage? By borrowing from the Garkan Republic, of course.
"We'll have to sell the borrowed grain too, right?"
"We must do so."
"But isn't this placing too much burden on the people? It's unsettling."
"But we have no choice if we are to pay for the purchased food."
"That's right. We have to give war reparations to the bereaved families of dead soldiers and knights... and we must also send the same to the families in the capital..."
The nobles under the influence of the Vanilo Count's family knew this method was wrong and that the people were suffering. However, the defeat in last year's war was a major blow, and some territories had even lost an entire knight order. If they didn't pay compensation to them, it would be difficult to retain their retainers, forcing them to inflict pain on their people as if cutting their own flesh.
"I know nothing... Hehehe, Prime Minister Neumel will handle everything. Hehehe."
"As you command."
But the most serious problem was Count Vanilo himself.
Lost day and night in debauchery with the elf wife he obtained from the Garkan Republic, he no longer even attended meetings where he was supposed to sit as a figurehead. He had entrusted everything to Prime Minister Neumel, and she gained the power to manipulate the territory and the nobles' meetings at will.
"Now, then, it's harvest season, so we must collect the grain we lent. However, the market price has more than doubled compared to last year's standard. So, we will accept either double the quantity... or the equivalent money at the applied market rate. Please be sure to pay. Of course, don't forget to pay the transportation and additional costs as well. We spent money to bring it to this country, so receiving it is only fair."
The market price of goods is always changing. Prime Minister Neumel delivered the notice to repay the debt to the nobles gathered at Count Vanilo's castle in a tone dripping with sarcasm. Thinking the inevitable had finally arrived, they could only close their eyes at the dizzying amount calculated.
"We accept both money and grain. Also, in case of non-payment or refusal, we have received permission from Count Vanilo to use force for collection. I believe those who witnessed last year's war are aware of our army's combat prowess."
"B-but then! Following last year, this year too, not only we but the people will suffer from food shortages! And regarding the debt, you don't have to repay it all this year. If we pay in installments according to our circumstances, transferring it to next year or the year after while increasing the interest, wouldn't that also benefit you, Prime Minister Neumel?"
Of course, if they repaid the debt like this, they would clearly suffer another food shortage or financial crisis like last year.
So, one of Count Vanilo's retainers, who had a quick mind, proposed a very reasonable suggestion to Prime Minister Neumel. However, Prime Minister Neumel, who from the start was not aiming to reasonably increase profits, had no intention of accepting it.
"The contract originally states it is to be collected this year. So, please obediently adhere to the payment deadline."
In the end, thinking they had no choice but to repay this year, they collected food from the territory. Instead of solving it with the originally set taxes, they imposed additional taxes, forcing them to pay the skyrocketed market price and extra costs.
Incidentally, the commoners who had gone into debt last year to buy food had the heavy additional taxes extracted from them. What remained was a ridiculously small amount of food, better than last year but still insufficient.
"No! How are we supposed to survive this winter and next year with this?!"
"I... I... have to repay my debt, but this isn't enough! My debt keeps growing even now!"
"Oh, God! How can this be...?!"
"This is too much. No matter that you are the lord, isn't this too harsh?"
Naturally, the people had no choice but to protest this harsh treatment, but before the combat power of the knights, ordinary people were no different from insects, so they were quickly suppressed.
And some lords, realizing Prime Minister Neumel's scheme at this point, refused to repay the debt she imposed and sought renegotiation. But here, the Garkan Republic's army, stationed there as part of the Vanilo Count's family, came into play.
"The heads of Baron O'ril, Baroness Yustina, and Sir Shaloen, who refused to repay the debt and attempted resistance and rebellion, Prime Minister."
The fight was laughably one-sided.
This southern army, which had never experienced a proper war and did not train rigorously, stood no chance of resisting the Garkan Republic's army—an army that had been thoroughly hardened by fighting barbarians and could hold its own even against the Kremel family's army and the harshly trained Imperial Capital forces simultaneously.
"Well done. You killed all the traitors as I instructed, yes?"
"Yes. We killed all the humans in their territories and cut off their heads to build towers. When we gathered the bodies and heads in one place, the blood flowed like a river. Ah, we planted the Vanilo Count's family flag."
"Good. With this, loyalty and unity towards the Vanilo Count's family will not only be severed, but 'hatred and anger' will accumulate. Hehehe, most satisfactory. The sight of inferior species dying off is... truly... truly the best. Hehehe... hehehehe..."
Though the perpetrators of this slaughter were from the Garkan Republic, all executions and harsh punishments were carried out under the name and seal of the Vanilo Count's family. Thus, the people's resentment would naturally be directed at the Vanilo Count's family.
Additionally, her own hatred and anger towards humans were included in this.
As expected, due to the tyrannical rule of Prime Minister Neumel, who had seized control of the Vanilo Count's family, all territories under its influence were forced to endure harsh exploitation. Naturally, the grain that was supposed to flow into and be sold throughout the nation this year once again could not be delivered.