Crossroads (7)
Frelia Magnus thought to herself, 'I must have lost my mind.'
Intuition? What a load of nonsense. Was it really better to move around than stay put at the academy? Did she truly believe Chrome Midas would secure the best position? Well, she wasn't entirely wrong. At least the man himself was running around in high spirits. But trying to keep up with a stork when you're a sparrow only ends with torn trousers. Even if she could overlook her half-sister—who was at least family—the moment she failed to realize that the "best outcome" for that vicious one-eyed glasses-wearing youth was not the same as her own best outcome, this scene had been inevitable.
"That is complete nonsense!"
As expected, Baron Brin strongly objected. After all, the land he had believed was his turned out to belong to someone else, and his ancestors had played a part in unjustly seizing it. Being told he had to return it was understandably shocking. Moreover, the supposed owners were the very bandits he had been fighting, and the ones bringing this story were youths barely in their teens or twenties. Even Frelia, who had only the bare minimum understanding of politics, knew that any lord who responded with "Ah, is that so? Your ancestors committed a grave sin. I apologize on their behalf. Of course we'll return the land" would not be kind—he would be a fool. The kind of fool who might ruin his entire domain by being swindled.
The problem was that the person standing before Baron Brin was no fool, but a swindler who would fleece anyone, and Frelia herself had to participate in the scam.
-I can't do something like that! If word somehow reaches my father, it'll be disastrous!
-Haha, don't worry, Lady Magnus. This isn't exactly an honorable affair. If things get noisy, the baron will be in trouble too. Word probably won't reach your father.
-But what if, by some chance…
-Hmm, I see. Since it's a burden, I can't force you. Let's just proceed with the original plan!
-The original plan?
-We'll bury them as requested.
-……
-We gave them food and talked last time, so the so-called bandits should be somewhat off their guard. It's unfortunate, but we're just third parties here. Besides, if we wipe them all out, there won't be anyone left to claim injustice. Wouldn't that be a happy ending for everyone?
-…I'll try it once.
'I'd rather be threatened with death than have to do this.' Whether Frelia was inwardly lamenting or not, Chrome's tongue moved furiously.
"However, my lord, we cannot possibly regard them as bandits that must be slaughtered."
"This is absurd! Why are you even speaking as their representative in the first place? Bring that young lady from before instead!"
"That would be difficult. Fiore is currently… calming down two knights from the Grand Duchy who are insisting we must report this matter to the Empire immediately."
"What?"
While the baron wore a bewildered expression, Chrome continued with an awkward smile.
"Well, you know how it is. The Grand Duchy's unique… if you'll pardon the expression, perhaps it's their boar-like temperament, but the moment they heard the story they flew into a rage."
"Ahem, that is rather unpleasant to hear."
"Ah, of course I have no intention of insulting the nobility. However, unlike the nobles of the Spero Kingdom, who always maintain an elegant mindset and consider their surroundings before acting, it is true that the nobles of the Grand Duchy have a tendency to try to push things through by force, isn't it?"
"Is it that serious? I seem to recall hearing something similar."
"Don't even get me started. It doesn't feel like speaking to a person at all—more like talking to a wall."
As Chrome earnestly complained about the two utterly uncultured(?) individuals from the Grand Duchy, the baron's brow twitched. In a slightly softer tone, the baron said,
"But even if they deliver that message, they are ultimately foreigners. I have no intention of yielding to external pressure. So you should persuade the two of them properly."
Of course, Baron Brin was not speaking from a place of genuine confidence and pride. No matter how much status Toreo and Ruben held as heirs of noble houses in the Grand Duchy, that alone did not give them the power to pressure the Brin barony. Just as Baron Brin could not treat the two carelessly, they too could not dictate his actions. The only entities capable of exerting real influence over Baron Brin were the Spero Kingdom or the Empire. However, the new royal family would only suffer losses by getting involved in this matter, so they would bury the story, and the Empire had no reason to intervene in such a trivial affair. Even as a border lord, the baron was not incompetent enough to fail to calculate that much.
"W-well, that would be difficult, my lord. Actually…"
"What! How dare you be so insolent. If you truly cannot handle this matter, then leave at once!"
Before the baron who was shouting, Chrome put on a flustered act, glancing at Frelia as if seeking her opinion. At that moment, when the baron wore a puzzled expression, Frelia stepped forward. Tears began to drip from her eyes.
"This is truly too much, Sir Brin! As fellow proud nobles of Spero, how could you commit such an outrageous act!"
"W-what?"
Ah, she must have put in too much of the eye-drop solution. It stung more than expected. Overwhelmed by the irritation that made it hard to even see ahead, a surge of injustice rose within her as she wondered why she had to do this. Frelia cried out as if vomiting everything.
"I will definitely report this to my father! If my father cannot resolve it, I will write letters to my other friends and make this matter widely known! If proper compensation is not given to the victims who suffered the tragedy of the 'Blue Cotton Village,' how can the Spero Kingdom remain an honorable nation!"
Baron Brin's face turned pale. Having the story reach Marquis Magnus was one thing—he was a key figure in the new royalist faction and would not reach a conclusion that harmed them. But the fact that she was sobbing and saying she would tell her father without even considering such things meant the other party was a complete sheltered young lady. However, letters were problematic. Someone of Lady Magnus's stature would naturally correspond with people of appropriate standing. If it only reached new royalist figures it might be manageable, but what if, by bad luck, it reached the old royalist side? Logically, doing such a thing would only harm the Magnus family, but would a young lady who suddenly burst into tears in front of a lord even think that far?
"N-now, calm down, Lady Frelia. This is not a matter to be judged so emotionally—"
"Sob, sob."
Baron Brin tried his best to persuade Frelia, but the results were poor. After all, what could he do when she only kept crying no matter what he said? In the end, Frelia collapsed from the side effects of the solution while crying, and Baron Brin raised the white flag.
Some time later, a meeting was held between Baron Brin and Mule Easton. Baron Brin expressed to the kingdom his desire to return their territory to the legitimate heir of the Easton family who had survived the plague, as a fellow noble and friend of the neighboring domain. This was accepted. Mule Easton regained the baronial title his ancestors had held, and the residents under him were once again officially settled in the village.
It was decided that the tragedy of the 'Blue Cotton Village' would be quietly buried through mutual agreement. Though they had not forgotten their ancestors' grudge, stubbornly persisting could have led to the annihilation of the surviving descendants as well. The vicious bandits and the descendants of Blue Cotton Village became separate entities, and the subjugation of the former became the achievement of the students dispatched from the academy.
Of course, not everything was resolved by this. Even though the detailed truth of this incident was either concealed or covered up with false information tailored to the tastes of those who orchestrated the situation, there were still those who vaguely grasped the truth. Although they had stopped fighting out of mutual necessity, the grudge between Baron Brin and Mule Easton—who had now become Baron Easton—remained, and while improved compared to before, the problem of the still-devastated land persisted. But those were matters that would require a long time to slowly resolve. At least for now, there would be no massive bloodshed, and Chrome's group had successfully completed their request.
Frelia thought to herself that while she had many complaints and had been pushed around in various ways, it hadn't been such a bad experience after all. Carrying a sense of accomplishment, she returned to the academy, only to freeze upon seeing one line written on the notice board.
[Two deaths occurred during the request.]
She thought her intuition had been wrong, but objectively speaking, following Chrome had been the wise choice. The real crossroads were only just beginning.