The Flames of War, Part 3
"Sigh..."
Irene stared at me, her eyes filled with utter disbelief.
Her reaction was entirely justified. We were standing on the precipice of a succession crisis where we could easily fight for days on end over the title of the official lord. Yet here I was, casually declaring that I would take the position for myself.
"Do you honestly think that makes any sense? Did you really expect me to accept that proposal, brother?"
"I'm planning to risk my life in these negotiations. If I go in as a mere acting lord rather than the actual lord, anything I say will be meaningless from the start."
A lord's words carried authority. A lord's actions carried weight.
If the Lord of Arcteria personally met with the leaders of each faction to negotiate, it would show a degree of sincerity. An acting lord, however, would command no such respect.
Figures of Valerian's or Eleonor's caliber were bound to know about the internal strife within the Silverline family. Even if they didn't know the exact details, they would have gathered enough intelligence to grasp the general situation.
"If I'm just an acting lord whom you can cast aside at any moment, I can't think of a single way to persuade them."
No matter how sweet my words or how plausible my proposals, it would all be in vain.
Because Irene, remaining in Arcteria as the true lord, could easily declare all my promises and actions null and void, dismissing them as the overreaching antics of someone without authority.
"Sigh..."
Irene pondered for a moment, biting her lower lip before slowly shaking her head.
"No matter how much I think about it, I don't think I can do that. Of course, if you could truly stop this war, brother, I would do anything. I feel like I could even drop my sword right now, pick up a duster, and become your maid if it meant peace."
"There's no need to go that far."
"But I have to prepare for the worst-case scenario. The possibility that you might take full control of Arcteria, only to hand it over to Valerian without a second thought."
I nodded. That was a highly plausible scenario, and it wasn't surprising that she doubted me.
Even if I did hand Arcteria over on a silver platter, the chances of me living a life of luxury in Valerian's territory were slim.
Still, it would probably yield a better life than fleeing the territory with whatever meager funds Irene allowed me to take.
"Let's narrow down our options. Even if I do absolutely nothing, your only choice in the end is to fight to the death, right?"
"...Yes. Though I hate to admit it."
"In other words, even if I try to sell the territory to Valerian, you wouldn't need to doubt me as long as you have the environment to fight back using the full power of Arcteria, right?"
A future where they fought to the death and all perished was not the 'worst-case scenario' in her eyes. Irene was opposing me simply to preserve at least that option.
"What are you planning to do?"
"Well, it's not like I have any real faction of my own, do I?"
Irene frowned.
"The people who might swear loyalty to me are ultimately those who were loyal to Father. Even if I wanted to sell this territory to Valerian, almost no one would follow me blindly. In fact, you could say there's virtually no one."
"You reaped what you sowed."
"I won't deny that."
I had no way of knowing exactly what the original Edrin had done in the past, but I knew his behavior had been atrocious enough to prevent him from securing the succession despite his overwhelming birthright.
"But without any special measures, those people will eventually support you. And I highly doubt many of them are willing to risk their lives fighting Valerian."
"Exactly. That's why I want to give you a little help before I leave."
"What kind of help?"
"Our father, Count Wilhelm's will. Wouldn't that be of some help?"
Irene stared at me in disbelief. Slowly, her expression morphed into sheer shock.
"Y-you... you have it? How? How! You weren't even there when Father passed away! How on earth did you get it?!"
If a will truly existed—a certified document clearly stating Count Wilhelm's wishes—it would be a monumental matter.
It possessed enough political power to easily put an end to the power struggle between Irene and me.
"What are you talking about? How could I possibly have it?"
"What?"
I wasn't the one who controlled the castle maids or managed the people attending to our father.
Whatever others might think, I was far from popular among the castle maids and butlers.
While the common peasants and soldiers might hear bad rumors about me, they couldn't know the exact details of my misdeeds. They never had the chance to meet me in person, after all.
But it was a different story for the maids and butlers who interacted with me directly. I had tried to use my Charm stat to gradually improve my relationship with them, but I still had a long way to go.
There was no way they would steal a document as monumental as Count Wilhelm's will for my sake. The person they were close to was someone else entirely.
"Mother must have it. Countess Carmen, that is."
"...She has never mentioned anything of the sort."
"Then it doesn't exist. Well, he was bedridden and probably never prepared for his own death, so it might actually be stranger if he had left a will."
"Are you playing games with me right now? Just a moment ago, you clearly said a will—"
"Well, we can just make one... Have you not made one yet?"
According to my gaming common sense, a will was merely something the strongest surviving heir forged to suit their needs.
Unless the lord had officially proclaimed something while alive and entrusted a magically sealed will to a trusted confidant, forging it was the obvious course of action.
"F-forge it?! Brother, do you have no conscience at all?"
"Are we really in a position to worry about conscience? If Father had written in his will, 'Leave the lordship to Edrin and send Irene to a convent,' would you have faithfully followed it?"
"W-well, no, but..."
"Father's death is tragic, but if we don't pull ourselves together, countless more people will die. The living must go on living."
I had naturally assumed Irene would have forged a will already. Given her close relationship with Carmen, she could have easily pulled it off if she wanted to.
Perhaps she still possessed some innocence. Listening to her now, it seemed she hadn't even considered the idea.
"Let's forge the will. Name me as the lord, but write in absolute authority for you."
"What do you mean, specifically?"
"You decide the details. After all, what I need to go out and negotiate is the title of 'Count Wilhelm's successor,' not actual administrative power, right?"
"...What?"
I looked into Irene's eyes with utmost sincerity.
I hoped my Charm stat would dull the sharp edge of her suspicion.
"Do whatever you want. Take it all. Appoint whoever you wish, and claim all the authority you need."
"If we do that... even if you return after successful negotiations, you will be a puppet lord with absolutely no real power."
"Even if I became the true lord, I have no faction of my own. I wouldn't have real power either way. In that case, isn't it much better for family to share the power?"
Irene let out a deep sigh, hesitating, unable to make a decision.
"We'll get caught. No matter how meticulously we forge it—"
"If you, me, and Mother all agree on the authenticity of the will, who on earth would question it?"
All the interested parties were right here. No matter how suspicious the will might look, if all the surviving family members' interests aligned, outsiders would have no reason to doubt it.
"Honestly, it's stranger that you hadn't already tried to use this."
Carmen was quite close to Irene. In a broader sense, she could practically be considered part of Irene's faction.
While my stepmother had almost zero political influence outside the estate, she wielded immense power within the castle walls.
The maids, butlers, chefs, and everyone else who had cared for Wilhelm were under her protection.
If Irene had used Carmen to fabricate a fake will and launch an offensive against me, she could have gained a significant advantage in our political struggle.
"Why... are you going this far? If I appoint my people to key positions in the fiefdom under those terms, you won't be able to act as insolently as you did before you woke up."
"I have no interest in that."
"The people who might support you—"
"I told you, I don't care. Besides, I'll prepare a few more documents for you, so make sure you clean up our internal affairs thoroughly."
"Documents?"
"While walking around the town earlier, I managed to dig up some interesting information. Some of your subordinates made mistakes, and some of the other vassals' men messed up too... Use them however you like."
I was paying her a fair price. A price so massive that serving 'Lord Edrin' would not feel like a loss to her.
"With the will in hand and me away from Arcteria, you should be able to clean up the internal affairs cleanly."
I was telling her to purge anyone who might support me with her own hands. Irene caught my drift and let out a hollow laugh.
"...Brother, you seem to have changed."
"You're imagining things. So, what is your decision?"
Irene nodded. Once again, she extended her hand.
"I'll do it. Please, make sure the negotiations succeed and return safely. Walking into Valerian's territory of your own free will in this climate doesn't sound like the action of a sane person... but I suppose you know what you're doing."
"Of course. However, Valerian's territory isn't the first place I need to go."
"Pardon?"
"Eleonor comes first."
It wasn't that she harbored any ill will toward Arcteria. In fact, it was quite the opposite. If I didn't intervene, she would likely send reinforcements.
I had to utilize their goodwill in a way that would be far more beneficial to us.