Guardian's Wrath Revealed
I introduced Wider to Jayke and Dorbi, assigned him a suitable room, and for the time being, instructed him to assist Dorbi with major and minor affairs.
Dorbi was, after all, the emperor's man and could return at any moment. It would be ideal if he stayed on as administrator, but that was just my hope. Wider seemed perfect for the role.
That was the plan, at least. To recover the assets siphoned off by the previous administrator and steward, I would send Unit 1 to the Marquisate of Illibard for a real investigation into whether the marquis's daughter was truly ill.
If it turned out to be genuine, I could strike a balance between the Marquis of Illibard and the imperial family more easily than expected.
Wider proved more capable than I'd anticipated and worked diligently. In some ways, he even outshone Dorbi. While Dorbi operated like clockwork gears driven by one-sided commands, Wider knew how to adapt to people and boost efficiency.
A few days passed like that, and Unit 1 arrived in the Marquisate of Illibard, promptly recovering the assets from Akasha Territory. As expected, the amount wasn't all that substantial.
Unit 1's subsace wasn't huge yet, but there was plenty of room left, so he filled it up after doing a bit more work in the marquisate. Making money sure is easy.
Then he headed to the marquis's mansion to begin the investigation. It was less a mansion and more a small castle.
During the probe, he learned that the empress—Ether's principal wife—had a daughter. I vaguely remembered seeing her as a child. It seemed she'd married into the House of Illibard, though she'd been dead for ages.
And there, he found the lady bedridden and under constant care. Her condition looked dire. At any rate, Wider had been telling the truth.
I immediately summoned him.
"I said you needed to heal the Marquis of Illibard's daughter, right?"
"Yes, that's correct."
"We're going to the Marquisate of Illibard."
I'd considered dragging it out to drive up the price, but her condition was poor. If she died suddenly, I'd be passing up an easy path for a harder one. My philosophy was to handle necessary tasks quickly.
"Pardon? Right now?"
"Dorbi can manage construction oversight on his own. It won't take long anyway, and he's not even my vassal to begin with. Have Jayke and Argin come along too."
"Understood."
Wider surprisingly didn't argue.
Thus, our group to the Marquisate of Illibard was hastily assembled. We decided not to bring the mercenaries.
"I'd like to come along too," Dorbi protested, but I refused, citing the need for someone to stay and manage things. It was bound for the imperial intelligence bureau anyway, but taking Dorbi would speed up the leak even more. He was pretending otherwise, but Dorbi was a mage—specialized in teleportation magic, no less. I'd seen him teleport a few times through Unit 2. Since the emperor had assigned him for exactly that purpose, I just played along.
The journey to the Marquisate of Illibard was fairly enjoyable. Jayke and Argin rode up front on the coachman's seat, while Wider and I sat inside the carriage.
Crossing the territory border didn't take long, but the marquisate was vast, so traveling within it spanned several days.
Whenever there was time during the trip, Jayke instructed Argin. It was still basic training, but his growth was visible to the naked eye. Innate talent is a fearsome thing.
After our first meeting, Wider grew even more wary of me. Just how much did he know about me? I'd probed a few times, but he never bit.
Eventually, we arrived at Husen, the great city housing the Marquis of Illibard's castle.
Passing through the gates was no issue. After all, I was a viscount officially recognized by the empire. The answer was a frontal assault.
From the marquis's perspective, he'd want to meet me at least once. My prediction hit the mark, and we successfully entered the castle.
We waited quite a while in the guided reception room—a classic power play to intimidate. Jayke and Argin were furious, but Wider and I remained relaxed. I knew exactly when he'd arrive, thanks to Unit 1 watching by his side.
"Wider, are you certain this will work?"
"Not entirely certain, but the odds are very high."
"So, what should I do after this?"
"Do whatever you wish, my lord. I'll suggest the best options based on your choice."
Truth be told, I didn't have much I wanted to do. Once the territory stabilized and ran smoothly, I'd travel the continent like before—or send out avatars and retire at home.
"The marquis is due any moment now."
Shortly after I spoke, the Marquis of Illibard entered the reception room flanked by several retainers and a horde of knights.
"Sorry to keep you waiting. Viscount Akasha, you're even younger than the rumors suggested."
"Germain Akasha, at your service. Less young, more juvenile, perhaps. It's an honor to meet the renowned Marquis of Illibard."
He'd brought a crowd to pressure me, but my lack of reaction drew only a flicker of surprise from him. To any onlooker, I was a half-baked noble who'd inherited a worthless territory at thirteen, while he was one of the empire's top power brokers.
"So, what brings you all this way?"
"Partly to pay my respects, and to make a proposal."
"What sort of proposal might that be?"
His words said one thing, but his attitude screamed arrogance—like You? Proposing something to me?
"I cherish peace above all. I have no desire to fight neighbors when it's unnecessary. Thus, I propose a mutual non-aggression pact with you, Marquis."
"Ha!"
That wasn't from the marquis—one of his retainers snorted derisively from behind.
"Viscount Akasha, you may be young and ignorant, but such pacts are for equals."
"Of course I know that. We're not equals. A place like the Marquisate of Illibard could be reduced to ashes if I willed it—hardly equal footing, right?"
"How dare you!"
My suddenly aggressive words enraged everyone on the marquis's side; they looked ready to slit my throat on the spot, and several knights drew their swords. Jayke countered by drawing his own, checking the marquis's knights. The room teetered on the brink of violence in an instant.
"Hold on. Calm down and take a look at this. Not sure if anyone will recognize it..."
I pulled a small disc-like object from my subsace. They eyed it warily at first—what's that?—but then the Marquis of Illibard slapped his knee as realization dawned, pointing accusingly.
"Th-that's...!"
"Yes, a national treasure lost long ago from the Ether Empire. That's the one."
"What is it, my lord?"
One retainer asked, seeing the marquis's agitation. He muttered lowly,
"Guardian's Wrath."
"Correct!"
It was the Guardian's Wrath that Ether and I had created ages ago and used only once. It was designed exclusively for Ether's use from the start. Shortly before his death, he'd had me recover it, so it'd been in my possession.
I stowed the Guardian's Wrath back in my subsace and clapped in mock celebration.
"How does Viscount Akasha possess such a thing?"
"You may have investigated, but I'm a child of the Guardian too. He gave it to me."
"But only Grand Emperor Ether could use it, or so I've heard—"
"It does require a special constitution. Why would the Guardian give something unusable? I can wield it."
The marquis's people groaned. If it truly was the Guardian's Wrath as ancient records described, its power was horrifying—a single blast had annihilated 200,000 troops. If it detonated in central Husen, House Illibard could vanish overnight.
"Changed your mind about the non-aggression pact yet?"
"Wait, just give me a moment to think."
I leaned back leisurely in my chair, sipping the now-cold tea, and coolly addressed the still-frozen knights.
"Sheathe your swords already?"
The marquis startled and signaled with his eyes; the knights withdrew their blades in unison. Jayke followed suit. Glancing sideways, I saw Wider smirking as if enjoying the show. Had he known I'd pull this?
The marquis claimed he was thinking, but the answer was predetermined. Risking Guardian's Wrath for scraps from a near-exhausted Akasha Territory didn't balance the scales.
"Just one question, Viscount Akasha."
He finally spoke after deliberation.
"Ask away."
"Are you the emperor's sword?"
It was a natural suspicion for him. I wasn't sure of the exact meaning, but it implied some direct imperial enforcer group.
"No. House Akasha remains neutral. At least for now."
"I see. Very well. House Illibard shall form a mutual non-aggression pact with House Akasha."
"Wise choice. No need for paperwork, right?"
Formal notarization would come from the imperial family, who wouldn't acknowledge this under current circumstances.
"Indeed."
The marquis nodded.
"In token of good faith, allow me to offer a gift. One of your ladies is unwell, correct?"
"Yes."
"I'll heal her."
"That's most gra— What did you say?"
"I'll heal her."
The marquis's face flushed red, likely thinking I was spouting nonsense.
"Do I strike you as the type to come all this way with empty words? If I fail to heal her, I'll leave the Guardian's Wrath here."
My earnest tone softened his demeanor.
"If Viscount Akasha cures my daughter's illness, I swear to repay that grace."
With that, I went with the marquis to his ailing daughter and healed her instantly with the power of healing before everyone's eyes. Her body had been wrecked by the disease, but seeing her open her eyes and speak brightly brought tears to the marquis's eyes as he thanked me repeatedly.
With the task done, he insisted I couldn't leave yet and housed me in a lavish room in the castle. I'd entered as an unwelcome guest but left as a valued one.
Invited to the evening banquet, I was introduced to the house's key figures, wined and dined extravagantly, then returned to my room and called for Wider.
"Wider."
"Yes, my lord?"
"You knew I had the Guardian's Wrath?"
"No, I didn't."
His words rang true.
"Then what did you know?"
"I knew the non-aggression pact would happen. But I figured it'd come from healing the lady, not that you held the Guardian's Wrath."
Putting it together, it didn't seem like full precognition—maybe a limited foresight.
"So next, I can really do as I please?"
"Yes. Though... could you spare some funds?"
"For what?"
"To recruit talent."
Did Akasha Territory really need more talent? But it couldn't hurt.
"How much?"
"The more, the better."
Rubbing his hands like a sycophant, Wider drew a chuckle from me. I dumped the recovered wealth from Unit 1's subsace. The massive pile tumbling from thin air made his eyes gleam like gold coins.
Money, especially gold, is surprisingly heavy for its volume. Wider scooped up what he could, but it wasn't much. Smacking his lips in regret, he took his share and promptly left the castle—with Unit 2 tailing him, of course.