Chapter 107
Chapter 107
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 107
Chapter Title: Pretext for the Territorial War
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Wayne Sissela spoke of her modest yet absurd goal: to formally unite Viscount Wayne with her own mother. I assigned her a room nearby.
And I attached a maid to keep watch over her. She seemed touched, saying it was the first time she'd ever had a personal maid.
After placing surveillance on Sissela like that, I disguised myself. Though calling it a disguise was a bit much—it was just pulling a cloak low over my face and heading out in the evening.
Lately, if I just stepped outside, the castle folk would swarm me, making it impossible to move.
Every time they saw me, they'd crowd in shouting "Lord! Our lord!" and reaching out to shake my hand. I couldn't exactly beat my way through every admirer... And deploying soldiers to clear a path would ruin the image I'd carefully built up, so in the end, I settled for the cloak compromise.
"Loyalty!"
"Good work. Keep it up."
"Thank you!"
The mansion guards still recognized me and snapped salutes. Well, they'd have to be blind not to. There wasn't anyone else in the mansion built quite like me.
Knock knock!
Having slipped out quietly like that, I arrived at the house and rapped on the door. No one seemed to be home; it was dead silent inside.
Thud! Thud!
I knocked harder, and the frail wooden door shook as if it might splinter. Then a frantic voice came from within.
"Get out! Get out now! Who the hell comes knocking at this hour..."
Creeeak—
The door swung open, revealing Oliver. Dressed in a shabby robe, holding a candle in one hand, he stared up at me blankly before his jaw dropped.
"M'lord... Mmph!"
"Keep it down. I snuck out."
Oliver nodded, and I released my hand from his mouth. He rubbed his sore cheek, then bowed deeply.
"What brings you to this hovel...? Please, come in!"
I stepped inside, and he shut the door behind me, chuckling as he lit the candles around the house. The place was a disaster. Books piled like mountains made the decently sized home feel cramped, with furniture crammed in poorly.
The candlelight didn't brighten things much, but it was clear the house was a total mess. Any longer, and the cockroaches might start calling each other "brother."
Anyway, he started clearing books to make me a seat. He might end up buried alive if that stack toppled.
"Can't you clean up and live like a human? You've got money."
"Heh heh... All my research materials are here. What if someone steals them?"
I scolded him, and Oliver scratched his head sheepishly. When I asked why not stash them in that magic pouch he'd shown me before, he said he'd emptied it out in case it broke suddenly. So all these had fit inside before.
As I eyed the towering stacks filling the house, I turned back to Oliver.
"Any progress on what I asked about?"
"Which one, m'lord? The thing that cleans itself when you use it? Or the one that lights on command just by striking it?"
I'd only asked once, but out poured the list of everything I'd commissioned. Sure, as a mage, he wouldn't take on research that didn't intrigue him—but I hadn't realized I'd ordered that many things. Feeling awkward, I cleared my throat and specified.
"Those are fine, but I meant the recent one. The investigation into the ring."
The ring Arthur had given me. Only then did Oliver clap his hands in realization.
"Oh right, that! The report just finished up!"
He fetched a book—thick and ancient-looking at a glance—and opened it for me.
[A Glimpse into the Empire's Noble Houses: History and Crests]
"I looked up the crest inside the ring. It's the early crest of House Osland. Back in the Empire's founding days, crests weren't as standardized as now."
"So the ring's authentic?"
But Oliver shook his head.
"Hard to say... Anyone could copy a crest. But if the current count's ring lacks this early design, this one might be closer to the real deal. And the ring's age is definitely ancient."
The ring from Arthur was worn, showing years of use, and bore an early crest long forgotten by the house. That lent real credibility to claims of authenticity.
Satisfied, I grinned and opened my pouch.
"Good work. Here's your fee."
"Oh, gracious! No need for this!"
Oliver beamed at the gold coins in his palm. Even though he'd already made a fortune from the magic beast hide business.
This guy might've been a corporate tycoon back on Earth. He treasured even pocket change despite his wealth.
The next day, I summoned Sissela to my office. She greeted me utterly transformed from yesterday. Her slightly unkempt black hair now gleamed like polished silk, and her eyes shone with innocent purity.
"How was the room?"
"Wonderful! Thanks to your lordship's kindness, I slept so peacefully! Far better than the viscount's manor, even!"
"Glad to hear it. Now, let's plan how you'll claim Viscount Wayne's house."
The simplest way: publicly acknowledge Sissela, then petition the emperor for her territorial rights. Viscount Wayne would have no choice but to prepare for territorial war with me.
Even a bastard child, once proven his offspring, could claim inheritance. History had precedents—though those bastards rarely held power themselves, relying on backers and becoming puppets.
A new ruler without support, surrounded by vassals ready to rebel at any moment, couldn't abandon their patron.
Unless blessed with overwhelming charisma or luck to win loyalty... But if it were that easy, bastards would claim their rights alone.
Thinking that far, I called Gringem and Cutter.
"You summoned us, m'lord?"
"Yes, questions for you. Cutter, how's the army's training?"
"Usable enough. And as you ordered, we're rotating the Landsknechts to maintain minimum strength."
"If war broke out tomorrow, how many could we mobilize?"
Cutter's brow furrowed, his face unsatisfied as he said around 600. Excluding conscripts, of course. Half mercenaries, the rest my Landsknechts—but still, 600 ready troops was encouraging. Far better than the dozens left before.
My gaze shifted to Gringem.
"Sounds like you're gearing for war, m'lord. Against Viscount Wayne?"
He spoke as if reading my mind. I nodded frankly.
"Exactly. This woman's his bastard. I plan to crush him and install her as lord."
"Then..."
Gringem trailed off. He knew: propped up by my power, Sissela couldn't rule independently. And that was precisely my aim.
Silent for a moment, he bowed, promising a war budget soon. No rush—we weren't fighting immediately. First, notify the emperor of our claim, inform Viscount Wayne, then coordinate time and place.
It might sound odd—negotiating opponent, battlefield, and date—but that was standard. Petty border skirmishes were quicker, but I aimed to seize the whole territory.
Sarisa Count had done the same with Cligrove at first. Once he tasted defeat, he got reckless and lost his head.
"But... m'lord... I don't want to pull my father down..."
Amid this, Sissela spoke up, having overheard. Something felt off to her, apparently. But she was already committed, like mounting a tiger—now she had to become lady at my whim.
"Don't you want to marry your mother to Viscount Wayne? Or did I mishear?"
"No, but..."
"If you think a noble-slave marriage happens smoothly, you're dreaming. But it's not impossible."
Two paths: Force Viscount Wayne to abdicate into semi-house arrest. Or elevate Sissela's mother to nobility for marriage.
Either way, Sissela first had to become head of House Wayne.
Strip him of the title, then wed her mother to him—or grant her mother a barony directly.
The innocent bastard girl nodded hesitantly after hearing me out. She wasn't noble material. Better off a commoner. But too late—she was on the tiger now.
That night, I wrote three letters. One to the emperor, one to the viscount. The emperor's included Sissela's letter and gold fragment as proof of claim.
"Now we just wait..."
The last went to Duke Northmond—the most influential and friendly figure I knew—asking his support when the emperor discussed the territorial war.