Chapter 596
Chapter Title: Jerdinger Affairs
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596.
Leo was unpacking in his room at the grand Jerdinger estate.
Knock, knock—
“Come in.”
The door swung open, and Celia walked in.
Her brow deeply furrowed, Celia sat down on a sofa in the corner of the room.
Then she looked across the table.
“What are you doing?”
“Playing Old Maid.”
Piora, the phoenix who had made a pact with Leo, was in her human form, glaring with intense seriousness at Kiruan, who sat at the table.
-Yawn~ Where’d the little chick playing Old Maid go?
“Shut it, you moth.”
Piora shot Kiruan a glare.
It seemed the stakes were snacks.
‘A phoenix and a fairy gambling with snacks?’
Celia looked on, her expression one of utter disbelief.
At the table, it wasn't just Kiruan; Elsie, the spirit of darkness, and Laruel, the spirit of light, were also watching the scene unfold.
The two spirits, apparently already out of the game, were holding cookies the size of their heads in both hands, munching away.
Piora, who had been staring daggers at a card larger than Kiruan's body, cautiously picked one of the two jokers in Kiruan's hand.
“Haaah!”
-Uwahahahaha!
Kiruan burst out laughing at the despairing Piora.
In that moment, the card's design changed.
Celia's eyes narrowed as she saw it.
-My turn!
With a triumphant expression, Kiruan took one of the cards Piora had diligently shuffled.
“Ah, no!”
-I won!
Kiruan cheered, throwing his cards into the air, while Piora clutched her head in frustration.
-With this, these snacks are mine…
“You shouldn't cheat.”
At Celia's words, Piora looked up, and the two spirits also gazed at Celia with curiosity.
Kiruan, who was gathering the snacks, glanced around furtively before scooping up an armful and flying away in a flash.
-Aha. I thought it was strange that Kiruan never came in last. So he was cheating!
Elsie smiled brightly as if she finally understood.
She didn't seem particularly angry that Kiruan had cheated.
The other two, however, were a different story.
“Cheating moth! Get back here!”
-I'm gonna wring your neck!
Piora and Laruel, their eyes blazing with fury, chased after Kiruan.
Watching them, Celia clutched her head.
“I don't know why, but my image of the Great Spirits and the three Great Mythical Beasts is completely shattering.”
Leo, having roughly finished unpacking, sat down where Piora had been.
“So what's got you looking so displeased?”
“I'm not happy with the Council of Elders' attitude.”
Celia scowled.
Celia knew that not everyone in the Jerdinger family welcomed Leo.
The two great pillars of the Rodren Empire, which could be called the hegemon of the western continent.
In other words, they were a group with power that ranked within the top three in the western continent.
Though they were vassals of the empire, their relationship was quite different from that of a typical monarch and subject.
It was closer to a partnership than a relationship of absolute loyalty.
In fact, since the founding of the nation, Rodren, Jerdinger, and Llewellyn had been in a mutually supportive relationship.
As a result, the Rodren imperial family recognizes the independence of the Jerdinger territory.
In other words, in Jerdinger lands, the head of the Jerdinger family is the king.
To maintain such power, the direct bloodline and their vassal families alone are not enough.
The branch families that had split off from the Jerdingers also formed a cornerstone of the family's power.
As such, the influence wielded by the branch families within the clan was not insignificant.
“From the branch families' perspective, I'm just an outsider who showed up out of nowhere, right?”
Leo let out a short laugh.
“Even so! The things you're inheriting were originally meant for my aunt! They're just returning to their rightful owner, so why are they so displeased?”
“It's human nature to hate giving up what you have. And it stings even more when someone else takes what could have been yours.”
The Council of Elders is a group composed of renowned knights of Jerdinger blood, regardless of whether they are from the direct line or a branch family.
For a great heroic house as large as the Jerdinger family, there are limits to running things with only the direct line.
When the family head makes a wrong decision.
A force was needed to check the head's unilateral actions, and the Jerdinger's Council of Elders was created for that very reason.
As the number of branch family members is greater than that of the direct line, it was only natural that the voice of the branch bloodline grew stronger within the Council.
Of course, the Council of Elders cannot directly intervene in the family's management.
But when it came to matters of inheritance, their voice was powerful.
“Grandfather is so indifferent. I wish he would have actively taken my aunt's and your side, at least this time.”
Celia pouted.
Seeing her, Leo tilted his head in confusion.
“He didn't seem to be on bad terms with my mother, though?”
Leo recalled what had happened a short while ago.
“And he was friendly to my father, too.”
‘I've truly wanted to meet you. Let's have a drink tonight.’
‘I-It's an honor, former patriarch.’
‘Call me father-in-law.’
He recalled the sight of Legas laughing heartily as he clapped Dade on the shoulder.
Ever since Leo was born, Reina had never once visited her family home.
‘No, it must have been like that even before I was born.’
She probably only contacted the Jerdinger family after leaving home because of Leo.
For her son who wanted to enter Lumerne.
Considering they hadn't seen each other in so long, Legas's eyes were filled with affection as he looked at Reina.
He was also kind to his son-in-law, whom he was meeting for the first time.
And in his eyes as he looked at Leo, there was a hint of pride.
‘It wasn't just that their father-daughter relationship wasn't bad; it seemed very good.’
It was strange that they hadn't seen each other for so long.
Moreover, he couldn't understand why Legas had dispatched the knight order as if to keep them in check during the Flove family's first official visit, following the will of the Council of Elders.
At Leo's reaction, Celia let out a small sigh.
“Grandfather is strictly neutral.”
“Neutral?”
“Yeah.”
Celia rested her chin on her hand.
-Out of the way! Out of the way!
Just then, Kiruan, who had fled from Piora and Laruel, flew between Leo and Celia.
Watching this, Elsie smiled slyly and raised her hand.
Wham—!
“Keck?”
Suddenly, the shadows of the surrounding objects shot out and grabbed Kiruan.
“Got him! You cheating fairy!”
-Tear off his wings first!
-Hiiieek?
-You shouldn't interrupt Leo while he's having an important conversation. Take it outside.
As Elsie spoke with a smile, the phoenix and the Great Spirit of Light took the fairy out to the terrace.
‘Who is that spirit, anyway? She handles them so well.’
Celia, who knew Elsie was a formidable spirit but didn't know the specifics, looked at her with fascination.
Elsie, in turn, gave Celia a small curtsy.
“You won't be bored, at least.”
“It's so noisy my head hurts.”
Celia burst out laughing at Leo's words and said.
“To continue what I was saying. As the head elder, Grandfather maintains neutrality in all matters that occur within the family. He also remains neutral in the Council of Elders to mediate between the direct line and the branch families. That's why he sets aside his personal feelings as much as possible.”
Celia sighed softly.
“That doesn't mean he dislikes you or anything. As you saw, he still loves Aunt Reina and has always wanted to meet your father and you.”
Leo had visited the Jerdinger estate several times, but the reason Legas hadn't met him was likely to strictly separate public and private matters.
After all, if the former patriarch were to intervene in a situation where Leo's qualification as a direct descendant was in question, it wouldn't look good from the branch families' perspective.
“He especially wanted to meet you. My father told me Grandfather's daily routine these days is to wake up and look for the newspaper.”
“The newspaper?”
“Yeah. Dad said he finds all the articles related to you and puts them in a scrapbook.”
Of course, it was the same for articles about Celia.
“He was apparently really looking forward to meeting your family this time.”
“He's a doting fool.”
“Very doting.”
Celia smiled gently.
Then her lips formed a pout.
“Then he should be a little more proactive and look out for you!”
“He has his position as the head elder to consider. I understand.”
Leo chuckled.
Celia grinned at his words.
“If you understand, then spend some time with Grandfather this vacation! Charm him a little!”
“You're the one who should be doing that.”
“I've already done plenty of that, you know?”
“Do it again.”
“Why you!”
Leo, easily dodging Celia's indignant lunge, wore a puzzled expression.
“By the way, wasn't there a Lumerne student from one of the branch families? What was his name?”
Celia gave Leo, who was tilting his head in thought, an exasperated look.
“How can you not even remember the name of someone from your own family? It's Vaden Jerdinger.”
“Ah, was that his name? What happened to him?”
“…He was expelled during the first semester this year.”
“Really? I thought I hadn't seen him around.”
Celia looked dumbfounded.
“What about Brother Lis?”
“Big Brother Lis went to suppress the rebellion in the east.”
Celia sighed.
A few months ago, a rebellion broke out in the eastern part of the Rodren Empire.
A sudden rebellion.
It would have been understandable if the empire had imposed tyranny or excessive taxes.
But that wasn't the case.
“Big Brother Lis wouldn't normally need to step in for a small rebellion… but there were several suspicious points, so the imperial family dispatched him.”
“I hope nothing happens to him.”
“Of course nothing will happen! It's Big Brother Lis we're talking about!”
Celia puffed out her chest with a proud expression.
“Don't worry about Big Brother Lis, worry about yourself. The Council of Elders will be coming at you with fire in their eyes, trying to reduce what you're set to receive.”
Leo chuckled at Celia's words.
“Don't worry about that.”
Leo clenched and unclenched his fist.
“To be honest, I didn't really care whether I got a lot of territory or not. So I was trying to avoid any major conflict if possible. But after seeing how they treated my father and mother, I can't let it slide.”
The corners of Leo's mouth curled up.
Seeing that expression, Celia suddenly felt a chill run down her spine.
‘Ah, that's right.’
She suddenly remembered how he had treated her like a maid when they first met.
‘He has a nasty personality, doesn't he?’
He was the type to thoroughly punish anyone who picked a fight with him first.
She had forgotten about that.
***
“Lord Lis! The rebel cavalry has been spotted ahead.”
Lis, who had arrived with the Jerdinger knights in the region occupied by the eastern rebels, stood up upon hearing the messenger's report.
“I will go alone.”
“What? But…”
“Are you worried?”
When Lis asked with a grin, the knight flinched before shaking his head.
“Not at all.”
Their opponent was the next master who would lead the strongest knight orders in Rodren.
Furthermore, he was the former student council president of Lumerne.
He was even a great knight who had played a crucial role when the fragment of Erebos was resurrected last summer.
A man who had achieved feats worthy of being called a hero.
He was not someone the rebel cavalry could hope to stand against.
Lis stepped out onto the vast plain alone, heading forward without drawing his sword.
‘First, I should try to subdue them without fighting.’
Lis had come to suppress the rebellion, not to kill all the rebels.
In truth, every country has factions that are dissatisfied with the state.
The current emperor of Rodren is excellent.
But that doesn't mean every subject and citizen has a reason to follow him.
Depending on their interests, political enemies who are anti-emperor can emerge from the imperial nobility, and there are bound to be commoners who curse the emperor.
That's why small-scale rebellions happen from time to time.
‘But this rebellion is definitely strange.’
It was merely a rebellion on the scale of a small fiefdom.
The rebellion has been ongoing for months without growing or shrinking.
As soon as the lords of neighboring territories, who had gone to stop the rebellion under the emperor's command, reported its suppression, the rebellion would break out again.
‘The lord who started the rebellion died in its early stages.’
And yet, the residents of the area around that fiefdom continued to rebel.
‘A rebellion without a leader.’
It was too strange.
The imperial family also sensed something was off.
That was why they had requested the Jerdinger family, who held territory in the east, to suppress the rebellion.
‘First, I need to find out the reason for the rebellion.’
To do that, I need people who will talk.
Even if they are rebels, there's no need to kill them.
The story would be different if they were rioters who pillaged other territories or killed civilians.
At the very least, judging by their actions so far, they seemed to be people who had taken up arms out of necessity, with something they needed to say.
In that case, I just need to make them lose their will to fight by showing them an overwhelming difference in power.
Th-th-thump—!
In the distance, the rebel cavalry charged forward.
‘The way they ride their horses and hold their weapons is awkward. They aren't professionally trained cavalrymen.’
Thinking this, Lis raised his hand.
Fwoooosh—!
The crimson flames of Jerdinger flared up.
In that instant.
“Hieeeeek!”
“A-a demon! It's the demon's flame!”
“The empire has sent another user of the demon's flame to slaughter us!”
The cavalrymen charging at Lis fell into a panic and began to scatter in all directions.
Seeing this, Lis retracted the flames and narrowed his eyes.
“Demon's flame? And 'another'?”