The King's Inspection and Banquet Turmoil
After executing Nirgof, Adelia immediately ordered Lord Roton, along with his family, relatives, and vassals, to be transported to the capital. She disbanded the Blue Arrow Unit, though not entirely. After dismissing Commander Kutar and all the officers, she left the soldiers in place for maintaining public order and merely changed the unit's name. The formal naming would be left to the lord who would later receive the fief from the king, so for now it was temporarily called the "Nameless" Unit. She then compiled a detailed report of the events in Nobern and sent it to Commander Gregory.
A few days later, after reading the report, Marquis Gregory stroked his chin with a troubled expression. "Hmm. I suppose I must have an audience with His Majesty."
Gregory headed straight for the royal palace. His purpose was to discuss the appointment of a new lord for the now-vacant Nobern territory. If a grand lord had existed in the southern region, they would have handled the matter themselves, but since the south was currently under the direct control of the royal family through its smaller lords, the authority to appoint a new lord rested with the king.
Upon entering the audience chamber, he saw King Mikelan seated on the golden throne, Crown Prince Jerard, and Marquis Espera, whose very presence made one frown. "Oh, you've come at just the right time," the king said, his mood unusually bright. "I was about to summon you. Something has come up that I need to discuss with you."
Seeing that Marquis Espera had already arrived, Gregory felt a sense of foreboding. And his premonition proved correct.
"To check on the progress of the bandit subjugation and to hear the voices of the local lords, I intend to depart for an inspection of the southern region in a fortnight. Make the necessary preparations."
It felt like being caught off guard. He had expected the king to conduct an inspection someday, but he had not anticipated it happening so soon. The subjugation was progressing slowly, and there were no notable achievements to show yet. In other words, there would be nothing to present to the king when he arrived in the south.
Marquis Gregory clicked his tongue bitterly and glanced at Marquis Espera. The man was smiling faintly, the corners of his lips curled. 'This is your doing, isn't it?'
Marquis Gregory emerged from the audience chamber with Marquis Espera following behind. "You look like you have something to say to me. Or am I mistaken?"
Gregory replied with a blank expression. "Your actions are quite detestable."
The two had once been close as brothers, but that was no longer the case.
"Listen, Gregory. The power of the second-in-command must be divided left and right to maintain balance. Monopolizing power invites dictatorship and breeds corruption. Corruption leads to the suffering of the people."
"Are you calling me a dictator?"
"One dictator, His Majesty the King, is enough. But for the second-in-command to monopolize power alone is wrong, in my view."
"It still sounds like you're calling me a dictator. And it seems you want to rise from third to second."
"I'm not talking about playing ranking games. I simply want to balance the power on both sides. His Highness stands above, and beneath him are you and I."
"Are you afraid my knight order will harm your faction?"
Marquis Espera gave a light laugh. "I won't answer that. My goal is to make you understand, not to fight."
"If you obtain your own knight order, what will you do first?"
"There's no 'first' to speak of. I will simply do my utmost to uphold justice in this kingdom. It will only mean dividing in half the work the Wittelsbach Knight Order has been doing until now."
"You have no other motives?"
"If I must name one, it would be my hope that the Wittelsbach Knight Order and my own will form a healthy rivalry, checking each other as two great powers."
Though the words sounded ordinary, they ultimately meant he desired greater power than he currently held.
"Honesty suits you."
"There is no need for lies between you and me."
Just then, a woman's voice suddenly spoke up. "Greetings, my lords."
Turning around, they saw Marquis Espera's daughter, Olivia, standing there in neat attire. Her long hair, tied back neatly, was as black as a crow's feathers and gleamed with luster. Gregory extended his hand for a handshake and smiled brightly. "It's been a while."
"I'm glad to see you looking well."
"You were nowhere to be seen. Where have you been?"
"I had matters to attend to and spent several months in the provinces."
"Is that so?"
Marquis Espera cut in. "How is Adelia faring?"
At the question, Marquis Gregory's expression turned serious as he turned to face him. His demeanor toward his daughter and her father was starkly different.
"When we go on the southern inspection, I plan to bring His Highness to Nobern. I intend to have Adelia give a field report on behalf of the dispatched knights, so you can ask her directly then."
"You're only cold to me. You could tell me now."
"You're not jealous just because the enemy commander gets along well with his daughter, are you?"
"Oh dear, you've found me out."
Marquis Espera smiled. "But do you know something?"
"What is it?"
"If Adelia had been born a boy, we would never have been driven apart like this."
"Why?"
"Think about it. It's quite simple."
Marquis Espera pointed at Olivia with his hand. "If we married your son to our Olivia, there would be no reason for our houses to fight. We would be good partners, a community of fate sharing joy and sorrow, so both families would have lived in harmony as if they were one."
Marquis Gregory chuckled. "I want to return those words right back to you. If Olivia had been born a son and married our Adelia, she might have supported your desire to create a knight order."
"That's exactly what I'm saying."
"I suppose I should take a concubine and have at least one son."
"Come now, Gregory. One wants legitimate children. Who would marry off their child to the offspring of a concubine? Our family's pride is at stake."
"Hmm, you have a point. But your wife is already over fifty. It will be difficult for her to bear a child."
"My wife is the same."
As Marquis Gregory and Marquis Espera talked about their children, they momentarily forgot they were political rivals. Both displayed a rather foolish side.
"Then how about this?" Olivia interjected with a bright smile. "We could bring in one reliable and handsome man and have both Adelia and me marry him at the same time. That way, the two families could live in harmony, couldn't we? Well, it would actually be three families."
"Absolutely not!"
Marquis Gregory and Marquis Espera shouted in unison, as if their hearts and minds were one.
"We will never allow some other man's family to gain great power through this!"
It seemed they had no intention of sharing power with any house other than their own two.
"Whew, there's so much delicious food."
I smiled pleasantly as I gazed out over the vast garden. The banquet had begun in the inner castle's garden, attended by numerous nobles and distinguished guests. Long tables set up throughout were laden with all manner of delicacies. Servants roasted fresh beef and pork in various places. Wine had been prepared in abundance, and the maids bustled about attending to the guests. It was a magnificent feast, complete with musicians and dancers.
The sudden banquet was meant to quell the anxiety of the local upper class. With major incidents occurring in quick succession—the Lion Heart Unit being abruptly expelled from the city and Lord Roton being forced to step down—the nobles and influential figures of Nobern were in great turmoil.
"Why did the Lion Heart Unit purge the Nobern family so thoroughly? Are we next?"
Everyone trembled with anxiety, and absurd rumors even circulated that the Lion Heart Unit intended to confiscate the property of all nobles in Nobern and strip them of their qualifications.
In response, Adelia had arranged this special occasion to soothe and calm the anxious nobles, and today's banquet was precisely the place to explain the details and clear up misunderstandings.
"...That is the truth of the matter."
After Adelia finished her long speech and withdrew, the atmosphere grew noticeably lighter. The nobles and guests, now finally understanding the existence of Nirgof and the reason Lord Roton had been driven out, each wore relieved smiles.
"Come, let us drink!"
I sat with my unit members and exchanged several toasts. Pasvachio, Unia, and Kelly competed with one another as they downed their drinks, while the petite Epibia displayed a remarkable tolerance that was not inferior to theirs. Marcus had brought his lover, who was over sixty, and spent the entire banquet drinking and chatting. Dana and I sat close together, engaged in something heated.
"My, if it isn't the leader of the Kether Mercenary Group!"
People kept offering me drinks from all directions, and without thinking I accepted them all. Before long, I was quite drunk. Sitting pressed close to Dana, chatting affectionately, my actions grew bolder without me realizing it due to the alcohol. Her caring gestures—constantly holding my hand, pouring drinks, and picking out snacks for me—were so pretty and lovely that my head spun with desire.
Whenever I thought no one was looking, I would steal a quick kiss on Dana's cheek and then pretend nothing had happened, glancing around. It was becoming a habit. I did it repeatedly, and Dana, seeming to enjoy it, began launching surprise kisses of her own. It was adorable how she would plant a quick kiss on my cheek when no one was watching and then put on a cool expression as if she had done nothing.
Then Kelly, who had noticed everything like a ghost, puffed up one cheek and came running over. She wedged herself between us and plopped down right in the middle.
"Could you two at least choose your location for your displays of affection? If rumors start spreading that Leader Hyun-woo gropes women's breasts whenever he's drunk, or that he's obsessed with women even in front of nobles, what will you do?"
"I must have done it because I was drunk. Hic!"
I nodded repeatedly, agreeing with Kelly's words. But after a few more drinks, Kelly herself suddenly leaned her head against my shoulder and began stroking my chest with her hand.
"Aah, Hyun-woo..."
"K-Kelly. You told us not to do this in front of so many people..."
Her eyes were glazed over. "We just need to be careful of ourselves. What does it matter what anyone else thinks? You know I only ever think about you, Hyun-woo. Hng..."
She was acting coy and initiating physical contact, which flustered me. She was not usually this forward, so it seemed Kelly was quite drunk as well. Just as I was about to push her away and straighten her leaning upper body, Dana, who had been sitting beside Kelly, suddenly came into view. Her eyes were blazing like a bonfire.
A bad feeling washed over me. But there was no time to stop her. Emitting a terrifying aura, Dana shot to her feet and, in the blink of an eye, moved behind Kelly. Without the slightest hesitation, she yanked the chair Kelly was sitting on backward.
"Eek!"
I could not close my mouth as I witnessed the incredible scene. Dana sometimes acted childishly, like a little girl. Or perhaps it was better to say she revealed her violent tendencies. Kelly, who had fallen on her backside, sniffled in pain, and I had to break into a sweat calming her down until the alcohol completely left my system.