Chapter 162

"The MacLaine family shall be granted half of the former Calria Marquisate's territory and half of the Kyle Marquisate's territory. Furthermore, the MacLaine family's status as Border Lords during the kingdom's founding shall be restored and elevated—henceforth, they shall hold the title of Marquis."

"Oho!"

"Such...!"

Gasps erupted among the nobles at this unprecedented reward.

From this moment onward, MacLaine had transformed into a vast territory spanning over twenty castles from the western to southern regions, becoming the kingdom's sole marquisate, second only to the Grand Duchy.

But that wasn't all.

"Additionally, Logan MacLaine shall be granted the title of Count separately from his family, along with a mansion nearest to the royal palace in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the capital. His presence has brought us to this moment—henceforth, all nobles and commoners of this land shall respect him as they would the king!"

"Wooooah!"

The gazes of every noble in the Grand Hall—and even the knights standing guard—snapped toward Logan.

A noble whom the new king had personally declared should be treated as his equal.

The reward made it abundantly clear how highly the king regarded Logan.

Even Logan's eyes widened slightly, enough for the Sword Duke to glance at him in surprise.

'I didn't expect it to go this far.'

Logan shook his head subtly, signaling that this wasn't part of their prior discussions. The Sword Duke exhaled softly and turned his gaze back to the new king.

But the rewards weren't over yet.

"Were the royal treasury in better ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠condition, I would have granted even more. My apologies for not being able to do so, Lord Logan. Is there anything you desire personally?"

He's offering more?!

Gulps could be heard from all around.

Logan let out a small sigh before speaking.

"I do have one humble request."

"Oh? Hahaha. Very well, speak freely."

"If the MacLaine family receives the most fertile lands of the western and southern regions from the two marquisates, it would mean holding territory far exceeding what is appropriate even for a marquisate. I fear this may set an unfavorable precedent in the kingdom's history."

The king smiled again but didn't yield easily.

"Yet granting only a title to my greatest contributor would set an even worse precedent. I would prefer you not refuse my generosity."

"If that is the case, then I would rather receive the royal demesne of Taren in the central-eastern region."

"Taren?"

The Taren region, located southeast of the capital, Gran.

Once the heart of the kingdom's mining industry, it was a land that had produced vast quantities of iron, copper, and gold.

Up until two centuries ago, roads had been built to transport its abundant resources across the kingdom, making it a cornerstone of royal finances.

...Until two centuries ago.

"You wish for that land of abandoned mines and wastelands? It doesn't even border MacLaine territory."

"Yes, precisely. I believe there is precedent for a single family governing disconnected regions."

There was—when kings had deliberately fragmented territories to curb their vassals' power.

Naturally, the king's expression stiffened slightly.

The Taren region stretched from the eastern mountain range into the central plains, sandwiched between the northern plains (part of the capital's territory) and the central plains (under Harun Castle's jurisdiction).

In short, it was a vast expanse of useless land—abandoned mines and barren wastelands.

A place that yielded no taxes and instead drained maintenance funds.

"Are you trying to make me look like a fool? If I grant my greatest contributor such worthless land, what will the people think of me?"

"I merely worry that excessive rewards may undermine Your Majesty's authority."

In truth, Logan had plans for the land, but feigning humility was the best way to win the king's favor.

"I understand your intentions well. But my conscience won't allow it—so I shall also grant MacLaine the northern territory of the Calria Marquisate, connecting your lands to Taren."

An additional source of income secured.

As the king firmly handed out this extra reward, Logan bowed without hesitation.

"I am deeply grateful for Your Majesty's generosity."

No take-backs.

Thump, thump, thump.

Logan smiled inwardly while the king grinned outwardly—a beautifully orchestrated conclusion to the discussion of Logan's rewards.

"Hahaha! Indeed, with loyal vassals like you, my heart is at ease. Then let us conclude the matter of MacLaine's rewards. As with the Grand Duchy of Esperanza, I entrust the distribution of honors for MacLaine's contributors to you, Lord Logan."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Afterward, rewards were also given to the neutral nobles—those who had pledged allegiance to MacLaine but had, in reality, done nothing.

With the former Border Lords gone, new forces were needed to fill the void, so plausible excuses were fabricated to justify their rewards.

Though the territories of the two dukes and seven Border Lords had been divided into dozens of fragments for redistribution.

The neutral nobles, who had sworn loyalty to the new royalty without paying any price, couldn't help but grin from ear to ear at their windfall.

'Consider this prepayment for the work they'll do later.'

Logan made eye contact with each rewarded noble, silently reminding them of his prior warnings.

Naturally, their smiles didn't fade.

"...With this, I declare the inauguration of the new Royal Council!"

The main figures leading the newly established council.

Once the appointments of the new ministers concluded—

"To set foot in the royal palace again... Such boundless grace, Your Majesty!"

—the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠representative of the old bureaucrats, Count Palmen Terih, who had been ousted by factionalism and now returned, shed tears of gratitude.

"Now! Let all raise their glasses—and toast to the dawn of a new Grandia!"

With the king's lead, the festivities began.

The celebrations for the new king's coronation were scheduled to last a week in the capital.

It was also an event to firmly announce the end of the war to the people, so it was deemed necessary to hold it for at least that long.

When the royal treasury funded food distribution even to the slums outside the outer city, praises for the newly crowned king filled Gran inside and out.

Logan ordered his knights and soldiers—who hadn't rested even after the war due to their palace-securing duties—to take leave.

Of course, only after presenting them with their post-war rewards: gleaming jewels for the knights and fistfuls of gold coins for the soldiers.

All of it had been seized from the mansions of the Border Lords and dukes.

To Logan, it was little more than showing off with others' wealth, but the reactions were predictably enthusiastic.

"Long live the Grand Prince!"

"He's not a prince anymore, you fool! Long live Count MacLaine!"

"Long live His Lordship!!"

Thus, the MacLaine forces departed to enjoy the capital's festivities, leaving only a minimal guard at their newly granted mansion.

There was, however, one minor issue.

"My Lord... no, Your Lordship. Aren't you going to rest?"

"Just call me as usual, Sir Eileen."

"...Yes, Lord Logan. Aren't you going to rest?"

Understanding the concern in her expression, Logan forced a gentle smile.

"I must inform the territory of the coronation's results. It's best delivered in person."

Though his reply was meant for Eileen, Ronian suddenly cut in.

"Brother, then I'll go with you... Huh? Wha—? Victor...? Ah! Aha, right. Brother, sister-in-law. Have a good time... Agh, okay, okay! I'm going, I'm going!"

Logan sighed softly as he watched his younger brother being dragged away by Victor.

Eileen, still wearing a worried expression, asked,

"You've been pushing yourself nonstop even after coming to the capital. Wouldn't it be better to rest, even briefly?"

"Hm? I haven't been pushing myself at all. I'm fine."

"But... ever since that incident in the palace, you've seemed a bit... off."

Eileen's words brought back the image of the dying "young" royal descendants—the ones Logan had personally cut down when some knights hesitated.

As the memory resurfaced, Logan's eyes squeezed shut.

'It was necessary. Absolutely. There was no other choice.'

He had acted composed at the time, but even during his decade as a mercenary in his past life—

And the twenty-odd years he spent as a resistance fighter afterward—

He had never killed children like that.

As a mercenary, he'd clung to the pride of being a noble, believing he couldn't sink to the very bottom.

As a resistance fighter, his ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠targets had been adult imperial soldiers, so he'd always stepped back from such "dirty" work.

"Those brats will grow up to become imperial soldiers and knights! Are you the only one who gets to act pure?!"

The voice of a comrade—one who had taken extremism to a different level—echoed in his mind.

'Right. Now I'm dirty too. And I'll get even dirtier. But if it means changing the future... well, so be it.'

It might be a cowardly excuse, but the thought calmed him somewhat.

"Are you really alright?"

"...I'm truly fine. Thank you for your concern. But shouldn't you visit your family, Sir Eileen? If I don't send you home during this peaceful time, I fear my father-in-law will give me quite the scolding."

At the word "father-in-law," a faint blush rose on Eileen's cheeks.

"Th-that... we can go together later..."

"Of course, I'll visit as well. After finishing what needs to be done."

"...Yes."

Only after seeing Eileen off did Logan quietly establish communication with the territory.

"...That's how it turned out."

"Hah... hahahaha! Hahahahaha! A marquisate?! A marquisate! Hahahaha! Well done! Truly well done!"

His father's cheers, followed by the appearances of vassals like Dwain, and even his stepmother—

The usually sparsely occupied communication room was packed today, and fortunately, everyone was celebrating, so Logan couldn't help but smile.

Seeing his smile brighter than expected, he casually asked a question he hadn't been able to voice until now.

"Has Sir Heinkel regained consciousness?"

"Ah... Right, I hadn't told you. Fortunately, he woke up a few days ago. But his body is too damaged—he likely can't continue as a knight. He requested retirement himself. Instead, he asked to serve as an instructor for the soldiers."

"...An instructor?"

"He probably wants to contribute to the family somehow. That man... I'd prefer he rest comfortably, but perhaps I should grant him a title on this occasion."

Among the rights granted this time was the authority to bestow noble titles in recognition of contributions.

Three baronies and nine knighthoods—he intended to use one of them.

Given that they had not only restored their former status but risen even higher, it seemed a fitting reward.

"That sounds like a good idea. Still, I'm glad he hasn't lost his motivation."

"Yes. Truly a relief. So I'll let him serve as an instructor, as he wishes. Of course, with Kaisollon around, he'll likely act more as an advisor."

Wait, that was your idea, Father.

Heinkel had been severely injured, and many of the middle-aged knights who had served for years had died in the MacLaine battle.

Logan had worried his father might fall into despair, but fortunately, it seemed his concerns were unfounded.

"Sigh... I trust you'll handle it well, but please ensure proper compensation—not just for Sir Heinkel but for the families of the fallen knights and soldiers too. They'll grieve regardless, but we must minimize resentment... Hmm. It can't be avoided entirely, but we must compensate them thoroughly, even if it means exhausting the remaining budget."

"Of course! How could anyone pledge loyalty if we neglect those who sacrificed themselves for our territory?"

"Include the militia. They must be treated the same as the soldiers."

"The same as soldiers...? You mean...?"

As expected...

Though much had changed, his father hadn't entirely abandoned his aristocratic mindset.

At best, it had expanded from knights to soldiers—but not beyond.

This was the result of repeatedly explaining the correlation between public sentiment and national power.

So he had to tailor his explanations accordingly.

"Yes. Future battles won't be fought by knights and mages alone. You've seen their effectiveness firsthand. This is the least we can do."

"Ahem. Very well, I'll do as you say. But 'future battles'? Don't tell me you're planning—"

"Absolutely not! It's just a figure of speech. Don't say such alarming things, Your Lordship. People are listening."

"Whew, you scared me. Understood. I'll handle the militia's treatment as you said. With harvest season approaching, we can squeeze the budget dry if needed. Hm? What? Logan, Dwain says he has something to—urk?!"

Dwain abruptly leaned into the communication orb.

"My Lord! If you scatter compensation money like this, what about the surviving knights?! How will you reward them? Just compensating the families of the dead soldiers and militia will blow the budget to pieces! You're not planning to skip rewards for the survivors just because they're alive, are you?!"

"I already gave it to them."

"Huh?"

"We acquired quite a bit of wealth in the capital. Enough to reward the knights and soldiers still in the territory, so don't worry."

"Wha—Really?! Truly?!"

Seeing Dwain's face light up, Logan found himself smiling unconsciously.

"Yes. Truly."

"Whew, saved! Alright, that settles—"

"What is it? If you have something to say, say it quickly."

"Well... I-I didn't fight directly, but... managing budgets, executing plans, we administrators worked hard too... so, uh..."

Pfft.

Logan chuckled at Dwain's inability to make his request outright.

"Of course, you'll be rewarded as much as the knights. Stop worrying and get back to work!"

"Wahahaha! I knew you'd say that! Long live Lord Logan! No—Count now, right? Long live His Lordship!"

"Father. I'll discuss the new territories in person, but—"

"Slow down, slow down. What's the rush?"

"Huh?"

Patrick smiled warmly and continued in a gentle tone.

"You've worked tirelessly until now. At least for this moment, allow yourself to enjoy it. The rest can be handled when you return to the territory."

"But... that's..."

"Learn to take it easy. You've already accomplished something tremendous. Take pride in it and savor the present."

For some reason, Logan felt dazed by his father's words.

And then came the chorus of voices.

"Rest, my Lord! The capital is holding a festival—spend some time with Lady Eileen!"

"Exactly! Rest well and return at your leisure!"

"We'll handle the cleanup!"

"Ha... haha."

The familiar clamor warmed his weary heart.

The weight in his chest felt a little lighter.

That feeling soon turned into a refreshing laugh that washed deep into his soul.

"Ahahahaha!"

Right. Let's rest for a while.

There's still much to do ahead.

For the first time, Logan's heart embraced true rest.