Chapter 41
Chapter 41
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 41
Chapter Title: Secrets Are Too Many. #2
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Angmar is currently a centralized kingdom.
However, even Angmar had once been divided into small minor states waging wars against each other in the distant past.
In other words, there was a time when each city's ruler called themselves 'king,' much like the ancient Greek city-states.
The Lion King Leone, ruler of the golden city Borza in the western desert and vast lands beyond, was a prime example.
They said that when the continent's greatest warrior Leone swung his arm once, mountains would break and rivers would fill up.
A descendant of that valiant Leone was sitting at the table.
"Hmph."
Elga drummed her fingers irritably on the vast table—tap, tap, tap—as if she disliked its expanse.
Her blue eyes glared coldly at the person seated to her right across the table, another descendant of a king.
The Dragon King Draco, who had ruled over the countless cliffs, valleys, rugged mountain peaks, and fortresses of the continent's east.
They said the Dragon King Draco had commanded ancient dragon corpses to reign as the terror of the battlefield.
"Would you please stay still, Lady Leone? It's quite unseemly."
A descendant of that Draco was sitting at the table, elegantly sipping her milk tea.
Slurp.
Positioned between them was Tarantara, kin of the Witch Queen who had wisely ruled and survived in the northern great forest.
A descendant of the Witch Queen, Aira, spoke.
"Lady Belhock doesn't seem to be coming. She's ignoring the agreed-upon time and hasn't taken her seat. This is a slight to my authority. I cannot tolerate it."
Aira frowned at the empty seat to the south of the table, clearly displeased.
In response, Lady Mirna Draco set down her teacup and made a remark.
"It seems the spider's web was too short to bind the free-spirited Belhock family? Well, spiders are beasts that can only dangle from threads without flying, after all. Oh, and lions crawl on the ground too, don't they?"
"......"
Aira merely raised one eyebrow as if she didn't understand.
But I, standing nearby and listening to the conversation, could tell that Mirna had just dismissed and mocked Aira.
It was a metaphorical jab implying that Aira lacked the authority to restrain the unruly Belhock family.
And she'd thrown in a dig at the Leone family as well.
Before Aira could respond.
Bam—.
Elga slammed the table.
A small scratch appeared on the map of the Angmar Kingdom drawn on the table, right at the western city of Borza.
"Mirna Draco. You're better off not saying a word today. Just looking at your face makes my teeth grind!"
Elga glared at her rival Mirna, seemingly unable to suppress her hostility.
Their last encounter had ended in an inconclusive duel, so the resentment must still linger.
Zing, zing.
Their mutual glares made my skin prickle and cold sweat trickle down my back.
This vast round table, etched with Angmar's cities and map, felt like a real battlefield.
In truth, Angmar's history must have been just like this.
The constantly clashing Leone and Draco.
Who knew what the northern Tarantara family was thinking.
And the southern great chieftain Belhock wasn't even present.
Right—this table and the people seated here were a microcosm of the kingdom itself.
I glanced at the door to the grand temple's spacious conference room.
The Belhock family didn't seem likely to show no matter how long we waited, so I thought it best to proceed with the banquet-cum-meeting before any problems arose.
"Um, then. I, Theo Gospel, will commence the 1st Gracia General Assembly. First, the order of proceedings—."
"Wait."
As I recalled the lines I'd memorized, someone interrupted me.
It was Mirna Draco.
Mirna Draco pointed the neatly folded tip of her fan at me coldly.
"Theo Gospel. You're just a lowly commoner—do you really think you have the qualifications to preside over a meeting of the families that founded this kingdom?"
"Yes?"
"What right do you have to be here at all? The mere presence of a commoner in this seat feels utterly insulting and humiliating to me."
I see.
Mirna Draco didn't seem to like me. She probably didn't like Aira, who was using me, either.
Aira, who had been letting the earlier commotions slide, now scowled.
"Don't insult the court scribe I appointed."
"Scribe? Not gardener?"
Mirna Draco raised an eyebrow as if she couldn't comprehend. And honestly, neither could I.
When did I become a scribe?
Aira then puffed out her chest proudly, as if boasting.
"I promoted him recently."
"Was there even such a position as court scribe to begin with? What right do you have to destroy Angmar's long-standing traditions?"
"I am the queen. If I create it, it exists."
So that was that.
Out of nowhere, I'd been promoted from court gardener to scribe. The work wouldn't change, but the higher title felt good.
Aira said.
"Any insult to Theo is an insult to me, Mirna Draco. You'd do well to judge wisely so that I, the queen, do not withdraw my respect for your father and grandfather."
"......"
At that flat-toned threat, Mirna Draco fell silent, simply snapping open her black fan with a flick—shh-lack.
No matter how you sliced it, Aira was the queen.
As the woman reigning at the kingdom's apex, even the daughters of great houses had no choice but to yield.
A faint air of regret flickered across Mirna's face, hidden by the fan—"Why did I even come here?"—but whatever.
In any case, before this fragile peace shattered, I decided to push forward.
"Then, first, let's begin with the meal. Today's banquet has been specially prepared using ingredients sourced from Gracia, the church city's finest."
Clap—.
At my clap, the pre-arranged dishes arrived on silver trays covered with dome lids, one by one.
Roll, roll, roll—
Only when the carts' wheels brought enough food to fill the entire table could I finally breathe a sigh of relief.
They might not look it, but they were all noble ladies.
They upheld decorum and elegance during meals.
* * *
"The rebellion was quashed before it even began. Thanks to that, we were able to recover the massive slush funds the finance minister had stashed away into the royal treasury."
Contrary to the shaky start, the meeting proceeded surprisingly smoothly.
"It's an amount comparable to ten years of royal budget. With that much money flowing into the rebels' pockets, no wonder taxes never seemed enough. Now we can even lower the tax rates."
Elga, who had been listening calmly to Aira, chimed in.
"While you and your skeletons were lounging around, Mirna Draco, I was crushing the barbarians rising in the south. It was a brutal battlefield. Humans eating other humans, can you believe it?"
The meeting diligently discussed the current state of the Angmar Kingdom, what events were unfolding, and what measures needed to be taken to resolve them.
Even Mirna, who had seemed disinterested and uncooperative at first, listened attentively and asked questions.
"So, does that mean the Dawn Society has been completely eradicated?"
"Yes. Thanks to the efforts of Scribe Theo."
"Hmph. Well, it probably would have fallen apart on its own even without some commoner meddling. I hear the Dawn Society elects leaders by vote?"
I nodded at Mirna's words.
"That's right. It's their motto—democratic decision-making."
"Democratic decision-making? I can't fathom why they'd cling to such archaic polis-style conservatism."
"What do you mean by that?"
"That's how clowns with no ability or talent but popularity get elected as leaders by the mob, isn't it?"
Mirna's criticism of democracy made my chest twinge. After all, I was someone from 21st-century free society.
When I didn't respond, the noble lady Mirna pressed her sharp critique further.
"In fact, the ancient city of Artana fell that way too. The dim-witted bard Valko rode popularity to leadership, and the whole nation got buried in sand. Democracy has already been proven a failed system."
"Um...."
"Why are commoners so desperate to revive such an imperfect ancient politics? Politics by kings and nobles is the most refined form. Theo, you're a commoner—why don't you explain?"
That's when Elga cut in.
"Enough of this boring talk. Mirna Draco, you were in Gracia for quite a while, weren't you? While we were sacrificing for the kingdom and its people, what were you doing?"
"I wasn't lounging either, Lady Leone. I was busy working for 'Angmar' right here in Gracia."
Ssshh.
Mirna's eyes, half-hidden by her black feathered fan, narrowed slyly. Elga merely yawned boredly and asked.
"What did you do? Sightsee? Strut around lording it over commoners just because you were lucky enough to be born noble? If you're going to act noble, at least behave like one."
Elga's tone was quite sharp.
Perhaps she was scolding Mirna on my behalf, after I'd been insulted as a commoner.
「Calm Situation Assessment!
You gain experience points via the talent 《Calm Thinking》.
All job experience +5」
I see.
Elga's making me feel a bit touched.
But Mirna remained composed.
"Noblesse oblige? It's laughable coming from the least qualified person. I discovered it exists here in Gracia."
"It? What's that?"
"You really know nothing, do you, Lady Leone? Must be nice being so carefree."
"What did you say?"
As Elga kicked back her chair and stood, Aira raised her palm upward as if to halt her.
"Continue, Lady Mirna."
At Aira's permission, Mirna snapped her fan shut—click. Her revealed expression was serious, unlike her previous mocking demeanor.
"I, Mirna Draco, finally uncovered it last week. I learned that it exists right here in Gracia."
"So what is it? Stop dragging it out and spit it out!"
"Forbidden Legacy."
Forbidden Legacy.
The moment those words left Mirna's lips, the air in the conference room shifted. Even Elga, who had been brimming with irritation toward her, quietly took her seat.
Aira spoke.
"All servants, withdraw from now on. You too, Theo. Only the ladies of the great houses remain here."
"Does that mean I have to leave as well?"
"Yes, Theo. Leave. I won't say it twice."
Aira sending me away.
This was rare.
But information on the Forbidden Legacy warranted it.
It was here in this city?