Chapter 128: Sorting Out the Hierarchy (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 128: Sorting Out the Hierarchy (1)
A week had already passed since they left the capital.
After arriving at the Warp Gate in the northeast region, Roman and his soldiers headed toward Dmitry, taking their time and resting along the way. It had been a grueling journey all the way from the Southern Front. Although they had recovered some of their strength in the capital, there was no reason to push the soldiers in a mad dash home.
Exactly one week into their march, Roman entered the territory of Viscount Conrad.
Since Dmitry lay just beyond these lands, the soldiers’ hearts swelled with anticipation and a deep longing for home.
As they neared the border between Dmitry and Conrad, a strange sight caught their attention.
"Oh, heavens!"
"This year's harvest is completely ruined!"
"Those bastards! How are we supposed to make a living now?!"
A group of people, presumably farmers, sat wailing on the ground. One look was enough to grasp the situation. The vast fields where crops had been carefully cultivated were completely devastated. A violent clash had clearly taken place; the farmers’ faces were bruised and battered, and they wept as if their world had ended.
Roman turned his gaze away.
He didn't know what injustice they had suffered, but he had no reason to resolve their troubles.
That was, until Chris spoke up from beside him.
"...They appear to be farmers from Dmitry, my lord. I have heard that some of our people who don't work in the mines lease land in the Conrad territory to farm. Since this land is far from their center of power, the Conrad family found it difficult to manage and leased it out. It seems an issue has arisen."
Roman stopped in his tracks.
If they were people of Dmitry, that changed everything.
Ever since the incident with the Castro family, Roman had accepted all of Dmitry under his protection. If they were his people, their plight was no longer someone else's business.
Roman spoke.
"Chris. Bring them to me. I must hear exactly what happened to them."
"Understood."
Chris bowed his head. Soon, he brought the farmers before Roman.
* * *
It was just as Chris had said.
They were farmers—a rare sight in Dmitry—and at Roman's prompting, their grievances poured out like a broken dam.
"As you know, Young Master, there isn't much arable land in Dmitry. That is why many of us lease this land on the border of Dmitry and Conrad. We signed a direct contract with the Conrad family, securing a ten-year lease. We are only a month away from harvest, but a few days ago, the Conrad family suddenly sent us an absurd notice."
At the mention of the notice, one of the farmers beat his chest in frustration. Just thinking about it made his blood boil.
"They told us the Conrad family had their own plans for the land and ordered us to vacate within a week. Does that make any sense? No matter how lowly we commoners may be, we paid a fair price and signed a ten-year contract. With five years still left, they are unilaterally throwing us out without a word of discussion. Young Master, it is so unjust! Look at this! When we refused to leave, the Conrad family sent men to tear our fields to shreds."
"Sob... we have no way to survive now. We worked so hard, looking forward to nothing but the harvest. If they ruin it like this, how are we supposed to live?"
The farmers burst into tears.
It was an incredibly despairing situation.
The Conrad family had completely ignored a valid contract, but in this world, there was something far more powerful than paper agreements.
The class system.
Against the Conrad family, who held considerable power in the northeast region, the protests of mere commoners meant absolutely nothing. If they pushed too hard, they would easily lose their heads. It was only because they were people of Dmitry that the Conrads stopped at ruining the fields; had they been Conrad's own subjects, they wouldn't have even dared to protest.
It was an utterly unreasonable situation.
Seeing the rights of the weak so thoroughly trampled, Chris spoke in a quiet voice.
"My lord. While the farmers' plight is indeed pitiful, I do not believe this is a matter we can interfere in. The land they leased strictly belongs to the Conrad family. If we try to stop them from reclaiming their own property, it could escalate into a conflict between our two families. Furthermore, the Conrad family has formed an alliance with the other nobles in the northeast region. Therefore, any issue involving Conrad is by no means simple."
In the northeast region, while Barco and Dmitry had been the two giants, beneath them lay factions like Conrad.
Individually, their power was not particularly formidable, but they had formed a protective barrier to shield one another.
The Northeast Association.
They were like bats, shifting their allegiances with the wind.
When the Barco family was at the height of their power, the Association clung to them, only to show up at Dmitry's social parties the moment Barco fell. Normally, they kept a low profile. Since they only banded together when threatened, there was usually no reason to provoke them and cause unnecessary friction.
The problem was that their opponent was Roman Dmitry.
The political landscape of the northeast region was closely tied to Roman's future plans.
Roman spoke.
"Chris. If we stand by and watch just because a problem is complicated, no one will ever solve our problems for us. Bystanding only allows the issue to grow. Before it swells any further, we must pluck it out by the roots."
"...!"
Chris's eyes widened.
He knew exactly what Roman's words meant. He took a step back and bowed his head.
"I shall obey your command, my lord."
If Roman had made his decision, it was the duty of his subordinate to follow it.
* * *
Finally, they arrived in Dmitry.
The castle gates flung wide open to welcome Roman's return, and the people of Dmitry poured out, cheering enthusiastically.
"Roman! Roman!"
"Roman! Roman!"
"The Hero of Cairo! You are the pride of Dmitry!"
The crowd was in a frenzy.
They, too, had heard the rumors.
They knew of Roman Dmitry's exploits on the Southern Front and how he had come to be hailed as the Hero of Cairo. As citizens of Dmitry, they felt an immense surge of pride. Though he was once called the Fool of Dmitry, everyone now looked upon Roman Dmitry with eyes full of deep respect.
Cutting through the crowd, Roman pressed forward.
He was accustomed to receiving such warm welcomes, and wherever his gaze landed, cheers erupted anew.
At the entrance of the Inner Castle, Baron Romero rushed out and pulled Roman into a tight embrace.
"My son! You have worked so hard!"
"Have you been well, Father?"
"Of course I have. What could possibly happen in a remote place like Dmitry? I have prepared a grand feast for you. Tonight, let us eat, drink, and make merry as if it were our last day on earth!"
Baron Romero turned to lead the way.
However, Roman did not follow him.
With an expression completely detached from the crowd's jubilation, he spoke in a voice that halted Baron Romero in his tracks.
"Father. Could you spare some time for us to speak in private?"
* * *
Inside the Lord's office, the ringing in their ears from the noisy crowd finally subsided.
Roman explained what had transpired with the Conrad family, and Baron Romero replied with a somewhat stiff expression.
"...I have heard of that matter as well. But my son, there are sensitive issues in this world that one should not carelessly interfere with. No matter what contract was signed, there is no way to stop the Conrad family from reclaiming their own land. Even if we did stop them, do you think Dmitry's farmers could farm peacefully on Conrad's land? It would be far more peaceful to simply create new jobs for them here."
He shared Chris's sentiment.
Baron Romero wished to avoid escalating the situation.
Had they severely harmed Dmitry's people, it would be one thing, but this issue lay in a gray area.
Roman spoke.
"I understand your point, Father. However, there is one thing I would like to ask you."
"Speak."
"If those farmers belonged to Marquis Benedict instead of Dmitry... do you think the Conrad family would have dared to seize their land?"
Instantly, Baron Romero's expression hardened.
It was a sensitive question.
It was a meaningless hypothetical, and Baron Romero could not fathom Roman's intention.
"I do not know what you intend by saying that, but Marquis Benedict is no ordinary noble. He is the head of the Central Government, the one who sways the Cairo Kingdom. Although Count Gregory and Count Denver hold their own axes of power under the empire's protection, in the Cairo Kingdom, Marquis Benedict is ultimately the living authority. Who would dare touch his people? It is a flawed comparison to begin with, and it has absolutely nothing to do with our situation."
He drew a firm line.
His words were correct.
If the farmers belonged to Marquis Benedict, no such issue would ever arise. Most people walked on eggshells around him anyway, so how could anyone dream of touching his people?
"Exactly. As you said, Father, Marquis Benedict is a living authority, which is why no one dares to touch his people. Then, what do you think the Dmitry family's position is in the northeast region? Just half a year ago, we had not established a secure foothold. But after crushing the Barco family, there is undeniably no family in the northeast with greater power than ours."
"I will not deny your words. Dmitry may be the strongest in the northeast, but blindly trusting in one's own strength can invite danger if the surrounding alliance decides to attack. This is not a matter of pride. There is no need to escalate an issue we could easily ignore, creating a confrontation between Dmitry and the other factions."
"No. There is a need."
Roman pushed back firmly.
Even against Baron Romero's reasoning, Roman did not back down a single step.
"We destroyed Barco. Back then, the nobles of the northeast did everything they could to curry favor with the Barco family, who enjoyed the backing of the Central Government, blindly following their lead. But what about now? Even though Barco's power stemmed from the Central Government, now that Dmitry holds the actual power, the nobles—including the Conrad family—are showing a complacent attitude. They think, 'Ah, Dmitry isn't as sensitive as Barco, so we don't need to worry too much. Even if we mess with Dmitry's people, it won't cause a major issue.' They believe Dmitry is ultimately just a local family of the northeast, and since we lack the backing of a giant power like the Central Government, we have our limits."
The northeast.
It was a small world.
Its king was utterly insignificant compared to the entirety of Cairo.
"Father. The Conrad family laid hands on Dmitry's people. This wasn't a dispute between commoners; it was an action directly overseen by the Conrad family itself, yet they complacently judged that they could trample on our people. What does that mean? It means that is all we amount to in their eyes. People call Dmitry the greatest family in the northeast, but in reality, they do not treat us as such."
His voice turned fierce.
Through the war with Hector, Roman had reclaimed the wild nature of his past life.
As a predator who had survived to the very end in a world where the strong devoured the weak, he knew this matter could not be overlooked.
He looked Baron Romero straight in the eye.
And then, he spoke in an unwavering voice.
"Now is the time to sort out the hierarchy of the northeast. We must use this incident to clearly show who is above and who is below."
A spark ignited.
Over the northeast region, Roman revealed a new ambition.