Chapter 130: Establishing the Hierarchy (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 130: Establishing the Hierarchy (3)
In the world of nobles, there was a line that must never be crossed.
Even in the midst of a dispute, one must never make remarks that tarnish another's honor in a public setting where so many eyes were watching.
It was the bare minimum of etiquette.
Failing to observe this...
...could easily be taken as a declaration of war to the bitter end.
"What did you just say?"
Viscount Conrad's expression turned icy.
His opponent had crossed the line.
If they had tried to resolve the issue quietly, away from the public eye, Viscount Conrad might have sought a compromise. But this wasn't even Baron Romero. This was Roman Dmitry, a mere eldest son, who had openly humiliated him in front of a crowd of onlookers.
He was furious.
Even if Dmitry was the true power in the Northeast, he couldn't simply swallow his pride after being so blatantly disrespected.
"It is true that the Conrad family evicted Dmitry's peasants. However, that land belongs to my family. I am merely reclaiming what is mine—am I obligated to report every single detail to the Dmitry family? No matter how great Dmitry's power may be, we are not your subordinates who must obey your every word."
He deliberately emphasized the word "we."
Taking the cue, the members of the Northeast Association who had been watching the situation unfold chimed in.
"Viscount Conrad is right. Even if there was an issue during the reclamation of the land, is it appropriate to speak so rudely to those who gathered to celebrate Lord Roman's return? This is uncalled for."
"Lord Roman, you are not the head of the Dmitry family. If Baron Romero had arranged a separate meeting to resolve this dispute between our families, Viscount Conrad would have complied. But by what authority do you bring this up? Just because you are the eldest son of Dmitry? That is absurd. Viscount Conrad is the head of a noble house. He is not someone you can treat so disrespectfully!"
The tide had turned.
They fiercely pressured Roman.
Believing he had crossed the line, they clung to that point, appealing to the crowd and insisting that Roman was in the wrong.
‘That is the hallmark of the Northeast Association. They usually keep their distance, but the moment they sense danger, they band together like this.’
It was amusing.
If it had been Marquis Benedict...
Or even the Barco family, who used to enjoy the protection of the Central Government—would they have reacted this way?
No.
Absolutely not.
Nobles were thoroughly calculating creatures. They had judged that the Dmitry family was an opponent they could treat this way. Dmitry lacked the backing of the Central Government. Since any conflict would likely be confined to the Northeast region, they believed their collective strength was enough of a threat to hold Dmitry in check.
One against many.
Their sheer numbers gave them boundless confidence.
Watching them, Roman grew certain of his plan.
‘The local nobles, including those in the Northeast, have already become dogs of the Central Government. They are the kind of people who would thrust a blade at Dmitry's throat at any moment on the Central Government's orders. Therefore, whether we excise them completely or turn them into obedient dogs that follow our commands, we must present them with a clear choice.’
Therefore, Roman did not back down.
With a fierce expression, he stared straight at the hostile nobles.
"What do you all think you are doing right now?"
* * *
By all measures of common sense, this was not an issue that should have escalated so much.
Both the nobles of the Northeast Association and the unrelated nobles looked on with shocked faces.
Roman spoke.
"You all claim my words and actions are rude. Let me ask you directly: since when has it been acceptable in the Cairo Kingdom to lay hands on another noble's subjects? Viscount Conrad, the Dmitry peasants you targeted are my people. They reside in Dmitry, pay taxes to Dmitry, and pledge their loyalty to Dmitry. Yet, you laid hands on them without a single word of warning. And you dare utter the word 'rude' to me?"
It defied common sense.
When people are utterly dumbfounded, they lose their words.
Confronted with a statement that blew past any acceptable boundary, Viscount Conrad and the members of the Association were left speechless.
"The reason I am angry is because of how Viscount Conrad approached me with a smile even after doing such a thing. What kind of family do you think Dmitry is? Did you expect me to smile and chat with you after you laid hands on my people? If so, you were gravely mistaken. This matter has already been thoroughly discussed within the Dmitry family. I have been granted full authority over this issue by my father, and I have no intention of letting the Conrad family's actions slide."
"W-what do you mean by..."
Only then did the nobles, including Viscount Conrad, show signs of panic.
At first, they thought it was merely Roman acting out of youthful bravado, but they now realized they had walked right into a trap.
There was no turning back.
Even if they wanted to back down now to avoid the worst-case scenario, they had already raised their voices in front of a large crowd. It was a matter of pride. They knew all too well how bowing their heads to Dmitry, even just once, would make them look in the eyes of others.
They did not retreat.
Keeping their mouths shut, they stared straight back at Roman as if they were in the right.
That reaction was exactly what Roman had hoped for.
"I see you still have absolutely no intention of apologizing. Then let us do this. Right now, you are demonstrating that there is no issue with laying hands on people belonging to another family. From now on, the Dmitry family will do the exact same. If anyone who does not belong to Dmitry makes a mistake on Dmitry land, we will hold them accountable a hundredfold. It will certainly be a sight to behold. As far as I know, every single one of you censuring me right now trades with the Dmitry Trading Company. Let us see if you still call it an insignificant matter then."
It was checkmate.
A statement that backed his opponents completely into a corner.
Though they might not have realized it, this was a fight they could never win from the very beginning.
"Let us see this through to the end—to see who is right and who is wrong. Dmitry has no intention of backing down on this matter."
Now, truly, they had crossed the point of no return.
* * *
There are moments in life where you desperately want to avoid something, but the other party drags you into it anyway.
For Viscount Conrad, this was exactly one of those moments.
'Damn it.'
The Dmitry family.
The nobles rejected them.
Even though they knew Dmitry was strong enough to crush the Barco family and was one of the wealthiest houses in Cairo, they could not readily accept them due to the single fact of their commoner origins. The nobles of the Northeast were the type to smile and flatter them to their faces, only to curse Dmitry the moment they turned their backs.
However, even if they did not acknowledge them in their hearts, Dmitry's absolute power was not something to be taken lightly.
'If Roman's words become reality, we are the ones who will suffer. The Dmitry family might lose the favor of the Northeast nobles, but their actual power will choke the life out of us. Roman Dmitry... he isn't just a skilled swordsman; he's a sly fox. Knowing that this issue couldn't be resolved through dialogue, he is trying to crush us with sheer force.'
His eyes darted around.
He scanned the faces of the Association members for an answer, but none of them seemed to have a solution readily in mind.
In truth, everyone knew.
The Association was merely a fence built out of weakness.
If Dmitry, the predator, chose to tyrannize them, they would have no choice but to take it.
Yet, ‘we cannot simply fall to our knees.’
Yielding like this was out of the question.
To maintain their standing in the Northeast, they had to prove the Association's strength, even if they eventually reached a compromise.
It was then.
"This time, Viscount Conrad is indeed in the wrong."
It was an unexpected variable.
Viscount Lawrence.
Having quietly watched the situation unfold, he suddenly spoke up.
"Proper procedure is highly important when handling matters. These are people of the Dmitry family—how does it make any sense to harm them without a single word to their liege? I, too, would have been furious. Therefore, you should admit your mistake and apologize."
That was a development even Roman had not anticipated.
Viscount Lawrence had survived his family's greatest crisis thanks to Roman's help.
He still couldn't forget how everyone had turned a blind eye back then, even as he ran himself ragged begging for aid.
'The nobles who usually laughed and chatted with me didn't show a shred of warmth when we were pitted against Barco. The Northeast Association? It's all meaningless. From now on, Lawrence will live by following Dmitry. Even if problems arise because of it, Dmitry is far better than those untrustworthy bastards.'
He knew how to repay a debt of gratitude.
Though his words would make him enemies, Viscount Lawrence spoke with an unbothered expression.
The atmosphere shifted.
The first step is always the hardest.
Once Viscount Lawrence broke the ice, the pro-Dmitry faction aggressively chimed in.
"Lord Roman is correct in this matter. If a family's subject is harmed by another house, what noble could possibly laugh it off?"
"Apologize to Lord Roman this instant."
Viscount Conrad panicked.
This was not the picture he had envisioned.
He should have swayed the crowd to pressure Roman, but with the room split down the middle, he could no longer act rashly.
In the end...
"...I will be more careful in the future."
It was a step backward.
Swallowing his rage, he backed down and fled the banquet hall with a flushed face.
* * *
The incident was settled for now.
Viscount Conrad and the rest of the Northeast Association left the venue, leaving only the pro-Dmitry faction behind.
The atmosphere was warm and friendly.
The lines had already been drawn.
Since they had sided with Roman, they were now firmly entrenched in Dmitry's camp.
Viscount Lawrence spoke.
"Do not worry too much about the Northeast Association. If they try any funny business over this matter, the Lawrence family is prepared to do whatever it takes to help Dmitry. We have not forgotten the grace Lord Roman showed us during the war with Barco."
He spoke with deep respect.
As Roman's fame soared, Viscount Lawrence had come to accept Roman Dmitry as an equal.
Indeed, it was an amusing relationship.
At first, they had been entangled in a messy broken engagement, glaring at each other with flushed faces, but the unpredictable twists of life had ultimately drawn out Viscount Lawrence's loyalty. Flora was no different. His relationship with her had also smoothed over, though he hadn't heard any news of her since she left for the capital.
"Thank you. I will never forget what happened today."
It was mere lip service.
In truth, he had planned to handle this matter entirely on his own, but there was no reason to ruin the mood by revealing that.
The people who chose to stand by Dmitry had taken a risk.
They were worth rewarding. Roman deliberately remained at the party, building enough rapport with them to reassure them that their choice was correct. Perhaps because of this, the atmosphere of the party was even better than at the start. The nobles conversed with bright faces, and when the mood had fully ripened, Roman excused himself for a moment to meet with his father.
Baron Romero spoke.
"...Is it truly alright to handle things so drastically? While it is highly encouraging that many nobles took our side, the Northeast Association still boasts numbers we cannot ignore. They will absolutely not back down like this."
Baron Romero was filled with worry.
Roman's method had trampled upon the pride of the nobles.
Nobles were a breed that would risk their very lives for their pride, and he felt Roman had pushed them too far.
Roman spoke.
"Father, to establish the hierarchy clearly, the opponent must give their absolute all. Only when they clash with us in extreme rage and do their utmost, yet feel the utter helplessness of being unable to achieve anything, will they truly accept the gap between themselves and the Dmitry family. I do not believe the Northeast Association will back down like this either. In fact, that is exactly what I want. Only when they band together and desperately struggle to bring Dmitry down by any means necessary can my plan be complete."
Roman's prediction was correct.
At that very moment, the Northeast Association was gathering in one place.
For them, the humiliation suffered at the party was not something they could simply let slide.