A Visit Home (1)

While Father made his preparations for departure, I brought up the subject of the blueprints I'd commissioned from Uncle Luka. After all, the whole reason this affair had started was the distillation apparatus meant for making the elixir.

"Done."

Luka had whipped the still together in just two days—and it was a far more upgraded version than the one on my drafts. An astonishing display of skill, entirely befitting the title of Master Blacksmith.

And then, before he could even be introduced to the Order, he'd vanished off to somewhere. All Lily could relay was a single message: there are a few debts I need to collect.

I had no idea what he was really up to. I could only guess he'd begun the work of restoring the Rain family to its former glory.

The moment Father marched out to war, I became acting lord of the territory, automatically.

Unprecedented, you might say—but history had seen this before in the Esterzy line. There had been plenty of cases where a boy in his teens inherited the Duchy. It was what tended to happen when a previous Duke died too young.

What made my case a bit unusual was that I'd been handed the seat despite having two older brothers above me... In every comparable episode in our history, that arrangement had a way of ending in a bloody fratricidal catastrophe.

Surely history won't repeat itself. Humanity is a species that progresses, after all.

For now, I decided not to worry about my brothers' opinions of me. Father had asked me to see to what came after, so I intended to do my very best with the duties given me.

The first thing I did as acting lord was...

"Young Lord Iden."

It was less than half a day after I'd relocated to Father's office when a young attendant announced a visitor.

"Chief Judge Ollite of the High Court requests an audience."

"Show him in."

"Yes, my lord."

A short while later, an elderly man in judicial robes appeared. The old man bowed to me with impeccable dignity.

"Ollite, Chief Judge of the High Court. I have the honor of meeting you, Young Lord Iden."

"A pleasure, Ollite."

I gave him a warm smile.

He might not remember. Five years ago, when I'd been earning pocket money at the market, he had done me a favor at Colin's request.

"I know you must be busy. What business do you have with me?"

"I requested this audience on account of trial proceedings, my lord. The most important trial in the Duchy is about to reach its verdict."

"The most important trial in the Duchy, you say?"

"Perhaps you would look at this first."

He handed me a thick bundle of documents with his wrinkled hands. I unfolded the first page and read.

The court records described in meticulous detail the crimes that Ravenshade—Chris's merchant guild—had committed over the span of years. There was so much supporting material attached to each charge that reviewing all of it would have taken me a sleepless night and then some.

"Diligent fellow, isn't he."

Ollite gave a wry smile.

"As you no doubt know, Ravenshade is a guild founded on the investments of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠countless nobles who support Prince Chris."

Oh, I know it well enough.

Nobles maintain themselves on the taxes they collect from their fiefs. But neither Chris nor I had been granted titles, and thus neither of us had a fief.

Which meant we had no choice but to stake our lives on running trade guilds—and Chris, so certain that the Dukedom would be his, had committed flagrant illegality without a second thought.

"Legally speaking, the verdict should not be difficult. The evidence is quite unambiguous. However, I am merely a vassal of His Grace the Duke. My authority does not extend to trying Prince Chris, the rightful heir of House Esterzy."

"If the Chief Judge can't try the case, then who does?"

"His Grace the Duke himself."

Ollite paused.

"But His Grace has departed for the front, so the matter now falls to you, Young Lord Iden, as acting lord of the territory."

"...Hm."

I stroked my chin and mulled it over.

Somehow, my very first duty as acting lord seemed considerably weightier than expected. I hadn't even figured out how this whole world worked yet.

"Was the Quercus guild... Mabel's guild, ever on the docket?"

"That case was closed."

"How?"

"Cleared of all charges. The matter was settled while Lady Mabel was acting lord."

I see. So that's how things work around here.

"Then, speaking as Chief Judge—if you were to advise me?"

"I hardly occupy a position from which I might presume to advise you, my lord..."

"But you must have an opinion. You've clearly investigated all this with great care."

"My opinion ought not to influence your judgment... but if I must speak."

Ollite cleared his throat noisily.

"Letting it pass quietly is one option. Ravenshade involves many highly noble personages, and the scale of its capital is vast. Applying the law to the letter risks considerable upheaval."

"Meaning I should look the other way?"

"That is the customary practice. Prince Mabel's trial concluded in precisely that fashion."

Understood. I could either follow convention or spark a war of succession. A simple choice, really.

"When is the trial?"

"In two days' time."

"Fine. Let's meet again in two days."

Hardly had the Chief Judge departed when Opils, the Treasurer, arrived in turn.

"I've brought every document you requested."

Papers piled up in tidy layers across the office desk. What I'd ordered was a set of documents concerning the Duchy's financial indicators.

"..."

I pored over the material for a long while, consulting Opils whenever I hit a passage I couldn't make sense of.

Having reviewed every last document, I reached a single conclusion.

"The moment this war ends, the Duchy is going to be in dire straits."

"Yes."

Opils nodded.

"Funds are not lacking. But the structure itself is deformed."

Long famine, endless war... the Duchy had suffered so many misfortunes it was a wonder it functioned at all. If not for the monster materials flowing in from the front lines, a revolt might well have broken out.

"We need a more stable source of income."

"His Grace has labored at that problem for years, but no promising solution presented itself. This land simply is not suited to farming."

Fair enough, actually. There were reasonably open fields around the holy city, enough that I'd thought the people could scrape by—but my thinking had changed after seeing the vast grain belts of the central continent.

"Good work. I'll call on you if I need more."

"I'm glad to be of service."

Opils was a bureaucrat through and through. For a conversation about future revenue, I needed someone else entirely.

I summoned the attendant with a flick of my eyes.

"Send word to the president of the Gray Guild that I request his presence at the castle."

Caroi had said it, hadn't he? A ruler is not the one who makes money himself, but the one who commands those who know how.

A short while later, Lucian appeared, his face all but splitting with smiles.

"You look cheerful, Lucian."

"Thanks to your illusion magic, my lord, I've been sleeping like a babe these days."

"Glad to hear it. Seems the deal was to your satisfaction."

"And yourself, my lord? Was my information of use?"

"Hmm, what do you think?"

I probed him. No matter how sharp his instincts, surely he hadn't guessed that I'd taken the head of Count Grayscale too.

Lucian pretended to deliberate, drawing out the pause.

"I saw you return with Master Luka. But I assume that wasn't the extent of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it. I hear you crossed into the Demonic Realm—and seeing as His Grace entrusted you with weighty responsibility without hesitation, that must mean your gains there were not inconsiderable."

"Correct."

"And... judging by how quickly His Grace departed for Stormrock, something major must have occurred at the front. There's been no news of a demon attack, so it seems he intends to push past the fortress..."

Lucian let the sentence trail off. I found myself tensing up along with him.

"...Don't tell me you killed Count Grayscale?"

"Absurd."

I couldn't hide my alarm.

"How could anyone guess that sitting at a desk?"

He looked at my expression and laughed brightly.

"You remember the rule, my lord—we do not apply common sense where you are concerned."

"Even so, there are limits."

"That is precisely my point."

The smile drained from Lucian's face.

"Neither the demons nor the humans will take this lightly. A great many things are about to change."

The attendant came in and set down a cup of tea before each of us. Lucian pulled his chair close and leaned in.

"I'm curious why you summoned me."

"I was wondering if there was some venture that could earn us a great deal ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of money."

"If you shatter Ravenshade in that courtroom, the Gray Guild's operating territory will widen considerably."

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that. You're an interested party."

"In truth, so are you, my lord."

Lucian smiled.

"It isn't me who needs the money, it's Father. The Duchy needs a stable source of income worthy of the name. The territory ought to sustain itself without knights having to spill blood for it, no?"

"So you've resolved to stamp your mark firmly as the heir while you're at it."

"Nothing so impure as that. I simply watched the noble parasitas of our esteemed system eating and living fat without a shred of gratitude for us, and my stomach turned."

"That is also an impure motive, my lord."

"So—any suitable business ventures?"

"None."

Lucian answered without a beat of hesitation.

"There is no money left to be squeezed from this land. Not as far as I know."

I couldn't hide my disappointment. Where money was concerned, if it wasn't him, it was nobody.

"What about underground? Ashford has plenty of iron mines. Maybe that's why the barony seemed rather lively, despite its rank."

"There are a few ore deposits in His Grace's direct holdings, but their yield is too poor to be worth mining."

Granted. The family had held this land for how many years now? If there were profitable veins, they'd have found them long ago.

"Speaking of ore deposits, it reminds me of something... though it may be nothing but chasing clouds."

"Say it anyway. Anything."

"That pet lizard of yours, my lord."

"Pip?"

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Ruby lifted her head from my shoulder in response.

"I've wondered about her for some time. The habitat of the Magma Dragon is said to lie above the treasures of the Underworld. Doomsteel, Oradium—that sort of thing."

Lucian said it while fixing Ruby with a steady gaze.

"I wonder—might that lizard remember where she came from?"

That was the moment. Ruby jerked her head sharply away from Lucian's gaze.

"Ruby?"

The little creature wouldn't even meet my eyes.

"Piiik?!"

I plucked Ruby off my shoulder and brought her right up to my nose.

"About time you started earning your keep, don't you think?"