The Lord is Dead!
The Lord is dead! After taking care of the monsters without much trouble, I returned to the lord's mansion. Tavi freaked out when she saw me covered in blood.
"Y-Young Master! What in the world...!"
"I just fought some monsters, that's all."
I figured she'd at least praise me, but instead, Tavi glared at me fiercely.
"Are you out of your mind? What if you'd gotten hurt doing something so reckless!"
"Things looked short-staffed, so I figured I'd pitch in."
"But if you got hurt... Hoo! Never mind for now."
Tavi's reaction was weird. We weren't even close to begin with, and Ian wasn't the type to get this kind of worry from anyone.
"Is something going on?"
"The Lord... has passed away."
I stopped dead and turned to her.
"What? The Lord is dead?"
"They say a monster appeared while he was hunting in the forest. They managed to take it down amid the chaos, but..."
"The Lord died anyway?"
"He always went to that forest as a hobby with minimal guards. He hated having too many escorts watching him, even normally."
"Huh..."
My mind went blank for a moment. Of all people, the lord had to die.
Then what about my academy plans? My future? My life?!
I didn't feel sad since I'd never even met the guy, but the problem was he was the one sending me to the academy.
And with the succession structure, if the lord dies, the next lord is...
Naturally, it would be his son. That was me!
The thought of becoming the lord in this romance fantasy world where gates were turning everything to shit made my vision go dark.
"I'm sorry, but you don't have time to grieve. You'll have to step in as acting lord and handle things."
"...What exactly do I need to do?"
"First, assess the territory's damage and reassure the people. Everyone's in a panic from these sudden monsters."
Just hearing it made me sigh. Me, who planned to chill at the academy sucking on honey while waiting for the story to progress—how did it come to this?
"Wouldn't it be better if you or the vice-captain handled it? My reputation with the people is rock bottom."
"We can't replace the lord. We don't have the authority."
Tavi wasn't one to sugarcoat that Ian was up to the task, even as empty words. Unfair as it was, I knew it wasn't an impossible ask.
Right now, what the territory needed was the authority of a power holder and assurance that things would be okay.
Damn it. I'll patch things up just enough and toss this hot potato to someone else.
Just governing the territory was a headache. Do politics in a gate-ravaged crazy romance fantasy? Even with a knife to my throat, no way.
I immediately drafted and announced a public statement. Luckily, most of the monsters were already cleared, and the crisis was over.
To ease people's minds, I stationed soldiers all over the streets. I ordered the vice-captain and others to investigate, but forbade anyone from approaching the gates that had popped up everywhere.
They'd just charge in cluelessly and die pointless deaths.
I was probably the only one who knew about gates. I'd pretend to investigate and hand over the info appropriately.
"Good work, sir."
"Nah, the knights did the heavy lifting."
"...You gave a surprisingly good speech. The content was exactly what we needed right now."
I'd lived in the 21st century, after all. Even if flustered, I had that much street smarts.
"Announcing it covered in blood was effective too. It showed you'd fought the monsters yourself."
"That was because you didn't give me time to change."
"Ahem! Ahem! Things were so urgent."
Tavi blushed and cleared her throat lightly. Talking to her, she had some unexpectedly cute sides.
"By the way, I heard rumors you took down a ton of monsters. When did you even learn swordsmanship like that?"
"Self-taught a bit. Hope it holds up at the academy later."
"Self-taught to that level?"
"Guess I'm a sword genius."
Honestly, I still wasn't satisfied with my swordplay. Ian's body was trash since he never exercised. At least he had the height and frame going for him.
"But what's with those strange circles you banned entry to? Is it really a god's curse or something...?"
"...Gate."
"Pardon?"
"Monsters come out of them, right? Passage for monsters. That's why I call 'em gates."
"Gate... It's unfamiliar, but intuitive. I'll make the announcement."
Good thing I had a competent secretary like Tavi who picked up on it quick. If it was just me, it'd be twice as annoying.
"Then I'll guide you to where the Lord's body is. I'm sorry for pushing work on you when you're grieving your father's loss."
"Why are you apologizing for that? I did what needed doing."
"Pardon...?"
"I'm not just some noble—I'm the lord's blood. Prioritizing the territory and its people over family matters is obvious. We've got lives hanging in the balance."
"I... see."
Of course, I was the exception, suddenly isekai'd into this mess. Responsibility without pleasure—and for the whole territory? Too much.
I'll watch for an opening and bolt to the city.
But I can't skip seeing the body.
If the lord's son bailed without even handling his father's corpse, even the knights hunting me down would be justified. I didn't want to see it, but I'd check the body at least.
"He's here. By the time they brought him back..."
Tavi teared up as she pulled back the cloth covering the corpse. I saw the face of the old man I'd never met before. The lord, and Ian's father.
"Hmm?"
A sudden sense of déjà vu made me inspect the body closer.
...There's a head wound. That's the direct cause of death.
Confirming the wound, I judged immediately. It was so obvious, no need for more.
"Murder."
"...Pardon?"
"Someone bludgeoned him from behind with something hard. The dirt suggests a rock, probably."
"W-What are you saying? The Lord was killed by a monster..."
"All the monsters in the territory were wolf-like beasts. No bite marks from teeth, no claw scratches."
Even a kick from a beast would've crushed the skull first. Not this stamped-in wound. I'd learned bone-deep that monster-killed and human-killed bodies had different textures.
"Who brought the Lord's body back?"
"...Baron Michelin, who went hunting with him."
The guy mentioned in the original story. Easy name to remember—probably the author got lazy.
"What about the escorts who went with the Lord?"
"They all died fighting the monsters... You don't mean?!"
"High chance he silenced them too. If ambushed amid the monster chaos, no time to fight back."
Blunt trauma like from a weapon on the head. All escorts dead. Plenty of grounds for suspicion.
"I-If you're right, Young Master, we need to meet the knights first!"
"Why bother the busy knights?"
"Michelin has his own private soldiers. He'll use this chaos to seize the lordship!"
Oh, pulling that grateful-yet-stupid move?
If staging a coup, now's the time.
The original lord's dead, successor's a trashy punk. Normally, people and knights might think, "This ain't right?" But they'd go, "Better than that punk?"
If he killed the lord himself, he'd have planned for the aftermath.
Ah, but this might be bad for me.
He wouldn't leave the legitimate heir alone. Couldn't kill openly, but house arrest? Easy. Kill slow later or imprison. Once in power, no one cares about Ian-types.
Like Sejo with his nephew, right?
Wait, no. This might actually be good for me.
I wanted to dump this lord gig anyway. Him taking it off my hands?
Too perfect? Gates exploding, territory in chaos—he'll suffer in my place.
I fake exile and bolt to the academy. Once in the city far away, too busy to bother with me.
Of course, need minimal prep.
"We'll need military force. Will the knights back me?"
"Ah...!"
Even handing over the seat, I needed some power. No one negotiates with an easy kill. Had to show fighting me was a hassle.
"Acting Captain Hanson is a knight of principle. He won't serve the noble who killed the Lord."
"Perfect. Tavi, tell the vice-captain."
"And you, Young Master...?"
"I'll meet Michelin directly and settle this. Gotta make sure the baron gets my 'thoughts on the lordship' crystal clear."
Tavi smiled admiringly, getting it.
"A brilliant strategy. Understood. I'll request backup immediately."
Great secretary—nailed my intent.
Crowd would be embarrassing, so hand it over one-on-one, grab cash, and bounce.
To minimize knight casualties, using himself as bait! Such resolve!
Tavi dashed off. Confirming, I turned.
"Alright, time to negotiate."
Where would the guy who killed the lord and wants his seat go? Obvious to me.
Has the crisis made him cool-headed? Young Master has changed beyond recognition.
The punk I'd pegged as a wastrel—his back evoked the late Lord's dignity. Thinking that, Tavi hurried to the knights.
"Hanson! Big trouble!"
"Secretary? What brings you here...?"
His face hardened gravely as she explained.
"So that's what happened."
Already dire, now the worst. Lord Armeyna was respected by all. When unity was needed, blinded by power lust to kill him? The ugly noble greed amid deaths made her nauseous.
"To arrest a baron with private troops, we need the knights' help. Will you?"
"Of course. We swore our swords to the Lord."
Tavi sighed in relief. With the territory's strongest force on board, one worry down.
"Shall we arrest Baron Michelin now?"
"Young Master Ian said he'd talk to the baron."
"Talk to his father's killer?"
"Ridiculous, obviously. Lure him alone under pretense of talk, then grab him."
"Why risk himself like that...?"
Tavi shook her head.
"The territory's still chaotic, monsters could pop anytime. Knight vs. private army clash now? Disaster. Young Master knew that."
"Heavens! Prioritizing the territory's future over his own life at stake!"
Ian's image rushing to save people was etched deep in Hanson's mind, erasing all past bad impressions.
"But we can't predict what a murderer will do. Hurry."
"Got it! Let's go!"
Hanson grabbed a few knights and followed Tavi. He didn't know Ian or Michelin well, but in this mess, the noble grabbing power after killing the lord seemed less fitting than Ian, who'd rushed to rescue folks himself.