Johan Miyatro (3)
Johan Miyatro (3)
There was not a trace of affection or joy in the first meeting between father and son.
Only an awkward air was flowing.
In the uncomfortable atmosphere, the middle-aged head maid made a suggestion.
“The baron has prepared a banquet for Young Master Johan. Let us move to the dining hall first.”
“I appreciate the hospitality. A banquet, you say. I look forward to it.”
At Johan’s response, the head maid spoke with an expressionless face.
“There is no need to speak formally to us servants. Please speak comfortably from now on.”
Johan was the successor of the baron family.
It was not a publicly declared status, but everyone in the castle had sensed it.
The timing of Johan’s appearance was too convenient.
Raguel, having become disabled, had no right of succession, and the baron’s younger brother had been continually pressuring the territory.
The baron, driven to the edge, had no choice but to make a decision.
Better to establish a bastard as the heir than to have the family taken by his brother.
After all, even if he was lowborn, the bastard was still of his own blood, unlike his enemy brother.
That was what everyone in the castle assumed.
Johan nodded.
“So I shall. I will speak informally from now on.”
For a child who had lived as a commoner, his attitude was unhesitant. It seemed natural for him to treat subordinates as subordinates.
The baron’s knight let out a hollow laugh and spoke to Gaf.
“He’s already acting like the master. Amusing fellow.”
“That’s the kind he is. Always composed.”
Gaf had never seen Johan flustered or shaken even once.
He was always filled with confidence, as if he were in control of every situation.
This time was no different.
It had not even been five minutes since entering the lord’s castle, and Johan was without a hint of hesitation.
“Lead the way. I am hungry.”
The head maid blinked before bowing her head.
“P-please, this way.”
Everyone left the corridor and headed for the dining hall.
A mouth-watering aroma was drifting in the air. Various dishes were filling the table.
When the baron sat at the head of the table, Johan took a seat diagonally beside him.
The knight, treasurer, administrator, and priest also took their seats.
Gaf’s seat was at the far end.
The maids and palace girls could not sit at the central table.
They headed toward the separate tables prepared on the left and right sides.
No one picked up their utensils first. Although everyone wanted to grab food immediately, all eyes were on the baron.
The meal would begin only with his permission.
The baron glanced nervously at Johan.
“My son says he is hungry. Let us eat first before we begin. Everyone, take up your utensils.”
The moment he grabbed his fork, Johan opened his mouth.
“Before we eat, I have several proposals to make.”
“…What is it?”
“First, send the palace girls back to their homes.”
All eyes widened. The matter of the palace girls was an area that was not to be touched.
Bringing it up was equivalent to challenging the baron.
Johan had crossed the line.
No matter if he was the successor, he was still merely a young bastard.
The administrator, flustered, adjusted his glasses and spoke.
“That is impossible.”
“So you are the one in charge of conscription. Explain why it is impossible.”
“T-that is…”
As the administrator trailed off, the baron’s knight smirked and intervened.
“It seems the young master who has arrived today finds those girls pitiful.”
He pointed toward the left table.
Small, frail girls were looking down with frightened expressions.
“You are still young, so I will understand. Also, your education must have been brief, so allow me to say a word.”
With a conceited expression, the knight added,
“Just as status, appearance, and gender differ, so do ways of living. Farmers tend to crops, knights serve their lord. They continue their lives by fulfilling their duties with pride. And what of the palace girls?”
The knight looked at the girls.
“You girls, answer. When are you happiest?”
The palace girls answered in chorus.
—The baron’s joy is our happiness.
There was not a hint of tremor in their voices or tones. They were like emotionless machines.
The knight smiled with satisfaction.
“Did you hear that? They find pride in serving their master. There is no need to see them as pitiful.”
“You misunderstand the point. I have no interest in whether they are happy or unhappy. I simply wish to ask about practicality.”
Johan looked at the middle-aged bald man sitting next to him.
“Treasurer, how much is spent each month on the palace girls’ lodging and meals?”
“…About eight pieces of Casillian silver coins.”
Johan turned his gaze back to the knight.
“That is enough to purchase twenty iron swords.”
Chapters related to currency often appeared in the novel Human Demon Chronicle. As an avid reader, Johan was inevitably familiar with currency values.
“Is that expenditure worth it?”
The knight wiped the smile off his face. He had intended to suppress the bastard’s spirit, but it was not so easy.
“Value depends on how one perceives it. Do you know how much a saintess’s handkerchief is traded for on the black market? You would be surprised if you heard the price. Though it is nothing more than a used rag, to some, it is as valuable as a lump of gold.”
Johan let out a brief laugh.
“Rather than giving sound advice, you defend your lord’s mistakes by citing irreverent examples. At a time when even saving a single coin to prepare military funds is not enough, why waste time and money on such personal matters? Are you perhaps trying to blind and deafen my father?”
The knight’s brow furrowed deeply.
“What nonsense are you spouting?”
“A warlike atmosphere hangs over the territory. Unless there is another scheme, it is impossible for a knight like you to remain so complacent.”
The knight slammed the table.
“You speak of schemes!”
Johan lifted the corners of his mouth.
“I am saying not to act in a way that invites suspicion. Those who deceive their master with sophistry are usually flatterers or traitors.”
The knight trembled violently, like a volcano on the verge of eruption.
All the servants could not hide their astonishment.
A ten-year-old boy was shaking up the prideful knight.
Johan’s words were cold and ruthless, regardless of his age.
Like a dagger.
It was chilling at first glance, but seen differently, it was a sign of the qualities of a family head.
“That is an unforgivable insult! Calling me a traitor!”
“Depending on your actions, evaluations can change at any time. First, let us rectify the matter of the palace girls.”
Johan looked at the baron.
“I would like to hear your thoughts, Father. Will you continue to throw away eight silver coins into the trash every month?”
All eyes turned toward the head of the table.
Normally, the baron would have scolded him first, but today, he did not even seem to have the strength to get angry.
Cold sweat was dripping down his face.
“Please answer me, Father.”
The baron forced an awkward smile.
“Regarding that matter…”
Johan’s expression suddenly darkened. He stared directly at the baron.
“Yes?”
The baron flinched. Memories from the previous night crawled up in his mind.
“Y-you are right. I will send the palace girls back to their homes.”
Surprised gasps erupted everywhere. Everyone was shocked. For the baron, who was filled with possessiveness and obsession, to give up his toys so easily was unthinkable.
Johan looked at the administrator.
“Handle it as soon as possible.”
The administrator adjusted his glasses and replied.
“Understood. I will send them all home within this month.”
The palace girls froze like ice. Their long-cherished wish had come true, yet no tears of joy flowed. It did not feel real.
“Really…”
“C-can we really go home?”
Johan nodded.
“Go back and live happily. Forget everything that happened here.”
The palace girls looked at Johan as if he were the Great Saint. To them, he was like a savior.
For Gaf, who knew Johan’s true nature, it was bewildering. The grateful gazes directed at a demon brought him a strange sense of dissonance.
Johan let out a short laugh toward Gaf.
“You’re making a stupid face.”
Gaf quickly fixed his expression. Returning to his usual blunt appearance, he spoke stiffly.
“…The food will get cold. Let us begin the meal.”
Johan shook his head.
“I still have a few more proposals.”
The knight ground his teeth.
“What more do you want?”
“It is about my uncle.”
The baron’s younger brother and Raguel’s uncle. Krill Miyatro was persistently eyeing the family.
To Johan, he was a significant obstacle. To swallow the baron family, Krill needed to be dealt with first.
Johan looked at the baron.
“I would like to meet my uncle. Please invite him to the castle.”
The knight let out a scornful laugh.
“Are you planning to kill him after calling him here? Perhaps you do not know since you have lived as a commoner, but the ways of us nobles are not so simple. If you kill a guest you invited, not only will you be expelled from politics, but you will also make enemies of every family in the kingdom.”
Johan spoke with an expressionless face.
“I have no intention of killing my uncle.”
The baron looked at him with a puzzled expression.
“Then why do you wish for me to call Krill?”
“He is family, and we are family. To cross swords without even a conversation would be against propriety.”
“He is not one who will listen to reason. I know him well.”
“Please trust and leave it to me. At the very least, there will be no blood spilled on our side.”
Gaf felt a sense of discomfort at Johan’s words.
‘At the very least, no blood will be spilled on our side?’
In other words, it meant that the opponent might bleed.
Johan might truly call Krill and kill him.
The half-demon before him was an unpredictable being.
“Father?”
The baron swallowed uncomfortably but, in the end, could not refuse what was essentially Johan’s order.
“…Very well, I will send a letter.”
All the servants looked back and forth between the baron and Johan with puzzled expressions.
Aside from Illea, there was no one who could manipulate the baron to such an extent.
Was the bastard that special to him? This was a father who was harsh even to his legitimate children.
No one could understand the baron’s actions.
Johan spoke.
“Lastly, I would like to inspect the grain ledgers and tax records.”
The treasurer flinched and looked at the knight.
The knight crossed his arms and spoke.
“For what reason?”
“Does one need a reason to check the financial status of the family?”
It was something he should naturally review as the successor.
“Treasurer, prepare the documents by tonight and bring them.”
The middle-aged bald man scratched the top of his head.
“I-I will do so.”
Johan looked at the knight.
“If there is something you are hiding, you can confess now.”
“Ha!”
The knight’s eyes burned with pride and hostility.
Johan lifted the corners of his mouth.
“I spoke too long in front of the food. That is all for the proposals.”
Three matters in total. The palace girls, the uncle, and the financial situation were placed on the table. If handled well, it would be possible to swallow the territory in an instant.
“Now, let us begin the meal. I look forward to working with you all.”
As Johan picked up his spoon, everyone in the dining hall lifted their utensils.
Everyone waited for Johan to take the first bite.
Even the baron was glancing at Johan for permission.
“Please enjoy the meal.”
Johan brought the soup to his mouth.
Only then did the banquet begin.