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Volume 11 Chapter 5 Part 5

I wonder if we are going to be alright?

But then it probably is not anything related to me, because the they would not be stupid enough to make an emergency call for their armed forces to gather right in front of us if they were really planning to assemble their Knights against us, right?

If we were the cause of the emergency, then they would have arranged for them earlier if they intended to use them against us.

「Is everything alright?」

「I will explain the situation properly later. For the time being, follow me, please.」

The Duke leaves the room. Roxanne and Sherry look at me. They are both tilting their heads in puzzlement, so they probably don’t understand what is this all about either.
So, whatever is currently happening, it really is that incomprehensible, huh?

So much so that even Gozer didn’t get it.

Since there’s no helping it, we just follow the Duke.

There’s an uneasy feeling in my chest, but I am keep calming myself down by repeating that they would not be doing it so openly if they wanted to lay a trap for us, so we just have to wait for the Duke to explain everything to us.
The Duke proceeds to the dining room where we were having the dinner party during our last visit.

Are we really going to be having a dinner under such circumstances?

「Thank you for coming. I was waiting for you.」

Inside the room is Cassia, all dressed up.

For a Duchess her though, this may as well be a casual wear.

The dressed up Cassia looks so beautiful though. The not so dressed up Cassia must be even more beautiful.

The dinner has already been prepared. Beside her, there are other people inside the room as well.

「My apologies, but there is an urgent matter that requires Gozer to attend to it, so he will not be participating in the dinner. As for Lord Michio and I, we will be having dinner in the conference room, so send the meal for seven people over there, please.」

The Duke speaks to Cassia.

「Eh? Ah… okay.」

Cassia gets taken aback by the sudden news, but she recovers from her shock right after, and she proceeds to instruct the servants in the room accordingly.

Now that I think about it, Gozer recovered immediately from that news as well.

After living together with the Duke for so long, maybe they have developed nerves of steel?

There must be no end to the Duke’s capricious actions, so that is probably the case here. I feel like he might come up with one thing in the morning only to switch to another in the evening, so being around him must be great for training your mental fortitude.

「Sorry for all the commotion. This way.」

The Duke leads us to another room. It’s a conference room which is neither small nor large.

It will be just big enough for all of us to dine in it.

「Not at all.」

「We’ll be having dinner here, since I have various things that I need to explain to you.」

You could have explained them in the previous room, too, you know? It’s a mystery to me as to why you had to switch rooms just for that.

Now, all the dishes will have to be brought here all over again, and that’s worker abuse, Duke.

「Is this about all? If so, please leave.」

With all the dishes having been brought over, the Duke instructs the servants to leave us alone.

「Here are the drinks.」

「Thank you for your hard work.」

「Then, we will take our leave now.」

The servant who was carrying the pitcher with the drink in it bows and leaves the room as the last one.

Inside the room are the Duke, Cassia and us only.

「Here’s the drink. Please enjoy yourself, everyone. It’s just the herbal tea, so rest assured.」

「Okay.」

I take a seat. The tables in the room have been arranged into a u-shape, with the Duke and Cassia sitting at the middle table, Roxanne, Miria and myself on the one to then right and Vesta and Sherry sitting right across from us.

「Uhm, so can you tell me what is this about now?」

Sitting right next to the Duke, Cassia asks her husband the most important question. So Cassia herself is not privy to any information about this matter either.

「Sorry for the trouble, Cassia, but it was necessary.」

「Don’t tell me….is it about that?」

Or, is she now?

Cassia seems to have understood what was going on. The Duke nodded at her exaggeratedly in response.

「I am sorry.」

「No, you do not have to bel. I knew this day would come someday, so I had resolved myself long ago.」

Nonetheless, whatever is happening right now, it seems to be a shock to Cassia. Is it something that bad? Like… punishing the guests, perhaps?

When Cassia droops her head, the Duke turns toward us.

「There is a custom pertaining to this conference room. It says that once inside, no one is allowed to leave until the conference is over. In this case, it’s the dinner. That is why I hope you don’t intend to leave, before the dinner is over, Lord Michio, everyone.」

「Is there really such a custom?」

「It is for the purpose of ensuring that a decision is reached no matter what throughout the meeting.」

「I see.」

No one is to leave until a decision has been reached, huh? So it is like with the election of the pope or something?

I just hope it will not suddenly turn into some kind of test of endurance.

「Strategy meetings are conducted here, too, sometimes.」

「Strategy meetings?」

If no one is allowed to leave, that means that the information won’t leak outside until the meeting is over. It is a perfect setup for a strategy meeting.

「Before further explanation, let’s have dinner first? Are you fine with that as well, Cassia?」

「Yes.」

You really want us to eat? Oh well. After having come this far, there’s no point in being defiant without good reason.

「Everyone, let us do like the Duke suggests, please.」

I urged Roxanne and Sherry who were looking like they were perspicuously anxious. The reason as to why they are silent is because they cannot question the Duke ahead of me. Everyone aside from Miria that is, because she jumps at the fish right away, showing that she evidently does not care about it.

「Lord Michio, did you know that a noble may lose their title if they fail to subjugate a Labyrinth located in their territory?」

The Duke faces me and asks. That is a first time I am hearing about this.

「No, I was not aware of that.」

「If a Labyrinth or the monsters within it are allowed to run rampant, no one will be able to live in such a territory safely. Even if one ruler of such a territory holds the title of nobility, it would essentially be worthless at that point, so it is only natural for such a noble to be stripped of their title.」

When someone managed to subjugate a Labyrinth, they receive the title of nobility. By the same token, if someone is unable to subjugate a Labyrinth, that title can be taken away from them, huh?

It is a harsh system of reward and punishment. Or better yet, an extreme from of carrot and a stick.

「You are talking about the Earldom of Selmar.」

Cassia murmurs to herself.

The Earldom of Selmar. In other words, Cassia’s home. I have been there once before. Is it in danger? So the state of emergency has nothing to do with us or the Duke but the Earl of Selmar and his territory then.

「Ever since the current Earl came to power, not a single Labyrinth has been subjugated in his territory. At this point, he has not lost his nobility yet however, but he is on the verge of losing it along with everything he possesses.」

「Is the situation there that bad?」

「Currently, the elven titled nobility comprises a Duke, a Marquis and two Earls. Regardless of whether he loses his peerage or loses his nobility, as an elf, I cannot turn a blind eye to this situation. I can only apologize to you, because this matter has no relation whatsoever to you, Lord Michio.」

The elven titled nobility includes: the household of the Duke of Harz, the household of the Marquis, Cassia’s family – the Earl of Selmar, and one more Earl.