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Vol 02 Chapter 62: Schemes I

The story goes back a little in time.

The conference regarding the envoy’s dispatch to the Equus tribe proceeded smoother than expected. The reason was that Rigal Dibel did not oppose it much.

From his perspective, there was no reason to trade with barbarians, but there was also no reason to obstruct it. In short, he was not interested.

After it was confirmed to send the first envoy to the Equus tribe, Almus hurried back to his territory and began preparing for war.

For this war, in addition to the eight hundred soldiers gathered through recruitment, about twelve hundred soldiers were gathered through conscription, making a total of two thousand.

This amounted to six to seven percent of the population.

The plan was not to let the war drag on for more than twenty days, but it was still a heavy burden for the territory and its residents. The people of Aris territory were aware that they lived near the border with King Domorgal’s Country, and since Almus, the current lord, was governing well, there should not be much backlash.

The finances of Aris territory were also stable thanks to the industries of salt and paper.

The only real problem left was the quality of the conscripted soldiers. Therefore upon returning, Almus immediately made it mandatory for the residents to participate in military training.

Groups from ten to twenty villages were required to convene once a week for training. It wasn’t that much of a burden for the residents.

If they had to leave their farmland only once a week, the land wouldn’t be neglected and the crops wouldn’t suffer. The training also worked to instill camaraderie into the residents of different villages, and it also helped with another goal, to instill a sense of crisis in the residents.

Aside from gathering troops, there were still many things to be done. First, Almus ordered Ismene, Akira, and Lulu to further reinforce and inspect the fortress at the border. It was necessary to reinforce the defenses as much as possible.

In essence, Almus ordered Lulu to lay as many physical barriers as possible, and Ismene to reinforce everything else she could think of, Akira went as Ismene’s aid. Almus expected they would be able to make the fortress even more robust than before. Additionally, Almus started developing new defensive weapons with Tetra.

Soyon, accompanied by a magician employed by King Rosais, was tasked with surveying King Domorgal’s Country terrain. They used owls at midnight, so they wouldn’t be easily detectable.

Almus expected that King Domorgal was doing night survey on King Rosais’ Country as well.

Ron, Roswald, and Gram were in charge of training the troops.

As for Iarl…

◇

Iarl was away from Aris territory, staying in Dibel territory.

He was posing as a traveling merchant, accompanied by a few of his subordinates.

About ten years ago, when Ron and the others were children, currency was hardly in circulation. However, over the past decade, the Adernian peninsula swiftly transitioned to a monetary economy.

This was mainly due to the increased activity of the Kirisian merchants and the discovery of rock salt mines in various parts of the Adernian peninsula. With their newfound wealth, the Adernian peninsula’s kings, lords, and patricians pursued foreign luxuries and, admiring Kirisian culture, began learning the Kirisian language.

With the expansion of currency, traveling merchants multiplied, and they began to become a common sight, even in Dibel territory.

Although most merchants mainly headed towards Aris territory, there were still some who went to Dibel territory.

Iarl started by doing business like a normal merchant and focused on gathering information.

It’s not particularly suspicious for a merchant to gather information. Iarl collected bits of information about Dibel territory from other merchants and the local peasants.

Thanks to his efforts, the power dynamics within the Dibel family were revealed.

The structure was as expected: relatives vs. non-relatives. The head of the relatives was Gilbert, and the leader of the non-relatives was Belmet.

Belmet had taken a long time to gather a number of capable individuals.

Despite all its faults, the Dibel Family had been the most influential in King Rosais’ Country until the Aris Family began to rebuild.

With King Rosais, the Rosais Family patriarch, ill and without a clear successor, the family appeared to lack future prospects. That’s why many talented individuals had been flocking to Dibel territory.

Belmet capitalized on this situation, recruiting these individuals and offering them positions.

Even though the blood relatives monopolized all the important positions, there were still some less important posts that could be given to outside personnel. Moreover, if Rigal Dibel became king, there was a real possibility that opportunities to get important posts would come their way.

This was because there weren’t that many blood-related relatives available for key positions. Plus, if Belmet won the power struggle inside the Family, the members of his faction would secure important positions in King Rosais’ Country’s government or even become a lord.

However, even counting all of that, a lot of the non-related vassals were dissatisfied with the treatment they received, and not all of them felt a deep sense of gratitude toward Belmet.

Feeling undervalued, many were open to the idea of shifting their allegiance to another lord. Iarl targeted such individuals.

◇

March.

Iarl was visiting a man living in Dibel territory.

「Ah, if it isn’t Iarl-san. Please, come in.」

A professional soldier working for the Dibel Family, the principale1 Josef, welcomed the merchant Iarl into his home.

Josef lived off the wheat stipend from the Dibel Family. However, people cannot live on wheat alone.

So, Josef sold the wheat to buy vegetables, meat, and alcohol, but… for some reason, the price of wheat had been low recently. The harvest was supposed to be the same as always, so it was a mystery.

Unknown to Josef, his current troubles were Almus’ fault. The wheat Almus paid as compensation for the refugee incident had driven down the wheat’s market price in Dibel territory.

Returning to the story, the low wheat prices had made Josef’s life difficult.

That’s when Iarl appeared. Iarl sold vegetables and other goods at very low prices. Soon, Iarl and Josef became good friends.

「I can’t stand this anymore,」

Over drinks, Josef poured out his frustrations to Iarl.

His complaint was solely about his abilities not being recognized.

Josef was skilled with the sword and spear, and he had defeated many enemies when battling against King Ferme, although the battle ended in a defeat, Josef truly had done meritorious deeds.

Impressed by his prowess, Belmet invited Josef to join Dibel’s army. As a principale, he was excellent and respected by his peers.

But he couldn’t become a centurion. All the centurion positions were monopolized by Rigal Dibel’s relatives and other blood connections.

Of course, Josef was grateful to Belmet. However, gratitude alone doesn’t put food on the table.

He wondered why he, being so competent, had to struggle to make ends meet.

Observing Josef’s disillusionment, Iarl deemed it the perfect moment to extend his offer.

「Why don’t you come work for the Aris territory? I guarantee you a position as a centurion. Your salary will be ten times what it is now, and we’ll provide a house for you.」

「Haha, that sounds good… huh?」

Josef asked in disbelief. Iarl smiled knowingly.

「My name is Iarl. I’m actually an agent under Lord Almus Aris, though I’m posing as a traveling merchant at the moment.」

Iarl introduced himself.

「Haha, so you’ve been deceiving me all this time.」

「I had to do it to understand your situation. So, what will you do?」

Josef was deeply shaken, yet…

「…With Rigal Dibel being the prime candidate for the throne, it seems rash to abandon the likely victor. Plus, I have a debt of gratitude to Belmet-sama…」

「Debt? Do you really have such a thing? You are forced to live in poverty now, isn’t that partly due to Belmet-dono? Did he help improve your living conditions? You even said you would have been in debt if I hadn’t been here. Besides, Rigal Dibel’s succession to the throne is not yet decided. Haven’t you heard the recent rumors? Rigal Dibel’s position is less than ideal.」

Iarl pressed on. Currently, rumors were being spread by King Rosais’ relatives, there were mainly two rumors.

One rumor positioned Raymond Rosais, the king’s brother, as the next monarch—a plausible claim given his lineage.

The second rumor was about Almus Aris being chosen as the commander-in-chief for the war against King Domorgal, which was the truth. The Dibel army’s recent humiliating defeat against the Aris army was still fresh in people’s minds.

These rumors were highly credible—of course, they were mostly true.

「My lord, Almus-sama, is young with a promising future. There are rumors he will be the commander-in-chief in the next battle. Almus-sama is also close to King Rosais. Plus, he is in dire need of talented individuals. Almus-sama has no family, so there are plenty of opportunities for you to rise.」

This was true as well, the Aris army was short on battlefield commanders. While there were thirty tax officers capable of both fighting and accounting, they couldn’t all be taken to the battlefield as it would hinder territorial management. Some had to be allocated as Almus’s direct guards too.

Considering this, the Aris Army was in need of four or five centurion-level commanders.

After much deliberation, Josef asked Iarl for time.

「Could you give me three days?」

「Of course. I will wait for you at the residence in Aris territory.」

With a knowing smile, Iarl departed.

◇

Next, Iarl visited another house, where the homeowner welcomed him.

「Please, come in.」

The homeowner’s name was Dola. She was a magician skilled in using dogs.

「I’ll take the usual drink along with some herbs, please.」

「Thank you. This is a big help.」

Dola paid for Iarl’s goods with wheat.

Following their casual exchange, Dola shifted the conversation to a more serious topic.

「There’s something I want to consult with you about.」

「What’s the matter?」

「I’ve been proposed to by someone from the Dibel Family.」

Of course, Iarl knew about it already. It was well-known among the magicians serving the Dibel family. In fact, that’s why Iarl had approached her.

Iarl also knew why she was troubled, but he pretended not to know and responded.

「That’s great, isn’t it? Marrying into wealth.」

「It’s not good at all!!」

Dola raised her voice in frustration.

「That man, his appearance is… well, you know. And he’s fifty years old… Not at all my type. Besides, he already has five wives and ten sex slaves.」

Magicians have high pride. This was due to their unique magical abilities, which afforded them far more privileges than ordinary male retainers.

They earned a high salary and didn’t struggle with their living expenses.

Thus, they didn’t find any need to chase after wealthy men, especially not a lecher with numerous wives.

Being treated the same as a non-magician woman, as a normal wife was intolerable for them. That was how Dola felt.

If the suitor had been incredibly handsome or of very high status, she might have considered it. But the man who proposed to her wasn’t the least bit attractive and his status was nothing special.

The name value of being a blood relative of the Dibel family only carried weight within the domains of the Dibel Family and the patricians associated with it in King Rosais’ Country. She wasn’t so desperate for a man that she would marry a small fish in a small pond.

「But in this Dibel territory, opposing the Dibel family can make your life very hard, I could even lose my job… And I can’t really rely on Belmet-sama. Do you know of any good employment opportunities, Iarl-san? Since you’re a traveling merchant, I thought you might know.」

「Yes, I do know.」

◇

Iarl visited a third home.

The man residing here, a quarter Kirisian, was not only proficient in the Kirisian language but also skilled in calculations, marking him as a highly capable individual.

「Iarl-san, I’m sorry… Could you please wait another month? I will definitely repay you.」

The man, Amerigo, was living a life of extreme poverty. Many patricians admired Kirisian culture and recognized the importance of literacy.

However, not all were aware. In the Adernian peninsula, plagued by frequent skirmishes and constant threats from bears and wolves, physical prowess was valued above all.

In contrast, Intellectual pursuits like scholarship, which didn’t give benefits as easily seen, were often undervalued. The Dibel Family was especially disdainful of pursuits other than physical might.

While Belmet recognized Amerigo’s talents and offered him a job, his life remained difficult due to his low salary.

Part of the problem was Amerigo’s large family: an elderly grandmother who was too old to work, a wife, and six children, making a total of nine members to support on his income.

Supporting nine people on Amerigo’s salary was challenging, to say the least. The children were too young to earn their keep, and sending them to work was risky.

One might think Amerigo could seek employment outside Dibel territory, but jobs were scarce elsewhere.

In the first place, there was no real bureaucracy in the Adernian peninsula. Only Almus was doing the incredibly tedious process of creating a registry of its population, land surveys, and precise tax collection.

Even the patricians who recognized the importance of literacy thought having one or two people who could use Kirisian language was sufficient.

Moreover, few dared to hire someone associated with the Dibel family, fearing retribution.

「I’m sorry but I can’t wait anymore. I’m not lending money out of charity.」

Iarl said with a troubled tone.

Amerigo, desperate, implored him,

「Please, I beg you!」

「I would like to say no, but…」

Iarl smiled, revealing an opportunity.

「There’s an opportunity at hand that could not only clear your debt but also multiply your salary manifold. Interested in hearing more?」

In this manner, Iarl successfully recruited three talents.

TN: “Principales” were the non-commissioned officers of the Roman army (even before the Legions existed) they were under the centurions and their work was similar to a sergeant today.