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Chapter 128: Postwar Settlement part 2

 

Baron Volker Herring, who had been summoned next, was shaking like a leaf.

His wife was a relative of the Prime Minister. Now that Marquis Burke, the former Prime Minister, had been defeated, being dragged before Lord Corinth—the new ruler—could only mean he was about to be executed along with the rest of Burke’s kin.

Baron Herring had marched because he had been summoned to the Prime Minister’s forces. When Lord Corinth launched his swift strike on the main camp, his display of skill had been so overwhelming that Herring abandoned any thought of resistance and surrendered at once, barely preserving his life.

But now that he’d been summoned, his time was surely up.

He wasn’t a stranger to Lord Corinth. He had surrendered quickly precisely because he had hoped, at risk of his life, to bargain for at least his wife’s.

「My lord, I’ve brought Lord Herring.」

To his surprise, the room they showed him into was a fine one at the back of the residence.

Seeing that, Lord Herring relaxed a fraction. It didn’t look like Lord Corinth meant to cut him down on the spot. Surely he wouldn’t dirty such fine furnishings with Herring’s blood.

「Well now, Lord Herring. You look in good health.」

Lord Herring went down on both hands and knees, prostrating himself.

「My lord. On behalf of Marquis Burke and the disgrace he has brought upon us, allow me to apologize again and again. I had no choice but to obey his summons and take the field. I never meant to raise my hand against you. I did not wound any of your men and surrendered as quickly as I could. I do not care what becomes of me. But please—spare my wife’s life.」

Lord Corinth regarded his face in mild surprise, then smiled.

「Lord Herring, there’s no way I would harm my benefactor. We’re friends, aren’t we?」

「Friends… You would still call me your friend? Yes, that’s right. I have always tried to be worthy of being your friend, my lord.」

「I have a favor to ask you, precisely because I see you that way.」

「Wh-whatever you command, my lord.」

「Marquis Villis Burke has been executed by Lord Leister.」

So it was true, then. Herring had assumed the opposing commander, Marquis Burke, could not possibly be spared.

If the entire clan were punished as accomplices, then his wife Lina might be in danger as well.

If Lina were to be harmed, Lord Herring had already resolved to die with her.

「Burke was the main author of this crisis. He harbored arrogant ambition and had Lord Leister’s family slaughtered using a cowardly plot. Once he became Prime Minister, he monopolized royal policy and even tried to have me poisoned. By the laws of any kingdom, those crimes merit death. The Burke marquisate cannot escape unscathed. They will be stripped of their marquisate and reduced to viscount. Their lands, unjustly seized, will be confiscated.」

What about Lina? What would become of his precious wife?

「I want you to inherit this new Burke viscountcy, Lord Herring. Naturally, I know your lady wife is Burke’s kin—was it not a branch baron’s house she came from? I will guarantee that your wife and the members of that baronial branch will not be charged with any crime. Gather up all of Burke’s kin except that baronial house and bring them to live in Ares. So long as they do not break the law, I will inflict no further punishment. Depending on your service from here on, I will even consider restoring the marquisate in time.」

Lina would live—and not only that, he was to become head of a viscount’s house. It was a tremendous promotion.

「Oh, Lord Corinth… How generous you are. Of course, I accept. I’ll bring my wife and come to Ares at once. From this day on, my sword is yours, for as long as I live.」

「Lord Herring—no, my friend, Viscount Volker Burke.」

Lord Corinth changed the way he addressed him. A crisp, commanding air filled the room.

「From now on, you will be the main line and lead the clan. See to it that the Burke viscountcy never again takes part in unrest. Have your wife’s baronial house help you rein in the other branch families. You are my friend. Proclaim that fact to anyone without hesitation. Those who follow you will not face Lord Leister’s revenge; I’ll see to that. Once they understand that standing with you means safety, there will be no shortage of people willing to throw in their lot with you.」

「Yes, my lord. For the sake of my wife Lina and her kin, I will pour my whole strength into fulfilling that duty.」

 

◇◇◇◇◇◇◇

After completing her mission, Elna returned with Gloria and rejoined the army under mine and Ria’s command.

「Elna, thanks for carrying out such a big task. You could have taken your time coming back, you know.」

She answered my words of thanks with a wry smile.

「As soon as I reported King Amado’s abdication through the Commerce Guild’s communications network, you sent Gloria to get me, didn’t you, Alan? So I hurried back.」

Ria and I both helped Elna practice her ‘performance’. It was like reliving the drills I had gone through before my first audience with King Amado.

Only this time, I played the king, and we used a list of anticipated questions Iris had compiled to run Elna through her lines in roleplay.

That her exchanges with King Amado had gone so smoothly was thanks to Elna’s quick thinking, of course—but the special training had certainly helped.

「Things here were all abuzz with talk of you too, Elna.」

Ria laughed as she spoke to her.

「In fact, Erwin brought something like this back with him.」

It was a relief portrait that was still being sold in the capital—packed in a metal box.

When you opened the lid, a ceramic relief in Elna’s likeness was revealed.

「Eh—this is supposed to be me?」

「Apparently, a great many people in the capital wanted to see what the famous Lady Norian looked like. Someone among Erwin’s subordinates who was skilled at sketching helped with the design, or so I hear.」

Before Elna entered the palace as special envoy, I’d instructed Erwin to quietly fan the flames of interest in the ‘love story’ between her and King Amado in the capital.

It was to steer public sentiment—so that no one would lay a hand on Elna when she went in alone. It might even have been one of the things that nudged the king toward abdication.

We couldn’t bring many people by wyvern all the way to the capital, but they had all carried out their duties perfectly.

The rumor mill really is fast. The tragic love story of Amado Belty and Elna Norian had become a matter of national fascination.

「If they make me look this pretty, people will just be disappointed when they see the real thing…」

「I think it looks a lot like you. You always look like this, Elna.」

「Everyone here was talking about you too. Tomorrow is going to be quite the ordeal.」

「I never imagined I’d draw this much attention…」

Ria and I both praised her in turn, and Elna fidgeted, cheeks reddening in embarrassment.

Iris’s drones had monitored the entire negotiation and streamed it live to me, Serena, and Sharon.

It was mainly to check that she wasn’t in danger and to keep track of how the talks were progressing. But the moment the dancing started, Serena and Sharon protested that we were ‘peeping on someone else’s romance’, and Iris ruled that I was banned from watching the feed.

It didn’t seem worth invoking my authority as commander over, so I left the viewing to Serena and Sharon. The two of them apparently watched the proceedings glued to the display and got very worked up.

If Elna ever finds out they watched her that closely, she’ll probably die of embarrassment. I should warn those two to act as if nothing happened and make sure she never finds out.

「Right now they’re staging a tragic play about the two of you in the capital. I hear it’s so popular there are standing-room-only crowds every day.」

That play, so I’ve heard, has Elna as the heroine, doing everything in her power for the sake of the man she loves—King Amado—and risking her life to preserve the Belta royal line.

The lovers are torn apart in the final act, bringing the audience to tears without fail.

Well, as long as it keeps public hostile feelings from boiling over and lets everything settle peacefully, I don’t mind being cast as the villain.

「A play…? They’re staging a play about us? Just so we’re clear, I did not cheat on you, Alan!」

「Yeah, yeah. I know. Nothing happened, right?」

「So, tell me everything about how it went over there. Leave nothing out. Not a single detail.」

「Y-yes, ma’am…」

Oblivious to my reaction, Ria and Elna walked off together, already chatting. They are definitely about to dive into serious girl talk. I’m sure of it.