Chapter 128: Postwar Settlement part 3
When we got back to Gantz, Sharon’s welcome was waiting for us—along with nearly two thousand prisoners, and the question of what to do with Dennis, the house steward of the House of Gantz, whose fate had been put on hold until I arrived.
「Sharon, you did wonderfully. I’m proud of you.」
Sharon was waiting at the entrance to our base, looking very pleased with herself. I praised her openly. She really carried out her mission perfectly.
「I’m happy you’re proud of me, Alan. Hug me later, okay?」
Hey now. Ria and Elna are both standing right here watching us.
「We’ll talk later—all three of us, with Serena too. For now, can you bring Dennis, the man you captured, to see Ria and me?」
Sharon went off to fetch Dennis.
With her gone, the view from the entrance was clear all the way up the hill to the ruins of the Count of Gantz’s manor, now burned to the ground.
A little earlier, Sharon tried to block my line of sight and keep me from noticing. Probably because she didn’t want to get scolded. …Or maybe not, she isn’t that childish.
Dennis, steward to the House of Gantz, was brought into the office where Cleria and I were waiting. Lord Leister and Abel were present as well.
「Now then, Dennis. Do you know why you’ve been brought here?」
「You want the Gantz family’s wealth, of course. But I won’t talk even if you torture me.」
Dennis sounded like a man who had given up on everything.
「We could try torture. But first, I have a proposal.」
「…」
「Count Jurgen had three nieces of marriageable age, did he not? We will entrust the entire fortune of the House of Gantz to those nieces as dowry—but we will choose their husband. The man in question will be Lord Leister’s eldest son, Abel, who is standing right here. It’s a marriage into a sufficiently distinguished noble line. We will have Abel inherit the family’s wealth, including the lands outside of Gantz. So long as they follow Abel, the members of the House of Gantz will be safe from here on. Well? What do you think of that?」
「…And which of the three will be married to him?」
From the tone of his voice, Dennis had finally realized that the fate of his master’s house rested on how he answered.
「Abel will marry all three brides. The one who bears his eldest son will be his chief wife, but I’m sure he’ll treat them equally.」
At my words, Abel nodded firmly.
「…And the men of the family? What will happen to them?」
Dennis knew Benjamin was dead, of course, but there had been several younger nephews who were still too young to so much as hold a sword.
It was possible there were older male kin who had taken the field and survived as well. If they were still fighting over succession, there were probably a few elders around.
「Those who are too young to hold a sword will not be punished at all. Abel will retrain them and treat them as his own kin, as children of his wives’ house. No one will be made to die for this. They can’t be heirs, but they can still live much as they always have, as sons of a noble family. Those of age who have committed crimes will be punished appropriately, but if they truly repent, there’s no need to make it too severe. Abel can judge that based on their behavior. Once the head of house changes from Jurgen to Abel, the character of the house will change as well. They’ll just have to get used to it.」
「If the blood of the House of Gantz survives now that Lord Benjamin has passed, I have no complaints. I will arrange for all of the Gantz family’s assets to pass to the three ladies. As for my failure in letting Lord Benjamin die, punish me as you see fit.」
Now that he heard the future that awaited his lord’s house, Dennis’s attitude softened into one of quiet acceptance. He has finally come to terms with it.
「Loyalty is a virtue—so long as it doesn’t go too far. Abel, what do you want to do with Dennis?」
「If it pleases you, I would like to take him into my service as he is.」
Abel clearly judged that Dennis, with his knowledge of household affairs, would be invaluable.
「I’ll allow it, on the condition that Dennis’s person never leaves the House of Gantz and he is not sent into the service of any other house. Dennis, devote your life to Abel and his descendants. Be grateful to the man who spared your life.」
「My lord, I offer this life to you. Please, allow me to serve at your side.」
Dennis looked genuinely sincere in his submission—but I wasn’t about to be careless. Better to double-check.
「Iris, what’s your estimate? Is Dennis speaking from the heart?」
「Yes. There’s a ninety-six percent chance he isn’t lying. He seems sincere.」
「Got it. Thanks—that matches my read. That’s one more of Gantz’s problems cleared.」
◇◇◇◇◇◇◇
Captain Guido, commander of Gantz’s city guard, also looked anxious when I called him in.
Lord Leister and Abel stood behind me.
Even so, the fact that I—the man who had founded a new country—had summoned him in person seemed to make him nervous, like he sensed some kind of impending doom.
「All right, Captain Guido. We’re not strangers, you and I. Do you want the good news first, or the bad?」
「Th-then… the bad news first, my lord.」
「The House of Gantz is finished. Gantz will become a crown city. Its assets will go to Abel here, as he’s marrying the former count’s nieces. The city guard will be dissolved, which means you’re all out of work.」
At the word ‘dismissed’, Captain Guido’s shoulders slumped.
Once the House of Gantz no longer ruled the city, there would be no revenues backing the city guard. Letting them go was only logical.
They had done their duty, but the guard had never actually cooperated in defending Gantz for us, and with the administrative structure about to be overhauled, we no longer needed the organization in its current form.
「There’s good news too. I do appreciate how cooperative you were during the occupation. Abel is going to have a new job here in Gantz. I want to give your people—the former city guard—the job of acting as his enforcement arm. It’ll be a royal appointment. Interested?」
「Yes. Of course I’m interested.」
「We’re going to spread a rail network across the country, with Gantz as one of its hubs. I’m putting Abel in charge of operating it. The city guard will be reorganized under him and made responsible for security along the rails. We’ll handle the rail’s operation and maintenance; the only change is that the ‘thing you guard’ will become the rail network. The actual work will be much like what the city guard already does. The area you cover will be wider, but your home base will still be in Gantz. You won’t have to move. I’d also like you to keep handling law and order inside the city, now that it’s a crown city. Recruit and assign local rail guards as you see fit. If you’re not interested, you can refuse. But what do you say?」
「I’ll do it. Please, let me do it.」
「Then I’ll leave it to you. Abel will be your superior—follow his orders.
And from here on, there’s no room for ambiguity. I expect you understand perfectly well now where your loyalty belongs.」
「Yes, my lord. Our loyalty is yours. I’ll make that clear to my men.」
「Good. We go back a ways, you and I. I’m counting on you, Captain Guido.」
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