Translator: Denryuu; Editor: Ryunakama
When I filled the arrested baron’s underlings in on the details, more than half of the mages’ jaws dropped when they realised what their lord had been planning.
「So that’s what that gigantic amount of goods was for…」
「I will bring your master to the king and let his Majesty be the judge.」
With bleak acceptance on their faces, everyone nodded.
By then, not a single grain was left in the warehouse and every last box had been placed within the magic circle. I asked the mages to help with the rest of the warehouses.
「There are a few more stores here and there. All you need to do is channel your magicka into the circle in the same manner, and the goods will see themselves off. Oh, and you don’t need to worry — all you saw in the warehouses is far more than what you need.」
Leaving them to do as I had asked, I set up a ‘Gate’ of my own and blinked over to the royal capital of Ferland.
「Just how many loose screws are there in your head?」, sighed King Randolph.
It wasn’t your average sigh. Sitting on his throne, he seemed to be releasing every last bit of air from within his lungs. Seated to the right of the throne were a few high-ranking military officers, while a few equally high-ranking ministers sat to the left. But regardless of their position, all of them stared silently at the grovelling baron.
I sat at the furthest seat in line with the military officers and watched.
「Barely any time has passed since the end of the war. Yet, you incited other nobles to join your cause… your cause to start a civil war. Were you intending to oust we, the Ferlands, from power, Lord Guerrera?」
「I…」, muttered the baron almost inaudibly. 「I have never even dreamed of something like starting a civil war…」
「Then what do you have to say about this letter?」, replied the king, waving the crucial document that I had handed him in the air.
「…」
「I had already been keeping an eye on your actions. Although my suspicions were only confirmed yesterday, look at what you were doing — increasing your military might and stockpiling supplies all while siphoning money from Welger & Co. to fund your expenditure. Said association has also been trying to control the Principality of Vadenhaag from the shadows. If just one of these two ventures had succeeded, you would have had strong backing behind you.」
「That’s…」
Just by listening, I could tell that the king had done his research and covered all his bases for this impromptu audience.
「I was used by the Master of that association…」
「Used?」, asked the king, shifting his gaze over to me.
「… it was a give-and-take relationship」, continued Barbatos.
King Randolph’s gaze returned to the disgraced baron.
「I have given due consideration to why this happened, Lord Guerrera. But I could not for the life of me arrive at an answer. I found myself unable to see things from the perspective of an egoistic noble who only cares to fuel his ambition.」
「Your… your belief in the righteousness of us nobles is sorely misplaced! So many others agreed with my plans…」
The king was about to say something, but then stopped. He may have realised the baron’s point for himself. After all, putting an end to unlawful practices for the people’s sake also means tightening your grip on the nobles’ collective freedom. To be a lord is to be a king within your territory — it’s unthinkable that any such ‘monarch’ would receive the infringement of their personal liberty with open arms.
Lifting his head, Barbatos howled.
「Lords like us only follow the rules because Almeria, the Heroine, stands! If all of us join forces, we can drown you in saliva alone –」
I approached him and gave him a good slap, cutting him short. Making a strange sound, he was thrown into the air and rolled again and again when he hit the ground, only stopping when he hit the wall.
「Enough pushing the blame to others, Barbatos Guerrera. The jig is up, and so is your time as a member of the nobility.」
I walked up to him slowly.
「If your plans had come to fruition, innumerable soldiers and innocent civilians would have lost their lives. Their ‘normal’ lives would have been mercilessly snatched away. That is not a crime you can atone for even if you die a million times over.」
The baron had already lost a few of his front teeth. I grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and pinned him against the wall.
「And this may be a bit personal, but remember this — that man over there isn’t the king only because his daughter’s the Heroine. Also… I’d rather my friends not be insulted by the likes of you.」
Perhaps I had put a little too much strength into it, for the baron was flailing his legs in the air. I flung him back to his original position.
「You may await further instructions, Lord Guerrera. Take your time — you will have plenty of it in the oubliette.」
King Randolph raised his chin and two soldiers entered on cue, clutching the baron below his arms.
「Mark my words! Even if you kill me, a tempest is only waiting to engulf this kingdom –」
「Be silent!」, I commanded, punching him in the stomach.
I felt the familiar crack of bones breaking.
Barbatos, who had gone limp, was promptly dragged away.
The following month, the baron was executed publicly before the common folk of the royal capital. The Guerrera family was stripped of its nobility, and their territory was converted into state land with immediate notice.
Barbatos Guerrera would live on long after that — in the history books, at least, where he came to be regarded as one of the greatest criminals of Ferland to have ever lived.
Translator: Denryuu; Editor: Ryunakama
When I filled the arrested baron’s underlings in on the details, more than half of the mages’ jaws dropped when they realised what their lord had been planning.
「So that’s what that gigantic amount of goods was for…」
「I will bring your master to the king and let his Majesty be the judge.」
With bleak acceptance on their faces, everyone nodded.
By then, not a single grain was left in the warehouse and every last box had been placed within the magic circle. I asked the mages to help with the rest of the warehouses.
「There are a few more stores here and there. All you need to do is channel your magicka into the circle in the same manner, and the goods will see themselves off. Oh, and you don’t need to worry — all you saw in the warehouses is far more than what you need.」
Leaving them to do as I had asked, I set up a ‘Gate’ of my own and blinked over to the royal capital of Ferland.
「Just how many loose screws are there in your head?」, sighed King Randolph.
It wasn’t your average sigh. Sitting on his throne, he seemed to be releasing every last bit of air from within his lungs. Seated to the right of the throne were a few high-ranking military officers, while a few equally high-ranking ministers sat to the left. But regardless of their position, all of them stared silently at the grovelling baron.
I sat at the furthest seat in line with the military officers and watched.
「Barely any time has passed since the end of the war. Yet, you incited other nobles to join your cause… your cause to start a civil war. Were you intending to oust we, the Ferlands, from power, Lord Guerrera?」
「I…」, muttered the baron almost inaudibly. 「I have never even dreamed of something like starting a civil war…」
「Then what do you have to say about this letter?」, replied the king, waving the crucial document that I had handed him in the air.
「…」
「I had already been keeping an eye on your actions. Although my suspicions were only confirmed yesterday, look at what you were doing — increasing your military might and stockpiling supplies all while siphoning money from Welger & Co. to fund your expenditure. Said association has also been trying to control the Principality of Vadenhaag from the shadows. If just one of these two ventures had succeeded, you would have had strong backing behind you.」
「That’s…」
Just by listening, I could tell that the king had done his research and covered all his bases for this impromptu audience.
「I was used by the Master of that association…」
「Used?」, asked the king, shifting his gaze over to me.
「… it was a give-and-take relationship」, continued Barbatos.
King Randolph’s gaze returned to the disgraced baron.
「I have given due consideration to why this happened, Lord Guerrera. But I could not for the life of me arrive at an answer. I found myself unable to see things from the perspective of an egoistic noble who only cares to fuel his ambition.」
「Your… your belief in the righteousness of us nobles is sorely misplaced! So many others agreed with my plans…」
The king was about to say something, but then stopped. He may have realised the baron’s point for himself. After all, putting an end to unlawful practices for the people’s sake also means tightening your grip on the nobles’ collective freedom. To be a lord is to be a king within your territory — it’s unthinkable that any such ‘monarch’ would receive the infringement of their personal liberty with open arms.
Lifting his head, Barbatos howled.
「Lords like us only follow the rules because Almeria, the Heroine, stands! If all of us join forces, we can drown you in saliva alone –」
I approached him and gave him a good slap, cutting him short. Making a strange sound, he was thrown into the air and rolled again and again when he hit the ground, only stopping when he hit the wall.
「Enough pushing the blame to others, Barbatos Guerrera. The jig is up, and so is your time as a member of the nobility.」
I walked up to him slowly.
「If your plans had come to fruition, innumerable soldiers and innocent civilians would have lost their lives. Their ‘normal’ lives would have been mercilessly snatched away. That is not a crime you can atone for even if you die a million times over.」
The baron had already lost a few of his front teeth. I grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and pinned him against the wall.
「And this may be a bit personal, but remember this — that man over there isn’t the king only because his daughter’s the Heroine. Also… I’d rather my friends not be insulted by the likes of you.」
Perhaps I had put a little too much strength into it, for the baron was flailing his legs in the air. I flung him back to his original position.
「You may await further instructions, Lord Guerrera. Take your time — you will have plenty of it in the oubliette.」
King Randolph raised his chin and two soldiers entered on cue, clutching the baron below his arms.
「Mark my words! Even if you kill me, a tempest is only waiting to engulf this kingdom –」
「Be silent!」, I commanded, punching him in the stomach.
I felt the familiar crack of bones breaking.
Barbatos, who had gone limp, was promptly dragged away.
The following month, the baron was executed publicly before the common folk of the royal capital. The Guerrera family was stripped of its nobility, and their territory was converted into state land with immediate notice.
Barbatos Guerrera would live on long after that — in the history books, at least, where he came to be regarded as one of the greatest criminals of Ferland to have ever lived.
