I was supposed to come here to complain, but somehow I ended up listening to a story about her past.
How did it come to this…?
In spite of my inner confusion, the ill-natured grandma Magali closed her eyes and opened her mouth.
“My son Luca has grown up very straightforward. I’m not sure if it’s because my husband died during a battle with bandits, but he was very determined to follow in his father’s footsteps. It was true that he was a little green, and his insistence on formalities made him prone to danger. But… he was a young man, not even 20 years old. If he was going to get dirty in the future, I let him do what he wanted, even if he was a little inexperienced.”
A young knight with a burning dream… what a dazzling sight.
“I’m sure the only knights that are calculating at a young age are noblemen or upstarts.”
The ill-natured grandma Magali looked at my words with a slightly cold stare.
“Luca had been running around day and night for his lord and his people, without regard for danger. Some people didn’t like him, but I had my eye on him. Even in the open, there was no one who would drag Luca down.”
The ill-natured grandma Magali has always been this way, and she grew up purely as a teacher…
The next thing I knew, the ill-natured grandma Magali was glaring lightly at me.
“Boy… you were thinking of something rude anyway, weren’t you?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about… aren’t you a bit paranoid?”
The ill-natured grandma Magali sniffed.
“Well, it’s fine… A knight is not free to choose his lord, he is bound to the land where he was born. Such a lord who cannot escape is an imbecile. He’s an idiot, just like in the picture books. He was a distant relative of the royal family, so there was no one who could stop his rashness. I’m a top brass of the Knights Order, after all, so I can’t help it.”
If there’s no tension… it’s easy to create stupid people in power.
“Are you a good match for the previous lord of this place?”
Because there’s only one incompetent lord that I actually know of.
“The previous fool I only know from rumors… From what I’ve heard, his vanity was strong. Our former lord didn’t even have that, though…”
So it’s even higher, Its grade is quite high.
“If there is no tension, incompetence will accelerate. Until you fall off a cliff or hit a wall.”
The ill-natured grandma Magali gave a twisted laugh.
“You should at least wait until you’re middle-aged to talk like that. For some reason, you don’t feel out of place, so you don’t look like a seventeen-year-old. Anyway… it was bad where we were. There were a lot of bandits.”
If the internal administration is not functioning properly, the number of bandits will increase.
“Did they continue to increase even after the Knights cracked down on them?”
“The funny thing is that by the time the Knights arrived on the scene, they were gone. They are attacking places where it takes longer for the Knights Order to arrive. If it were you, I’m sure you know why.”
There’s nothing mysterious about it.
“Either the Knights have insiders or they are connected to the Lords behind the scenes.”
“I guess it was too easy, that’s right… they were connected to the lord. He was incompetent, but he was sensitive to where his tail was wagging… In order to show that he was related to the royal family, he had adapted his rule to the royal family’s direct territory. However, the royal family has a capital city and can afford a low tax rate. If you’re not, you’re not in the red, but… you can’t afford to live in luxury. “
The story is too simple to make me feel any emotion.
“The story is too shallow to be interesting. I’m sure he’s probably pinning the earning of the thieves.”
“I’ve got an idea, but no proof… or rather, there’s no way to investigate the vicinity of the lord. If Luca gets a smell on it, it was obvious that he would go straight to his lord. I didn’t let him know about it.”
A knight would be unsuited to investigate such a crime in the first place.
It’s not a matter of ability.
It’s just a lack of organizational aptitude.
“A knight is basically a person who fights against the enemy. It’s not suitable for criminal investigation. Except for Madam Plunkett, of course.”
“I’m not going to deny that, but… Luca was so angry that he couldn’t leave his people in distress. However, he was not very good at anything but fighting. The only thing I can do is to rush to the scene as quickly as possible.”
“I don’t think that’s enough. What else did you do?”
“There was a village that had suffered a lot of damage, and we started helping them rebuild. And then, Luca was completely moved by it. I told him not to be too supportive. But he insisted that he couldn’t protect his people and couldn’t abandon them. Even if I tell him the reality, his ideals will prevail. So I let Luca do what he wanted.”
“Did that calm him down?”
The ill-natured grandma Magali sighed heavily.
“I could have distracted him. But then the lord got greedy and there was a commotion.”
It was so ridiculous that my tone became bland.
“Did it double the amount of money he was getting?”
The ill-natured grandma Magali started laughing.
“That’s naive of you… it’s triple. There was a widow that the lord was crazy about. It was a way to buy jewelry for her. He was going to give her something gorgeous, no less than a hundred gold pieces.”
It was even worse, but it was an expected motive… astonishing, but not surprising.
“From the bandit’s point of view, the risk is outweighed by the reward.”
The bandits are human beings, they raid for food.
The ill-natured grandma Magali stopped laughing and became expressionless.
“And then the lord sent his knights to take them down.”
It’s a mystery how long they’ve been pinning on them…
If it goes on for too long, the bandits’ power will increase and become uncontrollable.
“Is the bandits on a scale that can be suppressed?”
“It’s possible, but the damage to our side is not insignificant. And then the bandits lost their temper. If you pay, you’ll lose a lot of money. If you don’t pay, you’ll be killed. They were so desperate that… they revealed all their connections to the lord. Naturally, the people were furious, and there were revolts all over the country. Taking advantage of the confusion, the bandits attacked the lord’s mansion. They’re quite clever, aren’t they?”
I don’t know if it was targeted or just a coincidence of desperation…
“I’m sure you were able to repel the bandits.”
Magali nodded quietly.
“It’s just that… there was a problem in the village that Luca had gotten himself into. It was rumored that the village the knight was involved with was connected to the lord. It was attacked by the mob. Luca was the first to leave, but I stopped him, saying that he had to protect his lord first. I told him that you can’t put one village ahead of another when the lord’s house is under attack.”
""
It’s true… you can’t decide priorities based on your own personal feelings.
“How far did Mr. Luca put up with it?”
The ill-natured grandma Magali quietly closed her eyes.
She was not the usual nasty grandma, but just a tired grandma.
“He was patient enough to fight off the bandits. The leader thought that if he rushed to the village now, he would not make it in time. It was a natural decision. The Knights Order has decided to save as many people as possible. I don’t mean to sound cold, but we’ll have to make a decision based on numbers if the uproar gets too big.”
When the ill-natured grandma Magali said numbers, she opened her eyes and looked at me.
Then she closed her eyes again and opened her mouth.
“The lord made a lot of noise about that they should protect him but they turned the attack back on us. The guards at the manor were enough to keep the lord safe. Of course, they ignored him. Luca… couldn’t take it anymore, so he went off by himself.”
It would be impossible to abandon him if he was burning with idealism and even emotion.
If they had tried to hold them back with logic, they would have been enraged.
“Did you make it in time after all?”
“After that, I went after him. I didn’t want my only son to die, after all. When I arrived at the village, many people had been killed but there was no mob. Luca alone was able to protect the village, though not completely. The stupidest thing is that when the mob saw them kill Luca, they suddenly came to their senses and ran away. By the time I got there, they were already gone.”
""
To be honest, there was no way to deny or confirm it.
“I see… What happened after that?”
That was all I could ask.
The ill-natured grandma Magali looked at me with interest.
“I knew it, you’re interesting. A boy of that age would usually be sympathetic or righteous indignation. Or complete indifference, or making fun of him to make himself look clever. And you’re none of the above.”
Oh boy… all I could do was shrug my shoulders.
“I’m not qualified to discuss the pros and cons of Mr. Luca’s actions. After all… did Madam Plunkett come here with the survivors of the villagers?”
“That’s right, I’m not human enough to protect the people who killed my son. Revenge goes against Luca’s wishes… It was troublesome. The only thing I have left to live for is taking care of the people Luca was trying to protect.”
I see… the important thing is why you told me this.
I can tell what she’s thinking…
“So, why did you tell me about Mr. Luca?”
“Don’t play dumb because you know. If you become emotional like Luca… You’ll fail at an important moment. I’m the only one who can’t recover from the loss of Luca. But if you fall, we’re all doomed.”
Good grief, I guess I’ve become emotional that even the ill-natured grandma Magali is worrying about me.
“It’s true that… you may misjudge the situation if your feelings are aroused. But to achieve equality between different species, I have to set an example.”
“If you were a fool, you’d just be a friendly lord. It feels bad because you solve most things beautifully. But you know, the population will soon exceed 5,000. I think it’s time for you to take your perspective up a notch.”
The population is just under 4,000 now.
I think we’ll reach 5,000 soon.
I know exactly what the ill-natured grandma woman Magali is talking about.
I’m going to have to do that at some point.
“That will have to wait a little while, you know. Thanks to yesterday’s bomb, I have a little more time before they become too dependent on me.”
“How long do you mean by a little while?”
“When the matter of the demons in the back is settled… Timing-wise, that would be it.”
The ill-natured grandma Magali sighed.
“It can’t be helped, you’ll have to switch things up from there.”
“Yes, I don’t want to be ruined either. I’m somewhat reluctant, but I’d like to thank you.”
The ill-natured grandma Magali sniffed.
“If you’re grateful, you can hold Ardelheid in your arms. That kid only looks at you. She’ll be happy to be held by you.”
Just give up already, okay…
I was supposed to come here to complain, but somehow I ended up listening to a story about her past.
How did it come to this…?
In spite of my inner confusion, the ill-natured grandma Magali closed her eyes and opened her mouth.
“My son Luca has grown up very straightforward. I’m not sure if it’s because my husband died during a battle with bandits, but he was very determined to follow in his father’s footsteps. It was true that he was a little green, and his insistence on formalities made him prone to danger. But… he was a young man, not even 20 years old. If he was going to get dirty in the future, I let him do what he wanted, even if he was a little inexperienced.”
A young knight with a burning dream… what a dazzling sight.
“I’m sure the only knights that are calculating at a young age are noblemen or upstarts.”
The ill-natured grandma Magali looked at my words with a slightly cold stare.
“Luca had been running around day and night for his lord and his people, without regard for danger. Some people didn’t like him, but I had my eye on him. Even in the open, there was no one who would drag Luca down.”
The ill-natured grandma Magali has always been this way, and she grew up purely as a teacher…
The next thing I knew, the ill-natured grandma Magali was glaring lightly at me.
“Boy… you were thinking of something rude anyway, weren’t you?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about… aren’t you a bit paranoid?”
The ill-natured grandma Magali sniffed.
“Well, it’s fine… A knight is not free to choose his lord, he is bound to the land where he was born. Such a lord who cannot escape is an imbecile. He’s an idiot, just like in the picture books. He was a distant relative of the royal family, so there was no one who could stop his rashness. I’m a top brass of the Knights Order, after all, so I can’t help it.”
If there’s no tension… it’s easy to create stupid people in power.
“Are you a good match for the previous lord of this place?”
Because there’s only one incompetent lord that I actually know of.
“The previous fool I only know from rumors… From what I’ve heard, his vanity was strong. Our former lord didn’t even have that, though…”
So it’s even higher, Its grade is quite high.
“If there is no tension, incompetence will accelerate. Until you fall off a cliff or hit a wall.”
The ill-natured grandma Magali gave a twisted laugh.
“You should at least wait until you’re middle-aged to talk like that. For some reason, you don’t feel out of place, so you don’t look like a seventeen-year-old. Anyway… it was bad where we were. There were a lot of bandits.”
If the internal administration is not functioning properly, the number of bandits will increase.
“Did they continue to increase even after the Knights cracked down on them?”
“The funny thing is that by the time the Knights arrived on the scene, they were gone. They are attacking places where it takes longer for the Knights Order to arrive. If it were you, I’m sure you know why.”
There’s nothing mysterious about it.
“Either the Knights have insiders or they are connected to the Lords behind the scenes.”
“I guess it was too easy, that’s right… they were connected to the lord. He was incompetent, but he was sensitive to where his tail was wagging… In order to show that he was related to the royal family, he had adapted his rule to the royal family’s direct territory. However, the royal family has a capital city and can afford a low tax rate. If you’re not, you’re not in the red, but… you can’t afford to live in luxury. “
The story is too simple to make me feel any emotion.
“The story is too shallow to be interesting. I’m sure he’s probably pinning the earning of the thieves.”
“I’ve got an idea, but no proof… or rather, there’s no way to investigate the vicinity of the lord. If Luca gets a smell on it, it was obvious that he would go straight to his lord. I didn’t let him know about it.”
A knight would be unsuited to investigate such a crime in the first place.
It’s not a matter of ability.
It’s just a lack of organizational aptitude.
“A knight is basically a person who fights against the enemy. It’s not suitable for criminal investigation. Except for Madam Plunkett, of course.”
“I’m not going to deny that, but… Luca was so angry that he couldn’t leave his people in distress. However, he was not very good at anything but fighting. The only thing I can do is to rush to the scene as quickly as possible.”
“I don’t think that’s enough. What else did you do?”
“There was a village that had suffered a lot of damage, and we started helping them rebuild. And then, Luca was completely moved by it. I told him not to be too supportive. But he insisted that he couldn’t protect his people and couldn’t abandon them. Even if I tell him the reality, his ideals will prevail. So I let Luca do what he wanted.”
“Did that calm him down?”
The ill-natured grandma Magali sighed heavily.
“I could have distracted him. But then the lord got greedy and there was a commotion.”
It was so ridiculous that my tone became bland.
“Did it double the amount of money he was getting?”
The ill-natured grandma Magali started laughing.
“That’s naive of you… it’s triple. There was a widow that the lord was crazy about. It was a way to buy jewelry for her. He was going to give her something gorgeous, no less than a hundred gold pieces.”
It was even worse, but it was an expected motive… astonishing, but not surprising.
“From the bandit’s point of view, the risk is outweighed by the reward.”
The bandits are human beings, they raid for food.
The ill-natured grandma Magali stopped laughing and became expressionless.
“And then the lord sent his knights to take them down.”
It’s a mystery how long they’ve been pinning on them…
If it goes on for too long, the bandits’ power will increase and become uncontrollable.
“Is the bandits on a scale that can be suppressed?”
“It’s possible, but the damage to our side is not insignificant. And then the bandits lost their temper. If you pay, you’ll lose a lot of money. If you don’t pay, you’ll be killed. They were so desperate that… they revealed all their connections to the lord. Naturally, the people were furious, and there were revolts all over the country. Taking advantage of the confusion, the bandits attacked the lord’s mansion. They’re quite clever, aren’t they?”
I don’t know if it was targeted or just a coincidence of desperation…
“I’m sure you were able to repel the bandits.”
Magali nodded quietly.
“It’s just that… there was a problem in the village that Luca had gotten himself into. It was rumored that the village the knight was involved with was connected to the lord. It was attacked by the mob. Luca was the first to leave, but I stopped him, saying that he had to protect his lord first. I told him that you can’t put one village ahead of another when the lord’s house is under attack.”
""
It’s true… you can’t decide priorities based on your own personal feelings.
“How far did Mr. Luca put up with it?”
The ill-natured grandma Magali quietly closed her eyes.
She was not the usual nasty grandma, but just a tired grandma.
“He was patient enough to fight off the bandits. The leader thought that if he rushed to the village now, he would not make it in time. It was a natural decision. The Knights Order has decided to save as many people as possible. I don’t mean to sound cold, but we’ll have to make a decision based on numbers if the uproar gets too big.”
When the ill-natured grandma Magali said numbers, she opened her eyes and looked at me.
Then she closed her eyes again and opened her mouth.
“The lord made a lot of noise about that they should protect him but they turned the attack back on us. The guards at the manor were enough to keep the lord safe. Of course, they ignored him. Luca… couldn’t take it anymore, so he went off by himself.”
It would be impossible to abandon him if he was burning with idealism and even emotion.
If they had tried to hold them back with logic, they would have been enraged.
“Did you make it in time after all?”
“After that, I went after him. I didn’t want my only son to die, after all. When I arrived at the village, many people had been killed but there was no mob. Luca alone was able to protect the village, though not completely. The stupidest thing is that when the mob saw them kill Luca, they suddenly came to their senses and ran away. By the time I got there, they were already gone.”
""
To be honest, there was no way to deny or confirm it.
“I see… What happened after that?”
That was all I could ask.
The ill-natured grandma Magali looked at me with interest.
“I knew it, you’re interesting. A boy of that age would usually be sympathetic or righteous indignation. Or complete indifference, or making fun of him to make himself look clever. And you’re none of the above.”
Oh boy… all I could do was shrug my shoulders.
“I’m not qualified to discuss the pros and cons of Mr. Luca’s actions. After all… did Madam Plunkett come here with the survivors of the villagers?”
“That’s right, I’m not human enough to protect the people who killed my son. Revenge goes against Luca’s wishes… It was troublesome. The only thing I have left to live for is taking care of the people Luca was trying to protect.”
I see… the important thing is why you told me this.
I can tell what she’s thinking…
“So, why did you tell me about Mr. Luca?”
“Don’t play dumb because you know. If you become emotional like Luca… You’ll fail at an important moment. I’m the only one who can’t recover from the loss of Luca. But if you fall, we’re all doomed.”
Good grief, I guess I’ve become emotional that even the ill-natured grandma Magali is worrying about me.
“It’s true that… you may misjudge the situation if your feelings are aroused. But to achieve equality between different species, I have to set an example.”
“If you were a fool, you’d just be a friendly lord. It feels bad because you solve most things beautifully. But you know, the population will soon exceed 5,000. I think it’s time for you to take your perspective up a notch.”
The population is just under 4,000 now.
I think we’ll reach 5,000 soon.
I know exactly what the ill-natured grandma woman Magali is talking about.
I’m going to have to do that at some point.
“That will have to wait a little while, you know. Thanks to yesterday’s bomb, I have a little more time before they become too dependent on me.”
“How long do you mean by a little while?”
“When the matter of the demons in the back is settled… Timing-wise, that would be it.”
The ill-natured grandma Magali sighed.
“It can’t be helped, you’ll have to switch things up from there.”
“Yes, I don’t want to be ruined either. I’m somewhat reluctant, but I’d like to thank you.”
The ill-natured grandma Magali sniffed.
“If you’re grateful, you can hold Ardelheid in your arms. That kid only looks at you. She’ll be happy to be held by you.”
Just give up already, okay…
