Chapter 193


    TL/Editor: raei


    Status: 5/week mon-fri


    Illustrations: none


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    After tidying up affairs with the nobles, Ian engaged in brief conversations with them in a more friendly atmosphere.


    "What are you going to do with Baron Yurdo?" one of them asked.


    "Well... we''ll have to execute him, won''t we?" Ian replied.


    In truth, there wasn''t really any other suitable option.


    The fate awaiting a failed assassin? Death, of course.None of the nobles objected to Ian''s opinion.


    Moreover, Baron Yurdo had brought pce guards for the assassination attempt.


    There was a huge difference between attacking with a sword and attacking with a bow.


    "Baron Yurdo. I didn''t think you had it in you. You''re truly a despicable man," one noblemented.


    "He brought this upon himself," another agreed.


    The nobles unanimously condemned Baron Yurdo.


    If the baron had attempted assassination with a sword, he wouldn''t have been cursed this much.


    Because... the sword was a ''weapon of honor''.


    To kill someone with a sword, you needed the ''skill'' to defeat your opponent.


    If Baron Yurdo had charged in with a sword and died because the other party couldn''t handle it?


    Ah, the opponent''s skill wascking! Their will to live was insufficient!


    That would have been the conclusion.


    It sounded crazy, but it was true.


    Sword fighting was a ''fair contest'', and the loser had an obligation to ept defeat to the winner.


    It was 100% knight''s logic.


    But bows were different.


    Bows were weapons used with the premise of killing.


    They were lethal weapons used to ''kill'' not just game, butrge monsters!


    And to shoot an arrow at... a person?


    Damn, that was too cruel!


    With a sword, there was a chance the victor might mercifully spare their opponent, but with a bow, there was no such thing - it just killed the other party.


    In other words, it was the perfect weapon for a fight to the death.


    But most nobles in the medieval period were knights or of knightly origin.


    They had trained in swordsmanship all their lives and were confident in their sword skills.


    So when they lost in a sword duel, they were prepared to ept the result.


    Thinking, "I must have beenx in my training, that''s why I lost...!"


    But if the opponent used a bow?


    You... you weren''t nning to fight me fair and square?!


    You were just after my life!


    That was why Baron Yurdo, who had targeted Lucy with a bow, found himself in a situation where no one could defend him even if they wanted to.


    "Well... since he signed the oath of loyalty, I won''t punish anyone else," Ian said.


    Knowing this, Ian had made a deal with Baron Yurdo, who was locked up in prison.


    He''d said he''d end things with just the baron if he formed a master-servant contract with Lucy.


    The baron had agreed to the deal.


    The other nobles were moved by Count Talian''s merciful decision.


    "Oh... so you''re sparing his household and knights too?" one asked in surprise.


    "Of course," Ian confirmed.


    "Count Talian is truly merciful!" another eximed.


    If he''d wanted, he could have killed everyone associated with Baron Yurdo.


    In Lucy''s domain, her word wasw.


    Even if she killed someone simply because ''they annoyed her'', it would still have been considered just.


    But Ian didn''t do that.


    "If it were me, I would''ve definitely exacted blood payment!" Baron Lantro dered.


    "It''s fortunate that Count Talian doesn''t resemble you, Baron Lantro," someone else remarked.


    Baron Lantro scratched his head, embarrassed.


    He was a typical imperial noble who acted on impulse first and cleaned up the messter.


    He belonged to the category of those whose brains had deteriorated from living like kings in their domains.


    Why think when I''m the king here? That kind of mentality.


    ''It''s better to create more debts,'' Ian thought to himself.


    Ian hadn''t spared Baron Yurdo''s family just for fun.


    If he''d killed all of the baron''s family, the inheritance of the domain would have gone to somepletely unrted person.


    Like the son of the younger brother of a cousin living in some far-off foreign country.


    Or the emperor might have reimed the domain and given it to someone else.


    Lucycked the justification to extend her hand to Baron Yurdo''s domain, so she would have had to watch helplessly as some nobody yed at being a lord.


    But by making Baron Yurdo her vassal, things became easier.


    Now Lucy and Baron Yurdo were in a lord-vassal rtionship, so she could exert influence as much as she wanted!


    "Very well, barons. Let me ry Count Talian''s message," Ian announced.


    "Speak," they urged.


    "Now that you barons have be vassals of the count, you must support the count''s war ording to the sacred contract."


    The barons fell silent.


    That was right.


    Since the barons now served Lucy as their lord, they had an obligation to support their lord''s war ording to the feudal contract.


    If their baronies had been intact, they would have had to gather soldiers and knights under Lucy''s banner.


    "B-but as you can see, we have nothing..." one baron stammered.


    However, the barons were currently beggars.


    Not in a figurative sense, but literally beggars!


    They were in a state where they were eating free meals distributed by Lucy every day!


    "I''m aware," Ian said with a gentle smile.


    "Our merciful count has decided to ept gold instead, for the sake of you who have no knights or soldiers."


    The barons remained silent.


    "Of course, you don''t have any gold on hand right now, but once you recover your domains and the economy starts moving again, you''ll repay the debt, won''t you?"


    The barons nodded glumly.


    Ian''s words were very simple.


    Lucy would defeat the dragon for them, and in return, they should pay up.


    ''The dragon will attack anyway,'' Ian thought to himself.


    Ian was certain that the ck dragon would target the Talian domain.


    There was no way that beast who had been rampaging through domains would suddenly be docile.


    Even if, at the very best, the beast was satisfied and holed up in the mountains. How could one livefortably with such a monster as a neighbor, ready to cause havoc at any time?


    "If the count defeats the ck dragon for us... we couldn''t ask for anything more," one baron admitted.


    The barons had no choice but to agree to Ian''s proposal.


    ''... Debts can be repaid eventually,'' they thought.


    ''But if we lose our domains... everything''s over!''


    The barons'' job was being a lord.


    In other words, if they weren''t lords, they were nothing.


    It was to their advantage to reim their domains even if they had to borrow Lucy''s army.


    At least they wouldn''t have to work until they died.


    "I hear Sir Ian is quite an exceptional wizard?" one noble asked.


    "My skills aren''t bad," Ian replied modestly.


    "Hmm... is that so?" the noble mused.


    When Ian replied modestly, the nobles shot him suspicious looks.


    Ian immediately corrected his tone.


    It was [Wizard Speech].


    "I say my skills aren''t bad, and you go ''Hmm~?'' Seriously?" he challenged.


    "No, that''s not what I..." the noble stammered.


    "Not what?"


    "It''s just that Ian seems somewhat modest..."


    "Modest?"


    "... I apologize, Ian."


    "You apologize?"


    The nobles fell silent, genuinely flustered.


    Seeing this, Ian nodded.


    F*cking nobles. They always acted up when you treated them well.


    It was all because of their misguided preconceptions about wizards.


    This was all because the ancient Golden Empire wizards had created weird customs like [Calling a Wizard].


    "Repeat after me. ''Ian''s magic is decent!''" Ianmanded.


    The nobles remained silent.


    "You''re not repeating?" Ian pressed.


    "I-Ian''s magic is decent...!" one noble finally stammered.


    "That''s right. My skills are just about usable. I''m a modest wizard, you see."


    The nobles were appalled by Ian''s outrageously entric manner of speaking.


    ''This crazy bastard...'' they thought.


    ''Judging by the way he talks, he must be truly skilled...!''


    The nobles thought that Ian was undoubtedly an exceptional wizard... one with an entric side that enjoyed ying at being modest.


    "Let''s end our discussion here. Count Talian said she wants to hold a celebration for the werewolves offering tribute," Ian announced.


    In truth, it was just a fancy way of saying they should ughter some animals and feed the people.


    The nobles weren''t tactless enough to shout, "A banquet? Hahaha! Go fetch the wine!"


    "We''d be delighted to attend," they agreed.


    "Excellent. Let''s head to the banquet hall."


    That day, Ian butchered the beasts Lewis had gathered to feed the people, and held a modest get-together with the nobles.


    "Long live Lucy Talian!" the people cheered.


    "Long live! Long live!"


    All to the backdrop of cheers from the domain''s people who had received meat.


    ---


    ---


    Thanks to Lewis diligently gathering beasts, everyone in the Talian domain was happy.


    The nobles, the soldiers, and the people all filled their stomachs contentedly.


    Regarding this situation, most of themoners thoughtfortably:


    ''Wow~ A werewolf received a divine revtion and offered tribute!''


    ''The Sky God is truly great! Hahaha!''


    Themoners had listened to priests preach about the doctrine of Heaven''s Faith since childhood, and no one doubted that this situation was the result of a miracle from the Sky God.


    Well, it was an inexplicable situation unless it was a miracle.


    But the nobles, who had received higher education and umted more knowledge than others, thought a bit differently.


    ''... They say it''s a miracle from the Sky God, but.''


    ''Can such afortable miracle really happen?''


    Unlike themoners, they weren''t easily swayed by the word ''miracle''.


    They were people who had ruled as sovereigns in their own domains.


    All sorts of oundish events happened in domains.


    And 99% of the time, it was humans who resolved these events.


    A miracle from God? That sounded nice.


    But God didn''t bestow miracles so easily.


    If miracles happened this easily, there wouldn''t be any humans starving to death during famines.


    Therefore, the nobles doubted the 99% reality rather than the 1% miracle.


    ''This... isn''t it the work of a wizard?'' they wondered.


    When inexplicable things happened in reality, pinpointing a wizard as the culprit was usually the right answer.


    In fact, Ian was indeed responsible for this incident.


    Using magic to control a contracted monster and plunder beasts from other domains!


    However...


    ''We can''t even ask about it,'' they realized.


    They might be suspicious, but they couldn''t outright ask Ian.


    Who in their right mind would approach that entric wizard?


    And even if he really did use magic to plunder other domains...


    What did that have to do with the barons?


    They had already pledged loyalty to Lucy anyway. There was no need to create unnecessary trouble.


    That''s how Lucy''s barons felt.


    But the nobles beyond Lucy''s sphere of influence didn''t think that way at all.


    "My lord! All the beasts in the hunting grounds... have disappeared!" a servant reported breathlessly.


    "What?" the noble eximed in disbelief.


    "We''ve lost wild oxen, mountain goats, even the sheep and pigs we were grazing!"


    "Urgh!"


    Lucy''s neighboring nobles clutched their necks and copsed.Toggle New Ads


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