“What on earth are you doing, pulling such a foolish stunt…?”
“Didn’t you know?”
“If someone had ordered me to do this, I would have objected on the spot. The Marquis knows that too. That’s why he didn’t even inform me.”
A father-son relationship built on a terribly bad kind of trust.
Anyway, due to the Knight Mercenary Group, goods that were supposed to be transported from various regions did not arrive properly.
As a result, those engaged in commerce were forced to take on debts.
Because of that, day laborers and hired workers who relied on these people also experienced wage arrears.
On top of that, this year is a famine — whether small-scale farmers or self-sufficient peasants, everyone was hitting the ground in tears.
“You could say that the economy within the domain is slowly collapsing as a whole.”
“Is that something Tessa told you by the river?”
Despite Glenn’s teasing tone, Kyle was still watching Godric with serious eyes.
“…I’ve been observing this for a very long time. At this rate, I’m certain the Marquis will ruin the domain.”
“Hmm.”
Glenn found himself looking at Kyle anew.
At first, he thought Kyle was just a reckless young master who only wanted revenge for his mother. But it turned out he was someone who genuinely worried about the domain’s future.
Of course, his motivation was never truly out of genuine concern for the people or any kind of compassion.
Kyle had answered this very simply:
“This is the duty assigned to me.”
Glenn carefully watched the atmosphere in the square, then shifted his gaze to Nedian behind him.
“No matter what happens, the Lion Knight Mercenary Group will stand their ground. Even if I move, the knights must hold their position.”
“Huh? What’s that supposed to mean? You’re not seriously planning to get involved alone, young master?”
“I don’t know. Not yet.”
“I have no choice but to oppose it. I was ordered by the Marquis to protect the young master.”
As resolute as Glenn was, Nedian was equally firm. The Deputy Commander could not negotiate when it came to Glenn’s safety.
“That’s why I’m saying this. If it were just me alone, maybe it would be different, but once the Lion Knight Mercenary Group gets involved, this becomes a war. No one can turn back then. Understood?”
“Even so…”
“Since you brought it up, who do you think gets into the most danger if I intervene? Me? Or those worthless mercenaries?”
He wasn’t trying to act superior. He was calmly stating a fact.
Nedian pictured a confrontation between Glenn and those mercenaries for a moment. No matter how he thought about it, he could only imagine the mercenaries scattering in panic and fleeing.
“Meow.”
Ignoring all that, the atmosphere in the square grew tenser.
***
“Be quiet!”
Godric frowned and snapped irritably, but the cries of the townsfolk didn’t cease. Their survival was at stake, after all.
“We have mouths to feed!”
“We have to worry about dinner tomorrow, and now there’s another tax!”
“Because of those thieves, we barely escaped with our lives! Please, spare us!”
“Orders! City Guard! Quiet these rioters, immediately!”
Though called the City Guard, they were actually mercenaries. The Riberton Domain had long relied on mercenaries for military force.
And like most mercenaries, these ones were rough and violent.
“Shut your mouths, you bastards!”
“If you don’t want to die, back off!”
“Ah! Wait, wait!”
“Don’t push! Caw!”
Brutal kicks and punches rained down. Those who resisted had their weapons swung wildly.
None of these mercenaries were from Riberton. To them, the townsfolk were complete strangers — noisy vermin at best.
“Stop! They’re also residents of Riberton. How can you treat them like this?”
A young man jumped out from the crowd and shouted.
He had brown hair and bore a striking resemblance to Godric on the stage.
“I’m Kyle de Riberton! City Guard, cease this suppression at once!”
“Who’s that guy?”
“Huh? Kyle? Isn’t he the Marquis’ second son?”
Several guards near the young man recognized him and looked back at Godric.
“What is this? Keep suppressing them immediately!”
“Godric! Stop this nonsense. Are you planning to beat your own domain residents to death? Have some shame.”
“Kyle? What are you doing here…?”
At that moment, an idea struck Godric. Kyle was always a thorn in his side — hated by his father, and a bastard son who thought he was better than his older brother.
The question of why he was here became irrelevant. Only the opportunity mattered.
“Guards! That man dared call himself the Marquis’ son! Detain him immediately!”
Godric’s finger pointed at Kyle.
A sly, disdainful smile appeared at his lips.
“Y-yes?”
“Really?”
“Subdue him as roughly as possible! No, just kill him! Bring me his head and I’ll give ten gold coins. I swear on my name!”
“Damn it—”
Kyle suddenly felt overwhelmed.
It was true he had acted impulsively. But his intention was also to use this moment to raise his own standing.
Still, he never expected foolish Godric to go so far.
“Ten gold coins? For real?”
“Catch him! His head’s mine!”
Kyle tried to disappear back into the crowd, but another mercenary leapt out behind him.
“Damn it! Godric, you’ve really lost it—”
“Graaah!”
The mercenary swung a morning star, but Kyle stabbed a dagger into the man’s chest, then quickly rolled away, dodging the following kicks.
Thud! Thud!
“Cough!”
Before he could recover, another mercenary drew his sword and charged.
At that moment—
“That man’s mine!”
Clang—!
A sudden, unknown man blocked the sword with a long blade. At the same time, the sword still sheathed was spun around.
“What—! Gah!”
“What the hell is this guy?!”
Wham—thud.
In an instant, three mercenaries surrounding Kyle collapsed. Glenn looked at Kyle with a somewhat dumbfounded expression and helped him up.
“You’re more reckless than I thought. Are you alright?”
“Cough… I’m sorry. I didn’t expect them to try to kill me on sight…”
Glenn had suspected some impulsiveness, but never thought Kyle would take such a sudden action.
“Stay alert. It’s not over yet.”
Just as Glenn said, more mercenaries approached, rallied by Godric’s signal.
“What? Only two of them! Catch and finish them off right now!”
But tension was spreading among the mercenaries. Mercenaries were more sensitive than anyone to rumors of war.
Those gathered here had also heard about the recent war in Niran.
“…Is that guy really…?”
“The Red Blade of the Eastern Legion? No way…?”
A knight with red hair like blood and gem-like green eyes. His specialty was dismantling human bodies and even bending souls with ancient arts.
There were rumors he had literally crushed several knights of the Riberton Knight Mercenary Group within the Riberton Domain.
“The Red Demon. It’s definitely him, that devil spawn.”
“Damn it! Why is that bastard here?!”
Fear flickered in the eyes of the mercenaries facing him.
Glenn realized he could use this situation and curled one side of his mouth into a smirk.
“Hey, you guys. Looks like you know who I am. Right?”
“If you’re confident, then come at me. But I’m warning you—”
The grim Red Blade swept his gaze over the surrounding mercenaries.
They outnumbered him, and he hadn’t even drawn his sword from its sheath.
“Then all of you will be dismantled alive. You’ve heard my nickname, right?”
Still, no one dared move recklessly.
It was as if an invisible force pressed down on them, suppressing any movement. The harsher the mercenary’s life had been, the stronger this instinctual feeling.
gulp
“Ugh…”
“…Damn it.”
They were going to die.
If they attacked that man, they would certainly die.
A tense silence hung in the air as everyone’s lips went dry.
“You cowardly bastards!”
Seeing the hesitating mercenaries, Godric resolved to change tactics.
“Prince Glenn! What is this madness?! Are you declaring all-out war against the Marquis of Riberton?!”
“Sir Godric, it is an honor to meet you.”
“Save your breath.”
“Just so you know, this friend beside me is Kyle. My friend and the younger brother of the Marquis.”
“Hey! Don’t talk nonsense and step aside! Outsiders like you don’t interfere with family matters!”
Who was this guy suddenly ruining everything?
Godric couldn’t hide his rising irritation.
“Family matters? So you knew Sir Godric was Kyle? Then why did you still order his death? Trying to kill your own brother while the chaos is ongoing?”
“Guh…!”
Should he just ignore them both and kill them?
Without Kyle, there was no one in Riberton who could defy him.
As Godric seriously pondered, a shadow quietly approached from behind and whispered. One of the father’s guards assigned to this incident.
“Sir Godric, it would be detrimental to confront Kyle here. It would only raise his standing.”
“What? Then why not just kill them both?”
“Prince Lepent has never killed anyone. If we threaten them, it would only give them a moral victory. Please…”
“Let me ruin such a precious opportunity with my own hands?”
“It might not be an opportunity but a trap. The Marquis wouldn’t want this either.”
“…Damn it.”
Godric felt anger boiling over but knew the guard was right.
“Damn it…”
In the end, he turned his back.
***
Thus, what could have escalated into large-scale violence was averted. Thanks in part to Kyle’s impulsive act, but it didn’t change much.
The very next day, the Marquis’s ordered tax collection proceeded as planned. This time, the Marquis even warned Kyle not to intervene.
Most of the refugees who couldn’t pay the tax were driven out of the city.
“Ugh, this is like telling us to just die!”
“The Marquis has abandoned us!”
Fortunately, Lady Tessa distributed some relief supplies through her own shop. But with so many refugees, the shortage was obvious.
“Maybe we can get more food inside the city… but it’s still not enough. There are just too many refugees.”
Tessa cautiously spoke to Kyle.
“…I’m grateful for even this much, Lady Tessa. I will repay you someday.”
Quietly expressing his thanks, Kyle clenched his lips and thought to himself:
“I must become the Marquis.”
He was certain that at this rate, the domain’s future would be nothing but ruin. He had to become the head of the domain to stop this tragedy.
***
The day after the incident in the square.
Glenn received a letter bearing a name he had never seen before.
“From Elrian Rochfort, to Prince Ron Glenn Lepent.”
Elrian Rochfort.
Currently the Empire’s ambassador dispatched to the Riberton Domain.
“It has come.”
Glenn’s gaze hardened as he looked at the letter.
The real game begins now.