As one who wished to become the next master of the imperial throne.
She likely could not bring herself to admit that her own abilities were insufficient to persuade Hard.
“Then, let us conclude the discussion regarding the personnel rights of the Academy here, and speak of the rewards!”
The First Imperial Princess spoke as such instead of repeatedly asking me to try talking to Hard again.
Before introducing a new topic, she tilted her teacup with an elegant motion to moisten her throat.
It was then, while I was silently watching her and waiting for Fjodra to continue.
“Is that a matter Your Imperial Highness can decide entirely on your own?”
Reysir revealed a look of suspicion.
He seemed to be provoking her, as if asking if she could actually grant what they wished for.
Naturally, showing such behavior toward a member of the Imperial Family was an extremely rude act.
Under normal circumstances, a provoked royal would have been furious and dealt out a severe punishment.
Was it because Fjodra recognized the fact that Reysir had no choice but to harbor animosity toward the Imperial Family due to past events? Was that why she felt a sense of guilt?
Or was it because Reysir was the protagonist of the Original Work and Fjodra was a Heroine Candidate, and thus he received some sort of favorability correction effect?
“To say such a thing to my face, you are truly bold.”
Rather than scowling, Fjodra let out a hollow laugh with an intrigued expression.
Her attitude was quite favorable.
Perhaps that was why Fjodra’s statement sounded like it was being translated into, ‘You are the first to treat me this way.’
“To answer your question, it is not I who decides what rewards shall be bestowed upon you. However, it is possible for me to offer an opinion to my Imperial Father, the final decision-maker. There is a saying that one has nothing to lose, so would it not be fine to tell me what you desire?”
Even though she stated she had no authority, she exuded the relaxed and confident aura unique to those in power.
However, the moment Reysir spoke the following words, that demeanor vanished without a trace.
“I want my family’s fief returned.”
“I see now that I may have shown you too much mercy. To ask for a fief as a reward? Do you have no realization that you are demanding something far too great compared to your contribution?”
It was a reaction indicating she hadn’t even guessed that Reysir would demand the return of the Daudabiner County.
“Had you wanted gold, I would have given you enough to feel no lack. Had you desired honor, I would have provided an opportunity to earn it, but…”
She clicked her tongue with a stiffened expression, but I could catch a subtle sense of regret in the way her voice trailed off.
Fjodra must have hoped that Reysir would ask for an opportunity to achieve even greater feats.
As she had just said, simply slaying a single monster was far from enough to be granted a fief.
“No matter how much you ended the anomaly by slaying a special monster entity, you are not the greatest contributor to this matter. When everyone was falling into confusion, the one who stepped forward first to prevent casualties. The one who risked his life to buy time until you, who were in a panic, regained your senses. You haven’t forgotten the fact that it was all Young Lord Karbaldr, have you?”
“I have not forgotten.”
“And yet you demanded a fief? If I were to give that land to you, just how grand of a thing would I have to give to the Young Lord? I simply cannot even imagine it.”
Perhaps worried about her master, who was holding her forehead with a troubled expression, the eagle Familiar leaned its body against Fjodra’s arm while letting out a ‘peep…’ sound.
However, Reysir showed an attitude of not caring whether Fjodra’s head ached or not.
“I am not asking for something new to be given, but merely requesting the return of what was unjustly taken. Is this such an excessive demand?”
“Refrain from making remarks that could be heard as criticizing the Imperial Family.”
Reysir flinched at Fjodra’s pointing it out.
Since the world within this novel was a class-based society.
Unless he wanted to be dragged away for the crime of lèse-majesté, he had to be careful not to offend the Imperial Family, even if he was speaking the truth.
“I understand that there was a misunderstanding in the background of why the Imperial Family confiscated my family’s fief. However, ten years have passed since then. This is a long enough time for it to be proven that the bizarre phenomenon that occurred there was not the result of some artificial experiment.”
Instead of a direct manner of speaking, a sense of humiliation was faintly visible on Reysir’s face as he carefully uttered circumlocutory expressions.
Fjodra made a bitter expression upon seeing that.
But to the current Reysir, even such a reaction would feel like mockery.
“They say the cause of the phenomenon must be found, but if nothing has been discovered despite investigating for ten years, I believe it will be the same in the future. Moreover, since the same phenomenon occurred within the Imperial Palace and the Academy owned by the Imperial Family, is there any reason to continue the investigation in my hometown?”
“Even considering all that, it cannot be. As I said before, this is a matter of fairness.”
Certainly, Fjodra must also have a strong desire to return the ancestral land to Reysir.
I don’t just vaguely guess this through her attitude that I’ve seen in person, but I am certain of it through the actions she showed in the original.
When Reysir gained fame by clearing the Demonic Realm countless times and saving many people, she was the very person who summoned him to the Imperial Palace, insisting that he must be commended.
At that time, Fjodra offered the return of the Daudabiner County as a reward.
But Reysir was not satisfied with that.
Because it wasn’t just the fief that needed to be reclaimed.
To restore his parents’ honor, he also demanded an official apology from the Imperial Family…
‘The Imperial Family’s answer was a refusal!’
Fjodra tried to persuade her father, but since the Emperor refused to admit his mistake until the very end.
In the end, Reysir gave up on receiving an apology.
Instead, he wanted various benefits provided, including the costs for reconstructing the fief.
Among those were unreasonable demands.
Fjodra, suffering from guilt, tried to give Reysir whatever he needed.
As a result, her position became precarious because she fell out of favor with the Emperor.
She was deployed to the Demonic Realm under the pretext of Noblesse Oblige and lost her life.
The cause of death was assassination, but the Imperial Family denied it.
They claimed the First Imperial Princess was killed by a monster, and that Reysir, who entered the Demonic Realm with her, had concocted a lie to evade responsibility.
‘The mastermind who sent the assassin was the Imperial Family, so this too must have been part of the scheme.’
People didn’t even doubt the Imperial Family’s words and believed them wholeheartedly.
Actually, there were more than one or two comrades who died after entering the Demonic Realm with Reysir.
Under the surface, there were even rumors circulating that Reysir had intentionally sacrificed his comrades in order to easily catch the Boss Monster…
‘Just thinking about that part makes me furious, so let’s stop retracing the contents of the Original Work here.’
I made that decision, but the frustration already built up in my chest escaped in the form of a sigh, out of my control.
Everyone’s eyes gathered on me.
“Young Lord Karbaldr, what are your thoughts?”
The character from someone else’s novel threw a very distressing question.
Though it took the form of a question, it likely wasn’t a remark made because she was truly curious about my thoughts and wanted to hear an answer.
She was undoubtedly conveying her intent for me to make Reysir give up by agreeing with her opinion.
“That, well…”
“Nyan!”
“Hmm…?”
I opened my lips blindly, but when I was hesitating because I was at a loss for words.
Suddenly, Yor pushed a cookie into my mouth.
He had bought me time so that I could think sufficiently and answer.
I couldn’t help but admire the wisdom of the clever baby Dragon.
While slowly and thoroughly chewing the cookie that entered my mouth.
I wove together a justifiable story by assuming and imagining how it would be best to resolve this development.
Then, after swallowing a sip of tea to wash away the dryness left by the cookie.
I put down the teacup and released refined sentences into the world.
“As Your Imperial Highness said, it would be improper to grant the fief as a reward for this matter.”
I saw a sorrowful smile appear on Reysir’s face.
While feeling disappointed that I wasn’t taking his side.
It was an expression that seemed to say he understood everything because the situation couldn’t be helped, so I didn’t need to feel sorry.
However, I had only Poison Ingestion the very first line of the first paragraph.
“The Imperial Family must return the fief to the Daudabiner Family in a different manner.”
“……!”
In an instant, Reysir’s golden eyes flashed with light.
Of course, they didn’t actually emit light; it was strictly a metaphorical expression.
“Why do you think so?”
“It is clear that the disaster that struck the Daudabiner County in the past and the recent anomaly are the same thing. Just thinking about the ‘window through which one can check their own abilities’ that is scheduled to be announced soon, is this not an undeniable fact?”
“And?”
“The one who stopped the monster’s breath ten years ago was ‘Reysir Daudabiner,’ and he also defeated the monster on the day of this Graduation Ceremony. Even though the same phenomenon occurred and the same person resolved the incident. If you handed out a severe punishment of confiscating the fief in the past but grant a reward this time, people will fall into confusion as they cannot fathom the Imperial Family’s intentions.”
“The Imperial Family could also decide not to grant a reward to Reysir.”
Fjodra herself likely didn’t think that way.
I think she was proposing an opinion that another royal might offer in advance to fill any potential logical holes.
“There are many who saw Reysir defeat the monster. If you wish to not grant a reward despite that, you would have to provide a reason for it… You cannot claim that the anomalies that occurred not only at the Academy but also in the middle of the Imperial Palace and even in far-off foreign countries were all orchestrated by the ‘survivor of the Daudabiner Family,’ can you?”
“That is true. Setting aside that the other two places are locations he has never visited personally except for the Academy. Young Lord Reysir has neither the capital nor anything else to carry out such a thing.”
“In addition, if you raise the theory that the aftermath of the experiment committed by the former Count couple is only appearing now…”
“You need not explain further. Since it is the Imperial Family that has managed the Daudabiner Count’s Territory for the past ten years. To claim that some sort of experiment really took place there and the results are appearing now would be like announcing the Imperial Family’s incompetence. Moreover, since such phenomena occurred in foreign countries as well, how could I not know that this could potentially escalate into a diplomatic issue?”
Fjodra waved her hand dismissively and spoke part of what I was going to say.
Since she seemed clearly aware that she could not raise suspicions against the Daudabiner Family like in the past.
It seems I can move on to the next paragraph now.