Chapter 45: The “Former” Knight Commander (1)
On a cloudless, bright day, with sunlight pouring down on the walls of Calpion Castle.
Chew, chew.
Seated atop the ramparts, I chewed on a piece of jerky with one hand as I looked down below.
“Here, fly it over this way!”
“Two more people over here, please!”
Not so long ago, Calpion’s estate had been overrun by thieves and bandits.
As if that had been a lie, now the townspeople bustled about everywhere, busily tending to their own work.
“We have to finish all the assigned work by today! Hurry up!”
“Yes, understood!”
Clang! Clang!
The blacksmiths swung their hammers tirelessly to repair the arms and armor damaged in the Territorial War.
“Alright, all minor patients step aside! Collect your medicine at that tent over there!”
“…Will this really cure me if I just take it?”
“I’m telling you, that’s more than enough!”
Around the medical station, patients lined up in long queues, and volunteers assisted them.
At a glance, the place seemed to have gained quite a bit of stability.
…
Nearby, Calpion’s knights stood with hawk-like vigilance, prepared for any unforeseen situation.
Watching this peaceful scene, my smile deepened.
‘Turns out this was an instant remedy.’
Once Syllot and those lackeys… no, the retainers from Calpion were deployed here and there, our own retainers finally had room to breathe, and little by little, everything began falling into place.
Of course, that wasn’t the only factor.
‘Distributing the relief rations worked wonders, too.’
[Come, step forward and receive your rations!]
[Uh… are you really giving this to us for free?]
[That’s right, this is relief food with no strings attached! It is the grace of Viscount Cobalt, so all of you accept it with gratitude!]
Under Cobalt’s leadership, he had the food supplies he had stockpiled for the troops distributed to the territory’s people.
Since their hunger and hardship were what had driven morale into the gutter… this had played a critical role in stabilizing the domain.
Thanks to that, our reserves of stored food had dwindled considerably.
‘But this is something you have to look at long term.’
When considering the tribute and profits we would eventually collect from Calpion’s people, gaining their trust was worth far more than a bit of food right now.
Perhaps it was because of all these efforts to stabilize things inside and out.
Starting today, wagonloads of goods were finally able to travel between Calpion and Daphne Castle again.
By tomorrow, only a few Daphne retainers would remain here to oversee matters, while the rest of us would return to the main estate.
Gulp.
Swallowing the bread all at once, I let out a deep sigh.
“…At last, I’ve crossed one big mountain.”
Though perhaps, by comparison, it was really more like a little hill behind the village.
In any case.
‘Big Brother, how in the world did you manage all of this?’
We’d only taken over this paltry little estate, yet it had already turned into such an ordeal.
When I thought about the scale of post-war cleanup that must have been needed back in the days when Valter was in charge, I couldn’t help but shake my head.
‘Nothing comes easy, nothing at all.’
I lifted my gaze to the sky.
There wasn’t a single cloud, the sun was bright, and everything was wrapping up smoothly, yet even in this moment, I felt my head grow hot with anxiety, as if something might go wrong at any second.
“…Hoo… I just want to rest.”
If I had it my way, I’d disappear off to some faraway country, lock myself away in a nice villa, drink myself silly, and spend a few years buried in chivalry novels.
In that instant, a hallucination seemed to echo by my ear.
[Don’t even dream of it, Varlach. If you want to rest… you can rest forever when you’re dead.]
…Was that my sister’s voice just now?
‘Still nagging me even after death?’
As I grumbled with a bitter expression, someone called out.
“Brother.”
“Ah, what is it.”
“Brother Hardin?”
“…Hm?”
Hearing the voice behind me, I turned my head.
Standing there, staring at me blankly, was Malion.
He was holding a thick bundle of parchment in his hands, and behind him stood Engelmann, who always followed him around like an attendant.
“What’s this about all of a sudden?”
“I was passing through on business. I plan to place an order for stone soon, so I wanted to check the state of the walls.”
Well, he sure worked diligently.
With an indifferent look, I waved my hand dismissively.
“Ah, I see? Well, good luck with that.”
“Yes.”
Malion offered a small nod of respect, then began walking past me.
It was then.
Tap.
He suddenly stopped in his tracks and spoke to Engelmann.
“Engelmann, go on ahead for a moment.”
“Yes? You mean alone, sir?”
“There’s something I’d like to say to my brother privately.”
“Ah… yes.”
With a small nod, Engelmann moved off into the distance, and Malion approached me again.
“Brother.”
“What now.”
I twitched an eyebrow as I looked at him. Malion adjusted his glasses and asked.
“How exactly did you do it?”
“Do what?”
“Syllot. I’m asking how in the world you managed to bring that man over to our side.”
Of course, Malion had wondered about this himself.
From the start, it was obvious that the fastest and most effective way to resolve Calpion’s problems was to make use of Calpion’s own people.
But no matter what conditions or proposals he offered…
[Do you think I have any desire to work for Daphne?]
Every time, all he’d gotten in return was Syllot stiffening his neck and wearing that thin, mocking smile.
A man so prideful about having come from a count’s house.
If it were as simple as beating him up a few times to get him to comply, he would have done it long ago.
There had to have been… something else. Some other method.
I scratched my head and answered.
“Well, it’s nothing that impressive. I just got my hands on a little leverage.”
“Leverage?”
“Yeah, that bastard had all kinds of valuables stashed away in every nook and cranny of his rooms. I dug them up and shoved them right under his nose. Told him if he didn’t fall in line, I’d send the lot straight to the Imperial Tribunal.”
“When we searched his residence, we never found a trace of any of it… Just how did you…”
Retainers of a defeated house hiding and concealing their wealth—
Since no one expected to be treated kindly once they became prisoners, this was something everyone did, even knowing it was a serious crime.
Malion, too, had searched for their hidden property but hadn’t been able to find so much as a clue.
Yet Hardin had dug it up and resolved the problem in a single stroke.
As Malion’s eyes trembled, I shrugged my shoulders and answered.
“Trade secret.”
“A… secret?”
“Yeah, well… if you’re that curious, go ask Manton about it. He helped.”
“I see.”
Malion gave a small nod.
Then he stood there in silence, lips parting and closing for a long moment before he finally spoke, slowly.
“Brother.”
“Yeah.”
“…I’m sorry.”
“Out of nowhere?”
I tilted my head in confusion, and Malion averted his gaze with effort as he went on.
“All this time… I think I’ve misunderstood you.”
An expression full of embarrassment.
I tilted my head again, then asked with a teasing smile.
“What did you misunderstand?”
When our eyes met, I could see his pupils quivering.
A look that mingled embarrassment with a strange kind of tension.
Malion opened and closed his mouth for quite a while before answering.
“I believe… you already know very well.”
“Who knows. You’ll have to explain if you want me to understand.”
At my shameless reply, Malion hesitated again for a long time before suddenly turning away.
“…In any case, I’ll take my leave.”
“Hey, are you just going to walk away?”
I reached out to stop him, but Malion quickly disappeared with brisk steps.
A small laugh slipped out of me.
“He doesn’t give me a chance to tease him.”
Damn kid, if you’ve got something to say, spit it out properly.
Just then—
Whoooosh!
A breeze blew in over the castle walls, making my hair whip about roughly.
Perhaps carried on the wind, a few dandelion seeds floated over the ramparts… catching the sunlight as they drifted into my eyes.
‘Well, still…’
I took in the view of the estate, thinking.
‘This isn’t so bad in its own way.’
A faint smile rose on my face.
---
Early morning, before the sun had even risen, inside a room of the Daphne manor.
In front of a desk piled high with books and parchment, Viscount Cobalt swiftly reviewed the documents stacked before him.
His eyes moved left and right without pause as he signed them one after another with a lead stylus.
He was so focused that the black tea sitting by his side had long gone lukewarm.
Who knows how much time had passed like that.
Cock-a-doodle-doo!
It wasn’t until the cry of a rooster drifted in through the window that—
“Hoooo…”
Viscount Cobalt finally set down the lead stylus in his hand. He took a brief sip of black tea and looked out the window.
“Alright, alright, come and collect your things! One at a time from the front!”
“What’s got everyone coming so early?”
In the central square of the estate—
Wagons that had arrived at the crack of dawn were being unloaded by the townspeople under the direction of Quartermaster Engelmann.
‘Did these come from Calpion Castle?’
A gentle smile formed at the corner of Viscount Cobalt’s lips as he sipped his tea.
After successfully wrapping up the post-war recovery in Calpion, he had returned straight to Daphne, leaving only a handful of retainers behind.
He hadn’t had the time to spare any attention to this estate in the meantime, but the situation here had been equally poor all along.
Even though they had managed to secure victory, they had still been battered by the upheaval of the Territorial War in all kinds of ways.
There were mountains of pending tasks to put in order and settle.
Even so, compared to their time in Calpion, things were far easier now. But because of that, Cobalt and the retainers had to work themselves nearly to the bone.
Yet somehow…
‘It doesn’t feel hard at all.’
Now, there was no longer any fear of losing the territory or dying.
Compared to that dread, the weariness of the present meant nothing at all.
After crawling back up from the pits of hell, everything in the world looked beautiful.
And this outcome held an especially profound meaning for Viscount Cobalt…
‘…Hardin.’
From the victory in the Territorial War to quelling the chaos in Calpion’s estate—
Every bit of it had been accomplished by the hands of Hardin, the Young Master.
That same Hardin who had once lost his mana and spent every day venting his rage on the townspeople… yet he had achieved this unbelievable result.
How could a father, and the head of a house, do anything but smile?
“Good… It’s good…”
While he savored the aroma of the tea—
Knock, knock, knock!
“Hm?”
Along with the knocking, a hoarse voice came through the door.
“Lord, it’s Mulgybson.”
“…Come in.”
Creak.
Setting down the empty cup on his desk, Cobalt asked.
“Mulgybson, what brings you here at this hour?”
“My Lord… there is something I must say to you.”
When a serious, heavy expression came over Mulgybson’s face, Cobalt clasped his hands together, tension flickering across his own features.
“What is it? Speak.”
“….”
Mulgybson opened and closed his lips a few times.
He looked uncharacteristically troubled.
“My lord, please know that what I am about to say… is a conclusion I reached only after long and careful deliberation.”
“What is it you intend to tell me?”
Mulgybson paused to find the words, then his eyes turned solemn as he spoke each word with force.
“I wish… to step down as Commander of the Knights.”
“What did you say?”
Cobalt’s eyes widened, and Mulgybson continued speaking.
“And I would like to recommend appointing Young Master Hardin as the new Commander.”
“Hold on a moment. This is rather sudden, isn’t it?”
Mulgybson calmly shook his head and replied.
“It isn’t sudden. My lord, you witnessed the Young Master’s accomplishments yourself during this Territorial War.”
“….”
Cobalt’s voice caught in his throat.
A brief silence passed before he lowered his head, then slowly lifted it again to speak.
“If it hadn’t been for the Young Master, we would have lost this war. It’s shameful to admit… but I believe I have failed to fulfill my duty as Commander.”
“…Duty, you say.”
Cobalt repeated the word with a bitter expression before continuing.
“I understand your reasoning, but isn’t this too hasty a decision?”
He completely agreed with Mulgybson’s assessment.
Hardin had proven himself—no, he had done even more than that.
But still—
‘Someone other than Mulgybson becoming Commander?’
Mulgybson had held the position since before Cobalt became head of the family.
To imagine someone else in that role was something Cobalt simply couldn’t picture.
In the end, he just wasn’t prepared for it in his heart.
At that moment, Mulgybson replied calmly.
“It isn’t hasty. If anything… it has been far too long in coming.”
“Too long…?”
“I am too old. Even training has become difficult, and holding a sword is nothing like it once was. I am utterly unfit to be entrusted with Daphne’s future.”
From the deep lines etched across his face, the bitterness and sincerity of those words were unmistakable.
How long must he have wrestled with himself before speaking them aloud?
Cobalt pressed his fingers firmly to the bridge of his nose before asking again.
“…You won’t reconsider?”
“No. For the sake of the house—and for myself—this is the right course. Please grant my request.”
“Then… do you intend to leave the house?”
“If you would permit it… I would like to return to the ranks as a common knight and spend my remaining years here in your service. Would that be acceptable?”
“….”
A heavy silence settled between them, filling the room with an awkward stillness.
Time passed in that hushed atmosphere.
Finally, Viscount Cobalt drew in a long, steadying breath and spoke.
“Very well. I will grant your request.”
“…Thank you.”
As Mulgybson lowered his head, Cobalt’s expression grew solemn.
Then, slowly and with the weight of a declaration, he said:
“From this moment on… the Commander of our house’s knights is Hardin.”