chapter 32
32 – 7-My dear hometown
I talked about the last meeting currently taking place in Stemwind, the circumstances of the De Yewitz family, and my place in the family.
Mion, who was far from aristocratic society, often looked at me with an incomprehensible face.
“So, you’re saying that you’re trying to purify the eldest son, De Yewitz-sama, because he’s a descendant of the imperial family, so there’s a chance he’ll hand over the kingdom to the empire?”
“Yes, on the other hand, Aidan’s blood is mixed with the Haen-Lel family, so if he is selected as the successor, he will be able to stabilize the successor.”
Haenrel was the second most powerful and dangerous family after the De Yewitz family.
If Aidan was confirmed as the successor, both the De Yewitz and Haenrel families, as well as the North, could produce satisfactory results.
Mion asked me back as if he couldn’t understand it no matter how much he chewed.
“But isn’t that strange? As far as I know, the Djeevitz family has already married a few princesses or princesses. But they probably never had a lot of trouble with succession issues.”
“Well, you’re right. But times have changed.”
I explained as kindly as possible for Mion to understand.
“The power of the Empire has become much stronger than in the past, and I no longer want the North to be separated. It’s an intention to get rid of the vassal. Using that, the Haenrel family is on the side of the Imperial family and pressuring the De Yeezitz family. .”
Make Aidan your successor.
Otherwise, I will break away from the vassal and join the empire.
The Haenrel family is threatening the De Yewitz family like that.
“I can’t!”
“The King of the North must bring the House of Haen-Lel to his side in order to protect his kingdom. That is why he wants to marry the daughter of Haen-Lel and make her son his successor.”
“That means that the eldest son, Bjorn de Yewitz, must be the Marquis…”
“It’s sacrificing a cow for the great. I think your political insight is great. It’s a problem because I’m a ‘cattle’ being sacrificed.”
Of course, the story does not proceed according to Kaniel’s will.
It’s not because Kaniel’s political judgment is rubbish.
The problem was that the Haenrel family had gone mad.
“I don’t intend to sit down and be defeated either. I’m going to throw the odds at this meeting. To do that, Mion, I need your help.”
“My help? What can I do?”
“You have to hide your existence thoroughly. The knights have been thoroughly cracked down, but it’s only a makeshift measure, and soon all the aristocrats with keen ears will notice. We have to delay that moment even a little bit.”
This is the absolute grand proposition for my plan to come true.
The moment the saint comes out, the succession fight that I barely surfaced will go into place, and if that happens, no one will be interested even if Kaniel changes it as he wants.
Now, we need to focus our attention on the succession fight, not the saint.
The situation was twisted like a dog by Lunaa’s trolling.
Even if this panty thief didn’t have seizures after watching the saint, he wouldn’t have gone this far.
If I had known that I was a saint by myself, I would have been able to take Mion in more ways.
Crying out loud that a saint was born on the street was something that could not be rationally understood.
Mion nodded her head and said.
“I think I can do that.”
It was the first time I heard Mion’s confident tone.
His thought, ‘Well, I can do it at that level’ was just read on his face.
Looking at his appearance, he seems to know that he just needs to keep his mouth shut.
Well, is that so?
I felt like I would burst out laughing at Mion’s future fate.
Recognizing that I was up to something, Jin sighed lightly.
Before Jin’s faint sigh was over, the carriage slowed down.
It was a time when the horse’s tone was so rough that it could be heard even inside the carriage.
As the horses hooves clattered, I looked out the window.
From a distance, I could see an old castle built to fit into a hill and brick houses clustered around it.
Involuntarily, I muttered at the disgustingly familiar scenery.
“Stemwind…”
My hometown, which I returned after a long time, was still welcoming me in the same place.
However, it was strangely more energetic than Stemwind in my memory.
The road was crowded with people, and a janitor was laying down a seat on the side of the originally empty road.
I saw people wearing clocks with patterns that I hadn’t seen before.
The quiet plaza was filled with merchants who raised their voices to promote goods, bards playing unknown musical instruments, and circus performers.
It was also worth seeing the smell of alcohol and meat, which is hard to smell normally, and the dancing of the women who took off their clocks despite the ashes falling.
It seems that when a lot of people gather, they want to do something.
Whether it’s a fight, a brag, or a festival.
But these people don’t know that this is the last moment in the North where they can laugh without worry.
Last meeting.
The moment that decided the fate of the North came to Stemwind.
“I’ve never seen such an ignorantly gigantic building in my life!”
Barton’s jaw dropped when he saw the true nature of the DeYevitz family.
That was understandable, because the main character used by the De Yewitz family was also the palace of the old kingdom established by the first king.
During the Seongseong Revolution, the symbol of the old kingdom was split by angry farmers and most of the villas were demolished, but only its grandeur remained and it was still established as a building symbolizing the north.
“I’ve been waiting for you, Mr. Bjorn de Jejitz. The Marquis has ordered you to come to the Great Hall.”
As soon as I got off the wagon upon arriving at the de Jejitz family headquarters, a servant spoke to me.
It was Purim, where no consideration was found.
Vona Mana It must be an attempt to weaken my position by making a public announcement of my failing in the entrance exam in front of the nobles gathered at the Great Hall.
The obvious tricks made me realize that I had come to my hometown.
Amber couldn’t stand the gap and made a sarcastic remark.
“You love Bjorn so much that you call him as soon as he arrives?”
“Amber, stop kidding and come along with Barton. Helga will cover Mion’s face with a cloak and take her to my room. And never let anyone in until I go.”
Helga nodded her head briefly and closed Mion’s cloak.
The gamble with Kaniel De Yeevitz, who staked my life and the fate of the North as a chip, began.
I hurried to my feet, facing the beam of light leaking through the cracks in the doors of the Great Hall.
*
The inside of the Great Hall was full of faces he hadn’t seen before.
But it wasn’t too difficult to figure out who they were.
If you are a northerner, it is impossible not to know the family crest decorated on the clock.
There are three counts in the North.
The second most powerful Count of Haenrel after the De Jejitz family.
Count Sorang has pledged absolute allegiance to the de Yewitz family.
And Earl Yak Hock, famous for his violent temper.
But Count Haenrel was not at the Great Hall, as he must have invited all three.
Instead, the seat of honor where the vassals of the House of Haenrel were seated was Eileen de Yewitz, the daughter of the House of Haenrel and my stepmother.
It was obvious on her face that she was in a difficult situation.
When I opened the door to the Great Hall and entered, everyone in the Great Hall glared at me.
“Is that kid the eldest son of His Excellency? Did he fall for cheating in the entrance exam?”
It was Count Yakhok who spoke to Kaniel, who was sitting at the high table.
He was wearing a fur vest with the wolf’s face skin intact, and he was proud of his thick forearms.
With his long beard and brown hair that left his forehead exposed, he seemed to drift somewhere between Viking and Dwarf.
The land ruled by House Yakhok was the site of the infamous Keldarin stronghold.
In order to protect the territory from frequent monster invasions, it is said that the yak spirit has been ruled by a rough leader from generation to generation.
Earl Yakhok of this generation was the same.
Kanniel spoke in a calm tone without showing his emotions on his face.
“That’s right. It’s embarrassing, but Io, who inherits the name of the De Yeevitz family.”
“hahahaha! That’s right! The kid didn’t go astray after he wrapped himself up like that? Apparently, he seems to be spreading nonsense as well. If the kid who will lead the North in the future is already thinking about deceiving others, will he use it?”
Kaniel’s eyebrows gathered at Count Yakhok’s words.
Either way, he threw the yak or the liquor in front of him down his throat at once and got up.
The chair he was sitting on fell backwards, leaving a brief noise in the quiet Great Hall.
“You arrogant bastard. It’s not enough that you only tarnished the name of the Djeets family by failing to join the entrance exam. You deceived the people with false rumors.”
Every time Count Yakhok moved, the floor on the floor screamed.
“You fought against that Qarha? With the great demon of the plague, who was said to have built temples of corruption with cloth and flowed rivers with pus? And then came back alive? Where are you trying to mock the North!”
“We have witnesses.”
“Witnesses?! How many witnesses do you think there will be if I tell you that the eldest of the DeYevitz family peed in his pants?!”
The yakhok yelled at me and drove me away.
It’s still hard to figure out if it’s just a savage temper, as rumored, or if there’s something it’s aiming for.
I stopped Amber from stepping out in front of me and scooped him up.
“Then how can I prove it?”
“Hmph! Can you prove it? Okay, apparently, the rumor that you have a talent for swordsmanship must be false. If you beat my escort knight, I’ll admit that the rumor is true.”
As Count Yakhok beckoned, a knight approached me with a smirking face.
“This guy is a low-class sword expert. Rumor has it that you are also a low-class guy, so you have to win! However, if you lose, you’ll have to kneel down and apologize for making fun of the North!”
Indeed, I saw a rough idea of what Count Yakhok was aiming for.
I accepted Count Yakhok’s proposal.
“As long as it proves my innocence.”
“I like the distribution. Hey, make room!”