ALL NOVEL chapter 49
49 – The Pit
During the remaining time before leaving Silverwood for Westburn, I tried to make some last memories… No way, my muscles just kept getting bigger.
“Are you serious…”
Having to leave the territory and go to Westburn without even properly resting? I don’t even know when I’ll be back..?
“Can you stop complaining already? You’ve been saying the same thing over and over since earlier.”
“Yes.”
Hmm, I made too many groaning sounds. Not just the teacher, but everyone in the carriage is giving me cold stares..!
Huh? Why inside the carriage?
Of course, we’ve already departed for Westburn…
By the way, Marcus and Allen are riding in a much shabbier carriage they had from their original viscountcy, which is far more humble than this one bestowed by the royal family. Commoners can’t ride in the same kind of carriage as nobles. Secretly.
“I just returned to my hometown after a long time, and now I have to leave again. It’s understandable that you feel upset, but don’t worry too much. You’re not going to receive punishment or anything; you’re going to receive an honor from His Majesty.”
“Eilen…”
“And we’re going with you… So you won’t be lonely either…”
Tightly
Eilen, who was sitting next to me, embraced my arm tightly. Kkhuk… Eilen! You truly are the only one..!
“(Whisper) Sister, don’t you think Eilen and the viscount have become too close lately?”
“(Whisper) Yeah, it feels like there’s much more physical contact than before.”
“(Whisper) Could it be that they’re even dating..?”
“(Whisper) Oh my..! Then we’re just here in the palace to enjoy ourselves…”
“Keep it down since we can hear everything.”
When did you guys become so familiar with each other?
“You keep spreading fake news… No, baseless rumors about what happened between us in the palace. Did we kiss? Did we exchange blows? We played pranks maybe once or twice…”
“I think we exchanged more than just blows…”
“No, what are you talking about! We were both wearing clothes back then!”
“Viscount, what does that mean..?”
“Oh, Eilen. That’s not what I meant… Anyway, if you keep saying things like that, we won’t have any soup in the future, alright? How childish can we become? Shall we compete to see?”
“Ugh.”
After my words, Niersera and Satricia finally stopped talking nonsense.
Eilen still seemed curious about what Satricia said, but she seemed to have sensed the atmosphere and decided not to ask for now. Thank you, Eilen..!
**
Thud, thud
“Viscount, we’ve just entered the Westburn territory.”
“Oh, really?”
After a few days of travel, our group had arrived at the outskirts of Westburn Viscounty.
During this process, it was difficult because people from every territory we passed through gathered to see me.
Especially as we approached Westburn, there were many areas that had been occupied by Westburn and later liberated by His Majesty, making it even more challenging.
Once, in a certain territory, they went as far as preparing a banquet for us in advance. We wanted to decline politely since we needed to go to Westburn as soon as possible, but the people of that territory seemed determined not to let us go until we at least took a bite of the feast, so we ended up drinking and eating all day long.
Well, it’s not like I didn’t enjoy it, but it was still bothersome. Ugh… this damn fame…
Fortunately, there weren’t any similar incidents even during our other stops, so we were able to arrive within about four days.
“But, Your Lordship… the atmosphere of the people living here seems a bit suspicious.”
“What? How so…”
I slightly opened the carriage window and looked outside as Satricia spoke.
Since it was still on the outskirts of Westburn, there weren’t many people, making it somewhat ambiguous, but I could clearly see that what Satricia said was true – it wasn’t a friendly atmosphere.
“Well… from the perspective of the people who originally lived in Westburn, they probably see us as conquerors, so it’s better if they don’t treat us too nicely, right?”
“Are they so shameless that they blame us for their own mistakes…”
“Everyone thinks in a self-centered way.”
Until now, I hadn’t really cared deeply about the reactions shown by the people of Westburn towards us. What can those bastards do to us?
However, as we moved deeper into the Westburn region, tension started to build up among us.
“Isn’t this… dangerous, my Lord?”
“No way. There are still King’s forces remaining in Westburn, do you think they would dare to mess with us?”
“Still… it doesn’t feel right…”
The hostile gazes were becoming so intimidating that Satricia’s concerns grew. She wasn’t overreacting for no reason.
No matter how lowly they were, ultimately, all the necessities such as bread and clothes consumed by the nobles were produced by these lower-class people. If public sentiment turns like this, even a lord would have a headache.
“We’re going to face some hardships for a while…”
A little later, the coachman informed me that we had arrived.
Thunk.
Our group got off the carriage together and looked around.
“Indeed, it seems like a much better neighborhood than Silverwood.”
It was true that Westburn, in terms of size, had developed just as well as any Free City. Not to mention the rebuilt Silverwood, which had advanced far thanks to my grandfather’s support.
The problem is…
“The looks they give us are dirty.”
“My Lord?! If you talk about it so openly here…”
“What can we do about it?”
Still, I should keep it under control. If someone sees me talking about how I killed their parents, they might think I’ll kill theirs too. It’s ironic that it was them who killed my father and brothers. Come to think of it, they tried to kill me and my mother as well.
That was the work of Karmusians acting unilaterally?
Did anyone hold a knife to their throats and force them to hire Karmusians?
“It’s not enough to come and hit me in the head right now.”
“Your lordship…”
It seems that they thought I would cherish Westburn as much as Silverwood did, but that might not be the case after some time. Not as much right now, as it’s already pretty damn terrible.
After some time had passed, a person from the castle came running to me.
“Welcome, Viscount Silverwood. I am the secretary Wayne, temporarily ruling Westburn under His Majesty’s orders.”
“Wayne, it’s good to see you.”
“I am honored to finally meet the famous Viscount. Come, let’s go inside the castle quickly. I have a lot to tell you.”
“Alright.”
We followed Wayne’s lead into the castle of Viscount Leing.
The others left their luggage in their guest rooms while Wayne and I went to the study to talk. He said he had something urgent to discuss.
After we each took a seat, Wayne let out a big sigh and spoke to me.
“Viscount, you have no idea how eagerly I have been waiting for your arrival in Westburn.”
“Thank you for your welcome, but why is that?”
“Viscount, this place is hell, hell!”
After hearing Wayne’s sudden outburst, it seemed that the situation in the fief was much more serious than I had thought.
To summarize Wayne’s words, when His Majesty’s armies first occupied Westburn, the nobles and commoners of Westburn acted respectfully, but over time, they became more rebellious.
When ordered to do something, they now wait a long time before carrying it out, and they openly show disdain for the officials sent to manage the area. They also increasingly neglect their duties, which has led to shortages of goods.
However, they have not incited a rebellion because, as long as the taxes are collected, His Majesty has shown no interest, so the officials sent to manage Westburn are the ones suffering in between.
“Upon learning that you were coming, we were so delighted because, prior to this, we had no authority to respond to any offenses or humiliation we suffered. But you, Viscount, have the power to do so. Unlike us, you are the true ‘master’ of Westburn.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. Of course, there is now hope that we can leave this hellish place.”
“Just a moment, you are aware that you need to help stabilize the area before I can leave, right?”
“We’re not so shameless as to hand Westburn over to you and run away immediately. Whatever order you give, we will carry it out.”
“Alright…”
I issued my first order in Westburn to Wayne.
Wayne was slightly surprised by my command, but he nodded and then got up to leave the study to carry out my orders.
**
“The brat has arrived here?”
“Yes, my lord.”
A small castle on the outskirts of a fairly good-sized manor.
The Marquis living inside that castle, Verne, felt his spirits fall at the servant’s words.
“Who would’ve thought, the only thing this uneducated country bumpkin, who doesn’t have much to show for himself except for having a good grandfather, ends up being our lord. What a world we live in… Tsk tsk.”
“The Marquis’ words are correct. A country bumpkin from a village that lives off the land…and he dares to brag about his hundreds of years of history and wealth in Westburn for simply being appointed. Can this be considered proper?”
“Even the king who sold us to this country bumpkin must have had some kind of thoughts!”
“Now now, calm down.”
Verne spoke to his fellow Marquesses.
These were the nobles who had relatively shown allegiance to the former Viscount Gates. In other words, they were the nobles of Westburn who had not been swept away during King Berswick’s conquest of Westburn.
“But still, it’s not all bad that this country bumpkin came to Westburn. Former Highness’ officials, having to maintain a limit despite any misbehavior, since that time, is no more.”
“That’s true.”
“We just need to make sure to let this country bumpkin know where he stands, and what he dares to rule in Westburn.”
Only then did the Marquesses loosen their expressions and raise their glasses.
“For our wronged ancestors and the infinite glory of Westburn.”
“Cheers!”
Clank! Clank!
With the sound of glasses clinking, the snakes of Westburn, who had been hiding in the bushes to avoid the hunters, finally began to show themselves.