Chapter 150 - State of the Kingdom
After taking a bath and feeling refreshed both physically and mentally, I changed into my nightgown and headed for my father's room.
It's been more than 12 years since I've felt this way, so I'm not sure, but I think it's about midnight now. I must have hustled a little too much.
Standing in front of the room where my father was waiting, I took a deep breath and changed my mind before knocking on the door.
"Wilk here."
"Come in."
I heard a small voice from the other side of the door, and I entered the room.
I looked at my father's desk and saw that there were no work tools there. Instead, there was a drinking vessel.
It seemed that he had finished his work and was having a drink first.
It might have been a little too much for him to have enjoyed two rounds of the three girls, a total of six shots. My father must have been tired of waiting.
"Sorry I'm late. ......"
"Good."
With a deep crease around his mouth, my father tipped back his goblet and downed it in one gulp.
I'm sure he knows what I've been up to, as he smiles despite my late arrival.
By the way, I passed the head maid in the hallway on my way to this room. Maybe she was on her way back from reporting that I was having a bath.
"I heard that the maid in the castle got pregnant."
"Ugh. ......"
My father hears all about my sex life through the servants. There was no way I could have missed the suspicion of pregnancy.
By the way, Minith is 16, and I'm 12.
Somehow, the scene that comes to mind is that of a junior high or high school student with an overactive sex drive who gets pregnant and is furious with her parents.
My father's voice is low and austere, so when he speaks plainly, it feels like he is angry with me.
"Well done."
But in the aristocracy of the Eruo continent, this is an unnecessary worry.
The more children and cousins there are between nobles and commoners, the better it is for the territory.
In addition to being able to use the useful power of magic, they do not inherit the bloodline of the main ancestor. There is no danger of a heir dispute.
The blood of the ancestors is the blood that produces magicians.
This means that they are qualified to rule and protect the land from magical beasts.
Since all the people in the noble family belonged to the ancestor, the danger of a family feud was always inherent.
In the past, in the territory of Quardenze, the relatives of the side families had become enemies through the schemes of the Kingdom of Voistra. The reason why they were able to confront the Quardenze family as enemies was because the blood of the main ancestor flowed in their bodies.
And this is not limited to conflicts between direct and collateral lineages. My grandmother, Kasia, even schemed against her own parents, who were the heads of the family, and became the patriarch.
Even so, nobles are hard to die from the effects of magic. The child of a nobleman and a noblewoman, or in other words, the child of the ancestor, if handled incorrectly, can destroy the family.
The birth of the first child is a blessing, but whether the second and third children are welcomed is not always the case.
Any child born between Minith and me would be a 100% cousin, unless Minith was having an affair behind my back.
As for the Quardenze family, they could rejoice without any worries.
"It's not confirmed yet,......."
"That's right. It's a good thing that we'll know by spring. ...... Odie too."
I had expected this when I passed by the head maid, but it seems that the suspicion of Odie's fertility has already been reported.
Since Odie is the child of the head maid and her father, I was a little concerned about her reaction.
"No need to be so uptight. I was going to nitpick, but I don't feel like it anymore."
Perhaps sensing my slight nervousness, my father continued in a light tone.
Apparently, Odie was more worried about not being able to have children than I had imagined.
When my father received the report that I had taken Odie in my arms, he was puzzled.
Aristocratic men are sexually sensitive, and blaming them for this part of their lives could diminish their sexual activity in the future. Their dicks would atrophy.
Therefore, in aristocratic society, it is important to tell them in advance, "Don't fuck that girl. It is not a good idea to scold her after the fact.
For example, in my case, I was told that I should not embrace the princesses of other domains, the female noblewomen of the empire whom I was holding captive, or the personal servants attached to my family.
Odie had a delicate position as a servant, In the eyes of my father, I might have been taken aback.
You should think about how much it pains Odie to be unable to have children. I'm going to increase your sex budget and you can go out to the castle and have a reasonable girl. That's what he was going to say. ......
"I never thought I'd see the day when Odie could have a child. ...... Huh. ......"
The face of my father, tilting his goblet at an angle, was not that of a nobleman, but only the smile of a father eagerly awaiting the birth of his grandson.
Since Odie was the only girl between my father and the head maid, my father was particularly fond of her. She looked like the maidservant when she was young and cute.
When I think of my father and Odie in everyday life, I don't think he was particularly fond of her.
But in fact, he was trying to help her find a good marriage partner and to prevent her from being sarcastic about her infertility.
He was a very lenient father to his daughter.
"No, but I didn't know Odie was pregnant yet either ......."
"I checked it out firsthand just now. I just checked it out in person. ...... I could feel a slight disturbance in the magic caused by the pregnancy, but it was very slight. She's probably pregnant."
The main ancestor and ancestors have strong bodies because they are full of energy called magical power.
Their magical power is unstable from birth to infancy, and in the case of women, it is also unstable during pregnancy.
In addition, the magical power is not always constant, but it can be affected by stress and mood.
I still can't tell the difference between mental or physical disruptions and pregnancy disruptions.
"I've told Odie that I couldn't tell the difference because the disturbance was too weak. You know why?"
"...... Yes."
If her father's diagnosis was wrong, Odie would be devastated.
Not only would she feel that she could not have a child, but she would also feel that she had brought shame to her father, the Lord.
If she was pregnant anyway, she would eventually find out naturally, so her father's decision to keep quiet was justified.
It's the first time in a long time that I'm truly happy.
He placed the goblet in his hand on the desk and exhaled deeply.
He looked at the sofa nearby and moved his chin. I guess he wants me to sit down.
I looked at the table in front of the couch and saw that there was a set of drinks ready. It's good preparation.
I followed his lead and sat down on the sofa, and my father immediately stood up and approached the sofa to be face to face with me.
"There's just too much to do."
"Thanks for your help."
My father sat down and let out a sigh again.
I've been helping him with his work when he was at New Nellie's Castle, and I'm sure my absence has reduced his manpower somewhat.
"I'm sorry ...... that I've been so busy with Nambonan City."
"No, that's not a problem, in fact it's been very helpful. If it weren't for Wilk, I really wouldn't have had time to sleep. You're a ...... dependable son.
As for the governance of Nambonan City, my father only has to look over the reports and that's it.
His own work has barely increased, and the tax revenue that comes in is enough to make him drool.
"Please continue to take care of Nambonan City."
"Of course."
I felt like a boss and a subordinate. I feel like my work has been recognized and I'm happy.
Besides, this is the house I will eventually inherit. I have no hesitation in doing my job for the Quardenze.
"I've heard that you've secured a large number of girls in Nambonan City. I'm glad to hear that Wilk is enjoying himself."
"Hahaha ......"
I'm sure he's referring to the protected girls. I haven't touched them yet, but apparently they are my sex candidates in my father's mind.
Some of the girls were brought over from other territories, but all of them have been given my blessing to do as I please with them.
I'm lucky to be able to throw away all the troublesome diplomatic relations. He is a wonderful father who is very supportive of sex.
My father picked up the sake bottle, and poured it into the tumbler on his desk.
The beautiful amber liquid is poured into the tumbler, and they take the glasses and toast each other.
"There is a lot of confusion in the ...... kingdom."
So began my father's complaint.
As I sipped the sweet-smelling sake, I chimed in.
"It's hard work everywhere, isn't it?"
"It's not easy. ......, but the breakdown is more serious than we thought. The Kingdom of Levios may not be around much longer. ......"
The Levios royal family is currently in a tight spot.
The direct cause was the events of two years ago, but if we trace the distant cause, we can trace it back to the time of the founding of the Kingdom of Levios.
The Levios family was originally an ordinary noble family with a territory in the eastern part of the continent.
The time when the Zesu Church of the Holy High Society was enjoying the spring of the world was collapsing, and they were a successful family that successfully rode the big wave of the rise of nobility.
When the Levios family was thinking of establishing their own country, they had a problem with the noble families in the eastern part of the continent.
Today, they are known as the eastern nobility of the kingdom, but at the time, they were known as the Far Eastern nobility.
Even though the territory of the Far Eastern nobles was adjacent to the Levios territory across the great river, they did not show any attitude to join the Kingdom.
It is generally said that the Far Eastern nobles were independent, closed-minded, and conservative, and they did not want to be taken in by the larger entity of the Kingdom of Levios.
Because of this character, it was hard to imagine that they would unite and turn into an anti-Kingdom force, but from the perspective of security, the Levios family took this fact very seriously.
From the perspective of security, however, the House of Levios took this fact very seriously, and the head of the House of Levios, the first king of the Kingdom of Levios, thought of advancing across the great river to the eastern-most part of the continent.
If he could control the Levios territory and the adjacent lands alone, it would serve as a bulwark in case of emergency.
It was then that the younger brother of the first king came to the rescue.
The first king gave him the family name "Myrendorva" and allowed him to rule the new territory.
The Levios were on a roll, and they quickly invaded the northern part of the easternmost part of the continent and took over the territory.
Thus was born the Dukes of Myrendorva, a wedge against the aristocracy of the Far East.
After that, the Dukes of Myrendorva continued to fight steadily, and after a few decades, they acquired a reasonably large territory. With the help of the Levios family, he had the upper hand throughout the war.
As the war continued, the Far Eastern nobles who learned of the power of the Kingdom of Levios joined the kingdom through the mediation of the Duke of Myrendorva. This was the birth of the Kingdom's eastern nobility.
Now the eastern part of the Kingdom of Levios is safe, yay! It is a fact of life that it does not end at .......
The trigger was the discovery of a gold mine in one of the territories of the Eastern Nobility.
Apparently, the eastern-most part of the continent was rich in underground resources, and not only gold, but also a large amount of precious stones were discovered.
This gold rush gave the eastern nobility a boost and greatly strengthened their influence.
What was not so interesting was the Levios royal family.
The reason why the Levios were so powerful was that they possessed vast fertile granaries and there were fields within their territory where gold could be extracted.
There is no doubt that the dominance of the Levios royal family was somewhat shaken when gold began to be mined in the east.
It might have been better if it had ended there.
As time passed and the first king of the Levios Kingdom died, a succession problem arose. The next head of the kingdom was incompetent beyond belief.
The one who intervened was the old Duke of Myrendorva, who was on the verge of being welcomed.
He is the younger brother of the first king, and he has been supporting his brother's great achievements. He was also the leader of the eastern nobility and had a very strong voice.
The Duke of Myrendorva told the Levios family, "My grandson is worthy to be the head of the Levios family. The Duke of Myrendorva told the Levios family, "My grandson is worthy to be the head of the Levios family, and I will put him up for adoption and give him the governorship.
If you ask me, this is a proud statement for the sake of his grandson. However, it is not easy to conclude that this statement was made out of selfishness.
In fact, the next head of the Levios family is an idiot who is recognized by everyone around him, and the grandson of the Duke of Myrendorva is so talented that even the first king liked him before he died.
It is quite possible that he was acting to protect the kingdom that he and his brother had worked so hard to build, and that he wanted to abolish a useless successor.
Unfortunately, the Duke of Myrendorva died of old age soon afterwards, so we can no longer know his true intentions.
Regardless of their true intentions, the Levios royal family was furious about this statement.
They wondered how a family that had split off from the Levios family could interfere with the main family's inheritance.
The new head of the family was particularly pissed off. His anger was understandable, since he had been told that he was incompetent.
In addition to the gold rush in the east, the new head of the family was also unhappy about something, and as soon as Duke Myrendorva died, he immediately said, "What the hell did you say to me? Get even! And give me all the rights to the gold mines in the east! I'll crush you!" And he began to threaten the Myrendorva family.
To put it bluntly, it is reckless. In the first place, aside from the Myrendorva family, the eastern aristocrats had nothing to do with this matter.
As for the Myrendorva family, because there is a sense of honor to the eastern nobility, the request will be refused.
Thus began a long, long civil war between the Royal House of Levios and the Dukes of Myrendorva.
According to the Kingdom of Levios, this was not a civil war, but a family disturbance.
I guess they don't want to admit the fact that they themselves have broken the existence of the Kingdom of Levios, which their parents and grandparents had worked so hard to create.
In fact, perhaps because of the excuse of family turmoil, there was never an all-out war, and both sides would occasionally raise armies to fight each other.
The symbol of this sluggishness is the academy that exists in the royal capital.
Although it is now closed, it was originally a facility for the children of the noble families belonging to the Kingdom of Levios to deepen their relationship.
Interestingly, the Levios and Myrendorva families sent their children here despite the fact that they were at war.
In short, "It's not a war! It's just a little family disturbance! The kingdom is stable! The kingdom is stable! The children's generation is interacting with each other at the school! The kingdom is stable!
In the meantime, the Levios royal family was basically winning the war, even though the war was dragging on. After all, the upstart Myrendorva family did not have that much power.
However, the Levios had no desire for territory in the underdeveloped eastern part of the country, let alone underground resources, nor did they seem to want to destroy the Myrendorva family.
The prolonged and trivial war was becoming troublesome for both sides, but the fist that had been raised could not be lowered easily. Perhaps they were trying to find a way to settle the civil war with the contact of the academy in the capital.
Up to this point, it would have been just an internal dispute.
It was two years ago that the situation suddenly changed and a major disaster occurred that involved the entire continent.
It was an extremely vicious beast that came from a field that was one of the largest in the continent.
In later years, the demonic beast was given the name of Yersinia.
Whether it was bad timing or good timing, the Levios royal family was in the middle of a war with the Myrendorva family, and their initial response to the demonic beast Yersinia was delayed.
As soon as the mature demonic beast jumped out of the field, it just ran around spreading harm as if its purpose was to defile the earth.
Yersinia, a demonic beast that had jumped out of Levios' territory, continued westward, destroying numerous villages and cities, traversing the territory of Evenapis, the home of my mother's family, entering the territory of the Empire, and eventually dying of exhaustion in the westernmost part of the continent. It was almost an east-west crossing of the continent.
But the tragedy didn't end there.
Mature demonic beasts not only defile the earth, but also spread strange diseases.
The demonic beast Yersinia also spread a strange disease. It was a horrible disease that only people with magical powers could be infected with, and if no action was taken, nine out of ten people would die.
It seemed to be especially contagious to the main ancestor, and there was even a story, true or false, that it was transmitted just by touching a letter written by an infected person.
Thus, the magical beast Yersinia caused serious damage to the Kingdom of Levios and the Empire of Zinkhaen.
Even the nobles, the main ancestors, are few in number.
In addition to the fact that aristocratic men are sexually sensitive, they are not so keen on having more children of the main ancestor because they do not have to worry about early death due to normal diseases.
In the case of my mother's family, the Evenapis family, which had been hit hard by the magical beast Yersinia, the head of the family as well as the direct heirs had almost all died out, with only my mother's grandfather remaining.
Since my mother's grandfather retired to a city far away from his home base, he had few opportunities to come into contact with other nobles, so he was not infected. However, the presence of a couple of elderly nobles would not change the situation, and the Evenapis family was no longer in danger of being infected.
The Silopeia territory, which is adjacent to the Evenapis territory, was also severely affected. The head of the Silopeia family died, and an old woman from the Silopeia family, who had also retired, became the temporary head of the Silopeia family.
The Silopeia family still has a young heir, Plume, who is still alive and has a brighter future than the Evenapis family. It's only a candlelight.
When the strange disease of the magical beast Yersinia was suddenly reported and Silopeia territory was found to be in danger, Plume happened to be visiting New Nellie Castle.
The reason why Plume had stayed at New Nellie Castle in the past was to avoid this strange disease.
The strange disease was also prevalent in the Quardenze territory, but I was able to cure it with my gory healing magic, which already boasted an enormous amount of magic power from that time.
This is why there were no deaths from the Quardenze family, and the number of deaths from the knightly families that served the Quardenze family was far less than the knightly families of other territories.
In the past, my grandmother Kasia had purged a large number of noblemen from her side of the family, so the number of people in the Quardenze family was small. If the disease had spread, the family would have been in danger of collapse.
The number of dead was small, as the followers of the Quardenze army were also gathered in New Nellie City and treated at once.
Since the number of squires of the Quardenze army was relatively large, the plan to invade the old Voistra was going well. It's a good thing I got hurt.
The nobles of the old Voistra must have been puzzled by my grandfather Galfis, who had been infected with a strange disease and was in trouble.
That's why the Levios royal family lost the trust of the nobility all over the continent at once.
To be honest, it would be wrong to blame the Levios family alone, since a mature magical beast of that scale is like a natural disaster like an earthquake or typhoon.
However, it is true that they were engaged in a stupid war and failed to take action. It is a very shameful thing for the main ancestor who is the guardian of the earth.
...... Well, I guess it's the perfect way to vent my uncontrollable grief over the loss of my family.
"The authority of House Levios has fallen. ...... In the spring, King's Landing will be a forbidden place."
"I see."
I replied somehow, and my father glared at me a little.
"It's not ....... You don't think this is just a gathering to celebrate the end of the civil war, do you?"
A large scale social party is planned for next spring in the royal capital.
It is said to be an event to show the end of the war between House Levios and House Myrendorva and the stability of the kingdom both inside and outside.
Although it is said that the war has ended with the reconciliation of the two families, in reality, the Levios family has lost.
The House of Levios, probably thinking that the damage was too great, suddenly changed into serious mode and launched an all-out attack on the House of Myrendorva.
This seems to have had two purposes. One was to end the prolonged civil war. The other was to place the blame for the outbreak of the magical beast, Yersinia, on the Myrendorva family.
But this was a bad move. It was the worst possible move.
When the Leviathans surrounded the city of Myrendorva, she suddenly appeared.
Grand Duchess Orcian. ...... No, I don't think that's what they were called back then.
The Levios family was defeated thanks to the efforts of Princess Orcian. The momentum was unstoppable, and part of the Levios territory was invaded.
The Levios family, panicked by this rapid advance, asked for reinforcements from the great nobles of the country. Somehow, they succeeded in stopping Princess Orcian's invasion and negotiated a settlement there.
"No way. I can only guess what kind of occasion the spring social will be."
A gathering to celebrate the end of the upheaval in the kingdom ...... is a story from the point of view of House Levios.
I have to think about things from the perspective of the Quardenze family. That is the perspective that is necessary for the next head of the family.
Then my father put his hand on his chin and smiled.
He drank the contents of the tumbler in one gulp and placed it on the table with a clatter.
"Then let's hear the answer to your homework."
"Homework?"
I wondered if he'd given me a math drill or something, and when I wasn't quite sure, he offered some help.
I've asked you before. You asked me once that there were two reasons why Nambonan City was overrun so quickly. I told you one of them, but I told you to think about the other one.
"Oh, ......, that's what we talked about, isn't it?"
In the beginning, my father had planned to put off the control of Nambonan City.
However, taking into account the fact that the Mana vein had been discovered nearby, that there was an abundance of building materials to be installed in the frontline base against the former Voistra, and that Viscount Galiana had tipped him off that Nambonan City was supporting the former Voistra behind the scenes, my father decided that it would be better to destroy it first rather than leave it like this.
That was the first reason.
He said there was another reason why the invasion had been accelerated, but I was told to think of it myself.
.... That look on your face, you're pretty sure of your answer, aren't you?
"Well, I don't know."
I had a lot on my mind, lest I be thought of as an incompetent son.
Why did my father want to take Nambonan City so early? What did my father hope to gain by conquering Nambonan City?
What was it that the Quardenze family needed?
"Tell me."
As if to encourage me to answer, my father extended his hand and turned his palm toward me.
My father is looking at me with serious eyes. As the next head of the family, he was probably trying to determine if he had made the right decision.
Seeing this action, I felt a little relieved.
I was convinced that the answer I had come up with was the right one.
What was necessary for the Quardenze family?
And why did my father decide to test me at this time?
There was only one answer.
