Chapter 238: The Head of Othellia
It had been about three weeks since the disturbances in King's Landing when McInnis, the head of the Spierzeig family, and his daughter Romilie returned to their home town of Othellia.
The arrival of the Spierzeiks was considerably later than that of the Quordenze. There was a geographical reason that Oceloria City was farther from the royal capital than Newnery City, but political factors were more significant than that.
It was impossible for them to pass through the hostile territories of the Quardenze, Silopea, and Evenapis families. Therefore, Spierzeig and his party had no choice but to choose a route that took a large detour to the south, using Lake Meo. Only one option.
The disturbances in the capital have caused my Lord to take a keen interest …… In how Lord Spierzeig intends to proceed.
The knight who was visiting the castle of Othellia that day as a messenger was fully aware of the situation.
McInnis felt some discomfort at the words and actions of the knight kneeling before him, but he ignored them and returned the words.
'I suppose it is only natural that Lord Eudion should be concerned about this.
In the south of Spierzeig territory, on the other side of the Amelia River, there are several independent noble families that do not belong to either the Kingdom of Levioth or the Zinkaen Empire. The Eudion family, whose territory faced Lake Meo, was one of However, the independence of the Eudion family was largely due to the fact that the Spiaseik family was behind it, and the Eudion family was effectively an affiliate of the Spiaseik family.
The reason why the Spierzeiks are protecting the Eudion family is to drive a wedge between the two families in their struggle for supremacy over Lake Meo.
This is also the reason why the Eudion army has an extremely skewed composition in terms of the ratio of soldiers on land and on the lake. While it relies on its alliance with the Spierzeik family for its land defenses, on the lake it has a military force so powerful that it is hard to imagine from the size of its territory.
They were so powerful that the public regarded the strongmen of Lake Meo as firstly the Evenapis army and secondly the Eudion army.
On the way home, I was so alert that I could not talk calmly with the public. I was so grateful to him for his help on the boat trip to Lake Meo, and it is with a heavy heart that I am taking it upon myself to help him.
Under the current circumstances, we have no choice but to rely on the Eudion family to go to the royal capital. The Eudion family understands this, which is why they are sending their messengers with such a strong attitude.
However, they also have their own arguments.
If the House of Spierzeig drove a wedge into Lake Meo, the House of Quardenze drove a wedge with the House of Evenapis. In exchange for the guarantee of independence, the House of Yudion continued to be pressured to increase its water power. On the other hand, were free to expand their power in cooperation with the Kuordentse. The fact that the Eudion family is now behind in the current situation on Lake Meo is largely due to the fact that the Evenapis family has gained ground.
Therefore, it was necessary to firmly appeal to the Spierzeik family for the success of the ship route, which was their first achievement in a long time. The Evenapis would widen even further. It was a matter of life and death for them.
Ha. The Lord also thinks that it is inevitable after the upheaval.
We will send someone to you sooner or later.
The knight then made a gesture of fear, and showed his discretion toward McInnis.
Now that the King's City social has ended, the front line with Quordenze should once again become highly tense. Under such circumstances, it is not our intention to cause any trouble for our Eudion.
If we were to send a knight as a messenger, it would affect the organization of the army. The Spiaseik family does not have the luxury of sending out messengers to other territories. Of you. McInnis had already guessed what the knight's true request was.
A foolish man, “McInnis sneers at the head of the Eudion family through the knight in front of him. But he is not such a careless nobleman that he would let it show in his attitude of him.
He has done a good enough job in moving Lake Meo, so he must be given a fair amount of credit. Furthermore, considering the possibility of another King's Landing social gathering in the future, he should not take a poor response. McInnis decided that there would be no problem in responding as he had concluded beforehand, and slowly opened his mouth.
Tell the public. I would like to thank you again for what you have done. I will select a messenger when the time is right. Due to the war situation, we may have to send someone from the rear, but you will be forgiven.
“Yes, sir! I will certainly inform you.
The knight considered this a sufficient accomplishment and reverently accepted McInnis's words his.
After a few more exchanges of paperwork, the knight left the audience chamber.
…… Are you sure?”
The civil official who had been waiting for him called out to the head of the family, who remained in the audience room.
It's all right. I must at least let him smell the food, or he will bend over.
I see. Just a whiff.
That should be enough.
The Eudion family never shied away from the Quardenzes. The Evenapis family would not allow it. And there is no other powerful noble family in the neighborhood to rely on. After all, they have no choice but to continue to follow House Spierzeig.
McInnis is well aware of this, but he does not treat the Eudion family with disrespect. Even if they are of a lower rank, nobles have a sense of honor, and if they do anything to trample on that honor, they will be severely punished .
Since the unification of Vojstra, the heads of the Spierzeig family have been taught from an early age how to lead the nobles under their control.
Where is Romilie?”
The princess has just finished writing her letter and is now enjoying a tea party with Etherese.
'Etherese,' he said, 'you are not here to play.
She adores the princess.
Etherese, the daughter of a branch of the family, has no doubt that the Spierzeig family is the best noble family. And she also has a very strong admission for Romilie. She is a descendant of the Spierzeig family, and Romilie, who is well educated and behaves accordingly, seems to her to be the most perfect princess ever.
I adore ……. That's what you call obsession.
The civil servant could not reply to McInnis's harsh expression. In fact, it was obvious to everyone that Etoileas had a serious pedigree fetish.
If you're going to adore and admire, you should at least emulate Romilie at least a little bit……. It's pointless to expect it now.”
The most important thing to remember is that you can't just take a chance on a new person and expect them to do the same thing for you. However, she was a girl who never put forth the effort to make it worth it. Was, shall we say, the type of person who was satisfied with just looking at her idols and cackling, not the type of person who would be inspired to work hard herself.
But McInnis used to think that was all right. His son, Spierzeig Verret, the next head of the Spierzeig family, had a certain fondness for Etoileas, who only cackled at him. He therefore intended to make her son's concubine, and to use her as the mother of his son's children.
In other words, Etoileas herself was more eager than anyone else for this future.
So you've come here to talk about King's Landing?
It seems so.
'Stupid……'
This time, the Spierzeiks were not invited to the King's Landing social, but were allowed to attend.
The Spierzeiks were not invited to the King's Landing social this time, but were allowed to attend. McInnis believes that the Levi's had the intention of restricting the Quardenze family by having the Spierzeiks attend the social.
It was unexpected for the Levios family that the castle of Raishleif fell after the promise was made, and the overwhelming dominance of the Quardenze family was established. However, having made a promise once, the Levios could not refuse the Spiaseiks' participation.
They were not told anything directly in the royal capital. Both the attitude of King Levios and the response of the Levios knights were sincere on the surface. However, McInnis felt at first hand that he was not welcome.
To put it bluntly, the Spierzeiks' participation in this social gathering was humiliating for them. Naturally, there was no way they could expect to talk about souvenirs, and it was too impolite of them to talk about it with Romilie so gleefully.
It would not have been pleasant for …….
The foolish nobles of the kingdom shudder with fear at the dignity of the Spierzeiks, the true great nobility, while the younger generation is moved by Romilie's noble manners and trembles……To put it simply, that's about what Etherese is imagining.
In reality, the nobles of the kingdom, afraid of being stared at by the Quardenzes, only looked at McInnis from a distance, and none of the male nobles approached Romilie.
The only one who took Romilie's hand was Quardenze Wilk, her arch-enemy and the one who had killed Verret. McNeice thinks that Etoilee, who had admired Romilie and longed for Verret, must have been angry. She has a fetish for bloodlines, but her disdain for the Quardenzes is stronger than most.
What shall we do? If you would like to call on the princess, I can make the arrangements.
McInnis thought for a moment, then asked, “Where is my father?
Where is my father?
He has just returned to the castle.
Then Etoileth will be the last to go.
The civil official knows exactly what his master intends.
He said, “Haha. I will summon the Grand Master.
After confirming that the civil official had made his move, McInnis also left the audience hall.If he was going to meet with knights from other families, but if he was going to talk to his family, there was no point in staying here .
A few moments after McInnis enters his office and begins to process the letters, an elderly man with several servants appears.
The man's name is Spiaseik Kindlore. He is McInnis's father and the previous head of the Spiaseik family.
After a brief exchange in which the two men confirm the relationship between their father and father-in-law, they sit down together on the large sofa in the office.
I have heard of the disturbances in King's Landing. First of all, I am glad that you and Romilie are safe.
I am relieved to hear that your father is also all right.Even though there is an agreement in place, it must be a constant struggle for you to continue to face Gulfis.
Since the fall of Raishleif Castle, my predecessor has been standing on the front lines to stop the invasion of the Quardentze army. The first time I saw him, I was like, “You can't let your guard down against Garfis, even though we have a covenant not to fight during social gatherings.
There is no need to worry about it.
As if waving away his son's words of encouragement, he continued.
Now that you are back here, Levios's agreement on joint retaliation will finally disappear. I don't know what Gulfis will do now. I must return to the front immediately.
Then, he let out a bitter sound.
If only Reischlieff hadn't fallen into that boy's hands, ……. I would have pushed Gulfis back with my own hands.
As a young man, the previous generation had once attacked Emperor Jinkaan's army at the castle of Laishleif.
…… I will leave here tomorrow.”
Isn't that very early?”
It can't be helped. We don't have enough…… Men.”
McInnis's expression turned grim when he saw his father's grave tone of voice his.
Is it not enough?
Oh, we don't have enough. The aftermath of the New Year's campaign is huge.
Operation Wheat and Sickles, the operation carried out at the beginning of the year to counter the Quardenzes, had ended in complete failure. Most of the famous generals were killed in battle, the next head of the family, Verret, was killed, and to top it all off, even the castle of Reischlieff, the keystone of the defense, has fallen.
The mercenaries who came from outside the territory were after all only interested in money and had no sense of loyalty.
Then there is nothing we can do about it.
The reason why the previous generation returned to the front line was because the situation had deteriorated to the point where the pressure of the knights and squire military officers was no longer enough to suppress their escape.There is a limit to how much a squire can hold a follower back, regardless of the difference in power. The weight of the head of a military unit is no match for the weight of the head of a military unit.
In addition, the low morale of the conscripts is also unacceptable.
The soldiers who participated in Operation Wheat and Sickles and were taken prisoners in the city of Nambonan are particularly susceptible to this tendency, and the previous generation says that there is a widespread feeling of disillusionment centered on these soldiers.
“Did the war against our ancestors make you a coward?
I suppose so.
The clash between the nobles and the aristocrats is too much of a stimulus for the slave ancestors. The soldiers who get sick in their hearts amidst the raging waves of murderous intent are not a minority. It is even more so for those on the losing side .
Both McInnis and Kindlore knew that common soldiers could go mad after the war.
It's no use putting back what's broken. Shall we crush it?”
There are different degrees of insanity. If it is so broken that even daily life is doubtful, McInnis decides that he should send it to the place of death. If he returns the madman to his hometown, he will only have to take care of him , and he will need a certain amount of resources to take care of him with healing magic.
From the perspective of McInnis and Kindoroa, who are typical aristocrats, the existence of a commoner with a sick mind is no longer worthwhile.
The report says they are still available. We will return the current coward to his homeland and replace him with a new one.
That's all right then,” He said. We went to the trouble of taking him in.
McInnis takes the lives of commoners lightly, but he also doesn't think it's okay to use them up without a plan.He just believes that things that are a hindrance just by existing should be disposed of properly.If it can be reused, then Of course we will use it.
In addition, the soldiers who were defeated in the war and captured in Nambonan had paid a large ransom to be taken in, and emotionally, he did not want them to just waste away for nothing.
I don't care who they enslave,” He said. I don't care about the slaves.
The previous generation snickered and looked at his son with his strong eyes.
He looked at his son with a strong gaze.I want you to commandeer all the followers in the territory immediately.This is a strong request from the front.
Please continue at……”
Quardenze is now devoting a large number of troops to the control of Reischlieff.
The area around Raishleif has been ruled by the Spiaseik family for many years, and even after the fall of the castle, they still have very strong influence. In order for the Quardenze forces to invade the Voistula Plain with full preparedness, it was necessary to burn away its roots.
The front line is in a state of tension because of this,” Said Mr. Krzysztof Krzysztof. But if all the mop-up forces were to join forces and flow toward us, we would be overwhelmed by the number of men we have. Is a problem before Gulfis.
What matters in the war is the number of followers, and in this respect, Spierzeig's army is outnumbered.
The war started by Quardenze Gardacre, a nobleman of great sexual prowess, who is said to have impregnated more than 1,000 daughters during his lifetime. Moreover, this story is limited to the city of New Nelly, and does not count daughters from outside the city or unrecognized children conceived through the reuse of semen. And given that 1,000 daughters gave birth multiple times, the number of followers the Gardacre left behind was staggering.
Garfis would be enough to kick the enemy's ass, but to trample down the enemy's territory, organizational strength was essential. The Quardenzes are able to govern the former territories of the aristocrats in the eastern part of the empire largely because of the large number of followers soldiers they can deploy.
As the person in charge of the front line, I would like this request to be approved.
The large number of follower soldiers allows the nobles to act freely and quickly. If the Spierzeig side had more follower soldiers, it would be easier to deal with any action by the Kuordenze side.
McInnis understands that his father's begging for more squire soldiers is emotionally unavoidable. The pressure of facing a hundred-selected Gulfis is quite heavy.
He said, “At ……, Let me answer as a bearer of the Spierzeig. It is premature to conscript followers in the territory. I am sorry father, but I ask that you deal with the situation with the current troops .”
Understanding this, McNeice concluded as a leader of the government.He answered in this way because it was his responsibility as the head of the family.
I am sorry, father, but I must ask you to deal with the current situation. ……No, I suppose you are right. If I were the head of the family, I would have said the same thing to you .
A follower who has a livelihood in the territory should not be pulled easily, that is the teaching that has been handed down in the Spierzeig family.
A squire who lives in a farming village can be a man-powered tractor or a warrior who slays large predators. Those who work in construction can shorten the construction period in a flash, and those who can use healing can prevent urban epidemics. Are the behind-the-scenes players who support the economy of the territory with their magical powers.
On the other hand, the commoners are also dependent on their precious power.When a small village has a squire, the whole system is built around him or her.If that follower were to disappear, the village's economic base could collapse from the ground up.
If it were a region that was at war all year round, that would be a different story, but until now the territory of Spierzeig had never been invaded, nor had there been any requisitioning of followers. McInnis did not want to take the easy way out.
When the time comes for a decisive battle, we will proceed with the requisition at once.
McInnis is preparing to launch a major decisive battle to push the Quardenze forces back to Reischlieff. Since this battle would be a short decisive battle, he was also considering mobilizing the territory's squires. On the civilian population, but releasing them for a short period of time would minimize the impact on the civilian population.
Until then, we will use centipedes.” Luke has clearly changed his policy since Operation Wheat and Sickle,…… And must have been chilled by the threat to Garfis' life, concentrating his forces on subduing the land. Hit the rear areas harder here, there shouldn't be any more followers on the front lines than there are now.”
As far as land advantages are concerned, Spierzeig has the upper hand, so there is no way not to take advantage of that.
They would continue their guerrilla activities to sabotage the advance, and then use diplomacy to make a comeback.That was McInnis's basic policy his.
Can we still buy time?” He asked……. So, can we use the Kingdom side?”
To be honest, it won't help. Levios can no longer ignore that little son of a …….”
The son shakes his head at his father's questionhis.
'……Was there that much mayhem in King's Landing?'
So McInnis tells his father about the events in King's Landing.
It took quite a while to explain everything from the departure from Othellia to the arrival in King's Landing, the intense threat by the Orcians, the start of socializing and the encounter at the night party, the magical beast attack that followed from there, and the attack by the priests.
When the tea in the cups had completely cooled down and the maids began to prepare a new one, the predecessor muttered quietly.
'…………Guardian of the earth, you take advantage of that cause? You damned little bastard.”
The words, uttered as if in a desperate attempt to squeeze them out of his mouth, oozed with a strong feeling of hatred.Wilke had acted with the aim of overthrowing Spierzeig, and his predecessor had understood this correctly.
You blood of Perseus, mad with jealousy!”
He said this as if he were spitting out the last word.
For 300 years, the Quardenze family has faced the grudge inherited from the first head of the Quardenze family, Quardenze Perzeas, the Quardenze Priest.
'That little bastard seemed to be on friendly terms with the fallen holy priest.Maybe this time he will be appointed imam.It would be the Quardenze's long-cherished wish of him.
“I see.”
McInnis was being sarcastic in his own way, but Kindroa did not scowl, but she stared back at him and asked, “Can't you swing a scythe?
Can't you wield the scythe?
The word means assassination.
A warrior like Gulfis, who had fought a hundred battles, could not be easily assassinated. However, a master with little experience in combat would be caught off guard and there would be ample room for success.
From Kindoroa's point of view, Wilk, who had dropped the Reischliefe, was a good target.
McInnis, however, immediately denied it.
He was too careful.
It is not that he did not consider assassination. But even from McInnis's point of view, the security around Wilk was unusually tight.
If you want to go for it,” McInnis said, “It's Rouxe. The security around Wilkes is very strong, too. It would be impractical to break through.
Even if they were lucky enough to assassinate Wilk, the Spierzeig family would be distrusted by those around them. Besides, there was a possibility that the Quardenze family would become even angry than they were now and bite them.
McNeice recognizes the three generations of Cassia, Gulfis, and Luke as foolish heads of families motivated by hatred. Given this, he was hesitant to assassinate Wilk.
And Luke?”
'I think that the little bastard is motivated by reason rather than emotion. When Lukuse, who is also the key to the kingdom's diplomacy, falls, I think he will consider maintaining the status quo rather than going to war in a fit of anger.
This is the intuition of McInnis, who has interacted with many nobles. He felt that he was the type of person who could at least talk with Gulfis and Rouxe, who were steeped in hatred.
The fact that he invited Romilie is also a precautionary measure,” McInnis said.
If something happens to Gulfis, if something happens to Lukuse,……, The Quordente territory, where all the branch families have been purged and only a few old people remain, has many uncertainties in spite of its size.
It is natural for the next head of the family to think about securing channels for an immediate cease-fire in the event of any problems. He recognizes the Spierzeiks as “One of the rival noble families,” Not as “An enemy to be destroyed.” Even at the cost of everything. That is easy for McInnis and Kindlore to understand.
'It's petty cleverness. ……, But that makes the deal all the more puzzling. Why did that little bastard even suggest negotiating? ……”
What comes to my predecessor's mind is the one case in which he handed over the body of Verrett, whom he had defeated in the city of Nambonan, as well as the prisoners of war.
The Quardenze family was in an uproar when Wilk began to talk about negotiating hostages, but the Spierzeig family was even more confused. It was as if they did not understand why they had not taken advantage of their victory in screwing their adversary's next head of state head on the head.
We were able to straighten things out, but what did we gain from it?
After the failure of Operation Wheat and Sickles, the noble families under Spierzeig were suddenly in the mood for secession. In fact, some of the nobles were even trying to escape during the battle of Reischlieff.
In some cases, they might even turn to the Quardenze side, and even if they did not go that far, they might not respond to requests to participate in the war in the future. At that time, the Spierzeig family was forced to walk a tightrope in order to gain control of the nobles under its control.
However, the winds changed drastically when the return of the bodies and prisoners of war was proposed.
If the next head of the Quardenze family had been a bold and strong nobleman like Gulfis, it would have been easy to understand, and the nobles under his control would have easily defected. As to be mysterious, and he looked more like a madman than a strong man.
In the end, all the nobles bowed their heads to the Spierzeig family and returned to their original positions. Although the Spierzeig family maintained its rule, the nobles under its control lost their chance to leave, and they will be called upon to participate in the war without a break. The burden of the war fell entirely on the people, who continued to suffer.
“Is it gold that we have gained?
McInnis recalled the huge amount of gold he had paid as ransom. The number of prisoners of war was large, and the price was substantial. It was difficult for him to refuse the ransom because it was offered together with the body of Verrett, and he was forced to accept the price.
Is that what it's like?
That's what it was.
In order to raise the ransom, a heavy tax was imposed in Spierzeig.This made life even more difficult for the commoners, but McInnis and his men didn't think much of it.
They think that since they are not levying a tax on the followers in the territory, it is not a problem, but rather they are showing them warmth. The nobles only care about their followers, and they only care about their slave ancestors as long as they are alive.
The seed of dissatisfaction that Wilk had scattered was growing outside of their common sense.
I don't know whether he is wise or foolish.
I don't think it's foolish as far as the standing in King's Landing is concerned.
In the end, the conclusion was that Quardenze Wilk was not sure.
'That one would be much easier to understand than the next generation of Silopea.'
McInnis says, remembering the plume he saw at the soirée.
Plume's attitude was exactly typical of the values he grew up with in the Silopea family. I didn't have anything done to me directly, but the Spiaseik family doesn't tolerate …… That kind of thing.
For McInnis, it was a little unexpected that he spoke to Romilie from the other side, because he had expected Wilk to be like that too.
He said, “You're the …… Pennybach princess, aren't you? How was your relationship with the little boy?”
She said, “We seemed to be getting along well. She is probably going to get the seed from him. Silopea is finally under the control of Quordenze.
Kindroa showed a reluctant face at McInnis's words.
He's a man who makes moves without graduation.
McInnis agrees with him. He had felt that at first impression when he saw the unknown something …… Wilk playing the role of a nobleman.
'The letter also seems to be in his own handwritinghis, no doubt.Romilier's view is that he probably thought up the content himself.”
'You mean that was written by a twelve or thirteen year old kid……?
There are several letters received from Wilk, and the two of them have read through all of them. It was not the handwriting of a very child nobleman, and the predecessor suspected a substitute.
They say they could have handled the conversation.”
At the information that follows, the predecessor lets out a low groan.He knew very well how much effort Romilier had put into acquiring his current education.That is why Wilk is so different from the others.
How did you feel at the soirée?
'It seemed to me that he was attracted to Romilie in no small measure.
McInnis was confident in that conclusion. He had not sensed any hostility from Wilk when he danced with Romilie.
But what?
No.”
On the other hand, McInnis sensed that Wilk perceived him as an enemy.
Romilie is the princess of the Spierzeik family.If the Spierzeiks were enemies her, then Romilie would naturally be an enemy as well.Even if he was attracted by Romilie's charm, he should have some hostility toward her.
The way in which he recognized the house and the individual as two completely separate things was extremely puzzling to McInnis.
I don't know, but if he was attracted to her, could he use her as an aslisa?
“I think it's possible.”
McInnis then continued.
'The impression I had must be the same for the nobles of the kingdom. If word gets out, we might be able to move Ferolt.'
If we can use Romilie to get close to Quardenze, that would be a diplomatic card to play.
Emperor Ferold, who is backed by the Spiaseik family, is reluctant to intervene in the war between the Spiaseik-Qordentse for fear of splitting the empire. However, this card will allow him to show the possibility of joining forces with the Quardenze to revolt against the empire. Since Emperor Ferold is estranged from the aristocracy in the western part of the empire, his fate is as good as dead if such a thing were to happen.
Surely we could use it to sway that indecisive coward.
That's right, because that thing is more afraid of us backing down than anything else.
In reality, McInnis does not believe that he can work with the Quardenze family at all.
It would be better if he could get Gulfis to back down, even temporarily.
A major factor in Emperor Ferold's refusal to intervene was the presence of Gulfis. Emperor Ferold is extremely fearful of the hero who rode through the turbulent times with Emperor Zincaen and pacified the western part of the continent. It is not only his personal heroism, but the human network built by his great deeds is still secretly connected to him.
You mustn't do anything rash.
I understand that. But there is some information that concerns me. Or the thought of …….
Father.”
Seeing the strong tone in his son's voice his predecessor his finally shut his mouth.
'I will let Romilie continue to maintain her relationship with the little son. It would be best if the Empire could intervene, but if we expect that to happen too much, we will miss the opportunity. While stirring up the rear, we will launch a general attack when the time is right. In the near future, Luke should be heading back to King's Landing.
“Revisiting King's Landing, huh? Considering that the attack on the priests has just occurred, he will probably take the main ancestor from the House of Shadow with him.
Next time, there will be no joint retaliation agreement.
The current generation and the previous generation will share their goals and objectives for the future and fill in the gaps in their perceptions. This could not be done by letter, so it had to be done now.
“……After all, even if we don't do the actual requisitioning, we still need to be prepared. We can't afford to be slow in the event of an attack.
Preparations?
We don't want them to be scared off when the time comes.
The previous generation said that there was concern among the knights in the field that some squires would flee the territory.Although it is rare for a squire to flee on his own because he is bound to his family or relatives, it is not unheard of.
If they do flee, it will be to the south or to the east. “If they were to flee, it would be to the south or to the east, or even north over the mountains. Either way, we've got a net around the key areas.
What about the Arknoa Pollution Zone? Commoners cannot pass through, but followers can.
…… I remember receiving a report that there was a follower passing through Arkunoa.
The squires of Spierzeig, who were patrolling the area, tried to capture her, but McInnis heard that they were unable to pursue her because she had fled into the Værdberg field.
Because of the amount of magic power, which did not seem to come from a knightly family, he concluded that the private squires were probably using it as a loophole because they were unwilling to pay the toll tax taken at the customs gate in Spierzeig territory.
When McInnis explained as much as he could remember, his predecessor looked at him curiously.
Why would they deploy their retinue in a place like that? It makes no sense.”
As the name suggests, the Arcunoa Contamination Zone is a land contaminated by the magical beast Arcunoa. It is located across the Amelia River and straddles Spierzeig-Quardenze. The appearance of the beast was about 100 years ago, but even today, the soil has not been purified.
It used to play a major role as a transportation route connecting the major city of Oceloria and the major city of New Neri, but now no one sets foot in the area anymore.
Hah, why was that……”
McInnis did not remember the details of the report, as it was of no great importance. The most important thing to remember is that the details were left to the knights because they had their hands full with the preparations for Operation Wheat and Sickles at the time He had an idea, but he did not like to speculate about events for which he knew the answers for sure.
“Check……”
McInnis, having given up trying to recall, gave short instructions to a civilian officer who was standing nearby.
Ha.”
His predecessor saw the exchange and changed the subject.
'…… In any case, if Romilie can get the boy's attention, it will make it easier for us to move. What about the princesses of other families? There are many who will approach her. To Pennybach.
The more rivals for her love, the less chance Romilie would have to jump in. The previous generation thought that there are not many princesses who are better than Romilie, but even so, men's tastes vary from one to another. Tastes vary widely, and it is best to keep away from unnecessary princesses.
If I had to say something, it would be the Levios family.
Princess Alina?
The first thing to do is to make sure that you have a good reputation as a Levios princess, regardless of what Wilk says.
However, McInnis shook his head.
No, it's Princess Ena.
After the defeat of the second magical beast, the Levios family clearly changed its policy. McInnis gave a detailed account of this.
The Levios family was initially trying to marry off Princess Alina. If they were going to marry that little son of a bitch, that would have been the obvious choice. I don't see why they changed it to Princess Ena.”
It was a mystery why he dared to choose Ena, who was a returnee, when he had Allyna, who was unmarried and close to Wilk's age.
The outburst of Princess Orcian, the attack of the magical beast, and the attack of the priest …… Made the position of the Levios family difficult. It's only natural that they would want to strengthen their relationship with Quardenze, who broke out of the situation. But then, there is no problem with the policy of sending Princess Alina. Daring to replace that piece with Princess Ena is ……”
You seem to have a good reason for this, don't you?
Otherwise, it would be a foolish measure that would only lead to unnecessary confrontations.
It is not that he wanted to send Ena, but that circumstances arose that prevented him from sending Alina.
The one thing that Alina has that Ena does not is her fame as a noblewoman. Allyna's mother was from a noble family and had a certain influence in the Levios area. And McInnis had heard some uncertain and dubious information that the current Lugain and the next Dunkel were in fact at odds with each other.
'…… This time, King Levios was severely wounded in the attack by the priests.
'I see.If Princess Aryina is sent out of the territory, it may be difficult for her to restrain her son her.
In the continent of Eluo, strength is favored.
Yes. On the other hand, Levios also continued to desire the connection with Quardenze. Therefore, he had no choice but to prepare Princess Ena as a substitute at short notice.
It makes sense. If the story of their disagreement is true,” McInnis said.
For McInnis, this is the most troubling part.
The Spierzeiks, like the Quardenzes, are very active in espionage.They had also carefully researched the Kingdom of Levioth.Naturally, they had also investigated Rougen's skills his.
I don't think they would be so foolish if the disagreement was true…….Or perhaps he was so wounded that he could no longer make sound judgments.”
McInnis has high regard for King Levios' political skills.If he was being ugly in his haste to get injured, there was a part of him that regretted it.
Leaving Alina means that he will continue to interfere in Dunkel's affairs. If Dunkel were so foolish, it would be inevitable, but from what McInnis could see, he felt that he was the next head of the family with no particular problems.
He believes that causing a family disturbance is a shameful act of incompetence for the head of a family.
I believe …… Levios was founded by ………….”
The predecessor ponders alone when McInnis confirms that he has exhausted his pet theory of his.
“………And, Millendorva,………… If that's the case, of course……. Hmmm…….”
The sight of his father, fiddling with his beard and pondering, was familiar to McInnis.
After a moment, his predecessor removed his hand from his beard.
'…… Father have any ideas?
There is one thing.”
McInnis knew by the atmosphere that he would get that back.
But we have too little information to make a judgment. It's all conjecture, and even if it were true, it wouldn't affect many people……. I do not have to tell you, you can easily imagine this much You are just blinded by the prosperity of King's Landing.
The previous generation does not answer everything. It was a kind of habit to educate the next generation. McInnis smiles at this practice, which continues even now that he has taken over the reigns of the family. He had imagined that he would be answered in this way.
…… Blue Earth, huh?”
The previous generation got up from the sofa, moved to the window, and looked out. There, the magnificent Voigtland plain spread out.
It is the duty of the head of the family to protect the blood and the earth, and thus to protect reason.
This was the family motto of the Spierzeig family, and it had been imprinted on McInnis since he was a child.
The head of the family must put the family first and act with reason. It is a strong reminder that the head of the family is the head of the family and should not be an emotional person.
…… I see.”
And McInnis could think of only one thing that his father had in mind.
As his predecessor he had said earlier, it was a guess that would not affect many people.He had no way of confirming it, nor did he need to.After all, there was only one thing for him to do.
McInnis got up from the couch and stood next to his fatherhis.
It is the duty of the head of the family to protect the blood and the earth, and thus to protect reason.
The invasion of the Quardenze family must be stopped.
McInnis's eyes were looking ahead to the land that Spierzeig had to protect.
