novelraw Chapter 100
Chapter 100
Chapter 100
Before attending the Lord’s Council, I had an audience with the High Priest.
It was to build a temple in the territory and be assigned priests.
The temple side readily agreed to meet me.
“Johnson Territory. I see. So there are brothers of faith even there……”
“Yes, it is a place that has long been beyond the reach of mercy.”
The High Priest of Saint, Ollemio, was a man in his 60s with a gentle air.
His long white beard was especially impressive.
He looked like the friendly neighborhood grandfather who smiled warmly and shared rice cakes or grains.
In truth, he was well-known for his high reputation.
Even with the temple’s backing, it wasn’t easy for a city of this size to remain neutral.
If you ate something wrong, it could bring disaster, so it was better to simply watch quietly.
Still, even for such a High Priest, it seemed that dispatching priests to Johnson Territory was no ordinary matter.
“Of course, it is truly delightful when new brothers are embraced in the arms of the Goddess, however……”
“Is there a problem?”
“I do not know if there will be brethren who would willingly go out for missionary work there. It is such a dangerous place.”
He said he could recommend it to the priests under his name.
But he could not force anyone to be dispatched to a territory where they might die at any moment.
Though he was surely the leader of the priests, he explained that he did not rule over them.
And even if it were a strict superior-subordinate relationship, given his nature, he would never think of forcing such a dispatch.
“First, I will ask the brethren for their wishes.”
“Yes, I would be grateful.”
The conclusion was to wait for now.
He said he would ask the priests whether they were willing to be dispatched there.
This part couldn’t be helped.
It wasn’t a matter that could be forced.
If someone wasn’t willing to work actively for the sake of the territory, there was no reason to bring them.
‘I didn’t think of this. Well, this place already had a bit of a reputation.’
-What a pity. Johnson Territory is still a livable place.
Because it was a region with a bit of a notorious name, we seemed to be suffering disadvantages even in matters like this.
‘Do I have to give up after all?’
Unless one had an unusual personality who enjoyed hardship in the wilderness, they wouldn’t willingly volunteer for Johnson Territory.
In a time like now, when the demand for priests was so high, who would choose such penance?
Still, just in case, I decided to wait.
Someone with burning faith might step forward.
“To hold a council in a place like this. Is the Lord’s Council always like this?”
“Well, it isn’t exactly a place where great debates take place. I think it was like this before too.”
After meeting the High Priest, I immediately moved to the council hall.
Since it was called a council, I expected a formal and rigid atmosphere, but it was far from that.
Because the place where the council was held was not a chamber, but a vast hall.
“Here.”
“Yes, confirmed.”
The guards of the hall checked the seal of the territory.
Then, a servant who had been waiting nearby loudly announced our entrance.
“Lord of Johnson Territory, Iron Johnson, is entering.”
It was the first time we attended the Lord’s Council.
Yet, the fact that they recognized the seal of our territory meant they even memorized the noble registry from the Kingdom days.
I had heard the Lord’s Council was always held in Saint, and indeed, even the servants here were exceptionally formal.
“I see, so this is how it works.”
As I entered the great hall, other lords who had already arrived were freely conversing.
There were separate tables prepared with drinks and light refreshments.
I had heard that banquets of the Kingdom were something like this.
Rather than a council, it was closer to a social gathering, preserving much of the old feeling.
But only to that extent.
It didn’t feel extravagant, nor was the atmosphere overly frivolous.
At Kingdom banquets, men and women would gather in such places to dance, but here it was simply lords chatting together.
Even the attire was free and varied, so even though I entered wearing armor, I didn’t particularly stand out.
“Johnson Territory?”
“The northern bulwark, is it.”
“So it hasn’t fallen.”
“This is the first time Johnson has attended, isn’t it?”
“But the lady accompanying him is……”
“My word, is that Yuria McBane?”
For a moment, gazes gathered on me and a stir rose.
It seemed strange to them that the lord of Johnson Territory, who had never once attended, was now appearing at this council.
The phrase “so it hasn’t fallen” was also striking.
That must be roughly how southern lords thought of Johnson Territory.
For them, the northern struggles were someone else’s problem.
Unlike the Lord of Haken, who held firmly the central region of the Ribella Peninsula, southern lords were not so troubled by monsters.
Of course, at the beginning of the Great Cataclysm, their side must have been in chaos too, but the current generation became lords after the world had somewhat stabilized.
With the strength their territories had built, they could easily defend against the occasional monster incursions, so understanding the life-and-death struggles of the north was impossible for them.
‘This is irritating.’
Thinking I was the only one suffering, I couldn’t help but feel displeased.
“Oh, is this wine?”
I pushed down the rising irritation and confidently walked to a table.
As I approached, a servant naturally handed me a glass.
I took the glass and had it filled with wine.
It was a red wine with an exceptionally clean finish.
Even to someone like me, who knew little of wine, it seemed quite refined.
“It’s wine from Borde Mountain. The lord there is quite serious about wine.”
“Borde, that’s the territory just south of Haken, right?”
“Haken Territory is the bulwark of that region. The south is relatively safe.”
“If they can grow grapes, they must be living quite well.”
Yuria, who also received a glass, explained.
It was wine from Borde Territory, famous for its vineyards.
Among the lords, it was recognized as a fine luxury.
The people of my territory also liked alcohol, so perhaps I should bring some back?
Once we started sending Mana Crystals toward Haken, we might have some leisure.
I wasn’t sure about Rudick or Limond, but Leisha, Celine, and Irene would surely welcome this wine.
In my previous life as well, I hadn’t met many women who disliked wine.
“But the High Lords haven’t arrived yet?”
“Ah, that side has its own kind of power struggles, you see.”
“Is that so? Wasting energy on pointless matters.”
Looking around, I saw that quite a few lords had already entered.
But strangely enough, I didn’t see any familiar faces.
I didn’t know about the other High Lords, but the Lord of Haken had arrived here before us, and yet he hadn’t entered. That struck me as odd.
When I asked Yuria about it, she said that there was a sort of power struggle even in this, so they tried to enter as late as possible.
The last to arrive was the main character? Something like that?
At banquets like these, it was a kind of unspoken rule that the higher one’s status, the later they arrived, but in a situation without a king or a court, it all just seemed childish.
“The Pillar of the Mid-lands, Lord of Haken Territory, Lord Uldea Haken, is entering.”
He wasn’t much different, as right after that comment ended, the Lord of Haken entered.
The extra epithet attached in front must have been a mark of respect for a High Lord.
After all, in this council, the High Lords were exceedingly special beings.
And as I expected, when the Lord of Haken appeared, several lords went to greet him.
They must have been lords within Haken’s sphere of influence.
“So you are here as well.”
“Yes, I just arrived.”
After exchanging a few words with the lords, the Lord of Haken walked toward me.
It felt as though he was looking out for me, who stood apart from the other lords.
Was this the New Face privilege?
-Or more like the future son-in-law premium, don’t you think?
‘Damn, is that really it?’
If I said I wouldn’t marry Irene, would he draw his sword on me?
Hadn’t he already squinted at Yuria the moment he saw her?
I flinched for a moment but continued the conversation as naturally as possible.
“You said you would have an audience with the High Priest. Did you achieve your purpose?”
“I’m not sure. It seems we’ll have to wait.”
“I see.”
As he chatted with me, the Lord of Haken clicked his tongue as he looked around the hall.
It seemed he realized he was the first among the three High Lords to enter.
So that talk about power struggles must have been true.
-Humans are sensitive to hierarchy by nature. They all have strong pride, so they don’t want to yield.
‘True, and since the three High Lords’ strength is said to be about equal, it makes sense.’
Humans loved making hierarchies no matter what world they were in.
“The Ruler of the Great Plains, Lord of Vines Territory, Lord Mishel Vines, is entering.”
And at that moment, another High Lord entered the hall.
Mishel Vines, the Lord of Vines Territory.
He looked like a man in his late forties with a generous frame.
By generous frame, I meant he had quite a belly.
He was clearly a lord, not a knight.
‘He has the full air of a merchant, that man.’
Vines Territory, which possessed the largest plains in the south.
It also produced the most food.
Territories like Haken, where farming was difficult, must trade for food here.
New Level, with its many mountainous areas, was the same.
Not only Vines but the territories around it were fertile, so in terms of productivity, this region was the most outstanding.
As a lord with plenty, even his steps were full of confidence.
‘Oh, is that Eline?’
Among the companions of the Lord of Vines, I saw a familiar face.
Eline, the Guide of the Dog Tribe.
This puppy lady attended the Lord’s Council together with the Lord of Vines.
‘Why would a beastman like Eline attend this council?’
-Because of the Empire scum, I bet.
‘Ah, right. The Empire was sworn enemy to the beastmen.’
The Boar Tribe and the Empire.
That combination made any beastman shudder, so it made some sense that Eline was here.
“The last bloodline of the Kingdom, Lord of New Level, Lord Deron Royal Level, is entering.”
And then, the last remaining High Lord entered the hall.
Deron Level, Lord of New Level.
The “Royal” inserted in the middle was a form of honorific, meaning royal blood.
Whatever had happened, in this council they acknowledged his royal lineage.
‘Level is Level, so I suppose it isn’t unthinkable to accept that. The kingdom is gone anyway.’
Deron Level was a young man.
Compared to Lord Uldea or Lord Mishel, he was about a generation younger.
In fact, he seemed to be of a similar generation to me.
It looked like their side also went through generational change rather quickly.
‘Still, a High Lord is a High Lord, I see.’
Though Yuria had described him as incompetent and debauched, Deron appeared outwardly quite fine.
His upturned eyes looked sharp, and the smile on his lips seemed full of confidence.
He wasn’t particularly handsome, but given his position, he would surely be well-regarded.
At least he lacked any obvious flaws.
‘And surely many women follow him.’
-The strong male draws many females. That is nature’s way. Especially in a world like this.
‘True enough.’
Unless one belonged to the Fox Tribe, who placed special importance on marriage, it wasn’t strange to have multiple women as long as one had ability.
The question was only how much ability one had.
‘But he seems decent enough. I don’t sense the baseless arrogance unique to incompetents.’
At least, he didn’t seem like the useless, greedy man Yuria had described. That struck me as odd.
Perhaps it was the Fox Tribe’s unique confirmation bias at work?
They were certainly sensitive in matters like that.
“You are late. Weren’t you here long before, waiting for the council?”
“Ah yes, but I was slightly delayed after paying respects to the High Priest.”
“The High Priest? I was told the last one to have an audience was the Lord of Johnson.”
“Haha, must you split hairs like that? I may be a little late, that is all.”
“Hmph, it does not look good that the youngest lord enters last.”
“But he is royal blood, isn’t he? Entering last is only fitting.”
“That damned ‘royal blood’……”
When the Lord of Vines entered, the Lord of Haken had only clicked his tongue, but now he picked a serious quarrel with Deron Level.
It seemed that for High Lords, the pretext of being the last royal bloodline meant little.
Or maybe he just personally disliked Deron Level.
‘Right, wasn’t there said to be subtle conflict between them? Their demand for Mana Crystals from us must be tied to that context too.’
I thought to myself that these men lived to squabble, and I was nodding when my eyes suddenly met those of a woman entering with Deron Level.
In that instant, my breath caught, as though my chest were being crushed.
The woman who just looked me in the eyes was someone I—no, Iron—knew all too well.
‘…His former wife.’
-That female.
Though her face was completely different, I knew.
That woman was Iron’s former wife.
Iron’s beastlike senses, his primal instinct, and his flashing intuition all told me so.
She was without doubt Iron’s former wife.
“Hm.”
When our eyes met, she smiled brightly and bowed her head.
Did she know I had realized who she was? Or was it just a light greeting to a lord she was seeing for the first time?
What was certain was this—
The woman who had concealed her identity and married me was now one of the Lord of Level’s closest aides.
After realizing this, I too could not take my eyes off Deron Level.