novelraw Chapter 99
Chapter 99
Chapter 99
On the road to the neutral city ‘Saint’, where the Lord’s Council was to be held.
Yuria, who sat behind me, was telling me about the tendencies of the southern lords—their personalities, rumors, and bits of information.
The reason I allowed her to sit behind me was precisely to receive this kind of intel.
She used this chance in another direction, but my intention was only that much.
“Isn’t the Lord of Vines quite ambitious?”
“Well, not really. That place is such a good place to live. Things were tough during the early days of the Great Cataclysm, but it was also the first to stabilize. And food is always a good bargaining chip, right? On top of that, once the Dog Tribe joined, their fortune skyrocketed.”
“Is that so?”
“If you can live well enough just by maintaining the status quo, why bother taking risks?”
“True.”
“And besides, even if he stays still, the surrounding territories naturally bow their heads.”
They said the Lord of Vines was a rather laid-back man.
Not someone with great ambition.
But because of that, he rarely made mistakes, and since he didn’t suffer losses, things kept rolling in a virtuous cycle.
The Territory of Vines had always been a stronghold of power anyway.
“New Level, on the other hand, is… well, kind of crazy.”
“Crazy?”
“An incredibly ambitious man, I’d say. No real ability, but an endless amount of greed.”
“I see. That lord is related to the royal family, right?”
“He is, but the relation is very distant. If not for the Great Cataclysm, he wouldn’t have even been acknowledged as royalty.”
“True. By law, royalty weren’t even allowed to leave the royal capital.”
“Yet, despite that, he firmly believes he is the rightful master of this land.”
“What a tiresome way to live.”
The old name of New Level was Steviron.
Located in the southeast of the Ribella Peninsula, the Steviron Territory had suffered heavy damage in the early days of the Great Cataclysm.
When its lord was killed during the first clash with monsters, the territory fell into ruin, and it was Richard Level, a collateral royal, who reorganized it. He was the current lord’s father.
After claiming the ruined Steviron, Richard Level renamed it New Level and proclaimed that his family was the rightful successor to the kingdom.
The new name, ‘New Level,’ taken from the old royal capital, Level, was born from that.
It was like if Seoul had collapsed, and Busan suddenly renamed itself New Seoul and declared itself the new capital.
Though the kingdom had already long since collapsed, the justification itself seemed convincing enough that a few minor territories submitted under New Level.
Of course, it wasn’t just because of justification.
The old land of Steviron held one of the only Mana Stone Mines in the Ribella Peninsula.
This territory was immensely wealthy.
-‘So, a so-called royal gained legitimacy through bloodline. I can smell a thieving noble rat from here.’
‘Hey, isn’t that a bit different?’
They said Richard Level, who had taken over New Level, had been a fairly decent leader.
He maintained balance with the surrounding lords and kept his power stable.
But once Richard Level died, trouble began.
Yuria’s evaluation was that the current lord of New Level, Deron Level, was far less competent than his father.
“That man’s a terrible womanizer. Already four mistresses? Or was it five?”
“Well, that’s impressive in its own way.”
-‘Remarkable. A very exemplary male, isn’t he?’
‘Exemplary, my ass.’
-‘Far better than a master who hoards like a squirrel, picking up nuts here and there.’
What a breeding-mad rabbit, seriously.
Anyway, Lord Deron Level of New Level was said to be very ambitious and greedy.
His pride in his bloodline was immense, and he openly boasted that one day he would rule the entire Ribella Peninsula.
From my point of view, I couldn’t see what was so great about being royalty of a kingdom that had already fallen. But apparently, there were people who still believed in that sort of talk.
If Deron Level had been just a little more competent, he might have built a far larger power than now.
‘Honestly, who cares about rebuilding a kingdom?’
A kingdom or whatever, it was still just feudalism.
In this situation, centralization wasn’t even possible.
And as long as politics were done properly, I didn’t particularly care whether it was centralized or not.
After all, clearing out the calamity-class monsters scattered across the Ribella Peninsula required a certain level of unity.
‘In the end, it comes down to ability. And judging by what I hear, that guy doesn’t seem like it.’
Starting with the stories of these two great lords, I got a crash course in the personalities of the southern lords and the characteristics of their territories.
By the time we reached Saint, the council would begin right away, so time was tight.
Honestly, this was the kind of education I should have received beforehand.
I had planned to request Yuria’s help right after inspecting the mine, but the schedule for the council was set much sooner than I expected.
“I really don’t get why this sudden rush.”
“Because their asses caught fire.”
The reason for this abrupt Lord’s Council was simple.
Three lords who had been fighting the Empire in the Levelium region had fled to Saint.
Right now, Levelium was on the verge of being occupied by the Empire.
Two territories still remained, but it was uncertain how long they could hold.
In other words, the southern lords had begun to realize the seriousness of the situation.
No—perhaps it wasn’t the lords, but rather the High Priest.
Because this council was convened by the High Priest.
Among the lords who escaped from Levelium were priests as well, and once they reported to the temple, the High Priest had learned the truth.
“The words of the High Priest can’t be ignored.”
Our destination, Saint, the neutral city where the Lord’s Council was being held.
It was the city where the Grand Temple stood, and where the High Priest ruled.
Our territory might have been in a unique position, but there wasn’t a single territory that hadn’t been indebted to the temple.
The Order of Mercy, worshippers of the Goddess of Mercy, Solua, was the state religion of the kingdom.
And once the High Priest, the representative of the priests, called for a council, even the great lords couldn’t easily ignore it.
“Saint is definitely close to Levelium.”
“In terms of distance, it’s about the same as Johnson Territory.”
“And anyone can see that Saint is a far more coveted land than Johnson Territory.”
“If you take Saint, you’ve got Haken and Rubina right in front, and just a little further south, Vines and New Level are within reach. And since most people don’t know about the Mana Stone Mine in Johnson Territory, they’d all think the same.”
The reason the High Priest had hurriedly convened the council was obvious.
Located in the middle of the Ribella Peninsula, Saint was clearly a land the Empire would covet.
Taking it would make advancing to other territories much easier.
It also carried symbolic weight, so even if I were the Empire, I’d aim for it first.
Of course, if they knew about the Mana Stone Mine in our territory, we’d probably be their first target.
“The temple, huh. Should I take this chance to request priests be dispatched to our territory?”
Priests in this world weren’t just simple clerics who healed the sick with Divine Power.
They studied medical knowledge and even learned surgical skills—practically all-around doctors.
The Grand Temple was where such elite professionals were trained, and Saint was a city maintained by the donations priests brought back from their assignments and by taxes collected from various merchant groups.
‘They’re incredible elites. And the dispatch cost is astronomical.’
The reason we hadn’t dared to invite the temple and its priests was because the dispatch cost paid to the Grand Temple was unimaginably high.
Since priests were such highly trained individuals, the price to bring them in was no small matter.
‘Even before the Great Cataclysm, our territory was poor. We barely established a foothold, and then the Great Cataclysm struck.’
When the territory was first established, the plan had been to build a temple, but the Great Cataclysm broke out right then, and things stayed that way ever since.
And since alchemy was more developed in our territory than in others, spending such an enormous sum to bring in priests felt unnecessary.
After all, with just some stitching and a few Healing Potions, injuries could be managed to some extent.
‘But now the situation is different.’
With the Mana Stone Mine discovered, Mana Crystals would soon be abundant.
We could easily cover the cost of building a temple and dispatching priests.
I couldn’t be sure how advanced the medical knowledge of this world was, but since these were people trained thoroughly, surely they knew much more.
And the divine healing of priests, said to treat injuries more effectively than potions, was no less tempting.
Now that the territory’s condition had improved, it was worth looking into.
“So this is Saint.”
“Yes, the neutral city, the land of the Grand Temple. Humans regard this place as quite sacred, don’t they?”
“Well, that’s what they say. Not so much for us, though.”
Saint—the land many lords had coveted, but all had eventually given up on.
Even now, surely many lords still desired this land.
A sweet land, with a good location and a dense population.
Had this land not been managed by the temple and the High Priest, someone would have already taken it.
“The walls aren’t that high here, are they?”
“It’s a trade city. And monster invasions aren’t that common in this region.”
“Definitely a sweet land.”
“Well, not much of a good place for beastmen who don’t believe in Solua, though.”
Perhaps because Saint was a territory no one on the Ribella Peninsula could easily invade, its walls didn’t look that solid.
But that didn’t matter.
The moment anyone attacked here, they’d face condemnation from every lord, not to mention being cut off entirely from the cooperation of priests.
The more frequent battles became, the more valuable priests were.
Since the Great Cataclysm, the reputation of priests had skyrocketed.
There wasn’t a single southern knight who hadn’t received a priest’s treatment at least once, so even the lords couldn’t act rashly toward priests.
“Even aside from that, priests are tricky. This is a world where gods truly exist.”
Though I had never received a single blessing from the temple, this place still made me cautious.
If Bestia existed, then surely Solua did as well.
I didn’t know how divine providence worked, but there was no need to earn unnecessary resentment.
“You’ve come as well.”
“Ah, it’s been a while, my lord.”
As soon as we arrived at Saint, I met the Lord of Haken.
Since I had contacted him beforehand, he was waiting for me.
“Hmm. I see. But did Irene not come with you?”
“Sir Irene remained in the territory.”
“Is that so?”
Of course, the reason he asked was because he wanted to see Irene.
I had never once mentioned bringing Irene along for this trip to Saint, so it seemed this man had misunderstood.
But when he heard she hadn’t come, his shoulders slumped in disappointment.
“Yes, there’s no one I can entrust the territory to besides Sir Irene.”
“True, that child is diligent. And a suitable wife for a lord… hmm? But you, you’ve come with another lady.”
To ease his mood, I praised Irene’s reliability.
The Lord of Haken beamed as if he himself had received the compliment—until he spotted Yuria behind me. His gaze sharpened.
With guilt already weighing on me, I couldn’t help but flinch.
“Ah, yes. This is…”
“I’m Yuria McBane.”
“McBane? Don’t tell me, from the Level Merchant Group?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Ah, of course. I remember now. You’re the youngest daughter of Albert McBane, the Master of the Level Merchant Group. They say you’re a great beauty.”
Since Yuria was somewhat of a nationally known figure, even the Lord of Haken knew her.
But after confirming her identity, he looked at me with even more suspicion.
His eyes seemed to accuse me of straying from Irene.
“Hmph.”
Quick-witted as she was, Yuria naturally caught on to the Lord of Haken’s thoughts.
And since she knew exactly what I had done in Haken through Ninetale, she smirked devilishly, preparing to say something.
“Hmph.”
I quickly grabbed her hand tightly and shook my head slightly.
‘Let’s not go too far.’
‘Heh, you owe me one now.’
‘Alright, just stop here.’
I asked her with my eyes to let it go, and Yuria accepted my deal.
If she dropped a bomb about ex-wives or lord’s wives here, things would get unbearably messy. I had no choice but to yield this time.
Thankfully, she didn’t seem intent on making trouble—at least not right now.
“I came as a witness for this invasion. The Level Merchant Group is also somewhat involved in the matter.”
“Ah, yes. That’s right. Albert McBane, who became the new master…”
“Yes, shameful as it is.”
“I see. Well, in any case, you’ve come well. We’ll discuss the rest at the Lord’s Council.”
From the fact that she only mentioned coming as a witness, it seemed she had no intention of stirring things up further.
‘Maybe it was a mistake to bring her here.’
But what could I do?
She was an important witness.
In meetings like this, the words of a nationally renowned beauty like Yuria would carry more weight than those of an unknown lord like me.
‘But of all people, why her… damn.’
The Lord’s Council hadn’t even begun, and I was already drenched in cold sweat.