Prologue
(Kyle Calendar
Year 513: Age 20)
The Beginning
of the End
【⚔The History of the
Barony of Solis⚔ Final Chapter】
In the 513th year of
the Kyle calendar, there was a large-scale invasion by the Gryphonia Empire.
The Black Hawk, the
pride of the Empire, acting on the Emperor's will, struck the Kyle Kingdom.
The Shield of the
Borderlands, Margrave Hastburg, barricaded himself in the fortress to intercept
them.
In response, the left
wing of the Imperial Army carried out a large-scale encircling maneuver.
Secretly passing
through the border of a viscount who had colluded with them, they struck the
Estol territory.
The Solis baronial
army, which had set up camp in Teigun to intercept them, was defeated and fled.
The Baron surrendered,
wishing for the lives of his people and the remaining soldiers to be spared,
and for the harvest's bounty not to be seized from the people.
The Estol territory
fell under the command of General Weiss, the commander of the Northern
Expeditionary Army. The young Baron was executed, and his Baronial family line
came to an end.
***
"Now, the
execution of the lord of this Estol territory, Baron Solis Takuhir, will
commence!
Furthermore, this
execution will be carried out in accordance with the following agreement concluded
between General Weiss, commander of the Northern Expeditionary Army of the
Gryphonia Empire, and Baron Solis.
Baron Solis Takuhir
shall bear all responsibility for the war and shall be publicly executed. In
exchange for surrendering all the food and property he possesses, the Empire
guarantees the safety of the lives and property of all the citizens.
Therefore, Marquis
Bradley, as the Emperor's representative, hereby declares the execution of the
originator who, defying His Majesty's authority, brought numerous disasters
upon the Estol territory!"
Who's that? That
pompous old man with the mustache.
He's giving a speech
to the crowd, but what happened again?
Huh? Where am I?
The middle of Estol's
town square?
Oh, right... I'm about
to be executed...
A crowd filled the
square, and in the center, on a raised platform like a stage, I, the former
lord, am tied to a cross, both hands and feet bound.
That's right...
This Estol territory
was a surprisingly rich domain for a frontier barony, developed by my capable
father and mother.
Because of its wealth,
it was targeted not only by neighboring countries but also by nearby nobles,
but my parents had overcome numerous campaigns and conspiracies to protect the
territory.
But somewhere, the
gears of fate went awry.
From around the time I
turned ten, we were plagued by one disaster after another, as if abandoned by
fortune...
A great flood, war
damage, the spread of disease, a great famine due to drought...
Despite the desperate
efforts of the rulers, the territory declined.
The first misfortune
was a great flood that devastated the granary region, halving agricultural
productivity.
And three years later,
in a border dispute, we lost my older brother, the promising heir.
Even so, the territory
was somehow supported by the efforts of my father, mother, and the steward.
But the fatal blow
came three years after that.
When I was sixteen, a
plague claimed the lives of many of the citizens, as well as the lord's family
– my father, mother, and younger sister. We also lost the steward, who had been
the pillar of the baronial house in internal affairs, greatly weakening that
aspect.
After I inherited the
territory, I desperately tried to rebuild it.
But it was to no
avail.
And then, at the age
of nineteen, the great famine occurred, and we lost even more of our people.
It was truly a
succession of misfortunes and bad luck.
The citizens mourned
the loss of my parents and raised voices of resentment, cursing my
incompetence.
In the end, the neighboring
country, which we had repelled countless times before, invaded again with a
large army and defeated us with an unexpected strategy. We had no strength left
to fight and surrendered.
Regarding the
surrender, I negotiated with the enemy general and, in exchange for my life and
the little remaining wealth and provisions of the territory, managed to secure
a promise to protect the lives and property of the citizens... or so I
recall...
【Lord Without Authority】 That's what the people called me.
In this world,
depending on the level of development of the territory and the loyalty of the
citizens, the lord manifests 【Authority】 over the land they
rule.
Authority complements
the strengths of each territory, increasing production efficiency or making it
easier for commerce to flourish, thus bringing benefits to the domain.
Each lord utilizes
this authority in territory management, diplomacy, and combat, but...
I never manifested
that authority.
Which was only
natural, if you think about it...
Inferior to my older
brother, who excelled in swordsmanship, was skilled in battle, and was expected
to have a bright future.
Not reaching the level
of my father, who was talented in combat and commercial ventures like
speculation.
Not as capable as my
mother, who excelled in internal administration such as development and
cultivation.
Compared to them, I
was just a second son with no particular talent, who became the lord due to a
series of disasters, and the population and productivity of the territory
continued to decline.
I knew the whispers
that the citizens muttered everywhere.
Most of the citizens
gathered in this square were on the verge of exploding with dissatisfaction
over being occupied by another country, anxiety about their lives being ravaged
by the enemy in the future, and resentment towards the incompetent lord who
couldn't protect them.
At first, I thought
they might even throw stones at me, tied to the cross... I think the atmosphere
was filled with such tension.
But when the old man
with the mustache announced that I had made an agreement to protect the
citizens in exchange for my own life and the territory's remaining wealth, they
seemed relieved, and I felt a slight shift in the atmosphere.
"Light the
fire!"
At the old man's
command, the invading soldiers simultaneously set fire to the firewood piled at
my feet.
It was then that one
of the women among the citizens who had been watching from a distance knelt
down and began to pray.
『I know... no matter what anyone says, you always
cherished the citizens.』
That's Ann, the maid
who served my older brother, and after his death, my younger sister. I'm glad
she's safe.
Another person in a
different place.
『I know... you desperately tried to rebuild the
declining territory for the sake of the citizens.』
That's Misery, my
right-hand woman, the administrator who helped me when I became lord. She's
safe too!
And yet another
person.
『I know... during the epidemic, you didn't care about
the risk of infection and worked tirelessly for the citizens.』
That woman... I think
she was the one who ran around nursing people at the infirmary during the
epidemic. Rosa, was it?
More and more people
began to pray.
『I know... in every disaster, you fought alongside us
in meager meals and lodgings for our sake.』
That woman... she
helped me with the food distribution in Estol during the famine. Claire, I
think?
『I know... you gave land and the means to live to those
of us who lost our homes.』
That woman... she was
the daughter of a merchant who went bankrupt in Estol, and I hired her at the
administrative office, wasn't it? I don't remember her name.
Come to think of it,
it's all women.
But it made me
strangely happy that they were crying for me.
Was I... this popular?
I couldn't help but
smile wryly at my own indecency.
Their voices of prayer
reached me, even from a distance.
Not just me, but the
people surrounding us as well.
It was a strange
sight...
More and more people
were kneeling down and praying after hearing their voices.
At the same time, the
voices of the praying people became like a halo of light, gently enveloping me.
『I know... you...』
Ran around to save the
people in every disaster,
Worked hard every day
for the sake of reconstruction,
Gave us places to
live, food, and work,
Walked alongside the
people despite being a noble,
And protected us by
offering your life...
Everyone except the
enemy soldiers is praying, many are crying.
Lord Without Authority
– even though I was mocked like that, it wasn't pointless that I tried my best
to live.
It seems I can face my
end with at least a little peace of mind.
It was at that moment.
A strange, mechanical
voice, as if descending from the heavens, echoed from somewhere.
『The necessary elements for the manifestation of
authority have reached the prescribed criteria.
From this point
forward, territory appraisal will manifest as authority, and space-time magic
skill will manifest as a unique skill.』
Huh? Now? Seriously?
It's completely
pointless!
Amidst the fading
consciousness from the rising flames, I couldn't help but retort.
And then, my world
ended...
-----
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