Chapter 172
(Kyle
Calendar Year 509: Age 16)
The Merit Awards: The Birth of the Demon Territory
Count
Translator : PolterGlast
It was the end of
summer when a series of events—the pacification of the rebellion in the
southern border, the restoration of order and establishment of a provisional
government, and the withdrawal of the Imperial army that had been positioned on
the southern border—had settled down, and the full extent of the situation had
become clear, that we gathered in the Royal Capital.
"Well then, we
shall begin the conferment of honors regarding the Eastern Border War and the
suppression of the rebellion in the southern border. However, prior to the
conferment, there is first an announcement to be made."
And so, belatedly, the
conferment of honors for the Eastern Border War and the suppression of the
southern border rebellion was held. The minister who broke the silence
continued to speak.
"The leaders of
this rebellion, former Count Goyoku and former Viscount Hiyorimi, are sentenced
to death, and their domains and titles shall be confiscated. As first-class
traitors, their family names shall be abolished, their extended families for
three generations shall also be sentenced to death, and all relatives, without
exception, shall be stripped of their noble status.
Furthermore, those
who, like them, colluded with the Empire and made secret pacts—two viscount
houses and one baronial house—shall receive the same punishment."
The two viscount
houses must be that of the late former Viscount Gogan and the viscount who invaded
the Gorman domain... The baronial house must be the baron who attacked the
Cornell domain.
They were the ones who
had directly exchanged personal letters with the Empire and had actively
participated in the rebellion.
And for all three
generations to be sentenced to death—this was extremely severe. But given that
they had committed rebellion, colluded with an enemy nation, and attempted to
overthrow the kingdom, there seemed to be no room for clemency or a reduced
sentence.
『Leave Erol to me. 』
Before coming to this
place, Margrave Hastburg had said this to my brother and me. So, I decided to
just watch the situation unfold.
"Next, the two
viscount houses and five baronial houses that responded to former Count
Goyoku's call and participated in the rebellion shall be deemed second-class
traitors. The heads of the houses and any family members who participated in
combat are sentenced to death, and their domains and titles shall be
confiscated.
The other family
members, while having their titles and domains confiscated and their family
names abolished, will be permitted to retain their status as nobles."
Although they were
lured by short-term greed, they were, in a sense, victims who had followed the
false royal command issued by Count Goyoku. For that reason, their crime was
reduced by one degree, but the moment they joined the rebel army against the
kingdom, their fate was sealed.
Status as nobles?
Does this mean that
even without a title, they can be recognized as nobles in matters such as
marriage, and there's a possibility of their titles being restored through
future achievements or pardons?
I didn't really
understand the details of that either.
"However, given
the complex circumstances of this matter, please be aware that there will be
individual pardons and special exceptions."
I see. So that's how
they plan to balance the kingdom's law and clemency? That's how it felt to me.
"Furthermore,
before the conferment of honors, I will report that the following offers were
made by the four marquess houses that had connections to the former Count
Goyoku.
First, each house will
contribute 100,000 gold coins to be used as rewards for those with
distinguished service in this matter, thereby contributing to the kingdom.
Second, each house
will cede 10 of their mages to the Royal Knights, thereby contributing to the
future national defense.
Third, by resigning
from all public offices and remaining under voluntary confinement for the time
being, they will clarify their course of action and contribute to the kingdom
by setting an example.
By the above, they
shall demonstrate their responsibility as pillars of the kingdom."
This part was likely
part of the "major clean-up."
I didn't know the
details, but I understood that the pretense was that their punishment was
reduced because they had made the offer voluntarily.
No, at first glance,
does it look like a lenient punishment, a lukewarm settlement resolved with
money and resignations? Looking at the faces of my father and the surrounding
nobles, it seemed so.
Perhaps even the ones
receiving the punishment didn't understand how harsh it really was... I'll have
to explain it to my father and the others later.
"Furthermore, of
the private property confiscated from the abolished noble houses, 100,000 gold
coins will also be allocated for the rewards this time.
In addition, inspired
by the actions of the four marquesses, there has been no end to the nobles
connected to them who have also offered to contribute gold coins, and this
amount has also reached a total equivalent to 200,000 gold coins. Therefore,
this too shall be distributed as a source for the conferment of honors."
Whoa! This is harsh
too.
For the nobles of the
Restorationist faction, at the rank of count or viscount, that must have been a
considerable sum of money for each of them. And this was before the harvest
season. To protect their own positions, they must have scrambled in a panic,
desperately following the example of their leaders.
Which means... the
total amount for rewards is 700,000 gold coins! I had a feeling this was going
to be something big.
"Well then, we
will now begin the conferment of honors. First, regarding the Eastern Border
War, the first merit... Baron Solis von Takuhir, forward!"
"Yes!"
To be called first...
I was a little taken aback and hurriedly stepped forward before the throne and
knelt.
"Baron Solis,
your military exploits this time were truly magnificent. There were
recommendations from all the key figures, including Margrave Hamish, the corps
commanders of the Royal Knights, and Count Model.
You saved the lives of
several thousand allies in the first battle, saw through the enemy's strategy
in the subsequent battles, annihilated 10,000 enemy soldiers, and furthermore,
captured an enemy fortress defended by 20,000 with almost no casualties on our
side. In both strategy and as the linchpin of the attack, you brought an
overwhelming victory to our army.
Furthermore, through
your use of mages on the battlefield, you have set an example and shown those
around you the path the kingdom should take in the future, in accordance with
my will.
For these unparalleled
achievements, the Baron is named first in merit, and is granted a promotion to
the rank of Viscount and a reward of 100,000 gold coins."
"Yes, Your
Majesty! I gratefully accept. I believe this is a testament to Your Majesty's
authority and your intention to cherish the mages."
Although, 100,000
coins... I had a feeling I'd be resented by the Restorationist marquesses who
were the source of the funds, so while I was happy, I also felt a bit
heavy-hearted.
And then, the calling
of names and rewards for other meritorious deeds continued.
〇 Eastern Border War Honors (Total 300,000 gold coins)
First Merit: Baron
Solis (Promotion to Viscount, 100,000 gold coins)
Other Merits: Margrave
Hamish (Total 40,000 gold coins)
Various Eastern Border
Noble Houses (Total 10,000 gold coins)
Various Noble Houses
that Participated as Reinforcements (Total 40,000 gold coins)
Various Royal Knights
Corps (Total 80,000 gold coins)
Participants from the
Cadet Knights (Total 5,000 gold coins)
Other Condolence
Payments, etc. (Total 5,000 gold coins)
Border Fortress
Reconstruction Costs (Margrave): 20,000 gold coins
"Next, we will
conduct the conferment of honors regarding the pacification of the rebel army.
Baron Solis von Darek, Viscount Solis von Takuhir, both of you, forward!"
"Yes, Your
Majesty!"
"Yes...?"
My brother and I
stepped forward and knelt. I was called first again, but why?
"First, Baron
Solis, you are named first in merit.
Thanks to your
efforts, the southern border region was protected and did not fall into the
hands of the rebel army. The rescue of multiple noble houses resulted in the
thwarting of the traitors' and the Empire's intentions, and protected the
kingdom.
For these great
achievements, the Baron is named first in merit, and is granted a promotion to
the rank of Viscount and a reward of 60,000 gold coins."
"Thank you, Your
Majesty. I have no words to express my gratitude for Your Majesty's
benevolence. I promise to strive for ever greater loyalty in the future."
"And Viscount
Solis, you also performed deeds worthy of being called first in merit.
Your skill in
completely crushing the overwhelmingly superior rebel army in the forest of
Burg shall be passed down for generations to come. Furthermore, in their lord's
absence, your subordinates fought without breaking in a harsh battle and
protected your domain.
For these great
achievements, the Viscount is named quasi-first in merit, and is granted a
promotion to the rank of Count and a reward of 60,000 gold coins."
"To receive such
an excessive reward on top of the one before, honestly, I am so overwhelmed right
now that I'm trembling. For this, I offer my greatest thanks for Your Majesty's
benevolence, and I intend to serve you with even greater loyalty from now on.
Thank you very much."
"Hmph, to carry
out rewards and punishments clearly and fairly is my duty. There is no need for
reservation. You have achieved deeds worthy of it.
I am thinking of
taking this opportunity to give you and the other defenders of the southern
border enough power to stand against the Empire."
"Margrave
Hastburg, Viscount Gorman, Viscount Solis, Baron Cornell, forward!"
With the Margrave in
the lead, my father and the others stepped forward and lined up next to us.
"Margrave
Hastburg, in addition to your current domain, you shall annex two of the
viscounties and two of the baronies confiscated this time, half as your own
domain and half as a custodial domain.
And, as per your wish,
I recognize Viscount Solis von Darek as your heir.
As for the custodial
domain, you shall assist in its management as his domain until he inherits it.
The Viscount also has the role of leading the Frontier Knights for the time
being. Margrave, he is the son-in-law who will one day succeed you. There
should be no problem in taking care of him all at once from now, should
there?"
"Thank you, Your
Majesty. I have no words to express my gratitude for Your Majesty's
benevolence. I have certainly understood."
"Viscount Solis
(Darek), you will one day bear the heavy responsibility of being the Margrave,
the defender of the kingdom's south. Polish yourself and strive to meet our
expectations."
"Yes, Your
Majesty!"
My brother seemed to
be confused by the completely unexpected turn of events and only gave a short
reply. So now my brother Darek has also become a feudal lord and nobleman.
"Viscount Gorman,
you shall annex one viscounty and one barony that participated in the rebellion
and will henceforth be promoted to the rank of Count.
However, your wife is
the daughter of the former Count Goyoku and will be held accountable for this
rebellion and bear the punishment. In consideration of your military merit, her
punishment shall be... the daughter and grandchildren of the former Count shall
lose their noble status. Forgive me."
"Your Majesty, my
house also descends from the Goyoku line and originally should be in a position
to be punished. Despite that, to receive a reward and such special
consideration for my wife and children, I am endlessly grateful."
"Baron Cornell,
you shall cede the western half of your current domain to Viscount Solis, and
in exchange, you shall annex the central to northern part of the former
Viscount Hiyorimi's domain and be promoted to the rank of Viscount. In place of
the western part, you will rule a vast territory, and it will be easier to rush
to the border, will it not?"
"Yes, Your
Majesty! Thank you. I will strive to manage my domain and serve you with ever
greater loyalty."
Baron Cornell, who had
held a long, narrow domain bordering the north of the Solis and Hiyorimi
houses, would gain a new territory more than twice the size of his old one,
even after ceding the western half that bordered the Solis house. Moreover,
since the town where the lord resided and all the major villages were on the
eastern side of his old domain, what he gained was large, and what he lost was
small.
"Viscount Solis
(Darren), you too shall annex a viscounty and a barony, in addition to the
western part of Baron Cornell's domain, and will henceforth be a Count. In
exchange, you are to cede the demon territory side of your domain, such as
Teigoon, to your second son. You have no objection, I trust?"
"Yes, Your
Majesty! I am grateful for your words and have no objection. I will respond
with even greater loyalty than before."
〇 Southern Border War Honors (Total 300,000 gold coins)
First Merit: Baron Solis
(Darek) (Promotion to Viscount, 60,000 gold coins)
Quasi-First Merit:
Viscount Solis (Takuhir) (Promotion to Count, 60,000 gold coins)
Other Merits: Margrave
Hastburg (Total 40,000 gold coins)
Viscount Solis
(Darren) (→ Count) (Total 40,000
gold coins)
Viscount Gorman (→ Count) (Total 40,000 gold coins)
Baron Cornell (→ Viscount) (Total 20,000 gold coins)
Viscount Kirias + 3
Barons (Total 10,000 gold coins)
Frontier Knights
1st-4th Corps (Total 10,000 gold coins)
Frontier Knights 5th
Corps (Total 10,000 gold coins)
Frontier Knights 6th
Corps (Total 10,000 gold coins)
The relatively large
distribution of gold coins to each of the promoted houses probably also
includes costs for things like redeveloping the barren new domains of the
nobles who participated in the rebellion.
That's how I
understood it.
"Now then, Count
Solis von Takuhir, the conferment of honors for your achievements is not yet
over."
Saying this and
pausing for a beat, His Majesty the King smiled mischievously. What more could there
be... I became a little anxious.
Anyway... my title
keeps changing (going up) every time we talk, so it's really confusing.
"Military deeds
are not the only form of merit.
You foresaw the coming
plague from past literature, invested your private fortune to make thorough
preparations and countermeasures, and generously shared them with the
neighboring domains.
By doing so, tens of
thousands of plague patients in the southern border were saved from the
disease, and the number of deaths, which would have exceeded ten thousand, was
kept to a minimum. This achievement can be said to surpass even the greatest
military exploit on the battlefield.
For the future of the
kingdom, I warmly commend you, including your subordinates and citizens who
worked bravely in the midst of the plague.
Not only did you save
the entire southern border region from a deadly plague, but you also discovered
and shared methods and countermeasures against the plague that will be useful
in other regions in the future. These achievements are immeasurable.
For these
accomplishments, I appoint you to the newly created title of『Demon Territory Count』, and as the name suggests, you shall possess the
lands on the side of the demon territory, the southern part of the Estol domain
and the southern part of the former Hiyorimi domain. Furthermore, you shall be
granted 100,000 gold coins as a reward."
"Yes, Your
Majesty! Thank you. I will share this gratitude and Your Majesty's benevolence
with the citizens who fought against the plague."
"Good. For now,
it is a domain the size of a barony, but you are destined to inherit both the Gorman
and Solis countdoms. In the future, you and your brother, the Margrave and the
Demon Territory Count, will both possess vast domains. Polish yourselves to become
the cornerstones that protect the kingdom."
Hmm? This is the first
I'm hearing of this...
My father and my
father-in-law were both nodding. Does that mean they've already discussed this
without my knowledge? Is that what this is?
"Furthermore, in
terms of rank, the Demon Territory Count is equivalent to a Margrave. It shall
be treated as a marquessate, a rank higher than a count.
As the domain you are
given for now is small, you shall receive another 100,000 gold coins from me as
a stipend.
Demon Territory Count,
your reward is immense, but you also have a mission. In preparation for the day
to come, you shall establish a vast defensive network to the west of the
Southern Gate and bolster the forces to defend it. Recognize that the
extraordinary reward in this conferment is the funding for that purpose, and
continue to be a pillar that supports the kingdom."
"Yes, Your
Majesty! Thank you. I will gratefully accept the bestowed reward to prepare for
the contingencies that may come."
I said that, but
honestly... a total of 360,000 gold coins!
It's an amount that
could make one's sense of money go haywire, but the number of standing troops
has also increased, so if I mismanage the domestic affairs, it could all be
gone in a few years. Constructing the defensive network on the demon territory
side will also require enormous funds.
Is this a good thing,
or has the burden simply increased to match the title... honestly, there's a
part of me that's troubled.
"The branch of
the Frontier Knights shall be under the Demon Territory Count's command, and in
the future, its regular number shall be 2,000 riders. Well, that can wait for
later.
Knight Weiss von
Schwarzfalke, you shall henceforth be a Baron and support the Demon Territory
Count as the commander of the Frontier Knights branch.
Furthermore, the main
body of the Frontier Knights will also have its numbers increased, from the
current 2,500 riders to a future regular number of 4,000. The former domain of
Count Goyoku will be made a direct domain of the royal family, and a portion of
the salaries for both knightly orders will be appropriated from there."
Yeah... there's so
much going on that I'm getting confused, but I understood very well that I need
to make a considerably detailed budget plan.
"Finally, Hiyorimi
von Erol, forward!"
"Yes, Your
Majesty!"
"Erol, this
matter must have been an agonizing decision for you, was it not?
Though you are the son
of the former Viscount Hiyorimi, you reported their outrage and willingly
participated in its suppression yourself. To judge you as a member of a
traitor's family would be tantamount to being unable to show what true loyalty
to the kingdom is.
You shall become a
Baron, and along with the soldiers under your command, you shall find your
place in the newly established Seventh Corps of the Frontier Knights. The
kingdom will provide for the Baron, including the salaries of the soldiers. In
time, there may be a return to the rank of Viscount.
However, the Hiyorimi
name is abolished and can no longer be used. You should establish a new family
name. Do you have any requests?"
"I and my
soldiers should originally be in a position to be punished. Despite that, to
receive such undeserved benevolence, I am endlessly grateful. First, on that
point, I offer my deepest thanks.
As for the family
name, I have had a thought for some time. The former Hiyorimi domain was
blessed with rich gold mines.
In connection with
that, I, who am starting over from scratch, wish to make my comeback not from
gold, nor from silver, but from copper. Therefore, how about the family name
Copper?"
"Hmm, that is a
fine sentiment! Then, from this day forth, you are Baron Copper von Erol!
Strive to climb from copper to silver, and then to gold!"
Eh? That's...
Ero-Copp... Hmm, that feels super awkward. Are you sure? Really?
Ignoring my final,
complicated expression, the conferment of honors ended, and with all matters
settled, the new system began to move.
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