[ Episode 201. Arrival in the North]
Among the northern territories, Mayton in the rear was busy today.
Thanks to its location on the road connecting the capital and the north, it has always been used as a transportation hub, but its importance has been further emphasized since the war.
However, because it was in a place that could not be reached without passing through other territories, it was evaluated as the safest place in the North.
“Lord Soga. A telegram has now arrived saying it will arrive soon.”
“Haha I got it.”
Kendrick Mayton, the son of the Earl of Mayton and the owner of the small house, nodded and stood up.
Support will arrive in Mayton soon.
But Kendrick wasn’t very happy with that support.
“If it’s necessary…”
The troops were happy.
Currently, Mayton was suffering from hard labor every day to the extent that the word ‘failure’ fits.
A huge amount of supply was being made through this place, so even a little help would be appreciated.
The problem was the conductor of this support.
No, in fact, it was a nominal conductor and there was someone who supervised it, but Kendrick was uncomfortable dealing with that conductor anyway.
“They say they arrived in front of the castle gate.”
“okay. I will go out.”
It’s been 15 years since he gave up Rodlen Academy halfway in front of the big wall of graduation and received the position of Sogaju.
Kendrick, who was in his mid-thirties, had a hard time bowing his head to an aristocrat whose power was weaker than that of the Earl of Mayton, who was his nephew.
However, the opponent is a high-ranking aristocrat who has been granted a title.
He was, at most, the status of a Sogaju without any title.
“Here he comes.”
“Um……”
The opponent rode a horse ahead of the troops.
The magician’s robe, however, was slightly improved and was open to allow for easy movement.
And he was wearing a thick cloak like a mercenary would wear.
hee hee –
“whoa whoa.”
The man’s hair swayed as he slowed down.
The sunlight reflected her hair as it swayed, giving it a light rust color.
“Welcome, Sir Cromwell. My name is Kendrick Mayton, Mayton’s cattle owner.”
The opponent dismounted and passed the reins to a young woman who appeared to be an attendant who followed him.
He approached slowly and nodded in greeting.
“Nice to meet you, Sir Kendrick. My name is Adrias Cromwell.”
“This is Pione Ardi. He’s in charge of His Excellency Cromwell.”
“Mayton welcomes you two. It’s late, so let’s go in.”
Even though he didn’t like the opponent, Kendrick knew how to tell the difference between public and private.
Age was not in vain.
Adrias followed him and spoke.
“The troops will arrive in half a day.”
“Is Baron Lane leading it?”
“That’s right.”
Seeing Adrias’ attitude that he didn’t care about troops, Kendrick thought to himself.
Adrias Cromwell.
Recently, this young rookie, who has been being talked about in the capital city, is still too young compared to the value of his name.
One thing worth praising is that he did not support the front by using his passenger plane.
Although he himself had never experienced direct warfare yet, he was well aware of the horrors of war after hearing about it from his father.
“First, I will take you to your room. Sir Mayton invited me to join you for dinner a little later. What would you do?”
“I cannot refuse the invitation.”
“Then I’ll have a servant call me later.”
After escorting her to her room, Kendrick returned to her office with her assistant.
Returning to the office, the secretary finally opened her mouth.
“I never expected to actually see the rumored Sir Cromwell.”
“Did you know it was me? No one would have expected that support would come here.”
“But it was more normal than I thought. According to rumors, I thought it would look like something terrifying.”
“I can’t believe the rumors. And even when I was at Rodlen Academy, there were a lot of guys nicknamed monsters.”
“ah! Come to think of it, Lord Soga was also from Rodlen Academy. So, are you going to be His Excellency Cromwell’s senior?”
“What is that?”
After a moment of condescension, Kendrick was soon buried again in the papers.
Even meeting Adrias for a short time with so many tasks was actually a great luxury.
But he couldn’t complain, knowing that Mayton’s owner and Kendrick’s father, the Earl of Mayton, would be much busier.
“I wish Count Cromwell would help me with these papers.”
It was Kendrick who sincerely thought so.
**
By the time Adrias arrived in Mayton, the sun was already setting, so the table was quickly set up.
Unlike his son, Kendrick, Earl Mayton, who was thin and nervous, saw Baron Lane who had joined the banquet as soon as he arrived with two young men and troops from the academy.
“Thank you for coming here to help. I am the Earl of Mayton.”
It was a callous greeting without any other rhetoric.
However, Adrias nodded calmly.
“It is an honor to meet you. My name is Adrias Cromwell.”
“I am Pione Ardi, the daughter of the Ardi family. It is truly an honor to meet the Lord of Maiton.”
“This is Rain Burcello, the knight commander of the Golden Knights of the 2nd Corps of the Capital. It is a great honor to be able to support Mayton.”
After each greeting, Earl Mayton nodded.
He quietly picked up a knife and fork.
“This is a dinner prepared for you, so enjoy it to the fullest.”
Pione’s face hardened for a moment at the count’s actions.
Even if it’s not formal, it feels cold.
However, he calmly watched the situation without being wary.
“thank you. Then…”
Count Mayton started eating first, and Adrias thanked him, followed by a fork.
In such a chilly atmosphere, only the sound of the fireplace burning and the clinking of utensils resounded quietly.
As the meal progressed to some extent, the Earl of Mayton, who had been eating in silence, finally put down his fork.
“Lord Cromwell.”
“Yes sir.”
“I will ask you honestly. What are you aiming for in Mayton?”
The atmosphere, which had been cold from the beginning, became colder with that one word.
In the end, everyone had no choice but to put down the tableware they were holding.
“What are you aiming for?”
“Once again, let me be direct. I am the lord of Mayton. He is the lord of the strategic point connecting the northern part and the capital. Do you think I’ve never heard of you?”
“I am just an academy student. I have the title of count, but as everyone knows, it’s like an honorary title that doesn’t have anything.”
“……Hehehehehehehehahaha.”
Seeing Count Mayton suddenly start to laugh, everyone put on a puzzled expression.
The reaction was that they couldn’t understand Earl Mayton, who started laughing even though it wasn’t a laughable conversation at all.
“dismissal.”
Kendrick, the son, cautiously called his father.
No matter how much Adrias Cromwell respects him, he is still the same count.
It was bound to be very rude to suddenly laugh in the middle of a conversation in a first-time situation.
Earl Mayton, who burst into a hearty laugh at Kendrick’s call, wiped away his tears and caught his breath.
“Huh, I’m sorry. He acted so predictably that I couldn’t stand it.”
“Are you expecting?”
“exactly. From the response, you don’t seem to know yet, so now I’ll tell you why I asked these rude questions.”
Earl Mayton, who straightened his posture again, had an atmosphere that he did not expect to be skinny.
It is the energy of the great lord.
It was the overwhelming charisma of an aristocrat that comes from being born with years of experience and ruling over many people.
“Rodelen’s aristocratic society is more muddy than I thought. In order to stay afloat and not sink in such mud, you have to struggle without rest.”
“Is that so?”
“Again, I am the owner of Mayton, where the logistics flow. It has been ruling for nearly 30 years. As such, it is a place where there is no choice but to be very sensitive to information. There are a lot of wolves targeting this place, so it can’t be helped.”
“I don’t know what you want to say to me.”
“Even though you say this, if you pretend, I’ll have to raise my hand first. I know that recently there has been a rise in the name of Cromwell. And it’s one of the top places that have visited Mayton the most recently. Not only that, but I know information that Prince Cromwell made a secret deal with the Duke of Morhaime.”
At Count Mayton’s words, everyone’s eyes turned to Adrias.
Kendrick noticed that he had seen him again, and Pione looked at him in disbelief. Lastly, Lane looked at Adrias naturally just because of the atmosphere.
“A person like that voluntarily came to Mayton right now. I wonder how I should interpret this now.”
“Your Excellency, do you think my movement has a political purpose?”
“I will soon be called to the earth. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from seeing and experiencing all kinds of bad things up until this age, it’s that when someone does something, there’s always a good reason for it.”
said Earl Mayton with a smile.
However, unlike the smile on his lips, his eyes were sharper than ever.
“Lord Cromwell. I am not underestimating you at all. Rather, I think it’s high enough to be an overestimation.”
“I don’t know what to do.”
Adrias untied the napkin from the nape of his neck with an incomprehensible expression.
As he acted to mean that the meal was over, he faced Earl Mayton.
“Your Excellency is right. I didn’t come here without thinking.”
“then?”
“I can only say this. Never……”
“Never?”
A moment of strange silence passed by.
And just as he was about to feel that moment, Adrias continued.
“I never came with a purpose to harm Mayton. Rather, I would have helped.”
“Huh. That’s a very confusing word. okay Let’s end the conversation here and leave the room for now.”
Earl Mayton was not greedy.
Adrias lowered his head at that attitude of believing the other person’s words.
“The meal was enjoyable.”
“I was happy too. Rest in peace.”
The dinner party was over.
All the guests go back to their rooms, and only the two Maytons remain.
Kendrick, unable to follow the flow of the conversation, asked Earl Mayton.
“You mean Adrias came here for something?”
“I don’t know.”
“Didn’t your father just say that?”
“Sometimes you have to create doubts that don’t exist. If you live too comfortably, one day you’ll get a knife stuck in your back. That’s why this aristocratic society is dark.”
“But the opponent is only a student who has not even graduated from the academy. Besides, his family doesn’t even have a territory.”
“Son. Rather, it is scary because of it.”
“yes?”
“Your opponent doesn’t have much to lose. That’s why it’s less fearful. As you said, what does Count Huulman want most?”
“Well…”
“Didn’t you just say that? Originally, the Counts of Cromwell were those who arose from the land called Cromwell. So Cromwell, at least, would want a small estate in the outskirts.”
“Then are you saying you’re targeting our territory?”
“The lack of fear does not mean that the opponent is reckless. Rather, he will choose the straight method.”
At Earl Mayton’s words, Kendrick felt more and more falling into the labyrinth.
“The regular method?”
“okay. This time, the emperor announced a reward for merit. The commoners were given titles, and the aristocrats were given the delectable prey of direct control of the emperor.”
“I know that.”
“Cromwell is now under the direct control of the Emperor.”
“Ah…”
After thinking for a moment at the Count’s words, Kendrick cautiously opened his mouth. “Song Gong Method……. Then he said he was going to make a major, but
the fact that he
didn’t go to the front and came here without going to the front……”
Seeing the count nod in affirmation, Kendrick felt like he had been recognized by his father.
The sense of achievement and pride that I dug up a difficult number came up at the same time, and I enjoyed that feeling for a while.
“But I don’t know how the hell you want to establish your major here.”
“I need to find out about that now. Or maybe our predictions were wrong.”
“I will approach Adrias and find out.”
“okay. Please Kendrick.”
The smiles of the two rich people grew thicker.
**
Four days later.
The two rich people who said they would dig into Adrias’ plan didn’t have to.
With the sight unfolding before my eyes, I can see how Adrias will make his major.
Ding Ding Ding Ding Ding!
“This is ……”
Barbarians who should be fighting with the territories that touch the northern mountains.
They appeared in front of Mayton Manor, which serves as the rear logistics base.
[ Episode 201. Arrival in the North ] End
