My Villains Episode 246
49. Visitors (9)
Immediately after Baron Innomen left the guild hall, he called Ellen and Utequai Heila Cole together. It was to discuss a proposal he had made.
“…Well, that was just about it.”
After finishing the brief explanation, he leaned back against the backrest.
“It was practically nothing more than a threat.”
“Threat?”
“huh. It was like you were asked to choose whether to be the King’s standard-bearer or a traitor.”
“o uh…”
Ellen crossed her arms and made a serious expression, and Utequai tapped the armrest with her thick fingers. Haila’s chin rested, her eyes pensive.
As the silence continued, Loven Cole cautiously opened his mouth to surround the group.
“What do you want Phoenix-sama to do?”
“….♦.that.”
I scratched my eyebrows and opened my mouth.
“I don’t like it very much.”
“Why?”
“The king’s horseman is actually the king’s hound. Who likes being caught on a leash out of the blue?”
The kingdom of Milanol is a feudal state, and accordingly, the lord and subject enter into a bilateral contractual relationship.
To put it simply, when the lord grants a fief, the vassal offers a sword and tax. Of course, since the kingdom is large and there are many lords, master-servant relationships that deviate from this basic framework are very common.
A typical exception is my relationship with Prince Ulkar. He made me a knight and gave me the manor of Lavalton, but he didn’t ask for anything.
-Protect the weak and do good.
This short phrase was all he gave. Therefore, my master-servant relationship with Ulkar does not affect me much. Because there are no specific obligations.
“Lionel III and Crown Prince Zacharis would be different. They’ll try to pamper me somehow, and I might end up stranded in the estate that’s on the brink of ruin.”
“Then, are you worried about the dangers of rejecting Baron Innomen’s offer?”
“uh. I’m worried about direct threats, and there’s nothing good about hanging out with the king.”
Utequai, who had been tapping the armrest, nodded with an ‘uhhh’.
“difficult. It’s difficult, but there is only one answer.”
“One answer? What?”
“If you follow Prince Ulkar, you will get a huge enemy, and if you follow the king, you will lose your freedom and honor. Prince Ulkar is the answer.”
“…why did fame suddenly appear?”
“Serving two masters is betrayal. It is not honorable.”
I waved my hand with a sullen expression.
“Hey, it’s okay. Subtract that from your calculations.”
“…what do you mean by that?”
“Betrayal or honor doesn’t matter. Don’t worry about anything else and think about what choices we should make to make sure we’re safe and won’t interfere with our journey.”
Utequai twitched his eyebrows and placed the palm of his chin on the table.
“Phoenix.”
“There is only one thing that separates a thief from a warrior. honor. The incalculable.”
It was a low voice that was no different from usual, but it seemed to be admonishing and faintly angry at the same time.
“You are a warrior. He is not an ordinary warrior, but a warrior who attracts the attention of the gods. Even if you are buried alone in the barren sand, you must keep your honor.”
I frowned at his serious attitude, then corrected my posture and sat down.
“I’m sorry, but Utequai, I’m not that kind of person.”
“That’s right. Everyone is originally nothing. A warrior is forged through life.”
“No, that’s not it…
I brushed my hair and chose my words.
“So if the land where Prince Ulkar is standing is a wasteland where my corpse will be buried, he won’t even look there. I am that kind of person.”
“It is a cowardly word.”
“I have work to do, and I have comrades and subordinates who follow me. We’re not going to crawl into the grave together because we’re afraid of people’s fingers.”
“Wrong!”
Utequai retorted in a slightly raised voice.
“What you should be afraid of is not pointing fingers. They are the gods watching over you.”
A glimpse of light flashed in his hardened eyes. Is it because of its brilliance? A cold draft blows in and a warm feeling pervades the otherwise cool room.
“The gods will remember an honorable death. I will remember even my miserable life.”
A black light that feels strangely hot.
It was proof that ‘Mother’, a steppe deity, was watching Utequai.
“Life is short and death is forever. You must know this.”
The daily and numerous miracles that take place in the Middle World prove the existence of the gods. Even facing these facts, my values seldom changed.
“……Whoa.”
He met Utequai’s fiery gaze and sighed deeply. And he slowly opened his mouth.
“I don’t care about the afterlife, I decide my honor. Not the gods.”
“It is not my honor to build prestige in front of people or to die gracefully. It is my honor to protect the people I need to protect and act according to my conscience.”
“…Your honor?”
“Yes, my honor.”
Utequai put on a grotesque expression for a moment. I quickly added my words to avoid prolonging the pointless argument.
“Well, haven’t we gotten along well while respecting each other’s values and religious views?”
“I wish the Honor Hall would be like that. How are you going to be okay?”
w OO uh” — — .
As he shrugged his shoulders, Wu Tequai crossed his arms with a mysterious expression. Then, as if lost in thought, she leaned against the backrest. The leather-covered couch creaked.
Unlike Utequai, who chose Prince Ulkar by citing honor, Ellen showed an ambiguous attitude.
“…Is there any need to follow Prince Ulkar? Judging from Baron Innomen’s sincerity, I don’t think a single king would be particularly bad, either?”
I was a little dumbfounded and burst out laughing.
“No, when did you say that the royal family of Zeore
were bastards like pure butchers? But do you support the king?”
“From my point of view, the most ‘Zeore-like’ of the existing royal family is Prince Ulkar. He’s already your lord, so what’s so different about kings?”
The air was a bit chilly, so Ellen lighted the fireplace with a gesture. Three flames soared thanks to well-dried firewood sprinkled with sawdust.
“And a single king is a king. It is said to be the most powerful force in the country. With a little luck, Poi, you too can become a great lord.”
“The great lord… hmm.”
Perhaps reading my sullen expression, Ellen added some advice with a very serious face.
“Yes, great lord. Wouldn’t it be a much better life than living as a drifter like now? You should finish your trip someday and settle down somewhere.”
“Well, by the way… I thought troublesome things would happen too often. There must be many requests from the king, and you have to take responsibility for the people of the territory, and you have to rule this village right now.” “…the contents of the contract? how?”
Ellen shrugged and showed a small white palm.
“I don’t know. If you talk about it enough, the answer will come out.”
“What is that.”
“Anyway, isn’t Baron Innomen trying to appease you?”
“It is, but.”
“Since the territory is in a state of ruin, ask for an exemption from various obligations for 10 years. Wouldn’t you accept it if you regret it?” Uhm, in a word, it means to take only the land and cut the boat. It’s a very goofy way that I like.
At that time, Heila, who had been contemplating with her chin on her chin, opened her mouth.
“It’s no use.”
“huh? why?”
“Lionel III will die soon. Then, when Zacharys becomes king, I will remove all such privileges.”
“Oh right. That’s right…
Heila blinked and offered her opinion.
“And Poi has no choice.”
“huh? why’?”
“Because if you become the standard bearer of Lionel III, the elders of the family will raise an army.”
The family she spoke of were the dukes of Ireland, Zahakar and Baluin.
If it is the royal family of Zeore, it is a group that will gnaw their teeth, but if the descendant of the family and the conceived child who is supposed to give birth to the heir becomes the king’s hunting dog… Yes. I might really raise an army.
“Then, how do we stop the king’s checks and threats?”
“There is an effective and simple way, albeit as a stopgap.”
“what is that?”
“You can assassinate Baron Innomen.”
“…what?”
Her mouth was wide open in shock, but Haila didn’t care and went on to explain.
“The group can leave this place first, hide in the hiding place for about two or three days, and then assassinate the target. Baron Innomen is a knight with a high reputation, but if you have a bunch, you can handle it.”
I quietly listened to her plan and quickly shook my head.
“Nonsense. Assassinate the baron because he did something wrong?”
“If you assassinate the baron, Poi can hide the fact that you received the offer. If you take the opportunity and assassinate the other two horsemen, it will be more certain.”
“……ha.”
I sighed deeply and scratched my eyebrows.
“I don’t want to dirty Mungchi’s hands with this. I would never do something like an assassination.”
“why?”
Heila stared at me with a really puzzled look.
“…why? He grew up experiencing all sorts of abuse since childhood to the point where he can’t even remember. I don’t want to plant any more bad memories.”
“Bad memories?”
“okay.”
Heila, who would normally have quietly backed away, somehow blinked and opened her mouth again.
“The group doesn’t hate killing.”
“…it’s not a matter of whether you like it or not. I don’t know if you’re forced to take out a knife to protect yourself, but you can’t assassinate. never.”
She blinked three or four times in slow motion, then nodded. As a result of the discussion, it seemed that it would be difficult to collude with Lionel III. My hidden identity as the conceived son of the Zahakar family was decisive.
Having reached this conclusion, it was not possible to take action right away. I just continued to worry while preparing for the trip.
Meanwhile, the next day, something unexpected happened.
While stationed in Modos, the number of refugees who had flowed in from outside had already exceeded 1,000. Dozens of people gathered to say they wanted to join us.
Only a few guards who followed the merchants were skilled warriors, and most of the rest were young men who belonged to vigilante groups.
Also, most of them were people who had fled to avoid being conscripted while vigilantes were being converted into garrison forces.
I thought they were idiots who had approached me with vague envy for the party’s reputation and a job as a mercenary, but it wasn’t to that extent.
They were idiots who wanted a life of wandering around the world with a sword in hand, rather than living in Modes, which was practically a frontier village.
After long consideration, I accepted them.
I am a shrimp caught between the most violent whales in the Middle World, Lionel III and Prince Ulkar. The fledgling mercenaries, who could be satisfied with three or four coins, were not such a bad material to grow in size.
Of course, not all of the crowds were accepted, but mercenaries who had served as soldiers, such as veteran conjurers and archer Cole, were selected.
A total of thirteen were selected, and thus the number of mercenaries following me increased to twenty-five. I have a feeling that if we continue to increase in size like this, we will become a group of mercenaries or warlords.
For a while, I was confused by the sudden crowd. The guild hall was restored to peace thanks to senior mercenaries such as Eson and Fritz taking a group of newcomers and rushing to the bar.
Until a visitor from the Far East showed up.
jingle.
The first thing I felt was the sound of the captain entering the guild hall. The clear sound made by the rings at the ends of the captain colliding with each other.
Nau Tequai Heila, who was spending time in the hall, heard the sound and stiffened. It was because of the stocky build of Janghan standing at the entrance of the guild hall like a ghost.
And among them, I screamed inwardly. It is because the visitor who appeared silently was familiar with the place.
“Hmm.”
The visitor from the East lifted a hat and looked around the hall. Then, as she scanned Ute Quai and Heila in order, her eyes lit up.
Utequai opened his mouth, reaching for the war hammer tucked into his waistband.
“…Who the hell are you.”
“Nice to meet you, Amitabha.”
It was fluent Milanole without feeling awkward. It was also a voice that felt solid.
“Frequency is called Iljin.”
“…Iljin?”
“Yes. I have been looking for you for a very long time.”
Saying that, the monk of the Zemu sect smiled slightly.
Why is the crazy martial artist here?
