220th Episode: How Many Things Have You Handled? (2)
Currently, the Ruthania Kingdom army consists of four legions. They were tightly guarding the surroundings of the capital, Cardenia.
When war breaks out, the local lords in each region are summoned to reorganize the regional army.
However, the commander of the local army is selected in advance during peacetime to establish strategies for various situations. It is much more stable than hastily selecting and commanding a new commander.
Thus, even for the local army commander, it was merely an honorary position when there was no war.
But this position came with one powerful authority.
The authority to summon all local lords in the region during wartime.
And currently, the commander of the Northern army was Count Desmond.
Ghislaine was planning to take this position.
“I need that name when I fight against the Duke Faction later. It will help during the Age of Turmoil as well.”
Although it is now a position close to being honorary, in her past life, it held tremendous power.
The Duke Delphine faction, which succeeded in the rebellion, forcibly drafted soldiers from various regions, weakening the lords’ power and turning them into a standing army for the kingdom.
And at that time, Harold Desmond, who had risen to the dukedom, naturally retained his position as the commander of the Northern army.
Ghislaine intended to grasp the entire North in the same way Count Desmond had done in her past life.
However, for Marquis Branford, who had no knowledge of the future, Ghislaine’s request was merely puzzling.
“Is there a reason?”
“Either way, Desmond and I will clash. Didn’t you see the current situation?”
“We can’t recklessly start a war. They probably know we could deal with Desmond directly if it comes to that.”
Though the words were appreciated, honestly, she held no trust. The Crown Prince Faction would struggle to handle just the Duke Faction alone.
Yet, there was no need to mention that and hurt his pride, so Ghislaine smoothly shifted the topic.
“I need justification to suppress the other lords after catching Desmond.”
“Justification?”
“Yes. I’m practically a rider for the Crown Prince Faction. There’s no way I can continue waging war against all the northern lords, right?”
Only then did Marquis Branford nod a few times.
If war doesn’t break out, the position is utterly useless. No one would have the authority to give orders then.
But if a civil war occurs, the story changes. A civil war is still a war. The position of local army commander would provide sufficient justification and authority to deal with lords in chaos.
“Since Count Desmond has brought this to light, I was thinking of taking him down anyway…”
In the already capital-less southern and western regions, where all lords had sided with the Duke Faction, appointing anyone as commander was meaningless.
But parts of the eastern and northern regions were still holding their ground without falling to the Duke Faction.
In these areas, even if it was just an honorary position, they could not allow one of the Duke’s people to be appointed as commander.
Especially with Baron Penris bringing in fresh winds to the North, it was even more crucial to reduce the Duke Faction’s influence.
He had to reduce his power.
After a moment of contemplation, Marquis Branford spoke with a nonchalant expression.
“The Northern Commander holds a position that may be nominal, but during wartime, it wields significant authority. Count Desmond will need to be dealt with, but appointing you to that position is an entirely different matter.”
“Well, we’ve already won the war, so you were probably thinking about giving me more as a reward, right? What more should I get?” Ghislaine replied shamelessly, causing Marquis Branford to grin. Ghislaine’s words were not wrong.
There is a momentum to fighting. The Crown Prince Faction was quietly sinking, pressured daily by the Duke Faction. In the midst of this, Ghislaine’s victory served as a turning point in the atmosphere.
The other Lords and Nobles, who had been watching carefully, began to subtly align themselves with the Crown Prince Faction.
After all, the Northern kid is that capable? Then what does that say about the Crown Prince Faction’s true power?
At this rate, even if the Duke Faction is strong, they won’t be able to easily suppress the Crown Prince Faction. Besides, doesn’t the justification lie with the Crown Prince Faction?
As expected of Marquis Branford. He sent the 2nd Corps in advance to block Desmond’s Army. Rumors of Count Desmond being part of the Duke Faction circulated widely.
And Marquis Branford was not one to let such a mood pass by idly.
Having spent decades in the political arena, removing rivals, he intended to give Ghislaine a clear reward and ride the current momentum for as long as possible.
‘After all, a hunting dog must… be fearless and exceptionally skilled in hunting.’
This unpredictable guy in front of him certainly fit the bill. Although whether he was a hunting dog or a mad dog that might eat its master remained to be seen.
‘If someone has to sit in that position, this guy would be the best choice.’
Assigning a major role to someone inexperienced would cause a stir. But no matter how he thought about it, there was no one better than this guy in the North.
If he truly defeats Count Desmond, Ghislaine would become a major lord who could not be ignored by anyone.
‘I’ve been thinking about what reward to give… but you always seem to arrive at the perfect timing to get what you want. What a troublesome guy.’
He could refuse, but he set up a situation that made refusal difficult. The more he observed, the more he found him fascinating.
His abilities were indeed remarkable. Though his personality was quite reckless and lacked proper control.
After a brief moment of thought, Marquis Branford slowly nodded.
“Good, I will grant you that position.”
Ghislaine smiled brightly. Given that their goals aligned, he never thought Marquis Branford would refuse, but it felt good to see things work out well.
Having received what he needed, he intended to casually hand over some food as a gift and return. However, Marquis Branford didn’t finish speaking.
“Since you have taken Count Cabaldy’s Territory, I will soon bring your promotion to the royal court.”
“I’m not particularly interested in promotion,” Ghislaine said sincerely. That title was only necessary at the beginning for becoming a lord; now, it was entirely unnecessary.
If he ever needed it later, he could seize it by force, whether it be from the Duke or the King.
But Marquis Branford replied seriously.
“…A regional army commander’s position requires at least the title of Count. That is the law of the kingdom.”
Ghislaine, flustered, scratched the back of his head and laughed.
“Oh, is that so? I’m not very familiar with the law. Ah, I see there’s such a law!”
“……”
Well, this guy lived without ever caring for the law.
Watching Ghislaine laugh shamelessly, Marquis Branford shook his head.
“Then, since you’ve taken the Cabaldy territory, and it’s larger, you can inherit the title of Cabaldy…”
“No, I’ll just keep it as Penris. If we keep changing it, it’ll confuse people. Plus, I don’t like that name. Anyway, it’s all been unified under Penris.”
“And you don’t like that name? Anyway, I’ve combined everything into Penris.”
“……Yeah, do whatever you want.”
Even if combined, the long-standing names of regions and titles won’t easily disappear from people’s mouths.
But what can you do when the master insists? Someone who lives as he wants, so any complaints would just be nagging.
“Currently, His Majesty is bedridden, so I’ll discuss with the Chancellor to schedule the promotion ceremony.”
“Yes, well… understood.”
I just came to get the Commander position, and now I’m unexpectedly getting elevated to Count.
It’s not a bad thing. More of anything good can’t be bad. It felt like receiving an unexpected gift.
“Your father’s vassal, but with a larger power in the same title… Count Perdium might not feel too good about it.”
“It doesn’t matter. That’s not important.”
Whether Duke or Marquis, titles are just names anyway. Without power, they are worthless.
But it seemed like Marquis Branford didn’t take it well.
“No matter what, if a vassal is inferior in every aspect to his son, it won’t look good in the eyes of others.”
‘……Old geezer.’
Marquis Branford, not knowing Ghislaine’s thoughts, spoke as if he was being magnanimous.
“I’ll proceed with Count Perdium’s promotion alongside yours. Just so you know.”
“Huh?”
“Of course, the justification will be unrelated to you; it’ll be to commend the Perdium family for their long struggles in the North. The Count of the March has already been treated equally to a Marquis, so there won’t be much backlash.”
It’s not like we’re really offering help, so that level of justification will work. People think titles are just superficial anyway.
In reality, it is, but getting anything is a good thing, isn’t it?
‘Is this… the authoritative and patriarchal side of a man…?’
It’s not that he didn’t understand. Such trivial (?) face-saving matters were indeed crucial for the nobles of this era.
In any case, the border’s House of Perdium has now become a House of Marquis. It wasn’t the goal when asking, but it seemed that Marquis Branford’s temperament couldn’t let it go unacknowledged.
It’s not something strictly needed, but there’s a saying that good things just keep getting better. There was no need to reject what was being offered.
My father would probably be very pleased.
“Thank you for your consideration.”
“Yeah, once you inherit the territory, you’ll be a Marquis, so it’s not a bad deal. You can think of it as an additional honor for your achievements.”
‘If you’re gonna give me another honor, why not something else? The title isn’t urgent right now.’
Ghislaine wasn’t thoughtless, merely grumbling internally instead of voicing it.
“Let’s proceed as quickly as possible. Is there anything else you need?”
“For now, that should be enough. If something comes up, I’ll come back.”
Marquis Branford’s lips twitched. A guy who doesn’t bring any proper gifts always shows up perfectly when he needs something.
‘If this achievement is a gift, it’s certainly the biggest I’ve received recently.’
Thinking that way, he felt somewhat better.
*
The promotion ceremony proceeded swiftly. Since it was handled by Marquis Branford, it was, of course, splendid and extravagant. The feast lasted for several days.
Some of the nobles attending the feast trembled around their eyes and greeted Ghislaine.
“Oh, it’s been a while. Count… Penris.”
“I-I look forward to… your future dealings, um…”
“Congratulations on the promotion… sincerely.”
These were the low-ranking nobles and princes who had subtly ignored Ghislaine at previous feasts.
Ghislaine received their greetings with a bright smile. It was evident they were dying inside from jealousy.
They probably didn’t expect Ghislaine to rise this high.
‘I thought I would be used and tossed aside, but now that I’m continuously soaring, it’s only natural for them to be flustered.’
“Why wouldn’t they be miserable?”
Now the gap was so wide that it seemed they couldn’t even muster the courage to ignore it, but in their eyes, envy and jealousy were still glaring.
“The Duke Faction won’t sit still. Just please die already.”
“There are rumors they’ll have a showdown with Count Desmond.”
“Go Count Desmond!”
It was clear they were cursing him under their breath, but Ghislaine didn’t feel it was worth her attention.
Of course, not everyone showed a bitter reaction.
A few high-ranking nobles who held favorable feelings for Ghislaine sincerely offered their congratulations.
Especially Count Ailzbur and Count Norton were happier than anyone.
“Really congratulations! To become a count at such a young age!”
“Thanks to my younger sibling’s victory, our atmosphere has improved a lot.”
“If there’s anything you need at any time, just say the word. I’ll help you with all my might.”
“Thank you. I look forward to your guidance in the future.”
As soon as the high-ranking nobles left their seats, young ladies flocked around Ghislaine. With such unusual rumors swirling, curiosity couldn’t be avoided.
Rosalyn, who was next to Ghislaine, got pushed back by the crowd and ended up falling over.
She pounded the floor with her fist, grinding her teeth.
“I’m so mad! I could just explode!”
The priests from the Juana Church also arrived. Bishop Porisco, upon seeing Ghislaine, immediately grabbed her hand and smiled.
“Oh! Congratulations. You really are the one who received the goddess’s revelation with me!”
“Just die, seriously die! Why did you have to become a count! What am I supposed to do!”
Despite her inner feelings, her acting was top-notch. It was rare to find someone who could act as well as her, even considering her previous life experiences.
Ghislaine snickered inwardly while playing along.
“Oh, you’re too kind. This must all be by the goddess’s grace.”
In this way, keeping up with all the notable figures in the capital, Ghislaine was busier than ever, feeling as if having ten bodies wasn’t enough.
It wasn’t until the end of the feast that she finally found a moment of respite and went to ask Meriel about something that piqued her curiosity.
“Do you know Ascon?”
“Ascon? Oh, you mean that rage-control disorder elf? Oh my gosh, was he the elf you rescued?”
“Seems like he’s quite famous?”
“Of course! He’s quite well-known, you know. He has a special ability.”
“Special ability? What is it?”
“He can take hits without flinching and endures so well that all the nobles who bought him gave up training him. He’s also really good at swearing.”
“Oh… That’s quite a handy ability.”
Ghislaine nodded. Ascon seemed to have felt a little fear of death for a moment, as he was obedient for now.
However, thinking that someone with such a notorious reputation should be kept an eye on, she decided to stay vigilant.
Having wrapped up the title commencement ceremony and feast successfully, Ghislaine joyfully returned to the territory.
“Piote got his appointment letter, we got the sacred relic, I’ve got a leash on Bishop Porisco, I secured the Commander position, and my father was also promoted… Wow, how many things did I accomplish this time?”
It had been a long time since she reaped any significant gains. There was no way she could feel bad.
When Ghislaine returned as a count, Penris Territory also fell into a festive mood. Her close associates, Belinda, Fergus, and Gillian, were happier than anyone else.
The knights, soldiers, and territory residents all unified in celebrating their lord’s promotion.
However, Claude was left dumbfounded, unable to utter a single word.
“What? Northern Army Commander? Count Penris? Our lord isn’t the only one who has gone crazy; the whole world has gone mad as well. It’s like he’s hoarding all the good stuff for himself.”
Claude firmly believed he was the only sane one in this chaotic world.
The commotion stirred up by Ghislaine’s news wasn’t limited to just Penris Territory.
The Northern Fortress, which suddenly received a royal envoy, was thrown into chaos as well.
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