Chapter 147 - Interlude: Three Short Episodes
Having finished a great war in the spring, and then completing the tedious chores of ceremonies and banquets in the royal capital in late summer, Viowulf Rosbroke had finally reclaimed his peaceful days in his own territory.
However, the Kingdom of Lancel seemed relentlessly intent on continuing its conflicts in the border regions, and eventually, a request would likely come for him to participate in the skirmishes in the conflict zones once again.
This peace was surely only temporary. That was precisely why he had to savor every single day.
Thinking this, Viowulf was tilling the vast farmlands owned by the Rosbroke family using earth magic.
"Young master, are you doing field work this early in the morning again?"
"Idiot, he's not 'young master' anymore, he's the Lord, right? How many times do we have to tell you before you get it?"
"Ah, that's right, sorry Lord."
The locals passing by on the farm road called out to Viowulf in this manner.
"It's fine, don't worry about it. Are you all heading to your own fields now? Be careful of monsters and beasts."
Without reprimanding the locals' manner of speech, which could not be called particularly polite but held no ill will, Viowulf saw them off with a gentle tone.
It had been nearly a year since his father died in battle and he inherited the territory at the young age of his early twenties. Viowulf's life, as well as the environment surrounding him, had changed greatly.
Not only had the detailed administrative work as a lord increased, but he had come to bear the inescapable obligation of "fighting."
Viowulf had hated conflict to begin with. He loved peace and tranquility to an extent that would have exasperated his late father.
What he loved was land reclamation and farm work. He rejoiced that the immense talent for earth magic bestowed upon him by God could be utilized for such tasks. Because Viowulf alone could work as effectively as a hundred farmers, he was permitted to indulge in field work despite being the son of the lord.
But now, things were not so simple. The realistic threat known as the Kingdom of Lancel existed right next to the southwestern part of the kingdom, and furthermore, since he had coincidentally stood out by achieving great military feats in the previous war, it was inevitable that Viowulf would be called to battle from here on.
Of course, he understood that in order to protect this peaceful rural territory and the people living there, he must fight at times.
The southwestern part of the kingdom had long been devastated due to the effects of the conflicts. In this remote village, thanks to Viowulf's earth magic, there was currently no worry of starving, but if things continued as they were, the chaos would eventually spread here as well.
Knowing that his power could be useful to prevent that, he understood that fighting was unavoidable.
But, at the very least, he wanted to enjoy the peace for now. Thinking so, Viowulf tilled the soil amidst the idyllic scenery of the farming village.
.....
"Good morning, Dietlinde."
"..."
When Maximilian spoke, Dietlinde did not answer; moreover, she left the hallway without even properly looking at Maximilian. Her attending maid bowed to Maximilian, the head of the house, and hurriedly chased after Dietlinde.
"...Sigh."
"Master, breakfast is ready."
"Yeah."
The elderly maid serving as the head maid spoke in a tone as if she had seen nothing of the pathetic state of the master who had been ignored by his wife. Maximilian thanked her for the consideration in his heart and answered shortly.
Entering the dining room—which was intended for the Count's family, though currently only three people, a parent and children, used it—the breakfast prepared there was for two. One for Maximilian, and the other likely for Julian.
"Is Dietlinde still... today as well?"
"Yes, she says she will eat in her room."
"...I see."
Even when he asked something obvious, the elderly maid answered in a motionlessly emotionless voice, like a doll.
A week had passed since they finished the banquet in the royal capital and returned to the territory. Dietlinde still would not forgive Maximilian. Even their bedrooms had been separated.
She, too, would not go so far as to pursue a reckless revenge to the point of defying the royal family, but in exchange, her misplaced resentment was directed at Maximilian like this.
But even so, what was he supposed to do?
He had been directly warned by the royal family not to interfere with the Arqvist family. Moreover, the groundwork had been laid before Maximilian was mocked by Noein and decided on revenge. There was no way to prevent such a thing.
How could he have predicted that Noein would rely on the royal family, or that they had connections enough to rely on? This was not his own failure. Why couldn't she understand that?
"Sigh."
Sighing, Maximilian took his seat.
However, no matter how much dissatisfaction he felt internally, Maximilian could not defy Dietlinde.
In his youth, while unmarried, he had ended up with a concubine and illegitimate children, and Dietlinde's family, with whom he had long been engaged, had been infuriated and declared the engagement cancelled. They claimed this was an insult to their house.
However, Dietlinde insisted, "Even so, he is the partner I once decided upon, so I will marry him," and she had married into the family as if being cast out by her own home.
Whether it was due to her stubborn personality, or whether she felt the attraction of the Count Kivileft family's assets, he did not know her true intentions. But regardless, Dietlinde became Maximilian's wife and bore him a legitimate eldest son.
Such a woman hated Noein above all else. There was no way she wouldn't be angry upon hearing that he could no longer lay a hand on that detestable illegitimate child. Until time faded her irritation, Maximilian had no choice but to remain quiet.
"Good morning, Father!"
The one who greeted him, cutting through his dark thoughts, was Julian.
"What happened? You don't seem very energetic."
As he said this, Julian spoke with a vibrant, lively voice, appearing extremely energetic.
"...You can tell just by looking at this breakfast table where Dietlinde is absent."
"I see... Mother's anger this time is lasting a long while. I'll try asking Mother from my side to forgive you, Father!"
How carefree, Maximilian sighed.
This foolish son had come to him the day after the banquet in the royal capital with a refreshed face, saying, "Father, Mother, good morning!" as if he had forgotten all the humiliation of the previous day.
Maximilian believed he knew his son was an idiot, but at that moment, he was appalled, wondering if his son's brain was only about the size of a chicken's.
Since then, whenever the topic of Noein came up, he would start getting angry, shouting, "Unforgivable! That illegitimate child who carries the blood of lowly commoners!" but after a while, he seemed to forget that he had even been angry.
Maximilian had recently begun to think that this trait of his son's should perhaps be viewed as a talent for not dragging along unpleasant memories.
"...Julian, just eat quietly."
He was a precious son, but talking to him now was exhausting. Since he had work waiting for him after this, he couldn't afford to accumulate fatigue from the morning.
He didn't think of himself as a serious lord, but in order to maintain his status as a powerful noble, he had to do the minimum amount of work.
"Are you finished already?"
Answering the inquiring elderly maid, Maximilian stood up without having barely touched his breakfast. He responded with a light wave of his hand to Julian, who said, "Good luck with your work, Father!" while his mouth was still full, and left the dining room.
"...Whew."
While walking down the hallway leading to the office, he happened to look outside. The windows of the Count's mansion were all luxuriously fitted with plate glass. He could see the refreshing morning sky of a clear day.
Lately, sighs leaked out of him unconsciously.
Is a parent who loses to their own child in a confrontation this miserable?
Looking at the refreshing sky and his own lifeless face reflected in the glass, Maximilian lamented internally.
Of course, these dark feelings would likely fade as the days passed, and Dietlinde would eventually speak to him again, eat with him, and sleep in the same bedroom.
But it had only been a week since returning from the royal capital. It seemed it would take a while longer for the cracks in their hearts, and between the husband and wife, to be filled.
.....
"Oh, isn't this Cecilia?"
"Oh, Gustav-san."
The two, who bumped into each other in the city center of the territorial capital Noeina, spoke as they looked at one another.
Gustav and Cecilia, who had each overcome one of the trainings imposed by Noein, had been given their first vacation since migrating to the Arqvist territory, and thus they had ventured out into the city.
Gustav brought his wife, while Cecilia was accompanied by her mother, whose physical strength had recovered considerably now that she could buy good medicine.
As they were acquaintances as the families of colleagues, Gustav and Cecilia each gave a light bow and greeted the other's companion.
"As I thought, Gustav-san is out and about too."
"Well, it's a rare holiday. I've wanted to take my time and look around the city since I came to this territory."
Gustav and the others had started training immediately after preparing for their new lives upon migrating, and since then, they had continued to move golems from early morning until late at night. Until now, they hadn't had the time to walk calmly through Noeina.
"This place is more of a proper city than I thought, isn't it?"
"Yeah. There are quite a few shops and stalls in the center."
When he heard it was the farthest reaches of the northwest of the kingdom, he wondered what kind of remote place it would be, but having actually come here, the territorial capital Noeina was a splendid civilized city, albeit a small one.
Of course, it was incomparable to the royal capital, but the retail store of the Skinner Company, which was said to be run by the lord's designated merchant, lined its shelves with various items from daily necessities to luxury goods, and there were several other specialty stores, as well as a few restaurants that doubled as taverns. In the central plaza, peddlers opened stalls, providing enough entertainment so as not to be bored when walking around on a holiday.
Considering the population was only around 1,000 people, it seemed the shops were overly abundant, but it seemed the population was increasing at an accelerated rate by accepting refugees flowing in from other territories, and challenging merchants anticipating future development were expanding... this was a story he heard from Yuri, the territorial army commander and chief retainer.
"It's amazing that they've even built public baths. Even in cities larger than this, they often don't have them."
"Yeah, I was surprised by that at first."
By the river on the outskirts of the territorial capital, there were public baths managed directly by the lord. Furthermore, there were two buildings, one for men and one for women, operating at low prices until hours that allowed even Gustav and the others to enter after training. Thanks to this, the locals here were tidy, not just the commoners, but even the slaves.
"I had some anxieties before coming, but it's comfortable to live here, and it seems I can grow greatly as a puppet mage, so I'm glad I came here."
"Yes, truly... though if I'm being honest, I want to reach a position where I can get holidays more regularly."
"Hahaha, for that sake, we've got to work hard again after the break and quickly become a military asset as mages."
"Ufufu, that's true... well then, see you."
"Yeah, see you at training."
Thinking it would not be good to disturb a couple's private time or a parent and child's private time for too long, the two ended their conversation and parted ways.