Chapter 67 - Episode 66: Demands and Conciliation ②
"Then... I would like you to introduce me to the noble factions in the northwestern part of this kingdom and allow me to join their circle. I would like to ask Your Excellency to act as my mediator."
"...I see."
Hearing Noein's request, Arnold muttered with a groan.
In various regions of the kingdom, factions formed by influential nobles existed, and there was one such faction in the northwestern part of the kingdom. By joining this faction, one could enter a circle of military and economic cooperation.
For a rising noble to enter such a faction, the general method was to demonstrate an achievement to serve as a calling card and then be introduced by a noble who already belonged to the faction.
Noein had already achieved the great feat of "subjugating a bandit group." All that remained was an introducer, and it seemed he wanted to ask Arnold to fill that role.
"As you know, my territory is still small in terms of both population and economic scale, so when I think about being struck by another crisis like this one... I have decided that I wish to belong to a large faction and obtain peace of mind in order to prepare for such situations."
For a lord of a small territory like Noein, joining a noble faction led to gaining a powerful backer.
Incidentally, it meant that Arnold, who would belong to the same faction, would no longer be able to do things like letting bandits slip through into the Arqvist Baronetcy territory as he had this time. That would become a grave act of betrayal and, by extension, would strangle Arnold himself.
"I understand your feelings. If I will suffice, I shall gladly introduce you to the Northwestern Faction."
Arnold decided to accept Noein's request. For Arnold, who held a respectable position as a high noble in the northwest, introducing Noein to the faction was no great trouble. If that was all it took to be forgiven for this incident, it was a cheap price to pay.
"Thank you. I am truly grateful for Your Excellency's consideration... I have another request, if I may?"
Just as he had begun to relax, the request came, and Arnold hurriedly braced himself once more.
"Regarding the Crossbow I showed you earlier, I pride myself on it being a groundbreaking weapon, so I am thinking of spreading it outside my territory. First, I would like Your Excellency Koenitz to purchase it before other nobles."
"You're selling it? Without keeping such a powerful weapon secret?"
Arnold's eyes widened upon hearing Noein's proposal.
Having seen the Crossbow and knowing its utility, he had been thinking of how to get his hands on it. Yet Noein was offering to sell it simply for money.
"Yes. While the concept itself is groundbreaking, the mechanism is something many would understand at a glance. Eventually, it will become known to the world, and people will begin to imitate it. Before that happens, I thought I would first spread the technology among my allies—the Northwestern Faction, which I will soon belong to."
Hearing Noein's reasoning, Arnold fell silent.
A new weapon of this caliber was more than enough as a calling card for joining a noble faction. If he brought this in, Noein would be welcomed with open arms by the nobles of the faction.
Furthermore, if the Crossbow spread within the Northwestern Faction before other noble factions, the power of the Northwestern Faction would grow even greater, and Noein's position as a future member would become even more secure.
For Noein, it meant that rather than forcibly keeping the Crossbow technology secret when it would spread eventually anyway, there were more merits in presenting it quickly as his own achievement.
And for Arnold, the proposal to be able to buy the Crossbow before other nobles was something to be pleased about.
"Moreover, if this weapon becomes widespread, even if bandit groups like the recent one appear, each noble territory will be able to deal with them easily. I am also someone who possesses territory to protect, so I would be happy if I could contribute to the improvement of public order."
Noein spoke these lines while smiling and pretending to be a good person, but this essentially meant he was telling Arnold, "I'll give you a strong weapon, so from next time on, deal with the bandits yourself."
After a brief moment of thought, Arnold spoke with a sigh.
"...Understood, I will buy them. For how much?"
"Thank you. Since this also involves disclosing the technology, I thought I would let them go for 50,000 Rebro per unit."
The price Noein quoted was abnormally high for a weapon, but considering that by obtaining the Crossbow, he could analyze its detailed structure, produce it within his own territory, and dramatically increase his military power, it was a cheap investment.
"Very well. For now, I wish to buy about five."
"Understood. I will have them delivered from my territory within a few days."
I can't seem to win against this guy, Arnold thought, as he began to abandon the psychological warfare with Noein.
Through this exchange, Arnold became convinced. Noein was an exceptionally brilliant youth. He was not a man meant to be confined to the role of a lord of a small territory.
Noein would likely continue to achieve results in this manner, expand his network, and make leaps forward while exerting influence not only on his own territory but on the surrounding regions and society itself.
Arnold considered himself a reasonably competent lord, but that was based on the mediocre evaluation standard of "protecting the peace of the territory inherited from the previous generation." He likely would not be a match for a genius like Noein in the future.
All he could do now, as someone who recognized Noein's talent early on, was to remain a friendly neighbor. That would be the best choice for the House of Viscount Koenitz.
"Ah, and one more request."
"I-Is there still something more?"
As Arnold's face twitched, Noein spoke to reassure him.
"No, it's nothing major... I would like you to maintain the highway connecting the capital city Noeina and Retovik. The maintenance on the Arqvist territory side is complete, but on the Viscount Koenitz territory side, it's currently a situation where one is traveling right through the middle of the plains."
"Ah, is that all... Understood, I will provide manpower from my side to prepare the road."
If he could keep Noein in a good mood just by building a road to the Arqvist territory, it was no big deal. Arnold agreed without hesitation.
.....
With Arnold accepting Noein's various requests, the tense discussion came to an end. Noein, who had even been emitting bloodlust at first, as well as his guards Matilda and Bart, now carried an atmosphere no different from usual.
Relieved by this, the next topic Arnold brought up was the specific method of introducing Noein to the Northwestern noble faction.
"A dinner party?"
"That's right. Under the pretext of confirming the bonds of the Northwestern Faction... it is held once a year. Well, in reality, it is a gathering to report each other's recent situations and exchange information. Since all the nobles belonging to the faction gather there, it would be the perfect place to introduce Lord Arqvist."
"I see, you are certainly correct. And around when is that dinner party held?"
"Mid-December."
Noein was slightly surprised by Arnold's words. By mid-December, it could be said to be the height of winter.
"That... seems like a difficult time for travel."
"For commoners, yes. However, for influential nobles who belong to the Northwestern Faction, everyone owns at least one luxury carriage equipped with a 'heating' magic tool. Since most lords' schedules are open in the dead of winter, it is actually more convenient for gathering everyone in one place."
Holding a dinner party in winter for the reason that schedules are easier to adjust, and traveling in expensive carriages with heating. From the perspective of a commoner, it was an incredibly extravagant story, but for nobles whose networks and information sometimes decided the fate of their territories, this was likely a necessary expense.
Incidentally, it meant that poor nobles who couldn't even afford a carriage with heating had no qualification to enter a large faction.
"I see, I understand the circumstances. However... I am ashamed to say, I do not possess a carriage as a noble house."
Noein said with a slightly troubled expression.
Being only in his second year of obtaining his title and owning only a single village, Noein did not own the kind of carriage a person of rank would ride in.
It was now past the middle of October. Whether he could have an expensive carriage, suitable for the House of Baronet Arqvist to use in public, made by two months from now was a questionable matter.
"You need not worry about that. I shall let you have one of my carriages for a low price. If you make some minor renovations and change the paint, it should be perfectly usable."
"Is that alright?"
Noein was surprised by Arnold's unexpected offer.
"Yes, it's fine... I have two carriages for the members of the noble house to ride in, but frankly, one is sufficient. The previous head is gone, and most of the children have left home."
The House of Viscount Koenitz had been a large family with two sons and four daughters. However, the eldest son, the heir, was in the middle of gaining experience as a soldier in the royal capital, and the second son had found employment as a bureaucrat in another noble territory. The women had also married off, leaving only the youngest daughter.
Furthermore, the previous head—namely, Arnold's parents—had already passed away.
Though the House of Viscount Koenitz had once been a large family, it seemed that the second luxury carriage had now become a useless object.
"Besides, by the time it becomes my son's generation, the current carriages will likely be remade anyway. Therefore, the second one we have now is truly unnecessary. Please take it without hesitation."
"...Thank you. Then, I shall accept your kindness."
Receiving Arnold's kindness in an unexpected form, Noein expressed his gratitude sincerely.
"Do you have enough horses to pull the carriage?"
"Yes. I obtained several as spoils of war from the fight with the bandits."
The assets possessed by bandits were obtained by those who subjugated them, regardless of the original owner. This was a customary law intended to encourage nobles and mercenaries to engage in bandit hunting as actively as possible.
Therefore, Noein had obtained the equipment and money the bandit group possessed, four of the six horses that had remained safe without being caught in the battle, and the money from selling the captured bandits as slaves.
"Then there is no problem. I will have preparations made so you can take the carriage back today. I will contact you later regarding the detailed date of the dinner party."
"I thank you for everything."
"It's nothing, consider it my meager sincerity."
Noein had come to the mansion of the House of Viscount Koenitz enveloped in an ominous aura, but in the end, he departed while shaking hands with Arnold with a smile.