Volume 2, Chapter 14: Feudal Lord, Earl Mondo⑥
Lambert and Co. were led toward the guest room of Earl Mondo’s mansion.
When all the members of 『Dancing Sword』 had already sat down on the prepared chairs, Lambert was the only one left who remained standing.
「Is something the matter? You can sit, you know?」
Earl Mondo frowned, puzzled upon seeing Lambert’s etiquette.
「Hey, Lambert.」
Eunos whispered to Lambert in a hurry.
Eunos, who had already failed to win over Lambert, refused to let Lambert take more of Earl Mondo’s attention.
If Lambert joined Earl Mondo’s private army, he got the feeling that Lambert’s existence alone would be enough to decrease the number of times Earl Mondo relied on the adventurer guilds.
But such blatant discourtesy alone was enough to drop the Earl’s evaluation of Eunos, who brought Lambert along with him today.
「I believe that my nature is unsuitable for this kind of occasion. But there’s something I want to ask Earl-sama. That’s the sole reason why I’m visiting this place today. I know that I’m being impolite by showing such an attitude in front of Earl-sama. That’s why I’ll leave as soon as Earl-sama answers my question.」
Although he knew that he was asking for the impossible, there really was nothing he could do about it since the inside of Lambert’s armor was nothing more than bones and mana right now.
He couldn’t eat, and there was a limit of how far he could deceive others.
In all honesty, he wanted to avoid this kind of situation, but the situation of Barreira City might be related to the entire situation of Regios Kingdom.
Earl Mondo’s frown became even deeper than before.
In addition, the air drifting inside the guest room became more dangerous by the second.
Although Earl Mondo had a patient nature, it didn’t mean that he wasn’t nervous inside.
But the man in full-plate armor was his niece Chris’ benefactor.
For that reason, Earl Mondo didn’t interrupt Lambert.
「In the case that 『Devil’s Piper』 is targeting Barreira City, do you have the necessary power to repel them? After experiencing their captain’s strength firsthand, I don’t think that your private army has the necessary power for that situation.」
「Lambert, you’re too rude!」
Eunos left his seat and walked until he stood in front of Lambert.
「… I don’t mind his attitude. Though the royal messenger had sent a warning to raise my vigilance toward 『Devil’s Piper』, I never expected that a traveling swordsman would come personally just to give the same warning.」
Earl Mondo stopped Eunos and spoke to Lambert.
‘The royal family has raised their vigilance against 『Devil’s Piper』, huh. If that’s the case, the worst situation might happen very soon.’
It seemed the royal family of Regios Kingdom had the same worry as Lambert. They were worried that Barreira City would be targeted.
「At that time, we’re gonna fight back. This land is that of numerous brave adventurers, after all. Even if you look at the entire Regios Kingdom, no land has stronger men than us. We’re not afraid of those terrorists.」
「… Despite your words, the private army and adventurers are completely separate organizations. In a situation where war is unavoidable, many adventurers will leave this land.」
Adventurers had already existed even back then, during the Eight Countries Unification War.
But the majority of them were outcasts who refused to serve their country, despite having the power.
They moved around freely from one country to another. They usually chose a relatively peaceful country, and they killed monsters instead of humans.
Lambert simply couldn’t imagine that those kinds of selfish humans would bet their lives to protect this city during the emergency.
In addition, the majority of the adventurers literally had no obligation nor a sense of duty to protect this city.
Surely, 『Devil’s Piper』 wouldn’t be able to make their move as long as a few adventurer guilds were willing to fight the invasion.
But it was nothing but a pipe dream.
At a glance, Earl Mondo’s declaration seemed to be correct, but Lambert had perceived that the earl’s declaration would easily crumble down once he witnessed the truth.
Earl Mondo’s eyebrows twitched.
「… We have several adventurer guilds, but is that not enough for defense?」
「I won’t say it’ll not be enough, but it’ll definitely create a gap that the invaders will exploit. At this rate, who can imagine what’ll happen in the worst situation. I think you should dismantle your current private army immediately. Though we’re racing against time, it’s a far better option.」
The air in the guest room became tense as soon as such a blunt statement left Lambert’s mouth.
It was an extremely rude statement, enough to even out any debt.
Even Earl Mondo just barely held back his urge to kick Lambert out of the guest room for his outspoken attitude.
But he couldn’t rule out the truth behind Lambert’s words either.
After all, he gave his full backing to the adventurers in Barreira City.
That was why as soon as Earl Mondo received a royal edict to raise his vigilance, the first thing he did was give an order to each adventurer guild to give the latest report about their full combat potential. He concluded that Barreira was safe according to it.
But would those adventurer guilds make a stand to protect the city during the emergency?
Although it didn’t mean that Earl Mondo didn’t consider such possibilities, he was forced to realize his naivety upon being reminded by Lambert.
「…」
Earl Mondo kept his silence, beads of sweat appearing on his forehead.
「I feel bad for telling you this, but to be honest, your private army won’t stand a chance against them. Don’t expect too much from them. Maybe it’s better if you borrow the kingdom’s chivalric order. Though doing so is like painting mud on your face, it’s the right choice if we consider the worst-case scenario.」
At that moment, the door of the guest room slammed open.
The one who barged in was a man with a pig-like nose and bandages coiling around his face—Glasco.
Following behind him were five soldiers.
The clothes that were soiled with his urine after he lost control of his bladder due to an overwhelming fear of Lambert had already been replaced with a new set of clothes.
「W-We’re useless, you say?! Do you know that you’re not only insulting us, but also insulting Earl Mondo-sama! The punishment for insulting Earl Mondo-sama is the death penalty! Earl-sama, please punish this rude fellow!」
Glasco couldn’t suppress his anger and brought five soldiers along with him, waiting in front of the guest room since he couldn’t imagine himself winning against Lambert alone. Then, he eavesdropped on the conversation inside the room while patrolling outside.
And then, upon hearing Lambert’s remark about replacing them with the kingdom’s forces, Glasco couldn’t suppress his wrath any longer and forcefully entered the room.
Lambert glared at Glasco in silence.
Glasco faltered upon receiving Lambert’s gaze. He unconsciously realized that he was way too inferior compared to Lambert.
「That’s all I wanted to say. I know that I’m just an ignorant passing swordsman who has no idea about the real situation of this Barreira City. I also lack the understanding about Earl-sama’s expectations, obligations, and situation. But allow me to give one last warning, you should make your preparations as soon as possible.」
Lambert walked toward Glasco.
Glasco flinched away from Lambert.
「W-What’s the matter? W-W-What do you want?! If this Glasco-sama really went all out, a brute like yo—!」
It turned out Lambert only wanted to leave the room.
He simply walked toward the exit of the room. Glasco stood in his way.
Although Glasco’s face was greatly distorted by fear and his breathing was haggard, his lips suddenly formed a crooked smile upon seeing Lambert’s back, thinking that it was a chance to pay back the humiliation he suffered a while ago.
Glasco was originally a short-tempered man.
He was terribly hostile against Lambert, who threatened his position in the earl’s private army.
On top of that, he also heard Lambert’s proposal about dismantling the earl’s private army, his place.
That was enough reason to piss off Glasco.
Glasco placed his hand on the scabbard at his waist, walking closer toward Lambert.
He imagined Lambert’s surprised look upon realizing that the latter was already surrounded.
「DIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!」
Glasco drew his sword, brandishing it toward Lambert’s neck joint.
Glasco’s sword slipped past Lambert.
At least, that was what he felt.
「… EH?」
Only a moment later did he notice that the tip of his sword was already gone.
Glasco’s head was caught and lifted into the air. He saw that the lost tip on his sword was right at his throat.
Lambert severed Glasco’s sword, caught the broken tip in midair, and circled around Glasco in just a second.
「That slash just now, was it to kill me? Then, I assume that you’re also prepared to be killed by me, right?」
Color drained from Glasco’s face, and his body shivered uncontrollably.
And just like that, Glasco once again fainted from fear.
Seeing that, Lambert let go of his grip on Glasco’s head, allowing the latter’s body to drop on the floor like a giant sack of potatoes.
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