Volume 6 Chapter 38 - Law and Violence
(ローゼリア) Rhoadseria / Rozeria → Rozelia
(ウォルテニア) Wortenia → Worthenia
(ザルーダ) Xarooda → Zaruda
(ミスト) Myste / Mist → Myst
(アイゼンバッハ) Aizenbach → Eisenbach
(伯爵) Earl → Count
Has it been a few hours since Douglas Hamilton left the room?
Ryouma, who was sitting comfortably on the sofa, enjoying the aroma of black tea from Kirtantia, turned his attention to the table clock on the desk. The ticking hand will signal the thirteenth hour in a few minutes.
The cease-fire, called in the name of temporary adjournment, was finally over; in the battle of wits and words that had taken place during this morning with the upper ranks of the House of Lords, including the Marquis of Halcyon.
(Almost there… This travesty is finally over…)
Just before the time for the resumption of the hearing, Ryouma sniffed vacantly. It’s not that he is nervous about the battle of wits and words that is about to unfold again. It’s not that he is complaining about the fact that he has been holed up in this room for several hours after returning back with Douglas to this room. He is not dissatisfied, and he understand that it’s necessary.
However, although he understand that waiting is part of the strategy, it is also true that he cannot be very positive about it. He wouldn’t say is a waste of time, but it feels like barren time.
After all, the man named Ryouma Mikoshiba is too busy. Originally, the job of being a lord is not an easy role by nature. After all, military, diplomacy and domestic affairs are all determined by the skill and decisions of the lord.
Of course, there are also noblemen who will do their best to enjoy themselves, imposing heavy taxes and leaving the actual work to their subordinates, but the end of such people never takes long. A rebellion will cause the house to die, or they will suffer an unfortunate illness or accident occasioned by concerned clansmen and subordinates conspiring against them.
Count Salzberg’s debauchery for many years was only possible because of the exceptional skill of his consort Julia, in addition to the Count’s own reputation and track record as an outstanding military man. But it’s just an exception to the rule.
In the first place, if you have a conventional sense of responsibility and attachment to your territory, it is normal not to do such a careless administration. Not to mention, the territory that Ryouma got in this battle is not small. After all, most of the ten northern families that controlled the northern part of the Rozelia Kingdom have died.
Although compared to the area of the entire Worthenian Peninsula it is numerically less than a quarter of the area in size; the northern part of the country borders on neighboring countries such as the Kingdom of Zaruda and the Kingdom of Myst, and the land has its own residents. It’s not like the Worthenian Peninsula, which was called an uncivilized magical land, the part of the peninsula that you didn’t have to be aware of until now, will not continue to be the same as before.
Ryouma’s workload is quite big as he has such a variety of jobs like that. Under such circumstances an opportunity was born.
Perhaps out of their concern for Ryouma’s health, or maybe because they wanted him to enjoy a cup of tea and take a break, Rora or Sara encourage him to stay; but the person being encouraged, can’t resist the urge to get moving quickly.
(Well, I would have more free time if I were to do things sloppier, but… I am thinking about the next battle, I want to do what I can while I can do… that is)
At that time, the sound of the bell announcing the thirteen hour can be heard outside the window. That’s the signal to announce the start of Ryoma’s long-awaited battle.
“Now… well then, shall we go…?”
When he said that, Ryouma leisurely lifted up from the sofa.
Led by bailiff, Ryouma re-entered the hall where the morning’s battle of wits and words had taken place. The faces of the people sitting in front of him are the same as before. The same was true for the fully armed knights standing up lined by the wall. The only difference is that there is a chair by the side of the archives, which was not there in the morning.
(Perhaps they want me to sit down there…)
The construction of the chair is not too poor. It is a common item made of wood, but it looks sturdy enough to match Ryouma’s physique. However, it is a delicate question if it is suitable for a nobleman.
(The thing itself doesn’t look bad, but…)
After all, the wood grain is bare and there is no ornamental decoration. On the contrary, it is an item that makes you want to ask where it was stored in this House of Lords. It’s possible that an aristocrat with a strong desire to show off would complain that is impossible to sit in such a chair.
(Well, I’m not telling.)
It is a wooden chair with no cushions, so it will never be comfortable, but still, it is definitely the first step in improving the situation. However, that being said, it would be too rude to sit on that chair without the permission of the Marquis of Halcyon, who is in charge of this place. No, in this case, it might be seen as a trap.
(I think I’m being overly cautious, but the situation is different from this morning…)
It’s just a matter of sitting, or not, in a chair. Normally, sitting quietly in a chair would not be a big problem. After all, even though there are some differences in the titles, they belong to the same aristocratic class. At worst, it would be slightly frowned upon and marked as an impolite upstart that doesn’t know etiquette. However, it is different now. Giving an excuse to the enemy in the current situation could literally lead directly to Ryouma’s life.
Ryouma stood in the same position as he did in the morning and bowed to the nobles sitting in front of him acting as inquisitors.
“I am grateful for the time I had to rest. I would like to thank you all profusely.”
The Marquis of Halcyon’s clicked his tongue at Ryoma’s appearance. Probably, he was afraid that it would be the same thing that happened in the morning. However, the only people who heard the sound were Marquis Halcyon himself and the senior members of the House of Lords sitting on his left and right, Count Eisenbach and Count Hamilton.
The Marquis of Halcyon himself probably never wanted people to hear it, so the sound was quiet. It’s just that his irritation unintentionally came to the surface. However, it was certainly loud enough to reach the Ryouma’s hears, who has a keen sense of hearing to begin with.
(Well, the Marquis Halcyon’s frustration should be natural, since he was chewed so hard by a low ranking person that he was forced to grant an unscheduled pause in the hearing… And if start as in the morning, it’s only natural to be wary.)
There was no deep meaning behind it, but if the other party is that cautious, it would not be a good idea to move poorly. That’s because you could be blindsided by an unforeseen situation or due to a trivial misunderstanding.