CH 72

The blade at his side.

Translated by SoundOfDestiny

Edited by Zil

When Sven’s group visited the house, Viscount Ulfert, the owner of the house, was staring at his desk.

Spread out on the desk, made of fine oak, were letters from noblemen in the capital who had been collaborating with the Viscount.

Asking him to intercede with the Crown for having betrayed the Kingdom of Zain and turned to the Empire, but the response had been unfavourable.

“Oh, you young fellow!　I’m was going to help to rebuild the kingdom back, but you’re too stubborn” 

The one to whom Viscount Ulfert’s resentment is directed is the young king, Granard Zain.

Granard was determined to purge the border nobility who had turned to the empire, and the Viscount’s intercessions were not going unanswered.

The reason for this was that if the traitors were allowed to return to power, it would ruin Granard’s plan to use their lives to discredit Raidorl, but the viscount, who knew nothing of this, seized the letter from his friend without mercy.

“Who do you think I am?　The Kingdom of Zain has survived to this day because I, the Viscounts of Ulfert, have protected its borders!　You ungrateful fool of a king!”

The Viscount spits out misplaced words with resentment.

It’s true that the Viscount Ulfert family has always worked hard to protect the eastern borders, but the current Lord of Ulfert, Bobald Ulfert, has flatly abandoned his most important duty.

This is why it is now in danger of extinction, but such childish logic does not sit well with the viscount.

What the Viscount is concerned about is how to make his own existence worthy of recognition. It is the only way to protect his position and wealth. That’s all he cares about.

“I have no choice but to use inhabitants of the town ..as a shield against to drive back the exiled prince. If I can defeat the man who has come to be known as the hero of our country, he will surely cry out to me to spare my strength and come back to the kingdom!”

The Viscount drew a picture of the future in his mind, a mixture of twisted delusion and wishful thinking, and laughed.

The Viscount’s ears suddenly heard a sound of a knock at the door of his office.

“…..Who is it?”

“Excuse me, sir. Viscount.”

“Oh, it’s Sven! How nice to see you!”

The door is discreetly opened by Sven Arbeil, a boy of noble birth who is under the protection of the Viscount Ulfert.

The Viscount smiles and invites the boy, a relative of his, in.

“I’m sorry to bother you at work. If you’re busy, I can come back later. ……”

“No, no, that’s all right. I was just about to take a break.”

Viscount Ulfert smiles and offers Sven a chair.

The reason why this greedy aristocrat was so friendly to Sven was because of a certain calculation.

“If this war is concluded in favor of the kingdom and the land of the Earl of Arbeil is returned, Sven is the only one who can inherit the restored Earl family. If I can get my daughter to marry Sven, and if I can get him to back me up, they all will be at my mercy ……!”

“You could be my nephew …… or even my future son. You don’t have to be so frightened, you can take it easy.”

“Thank you very much. I can’t thank you enough for your protection and your help.”

Sven looks at the Viscount with gratitude and respect.

The Viscount, his ego sated by the boy’s attitude, sniffed and puffed, proudly displaying his flabby chest.

“You can always count on me!　By the way, ……, what can I do for you today?”

“Oh, I’ve brought along some people I’d like to introduce to the Viscount.”

“Oh?”

As the Viscount looks over, the door to his office is opened again and several men enter the room.

The Viscount flinched and took a step or two backwards at the sight of the men, who were armed to the teeth.

“Who are these men?”

“Oh, they are the surviving members of the Earls of Arbeil. We were able to see them again in the town, and we brought them here to meet the Viscount.”

“Mm-hmm. I see!”

The Viscount coughed to disguise his fright, and turned to the soldiers in a pompous manner.

“You were a vassal of the Earl of Arbeil, weren’t you? I am sorry for your loss, but from now on you are to serve Sven as your lord.”

“Ha, yes, sir. Viscount!　We will do our best to serve the Countess of Arbeil!”

“Mmmmmmm”

He stroked his moustache in a grand gesture to the soldier who reverently replied.

Sven smiles at the Viscount, who nods his head in an exaggerated manner, his chin jiggling.

“By the way, my dear Viscount. I’m here today to ask a favor of the Viscount…….”

“Hou? Sven is like a son to us. Anything you asks, I’ll do it!”

“it will be to my advantage later to deal with the Earls of Arbeil if I do him a favour.”

The Viscount nodded his head with a lot of ulterior motives.

Whether the Viscount knew it or not, Sven said coldly, with a bright, childlike smile on his face.

“Then….I’ll take….. Viscount Ulfert’s domain, then, can I?”

“Ha…?!”

“I’m taking over your domain.”

At the same time as Sven’s words, all the soldiers who had entered the office drew their swords at the same time.

Five swords were thrust at his neck at once, and Viscount Ulfert’s face was drawn in a stupid way.