CH 75

The house that lost its master.

Translated by SoundOfDestiny

Edited by Zil

The town of Urfin, in the east of the Kingdom of Zain, was conquered by the Royal Army without bloodshed.

Every one of King Granard’s agents hiding in Urfin was captured, and the plot to undermine Raidorl by slaughtering the people of the town was also buried in darkness.

After destroying the squadron, Raidorl strode leisurely into the grounds of the Viscount’s palace, with the people of the city staring at him.

Raidorl was greeted at the gate by Sven Arbeil, the man who had taken control of the house. 

“I’ve been waiting for you. It looks like you’re in good hands.”

“Yes, it was no problem.”

Raidorl replied shortly to the young soldier and pointed behind him with his thumb.

Following behind Raidorl are Darren and his men. And then there were the members of the task force who had been roped in.

The secret agents, who had been shown the overwhelming difference in power, continued with a gloomy expression on their face, as if they had given up trying to escape. 

The only exception was the sorcerer known as the “fire-eating bird”.

The man, who looked uncomfortably like a prisoner of war, was frowning as he chewed grass from the road instead of his beloved tobacco.

“What’s wrong with the Viscount’s soldiers?　They seem to be quiet……”

Raidorl asked Sven, looking at the soldiers guarding the gate.

The soldiers, who were supposed to be under the command of Viscount Ulfert, were doing their duty without a care in the world, even though their master had been killed.

The Viscount’s house was unmoved by the death of his lord, and the lack of confusion was an anomaly.

“The Viscount is dead, but his wife…… is still alive and well. The wife persuaded the soldiers to quietly surrender the house and the town to the Royal Army.

The Viscountess Ulfert was a daughter-in-law of the Countess of Arbeil and Sven’s aunt.

Even though she was Ulfert’s wife, she had a grudge against the Viscount who betrayed her family and sold her to the Empire.

“I didn’t think you could do it without killing a single soldier. You’re a very clever man, you know that?”

Raidorl’s heartfelt praise for the military strategist who had devised a plan to bring down Ulfin in just one day.

If it were strictly speaking, Viscount Ulfert and the leader of the operative force would have lost their lives, but the damage would have been a mere speck of dust when he considered that they had brought down a town of this size. 

“I am truly honoured by your praise, Your Highness, Raidorl. But I’d like to ask you a favor…….”

“What? Tell me.”

“The Viscountess, my aunt and her daughter, had nothing to do with the rebellion. If it were possible, I would like to ask Your Highness to protect them……”

The crime of treason is a great crime for which the whole family is punished.

In the light of the law of the kingdom, the betrayal of Viscount Ulfert would have led to the execution of his wife and children.

But for Sven, the Viscountess is his aunt and her daughter is his cousin.

Sven’s hatred for Viscount Ulfert, the traitor of his family, had not disappeared even after his revenge, but he did not want to harm his innocent relatives.

“Very well. I promise to protect the Viscount’s wife and children with the authority I have been given by my brother: the power of life and death over captives.”

“I thank you for your mercy, Your Highness.”

“No matter. It’s a small price to pay for your work.”

Raidorl nodded hawkishly and clapped his hands.

“That’s the end of the story. Now that the battle is over, let’s talk about what’s next.”

“Now that we’ve defeated Viscount Ulfert ……, there are only five border nobles left to purge. Do you have any plans, our Lord Strategist?”

“Of course. I’ll take care of it!”

Sven puffed out his chest and held up his forefinger.

“Since we’re here, let’s use the secret agent Your Highness has captured. You can use their parents if they are still standing. I don’t have any parents, though, do I?”

Sven made a joke that was difficult to return, and said it in a mischievous way.