CH 3

Looming Shadow

Translated by KaiesV

Edited by KaiesV

Around the time Eliza returned home. In the parlor of the Count Jungk’s mansion in the eastern part of the Kingdom of Rynegard, the head of the family, Edmond Jungk, was receiving a man with a grim look on his face.

「Thank you very much for allowing me to see you today. This Osby, to your great admiration…」

Edmond waved his hand noisily as he sat in his chair, interrupting the man.

「No need for pleasantries. What do you want today? I have something I need to take immediate action on.」

「I apologize for the inconvenience. I am here today to address the Count’s concerns.」

Edmond’s thick eyebrows sprang up and he glared at Osby, who spoke knowingly. With his plain brown hair, thin brown eyes, and pale face, he gives the impression of a peasant.

His attitude was such that a normal Edmond would have already struck him, but the fact that this merchant and supporter was irreplaceable managed to hold him back.

「There has been a new development in the case of Clanetta, which we have been asking for for some time…」

「You’re quick on the ear.」

「I’m a merchant.」

「The secret agent is a whitewash…」

「No, no, I am a merchant who came to buy a country from you.」

Osby smiles thinly at Edmond, who frowns. He had another face besides being a merchant.

「Don’t lump me together with you. You are a dog of the empire. I just gave up on my rotten kingdom. If the monarch is not right, the subjects will leave. That’s as it should be.」

The Empire of Carrhs, a great power located east of Rynegard. Edmond had been secretly communicating with a secret agent from this empire, which was located in the eastern part of the kingdom where Jungk territory was located and adjacent to it.

「My apologies. It is true that the Rynegard royal family is corrupt if it forgets the unparalleled achievements of its predecessors and the devotion of your father and yourself in uniting the eastern provinces.」

「That’s it. King Philip is a puppet of the Prime Minister. Even the Crown Prince, who I thought was somewhat of a sight to behold, was not that…… We have no need to be loyal to a royal house that does not reward us.」

Perhaps flattered by Osby’s flattery, Edmond expressed his criticism of the royal family with contempt. To those who knew the origins of the eastern knighthoods, led by Jungk, this was ungrateful talk.

In the first place, most of the nobles in the eastern part of the kingdom had risen from the war between Rynegard and Carrhs that had taken place seventy years earlier. The war ended in victory for Rynegard, and the disputed lands between the two countries, now the Eastern Knight Territory, were officially incorporated into the kingdom.

The kingdom, in preparation for the Carrhs, who were aiming to regain their territory, ordained knights who had performed particularly well in the war and entrusted them with the management of the eastern part of the kingdom. They were positioned to keep an eye on the empire and to respond in case of emergency. This is the reason why it is called the Eastern Knight’s Domain, and Edmond’s grandfather, who was the most successful in the war, was given the title of count to organize them.

However, the knights, who had no experience in owning estates, had little ability to manage them, and they gradually became impoverished. The same was true for the Counts of Jungk, who were formerly barons and suddenly entrusted with vast estates. By the time Edmond took over as head of the family after the death of his predecessor, the wealth he had amassed from his war successes had nearly run out.

As was typical of military families, Edmond was not a good military man, but he was not a good lord either. He was a man interested only in his own physical strength, war, and carnal desire for women.

Edmont, impatient to revive his family name, which had become less and less prominent with each passing generation, argued vigorously for an invasion of Carrhs, believing that only a war would restore it to its former glory. But the truce and the relationship between the two countries, which on the surface is peaceful, naturally makes this unacceptable, and his frustration grows. It was at such a time that he learned of a neighboring country’s expansion from a visiting merchant, Osby.

His former enemy, Carrhs, had regained its lost power and was beginning to annex smaller countries in the region. As a secret agent, Osby did not miss Count Jungk envious look at the current situation in the neighboring country, where military personnel are widely spread. A short time later, Osby handed Edmond a secret letter from Carrhs.

The letter was a secret letter inviting him to turn in to Carrhs. After tickling his self-esteem with exaggerated praise for the Count Jungk’s work in the war, he offered unprecedented terms to invite them to his country, which is still engaged in war. The big deals include the relief of the main domain, the promise of new territory, promotion to a knighthood, and advance payment of provisions. Edmond, who had been growing resentful of the royal family due to his poverty and refusal to go to war, jumped at the offer, justifying his own actions. Someone who insisted on invading his own country without thinking about how he would be treated when all was said and done.

「Many of the knights are also on our side. We can make up our minds right away. And yet that damned Clanetta!」

Edmond used the funds provided, in addition to the preparation money, to cut down the Eastern Knights. It is the nose that sniffs out opponents of a similar nature to oneself or those who are weakened.

With Osby’s help, he investigated the knights who owed debts and identified those with little loyalty to the kingdom, and offered to take their debts on their shoulders. In return, he secretly encouraged them to turn in.

The conspiracy never came to light and slowly seeped into the knighthood. Two-thirds of the eastern knights were now in the Jungk faction, and even if war should break out, Edmond and his group would have an advantage because of the support of Carrhs.

However, they still had one concern. The existence of the Clanetta territory.

Located northwest of Count Jungk’s territory, Clanetta Territory is comparable to the Jungk Faction in terms of the number of troops mobilized. Furthermore, because of its hold on the breadbasket, food imports would be cut off in the event of hostile action. There would be no problem if the issue is settled while there is still support from Carrhs, but in the unlikely event that the supply is delayed, the knightly territories, with their meager military provisions, will be crushed to the ground without the means to do anything. Clanetta was indeed the domain screen of the kingdom. The instructions given through Osby also called for maneuvering from within, saying that an army could not be launched without weakening Clanetta’s territory.

「Just when I thought they were going to confront each other about the ball, the Crown Prince’s sweetness made it go away! I have been insulted by being turned on their cheeks! I will not entrust my country to those who do not punish when they should!」

「The Crown Prince and that short-tempered princess of Clanetta are both such hussies. But this could be an opportunity.」

「What’s that supposed to mean?」

Edmond, who thought that Clanetta could not be weakened even in the case of Eliza this time, listened closely to Osby’s words.

「As the Count mentioned earlier, it is unacceptable to raise one’s hand against royalty, even against a legitimate son. However, much the Ctown Prince has forgiven her, there are still plenty of opportunities to take advantage of her.」

「How can you help me?」

「We accuse the ducal family of treason. The recent disrespect for the royal family and the preparation that is about to take place are backed up by us.」

Edmon shook his head widely.

「Such a thing will cost us our heads. If the case is justified, we will reduce their power, but if it is unjustified, we will be punished!」

「That’s what I’m preparing for. I’d love to hear from you…」

When Osby overheard Edmond, his expression changed to one of brutal glee. A few days later, a group of farmers, merchants, and others of various appearances secretly entered the Clanetta territory.