Volume 6 12

Volume 6 Chapter 12

That night at Earl Salzberg’s villa located in the Royal capital Pireaus, Mikoshiba Ryouma received a guest.

“First of all, thank you. Thank you for saving my brother-in-law’s life the other day. I know it should be my brother-in-law who directly told you this but, unfortunately, right now he can not move in various ways…”

As he said that, Earl Bergstone stopped talking…

It must be because he was not even sure of what he was going to talk about after this.

From the conflict that was reflected on his face, Ryouma was fully aware of what the middle-aged man was going to say and could only wait for him to say it.

Both men stared at each other’s eyes.

After a brief silence, Earl Bergstone started to speak again. -

“Today’s matter… I would like to discuss it another day, together with my brother-in-law… My Lord.”

Saying that Earl Bergstone bowed his head deeply.

Earl Bergstone, who had higher rank, lowered his head toward Mikoshiba Ryouma.

Certainly, the common sense of Ryouma’s world stated that the Earl’s act was normal considering Mikoshiba Ryouma had saved his brother-in-law from assassination.

However, from the common sense of this world, that act was quite abnormal.

It could cause an uproar if they did that in the Rozeria Kingdom’s Court, where many held belief in the status system.

Not to mention the Earl also referred to Mikoshiba Ryouma as Lord.

That was the reason why they met in secret like this.

“Please be careful next time. We are companions with the same goal. That is why I don’t need such formal words like that…”

Hearing Earl Bergston words, Ryouma looked surprised for a moment, but immediately smiled.

Ryouma just thought that he wanted to secure pieces with high values.

In that case, Ryouma might not be considering saving Earl Zeref’s life if he was an incompetent man.

However, it would be foolish of him to say that upfront.

Since Earl Bergston went through the trouble to act humble, it was necessary for Ryouma to act normal.

The so-called, superior composure.

After all, although informal, Earl Bergston had bowed as a retainer.

That would change the relationship between the two men who had built cooperative work dramatically.

(I thought I needed to make a bit more of a push, but judging from Earl Bergston attitude… He had already made his resolution.)

Of course, there was no need for Ryouma to question Earl Bergston feelings at this late in the game. For him, this accident was a happy miscalculation.

After all, after this, they would have to face against the Rozeria Kingdom.

It was not very good to perform psychological negotiation with a cornered person.

In any case, Ryouma was scheduled to confirm Earl Bergstone’s motive after some talk regarding the future, but with this, it saved a lot of time.

(Well, he seems to have a lot of stuff going on too…)

If one had a decent political feeling, it would be natural for them to realize that the situation of the Rozeria Kingdom had entered a crisis.

However, what one can understand and what one can do were fundamentally different.

Especially for Earl Bergston, who had no final say in regard to the country’s management.

That didn’t mean Earl Bergstone had been only standing by and watching. He had encouraged Lupis, who had the right of Final decision, to support him.

Very disappointingly however,, the woman named Lupis was not suitable for being a ruler.

Especially when multiple opinions emerged, Lupis tends to move according to her feeling rather than reason.

Which means she cannot make a crucial decision such as cutting one’s own limb to save oneself.

The most remarkable example of that would be the incident where Mikhail got captured by Duke Gerhardt.

Being compassionate was never a drawback.

However, if a ruler was drowning in his or her own feelings, the management of the country would fall into disorder.

It would be different if Lupis had chosen to be a figurehead, the country would have a different future.

But, the reality was never kind.

Now, many aristocrats have doubt about Lupis’s governance and decided to gather under her own little sister, Ladine, who has Viscount Gerhardt ather back. -

As the result of that, the domestic situation had become unstable. Due to the uncertain future, some aristocrats had increased their local military, while some others used the situation to collect an unreasonable tax.

When an influential person feels uneasy, it was easy to find them to take such an action.

However, for those who were taxed, it would be different.

For those people, they only seek one thing: a stable life.

In extreme cases, if they can live in peace, they won’t even care who the ruler is.

As a result of that taxation, a conflict between commoners and aristocrats could not be avoided.

For example, just the other day, the villages located on the south had staged an uprising, which the capital had sent out the royal guard to crush.

Fortunately, the suburbs of the Kingdom was still relatively calm, but the situation won’t last long.

(The Royal capital also feels more desolate compared to when I visited the last time…)

With the domestic situation turned unstable, the economic activity would shrink.

It can be said this country had near its end.

(Well, I was among those who caused all of this though…)

To be more precise,. Ryouma had just rode along with someone’s ploy aiming for Rozeria’s destabilization.

It was doubtful to call Ryouma the true criminal, it would be more precise to call him an accomplice.

However, despite being an accomplice he hadn’t communicated with the mastermind.

Looking at the situation, it seems even the mastermind was suspicious of an intervention by someone, due to the situation that went out of hand.

Or rather, if the mastermind was the one Ryouma had imagined, they must’ve decided that it was too late to meet and make him an accomplice.

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(Either way, the trial at the House of Lords would be the key to all of this…)

Ryouma sensed euphoria inside his body.

It was a pleasure that he had never felt during his peaceful life in Japan.

(Looking at it that way, being summoned to this world was not bad at all…)

While thinking about that Ryouma poured wine into the glass placed in front of Earl Bergstone.

To welcome his new capable vassal.