Chapter 60: Banquet of accomplices

Count Maximilian Zander was in a good mood.

My beloved sword came back safe and sound.

His Majesty the King was pleased, and he was able to establish a friendship with the Marquis of Eldenberger. This was a great accomplishment for the Count of Zander, who had only had shallow and broad relationships with other families, if not an isolated island on land.

The Count’s territory is beginning to attract attention as a famous producer of armaments.

Although Maximilian has been spoken of behind his back as sickly, feeble, and unreliable, the way his retainers look at him has changed. He is more than happy about that.

…… Ah, is the honey of power so sweet?

For the first time, Maximilian felt good about becoming the head of the family.

In that case, as a matter of course, Gerhard, who became a driving force in arms diplomacy, was given more and more important posts, and the number of times he was summoned increased. It had already become a familiar sight to see him sitting next to the Count at meetings.

From Gerhard’s point of view, I’m grateful that he trusts me, but to be honest, it was a bit of a nuisance.

The Count’s beauty is that he never forgets that the development of his domain is due to the craftsmen, led by Gerhard, and his flaw is that he is indifferent to the fact that his subjects are jealous of Gerhard.

Gerhard has an unusual background as a former adventurer granted spellcaster, and he has not been in the service of Count Zander’s family for generations. He was not at ease when he thought about the history of how a newcomer who had been overemphasized would end up.

Again on this day, Gerhard was summoned to the audience chamber.

“There was a request from Marquis Eldenberger to make a sword…”

It was Maximilian who spoke happily as if he was very happy to be relied on by a large noble. But Gerhardt shook his head with a dark face.

“Your Excellency, I have something to say.”

“What is it?”

Maximilian was dismayed because he had thought that he would agree to it with two words.

“I’ve been wondering about it since I made a demon wailing word in response to Your Excellency’s request, but I am on leave, with Your Excellency’s permission.”

“Ah……”

I remembered that there was a story about that. I might have only thought of it as meaning to stop making rewards for the hero.

“No, but, Gerhard. Now is the most important time. With the afterglow of the peace talks still lingering, I want to deepen my relationship with His Majesty the King and the great nobles before the so-called armaments boom is over.”

“Rather than that, there’s something I have to decide right now.”

“Is that so!?”

The talk about the future of the Count family has been dismissed.

“It’s about the treatment of Lutz.”

“Hmm?”

I often wonder who it was. Yes, a skilled swordsmith with a name like that. I saw his face when the princess came to visit me, but I never spoke to him after all because he ran off with something on his mind.

Because of Gerhard and Jocel’s intercession, I did not punish him, but I never remembered him after that.

“…So, what happened to that Lutz?”

Maximilian listened with suspicion, unable to believe that a single craftsman’s talk was more important than diplomacy.

“He is not a vassal of the Count’s family. He lives outside the city walls and is not even a citizen. He is in a precarious position, and if he gets a better offer from someone else, he may move there.”

“Are you trying to betray me!?”

“He is not a vassal of yours.”

Gerhard’s response to Maximilian, who was furious, was indifferent to all intents and purposes. Maximilian felt foolish for getting angry and regained his composure.

We have long been aware of the problem that Lutz is a Mogli blacksmith who lives outside the city walls. However, in a guild with a trade union system, the number of masters is limited. Whether to increase the number of members or to force someone to retire and replace his head, a huge outcry was expected.

It was necessary for Lutz to have achieved something that was obvious to everyone in order for him to become a member of the Count’s family, which would allow him to move independently of the union. Now that the peace negotiations had been successfully concluded, the timing was right for Lutz to be brought in.

If he misses this opportunity, he may be pulled out by the king, the marquis, or even the allied nations. It is not surprising that a wise man like the second prince, Arsames, would have made his move by now, but he has been slow, perhaps because he was not pleased with the outcome of the peace talks.

This is a good thing for Gerhard.

“Is that what you’re saying, make him the Count’s personal blacksmith?”

“Yes, and we will not call them like dogs, but with the intention of inviting the wise. If we build a new house and workshop for them and welcome them in, they will feel indebted to us and will gladly stay here.”

Gerhard’s proposal was rebuffed by his aides, who had been silent all along.

“I don’t think it’s necessary to do that much for just one craftsman. I’m sorry, but I can only think that Gerhard wants to increase his own pawns.”

Even so, the Count is very protective of Gerhard, and he cannot afford to have a craftsman faction created by increasing the number of people from here.

Gerhard glared at the lowly nobles who mouthed “Yes, how very nice.”

“You don’t have enough sense of urgency!”

The hall fell silent at the shout of the old warrior who never forgot that he was a first-class adventurer. He might have fainted if he had been the Maximilian of the past, but he managed to endure it by clutching his beloved sword.

“They haven’t seen the spectacle of all the soldiers kneeling in unison before the barbarian king, so they can play carefree games of musical chairs. They can’t possibly be unaware of Lutz’s value, and they may be reaching out to him even as we speak!”

“It’s just a blacksmith, there are plenty of alternatives ……”

“In that case, bring me a replacement, right now! If he is better than Lutz, I will apologize to him right here and now!”

“No, it’s not my job to find that kind of thing. I want to leave it to Gerhard…”

“You want to die, bastard!”

“Hee!”

Are you not even aware of the contradiction in making Gerhard find a craftsman to convince him?

After all, these people are vermin who can do nothing but oppose. They do not even understand what they are saying because they only say “against” and “for” without thinking.

The escorting knights, including Jocel, managed to appease the furious Gerhard. They did not seize him, but surrounded him from a distance.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, calm down.”

I’m just saying.

As expected, the gorilla could not ignore what he was told by his beloved apprentice, so he blended into the castle and contained his anger.

“Sir.”

Gerhard, who regained his humanity, once again faced Maximilian.

“Please allow me to receive Lutz as a member of the Count’s household. If you do so, I promise you that I will be the one to persuade him to join us.”

“You can do it, Gerhard.”

“Yes, he and I share a lot of secrets. I can’t threaten him, but I’m sure he knows the trouble he could get into if he antagonizes me.”

“What is the secret?”

“Fu, fu… I think it’s better not to ask about that.”

Maximilian decided it would be best not to go into too much detail as Gerhard let out an eerie laugh.

“I will welcome Lutz, the swordsmith, into the Count’s family and build him a workshop. What else do you want? Yes, what about that decorator Patrick?”

“Since this is a long-awaited event, I think it would be good if he could also be taken care of by the traders who come and go. Since the workshop already exists, it should be enough just to provide a subsidy.”

“Money is flying again…”

“Good, you have it, don’t you?”

“You’re still rooting for me.”

“Just a little.”

They laughed at each other in a friendly manner. Such a situation was nothing but an object of jealousy for those close to them.

The meeting ended, and that evening. Gerhard visited Maximilian in his private office.

“Your Excellency, please arrange a social occasion with your vassals. A banquet, for example, without me.”

I sensed that the dissatisfaction of the vassals had built up more than I had expected during the meeting that day. If it was directed only at me, however, it would be a problem if they began to doubt the Count’s qualifications.

…… No matter how incompetent they are, they are necessary personnel for the management of the territory.

People who have been involved in the management of the Count family for many years and can read, write and calculate. The word that there are many replacements is not something to throw up lightly. Love it or hate it.

“Are their hearts about to leave me?”

“Yes, let them vent their feelings. Whether the proposal is accepted or not, people feel relieved just by being listened to first.”

“It’s nothing more than a swearing contest for them. What if I believe their false accusations?”

“I guess it’s inevitable.”

Even if he loses his status as a master armorer as a result of keeping three craftsmen away and hiring new suitable craftsmen, it is all the count’s decision, and he has no choice in the matter. No matter how far the count’s domain has fallen, it is none of the business of those who have been driven out.

That’s what Gerhard’s opinion sums up.

…… He is a scary man. He always demands decisions and responsibility from the Lord as well.

He is loyal, but he will abandon you anytime he sees that you do not deserve his loyalty. Maximilian thought that the problem was how to master such a man.

When you can’t do that, that’s when you’re doomed.

“All right, I’ll think about it.”

When he replied, Gerhard bowed deeply and left. Maximilian stared at the closed door and muttered.

“… as expected, I can’t let go”

Gerhard himself would have preferred to be just an adjunct spellcaster, but he still could not remove himself from his position as a consultant.

Previous chapter | TOC | Next chapter