Kays Translations

Chapter 82: The Seven Colored Eyes

Count Maximilian Zander has returned to his territory, and his life has finally settled down.

There are still a lot of problems in the kingdom, but the rest is up to the twelve nobles, who are the highest decision-making bodies. I was both frustrated that I had been excluded from the discussion and relieved that I was free from the hassle.

After all, my castle is good.

I have a familiar bedroom. I can swing my beloved sword instead of gymnastics. He has lovely children, though they are not the smartest. He can chat with his entourage over a meal.

Carefree, peaceful, tranquil. He realized that in order to enjoy life, you need to have some peace of mind.

I am the greatest person in this castle. A world without bosses would be wonderful.

While I was enjoying my days, Gerhard, an attached spellcaster whom I use as a consultant, suggested that I allow the three craftsmen to pass through my sight.

The three craftsmen are Gerhard, a spellcaster, Patrick, a decorator, and Lutz, a swordsmith, and they are important figures who will support the industry in the future.

Although Lutz and Patrick were appointed to the Count’s family, their appearance was postponed due to the post-war process and the coup d'etat of the Allied Powers.

The ceremony is not so formal as to be called a "ceremony of appearance." All that is required is a simple face-to-face encounter and a light exchange of words. In other words, there is no need to do anything more than that with commoners.

“We should also invite Lutz's wife, Claudia, the swordsmith."

Gerhard advised that.

It is not unusual to invite a couple together at parties, but Maximilian wondered if it was enough to bring them together for a mere meeting.

“Claudia is a talented woman. The idea of opening up the sword-making process to the masters seems to have come from her.”

"Oh, she did that."

"I would be of great help to you if you would take Claudia in your arms and allow her to come and go. Please consider it."

Maximilian needs as many talented people as he can find, with the goal of developing the Count's family and getting involved in national politics.

Gerhard also recommended with ulterior motives, wanting to make himself as comfortable as possible.

"...I see, I just remembered. During the visit to Listille-sama, the woman said that even the royal family has freedom of love."

"Yes, Her Royal Highness must have been greatly encouraged."

“She must be excellent. But I don't think she's the type of person who should be allowed to get involved in politics."

"……eh?"

Maximilian's answer came as a surprise to Gerhard. Maximilian was the one who felt the need to raise the best people regardless of their status.

The master's expression was far from favorable.

"Royalty has no freedom in matters of love and marriage. Such thoughts may be popular among the city people, but it is nothing but a nuisance to instill such things in the royal family."

She marries into a family with which she wants to strengthen ties, gives birth to children and raises them, and gives orders to the servants to govern the household. That is the role of a woman born as a royal noble.

“It’s not like I didn’t feel pity for being married to an old man in his 70s from an enemy country. But that is a personal feeling."

Nobles are nobles because they fulfill their duties. For Maximilian, who holds such a view, Claudia's words were nothing but irresponsible and spiteful.

It was not out of pity for her that he saved Listille. It was because he agreed with the Marquis of Eldenberger's idea that it might be troublesome to have a hostage taken.

"She does not understand politics at a fundamental level. Having such a person at your side will only harm you. Such a person is only a detriment to the people who have him."

I never imagined it would be so outright rejected. Gerhard decided to give up on Claudia's recommendation, thinking that it would be foolish to come out strong.

Only in this case.

“Excuse me. However, is it okay if I invite her as Lutz’s wife?”

"I don't care, do whatever you want"

The more opportunities to meet face to face, the better. It was Gerhard's stepping stone for when the wind changed someday.

A few days later, the three craftsmen and Claudia gathered during the audience. Maximilian spoke to them with a smile.

"Do your best for the development of Count Zander's territory."

The ceremony was over. It was a very simple ceremony, but one could not be called an official artisan without being appointed directly by the count.

Everyone has to do it even though they think it is a hassle, and that is what a ritual is.

Even the artisans have nothing to say to the Count.

Maximilian called out to Claudia when he was thinking that this would be the dissolution.

“I heard you were the one who thought of revealing the manufacturing method of the katana.”

“Eh, ah, yes Sir.”

Claudia was just an attendant, and she didn't expect to be called out, so she was a little flustered.

“For a craftsman, skill is something to be protected at the cost of one's life. Moreover, Lutz had a monopoly on the sword-making process in this country. I would like to thank Lutz once again for generously sharing his skills with the public for the development of the Count's domain."

"At your wasteful words......"

Lutz and Claudia bowed their heads together. They wondered why the Count was bringing up such a subject at this time.

“Claudia, you know there was a coup attempt in the Allied nations, don't you?"

"yes"

As for Maximilian, although he described Claudia as useless in political affairs and would not let her serve, he was curious about the kind of woman Gerhard strongly recommended.

"King Cassandros was indeed a great disappointment. His death set back the history of the Confederacy by a hundred years, don't you think?"

Claudia felt that she was being tested by Maximilian's searching eyes. Claudia was thinking that she should say something even a little radical.

"...or maybe if King Cassandros was still alive, it might have caused even more chaos than it is now."

"Oh, why?"

"Please forgive me for my shallow wisdom of a woman."

After saying that, Claudia lowered her face.

"I want to hear different opinions. There is no law in Count Zander's household that punishes those who answer questions, no matter how absurd or absurd they may be."

"Well then..."

I was going to answer from the beginning. I wanted to make it in the form of a reluctance because it was repeatedly requested by the Count. It's troublesome, but if you skip these procedures, you could be charged with a crime later.

"The premise that everything would have been fine if King Cassandros had lived is, first of all, wrong."

The upper echelons of the kingdom are not caught up in such stereotypes, she said. Depending on how you look at it, this could be a criticism of the great nobility.

“Despite the fact that the assassination of the king was a major event, the powerful clans that became the Arsames faction moved quickly and in considerable numbers. The opposition to centralization must have been greater than expected. If they had pushed ahead forcefully, it could have developed into a large-scale civil war."

"But don't we have in the hands of Cassandros a divine weapon to increase his charisma?"

Maximilian unconsciously turned into a slightly accusing tone. I didn't say anything more than that, as I understood that it would be nothing but resentment to say that he made something outrageous.

"If so, there was a possibility that we would fall into a quagmire that neither side could pull out of."

"What do you mean?"

"When King Cassandros performed his sword dance at the peace negotiations, some of the Allied soldiers and some of the kingdom's goofballs knelt down, but it basically had no effect on the kingdom's people. They probably just felt that the old man was kind of cool."

Maximilian smiled and nodded at Claudia's broken expression.

"It's not like you can unconditionally subordinate your opponent if you raise your sword."

"Yes. If that had been the case, the king's faction and the powerful clans would have been unable to read each other's forces, enemies would have become allies and allies would have become enemies, the war situation would have become uncertain and doubtful, and the conflict would have become a conflict that did not know when to stop."

"Hmm..."

Thinking back, was there any part of Cassandros that was carried away by the heat of the moment when he acquired Amaterasu? Was he able to make a calm decision?

Couldn't he have gathered as many allies as he could during Cassandros' reign and left the rest to the second prince Arsames?

He thought he could do it himself. Was it Cassandros or Arsames who had lost his footing in the blinding light of amaterasu?

"If Cassandros had not been dealt with, could the coalition have destroyed itself?"

"It's a possibility, sir. If King Cassandros had lived, the unification of the allied nations might have been realized. Whether Arsames is called a foolish king or a savior, I leave that to later historians."

Claudia bowed, saying that this was the end of the conversation. At that time, the earrings that shined in seven colors left a strong impression on him.

"It was really fun today. Thank you all for your hard work. You can go now."

Maximilian waved his hand and Lutz, Claudia, and Patrick left the room, leaving only Maximilian and Gerhard in the audience chamber.

"Now you see."

Gerhard said with a grin.

“When it comes to the sharpest thing in Lutz's workshop, I would name that woman."

“If Lutz hears that, he will probably nod with a wry smile instead of getting angry.”

"It's a good relationship."

Maximilian also laughed and replied.

He didn't intend to hire her, but he thought it would be fine to ask for her opinion once in a while.

The opportunity came unexpectedly quickly. It took the form of the kidnapping of the third princess, Listille.

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