Episode 220 How many things have you done? (2)
The current Lutania Kingdom Army consists of four legions. They are guarding the area surrounding the capital, Cardenia, like an iron wall.
When war breaks out, local armies are reorganized by calling together the lords of each region.
However, the commander of the local army is selected in advance during peacetime and a strategy is established to deal with various situations. This is because it is much more stable than hastily selecting a commander and commanding him.
So, even if he was a regional commander, when there was no war, he was just a position in name only.
But this position comes with one powerful power.
It was the power to summon all the lords of the area to the exhibition.
And the current commander in chief of the Northern Army was Earl Desmond.
Jiselle was planning to steal this spot from here.
‘I’ll need that name if I ever fight the Duke in the future. It’ll help me during times of trouble, too.’
Although it is now a position of honor, in a previous life it was one that gave him enormous power.
This is because the Duke of Delphine, who succeeded in the rebellion, forcibly conscripted soldiers from each region, weakening the power of the lords and making them like the kingdom’s standing army.
And Harold Desmond, who was then a duke, naturally assumed the position of commander-in-chief of the Northern Army.
Giselle intended to take over the entire North, just as Count Desmond had done in his previous life.
However, for the Marquis of Branford, who had no way of knowing the future, Giselle’s request was simply embarrassing.
“Is there a reason?”
“Desmond and I were destined to clash anyway. Didn’t you see how things would turn out?”
“We can’t start a war so easily. They know that we can hit Desmond directly if we have to.”
It was a nice thing to say, but honestly, I didn’t believe it. The prince’s faction would have a hard time stopping even one duke’s family.
There was no need to hurt her pride by saying that, so Jiselle just brushed it off with something else.
“After we capture Desmond, we need an excuse to suppress the other lords.”
“Justification?”
“Yes. I am just a standard-bearer of the pro-Prince faction. I can’t continue to wage war against all the northern lords, can I?”
Only then did the Marquis of Branford nod several times.
If there is no war, it is a useless position, because then you have no authority to command anyone.
But when civil war breaks out, it’s a different story. Civil war is still war. The position of regional commander will give you enough legitimacy and authority to deal with the lords in disarray.
‘I was planning on striking down Count Desmond since he showed his teeth anyway… … .’
In the South and West, where all the lords have already gone over to the Duke’s side, it makes no sense to place anyone in command.
However, some areas in the east and north are still holding out well and have not yet fallen to the Duke’s side.
In these areas, it was impossible to place a person of the Duke’s family as a commander, even if the position was only nominal.
The North in particular needed to reduce the Duke’s influence even more, as there was a fresh wind blowing in the form of Baron Fenris.
The Marquis of Branford, who had been pondering for a moment, said with a calm expression.
“The Northern Commander, though a title only, is a position that can wield great power in times of war. It would be wise to remove Earl Desmond, but appointing you to that position is a different matter entirely.”
“Since they won the war anyway, didn’t they want to push it even further? I think they were worried about what else they should give.”
The Marquis of Branford chuckled at Giselle’s shameless answer. Giselle was not wrong.
There is a thing called momentum in a fight. The prince’s faction was quietly sinking under the pressure of the duke’s family day after day. In the midst of all this, Jiselle’s victory became the opportunity to change the mood.
Other lords and nobles who had been keeping an eye on the situation also began to secretly side with the prince’s faction.
When you actually look at it, you start to realize that the pro-Prince faction is not that bad.
― Is that the extent of the Northern Aesong? Then what does that mean about the strength of the pro-Prince faction?
― At this point, no matter how powerful the Duke family is, it won’t be easy to suppress the pro-prince faction. In any case, isn’t the justification on the pro-prince faction’s side?
― It’s the Marquis of Branford. Didn’t he send the 2nd corps in advance to block Desmond’s army? Rumors spread that Earl Desmond was a member of the duke’s faction.
And the Marquis of Branford was not one to just foolishly let this atmosphere pass him by.
He had been playing around in politics for decades, eliminating his opponents. He was planning to give Giselle a solid reward and continue to build on his current momentum.
‘Since ancient times, hunting dogs… …must be fearless and have excellent hunting skills.’
This strange guy in front of me certainly fits the bill. Of course, we’ll have to wait and see if he’s a hunting dog or a mad dog that’s going to eat its owner.
‘If I have to sit someone down anyway, this guy is the best.’
It would be another fight to entrust a heavy responsibility to someone who lacks experience and maturity. But then again, no matter how much I think about it, there is no one in the North better than him.
If he really fights and wins against Earl Desmond, then from then on, Giselle will become a great lord that no one can ignore.
‘I was wondering what to give you as compensation, but… … You always come at the perfect timing and take what you want. You annoying bastard.’
You can refuse, but he creates a situation that is difficult to refuse and comes to you. The more I look at him, the more I find him to be a truly strange guy.
Certainly, he was very capable. However, his personality was so mischievous that he could not be controlled properly.
After a brief moment of deliberation, the Marquis of Branford nodded slowly.
“Okay, I’ll give you that seat.”
Jiselle smiled pleasantly. She didn’t think the Marquis of Branford would refuse since their goals were aligned, but she was still glad that things ended well.
Since I had gotten what I wanted, I was about to leave after giving him some food as a gift. But the Marquis of Branford did not finish speaking.
“Now that you have taken possession of the County of Cavaldi, I will soon submit a proposal for your succession to the royal family.”
“I don’t necessarily intend to win.”
Jiselle was sincere. That title was necessary to become a lord at first, but it was not needed at all now.
If necessary later, you can take it by force, whether it be a duke or a king.
But the Marquis of Branford spoke seriously.
“… … The position of regional commander can only be held by a count at the very least. That is the law of the kingdom.”
Embarrassed, Giselle scratched the back of her head and laughed.
“Oh, is that so? I don’t know much about the law. Oh, there was such a law?”
“… … .”
Well, this kid is a guy who can live without the law.
The Marquis of Branford shook his head as he looked at Giselle, who was smiling shamelessly.
“Then, since we take over the Cavaldi region and it is larger, we will inherit the title as it is… … .”
“No, I’ll just go with Fenris. If you keep changing it, people will get confused. And I don’t like that name. Anyway, we’ve unified everything into Fenris.”
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“… … Okay, do whatever you want.”
Even if we unify them, the names of regions and titles that have been used for a long time will not easily disappear from people’s lips.
But what can I do if the owner says he will do so?
He lives his life doing whatever he wants, so saying anything would just be nagging.
“Your Majesty is currently ill, so I will discuss it with the prime minister and decide on a ceremony to hold the ceremony.”
“Yes, well… … I understand.”
I came here only to receive the position of commander, but somehow I ended up being promoted to count.
It’s not a bad thing. There’s nothing wrong with having more of anything good. It felt like I got an unexpected gift.
“You are your father’s vassal, yet you have the same title and greater power… … . Count Ferdium will not be in a good mood.”
“It doesn’t matter. That’s not important.”
Whether it’s a duke or a marquis, titles are just names. Without power, they’re useless.
But things didn’t look so good for the Marquis of Branford.
“No matter what, is it okay for me to be inferior to my vassal and son in every way? It will not look good to others.”
‘… … old fart.’
The Marquis of Branford, unaware of Giselle’s thoughts, spoke as if he were greatly indebted to her.
“I will also proceed with Count Ferdium’s promotion. Please understand.”
“omg?”
“Of course, the cause has nothing to do with you. I will praise the Ferdium family for their hard work in the North for a long time. Since the Count of Marquis is treated on par with the Marquis, there will be no major opposition.”
It doesn’t actually help, so that kind of excuse will work. Everyone will think it’s just an empty promise.
That’s true, but where do you get even a shell of it?
‘Is this… … the face of an authoritarian and patriarchal man… … .’
It’s not that I didn’t understand. For the nobles of that era, even such small(?) formalities were very important.
Anyway, the Count Ferdium of the border region has now become a Marquis. It wasn’t that he had asked for it, but it seemed that the Marquis of Branford couldn’t just let it go.
It wasn’t really necessary, but there’s a saying that a good thing is a good thing. There was no need to refuse something that was offered to me.
I think your father will like it a lot.
“Thank you for your concern.”
“Yes, it’s not a bad thing since you’ll inherit the land later and become a marquis. You can think of it as giving me another award for my achievements.”
‘If you’re going to give me another award, give me something else. The title isn’t something I need right now.’
Jiselle wasn’t without her own thoughts, so she just grumbled inside and didn’t express them out loud.
“Let’s proceed as quickly as possible. Is there anything else you need?”
“That’s enough for now. I’ll come back again if I need anything else.”
The Marquis of Branford licked his lips. The man who never brought me a single gift was so incredibly helpful when I needed him.
‘If this major is a gift, it’s the greatest gift I’ve received in recent times.’
Thinking about it that way made me feel a little better.
* * *
The ceremony proceeded quickly. As it was conducted by the Marquis of Branford, it was, of course, grand and splendid. The banquet lasted for several days.
Some of the nobles who attended the banquet greeted Giselle with trembling eyes.
“Oh, it’s been a while. Fenris… … Count.”
“That, from now on, uh… … . Please take care of me.”
“I sincerely congratulate you on your victory.”
It was the lower-ranking nobles and princes who had secretly ignored Giselle at the previous banquet.
Jiselle greeted them with a bright smile. It was obvious that everyone was dying of stomachache.
They probably didn’t know that Jiselle would do this well.
‘I thought it would be used moderately and then thrown away, but it keeps flying so high that it’s understandable to be perplexed.’
Now the gap was so big that it seemed impossible to ignore it, but jealousy and envy were still evident in his eyes.
‘The Duke won’t stay still. Please die.’
‘There are rumors that you’re going to have a showdown with Count Desmond.’
‘Beat Count Desmond!’
It was obvious that he was cursing her, but Jiselle didn’t feel it was worth paying attention to.
Of course, not everyone reacted so enthusiastically.
Several high-ranking nobles who had feelings for Giselle offered their sincere congratulations.
In particular, the Earls and Countess of Aylesbury and the Earl of Norton were more delighted than anyone else.
“Congratulations! You have won the title of count at such a young age!”
“Thanks to my brother’s victory, our atmosphere has improved a lot.”
“If you ever need anything, just let me know. I’ll do my best to help you.”
“Thank you. I hope you will send me many more maps in the future.”
As soon as the high-ranking nobles left, the young ladies flocked to Jiselle. They couldn’t help but be curious, since the rumors had been out of the ordinary.
Rosaline, who was next to Giselle, was pushed back by the crowd of young ladies and ended up falling over.
She pounded the floor with her fist and ground her teeth.
‘It’s falling apart! I’m going to die from it!’
The priests of the Juana sect also came to visit. As soon as Porisco saw Giselle, he grabbed her hand and smiled.
“Oh my! Congratulations! You are truly the one who has received the revelation of the Goddess together with me!”
‘Die, please die! Why did you become a count? Ooooooh! What do you want me to do!’
The way he acted differently from his true feelings was truly superb. There were only a handful of people who could act with facial expressions this well, even if you counted all the people I’ve seen in my past life.
Jiselle giggled to herself and clapped her hands in agreement.
“Oh my, you are talking nonsense. This must all be the grace of the goddess.”
In this way, dealing with each and every one of the people in the capital, Jiselle was so busy that she felt like ten bodies would not be enough for the entire banquet.
It was only towards the end of the banquet that he finally had some free time and went to see Meriel to ask her some questions.
“Do you know Ascon?”
“Ascon? Oh, that elf with anger management issues? Oh my, is that the elf you saved?”
“I guess you’re famous?”
“Well, how famous is he? He also has special abilities.”
“Special ability? What is it?”
“He was so strong that he didn’t budge even when hit and he held up really well, so the nobles who bought him gave up on teaching him. He’s also really good at swearing.”
“Ah… … . That’s a good ability.”
Jiselle nodded. Ascon was listening carefully now, perhaps because he had briefly felt the fear of death.
But I thought that since he was that well-known, I should keep watching him.
After successfully completing the ceremony and banquet, Jiselle returned to her territory in a good mood.
‘Piotte got his commission, he got the relic, he put a leash on Porisko, he got the commander’s position, and his father got promoted… … Hmm, how many things have you done this time?’
I got a big paycheck after a long time. I couldn’t help but feel bad.
When Giselle returned as an earl, the Fenris estate was also in a festive mood. Belinda, Fergus, Gillian, and other close associates of Giselle were the happiest of all.
The knights, soldiers, and people of the fief all congratulated the lord on his victory.
But Claude was so shocked that he couldn’t say anything.
‘What? The Northern Commander-in-Chief? Earl of Fenris? It’s not just our lord who’s crazy, the world is going crazy too. He’s eating all the good stuff himself.’
Claude was convinced that he was the only sane person in this crazy world.
It wasn’t just the Fenris estate that was in an uproar over the news that Jiselle brought.
The northern fortress, which suddenly received a royal envoy, also fell into chaos.
