< Chapter 59 - The Banquet of Swords >
Chapter 59 – The Feast of Swords
The Duke of Spencer.
One of only five ducal families in the kingdom, a prestigious family with wealth, power, and military power all within the top three.
The Spencer family’s immense power was based on their enormous wealth, their position as the leader of the aristocracy, and their powerful military force that could single-handedly sweep away a small country if necessary.
So where do wealth and power come from?
“First of all, the land is wide.”
And not just that, but enormously.
The Duke of Spencer not only owned half of the Silates Plain, the continent’s greatest granary, but also held the Gigantos Mountains, which bordered the Empire, within his domain.
“You mean he has a lot of money because he’s rich?”
“Well, that’s what it is. Cordelia, do you know why people with large lands become rich?”
Cordelia, who was leaning against the back of the carriage, answered Juder’s question reflexively.
“Because they charge a lot of building tax?”
“No, that’s the building owner’s story. Let’s approach it from a more fantastical… no, a more old-fashioned perspective.”
“Hmm, if the land is large, we can farm a lot… and then we’ll produce a lot of grain, right?”
“That’s about right. One thing to note here is that there are also a lot of people.”
“I see. There are a lot of people paying taxes, right?”
“That’s true, but there’s also an abundance of labor. Farming requires a lot of labor, right?”
“Um… I guess so, maybe.”
Cordelia answered with a hint of uncertainty.
I had never even seen a real rice paddy or field, let alone farming.
“Anyway, the land is vast and there are many people. There is also a granary area and there are several mines here.”
It was literally at a level where there was nothing that wasn’t there.
“Thanks to this, various industries have developed in the Spencer Duchy. Natural commerce has also developed. And when there is no war with the Empire, there is also trade, so there are large trading cities.”
“You mean you took all the good stuff?”
“That’s what it is.”
The source of his immense wealth was his estates, which were among the most prosperous within the kingdom.
So then what is the source of nothingness?
“Checkpoint?”
“That’s true, but this is also because of the location… I don’t know how to say it’s because of the location, but I also don’t know how to say it’s because of the location of the territory.”
The Duchy of Spencer was one of the shields protecting the Argonne Empire from attack.
In particular, since they were in a position to guard the Silates Plain, which was the cause of several wars between the Argon Empire and the Empire, they had to maintain a strong standing army at all times.
“If other nobles were to raise a standing army comparable to that of the Spencer Dukedom, they would be suspicious. They would think they are trying to start a rebellion.”
“But the Duke of Spencer was allowed to maintain such a standing army because of his geographical location?”
“Ah, and in addition to that, there aren’t many nobles who can maintain a standing army of that size in the first place.”
The enormous wealth of the Duchy of Spencer meant that it had a viable standing army.
“Anyway, as expected from such a great and powerful family, their prestige is incredible. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that they are the kings of a small country.”
“That’s why it’s so big.”
“huh?”
“That.”
Cordelia looked out the carriage window, and Uther naturally shifted in his seat.
Right next to Cordelia.
“That. Do you see that?”
Outside the window.
The huge castle seen in the distance.
People call it the Castle of the Red Rose.
In fact, even though I had explained it in detail, the Rose Castle was a very familiar place to both Uther and Cordelia.
‘Because that’s where the raid boss appears.’
It was around the time when the Kingdom of Seilun had roughly fallen and the entire continent was beginning to be engulfed in chaos.
“The Spencer Duke’s true nature is different. The one over there is a villa for interaction with the royal capital… It would be too much to say that it is a second nature.”
“He’s really rich.”
“He’s really rich.”
And there’s a huge possibility that the real rich man has feelings for Cordelia, as well as Uther himself.
‘I guess I can tear it off a lot.’
Everything was just amazing.
Because the Duke of Spencer was a man of honor.
Uther smiled happily, and Cordelia, who guessed his thoughts through his eyes, burst into laughter.
‘Should I call this a life skill?’
Or should I say, it’s really vicious.
‘Either way, it’s our family’s Yuder.’
Cordelia finally finished her thoughts with a smile and looked out the window again.
I took in the sight of the red rose castle growing little by little.
&
“and.”
Cordelia, who saw the Red Rose Castle up close, couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration.
It was not only because the castle was very large and beautiful, but more importantly because of the pleasant smell that wafted out the moment I entered the castle.
“Sniff sniff, is that the scent of roses?”
As Cordelia spoke, her nose twitching, Uther nodded.
“That’s right, I guess the sense of smell wasn’t recreated in the game.”
I only had the impression that it was a castle full of roses, but seeing the strong scent of roses wafting in, I now understand why it is called the Castle of Roses.
“It’s amazing. It’s like I’m at a flower shop.”
Cordelia smiled brightly, closed her eyes, and sniffled again. Uther looked at her and then turned his gaze out the window.
‘As expected, it’s far from being defensive.’
As I felt in the game, the Red Rose Castle was more like a palace than a castle.
The walls were very low, and although aesthetically pleasing, many of the structures were unsuitable as defensive fortresses.
‘If we really have to be specific, they’re probably palaces on the French side.’
Yuder, who was momentarily reminded of the Palace of Versailles, nodded quietly.
Although he had been praising the power of the Spencer Duke’s family to Cordelia, the Kingdom of Cailun was ultimately a monarchy, and the Spencer Duke was a vassal of the Cailun royal family.
It would be absolutely unacceptable to build a battle castle adjacent to the capital and use it as a military base.
“They all came.”
Cordelia spoke at one point, even though her eyes were closed, and just at that moment the carriage stopped.
“Meet Prince Uder Bayer and Princess Cordelia Chase.”
When I got out of the carriage and handed him the invitation, the man who was obviously a butler bowed politely and said:
The place where the carriage had stopped was the entrance to the Castle of the Red Rose, and from here on, I had to ride in the Spencer Duke’s carriage.
“Come this way.”
As we climbed onto the open carriage, the coachman who had been waiting saluted us and began to drive the carriage.
‘He’s really rich.’
‘Even if you’re really rich.’
The Counts of Bayer and Chase were also among the twelve northern houses, so they were not a family that would be greatly disadvantaged anywhere, but the Duke of Spencer was different.
Looking at the vast gardens and grounds within the castle, I was left in awe.
‘And it’s pretty too.’
‘I know.’
After passing through a large and beautiful central garden decorated with colorful roses, the coachman drove the carriage towards the annex located on the right side of the central mansion where the Duke of Spencer resided.
In Yuder’s memory, it was a place with a training ground.
‘There’s no checkpoint here?’
‘Oh, because it’s in the Spencer Duchy.’
Yuder answered with his eyes and turned his gaze straight ahead again.
At the main gate, three servants dressed as butlers, who appeared to be servants of the annex, were seen standing in a respectful posture, having received a call.
“Welcome to Prince Uder Bayer and Princess Cordelia Chase.”
“I will guide you to your accommodations.”
Without even Uder and Cordelia having to do anything, the servants who had received the luggage from the coachman began to take the lead.
‘Wow, the inside is sparkly too.’
Cordelia was born and raised in the Chase Count’s mansion, which was very splendid and beautifully decorated compared to the Bayer Count’s mansion, which was close to the fortress.
But still, I couldn’t help but open my eyes at the sight before me.
Because there was a significant difference between something that was bright and pretty and something that was splendid – no, something that was luxurious.
‘It’s like a palace.’
Unlike Uder, Cordelia had experience attending the founding ceremony and had even visited the royal palace.
Uder nodded and answered with his eyes.
‘Yes, it really is like the Palace of Versailles.’
‘Have you been to the Palace of Versailles?’
‘Just passing by and taking a quick look.’
‘I’m jealous.’
After exchanging pleasantries and eye contact, we soon arrived in front of the guest house.
“This way. There are always servants waiting nearby, so if you need anything, just ring this bell.”
Yuder nodded to the young butler’s explanation and looked around the accommodation.
It was a layout with two bedrooms facing each other with a small living room in between. It seemed like they had assigned me this room considering that I was a minor fiancé.
“Your Majesty, the guests who arrived earlier are enjoying a tea party. Would you like to join us?”
At the butler’s question, Uther looked back at Cordelia, who immediately nodded and used message magic.
[I wonder who will be there.]
Since nobles from all over the country were gathering to participate in the founding anniversary celebration, the number of young promising young men participating in the sword banquet was bound to increase compared to before.
[What if another playable character came?]
Among the playable characters from the Kingdom of Seilun, there was still one, Kaisa Orphand, who belonged to the Seven Southern Clans.
[But Cordelia, doesn’t Caesar use an axe?]
[Now that I think about it, that’s true.]
Caesar Orphan.
The daughter of the Marquis of Orphan, one of the seven southern clans.
Boasting the strongest physical abilities among the 11 playable characters, she prefers large weapons such as halberds and battle axes.
“The sword is so light it feels like a toothpick.”
I like large weapons that can fully display their brute force.
It was a line that perfectly revealed Caesar’s personality. In any case, she was a sailor in a privateer fleet and roamed the seas, so there was no way she would have come to the capital, and even if she had come, she would not have been invited to the sword banquet.
[But Yuder.]
[uh.]
[You’re not a prosecutor either.]
Although he carried the Eastern Samurai sword on his waist, he never drew it except when using his ultimate attack.
Uder shrugged his shoulders at that sharp point that everyone had forgotten about.
[It’s okay, Master, you’re a swordsman too, but you don’t use a sword. So I can also be a swordsman who doesn’t use a sword.]
[Wow, look at what you’re saying.]
[Anyway, let’s start answering slowly. The way they look at us is getting stranger and stranger.]
Cordelia looked back at her servants at Uder’s words and let out an awkward laugh.
To those who didn’t know that they had used message magic, Uther and Cordelia would have only looked like a goosebump-inducing couple who didn’t answer when asked and just kept flirting with each other.
“I will participate.”
“Okay, I’ll guide you.”
As the polite butler began to take the lead, Uther reached out his hand to Cordelia, and Cordelia naturally took Uther’s hand.
A few minutes like that.
As we left the annex and arrived at the garden entrance, we noticed a group of people enjoying a tea party in the center.
And among them there were some very welcome faces.
“Lucas!”
“Miss Cordelia!”
“Lucas!”
“Miss Cordelia!”
As Cordelia ran towards Dodo, Lucas’ eyes widened and he jumped up from his seat. Dodo also ran to stand in front of Cordelia.
“Did Lucas get invited too?”
“Yes, I was invited.”
When Lucas spoke with a big smile, Cordelia immediately opened her arms, and after a moment of hesitation, Lucas gently hugged Cordelia.
And one, two, three.
Yuder, who had so naturally taken the lead behind Lucas, ended the short hug by pulling on Lucas’ clothes.
“Prince Lucas.”
At Yuder’s soft call, Lucas spun around and opened his eyes wide in surprise.
“Prince Yude?”
“You’ve grown a bit, haven’t you?”
Lucas nodded several times at Yuder’s words.
Yuder, who had previously been much smaller than Lucas himself, had grown so much that he was almost at eye level with Lucas – no, he was a little taller than Lucas himself.
“You really amaze me every time I see you.”
“It just so happened.”
As Uther smiled, Cordelia moved closer to Lucas and continued speaking.
“Lucas, Lucas. You didn’t just grow taller?”
At Cordelia’s words, Lucas looked back at Uther, and at some point his eyes widened.
Because it was just as Cordelia said.
‘It’s changed.’
It really wasn’t just that he grew taller.
I don’t know what exactly happened, but it would not be an exaggeration to say that my body itself was completely transformed.
‘It’s as if I was reborn with a body made for fighting.’
That was correct.
After undergoing a complete transformation, he was reborn with a body optimized for martial arts – or more precisely, the Nine Heavenly Swords.
“Something, something big has happened.”
As Lucas spoke with an admiring expression, Yuder slowly nodded.
“Yes, I was lucky. But… Prince Lucas has also changed.”
It wasn’t a greeting.
It wasn’t just Yuder himself who had changed significantly in just a month and a half.
Lucas was also much stronger than before.
“Is the tea… a little strong?”
“Honestly, it costs a lot.”
At Yuder’s words, Lucas blushed in embarrassment, then smiled brightly and said.
“I practiced hard.”
“A little bit?”
“Actually, quite a lot.”
“So that the soles of your feet sweat?”
Lucas nodded as Cordelia, who had been listening from the side, playfully interjected.
“Yes, honestly, I practiced so hard that I thought I might die. My father was also very motivated.”
As Lucas’ face lit up with confidence and pride, smiles spread across Cordelia and Uther’s faces as well.
I was worried that he might lose heart during the last duel, but he overcame it well and seemed to have used it as a driving force for growth.
“Awesome. Our Lucas is awesome. My sister compliments him a lot.”
“Haha, thank you.”
When Lucas answered with a shy smile, Cordelia became even more excited and tried to pat Lucas on the head while standing on tiptoe, but Uther quickly reached out and stopped her.
‘why?’
At Cordelia’s gaze, Uther nodded to the other boys and girls gathered at the tea party, and Cordelia flinched and hid the hand she was about to raise behind her back, pretending not to know.
‘hmm.’
Yuder, who had prevented unnecessary skinship and an embarrassing situation for Lucas and Cordelia, looked back at Lucas with a satisfied face and said.
“Prince Lucas, may I ask you to introduce yourself to the others?”
“Oh, of course. I was so happy to meet you two that I forgot for a moment.”
Lucas answered right away and led Uther and Cordelia to the center of the garden where the tea party was taking place.
< Chapter 59 - The Feast of Swords > End
