Fun Territory Defense of the Easy-Going Lord – Chapter 50

9-11 minutes

 

[PoV Panamera] Let’s be flashy

After a month and a half on the road, I visited the Royal Capital for the first time in a long time.

Being a family of knights for generations, I was born in the Royal Capital. However, as soon as my aptitude for the Four-Elemental-Magic was discovered, I received an invitation and was handed over to the Count Ferdinand estate, where the conditions were most favorable.

I left home for eight years. After being trained to death and studying while losing sleep, I became a platoon leader.

My first battle was against a bandit group. I burned most of the bandits there.

In the domain of Count Ferdinand, each deputy and landowner below the rank of viscount had to form a company of knights, and when the time came, they had to smash their opponents under the leadership of the Count’s knights.

I was a member of the Counts’ Order.

After a couple of successful battles, I participated in the battle against the Kingdom of Jiernetta, where the small unit I led performed at its best.

As a result, I became a nobleman.

Six years later, I was promoted again to the rank of viscount, and so I have been met twice by His Majesty at the royal castle.

On those occasions, His Majesty was so pleased with my achievements that he offered to help me if I would be willing to join the Imperial Knights, the largest and strongest knight corps in the kingdom.

At the time, I had the impression that His Majesty’s preference was for military prowess.

So, first, I decided to request an audience with His Majesty with a symbol of military prowess in my hand, the dragon’s material.

I was told that the earliest I could get an audience was the next day, but when I told him that I had defeated the Green Forest Dragon, I was granted an audience just two hours later. Someone else had to wait until the next day, but that couldn’t be helped.

“This way.”

The knight said and walked in front of us. I have my men and Rango waiting outside, but I’m sure the city by now was already in an uproar.

Laughing to myself at this thought, I walked down the unnecessarily wide and luxurious corridor under the knight’s guidance to the audience chamber.

I was led to a double door made of Mithril and gold and silver, which I hesitated to even touch. In addition to the beauty of the decoration, the doors themselves were large and powerful due to the high ceiling.

“Do you have any problem regarding the etiquette of an audience?”

“No. This is my third time.”

The knight pulled back his chin and placed his hand on the door.

“Sorry for the inconvenience. Now, then, to the audience chamber.”

As the knight said this, he lightly pounded on the door with his fist. The door was then opened from the inside with a heavy thud.

The high ceiling, the pillars and knights lined up in regular order. Huge chandeliers and Magic Ore Lamps. The floor was covered with the thick fur of the Red Evil Tiger.

The royalty and nobility of a small country would probably shrink just by stepping into this audience hall.

Stepping on the fur of the giant tiger, which is said to rival that of a dragon, I made my way through the audience chamber. It feels good to walk with all the knights’ eyes on me, but it was no fun to be forced to kneel at a distance of fifty meters from His Majesty.

Dino En Zola Berlinate, the majestic king, was leaning on a large chair made of dragon bones and fangs, Mithril and Vermilion Tiger. When he became king at 16, he accomplished a great military reform in just 20 years and became far more powerful than his predecessors.

It was because of the employment of officers who focused on competence. For commanders, to prevent betrayal and normalize the chain of command, there was no choice but to use the bloodlines of the nobles.

Therefore, all officers below the rank of lieutenant should be veteran warriors. This was his Majesty’s idea of military reform.

This reform took time, effort, and a lot of blood.

Until now, it was a given that if you were born into a noble family, you would be a deputy or an officer of a knighthood. That is why the bonkers had been leading the army in an incompetent manner.

However, thanks to this reform, many sons of noble families lost their jobs. The nobles were strongly opposed to the reform, although the fact that there were so many incompetent people was also a factor.

At that time, His Majesty secretly selected the families that would be favored in the future and those that would be downsized, and those that were cooperative and specialized in military affairs made a great leap forward.

It was at that time that the Fertio House was promoted to the rank of Marquis. On the surface, it was a military victory in a major battle, but in reality, it was a promotion for the future.

On the other hand, when the Count Ferdinand House learned that its two sons were to be relieved of their ranks as officers, the Count Ferdinand House did nothing, and although he was not demoted, his lands were reduced in size.

To secure his own position, the count petitioned that I, a mere knight, be given the status of a noble.

His Majesty liked this proposal very much, and I was raised to the rank of viscount with unprecedented speed.

Considering this, it could be said that His Majesty tends to favor those whom he has given titles to.

Therefore, I advised His Majesty.

“Thank you very much for granting me an audience. I have come to ask you to grant a certain person a title.”

Normally, I would have received a word or two of greeting and a few words from His Majesty, followed by a discussion of the content of the audience. However, I dared to go straight to the point.

To this, the Imperial Knights and court magicians looked grim-faced, while the elderly Prime Minister standing by His Majesty’s side raised one eyebrow in amusement.

Then, His Majesty tilted his head curiously.

“…I thought you had come to petition for your own elevation to the rank of upper nobility after your new military achievements, but you want someone else to be given the title?”

His Majesty asked in a low voice. Obviously, this was the least enthusiastic he had ever been. Perhaps he was wary that I might start to move in the interest of power and position.

Before I could answer, the Prime Minister interrupted. Normally, I would not have interrupted before answering His Majesty’s question, but the Prime Minister, who was an old acquaintance of His Majesty, was renowned for his unconventional character.

“…I don’t see the face of the person to bestow this reward…?”

The Prime Minister said something like that. I smiled and continued.

“He is a lord who guards a frontier at the edge of the kingdom. He guards a remote village where not even a deputy could be dispatched, so he could not come to this Royal Capital.”

When I told him this, His Majesty raised his eyebrows.

“…A remote village? Why would such a Feudal Lord be promoted to nobility?”

“Because of his great achievements and his potential, which even that seems to be overshadowed.”

The Imperial Knights made a slight commotion when I answered immediately. The Prime Minister looked at His Majesty with his hand on his chin.

His Majesty just nodded quietly and spoke.

“…Oh. If you, who are renowned for your military prowess, are the one to recommend him, then I suppose this is a promising story. But in a remote village where neither knights nor guards could be deployed, how did this man achieve such military prowess? I am curious, but more than that, I have my doubts.”

In response to His Majesty’s question, I erase my smile, look straight back into His Majesty’s eyes, and answer.

“They killed dragons.”

The moment I announced this, the place became noisier than it would have been during an audience. No, in any other place, there would have been even greater turmoil.

The Prime Minister’s eyes widened slightly, and he opened his mouth.

“My God, a dragon slayer…if that is true, it is indeed brilliant. Don’t tell me that the lord of the frontier village is a four-element magician who grew up in that village?”

I shake my head from side to side at his words.

“No. He is a person who was treated coldly by his family and driven out because of his aptitude for production-based magic, which is considered unusable. However, he has continued to perform spectacularly.”

“Such a person could defeat a dragon…?”

As the Prime Minister tilted his head, His Majesty, who seemed to be growing impatient, raised himself from his back and opened his mouth.

“Who is that?”

“He is Van Nei Fertio, son of the Marquess of Fertio, the hero who defeated a dragon, not yet even 10 years old.”

At my words, everyone in the audience chamber gasped.