59 – Paving Stone for God’s Hand (5)

The funeral service of His Majesty the Emperor is more magnificent, solemn and splendid than any other event.

In Elysium Cathedral, which is used for worship, a silk banner with a width of more than 3 meters with the crest of all nobles of counts or higher participating in the funeral service is hung, and gorgeous carriages of all nobles with titles of baron or higher are lined up.

Next to the carriage, the guards escorting the nobles march slowly, wearing cloaks and silver armor engraved with the crests of their families in gold and silver threads. It is said to be the same.

However, to me, who is just a ‘baron’ in that beautiful procession, this event is just a crazy, boring event.

No, it’s good to show the dignity of a nobleman, but that doesn’t mean the nobles have to ride in a carriage and line up to enter…

So I confided this pain to Ella, who sat quietly in front of me.

“Ella, this is so boring… How long do I have to stay like this?”

“If you wait a little longer, you will be able to leave. master…”

“Is that so?”

And I looked out the window of the wagon to see how long it was until I got in, but…

A number of carriages were still making their way to the entrance of the cathedral in a queue.

I’d rather be outside in the Baltic, because the days are cool, so it won’t be hot even if I’m wearing armor…

But, there’s no use in staring blankly at the window like this.

I just have to think about how to appropriately fight Schwein, openly announce the cause of killing that son, and cut off the master-servant relationship.

**

“His Majesty the great and majestic Croni von Elaine XIII of the Elaine Empire is now a god, and comes to the side of the god. Great Deus, the nobles who serve him gather here with one heart and one mind to honor his virtues and his magnificence… Please atone for his sins so that he can go to heaven… ”

Despite reciting the ‘prearranged lines’ that continued, sobs began to be heard from the seats of several great nobles.

“Hey, Your Majesty… Why are you leaving us behind already?”

“Your Majesty, it was your empire. We were together…”

“Didn’t you say you would name my grandson when he was born, but why are you leaving already…”

On the other hand, in the seats where barons and viscounts like me were seated, constructive discussions for ‘the future’ continued with the person sitting next to them rather than those who focused on the ‘funeral’.

“Hey, Baron Rantell, who is your lord, the Marquis of Brunch Habha, going to miss?”

“No one knows that except Marquis Hapha. Baron Watson, whom do you think your lord will miss?”

“His Highness, our duke, is thinking of enlisting the second prince. If the brunch marquis Hapha… has an idea…”

No matter how boring and meaningless the funeral of His Majesty the Emperor, whom we only know by name, looks like from the point of view of lower nobles like us…

At the very least, shouldn’t nobles who have sworn allegiance refrain from ‘talking’ and pretend to listen?

As I sat there quietly waiting for the funeral service to end, I didn’t know, but anyway, one of the barons sitting next to me poked me in the side and started talking to me.

“Baron Creutel. Who is your lord, His Excellency the Count of Nantes, going to miss?”

After all, if I usurp the title of count of Nantes, I’m someone who can be ignored…

You could just be honest about it.

“Since I only live in the countryside, I don’t know much about nobles in other provinces. So, by any chance… who are you?”

“I am Clark von Aslan, Lord of Baron Aslan. He is enshrining Hapha, the Marquis of Silver.”

“Is that so…? Judging from the fact that you ask me who you are planning to push, it seems that you already have a ‘heir to the emperor’.”

When I said that, Baron Aslan next to me spoke into my ear in a very quiet, inaudible voice.

“We plan to push the First Prince. Although, His Highness the First Prince is also a bastard… isn’t he still the First Prince? So, you, too, should convince His Excellency, Count of Nantes…”

Since everyone seems to be implicitly tolerating ‘this kind of small talk’, should we listen to the condition that this has happened?

Through this, you might be able to find out what other nobles think of the Count of Nantes.

“Then, tell me the price to pay to the Count of Nantes so that I can persuade him.”

“Okay, the Marquis of Silver promised the Count of Nantes the post of Minister of Finance and 10,000 gold coins if he wins the War of Succession.”

No matter how much it is, to the Count of Nantes, who boasts economic power at the level of a duchy, in return for participating in the succession to the throne, it is neither a ‘territory’ nor a ‘marriage alliance’, but only the position of finance minister and 10,000 gold coins…

How much crap do you think you can make such a proposal…

“There’s no way I can convince you that much, can I? Even those with a little more power among the barons who became independent with their stupid words won’t accept that condition.”

“Ugh… good. I will marry the youngest daughter of the Silver Marquis Hapha to His Excellency, Countess of Nantes.”

“The Marquis of Silver said that…”

“Even if I look like this, I am one of Hap-ha’s entourages. I can easily convince you of this…”

Do you believe what I said? If you believe me, you’re an idiot…

So I had nothing to do, and I had to be caught up in this funeral service for the next few hours, so I matched this uncle’s words appropriately in order to check his reputation before subjugating the ‘Count of Nantes’.

And after a while, I finally heard the words of the cardinal announcing the end of the funeral service.

“I will finish the funeral service for the emperor who passed away above.”

With these words, the royal family, duke, marquis, and count in the front quickly began to leave the cathedral in order.

**

And after waiting for a while, it was finally the barons’ turn to leave, and they went out of the cathedral.

Ha, how many hours of outdoor air… I think I’ll live a little longer.

Now, after exposing Schwein’s foolish foolishness in a gathering of people, and ending the relationship between master and servant…

Now we can declare war, but where is the Count of Nantes?

I looked around in search of Schwein, and after a while I was able to find Schwein.

A huge body that looks over 100 kilos, even high-heeled shoes to make a short stature look a little taller…

Others didn’t wear high-heeled shoes because it was a funeral, but that man…

However, Ella’s voice came from near Schwein.

“Your Excellency, Count of Nantes, have you not seen Your Excellency, Baron Creutel?”

To that, Schwein replied in a displeased voice.

“Croitel… will be out soon. But why are you waiting for Ciel here?”

“The location where the baron’s carriage stopped has changed, so I came to meet you to guide you there.”

“I see… But I mean…”

Schwein looked at Ella as if licking her from top to bottom and said.

“There is a place to come out, and a place to go in. Her face is one of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen… well…”

As if Ella knew what to say next, she looked at Schwein with a terrified face and said,

“Ella belongs to the Countess of Creutel… so she cannot belong to the Countess…”

“No matter how noble he is, he is only a baron and I am a count. Besides, I’m his master… So don’t worry, Ella. If you give Ciel a proper reward, it will be resolved.”

…. is he crazy? No, why are you sitting there doing that in front of everyone else?

No, even if you do something like that, is it a human being to try to take a woman who has an owner by force?

So I started running to defend Ella from the Schweiner, despite the need to keep my dignity, because people were watching.

And Schwein thought Ella was almost over, and just as he was about to put his hand on her chest, I stepped between Schwein and Ella and blocked his hand.

As if Ella was relieved by my presence, she shed tears as she clung to my back.

Schwein also started to get angry when he saw me, probably because he was annoyed at having his ‘handjob’ interrupted.

“Ciel von Kreuttel, Ella is too much for you. So, pass Ella as I will give you another woman. This is my lord’s order.”

Even though this isn’t even a fantasy Europe with great absolute monarchy or an aristocratic class society, how much has that nobleman rotted in just one year?

Although I gave some support for ‘money, goods, and a bit of errands’ to the two maids who deliberately entered as concubines to make their heads rot…

Even so, even if only 0.01% of common sense is contained, it is not possible to take away the vassal maid with whom the bilateral contractual relationship is maintained by ‘order’…

That madman actually does it, no way.

If anything, I was going to win a match here by ‘severing the master-servant relationship and fair war’, but now that it’s like this, it’s okay to start with a few defeats with all the resentment so far.

Because the action that Count Schwein of Nantes was trying to do to Ella had already crossed the line that he shouldn’t have done as a human being.

However, no matter how much that child is human trash, he cannot be sold without canceling the ‘contract’.

So I got down on one knee, bowed my head, and said, ‘to reap the oath of allegiance’ one last time, to gain momentum to beat that bastard.

“Your Excellency, Count of Nantes. You are my lord I am about to take my oath of allegiance now.”

Upon hearing that, Schwein, as if not expecting such a situation, began to look at me with a shocked expression.

Instead of leaving him alone, I spoke to him with exaggerated gestures and a loud voice as if to appeal to the audience in order to continue driving him.

“You are not breaking a centuries-old oath of allegiance because you showed incompetence in your indulgence in women and alcohol. Your Excellency did not help when I was declared war by the Barons of Santoburg and the Celts, which happened after I inherited the title. Rather, when I defeated them with God’s blessing, they confiscated 3,000 gold coins for the absurd reason of signing a peace treaty.”

As if Schwein had no grounds to refute my words, he began to spit out what he thought without going through a filter.

“That, that!! Isn’t it because you signed a peace treaty on your own?! And you repelled it well even without my protection. Rather, 3,000 gold coins is considered a merciful treatment.”

“Not only that, but when fighting Count Helsmann, he said that he would stand at the vanguard of the lance charge, but he got scared and ran away from the vanguard. Many of your loyal knights have died because of that. Aren’t you ashamed?!”

This kind of ‘revocation of a romantic oath of allegiance’ is like playing with fire, a fun game for those who have nothing to do with the Countess of Nantes.

So, applause and applause started pouring down on me, who is on the side of justice.

“I’d rather be a wandering knight than to serve such rubbish!!”

“No, kill that scum!! As an aristocrat, as a count, there is only death for those who break their oath!!”

“Ciel von Kreuttel!!!”

Backed by such shouts, I no longer paid respect to him in the sense of ending the master-servant contract, but proudly met his eyes.

“So, now I declare that I, Ciel von Kreuttel, am a nobleman with the same title as you, serving His Majesty King Elaine! And, Schwein von Nantes!!”

Before he even had time to come to his senses, I took off the glove I was wearing on my left hand, threw it in his face, and said,

“How dare you touch someone else’s woman right after His Majesty’s funeral service!! Is that what people do!! Therefore, I now challenge you to a duel!!! All audience members here, please bear witness to me!!!”

To those words, everyone responded with applause.

After a while, I reached out my right hand and slapped Schwein on the cheek.

Next I kicked him hard in the stomach with my left cheek, and this time with my right foot.

A sullen Schwein got up and tried to counterattack me with both hands high, trying to grab my shoulders, but I kicked him as hard as I could into his right hip with my left shinbone.

Then Schwein crashed and flew to the left, and it seemed that he couldn’t come to his senses properly.

I sat on his stomach and punched him in the face to break his jaw.

As a result, Schwein had nosebleeds, and his face was swollen with bruises, making him look like a blowfish.

Then, I wrapped my right arm around the trembling Ella’s left shoulder, then turned around and said:

“Schwein von Nantes, war! I will personally inform you by letter about the time of war, so lie down there and sleep!”

Whoa… I’m in a good mood today, maybe it’s because I beat that fucking pig with my bare hands…