After that, Yardo and Sesto stayed in the village, making snide remarks all the while. To be honest, I’d rather they returned to the Marquisate, but it seemed they were planning to wait until His Majesty returned.
So, begrudgingly, I made sure to offer the minimum hospitality expected of a guest.
"Van-sama! Yardo-sama wants to know how the water heating system works!"
"Tell him to go on and believe the lie that a fire mage heats the water!"
"Van-sama! Sesto-sama is asking if he could be given some rare ores!"
"Sell them to him at five times the price of what we sell to the Berlango Trading Company."
I responded to their unreasonable demands with as much patience as I could muster. What a kind-hearted younger brother I am. They really don’t deserve it.
Despite my kindness, Yardo and Sesto continued to act arrogantly, making selfish requests. At this point, in Ceat Village, they’d probably face the death penalty for such behavior. However, given that they were my brothers, there was room for some leniency.
Even so, the two of them suddenly quieted down when they heard that His Majesty had arrived in Ceat Village.
"Oh, Van the Baron! It’s been a while!"
"Welcome, Your Majesty. I didn’t expect this to be resolved so quickly."
I exchanged friendly greetings with His Majesty, who had returned in triumph. Behind me, Yardo and Sesto stood like subordinates, standing at attention, but I chose to ignore them.
"Hahaha! I heard, Van the Baron! Yellenetta had tried to pull Shelvia into their schemes from behind, but you and Viscount Panamera managed to drive them back! To think that the Fertio Marquis himself was injured while repelling such a large army, you might even earn more glory than us! Truly, what a hateful guy!"
His Majesty praised me, and I couldn’t help but blush a little at the unexpected compliment. Just as I smiled awkwardly, His Majesty ruffled my hair with a firm hand.
"It’s frustrating, though. I only heard about it right after Yellenetta surrendered and became our vassal under terms! Yellenetta kept this quiet, hiding it like a sly fox! If I had known about the Fertio Marquis’s successful defense and the great victory, I would have negotiated much stricter terms!"
His Majesty’s frustration was evident. But considering the outcome of the war, we had gained more than enough victory.
I decided to voice my question.
"Your Majesty? Yellenetta Kingdom is now a vassal, and Shelvia Federation has become a near-vassal with conditional alliance terms. Isn’t that a sufficient result?"
His Majesty blinked, confused, and then responded, still processing the new information.
"Wait, Shelvia? I was told that Shelvia pulled out—damn that fox…!"
Realizing that I’d just uncovered some new details, His Majesty’s mood shifted, and I couldn’t help but feel he wasn’t pleased by the incomplete news. Perhaps Yellenetta Kingdom hadn’t shared everything honestly.
Curious, I decided to ask.
"Your Majesty, what terms were set for Yellenetta Kingdom when they became a vassal?"
His Majesty raised one eyebrow, clearly intrigued by my question.
"Hmm? The most important condition was that they wouldn’t refuse our request for military cooperation. That was the first condition. After that, we set the monthly tax collection. That part was a bit unfortunate. I ended up setting the tax rate at one-tenth of their income. If I had known about Van the Baron’s involvement, I would have raised it to two-tenths… Well, I’ll make them offer 30% of their royal and noble wealth in addition, so I guess I can tolerate it."
Hearing such a terrifying amount, I couldn’t help but grimace.
Taking away one-tenth of their income was bad enough, and having 30% of their royal and noble wealth forfeited seemed harsh. But if the noble lords in each region didn’t manage it well, it would lead to an incredibly impoverished Yellenetta Kingdom. Though I assumed it was only one-tenth of their net profit, if this was calculated based on their gross income, Yelinetta would quickly become destitute.
Still, I pressed on, my curiosity piqued by another question.
"What about the management of Yellenetta Kingdom?"
"Hmm? You’ve got an interesting eye for things, considering you’re a young lord. Most of the nobles are busy celebrating their victory and talking about how much military merit they’ve gained."
His Majesty, seemingly pleased with my inquiry, laughed before continuing to explain.
"First, we’ll leave the royal family in charge of governance, but we’ll place them under surveillance. Similarly, there will be overseers placed in the various regions. Most likely, I’ll send one person from each family that has gained a lot of military merit. As for the royal family’s oversight, I’ll send my most trusted subordinates."
As His Majesty spoke, I nodded, thinking it made sense. But then, unexpectedly, His Majesty burst into laughter.
"You’re speaking like it’s someone else’s problem, but one of those overseers will definitely be Van the Baron, you know? At the very least, you’ll have to send one overseer and a knightly force capable of protecting them and maintaining order in the region."
"Eh!?"
I couldn’t help but shout in surprise at His Majesty’s unexpected remark.
"No way! We’re already short on people as it is!"
I expressed my honest feelings, and His Majesty burst into laughter.
"You might as well give up! People like Panamera, who don’t have a territory, are hiring mercenaries and sending them as their subordinates, you know?"
"Ugh, can’t we pass on this one? I’d rather send my trusted subordinates to Murcia to help out...," I said, trying to politely decline.
Before I could finish, Yardo and Sesto, who had been silent up until now, suddenly spoke up.
"V-Van...! What are you talking about, this incredible reward and you’re acting like that!? If that’s the case, then as the representative of the Fertio family..."
"Well, Yardo, you’re terrible with tax calculations, so I’d love to handle it myself…"
As Yardo and Sesto leaned forward and started talking, His Majesty’s expression turned ice-cold. He glared at them with such intensity that they immediately fell silent.
"The second son and third son of the Fertio Marquis, huh? Do you think you’ve done anything worthy of merit? Ignoring the strategy and putting your comrades at risk, then fleeing before the enemy… There’s no better example of a useless ally."
His Majesty said with a voice so cold, Sesto’s face went pale, and he looked down. Yardo immediately started protesting.
"Y-Your Majesty! It’s not like that! While my brother did run off, I stayed and fought! It wasn’t according to plan, but the enemy knights were retreating, and if we had broken through, we could’ve split them and changed the tide of battle..."
Yardo desperately tried to explain, but His Majesty’s eyes remained sharp and unwavering.
"Fool. I told you to spread out and surround the enemy while attacking with ballista and magic. How could you charge headlong toward the center with a thousand soldiers? You’ve ruined everything. If you can’t even understand that, you’re not fit for the battlefield."
His Majesty calmly pointed out the mistake, and while it was clear that he had a lot of leeway due to their youth, this mistake could have been disastrous. If His Majesty had been someone like Oda Nobunaga, their heads might have already been on the chopping block.
It was a good thing we won, but had we lost, they would have been blamed as war criminals.
Still, Yardo wouldn’t give up.
"Your Majesty... That’s too much! We used our personal wealth to hire mercenaries because we wanted to be of help! Surely, those who fought in the war deserve at least some recognition, don’t they?"
Hearing Yardo’s words, His Majesty sighed deeply.
"Fine. I’ll grant you a minimal amount of military merit, just for the Fertio Marquis’s sake. Now go back to the Marquisate."
With that, His Majesty dismissed them, and Yardo and Sesto, with tense expressions, only gave a curt bow before leaving.
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