Chapter 37 When Foolish Nobility Lose Both Their Position And Land, They Come To Regret Their Choices
After leaving Leaf Chemist, Arthur and the others arrived at the royal castle of Gater Nyiiga Kingdom.
In the throne room...
"Well, well, if it isn't Arthur-dono and Merlin-dono! It's been a while!"
The man sitting on the throne, the king, stood up as Arthur and his friends entered, and warmly approached them with a smile.
"My, my, look how big you've grown, young Dikeel!"
"You were so small and cute back then, now you're a splendid king. Time flies, doesn't it..."
The two talked with the king frankly.
On one hand, the king seemed embarrassed, bowing his head repeatedly.
...It was strange to see a royal behaving like this.
Orokan understood that to the king, these two were clearly important individuals.
...And at the same time, contemplating what would happen to his own fate afterward.
"..."
Orokan found himself bound by the magic threads Merlin had cast, unable to move.
Sweat trickled down his side, and a bitter taste lingered in his mouth...
As he pondered what would unfold next, a heavy sense of foreboding weighed upon him.
After a moment, the king took his seat upon the throne.
Arthur and the others stood before him, while Orokan knelt in place.
"Now then, Arthur-dono, I have heard your report. Orokan, you were entrusted with the governance of the Votslak territory, yet you abandoned your duties, wielded your authority with tyranny for personal gain, turned a deaf ear to the voices of your subjects, and as a result, endangered our beloved citizens..."
The king fixed Orokan with a steely gaze.
It was so intense that Orokan felt as though he might shrink away involuntarily.
Earlier, there was a friendly look to Arthur, but now there is clear hostility directed towards me.
"Your misdeeds cannot be overlooked. Therefore, Orokan Fahn Votslak, I will strip you of your lordship."
"No... NO WAYYYYYYY!"
Although he expected this, the shock of actually being declared like this was too great.
He can no longer be a lord. He can't enjoy the good things in life. He can't live a comfortable, luxurious life anymore...!
No, no, no, no...!
Orokan is in a difficult situation, desperately trying to think of a way out.
How can he protect his position?
What should he do...?
Meanwhile, Arthur asks the king,
"What will happen to the Votslak territory next?"
"I will quickly find a new lord. However, because it is a dangerous land, the number of people who can be entrusted with it is limited."
"That's it!" Orokan rejoiced. There's no other way...!
"Please allow me to speak, Your Majesty!"
"...What is it? Go ahead."
With a wicked and tenacious grin on his face, Orokan asserted,
"I believe it would be extremely dangerous to remove me from my territory..."
"What? What do you mean?"
It's here! It's here! Orokan saw a glimmer of hope and launched into his argument desperately.
"Just as Your Majesty said! That land is a very perilous place! An ordinary person would easily lose their life there!"
"Hmm... that's true."
"But! I am different! My ancestors, my father, and grandfather, my family has protected that land for generations! Isn't that a fact!?"
"Hmm... Indeed, your grandfather and father did good work. However..."
"But wait! Are you saying I'm incompetent? However, I, Watakushi, have actually been keeping monsters at bay until recently!"
After Orokan took over following his father's death, quite some time had passed.
"If I were truly incapable, why haven't monsters attacked during this time?"
...Upon reflection, there should have been more chaos during the lord's changeover.
However, for a brief period, the territory remained peaceful.
"This is all thanks to my achievements!"
...No, absolutely not.
"How dare you lie so boldly. It was because Leaf-chan had set up protective incense..."
"Did you see that with your own eyes? Yes, Arthur-dono..."
Indeed, Orokan remembered the words he heard from the great merchant Jasmine.
Leaf Chemist secretly set up a magic-repelling incense for the village.
This meant that the villagers didn't notice that Leaf had placed the incense, which was the best evidence!
"If you claim it's Leaf Chemist's achievement, then show us the evidence! What, physical evidence!"
Arthur stammered. That's where it was.
Leaf Chemist had quietly worked for the village elders. It sounds nice to be the unsung hero.
However, accomplishments need to be recognized by people.
Without evidence that he did it, Orokan's claim would be accepted.
"Hahaha! What's wrong? Come on, show me the evidence! Hey, if you don't have it, are you going to challenge me? The territory will be in trouble!"
And then, at that moment.
"No, Orokan. The territory would be more peaceful without you."
"What!? Y-You're... Eileen!"
Eileen, a stunning beauty with dead fish eyes, Orokan's secretary, appeared.
"Long time no see, Master Merlin."
"Master!?"
"Eileen, you've become quite beautiful, haven't you, my apprentice?"
"APPRENTICEEE!?"
With a cold gaze, Eileen looked down at Orokan, who was crawling on the ground like trash.
"Yes, I'm Eileen. She is the one who taught me knowledge and how to survive when I lost my parents and had nowhere to go... my master."
I didn't know... Eileen was...
"S-so, you're a spy... from that village!"
"Being a spy isn't something good. I just stopped the trash coming from the neighboring territory from messing up our beautiful village, that's all."
Yeah, that's right.
Even though Leaf Chemist's magic incense is amazing, it only solves problems from monsters.
With no wisdom or connections to manage the territory, this foolish lord couldn't possibly handle estate management.
In other words, there was a shadow supporting the idiot.
That shadow was Eileen.
"Your Majesty, I've come to present the evidence."
"Evidence...?"
"Yes. These documents prove how incompetent this man is and how unnecessary he is for that land."
When Eileen gave the signal, her trusted subordinates wheeled in a cart.
In that pile of documents, every fact condemning the foolish lord was written.
Eileen took the documents and handed them to the king.
"Over there, it lists the number of monsters defeated or subjugated by Orokan's ancestors and fathers. And... here are Orokan's first year data."
"This... clearly shows a decrease in numbers."
"Yes, it's too much of a drop to just blame it on inexperience, and above all..."
She picks up the next document.
"He has been frequenting the nearby brothel since he took office. These are the records of his carriage and visits to the brothel."
"Ah, ST-STOPPPPPPPPPPPPP!"
Orokan thrash around.
But the curse placed by Merlin has rendered him unable to move.
He can't move at all, even though he's just wrapped up in a thin rope...!
"On the other hand, the number representing the number of monsters has clearly decreased from this time. This matches the period when Leaf started burning incense for the villagers. I got the information from Arthur-sama. It coincides with the day when he completed his training, got his license, and was allowed to enter the forest alone."
What Eileen prepared was evidence of Orokan's wrongdoing.
And it was evidence that Leaf Chemist had been working hard for the village.
"You, you scoundrel...! Trying to trap me...!"
"I'm just telling the truth, accurately. I haven't fabricated anything."
Yes, it's the truth. That Leaf was competent and that Orokan was foolish.
She just told the truth as it was. There's no manipulation involved.
"It's clear now, Orokan. That you... are a liar. And... not worthy of being a noble...!"
"Ah, no... th-this is... this is a mistake... you have to believe me..."
"Do you think I would listen to the words of a lying fool like you!? Guards, seize him!"
The knights lifted Orokan up.
"Not only will you lose your position as lord, but also your noble title!"
"Such...!"
"Furthermore, your personal wealth will be confiscated! In addition, for showing disrespect to the king, you will work as a sl*ve in the mines for the rest of your life!"
"NOOO! NOOO! NOOOOOOOOOO!"
Ugly crying and showing a shameful display, Orokan regretted.
He couldn't believe this had happened.
All because he tried to take advantage of a foolish woman just for her pretty face...
And so, the foolish man Orokan lost everything.
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