Chapter 18
Chapter 18
The Emperor hesitated to acknowledge the succession, and close relatives rushed in with swords and spears.
Vassals also joined in.
Louis still felt sick when he thought about that time.
Adrian resolutely suppressed that chaos.
The opponent's struggles and calculations all felt like a simple game on Adrian's chessboard.
It was enough to make the people watching from the side shudder.
When he annihilated the people in the valley with a fire attack, even the well-trained Jet-Black Knights members were disgusted.
Fortunately, the epidemic ended around that time, and the reputation of the new Duke among the territory's residents was not bad.
"You really went through a lot."
Suddenly, rolling around with Tae Yang felt like nothing.
'No wonder the whole territory feels poor. Our Dukedom is poor.'
"Still, it's good that we're all alive. If we were dead, we wouldn't even be able to complain like this."
Kirill said, exhaling pipe smoke. If the terrace window hadn't been wide open, the room would have been filled with smoke.
Jin grumbled.
"The most annoying thing was when the Imperial Family dragged their feet on approving the succession."
Thinking about it now, it seems they just wanted to end The Roubaenue Dukedom.
Or put a dog collar on it.
If Adrian hadn't been so outstanding, it would have happened.
"No, is it our fault that the land has shrunk?"
Nina jumped up.
"Wait, the land has shrunk? How can the land shrink?"
Did a flood happen in the meantime and change the terrain?
Jin made a sullen face.
"It seems the previous Duke lent out the land."
"Huh?"
What are you talking about?
Seeing Nina's expression, Louis explained.
"You know about the Exchange Tournament, right?"
"Yes, the one where they fight over that well all the time. I heard it keeps getting broken."
Nina said with a snort, and Louis nodded.
"It's an extension of that. So, the winner of the Exchange Tournament received the right to use the land."
Nina's mouth dropped open.
"So, you're saying you bet the right to use the land on the Exchange Tournament that keeps getting broken, and you lost that right?"
"Yes, of course, we had rematches every time the Exchange Tournament was held, but..."
Louis gave a strange smile. Nina rubbed her forehead.
"You lost."
"That's right."
"No, why bet the land? How much did you bet?"
"One-third of the Dukedom."
Nina shuddered at Adrian's answer.
In the Ebensel Empire, titles are attached to fiefs. Now that the wars of conquest have stopped and Territory War are rare, there are nobles without fiefs, but the situation was different for traditional great nobles.
Is a Duke whose land has shrunk still a Duke?
Louis pointed out another problem.
"That's not the problem."
"If this isn't the problem, then what is?"
"If they occupy that land for 10 years, ownership will be transferred to them."
"Huh?"
"There's such a contract clause."
"10 years? Wait, how long until it's been 10 years? How long have you been doing that stupid thing?"
"It's been 8 years this year."
Nina had a blank look on her face, then let out a sigh of relief.
"That's a relief. It hasn't been 10 years yet. Then we can just take it back."
Jin couldn't help but laugh at Nina's refreshing voice.
"You're talking like it's an easy problem."
"Just win. It's easy."
Nina said and then slumped back down. She muttered with a completely relaxed look.
"Why did you bet the land in the first place?"
"We owed Count Lava a debt. If we won, they agreed to write off part of the debt."
At Louis's words, Nina thought blankly.
'Ah, I see. If you inherit an estate, you also inherit the debt.'
So, we're already poor, and we have debt too?
"Anyway, everyone around us is just barking and not helping. We're like complete villains."
Kirill shrugged at Jin's grumbling.
"We're villains in their eyes. A bastard who rolled in and his gang killed the Duke's family and took the title."
Nina frowned.
"They died of an epidemic."
"The Duchess spread such rumors to undermine His Excellency's succession."
At Louis's words, Nina frowned, saying, "How unlucky," and then said, "Well."
"It's good to be a villain. We can't be the main characters anyway, so let's just be villains."
"Hey, why can't we be the main characters? We can do it."
Louis nodded at Jin's words. Kirill raised his glass and started, "For the villainous main characters," and everyone cheered.
\ \ *
Nina, who was drunk, collapsed and lay down, using Adrian's thigh as a pillow. Her silver hair flowed down and pooled on the floor.
"Already lying down? Didn't you just drink a glass of wine?"
Nina protested at Jin's scolding.
"Being drunk is being drunk."
Adrian carefully swept her hair up and placed it on the sofa.
"Ah, feels good."
Nina settled in comfortably, as if she were using a real pillow.
She said in a leisurely tone.
"Young Master, do you remember my grand dream of a vegetable garden that I mentioned before?"
"Of course."
"Let's start that vegetable garden again. It's not too late now."
Suddenly, Kirill laughed loudly at Nina's words.
"Let's talk about that vegetable garden dream or whatever tomorrow."
"Huh? What? Are you already growing it? What is it? Is the vegetable garden well preserved?"
Suddenly, hope sprouted.
Kirill smirked and said, with a pipe in his mouth, at Nina's barrage of questions.
"Tomorrow."
"Okay."
I don't have the energy to do anything more today anyway.
"Then there won't be any problems. Ah, no. We have to raise our Knights. Bad people will gather if we make a lot of money... And we have to get that land back too..."
Her drunken voice gradually faded, and Nina yawned loudly.
"Then we should appoint Nina as the new Knights Commander."
Adrian said in a casual voice.
"Ah, really? Let's do that. Huh?"
Nina blinked.
"Me?!"
Suddenly, she felt like she was sobering up. Nina jumped up. Adrian leaned back to avoid her head hitting his chin.
"Me? Commander?"
"Yes, I can't be the Commander forever."
"Then there's the Vice-Commander, right?"
Louis smiled brightly.
"I think I'm more suited to being a civil official. I'll gladly give it up."
"Then what about Jin?!"
"You can do such troublesome things, right? If you really want, I'll be the Vice-Commander."
Jin raised his chin, boasting that he could do that much.
"No way."
"There's no one else to entrust it to but you. And you said you learned swordsmanship from the Spirit of the Sun. If you have the skills, you should use them. Besides, the position of Knights Commander can't be left vacant for long."
Suitable.
Nina is the most suitable.
Adrian, who had made that judgment, patted her head.
"It's okay. Nina can do well."
"Ugh..."
She leaned forward.
"I understand for now. For now."
Nina shook her head.
"Then let's toast to the new Knights Commander."
Louis raised his glass, and Nina stealthily found her own glass.
