chapter 14
But the people were already staring at Cassel with shining eyes.
After hesitating over what to say, Cassel finally opened his mouth with an uneasy expression.
“The subjugation of the monsters that… ambushed the western region has been successfully completed. There were no casualties, and all the monster gates that appeared across the territories have been closed…”
“Haha, Sir Elvience.”
But the Emperor laughed heartily and patted Cassel on the shoulder.
“That’s not what I asked for, is it?”
“…Pardon?”
When Cassel blinked in confusion, the Emperor leaned in and whispered something to him.
By the time the Emperor straightened again, Cassel’s eyes were visibly shaken.
Yet the Emperor only smiled kindly and gestured toward the crowd.
“Go on.”
Slowly lifting his head, Cassel clenched his fist beneath his uniform.
“Effenterion, here and now… vows to continue to devote its life to fighting for the Retinoa Imperial Family and the Empire.”
“Well done, Sir Elvience. It is truly reassuring to have such loyal nephew and subjects safeguarding my empire.”
Only then did the Emperor raise his glass in satisfaction.
Pale-faced, Cassel could only step down from the stage after offering a toast to the crowd.
But the real trouble began when those who had been waiting for this moment surrounded him.
“This is absurd, Cassel Elvience!”
As the orchestra resumed playing, an angry voice rang across the banquet hall.
Cassel, who had been trying to leave as quickly as possible, turned around in surprise.
“…Were you just calling me?”
“Yes, you!”
A man stepped right in front of him and grabbed his shoulder tightly.
“I hear that while dealing with the monsters, the Knights of Effenterion completely devastated the western territories. How do you plan to compensate for this damage?”
“…What? Compensation?”
Cassel’s eyes widened.
It was Marquis Langard, the leader of the Western Nobles’ Alliance, glaring at him.
The tense atmosphere drew everyone’s attention.
“We’ve received reports that the crops—just before harvest—have all been ruined due to the miasma released by dying monsters!”
As if rehearsed, the western nobles behind him began speaking one after another.
“Because of this, our people will starve!”
“In my territory, even the only river has dried up!”
“Our entire forest has rotted away!”
Cassel was dumbfounded.
Even at a glance, the scale of the damage they described was enormous.
And they expect us to compensate all of that?
Quickly calculating the supposed costs in his head, Cassel threw up his hands.
“Wait—so you’re saying Effenterion must compensate all of this damage?!”
As if pleased that he finally understood, Marquis Langard twisted his lips into a smile.
“Exactly.”
“What nonsense!”
Cassel shot the western nobles a disbelieving glare.
When monsters approach death, they emit miasma. That miasma not only corrupts nature but also harms the monsters themselves—their flesh rots, their bones melt.
Until recently, there had been no proper countermeasure against it.
But after the current Grand Duke took up the sword, the North began serious research into monsters.
From facilities established by his lord, they discovered the monsters’ weaknesses—and incorporated them into their tactics.
The Knights of Effenterion now killed monsters before they could release miasma.
As a result, monster territories were no longer contaminated, and the North had become safer than ever.
Which meant—
The damage claimed by the western nobles was grossly exaggerated.
“This is ridiculous… Have you all lost your minds over money? Did you even verify these claims? As far as I know, you’ve all been staying in the capital the entire time—”
“So you’re saying we’re making this up for money?”
“Because that’s exactly what you’re doing!”
The Grand Duchy of Effenterion was wealthy.
Monsters killed without releasing miasma were verified by the Grand Temple and distributed to other nations.
Their hides and bones were far larger and sturdier than ordinary animals, making them highly valuable.
The western nobles clearly knew this—and intended to squeeze a fortune out of Effenterion.
But Cassel showed no sign of yielding.
With a cold expression, Marquis Langard let out a sigh.
“I expected as much. But listen carefully, Cassel Elvience—if Effenterion ignores our protest, we will proceed with a lawsuit.”
“A lawsuit? Even if there were damages, this happened while carrying out His Majesty’s orders, so naturally the responsibility lies with the imperial—”
“Are you trying to shift the blame onto His Majesty? Strictly speaking, you are knights of the Grand Duchy—not the Imperial Household!”
The moment the Emperor was brought into it, Cassel’s face turned pale.
Their argument was clearly absurd, yet by drawing strict lines of affiliation, they left no legal loophole.
And the western nobles—including the Marquis—were firmly aligned with the Emperor.
Judging by how prepared they were, there seemed to be no easy escape.
Wait… does that mean His Majesty planned this from the beginning?
Cassel clenched his teeth in frustration.
I knew something felt off… was this his intention all along?
If only the Grand Duke were here—he would’ve punched those smug faces without hesitation.
Why did it have to be now… when he was alone?
Just then—
“My, my. I’ve never seen such a noisy banquet before.”
With a clear voice, someone stepped between Marquis Langard and Cassel.
“W-What?”
The Marquis turned, startled.
The woman who met his gaze smiled brightly.
“This is supposed to be a welcoming banquet for His Highness the Grand Duke of Effenterion. Do you really think it’s appropriate to grab his representative by the collar in front of everyone?”
“What? When did I grab—ugh!”
As he tried to protest, the woman lightly tapped the back of his hand with her fan.
Startled, he let go of Cassel’s shoulder.
“Lady! What is the meaning of this—!”
Cassel, equally shocked, widened his eyes.
Why is she here…?
He recognized that face immediately.
A woman with shining silver hair and beautiful violet eyes.
“Nice to meet you, Sir Elvience.”
The woman wearing a bizarre flower hat—
The infamous villainess who had long targeted his lord—
Airel Blandiche.
“A representative deserves proper respect. Or am I mistaken about imperial law?”
I nudged Cassel back slightly with the tip of my fan and stepped in front of Marquis Langard.
He seemed flustered by my mention of the law, his face reddening.
“What? Respect? Law? Hah! Those are hardly words that suit Lady Blandiche. If you want to play childish games, go do it with people your own age—!”
Though angry, he lowered his voice, conscious of the watching crowd.
I scoffed inwardly.
“That’s exactly why I’m here. To mingle with someone my age.”
I winked slightly at Cassel.
He looked utterly horrified and quickly avoided my gaze.
“That’s not what I meant! I warn you—don’t meddle in matters you don’t understand and embarrass yourself. If you leave now, I’ll overlook this as the mistake of a young lady!”
“Excuse me? The one who should be worried about embarrassment is you, Marquis. The Knights of Effenterion saved the West—shouldn’t you be thanking them instead of making such absurd claims?”
Feigning innocence, I waved my fan and glanced over the nobles standing behind him.
Why was I stepping in, despite wanting to avoid attention?
‘Well, obviously to make Lishid grateful—’
…No, not really.
The truth was, I hadn’t even known this would happen today.
Since the original story followed Seria’s perspective, today’s banquet focused on her debut in high society as a newly appointed saint.
‘So yeah… this caught me completely off guard.’
In the original story, Effenterion was forced to pay an enormous amount in damages to the western nobles.
“Your Grace… we’re bankrupt now…!”
That had been Cassel’s very first line upon meeting Lishid.
Which says it all.
Apparently, the western nobles had threatened him—offering to drop the lawsuit if Effenterion paid half the damages.
