214. The Elector of Ribue, Erbe de Carvellier (3)
* * *
Enduring the uneasy atmosphere among his vassals, Duke Erbe sat in his seat, gazing at Kirhas with hazy eyes. They stared at each other in silence for a long time.
This was a political dud. Duke Erbe had sent a blatant request for support.
He was confident that Kirhas would respond. After all, the etiquette she had mastered was that of the palace.
Yet, as Kirhas showed no gesture, the tension in the air grew thicker.
And as always, a sovereign’s discomfort is felt more acutely by their subjects, especially by the politically astute nobles who were on high alert.
At this moment, the nobles who stepped forward were the Nobles of the Law, interested in Duke Erbe’s title. These were fools with no territorial base or military force, dreaming of striking it rich through a romance with the Duke’s daughter.
“Ahem. Say something!”
“Indeed! What insolence! His Majesty is the sovereign of Ribue, the great Elector of the Empire, and commands the loyalty of thousands of knights! No matter how renowned you’ve become recently, such a private audience is unacceptable!”
Kirhas glanced at them with weary eyes, then turned back to the Duke as if they weren’t worth her attention.
“Speak, Duke. What do you think of your servants’ words? Are you saying you have no military forces despite commanding the loyalty of thousands of knights? Did the Duke lie, or did your servant falsely report?”
Are you insulting me with lies, or are you so incompetent that you can’t even control your own servants? Kirhas’s words were the closest thing to an insult one could make in a diplomatic setting.
At Kirhas’s words, the Nobles of the Law raised their voices in outrage. Insolent! Arrogant! Banish this lowly Beastman from the palace at once! Such exclamations swept through the meeting hall.
Amidst this, those who remained silent were divided into nobles who sighed deeply and those who sneered.
These were the loyalists and the rebels. The loyalists were dismayed by the nobles’ disgraceful behavior in front of a foreign sovereign, while the rebels showed their feelings towards an incompetent Duke who couldn’t even control his subjects’ emotions.
Fernandez, under his hood, was memorizing their faces.
‘Frontier nobles and knights.’
-Surprisingly, the knights’ loyalty is quite strong?
‘No need to be surprised. That’s evidence. Evidence that the Duke is not an incompetent fool.’
A weak and feeble king would never command the loyalty of a military force. No matter how institutionalized, those with power are instinctively drawn to the strong, a sense sharper than that of frontier nobles.
Thus, the loyalty shown by the Greatsword Nobles, knights by origin, rather proved the Duke’s competence. Fernandez watched the Duke sigh with sunken eyes.
Duke Erbe slowly opened his mouth.
“I have nothing to say.”
“Then the meeting is over. Enjoy the refreshments, Duke. I hope to see you next time in Kadaras. I’d gladly invite you for a drink. You must be under a lot of stress.”
Kirhas chuckled and stood up. It was a clear provocation and a clear mockery aimed at the shouting Nobles of the Law. She didn’t hide her smile as she scanned the nobles, who were seething with anger.
“You, you, lowly and vulgar dogs of the wasteland, how dare you!!”
-Bang!
A noble stepped forward, shouting. The towering noble growled, looking down at Kirhas.
Fernandez chuckled at the sight. Their intentions were obvious. It was a bluff, thinking they could harm her here.
No matter the breach of etiquette, the Duke would never allow a foreign envoy to harm a palace vassal. Moreover, if a conflict broke out here, they would be like rats in a trap.
And Kirhas Hearttaker. Capturing the leader of the Great Wilderness would offer endless opportunities. Calculating this, the noble stepped forward, about to shout again.
But at that moment, Kirhas kicked her chair and turned to face the noble directly.
“Choose your next words very, very carefully. Servant. This is the Chieftain’s advice.”
“Shut up! You vile barbarian! How dare you…!”
“Tsk.”
Kirhas clicked her tongue and turned away. The Beastman Warriors were already preparing for battle. Though all their weapons were left outside the audience hall, the tribal warriors were not afraid under such conditions.
But Kirhas waved her hand to stop them and spoke to Fernandez.
“Fernin. Should that be considered a challenge?”
“According to the Federation’s rules, yes.”
“Then, the Chieftain does not avoid challenges.”
Kirhas tilted her head and spoke to the Duke.
“Give me a sword, Duke. Your servant is challenging the Chieftain of the Federation. I will personally accept it.”
Her words drove the excitement in the room to its peak. The nobles, as if they had something in their hands to throw, shouted and pointed fingers, condemning Kirhas’s arrogance.
Yet, the Duke still gazed at Kirhas with hazy eyes.
“Are you serious, Chieftain?”
“Or should I interpret it according to your Empire’s rules, Duke?”
“The Empire’s rules?”
“I am not familiar with your customs and norms, but fortunately, I have many capable subordinates. Fernin, how should we interpret this according to the Empire’s rules?”
At her words, Fernandez stepped forward and spoke quietly but firmly.
“It would be considered a declaration of war.”
“Good. A new challenge. Though I’m currently facing external difficulties, I cannot overlook the Chieftain being insulted.”
Kirhas growled with a laugh. Intimidated, the noble who had stepped forward shrunk back. A sharp killing intent seemed to envelop him, as if his throat would be slit at any moment.
Seeing the noble’s pale face, the Duke sighed deeply.
“Would showing mercy to his insolence be appropriate?”
“Mercy is the victor’s privilege, Duke. And I am ‘not yet’ the victor. Will you give me the chance to win? I will show mercy afterward.”
It was a catastrophe. Every noble in the room thought the same upon hearing Kirhas’s words.
If war broke out with the Federation now, even if it were only with a few warlords under the Chieftain’s direct command, Ribue currently lacked the military force to stop it.
No. The lack of military force was just an excuse. The private armies of the nobles, not yet disbanded, were still stationed in Ribue.
But. Who among them would stay to wage a futile and meaningless war? War becomes a business tool only when the flow of goods is guaranteed, and when one is not a party to the war.
For those directly facing it, war is nothing but destruction, merely death. The nobles in this room, who had experienced the flow of the 50-year war, knew this fact more clearly than anyone.
Thus. Some nobles coughed and stepped aside. Impatient nobles, unwilling to bear further losses on a sinking ship, left the meeting hall.
And another group of nobles. The most loyal Greatsword Nobles among the Duke’s direct vassals whispered to their attendants and remained in their seats.
The Duke’s remaining territorial forces would soon storm into the meeting hall.
Finally. The most foolish group… Those who still believed there was hope to turn things around, and who adorned their stature with the volume of their voices, stepped forward instead.
“I accept that challenge!!”
At least, Kirhas was just a slender woman. Her achievements were those of a commander…
It wasn’t the work of a great warrior.
With that thought, a few men stepped forward in front of Kirhas. They were each administrators of the principality. Nobles without territories, clad in robes. Vultures aiming for the prince’s son-in-law and the prince’s title.
The ones the duke wanted to deal with the quickest. As Kirhas looked at them, Fernandez looked at the prince.
The prince was smiling as he watched.
“Alright, duke. I’ll play along with your little game.”
“Thank you.”
A brief, meaningful glance passed between Fernandez and the duke. Just as Kirhas was about to retort with a smirk, Fernandez quickly stepped between them.
“Chieftain. It’s beneath your dignity to personally deal with servants.”
“But that’s not the law of the wilderness.”
“This is the empire’s territory, so we’ll resolve it by the empire’s laws. Please understand.”
“You know those laws better than I do. Fine. Fernin. Will you present victory to the chieftain?”
“Gladly.”
Fernandez pushed Kirhas back and stood before the towering noble. The noble, seeing Kirhas step back, briefly rubbed his neck with a look of relief and then looked down at Fernandez.
Fernandez was still wrapped in a wide robe, his face hidden under a hood. His build wasn’t small, but neither was it overly large. Nothing particularly imposing. The noble smirked.
“Did your nursemaid come because your chieftain was scared and crying?”
“Imperial noble duel law. Notes on mediating civil disputes. And the laws on proxy battles for territorial disputes. Commonly known as the Lawrence Law. We will conduct a proxy court based on the imperial laws recognized by your emperor.”
Hearing this, the duke nodded readily and gestured to his attendants.
The attendants hurried over and handed each of them a longsword. As Fernandez gauged the weight of the sword, the duke spoke slowly.
“This duel is officially recognized under my supervision. Chieftain, I hope your grievances end here.”
-Swish.
Fernandez ignored the words and drew his sword. Seeing this, the noble sneered.
“Do you even know how to hold a sword, beast? I thought you’d fight with your claws.”
“Fortunately, I do.”
Under the hood, blue eyes flickered with a gloomy light.
* * *
“Father. That man.”
“Huh?”
Rene, disguised as an attendant, whispered quietly beside the duke. The duke, watching the two men draw their swords, turned his head slightly.
“That man. He’s not a beastman.”
“Hmm. His hands are smooth.”
“Yes, and he’s well-versed in imperial law. His speech is noble, and his demeanor shows etiquette.”
Rene said as she poured water into the duke’s cup. The duke naturally lifted the cup as if dealing with an attendant.
“That means he taught the chieftain etiquette and planned this situation… Am I right?”
“Yes, Father.”
“Whether he’s simply a retainer assisting the chieftain or the chieftain’s shadow remains to be seen.”
-Clang!
The two men clashed in the center of the hall. Their swords aimed at each other’s necks, soon intertwining and producing a clear clang.
For a moment, it seemed like their strength was evenly matched, but Fernandez’s sword spun like a snake, striking the noble’s blade upward.
-Clang!
The noble’s sword flew out of his hand and soared toward the ceiling. As the noble stumbled back in shock, Fernandez grabbed his chin with one hand—
-Whoosh!!
-Bang!!
Lifted him up, and then slammed him down onto the floor.
“Impressive strength!”
At that moment, the duke couldn’t help but admire it purely. Lifting a noble twice his size with one hand and slamming him down was something even he couldn’t do.
And that savagery. The ferocity hidden behind noble words seemed to resonate eerily.
Fernandez slammed the noble’s head into the floor several times before kneeling on his chest.
-Swish.
The fallen noble’s eyes were blurred with shock. Fernandez gently pressed the sword tip against the noble’s neck and spoke quietly.
“Do you believe in a god? If you need time to pray, say so.”
The calm tone, as if the fierce battle moments ago meant nothing, sent a chill through the noble, who shouted in panic.
“Spare, spare me! This is, this is in front of the grand duke! Shedding blood here is…”
“Your blood, or the blood that will flow on the battlefield. Yours is lighter.”
The proxy battle for territorial disputes. This ancient tradition of dueling was akin to a vow to replace a territorial war with one person’s blood.
Understanding the meaning, the noble’s face turned pale. He desperately cried out.
“Chieftain! Mercy! I request the mercy you promised! I, I’ve lost. Show the victor’s mercy!”
At those words, Fernandez turned his head, and Kirhas nodded with a smile.
“Alright, Fernin. The chieftain’s words shouldn’t be taken lightly. Show mercy.”
Despite her words, Fernandez didn’t remove his knee from the noble’s chest. It felt like a boulder pressing down, and the noble gasped, pounding the floor.
“Can’t you hear your master’s words!”
“Show him the mercy that will send him to his god the fastest, so his wretched life won’t taint this world any longer. Fernin.”
“Yes, Chieftain.”
-Swish.
The sword drew a long arc—
“Chieftain!! Grand Duke!! This, this is!!”
-Crash!
The sound spread through the council chamber after the action. Seeing the blood flowing across the floor tiles, some nobles turned pale and screamed, fleeing the hall.
What remained were the duke and the greatsword nobles. Kirhas’s retainers. And Fernandez, who wiped his sword and handed it stiffly to the attendant standing over the corpse.
-Thud thud thud!
Soon, the sound of armed forces rushing to the hall’s entrance was heard. The loyal knights had summoned the palace guards.
The door was roughly opened, and the soldiers surrounded Kirhas and the beastman warriors, raising their spears.
Kirhas, unfazed by the scene, smiled and slowly sat down among the warriors.
“Now only the trustworthy remain. Duke. You do like to complicate things.”
“Receiving a foreign envoy without a retinue is against protocol.”
The duke smiled loosely as he looked at Kirhas. Gradually, a sharp glint returned to his cloudy eyes.
“Well, we played along with your puppet show. Are you satisfied?”
“Very. Quite impressive, Chieftain. I think I understand how you could face the wraiths with that rabble.”
“Now that the servants have arrived, bring the wine. Your hospitality is quite lacking!”
The beastmen share wine with friends and tea with enemies. Kirhas’s words implied an expectation for the success of the talks or a very positive start.
By eliminating the internal vultures who couldn’t act rashly and creating a personal meeting with the chieftain. To do this, they sowed doubt and confusion within the retinue.
The duke’s scheme began with the declaration, “I have no troops.”
Two figures who had never shared a plan before played their roles as if following a script.
The duke smiled as he looked at Kirhas and the young man quietly standing by his side. I owe you. And—
‘I think we might have chased away the jackals and brought in a tiger.’
But even if it’s a tiger, it’s better to ride on its back than to be torn apart by jackals.
The duke thought this as he raised his cup.
As Rene was about to pour water into his cup again, the duke quickly whispered in her ear.
“Test that man. I’ll handle the chieftain.”
“Yes, Father.”
Under the hood, Fernandez smirked slightly.
Diomonica could hear even the sound of sleeves brushing in such a confined space.
1) Robe nobles (or nobles of the robe: noblesse de robe) are nobles who hold titles granted as a form of office rather than traditional noble ranks. Although there are more varieties, in this novel, robe nobles and bureaucratic nobles are used interchangeably, all referring to noble titles granted to the king’s administrative officials.
2) Greatsword nobles are nobles of knightly origin, corresponding to the traditional title of ‘Sir.’ For convenience, think of them as knights. In this novel, the term is chosen for a more precise expression to contrast with robe nobles and frontier nobles (territorial nobles).
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