Chapter 89: Chapter 89

“A-Are you saying you intend to adopt Sir Shan right now…?”

At the count’s proposal, even Princess Cheryn’s retainers could not hide their astonishment.

The issue he brought up was just that unprecedented.

It had only been a few years since the emergence of the first Altoan knight caused a stir, and now an Altoan lord?

Furthermore, it was no ordinary title, but a historic rank descending from the Eastern Pioneer Knighthood, existing since the days of the ancient Arman Empire.

Even those who did not particularly discriminate against Altoans could not help but be shocked by the proposal.

While everyone was flabbergasted, Cheryn alone maintained a calm expression without showing the slightest agitation.

Others might have thought she simply possessed incredible composure, but Shan realized she had overheard this in advance using her spider.

“Surely the Kurt family is not entirely devoid of collateral relatives.”

“Indeed, there are some. Rather, the problem is that there are too many.”

The Kurt family had ruled the Shedil region for nearly a thousand years.

Because of this, not only the retainers but also most of the neighboring lords were related to them if one traced their lineage back through the generations.

If there had been someone particularly outstanding among them, it might have been different, but since that was not the case, adopting just any relative from a branch family was no easy task.

For complaints would inevitably arise: ‘I’m also a relative of the count if you look into it, so why is that fellow the next count?’

Unfortunately, not only the current count but even the previous count’s brothers had died at a young age, so there were no kin close enough to avoid such controversy.

The count’s clever scheme to overcome this was none other than adopting Shan, the Altoan knight who had performed numerous feats as the sword of the family.

It was a widely known fact that Shan was Princess Cheryn’s close confidant and a mighty knight.

If he became the next Count of Shedil, Cheryn would also be unable to simply abandon this place after sucking dry its manpower and resources.

To do so would mean incurring the resentment of the strongest knight in her own faction.

Of course, this decision sparked immense strife and backlash within.

Though they did not speak up, several of the count’s retainers wore dissatisfied expressions.

After a brief silence, Cheryn spoke.

“It seems this is not a matter that can be answered immediately, Count.”

“Of course, Your Highness. I shall vacate the conference room for you.”

“No, it would not do for the host to leave on account of the guest. I shall walk with Sir Shan for a moment and converse.”

Saying so, Cheryn rose from her seat and gestured to Shan to exit the conference room with her.

She gave a light shake of her head to those who tried to follow them out.

“It is not that I distrust you, but right now it would be better for just Sir Shan and me to talk.”

Having restrained the others, the two walked along the quiet corridor, their footsteps echoing tap-tap.

Glancing around, Shan spoke in a low voice.

“You could have told me in advance.”

“If I had, the count would have realized that word had leaked. You aren’t confident in acting like you don’t know, are you?”

“Now that I think about it, that’s true.”

He had no talent for acting naturally surprised when it was something he already knew.

As Shan nodded in understanding, Cheryn let out a soft sigh and said,

“At any rate, after I found out, I also worried a lot about how to handle this.”

“Is it bad if I accept it?”

“There are pros and cons.”

If Shan became the heir to the Count of Shedil, he would effectively take control of the entire eastern region, including the Shedil province.

Because this entire area was economically and militarily dependent on the count.

“But we had a promise made in advance, didn’t we?”

“Ah, that’s right.”

Come to think of it, Cheryn had promised Shan the title Duke of Ranpel when she became queen in the future.

Since his domain would stretch across the western and northwestern regions of Pendia, it was highly likely to be difficult to rule simultaneously with the Shedil region.

“It isn’t that I don’t trust you, but having one person hold the titles Duke of Ranpel and Count of Shedil simultaneously creates many problems in various ways. Yet it’s also hard to ask you to give up one…”

“Then I’ll give up the title Duke of Ranpel.”

At Shan’s attitude as he spoke nonchalantly, Cheryn widened her eyes.

“Wait… can you really say that so easily? That’s the position of a high noble second only to the king in Pendia.”

“My goal was simply a territory where Altoans could live without much hardship anyway. To do that, Shedil, which already has many Reformists and Altoans, would be better. If I became the Duke of Ranpel and tried to do that, I feel like I’d have to spend all day chopping off the heads of Orthodox believers.”

Shan had also heard and seen enough by now to think that far.

Of course, back when he had been offered the title, his idea was to kill anyone who refused and force it through, but in front of an easier choice, he felt no need to attempt the difficult one.

Cheryn, who had stopped in her tracks, let out a deep sigh.

“What’s wrong?”

“No, it’s just… sometimes I wonder if my capacity as a human being was really this small. Especially when I talk to you.”

Ever since Cheryn heard the count’s plan two days ago, she had been inwardly agonizing over all sorts of worries.

The fact that traditionally, the Count of Shedil was a vassal only to the royal family and not a liege subject of Duke of Reinel, meaning the vassal relationship between the two would end.

The fact that through the supply of magic machines in the future, the eastern region including Shedil would attain a far higher status than it did now.

And even the fact that Shan, having become both Duke of Ranpel and Count of Shedil in the future, would become a competitor capable of threatening her authority.

There were many uncomfortable aspects to accepting it obediently.

Unlike the aging Count of Shedil, Shan was young and a knight stronger than anyone else, so the moment excessive power concentrated in him, the balance was very likely to break.

Yet it was also difficult to demand that he give up one of these immense rights.

Was it not the dream of every knight to obtain such a noble title and make their family prosper in their own domain?

Nor was Shan a person lacking this kind of ambition.

For the very reason he sought to become Cheryn’s knight and a lord in the first place was that he wanted to create a territory where his fellow Altoans could live.

If she asked him to give up one of them here, resentment might linger for a long time.

This was truly like a nightmare for Cheryn.

Yet all those anxieties were shattered into pieces by Shan’s attitude as he nonchalantly answered, ‘Then I just won’t do it, whatever.’

Come to think of it, Shan had said as much back then too.

That he didn’t care about ducal titles or independent authority, and simply didn’t want Cheryn to be defeated, die, or have something go wrong.

Even though she knew Shan was such a person, the thing that made her twist everything was merely the monster she harbored in her own heart.

“Then we have a conclusion. I look forward to working with you, future Count of Shedil.”

“Being called count feels a bit strange.”

“Though while the count is still alive, you cannot be called by that title.”

Bantering lightly, Cheryn thought to herself.

The reason Conrad could trust Marquis Abel and keep him by his side was that he had taken Abel’s younger sister as his wife.

If so, could she not also make her relationship with Shan closer than mere ‘collaborators’ through a similar method…?

If it were between a mere Altoan knight and a princess, it would be unthinkable, but if that Altoan became a powerful feudal lord, things might be a bit different.

*

After finishing the conversation and returning, Shan conveyed his intention to accept the count’s proposal.

Cheryn’s retainers ran to their lord and said,

“Your Highness, as you know, if Sir Shan becomes the Count of Shedil, he will no longer be obligated to swear loyalty to Your Highness.”

“I have already discussed that matter. Even after becoming the Count of Shedil, Sir Shan will maintain an unchangingly friendly relationship. Tell the others there is no need to raise such concerns.”

Leaving the suspicious gazes behind, Shan had a private interview with the old bear.

Coughing, the count spat out thick phlegm and spoke to Shan.

“Thank you for accepting, Sir Shan. Should I call you my son now?”

“To be honest, I don’t know what to say as a son. Since I’ve never had a father before.”

“Then that makes me your first father. I like it.”

The count, who laughed heartily, coughed again and said,

“As you can see, I probably won’t live more than a few years. I should have listened carefully when the priests told me to cut back on alcohol.”

The Count of Shedil was now only in his mid-fifties, but outwardly he looked like an old man who would die soon.

It seemed that the sense of loss from the past ogre invasion and disappointment in his child had drained his vitality away.

Health deterioration due to aging like this was difficult to cure effectively even with the priests’ miracles.

“I don’t expect you to make this land enormously prosperous or anything like that. Even I couldn’t do so. I merely… hope it remains a place at least as good to live in as it is now.”

The count had felt an inferiority complex all his life over being a humble rural lord and despised the capital nobles, yet he took pride in the fact that his family was the guardian of eastern Pendia.

Therefore, all he wished from Shan was simply to steadily uphold these values.

Shan held the count’s wrinkled hand and nodded.

“Yes. I also dislike seeing my people hurt or killed. If a creature like an ogre appears again, I’ll chop it down right away.”

“Yes, that’s it! That is all I wish for. That is enough.”

At Shan’s answer, the count smiled in satisfaction.

Once the conclusion was reached, as time was short, matters progressed quickly.

The very next morning, before the count’s castle and in full view of everyone, Shan underwent the formal ceremony of becoming the adopted son of the Count of Shedil.

“Though not directly connected by blood, he has preserved the family’s values and brought honor to its name by defending the land of Shedil as the family’s sword. The Count of Shedil is one who defends the land, protects the people, and remains loyal to the monarch; right here and now, I, Karl Kurt, welcome Shan Barendil as my son and heir, declaring that I pass on to him all the glory and duties of the family!”

Along with the count’s aging voice, cheers resounded from here and there.

The Westerners were confused by the fact that, no matter how famous and powerful a knight he was, an Altoan was being adopted to inherit the count’s title, but the Altoans expressed intense joy at the fact that their most renowned kinsman was becoming the next count.

“An Altoan count… I can’t believe it even after hearing it…”

“If he becomes count, things will get better in the future, right?”

“Of course! At least no one will dare discriminate against us for being Altoans.”

Of course, even previously, the Count of Shedil had managed to control the Westerners’ discrimination against Altoans to some extent, but he had not cracked down on the contempt that continued implicitly.

For having that degree of superiority complex was also convenient for governance.

However, if an Altoan became lord, it was certain that at least no one could openly insult them to their face as ‘lowly Altoan wretches.’

Because that would be an act of openly despising the lord they had to serve.

“Mmm…”

“Is this right?”

“But that’s Sir Shan. The Ogre Slayer!”

“Right. They say he even hunted a cockatrice alone.”

In fact, the Westerners’ hostility was not so great either, because most of them had seen the mighty ogre horde lord that once invaded Shedil City.

If the knight who defeated that atrocious monster became lord, wouldn’t they have someone to rely on when a similar disaster struck?

Unlike the people of western Pendia who were relatively peaceful, the sense of security brought by a lord with formidable martial power to the easterners adjacent to the Demonic Realm was larger than expected.

To the extent that even an Altoan was acceptable to some degree.

After having his name placed on the family tree as a new member of the Kurt family, Shan saw off Cheryn, who was departing Shedil City.

“Take care of yourself.”

“Surely nothing will happen. It must be a headache, but hang in there. I’ll finish wrapping things up on my end as quickly as possible and send people to help you.”

Of course, as someone who had not yet inherited the title, he was still Cheryn’s knight and Lord Protector, but leaving together with her here would turn away even those who upheld the count’s wishes.

Was not the reason the count’s biological son incurred resentment precisely because of his attitude of abandoning the Shedil region to idle elsewhere?

Even if he were to return to Cheryn, it would have to be after establishing his position as heir to some extent.

Fortunately, Cheryn did not simply dump Shan alone in Shedil City and leave.

First, she distributed a significant portion of the spoils raided from the royal palace as his personal property, and left behind some of the semi-horse archer unit and the Altoan mercenary band for him to use.

This was to prepare just in case Elvin extended his power toward the east.

“Well then, I look forward to working with you from now on, Sir Shan.”

“Why are you talking like that all of a sudden?”

“You are going to be a count in the future, so I must treat you politely.”

“Good grief. I’m not even a count yet anyway.”

And Roden also remained by Shan’s side.

His best friend, advisor, aide, and administrator.

He too was reasonably well known as a former member of the expedition group ‘Green Eyes’ and a member of the ogre subjugation force.

Though he was mostly treated as merely Shan’s subordinate.

Furthermore, since his squires Vico and Tavera also remained, he would be fully capable of pulling through together with them.

Shan thought so.

*

And it took exactly one week for that thought to disappear.

“Well then, learning this much today will suffice, Young Master.”

“Mmm.”

After becoming the adopted son of the Count of Shedil, Shan came to be called ‘Young Master’ by the count’s retainers.

Thanks to being called that frequently in the Weavers household as well, it was a familiar title.

However, unlike back then, the things he had to learn in order to maintain such a status were truly vast and numerous.

Knowledge on tax collection and land distribution, how to read financial ledgers, and legal knowledge to cultivate the ability to judge in major trials.

From the Kurt family to the retainers’ families and member names within the fief, down to their history and traditions…

Fortunately, while Shan was on the simple side and didn’t particularly like studying, he was not completely lacking in intellect.

If he were, he would not have perfectly mastered courtly language and etiquette while receiving liberal arts education as a knight in the past.

Thanks to agonizing all day long and even receiving Roden’s help, he was able to acquire the necessary knowledge one by one somehow or another.

“If I knew it would be like this, I should have studied a bit back in Palles.”

“You’re paying retribution for dumping all the Lord Protector duties onto me back then. If you had worked hard then, things would be a bit better now.”

At Shan’s grumbling words, Roden chuckled and checked Shan’s homework.

Still, while it had been a complete mess on the first day, he could see it had gotten fairly better after just a few days.

Having finished his studying, Shan rode Arwin out of Shedil City to cool his exhausted head.

Around him, Horais’s semi-horse archers accompanied him.

“This is truly… a wild land. It reminds me of the great steppe that was my hometown.”

Ranta, the leader of the semi-horse archers, looked around with a somewhat lukewarm expression and tried his best to put it nicely.

Because eastern Pendia, where monsters swarmed if one took just a few steps out of the city, was an even harsher environment than the rough steppe they had lived on.

Having had his flank pierced by Shan’s javelin, he had received steady treatment while moving east, so he was now able to ride a horse and move around.

Though he was still far from being in full physical condition.

He had rejoiced at the news that Shan became the Count of Shedil and showered him with flattery, seemingly feeling that having been defeated by a lord saved more face than being defeated by a mere knight.

“That’s enough. It will become a good place to live from now on.”

Soon, once Cheryn sent over magic machines and administrative experts educated in the Palles method, the environment here would change as well.

First of all, just setting up the water and sewage systems would be able to bring about a tremendous change.

For current Shedil City, like other cities, had filth scattered across the streets.

In the past, he had thought it natural, but after becoming accustomed to the cleanly maintained environment of Palles, that sight grated on his nerves.

The water scooped up to drink also seemed to smell strangely fishy.

“So, is there anything you can teach me today?”

“I’ve actually prepared something… Hey! Give it a try!”

“Yes!”

At Ranta’s command, a semi-horse archer galloped his horse briskly, then suddenly leaped onto the saddle and stood on two feet.

Standing, rather than sitting, atop a galloping horse… a feat ordinary people could not even dare imagine.

Surprisingly, while maintaining that state, he raised his bow and shot.

As the arrow embedded itself squarely into the middle of the targeted tree trunk, those around him cheered.

“As expected!”

“Goran’s skill is top-notch!”

Commonly, the horse archers of Horais were referred to as semi-horse archers, but in the land of Horais, only those who had passed special tests possessed the right to properly bear that title.

A title that could be held only by superhumans who could accomplish anything atop a horse, as if literally half-man and half-horse.

They could twist their bodies on horseback to shoot arrows backward, hang onto the horse’s flank or belly, leap off the horse to flip forward or backward, or stand on the horse to shoot arrows as demonstrated just now.

Seeing that display as quite fascinating yet useful, Shan mastered their feats one by one whenever he had free time.

“Now then, let’s see.”

Shan accelerated Arwin, then lightly leaped up to stand upon the saddle.

Just like the man who had performed earlier, no, perhaps even more stably.

Considering that Arwin was moving much faster than the semi-horse archers’ horses, it was truly astonishing.

In that state, he shot the bow he held, aiming his arrow precisely atop the arrow that the semi-horse archer named Goran had shot just moments ago.

Seeing the arrow split cleanly into two pieces, the onlookers clicked their tongues in awe.

“Wow…”

“Did he aim for that on purpose?”

“You’re asking the obvious.”

Shan’s overwhelming athletic ability caused even those who had lived their entire lives alongside horses from birth to gape in amazement.

Not only did he replicate anything after seeing it once, but he didn’t even need time to surpass the master.

As Shan returned after demonstrating the technique, Ranta clapped his hands and spared no lavish praise.

“As expected, you are incredible, Master! If you had been born in Horais instead, you would have more than become Great Chieftain.”

“Didn’t you say it had to be someone of the Golden Clan’s bloodline anyway?”

“Haha, well, that is…”

At Shan’s words, Ranta wore an embarrassed expression.

The people of Horais yielded easily before strength, but at the same time, they were obsessively particular about bloodline.

While they could follow someone with mighty power as their employer, the leader of their tribe had to be a descendant of ancient Great Emperor Baren, inheriting the bloodline of the Golden Clan.

Therefore, Ranta was also a distant descendant of Great Emperor Baren if one looked into it.

Although compared to the current Great Chieftain’s faction, he was a branch of a branch, so it wasn’t of great significance.

“Are you really not interested in my daughter? Not just because she’s my daughter, but she is truly as lovely as the full moon, and if you only marry her, aiming for the position of Great Chieftain of the steppe is also…”

“I appreciate you thinking highly of me, but I’m not interested.”

Ranta and the semi-horse archers rarely washed due to the habits of the steppe where water was precious, so they gave off a heavy odor.

Shan, who at some point had become fastidious, felt disgusted just thinking about marrying a woman who gave off such an odor.

Rather than that, someone a bit cleaner would be better.

Someone who gave off a subtle, pungent scent of alchemy chemicals beneath a fragrance of citrus and rose…

Even after that, Shan spent a long time practicing various techniques with Arwin and hunting monsters near Shedil City.

Resting was resting, but gradually driving away monsters like this was also the duty of the knight class.

Though in Palles, it was something he didn’t need to do except on occasion when departing on an expedition across the river.

“His Excellency is looking for you, Young Master.”

After finishing his hunting for a good while and returning, Shan received the count’s summons.

This old butler, who was said to have served the count for many years, was a person who did not reveal his likes or dislikes toward Shan.

It would have been easier to deal with him if he properly showed whether he was an enemy or an ally.

Upon visiting the count, Shan bowed his head in greeting first.

“Did you call for me, Father?”

The word ‘Father’ felt as though something scratchy was left in his mouth even as he spoke it himself.

Was it because it was unfamiliar from having never used it in his whole life?

Whether he felt something similar, the count also wore a subtle expression.

“Indeed, my son. I called you because the letter I received this time concerns you.”

It was a type of joint manifesto.

Stamped with the family crests of the lords located near the Shedil region, whom he had learned about in his previous lessons.

“Aha.”

Reading the contents, Shan could not help laughing.

Decorated with complex rhetoric as expected of nobles, but the content was clear.

[We cannot recognize an Altoan count or the like; get lost.]

This was an explicit declaration of war.