Chapter 175

Chapter 175 - Great Lord of the South (2)

"Is there really a need to bestow mercy?"

"If you leave him alive, he might be used as a focal point for rebellion later. It would be safer to just discreetly..."

Most of Eugene's subordinates wanted to cleanly dispose of Viscount Winchester.

'But going as far as killing him is troublesome.'

Although he is adorned with justification, power, and achievements, Eugene is still a conqueror who came from outside Britannia.

Viscount Winchester is a great lord who has ruled the region without causing major problems. Taking away that position was the precarious limit.

Killing a high noble who has already surrendered might earn him an infamy worse than a conqueror. Even with good intentions, he was in a situation where he was buying fear even from his allies.

There is plenty of time to act as he pleases even after ruling as a lord for more than five years. By that time, he will be reigning as the absolute ruler.

"..."

"..."

At the entrance of the city, Eugene and Viscount Winchester looked at each other without a word.

"The wind is blowing hard. Let us go inside for a moment."

Eugene entered the guard resting room near the entrance. It was the closest indoor space.

"Could everyone leave their seats for a bit?"

"W-We will step aside!"

The guard leader and subordinates, who had been constantly reading the atmosphere of the situation outside, scurried out.

Through the window of the resting room, Eugene's army entering the city could be seen. At that sight, Viscount Winchester opened his mouth for the first time.

"The city people are anxious. It is natural since an unfamiliar army is entering."

"You don't have to worry about plundering. All my subordinates know that Haven will become my direct territory."

"That would be the case, but..."

What Viscount Winchester worried about was the deviation of mercenaries escaping control.

Mercenaries are rough creatures who live only for today. In a state of having fought large-scale pitched battles in succession, even an employer could not lightly tighten the noose on them.

There was a risk that excited mercenaries might riot, and it was a long-standing custom to loose restrictions on plundering as a reward for difficult fierce battles.

However, the Viscount's worry quickly died down.

"Maintain formation!"

"Forward- March!"

Dwarves and Dark Elves are both groups equipped with excellent discipline incomparable to other armies. Yet Eugene was not satisfied with this and tempered them with even more thorough close-order drills.

The sight of all members marching in step, left foot and right foot, with perfectly synchronized movements. That was a discipline even the former great lord, Viscount Winchester, was seeing for the first time.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

As an army of four digits stepped and kicked the ground in a single motion, a sound he had never heard in his life rang out. It was as intense as a cavalry force, but a regulated rhythm that a cavalry force could never imitate. The sound of the military band's drums also achieved excellent harmony.

Moving with unified drill equipment not seen in this era, it felt like small castles were entering the city in a continuous line.

"There is no way an army like that would ignore discipline."

Seeing one thing, he knew ten, so Viscount Winchester was certain no unfortunate incidents would happen in the city.

"Truly, I'm seeing such a triumphal ceremony for the first time."

"It's not a triumphal ceremony, it's a military parade."

"Are the two different?"

"The former is to glorify the nobles, but the latter is to glorify the soldiers. Isn't it obvious which one will leave a stronger impression on the populace?"

Viscount Winchester could not understand the way of thinking that scattered the privileges of nobles to the soldiers. But Eugene was the victor and had the right to do as he pleased.

"I heard you placed the army of the southern nobles at the front when smashing the Barcia bastards."

"I didn't put them forward as consumables. I simply entrusted them with what they could do. Not many casualties occurred either."

"It's hard to believe. They were my vassals, but honestly, southerners aren't the kind to fight that well..."

"They moved just as I desired. Isn't the mobilized army enough with that? Although this time we were quite lucky with things like them fighting amongst themselves."

Homi placed two glasses of wine, one in front of Eugene and one in front of the Viscount.

"I didn't think you would run straight toward the Barcia and Gord bastards. I thought you would just focus on attacking this city rather than tire yourself out fighting them."

This was the common prediction not only of Viscount Winchester but the majority of southerners.

For the outside noble Eugene, capturing Haven was the top priority. Whether the southeastern territories, which weren't even his vassals, were devastated by plunder was none of his business.

Rather, it was also possible to use it to increase his necessity by raising the southern nobles' sense of crisis.

However, Eugene pushed Haven back in priority without lingering attachments and rallied the nobles to repel the invaders first.

"To fulfill the duties of a monarch before claiming the rights of a monarch. Is it something like that?"

"It's nothing that grandiose."

Eugene took a sip of wine.

"I've fought siege battles twice before. Back then, I orthodoxically pounded the gates or walls. Because the opponent's attitude to fight to the death was obvious. However, capturing Haven seemed a little different."

"What do you mean by different?"

"It felt like the realm of politics rather than combat. I have Valda and the most powerful army in Britannia. If I chase away the uninvited guests who landed, the majority of the southern nobles will come under my command."

Eugene tilted his half-empty wine glass toward Viscount Winchester.

"Then how long would you be able to hold out? That is, if all the nobles turned their backs leaving you with only a handful of troops."

"It seems the vassals babbled about my personality quite well."

"Because they don't have such a splendid city. It would be fortunate if they even kept their lives, but they each had to find a way to survive. Kicking the asses of the Barcia and Gord bastards was an extension of the Haven siege."

"What if I had held out until the end? Then you would have suffered in vain."

"Viscount. It wouldn't have changed anything anyway."

Sighing, Viscount Winchester downed his wine.

"The taste is good."

"It is wine from the Morad family. If you want, I will pack a few boxes for you."

"Are you not going to kill me?"

"Because you surrendered before the siege, even if it was a bit late."

Homi, who was standing in attendance behind him, spread out a map. Eugene pointed to an island across the southern sea of Britannia. It's called across the sea, but the distance is less than 2 kilometers.

"Isle of Wight?"

"I heard you frequently mentioned wanting to be buried here in your later years during banquets."

"Truly, what loose-lipped bastards. Do not trust the nobles too much. A person like Your Excellency will probably do well on your own, though."

"As I said, I only expect the things they can accomplish. Be it commoners or nobles."

The Isle of Wight is large in scale and has a large population. The weather is mild, and the scenery is nice, so quite a few old nobles try to spend their remaining years here.

"I will provide the wealthiest territory in Wight. I want you to take your family and spend the rest of your life quietly there."

"That would be on the condition of never returning to the mainland again, right?"

"Of course. That is all I hope for."

"Ha. You are truly generous."

Viscount Winchester drank the rest of his wine.

Pour.

Eugene filled the empty glass, and it was a repetition of that from then on.

"Please accept this."

The former Viscount placed a small wooden box on the table and pushed it toward Eugene. Inside the wooden box is the signet ring symbolizing the master of Haven.

"I will make a promise. As long as I am here, no one will covet southern Britannia. That Kruger bastard won't be able to catch you and turn you into a blood eagle either."

"Saying that gives me some comfort."

After some more time passed, Eugene supported the Viscount, who had become dead drunk, and took him out. With this, Britannia's civil war met its end limited to the south.

* * *

The takeover of Haven proceeded quickly. Those who would run away had long since left, and those remaining were ready to conform to the new ruler following the former master's surrender.

"We will commence work immediately. When the city officials come to greet me, bring the approval documents and urgent agendas."

Everyone welcomed Eugene's first order, which skipped luxurious banquets entirely.

"82 people have deserted from the guard."

"Post an additional recruitment notice right away. Until then, my subordinates will fill the void."

"Thank you."

"I will allocate an additional budget, so treat the current members to a dinner. You should encourage them so no further desertions occur."

The city guard captain withdrew with a joyful face after giving a military salute.

"Viscount Winchester borrowed some money from the Hanseatic League to summon vassals and prepare for war."

"Let's see. It's not that large an amount. Tell them I will take over the former lord's debt."

"Understood. The Hanseatic League promised to freeze the interest if Your Excellency takes over the debt."

Eugene smiled and clapped his hands.

"I will convey Your Excellency's reaction exactly as it is. And the urgent budget agenda is..."

The treasurer, who put out the urgent fire, also withdrew.

"Viscount Excellency, uh, I mean... The former Viscount Excellency requested cooperation from our temple for war preparations."

At the stammering words of the outdoor abbot, Eugene sighed.

"You mean he extorted it calling it cooperation? The collected donations or sacred vessels."

"That is correct. Thanks to that, the priests are crying while worshipping. Because we are using wooden bowls for the communion offered to god."

"First, I'll lend you the silver tableware I possess. As soon as the situation in the city is settled, I will compensate for all the plundered items. Adding a small donation as an apology."

"Thank you! May God's blessing be with Your Excellency!"

The abbot with a relieved face also returned.

'It's a relief it's easier than expected.'

Eugene quickly took steps necessary to normalize the city. As the ownership was handed over peacefully, there were no obstructions in handing over the ruling.

Of course, nominally Valda is the new master of the city, so Eugene taking charge now is an overstepping of authority.

But what does it matter? Everyone knows that Eugene is the real ruler anyway.

That is the same for the recently joined vassals as well. One can easily figure it out just by watching Eugene and Valda talk.

"The wine from the Morad family is slowly running out. When autumn comes, I must visit Roman one more time."

Excellent wine is a luxury item and at the same time the best diplomatic tool. Because there is no better ice-breaking method than this when welcoming precious guests.

"You do not need to do that. For I will brew it for you."

"Do you know how to make wine as well?"

"I am a forest magician. And what first brewed wine was not people but the forest. Places like knotholes, hollow rocks, or puddles."

Grapes are fruits that naturally contain yeast and sugar. Therefore, just leaving them in their natural state allows them to ferment into alcohol on their own.

"The forest whispered to me. The method to brew the finest wine."

"The opponent is the Morad family, though? Are you that confident?"

"Fufufut."

Smiling, Valda brushed her side hair back with the back of her hand instead of answering. Her brilliant blonde hair fluttered like a wave.

If the previous Valda was 100% pure elegance, lately it felt like it contained about 20% confidence.

It seemed to be because the royal family's pride she had buried deep in her heart had revived. Although to Eugene, such a different appearance was just cute.

"It's not that I doubt your skills, but I will still place a purchase request to the Morad family."

"Why?"

"How can I give the wine Valda brewed to others? I must drink it all by myself."

"...We just need to make a lot."

A slightly reddened face.

"It's not a matter of quantity but a matter of the manufacturing method."

"Why the manufacturing method... Ah!"

"Wine infused by Valda entering even a single drop into another bastard's muzzle? How can I tolerate something like that?"

"I-infused you say!"

This time the red hue spread to her ears. The confident figure from just a moment ago was nowhere to be found.

Seeing things like this, unless one is an idiot, anyone can immediately tell the relationship between the two men and women. Further, this is just a single anecdote.

Among the existing city residents, the ones who sniffed out such a scent the most sensitively were the merchants.

"This is a gift offered by the Hanseatic League."

Elf-made clothing and sandals, which cannot be obtained through normal routes, were placed in a luxurious box.

"I will accept it gratefully. Valda will be happy."

"Rather, we are the ones to be thankful. If it were not for Your Excellency's generosity, we would have had to make a painful collection from Lord Winchester, whom we once served."

"If you cared so much for the former Viscount, why didn't you write off the debt? It wasn't that large of an amount."

"That would be difficult."

While bowing flat to Eugene, saying what needs to be said showed extraordinary nerve.

"We are a merchant union possessing members from end to end of the continent. For Your Excellency, the Wandering Lord, to use us as servants, there will be no better partner than us. We dare to assure you."

As expected from those with a wide reach in many fields, the information they grasped seemed quite extensive.

They were the first ones to talk business while mentioning Wandering Lord Eugene instead of Noble Eugene first.

"Let's talk about that slowly. Since I want to focus on Britannia for now."

The merchants praised the victories Eugene achieved in Britannia and shared the information they knew.

"The right to use Haven's port will be maintained as is."

"Thank you."

"And you couldn't use the ports on the Cornwall side due to the former Viscount's order, right?"

"Yes. It was an economic sanction imposed by Lord Winchester on the Cornwall nobles."

"I will revoke it as of this moment. Trade freely with them as well."

This was the real purpose the merchants of the Hanseatic League visited Eugene.

'To immediately catch on and quickly progress the conversation.'

The merchant admired inwardly. It seemed the contents to report to the League regarding the new ruler would increase further. Meanwhile, Eugene thought he had established connections with useful folks for his part.

Most lords settle in one place and live. Thus, they can receive preferential treatment from the merchant companies they have deepened relationships with, but Eugene was not like that.

Poking around here and there as a wandering lord, he always had to trade with merchant companies he met for the first time.

If he establishes a connection with the Hanseatic League, which is active across the entire continent with this opportunity, it will become much easier in future supply trades.

* * *

Only after spending time frantically were the three people, Eugene, Valda, and Homi, able to gather in one place and spend their leisure time.

Valda and Homi were busy dealing with key figures of the city and VIPs coming from outside to greet them.

"I can understand Valda, but Homi?"

She is more loyal than anyone, but she cannot speak nor does she possess political acumen.

"You must not underestimate Homi. This lady's tail sometimes accomplishes more than the speech of a silver-tongued orator."

"Heuheung."

At Valda's defense, Homi smiled proudly.

Important guests do not come alone. In many cases, they visited with their wives or children as well as their attendants.

The actual power is held by the family head, but it is also true that the family exerts immense influence on the family head implicitly and explicitly. Socializing with them is like targeting the horse a general is riding.

Homi approached the children swinging their legs as if bored sitting on the sofa, and the noblewomen gathered in small groups chatting.

- Mom, it's super fluffy.

- Ahahahat!

- You said you are His Excellency Meyer's retainer, right? Y-you'll wrap it around my neck? Kyaaa! What should I do! It's so soft!

Homi, dropped among them, was a tactical weapon ahead of her time.

"It seems untoward rumors are circulating among the vassals."

"That I plan to kill you after marrying you and seizing your rights? A story like that is bound to come out naturally. It's a commonly used trick."

The reason Eugene somehow made time to spend together was also to put such nonsense to rest. However, Valda didn't seem to care at all.

"When you ascend to Earl, even worse false rumors will circulate. Since even now, the great nobles of the central region are engaged in a mud fight."

They committed pillaging and massacres, framed their opponents, or mobilized spies and hired adventurers to spread dirty false rumors.

Attacks would soon come to the newly born leader in the south as well.

"Looking at it this way, Lord Winchester was also quite a decent gentleman in his own way. Because after the civil war, when everyone was calling themselves Earls or Dukes, he kept the title of Viscount alone."

"Because he is also a noble of the south. His respect for Britannia's traditions was genuine."

Britannia nobles generally had low titles compared to the power they possessed. For instance, the Winchester family was stronger than the Earl of Sicily looking only at their forces, but they remained a Viscount.

This is because the supreme ruler of Britannia was a regent family entrusted by the Half-Fairy family.

Since the regent couldn't dare to call themselves a king, they had to call themselves a Duke. Moreover, as their authority drops as a regent, having nobles with the same rank title was troublesome. It would become the seed of internal division.

Thus, there was a tradition of actively suppressing the elevation of nobles' titles.

Now that the civil war has begun, all constraints have been released making it an old tradition. Winchester is one of the few great nobles who respected that.

"Not harming him was a wise judgment."

"If I had, the number of guests coming to our wedding would have decreased."

"..."

"I plan to announce it tomorrow. Would that be alright?"

Valda quietly nodded.

Homi, who was supporting her face with both hands next to them, also smiled radiantly.

Family.

The value Homi cherishes more than anything else in the world. The moment for it to become complete has arrived.

- Eugene. I am truly delighted with your feelings, but I feel sorry for Homi. She's a child who has served you dedicating her body and heart since long ago.

Once, Valda had felt sorry, thinking that she, who intruded later, was snatching the position of a wife. However, that burden on her heart was easily resolved.

- It is fine. Because Homi's concept of family is very different from what we think.

To Homi, who possesses the soul of a beast, the secular systems created by society are meaningless.

The family she thinks of is the rule of nature and beasts. A single pride bound by power and destiny. It wasn't defined by certificates or seats at banquets.

At some point, Homi stood up and went behind Valda.

"Do not lock the door to me."

And she whispered. That alone was what Homi desired.