Chapter 636
At this conference, attended by the city’s nobles and general-level soldiers in modern times, policies that will lead the kingdom are established.
In fact, it can be seen as the core of aristocratic power.
It goes without saying, but it’s incredibly difficult to get in.
That was why Countess Ragnar Peprock previously attracted attention in noble circles.
It was unprecedented for an aristocratic family with no foundation to gain a seat in the royal council in such a short period of time.
Well, after all, there was a Prime Minister behind him.
anyway.
‘I didn’t know there wouldn’t be a single participant in the royal meeting in Melves.’
To be honest, I thought that Melves, with its 32 families, would occupy at least one spot, but I never thought that would be the case.
Maybe this is also an implicit discrimination of different races.
Oh, of course it was a good thing for me.
“….”
“….”
The conference room became quiet when I asked that I was thirsty.
In a situation where everyone didn’t know how to react, a nobleman in the corner spoke.
“Could you tell him to go out and have a cup of tea? “I put a lot of ice on it so it cools down quickly.”
Words and actions that convey the meaning of acknowledging who you are.
With that, the situation was clearly resolved.
That’s because the person who spoke was Hoeju.
“yes? Ah yes… Lord Hoe.”
A baron next to the leader went out of the conference room, gave new orders to the employees, and returned.
And…
“Put it over there.”
The food was roasted so sweetly that in the blink of an eye, a piece of tea with ice on it was placed in front of me.
It was the iced tea of this era.
Although there is a big difference from the sweet stuff I used to eat in PC rooms.
‘Not bad.’
As I was taking a big breath and enjoying the scent and coolness, Hoeju spoke to me as a representative.
“Now then, would you like to tell me?”
“Hmm… all of a sudden, I’m not sure what to say first.”
“Then let’s start with this first. “Is it true that you have been granted permission to attend the Baron’s royal meeting?”
“It’s true. “I was resting at the shrine, and a letter like this came to the shrine not long ago.”
When I took out the letter I had been keeping and showed it to the people, their expressions became agitated once again.
Of course, none of these people thought I was bluffing…
“It’s true…”
“It has the seal of the royal family.”
“Looking at the seats… it’s still a rare seat.”
Nevertheless, when you see the evidence with your own eyes, you are bound to feel a little different.
“So what I want to ask is, is this the end?”
When Hoeju changed the words to ask a question quickly in the barbarian style, he hesitated for a while and then cautiously opened his mouth.
“By any chance… did the Baron decide to take the hand of the royal family?”
“That’s a strange question. What else is there other than holding hands? “We are all subjects of the royal family.”
It was something I didn’t like at all.
But if you ask me that way, I have nothing else to say, right?
Soon, Hoeju himself must have realized his mistake and quickly corrected the question.
“…Then I will ask again. “I know it’s a rude question, but…”
“It’s okay, try it.”
“What kind of promise did you receive from the Baron when you met separately with the royal family after returning to the city?”
Even a clueless barbarian could tell what Hoeju was worried about and why he was asking such questions.
They are concerned about talent outflow.
He must have been anxious that I might abandon Melves and become a henchman of the mainstream royal family.
I didn’t know it was so bad to express my anxiety in front of everyone like this.
“…Why did you think that?”
“It wasn’t like that even after participating in today’s meeting. “Even though I paid the request fee and said I wanted to hear information on the first basement floor, I just put it off until later.”
Oh, that’s…
‘It certainly must have looked that way from their perspective.’
I have no plans to abandon Melves and find a new home.
I also like the personality of this group itself.
The fact that it is a group of people of different races who are knowingly or unknowingly ostracized is also very advantageous to me.
However, the reason he kept quiet about exploring the first basement floor was because he did not know what kind of deal he would make with the royal family later.
“It seems like there has been some misunderstanding, so I’ll explain it clearly here. “I have not made any promises to the royal family.”
“Then the royal meeting…?”
“I do not know. “It just flew in without a word.”
This is real.
There was absolutely no communication from the Marquis before the letter was sent.
And did you believe what I said?
“I see….”
“Has your curiosity been resolved?”
“exactly. “I was worried at first, but now it seems like the royal family just approved it.”
“what?”
“The Baron is already the backbone of the city’s political situation.”
Hoeju’s eyes looked at me while saying that, and to say that they were hot was not enough.
Should I say that it shows a passion that has never been seen before?
It was evident that he would never let go of me.
‘It’s a little burdensome, but…’
When you look at it objectively, it’s a very positive situation.
The 31 other families belonging to Melves have strong support behind me.
That is the final goal that can be achieved at Melves—.
“Right.”
But as soon as he said those words, the spark of passion in Hoeju’s eyes cooled completely.
“The questions end here. “Let’s continue the discussion on Viscount Marie Black.”
“yes? Oh yes… I understand.”
Afterwards, after Hoeju’s words, the host took the lead in the conversation, and everyone passively exchanged opinions while looking at Hoejoo’s thoughts.
However, despite this, the leader did not say anything or even look at me until the end of this meeting.
‘…what? Are you trying to push and pull?’
It was a bit of a shock for me, who had only received those intense gazes for a moment.
However, it did not take long to realize that Hoeju was trying hard to control his emotions.
“Then, I would like to express my gratitude to the family owners who made the precious step to this meeting, and this concludes this meeting…”
Now that the meeting was completely over, I was thinking about getting up.
“Baron, could you please stay for a moment?”
“…?”
“The Marie Black family car is really nice.”
An aristocratic way of speaking that means to talk for a while.
“What can I do?”
After answering in the affirmative and waiting, the nobles who participated in the meeting also skipped the greeting and left the venue.
And….
“I will upload the car again as soon as it is ready. “Please rest in peace.”
The moment when even Viscount Marie Black, owner of the mansion where today’s meeting was held, left the venue and a private table was created.
“Baron Yandel.”
Hoeju’s eyes return to their original state.
A look of intense desire that belies anyone’s age.
However, even though he did not hide his emotions, his voice was calm.
“What does Baron Yandel think of Melves?”
Well, it’s a good start.
“I just think it’s a great place. “People are fine too.”
“Even though you had a conflict with Count Goldbeard?”
“When people meet, how can they not clash? That’s how everyone lives. “I don’t particularly hate the Count just because that happened.”
“Then I am truly fortunate.”
Having seen the liver once on the Hoeju side, it was time to tap it with my toe on this side as well.
“How are you, Hoeju?”
“…?”
“I meant what do you think of Melves?”
In response to my question, Hoeju made an expression as if he had heard an unexpected question.
“Huh, what do you think about Melves…”
Hoeju seemed to be thinking for a moment about how to answer this, and then answered so honestly that even the barbarian who was listening was taken aback.
“I think it’s a ragtag bunch.”
“…what?”
An unconventional wording that makes it difficult to believe that it was uttered by the owner of Melves.
“Why do we always do it? We can do it. When we come together, we are stronger than anyone else. “Did you hope for such positive words?”
“It’s not like that… I didn’t expect you to answer so honestly.”
“Actually, Baron Yandel is the first time I have revealed my true feelings like this. “You can’t or shouldn’t say something like this to anyone.”
Hoeju’s face, which always had a friendly smile, had a shadow that I had never seen before.
It seems like he was under a lot of stress whether he knew it or not.
“So what exactly does ragtag mean?”
“Literally, what else could there be? Even after thousands of years, the number of noble families of different races has not increased, and the orthodox families are growing in power day by day. “The remaining ones had no place to stay, so they banded together, but they never truly became one.”
Hoeju quickly let out all the suppressed emotions and words as if he were complaining.
“More than anything, do you know what the biggest difference is between us and other forces? “The point is that there is no central point.”
“If that’s the case, Hoeju, you are doing—.”
“Do you really think so, Baron?”
Well…
it certainly seems like he is respected and so on… but when this grandfather presents a vision and says he wants to move forward, I don’t think all 31 families will follow suit as if it were their own.
“….”
So I just kept my mouth shut and Hoeju laughed.
“As it stands now, even if the solidarity of the families becomes stronger and each power grows, the fact that they are a ragtag group will not change.”
“Because there is no central point that I mentioned earlier?”
“That’s right.”
It’s the same way that no matter how much a corn kernel expands, it will never be able to become popcorn unless it is heated.
Now, I felt like I knew what Hoeju wanted to say.
“Actually, our Melves would be a very narrow nest to accommodate Baron Yandel.”
“…Well, I guess you’re the only one who thinks that way?”
“Hehe, everyone probably knows deep down. “I just can’t admit it yet because of my personal feelings.”
“That being said, I don’t even have the family’s land yet.”
“But he has more vassals than anyone else in this city. The Baron Yandel I saw was not a bird looking for a nest. “It’s a nest-building bird.”
Hoeju said those words and continued without stopping to lift me up.
“Baron Yandel is a tribal leader and a titled baron. He is also one of the most famous explorers in the city, and according to rumors, he is capable of competing head-to-head with the strongest men in the world.”
Uh… there’s nothing wrong with that…
“But I think Baron Yandel underestimates you too much. “If you exclude titles, do you think any of the 31 families would have one?”
“…Okay, so stop fussing and say what you want to say.”
“I know it’s ridiculous to say this to a Baron who has only just joined Melves. However, if I miss this opportunity, I will definitely spend thousands of years waiting pointlessly.”
Soon, Hoeju looked at me with burning eyes and spoke.
“Baron, please be the focal point of our Melves.”
It was a lot sooner than expected, but it was the end goal I wanted.
Rather than becoming a dragon’s tail, I will become a snake’s head and grow into a monster.
That’s why they ignored offers from other powers and settled in Melves with that thought in the first place.
But I needed to ask this first.
“So, Hoeju, what is your wish? “What do you want to do with raising Melves?”
This was the most important question to ask first when dealing with people.
What is this person’s wish?
After hearing my question, Hoeju smiled brightly and answered immediately without any hesitation.
“My wish is to one day be able to look at nobles from the human race who don’t have a lot of hair and say that. “If you are a weak human, act like a human.”
“….”
“Don’t fuss.”
This grandfather was more extreme than I thought.
***
Grandpa Hoeju, who opened up about his extreme and radical tendencies, suggested several things to me.
“If you accept my proposal, we, Melveth and Viscount Welveit, will fully support and support Baron Yandel.”
“Rather than just saying full support, I want to hear something specific.”
“Not only will I entrust this order to Baron Yandel, but I will also help purchase the family land and build a mansion.”
“and?”
“If there is a vote to be cast, all 31 families will cast their votes in the direction Baron Yandel casts. In addition, if there is anything that stands in the way of what Baron Yandel is trying to do, everyone will work together to remove the obstruction.”
Oh, this is a bit hearty.
“There is just one condition.”
Hey, I guess they went all in.
I tried to hide my disappointment and asked about the conditions.
And….
“What are the conditions? Tell me.”
“Anyone is good, so…”
The words that followed made my mind go blank for a moment.
“After the marriage, please see the heir quickly.”
…I didn’t expect these conditions.