Episode 20: The Dancing Noble

The circumstances surrounding the death of Marquis Patrick von Arving are as follows.

In early September, within the Arving Marquisate’s territory, in a valley inhabited by beastmen of the Gray Wolf tribe, magical beasts appeared. The Arving family attempted to suppress them but failed.

In mid-September, Patrick requested aid from the Kreving Earldom, a distant relative. The head of the family, Siegfried, agreed to assist.

A few days later, Patrick and Siegfried, each leading their own troops, set out to exterminate the magical beasts. However, Patrick and his men were unfortunately surrounded by the creatures.

Siegfried’s forces rushed to Patrick’s aid and defeated the beasts. By then, however, Patrick and his subordinates had already been attacked and annihilated.

As a result, while the extermination of the magical beasts in the Arving Marquisate’s territory was successful, Patrick’s life was lost.

“Well, it’s all a big lie, though.”

At the Kreving Earldom’s mansion, in the study.

I placed the report submitted to the Kirchheim Kingdom on the desk and let out a small sigh.

“Patrick was killed by magical beasts… Can a lie like that really hold up…?”

Fen, standing beside me, voiced her doubts.

“No problem. Patrick didn’t leak any information about his plans to those around him.”

To kill me and seize the Arving Marquisate’s territory—such a scheme could hardly be spoken of openly.

The only ones who knew the truth, besides us, were the knights and soldiers under Patrick’s command. And all of them are dead.

“Well, there’s a chance someone else might have known about Patrick’s plans… but even if they did, they wouldn’t dare speak of it. ‘Patrick-sama died because his strategy to enslave beastmen and kill Siegfried failed’—they’d never say something like that.”

I let out a cold smirk.

“More importantly, what’s up, Fen? You came to my mansion for a reason, didn’t you?”

“Well, um…”

Fen averted her gaze toward the window as she spoke.

“Thanks to the clinic you built in our village, the injured and sick are being saved. I came to thank you for that…”

“No need for thanks. Everything I do is for my own sake.”

“Hmph… I figured you’d say that. But I wouldn’t feel right if I didn’t say it.”

“Fine, do as you please.”

As I turned my gaze back to the documents, a knock—knock knock—echoed through the room.

“Pardon the interruption during your work, Lord Siegfried. A guest has arrived.”

Fine’s soft voice.

“Alright, they’re here.”

I stood up and headed to the reception room.

 

◇

 

“I’ve heard everything, Earl Kreving!”

The moment we met in the reception room, the woman screeched at me in a shrill voice. She appeared to be in her forties, her face caked with foundation, lips painted with vivid red lipstick, and purple eyeshadow framing her eyes. She wore a gaudy, ostentatious dress.

“You’ve taken over the territory of my husband, Patrick, haven’t you!”

“Welcome to my mansion. I am the head of this house, Siegfried von Kreving.”

Maintaining my composure, I moved my right arm in front of me and slightly bowed my head in a noble’s greeting.

Seeing my gesture, the woman cleared her throat as if snapping back to her senses.

“Ahem… I apologize for my sudden rudeness. My name is Margherita von Hindemid. I am the elder sister of the current head of the Hindemid Marquisate… and Patrick’s former wife.”

“A pleasure to meet you, Lady Margherita.”

“Oh, my… Now that I look closely, you’re quite the handsome man… But that’s not what I came to discuss! It’s about the Arving Marquisate’s territory! I’ve heard you’ve been entrusted with its management—is that true?”

“Yes. In the absence of a lord, I, Siegfried, have been tasked with managing the Arving Marquisate’s territory. This has been approved by His Majesty the King.”

“No, that’s unacceptable! The one who should inherit Patrick’s territory is me! And by extension, the Hindemid Marquisate!”

“Oh?”

“It’s only natural! ‘Former’ or not, I was Patrick’s wife. Once upon a time, I was revered as the lord’s lady in that land—”

From there, Margherita launched into a lengthy tirade, listing countless reasons why she should inherit Patrick’s territory. She concluded with a dramatic flourish.

“If my opinion is not acknowledged, I intend to appeal to the Lord Chancellor!”

The Lord Chancellor… the highest judicial authority in this kingdom, a position traditionally held by powerful nobles.

“My family has connections with the Lord Chancellor. If it comes to a lawsuit, you have no chance of winning!”

“I see.”

I flashed a sly, villainous smile.

“Lady Margherita, your reasoning is sound. The Hindemid family, and you in particular, are far more suited to inherit the Arving Marquisate’s territory than someone like me.”

“Oh…?”

Margherita seemed taken aback by how readily I accepted her argument.

“I’ll immediately make arrangements for the Hindemid family to inherit the Arving Marquisate’s territory.”

“W-Well… as long as you understand, that’s fine.”

 

◇

 

“Was that really alright?”

After Margherita left the room, Evan, who had been standing quietly in the corner, spoke up.

“What do you mean?”

“The Arving Marquisate’s territory, which you worked so hard to obtain—giving it up so easily would render all your efforts meaningless.”

“I never thought it’d be that easy to claim another family’s territory.”

While Patrick had no direct heirs, he naturally had relatives. It was predictable that they’d assert their own claims to the territory.

“That said, I have no intention of relinquishing the Arving Marquisate’s territory.”

“What do you mean…?”

“Just watch, Evan.”

I let out a low chuckle, flashing a scheming, villainous grin.

 

◇

 

Three days after Margherita’s visit to the mansion…

“I’m deeply honored by your visit, Marquis Pelling von Aberlain.”

Sporting my sly, villainous smile once more, I greeted my guest in the reception room. Before me stood a lean man in his late thirties, dressed in noble attire. This was Pelling, the head of the Aberlain Marquisate.

“No trouble at all. It’s an important matter. But… is what you wrote in that letter true, Lord Siegfried?”

“Yes. Lady Margherita of the Hindemid Marquisate came to me, demanding I hand over the Arving Marquisate’s territory.”

“Damn that haughty vixen…”

Pelling’s face twisted with anger. I whispered soothingly to him.

“Personally, I believe you, Lord Pelling, are the most suitable to inherit the Arving Marquisate’s territory.”

“Exactly! After all, my Aberlain family branched off from the Arving Marquisate seventy years ago. I’m far closer to Patrick than that divorced woman!”

Pelling von Aberlain’s great-grandfather was also Patrick’s great-grandfather. In other words, Pelling and Patrick were second cousins. The slight similarity in their surnames and names stemmed from this connection.

“Absolutely, you’re entirely correct. However…”

“That woman’s claiming she should inherit the territory, isn’t she? Damn it…! If it comes to it, I’ll fight her in court! She may have connections with the Lord Chancellor, but I have one of the five great noble families backing me!”

Nodding at Pelling’s words, I spoke gently.

“Justice is on your side, Lord Pelling. Naturally, you’ll win the case. But… while you and Lady Margherita are battling in court, what shall we do about the management of the Arving Marquisate’s territory?”

“Hmm, good point…”

“If you, Lord Pelling, take over governance, Lady Margherita might interfere. If you’d like, I can continue managing it. Of course, this would be a temporary measure. Once your inheritance is officially recognized, I’ll hand it over entirely.”

“Hmm…”

Pelling fell into thought for a moment.

“You’re right. It might be best to leave it in your hands, Lord Siegfried. I’ll rely on you for the time being.”

“Yes, leave it to me.”

Getting a bit tired of flashing this sly, villainous smile all the time… I thought to myself, but kept my expression intact and nodded.

 

◇

 

“Margherita and Pelling are both consumed by greed.”

After Pelling left, I muttered to myself.

“Even if they fight in court, it’ll take ages to reach a verdict. They’d be better off splitting the territory amicably.”

“This was your plan all along, wasn’t it, Lord Siegfried?”

Evan spoke to me, his tone tinged with admiration.

“In other words, you’re pitting Lady Margherita and Lord Pelling against each other… and while they’re at it, you’ll maintain effective control over the Arving Marquisate’s territory.”

“Half correct, Evan.”

“Half…?”

“Yes. There are others who covet the Arving Marquisate’s territory. For instance, Patrick’s nephew is the head of an earldom—he’s surely aiming to inherit it as well. And Patrick’s maternal family will likely get involved too. I plan to tell them all the same thing: ‘You are the most deserving of inheriting the Arving family’s territory.’”

And they’ll all end up locked in endless disputes in court.

“It’ll take at least three years for any resolution to be reached. In the meantime, I’ll make the most of governing the Arving Marquisate’s territory.”

“But… does that mean you intend to return the Arving Marquisate’s territory once the court reaches a decision?”

“No. By then, the situation will have changed.”

I smiled at Evan.

“Three years from now, something as trivial as the Arving Marquisate’s territory won’t even be on my radar. By then, I’ll be—the king of this country.”

“What…!”

Evan’s mouth fell open, stunned into silence.

“Come on, why the shock, Evan? I told you before, didn’t I? I’m going to become the ruler of this world. If I take this long just to become the king of a single country, how could I ever conquer the world?”

“B-But…”

Our eyes met. The look of shock on the old butler’s face lasted only a moment.

As if resolving himself, Evan placed a hand on his chest and bowed deeply.

“—This Evan will follow you to the ends of the earth, Lord Siegfried.”

“Heh… I’m counting on you, Evan.”

I narrowed my eyes. Heh heh… Evan’s starting to look like a proper right-hand man to a villainous mastermind, isn’t he?