Episode 66: Choices
Having graduated from the military academy, Siegfried first returned to the Kreving family mansion. But without even a moment to rest, his feet carried him toward—the valley where the gray wolf hairo beastmen lived.
“Heh heh… Just like you said, we dug up every last bit of magic ore during the winter.”
Inside the wooden warehouse in the gray wolf hairo beastmen’s settlement, magic ore gleamed with a dazzling light, piled up like a mountain.
Faced with that sight, Fen puffed out her chest with pride.
“So it seems.”
At Siegfried’s utterly flat response, Fen pursed her lips in dissatisfaction.
“Come on, wouldn’t it be nice to at least say something like ‘good job’?”
“I requested the mining of the magic ore based on our contract. You deliver the ore, and I pay the compensation. That’s all there is to it—do we really need words of praise for that?”
Siegfried spoke in that same detached tone. Then, after a brief pause, he added in a voice laced with sarcasm.
“Or would you be satisfied if I praised you and patted your head? Fen Val Gren.”
“N-no way!”
Fen turned her face away, looking off to the side.
“Then, after the snow in the valley melts, deliver the magic ore to the Kreving household.”
This valley gets sealed off by snow in the winter. Spring was approaching and it was already starting to warm up, but the thaw was still a ways off.
“Delivery is part of your job. If you get attacked by thieves or some other villains on the way and the magic ore gets stolen—I won’t compensate you at all. If you want the money, make sure it gets there safely.”
“I know that already… Hah!”
Fen’s tail shot straight up. She seemed to have realized something.
“W-wait a minute… You wouldn’t… You’re not planning to have us transport it and then attack us yourself as the ‘villain’ along the way, are you…!?”
Have them transport the cargo, then assault them en route and seize it. And then, with a cold laugh, say, ‘Since the cargo was stolen, there’s no payment’—that image of Siegfried floated up in Fen’s mind.
“Oh… Do I look like the kind of man who’d do something like that?”
“…N-no… You wouldn’t go that far, right…?”
“No, I would.”
“You would!?”
“But there’s no benefit for me in doing that to you all. You’re not the villains I need to elevate—you’re my subordinates. It’s more convenient to pay the compensation, keep your motivation high, and continue using you in the future.”
- Siegfried was evil. He had no hesitation in taking what he wanted. Nor did he feel any guilt about it.
- But he wouldn’t choose meaningless destruction or exploitation. Because there was no rational appeal in it as a ‘charismatic villain.’
And with that, Siegfried changed the subject.
“Also… After the snow melts, a teacher is scheduled to be assigned to this settlement.”
Thanks to Siegfried’s plans, a school had already been built in the settlement. All that was left was for the teacher to arrive.
“A teacher, huh…”
Fen muttered it with a hint of discontent.
“Do we really need that…? We’ve gotten by just fine without studying up till now. What we need is the ability to hunt. Studying… I don’t think we need it at all.”
“And yet you were exploited by Patrick, and in the end, he nearly turned you into slaves.”
“Ugh…”
- Before Siegfried had come to rule this land, the gray wolf hairo beastmen had suffered under Patrick’s tyrannical rule.
- They’d been forced to regularly offer up beast pelts and minerals mined from the valley. And in the end, they’d almost been stripped of their dignity as people.
Fen hadn’t forgotten those memories either.
“W-what does that have to do with studying? We followed Patrick because… he had the massive power of the Kirchien Kingdom backing him. If we’d studied… could we have beaten Patrick?”
“Who knows.”
“Who knows…?”
“But with knowledge, you’d at least have more options. For example, the beast pelts you hunt… those fetch high prices in the Kirchien Kingdom’s markets.”
“Yeah, I know that. We’ve sold pelts to traveling merchants who come to the valley and gotten medicine and other necessities in return.”
“Then, do you know specifically how much they’re traded for? What about the distribution routes?”
“N-no, but…”
“If you knew that, you could negotiate prices with the merchants. Or you could approach other merchants, pit them against each other, and drive the price up.”
“…”
“That’s the power of knowledge. Even with the slave hunting Patrick was trying to do, it’s actually prohibited by treaty. Did you know that?”
“W-well, I’ve heard of it, sort of… But a noble like Patrick could easily ignore a treaty like that…!”
“That’s true. However, if you leaked the information to another noble who’s opposed to Patrick, the situation could change completely. For example—Patrick’s former wife, Margherita. She’s connected to the grand judge who oversees this country’s judiciary. If that grand judge got involved, even Patrick would have had to back off.”
- Patrick had been able to do as he pleased simply because he held power.
- In that case, all you needed was to get an even higher authority to act.
Of course, determining whether that authority truly opposed Patrick—that required the appropriate knowledge. If they were on Patrick’s side, the facts would just get covered up.
“You all lack the foundation to even think about such things. Just learning the basics—arithmetic, reading and writing, fundamental laws—would create options for your future.”
“…So, you’re saying we should study.”
“I’m not forcing you.”
- Siegfried had no interest in micromanaging every action of his subordinates.
- Outside of situations like the battlefield, where clear command was essential, he respected their free will.
Otherwise, their individuality would be crushed, and he understood that wouldn’t make for a ‘charismatic evil organization.’
“All I’m doing is presenting options. You can learn and gain power if you want. Or cling to the past and walk the same path—that’s fine too… The choice is yours.”
With that said, Siegfried turned on his heel. And as a final addition, he said this.
“—Before long, the time will come for you to wield your strength. How you prepare for that is up to you… but keep it in mind.”
“…Got it.”
Right after Fen gave a short nod, Siegfried’s figure had already vanished from the warehouse.
“Studying, huh…”
Fen murmured softly.
“Well, maybe I’ll give it a try… just a little.”
