Chapter 18

June 20, 15

I made a few additions.

June 27, 15

Numerous corrections have been made.

The supreme ruler of the Holy Bandam Kingdom is the king.

However, the current situation is such that the power of the nobility cannot be ignored, as they are granted high levels of autonomy and govern their lands.

Furthermore, the so-called robe nobles, who do not own land, earn their income by holding government positions, and it is inevitable that collusion occurs between these privileged individuals and those seeking to gain benefits, to varying degrees, in any era.

The politics of the Holy Bandam Kingdom are balanced by the king's faction, which abhors such collusion, the noble faction, which exploits privileges for personal gain, and the neutral faction, which aligns with neither.

"This is Lord Fligger, it has been a while."

"Ah, Lord Brützels, it has been about two months since we last met, hasn't it?"

This man, Fligger, is a senior official in the Ministry of Finance, serving as the Deputy Minister of Finance.

This time, Ernest has come to meet Fligger specifically.

Of course, he did not come just to meet him.

"Lord Fligger, I hear that recently, salt pans are being developed along the eastern coast, and the royal family has invested a significant budget into this project?"

"Haha, as expected of Lord Brützels, your information is always up-to-date."

In the Holy Bandam Kingdom, where there are few coastal areas suitable for development, securing salt is a national policy.

The development of salt pans involves many vested interests, and the sale of salt is only permitted to the state and a select few nobles.

"I just happened to hear about it. However, salt is an important resource for the country, so I would like to invest in this project to help it along."

"Excuse me, 'By the way!'...?"

"The other day, the entrance examination for the Royal Magic Academy took place, and my second son took the exam and was successfully admitted. I believe you have a son of a similar age, don't you, Lord Fligger?"

"Oh, yes, that's right..."

"However, the quality of recent examinees has declined. I heard that among the noble children who took the entrance exam for the Royal Magic Academy, there were those who looked down on commoners. They disregarded the founder Akira's legacy, which states, 'In the halls of learning, there shall be no discrimination based on social status,' and one of them even resorted to violence against my son when he tried to correct them."

Founder Akira wanted to abolish the class system based on nobility but realized that doing so would betray those who had risked their lives to help open the country. Thus, he passed away without fulfilling his dream. In an attempt to honor his wishes, he established the predecessor to the Royal Magic Academy and left a legacy stating, 'In the halls of learning, there shall be no discrimination based on social status.' Since then, Akira's legacy has been passed down through the generations.

"What! Violence against the second son of the Margrave Brützels..."

"I am considering reporting this to His Majesty to correct the conduct of the nobility, but since it involves children, I would prefer to handle it as discreetly as possible... What do you think?... However, it seems that the one who assaulted my son is close to Lord Warner of the Brennan Dukedom... I don't want to cause a big fuss, but it might be difficult..."

Fligger is breaking out in a cold sweat.

The Fligger family is a prominent financial clan, aligned with the noble faction and the Brennan Dukedom.

Moreover, his son, Zajim, is also a suspect.

"Indeed, my son says he remembers the face of the person who assaulted him, and there are many witnesses."

"Lord Brützels, what does this person look like...?"

"Oh, yes. According to my son, he is tall for his age, has a sturdy build, and freckles are his distinguishing feature."

Fligger is on the verge of fainting.

Ernest's description perfectly matches his son, Zajim.

Of course, there are many noble children around Warner, so it is possible that it could be someone else.

However, the fact that Ernest specifically brought this up to him is suspicious.

...In all likelihood, it is probably Zajim, or Ernest wouldn't have brought it up...

Then, why did he bring it up to him?

It's not a simple matter of wanting to handle it discreetly.

The Margrave Brützels is one of the most powerful nobles in the Holy Bandam Kingdom and a key figure in the king's faction.

Naturally, Fligger understands that there must be an ulterior motive.

"By the way, Lord Fligger, we were talking about the salt investment. Can our family also invest?"

Fligger, as expected, looks down with a face twisted in discomfort.

"Of course, I was just about to propose that to Lord Brützels."

Fligger smiles, a true noble who can say one thing while thinking another.

As a result, the Margrave Brützels' family obtained the right to sell salt, which had been monopolized by the noble faction outside the royal family.

"Oh, is that so? Then we can discuss the details later... By the way, was there anything else you wanted to talk about besides the investment?"

"N-no, nothing..."

Ernest leaves the room with a laugh, while Fligger struggles to suppress his rising anger, veins throbbing in his temples.

That night, it is said that angry shouts echoed through the Fligger family's mansion for hours.

The founder of the Holy Bandam Kingdom, Akira, was a hero and the first king.

His legacy is absolute, and any actions that violate it can be considered treason, for which there is no excuse, even for children.

Therefore, the Duke of Brennan, Warner's father, cannot refuse this matter.

If he refuses and Warner's actions are deemed treasonous, even as a powerful noble, he cannot protect him, and the Brennan Dukedom will not escape unscathed, which is a crucial point.

However, after more than 500 years since the founding of the kingdom, many nobles have become arrogant, and some have begun to disregard Akira's legacy, though few would dare to say so publicly.

...Few, but in this case, the violence against Christoph, who tried to correct the behavior, requires a significant price to cover it up.