Chapter 79

"Is it as expected!"

"What is this? This crowd..."

Four days after Kurt's grudge killed over fifty people, including Baron Rookner and his family. We had to discuss something, so we headed to the residence of the Rookner Minister of Finance in the capital, and found a large crowd gathered in front of the main gate.

This time, only the mentor accompanied us, as everyone else was busy. Moving in a large group would attract too much attention, and the mentor offered to take over the usual guard duties from Paul and the others.

Paul was busy with inspections and investigations in the new territory, and the next time he would come would be when he was granted the rank of baron by His Majesty.

"This child is the son of the late Baron Blumenthal! Please acknowledge him!"

"Minister of Finance Rookner! I believe I am the most suitable to succeed Lord Bureau!"

"What is going on here?"

"More than ten noble families have been almost completely wiped out, I suppose."

Including myself, the entire family, retainers, and servants of the Rookner baronial family were wiped out, and many relatives and acquaintances came to claim that they were the most suitable to be the next Rookner baron.

In other families, at least the head of the family and his wife were gone. In the worst cases, the heir, other children, and retainers were all wiped out. Various people were vying for the vacant titles and positions.

"But, the Minister of Finance Rookner?"

"The younger brother, who was the leader of the faction, was wiped out along with his family. Therefore, it is only natural for the elder brother to take over everything, even if they were at odds!"

Moreover, the elder brother is the Minister of Finance and a marquis. They probably think that getting the approval of the Minister of Finance Rookner, who is like the voice of heaven, is more useful than confronting the guards protecting the property.

"Then, it's best to leave it to the Minister of Finance, isn't it?"

"That's right."

We also have no time to spare, as we might receive the grant of the new territory and the order to develop it at any time. We needed to get a commitment regarding the treatment of Amalie and the nephews as soon as possible.

Of course, we had already completed the rounds of greetings to the other major nobles. Cardinal Hohenheim immediately agreed and promised to accompany us when we met with His Majesty.

From Minister of Military Affairs Edgar, I was told, "Vilma is my adopted daughter now! Understand that?"

I immediately nodded in agreement.

In other words, he was saying that I must marry her. Personally, I found Vilma cute and was fine with it, but it would change the order of my wives. Since Vilma is the daughter of a baron, she would have to be placed after Elise.

Even though I was told not to worry, I still needed to consider Louise and Ina. In my heart, I cursed the fact that the muscular Minister of Military Affairs, who looked no different from the mentor, was not just a musclehead.

The other ministers I greeted didn't say much. They would probably have a lot to say after the grant of the undeveloped land.

"Anyway, we need to meet the Minister of Finance Rookner."

Edgar, the Minister of Military Affairs, had informed us that he was busy with various responses at the residence today. When we arrived, many people were gathered in front of the Rookner residence, and we had to push through the crowd to speak to the guards at the main gate.

"Who are you this time? A relative of someone? Or a child of someone?"

I thought the gatekeeper was quite arrogant, but he had probably been dealing with such people for days. He didn't immediately recognize us.

"I am the Chief Court Magician and Baron Baumayster. We have come to see the Minister of Finance Rookner, our lord."

"What! Lord Armstrong and Baron Baumayster! I apologize!"

He must have been informed in advance that we were coming. The gatekeeper suddenly became polite and let us in.

"Baron Baumayster! This child is really the son of Baron Blumenthal! Please, a word with you!"

"I am on good terms with the Minister of Finance in the capital! Please, a good word for Christian to be the next Mertenshtein knight!"

When they realized that we were famous and had the status to enter the residence smoothly, the crowd started to ask us for various favors.

"If I were to pay attention to each one, it would never end!"

When a noble dies, such people always appear. Women in the entertainment industry who dealt with nobles, or maids who used to work in the mansion, would come asking for recognition of their children.

However, in this world, there is no DNA testing. Without a written proof from the deceased at the time of birth, it is unlikely to be recognized. Moreover, most of those who go to such lengths are initially set up to be recognized normally.

There are also nobles without positions who claim nonexistent connections and aim for the vacant positions. They are usually idle, so they come every day.

"I'm sorry to trouble you..."

When we entered the residence, the Minister of Finance Rookner, who looked exhausted with dark circles under his eyes, greeted us.

"Are you alright?"

"No, the situation in front of the residence has been like this since the day after the incident, and I'm also busy with the arrangements to fill the gaps left by the dead. And then..."

The Minister of Interior Becker, who handles the management of noble status and inheritance procedures, and the residence of the practical chief under him, were in a similar state. He was apparently criticized harshly in the castle yesterday.

"That's tough. We also have something to ask, is it alright?"

"About the treatment of the children of the eldest son who attempted assassination, right? I'll take care of it. But, there's one problem..."

The content that the Minister of Finance Rookner told us with a look of regret shocked me.

"What? Roderich as the next Rookner baron?"

That was surprising, but more shocking was that immediately after the assassination attempt, the Rookner baron provided information about the magic item to Kurt, and then acknowledged Roderich and demanded a share of the benefits.

Moreover, the Minister of Finance Rookner accepted it, which made me even more surprised.

"Why would you accept such a demand!"

"Unlike Duke Helter, who fought a duel with the previous lord and is a complete fool and a current criminal, there is no evidence to justify his arrest..."

Despite being a clear accomplice, he handed Kurt over to the free adventurer with a straight face, pretending to be a well-intentioned informant. Moreover, he acknowledged Roderich without hesitation and demanded benefits, even though he was looked at with suspicion by those around him.

I never thought he would be so shameless.

"He probably thought it went well and called a party for his faction's subordinates."

That was the peak of his downfall. The cause was Kurt, whom he had used and discarded. It was a perfect case of karma.

"Like a cat that chased a rat and was bitten on the neck by the rat, leading to death from blood loss."

"Did he get the permission of Roderich himself to acknowledge him?"

"Legally, it's not necessary."

In a noble family, the authority of the head is absolute. There is no need for the child's permission to acknowledge them.

"By saying you will acknowledge them, you are already saying that the child is a difficult one."

For the Rookner baron, acknowledging Roderich and using the connection to demand benefits was a way to go. Since he already had an heir, he probably had no intention of giving him a penny of the property.

In a way, he was refreshingly despicable. It could also be said that he was a typical noble.

"However, it caused a lot of trouble."

The party was held at the Rookner baron's residence. As a result, his entire family was wiped out.

"Both the eldest son and daughter are dead. There are no surviving legitimate children. Therefore..."

Roderich, the acknowledged second son, became the most likely successor. However, if that happened, it could cause significant delays in the development of the undeveloped land.

"Please don't take away my chief retainer and steward."

He was supposed to be my representative in the development of the undeveloped land, and was to be treated as a chief retainer with the possibility of hereditary succession. If he inherited the Rookner baronial family, that plan would be completely ruined.

"Then, we have to start over with the selection of a steward."

Naturally, everyone's anger over the delay would be directed at the Minister of Finance Rookner. He would also be criticized by His Majesty and all the ministers.

"I understand. I understand, but..."

The undeveloped land I was to receive was supposed to become the Baumayster earldom. If Roderich inherited the Rookner baronial family, he could not be my retainer.

"I see. There will be a lot of criticism, won't there?"

"By yesterday, the main ministers, Cardinal Hohenheim, and even His Majesty had criticized me! That bastard! He caused trouble until the end!"

The usually calm Minister of Finance Rookner was unusually agitated, spewing foul language unbecoming of a noble.

"Then, what do we do?"

"Whatever, the Rookner baronial family will be dissolved. We will deal with the other followers individually. It's just that he has added unnecessary work..."

The petition for the treatment of the nephews was accepted, and the detailed punishment would be announced in front of His Majesty the next day. I decided to return to my residence in the capital and prepare for the next day's visit to the castle.

The next day, when I entered the castle with a messenger, I was led to a room often used for meetings, not the audience chamber.

"First, we will announce the punishment for that rogue. We will use the audience chamber later."

"Then, let's get to the punishment details..."

Prompted by His Majesty, the Minister of Finance Rookner announced the punishment.

First, the Rookner baron, as a co-conspirator in the assassination attempt against me, was to have his family dissolved and all his property confiscated. There would be no one to complain, and the relatives who had hoped to inherit the title and position would likely remain silent in the face of this punishment.

"Is there any evidence?"

"Margrave Brechreiter is setting up a net to catch the evidence."

The free adventurer who had given the magic item to Kurt was still moving towards Brechburg through the mountain pass, and the Minister of Finance Rookner had sensed that they were trying to capture him.

"There are several retainers of the Rookner baron who are missing. They are probably heading to deal with the adventurer. If we can secure either, we will have the evidence."

If the Rookner baron were still alive, the punishment would be more cautious, but unfortunately, he is no longer in this world. Therefore, they decided to proceed with the punishment quickly.

"The other nobles will lose their positions."

The twelve nobles were all experienced veterans in their roles. It would be natural not to immediately assign their duties to their children, who were suddenly left without a head of the family.

"We will promote capable people from below and bring in new people to gain experience."

The inexperienced people who would be brought in were usually the heirs of influential families who entered through their parents' connections. These inexperienced people would generally rise to the level of their parents' positions.

Noble families with positions would repeat this cycle from father to son, but due to the unexpected death of the head of the family, many children were still young and could not be assigned to the positions.

Therefore, this time, the door would be opened to twelve nobles without positions. Naturally, there would be fierce competition, but it was not my concern.

"It would be better if they had children. They can inherit the title. The problem is..."

One baronial family and three knightly families have no children, and their relatives and acquaintances are currently pressing for their claims.

"This can only be handled according to the noble law. However..."

"The details will be discussed in the audience chamber."

Punishments are announced in the meeting room, and rewards in the audience chamber. This seems to be the custom in the Kingdom of Helmut.

When I was led to the audience chamber by His Majesty's order, an unexpected person was waiting there.

"Brother Helmut? Brother Ehrich?"

"Vell... I've heard about Kurt. I didn't expect such an ending..."

Why the brothers were summoned was unclear, but the first topic was likely to be Kurt's tragic end and the massacre caused by his abnormal grudge.

However, according to the testimony of the priests who purified the undead, which was the collective grudge of Kurt, the undead had no physical characteristics of Kurt.

A black smoke-like sphere about three meters in diameter with a face with glowing red eyes. It was reportedly laughing maniacally in front of the almost skeletal remains of the Rookner baron, who had been eaten by zombies.

Moreover, it was purified by the priests without any resistance. Did it feel satisfied with killing the Rookner baron, who had turned him into such a state, even though it failed to kill me?

I am not Kurt, so I couldn't understand his true intentions.

"The official view is that the Rookner baron died from the backlash of a cursed magic item."

Ehrich, my brother, was told that the assassination attempt on me was Kurt's doing, and the subsequent massacre of the Rookner baron was due to his own mistake in not properly checking the effects of the magic item.

However, since he had obtained the magic item from the black market and given it to Kurt, the punishment of the family's extinction remained unchanged.

"By the way, there is a reason I called the three of you here."

First, it was announced that Helmut and Ehrich would be elevated to the rank of baron.

"Why?"

"Your Majesty, we have no particular achievements..."

"There must be something. You must be diligently performing the tasks assigned to you every day."

"But, all the other nobles do the same..."

Ehrich's question was met with a smile from His Majesty, but his expression also conveyed, "Don't argue, just accept it." Ehrich and the others accepted the reward of elevation without further protest.

"Next, it's Baron Baumayster."

After Kurt's death, the undeveloped land was finally granted to me after about a week of delay.

"The Baumayster knightly fief will be stripped of the undeveloped part due to the scandal of the heir. The detailed area to be confiscated will be communicated later, but the remaining undeveloped land will be granted to Wendelin von Benno Baumayster, who will be elevated to the rank of earl."

"I humbly accept."

I was granted the title of earl and the undeveloped land by His Majesty, which finally resolved most of the troubles related to my family.

"In short, it's a compensation, isn't it?"

After I was elevated to the rank of earl, the mentor invited me, Helmut, and Ehrich to his residence and expressed his views on today's ceremony.

However, since he is close friends with His Majesty, his views were essentially the same as His Majesty's.

"Because of the rampage caused by the disinheritance of Kurt for the development of the undeveloped land, and the involvement of a central official, the two brothers were also rewarded to show consideration for the Earl of Baumayster. Paul, who is currently investigating the planned territory, will soon be granted the rank of baron and a fief!"

"Indeed, it would be strange for me to refuse."

The reward for me was already decided from the beginning, and they probably considered the possibility that I might refuse if it was too much. However, the elevation of the brothers was done hastily to avoid any objections.

"No... Being suddenly elevated, the looks from others are painful."

"Helmut is usually in charge of water source security, so it's fine. In my case, there is a workplace..."

They were suddenly summoned and suddenly elevated. Both would likely face uncomfortable looks from their surroundings.

"Moreover, with the scandal of the heir in the family, it would be strange to be elevated."

"Since you will be dealing with unpleasant matters for a while, His Majesty decided to elevate you!"

The nobles are not fools. They must be well aware that the co-conspirator in the assassination attempt was the Rookner baron, and that I would start developing the undeveloped land afterward.

Therefore, they would likely start approaching me again, the mentor said.

"That's annoying... I've already suffered the consequences."

The nobles in the capital are already buzzing with rumors