LRAB Chapter 7
Chapter 7
[translator - night]
[proofreader - gun]nôv(el)b\\jnn
chapter 7
when i think about it, it was only natural.
as soon as i heard the story of his son's abduction, i was certain that i was the tastiest hostage.
* * *
sigh...
melissa cascadia, the acting count of cascadia, held her head in her hands, overwhelmed by an intense headache brought on by extreme fatigue.
she let out a deep sigh.
"manpower, funds... there's nothing that isn't lacking..."
as the businesses faltered, the funds dried up, and as a result, there was no money to maintain the forces.
having fallen into the vicious cycle once, she, still young, had no idea where to begin fixing things.
"no. i can't just sit here like this."
she slapped her cheeks and shook her head vigorously.
she wanted to throw it all away and cry, but she couldn't.
too many people's lives depended on her shoulders.
"external pressures... just how many people are tangled in this?"
signs of external forces reaching into the cascadia county were becoming increasingly apparent.
on top of that, there was an internal saboteur.
tyvel cascadia.
her uncle and now practically her mortal enemy.
he was claiming his own qualifications as the next margrave and had been exploiting her authority as he pleased.
normally, it wouldn't have been possible.
however, unlike melissa, who had not been formally recognized as the count's successor, tyvel cascadia had connections to central nobles and was unilaterally stealing her authority.
he had actually taken significant control of the private army and knights allowed to the margrave, securing a considerable amount of forces and even filling part of the county guards with his people.
now, he was systematically getting rid of those who could support melissa.
at first, she hadn't realized it.
but by the time she figured out he was orchestrating things behind the scenes, it was far too late.
as a result, the county's military forces were in shambles, and the funds were depleted.
this recent issue with the verus armory business was probably another one of his maneuvers.
at its core, dealing with tyvel, who had succession rights, would extinguish the biggest fire.
but realistically, his forces were far stronger, making that impossible.
she hadn't told her older brother, leon, about this because she feared he might act recklessly.
though he wasn't particularly powerful or a genius, her brother had a fiery streak, and she worried he would storm off to confront tyvel the moment he found out.
considering tyvel's side was already willing to resort to murder to get rid of both melissa and leon, she had no choice but to hide the information to protect her brother.
however, she couldn't hide it forever.
moreover, she was so short-handed that she judged she needed his help, even if it was risky.
for now, tyvel’s side was relatively quiet, so they probably wouldn’t target leon just yet.
before it was too late.
‘i have to protect leon...’
even if it meant marrying him off to another household as a son-in-law.
at that moment—
bang!!
“ah... my lady!!”
a knight burst in with a panicked shout.
“hmm?”
it was none other than haphon, the knight who served as her escort and aide.
he had originally followed the previous count, galeon cascadia, but now swore his loyalty to her.
“sir haphon, what’s wrong?”
“you need to come outside right away!!”
the urgency in haphon’s voice sent her anxiety skyrocketing.
melissa jumped from her seat and hurried out.
she soon arrived at the mansion's entrance, where two knights were kneeling with their heads bowed low.
“what is this...?”
“we’re sorry! my lady!”
“please, kill us!!”
as soon as they saw melissa, the two knights slammed their foreheads to the ground and shouted.
it was obvious from the moment they brought me here.
in fact, i’d anticipated this outcome from the start.
the only reason i followed them without resistance was to see if uncle tyvel or vishiri was sane enough to meet me.
i also needed to confirm the location of the place where they were holding verus’ son.
indeed, during the process of being brought here, i’d seen numerous iron cages, one of which held a dwarf who seemed to be verus’ son.
i had successfully identified their secret hideout.
there was no need to complicate things by searching for it myself when they were willing to bring me straight to it.
this was only possible because they mistakenly believed i was completely powerless.
after all, no one in their right mind would bring a ticking time bomb to their stronghold.
“a hostage. heh, yes, a hostage. so my father can formally take over the authority of the margrave.”
“do you really think melissa would negotiate over my life alone?”
“that remains to be seen.”
“so, the businesses the count’s estate has been investing in lately—are they all packing up and leaving because you’ve been rounding up their families?”
“why take the long way around when there’s a simpler option?”
“and you’re confident you can handle the aftermath?”
“many of the nobles in the capital are already on our side. who would listen to the likes of you?”
it’s clear there are more than just a few traitors.
if melissa is to become the legitimate margrave, we might need to make a hit list.
he sat down on a chair prepared by one of his soldiers and looked at me.
“stay quiet. once we get that woman to transfer her authority, i’ll consider sparing your life, even if not your sister’s.”
“because melissa deserves to die for being a rightful heir?”
“it’s tragic, but that’s how it has to be. if we’re being honest, the authority should’ve gone to my father or me rather than an unqualified brat like melissa.”
i couldn’t help but let out a bitter chuckle at his words.
“people who shouldn’t even have any claim to the count’s authority are buttering up central nobles to grab an opportunity, and now you’re talking about legitimacy? well, i guess whoever wins and spins the narrative gets to be the hero, while the loser becomes the villain.”
“you’re quick to understand. that’s good. if you behave, you’ll be fine.”
he rose from his seat, seemingly out of things to say.
“once my father officially takes over the authority, an official margrave appointment will come down from the capital. from that point on, cascadia county will no longer be managed by you siblings but by my father.”
“and then you’ll inherit it after him?”
“that’s right.”
he turned away.
“keep him under strict watch. if he tries anything funny, feel free to break a limb or two.”
“yes, sir.”
some knights bowed their heads.
“those faces seem familiar. turns out the ones who left the estate after my father passed were the ones you’ve recruited. when did you start enticing them?”
at my question, vishiri cascadia didn’t respond and simply left.
“vishiri cascadia.”
when i called his name, he paused.
“i’ve got things to do right now, so i’ll let you go. but let’s meet again in a little while.”
“you’re nothing more than a barking dog.”
apparently confident i couldn’t escape, he promptly exited the underground prison.
left behind were five knights who seemed to be aura users, along with over ten soldiers.
there was likely a considerable force waiting beyond this underground area as well.
sitting back down, i closed my eyes and began circulating my aura slowly.
i was already exhausted from lack of sleep, which only worsened my foul mood.
perhaps because of this, the aura coursing through my body mirrored my emotions, circulating more violently.
“librarian.”
i suppressed my voice and called out to the librarian through thought, and a question mark appeared before my eyes.
the librarian’s text seemed invisible to others.
“is there any way to force myself to sleep?”
[it is possible to temporarily block your aura and lose consciousness, but it is not recommended.]
i figured as much.
with the sheer amount of aura i possess, there’s no telling what might happen if something goes wrong.
this is the first time i’ve ever experienced a situation where my aura is overflowing like this.
[however, if you exhaust yourself with strenuous activity, fatigue will likely lead you to sleep.]
so, basically, i should tire myself out.
[translator - night]
[proofreader - gun]
enhance your reading experience by removing ads:
remove ads now