▽▽▽ Side: Duke Karl Axel Bayerlein ▽▽▽
As the new year began, the knight of Roxfall , who had come to offer his New Year’s greetings, gifted me a bottle of liquor.
The label read “Horse King.” I remember laughing, thinking what a bold name it was.
The knight of Roxfall , like his predecessor, is famous for being a man of strength. The Ashwood territory, governed by the Roxfall family, is near a region inhabited by powerful monsters, making it ideal for leveling up. However, it’s also a dangerous place.
Returning to the topic at hand, one day as summer approached, I suddenly remembered the Horse King liquor. When that happened, naturally, I wanted to drink it. I had them bring it right away.
“Hmm!? This is delicious! What a smooth liquor! It’s strong but easy to drink, and the flavor spreads in my mouth.”
“I heard this liquor was made in the Ashwood territory. I was told that land produces almost no crops. Did they have to buy ingredients from outside to make this liquor?”
I hadn’t been very curious about it at the time, but now I regret not asking more.
“It’s unusual to see you drinking this early in the day, Father.”
It was my son, Alexander. Though it’s probably due to my bias as his father, Alexander is truly an excellent child. He spends most of his time at the royal residence, handling administrative duties as my representative. He looks like me, with blue hair and emerald green eyes, just like mine.
I have two other sons and one daughter. However, my daughter was kidnapped and disappeared eleven years ago. We managed to capture the criminals, but the ringleader resisted and was killed. The ringleader was the only one who knew where my daughter was, and since then, she has been missing.
Because of that, I find myself even more fond of Alexander. I’ve become aware that I tend to spoil him, perhaps in place of my poor daughter.
However, I haven’t given up on finding my daughter. If she’s dead, I want to at least bring her remains back and give her a proper funeral. If she’s alive, I want to embrace her with my own arms. No matter what circumstances she’s in, I would never abandon her.
“Would you like a drink, too?”
“If you insist, I’ll have a glass.”
Sebastian, the butler, poured the liquor and handed it to my son.
“Huh. This is the first time I’ve tasted this liquor.”
“Mm. It goes down smoothly, and the flavor is rich. It’s a good liquor.”
“This is… Maou? Horse King, that’s quite an interesting name.”
“This is a gift from the knight of Roxfall .”
“Roxfall … The Roxfall known for strength?”
“Mm. I heard they’ve started making this liquor in the Ashwood territory.”
“Really! This is becoming quite an interesting development.”
As my son said, this could indeed lead to something interesting. The knight of Roxfall is a retainer of the corrupt noble Lightstar. The Lightstar family recently had a change in leadership, but the new head is just as greedy. There’s no way Lightstar would leave such a fine liquor unexploited. If things go well, we might have an opportunity to stir up Lightstar’s faction and pull their retainers over to our side.
Our family, as part of the royal house, has many spies and connections. We receive information from both domestic and foreign sources. The previous head of the Lightstar family was a scoundrel, but he had a knack for managing his retainers. However, the current head of Lightstar is said to be utterly worthless. Thanks to that, several of Lightstar’s retainers have already started contacting our family. The knight of Roxfall is one of them.
It’s likely that the current head of Lightstar won’t support his retainers if they’re in danger. Trust is essential for the system of vassals. Without it, the system itself would collapse.
“Father, we should purchase a large amount of this liquor. If we do that, we can gain favor with the knight of Roxfall , making it easier to bring him to our side when the time comes.”
“Mm. Let’s do that.”
Even without considering the political faction aspects, this liquor is so delicious that purchasing it is already a decision I’ve made.
“Sebastian, send our merchants to buy as much of this liquor as possible. Make arrangements for regular purchases as well. Make sure to add a little extra to the price that the knight of Roxfall has set.”
“Understood, sir.”
Not long after arranging the purchase of the liquor, we received news that a dungeon had been established in the Ashwood territory, governed by the knight of Roxfall .
“A newly created dungeon, huh? It seems the knight of Roxfall has hit the jackpot.”
“Dungeons bring wealth, but will this really turn out to be a good fortune for the Roxfall family?”
Alexander raised this concern, no doubt thinking about Lightstar. The man is a demon of greed wearing the skin of a human. He’s likely scheming to take the Horse King liquor and the dungeon from the Roxfall family.
“Shall we send someone to keep an eye on things?”
“That would be wise. And please send a letter from Father to the knight of Roxfall . It doesn’t matter what it says, just make sure it leaves the impression that we’re watching him.”
My son is truly impressive.
“Understood. I’ll send the letter.”
“Sebastian, how’s the Horse King liquor situation?”
“We’ve purchased twenty barrels in large casks. We’ve also agreed to make regular purchases in the future, young master.”
It’s cheaper than high-end wine, but still more expensive than the typical wine available to the public. It seems the Roxfall family has found a good source of income.
And now, with the dungeon in hand, the Ashwood territory will likely flourish.
