“Oh, is that you, Kuruges? It’s been a while.”
“It has been, old friend.”
This was Margrave Carrenheit, a noble at the border. He was an old man with a white beard, resembling Santa Claus, leaning on a cane. Thin, with a gentle-looking face.
But despite his outward appearance of a kind old man, he was a hard-headed noble through and through.
He seemed to be an old acquaintance of the battle-hungry old man Kuruges, and they exchanged a few words.
Then, Margrave Carrenheit turned to me.
“Oh? Is young Exus here too?”
“It’s a school trip.”
“Hohoho, I don’t really get it, but I can tell it’s probably something troublesome.”
He was blunt, as usual.
But well, it’s fine. It’s the truth.
It’s not something that would hurt me unless it was a public insult.
“If you have any complaints, I’ll just leave.”
“Hohoho… I’ve prepared a welcome, so won’t you at least attend? Oh, what was it… That young girl from the Gardener family is here too?”
“Ms. Margaret? I don’t owe her anything… and girls like her are a dime a dozen.”
“You’re cruel. She’s a skilled mage and a young woman, you know?”
“Then why not just recruit a young, beautiful girl from the start and make her a mage afterward?”
“There you go again with your nonsense. Well, how about some food?”
“No way, I can’t. It’s a hygiene thing.”
“Hmm, that’s terribly rude. Declining a noble’s hospitality because it’s dirty could be grounds for execution, you know?”
“Try it if you can.”
“Hmph, still the same madman as always. Well, I can’t complain too much, since dealing with you has been profitable.”
With the comment, “strength is justice,” the Margrave led the kids to his mansion.
This old man was good at separating personal feelings, pride as a noble, and the benefits and drawbacks of deals.
It’s unsettling how rational he is, unlike most nobles in this world.
I’ve said this before, but this world is at a cultural level around the early to mid-Middle Ages. Nobles of this era usually live by the mantra, “If they look down on you, kill them!” It’s a matter of survival, after all.
In a world where most nobles have the mentality of medieval samurai, this old man stops to calculate risks before killing anyone. That’s impressive.
In fact, it shows political acumen.
When he realized he couldn’t absorb me into his fold, he switched to building a friendly relationship. It sounds simple, but for a high-ranking noble of his age to move like this is incredible.
And what makes this old man even scarier…
“This is my great-grandson. Heinrich, greet him. He’s one of our most important business partners.”
“Yes, Lord. Hello, Lord Exus. I am Heinrich, the future head of the Carrenheit family.”
He’s even properly preparing a successor.
Seriously, both Charlemagne and Alexander the Great failed to secure proper heirs, yet here’s a noble passing on a stable foundation of power.
It’s terrifying.
While the other students were listening to war stories from the veteran warriors of the Carrenheit family, I was in the reception room exchanging information with the Margrave.
“So, how’s that country, the ‘Magocratic State of Adon’?”
“Hmph, a ceasefire is a lie! They’ll attack the moment they see an opening.”
“Yeah, that sounds about right. Any immediate issues?”
“No direct harm yet. They’re not foolish. They know assassination would restart the war.”
“So, there are indirect problems.”
“Exactly. Mostly spies. But everyone uses spies, so we can’t complain. Still, their quantity and quality are something to admire.”
“Really?”
“Their agents bite down on poison hidden in their molars when caught. They’re well-trained.”
Ah, that kind of operation.
I have something similar, actually.
I pat the head of the woman (24 years old) acting as my chair, crouching on all fours like a dog.
“Aheheh, woof woof.”
“Be quiet.”
“Yes.”
It seems the Magocratic State of Adon has many such human tools.
“To create puppets of that level requires significant torture, you know?”
It appears the Margrave Carrenheit also has his own human tools.
Well, nobles are like that everywhere.
“This dog of mine turned out this way after just an hour of torment.”
“Hmph, I understand that someone as insane as you isn’t part of the equation.”
Indeed.
“They likely have some kind of magical tool that breaks people’s minds.”
Oh right, the Magocratic State of Adon is known for its superior magical technology, isn’t it?
Being a resource-poor northern country, they likely had no choice but to develop their technological prowess.
“Or maybe something like a ‘mind control’ magical tool?”
“Still, if they’re not using it openly, there must be some problem or limitation with it. But that also means once they overcome that, they can use it.”
“I haven’t made any mind-control tools yet. If I need puppets, I can just mash up some minced meat and create a homunculus.”
“Ah, those flesh puppets? I envy that.”
“If you want, I’ll sell you one.”
“Hmph, in the end, they’d probably betray me, right? The worm in the lion’s belly, as they say. I’d certainly do that.”
“Really? You’d be surprised how many fools are willing to buy them.”
“Ha! You’re tricking people again! Are you really not planning to take over this country?”
“Well, I might set up a puppet regime eventually, but until I graduate from school, I’m focusing on training my subordinates.”
“I see. Then how about helping train my Heinrich a little?”
“What’s the reward?”
“You can become the teacher of Heinrich, the future head of the Carrenheit family.”
Hmm…
Becoming the mentor of the next Margrave, earning a favor, and gaining considerable influence in this region.
In this country, where absolute monarchy doesn’t exist, a Margrave is practically an independent ruler.
Being able to influence the new ruler from a young age would certainly be advantageous.
“Can I break him?”
“There are plenty of replacements, so if that happens, it’s fine. But if you fail, I’ll pin the blame on you.”
I see.
So I can’t fail in his education, nor can I train him too much to suit my needs. The typical noble solution of “an unfit child died of illness,” I suppose.
“Understood. It would help me to have more people I can communicate with. I can kill them, but that’s not sustainable.”
“Indeed. In my younger days, I killed plenty, but as I grew older, I realized it’s better to intimidate people into becoming allies.”
“Exactly. When you make the underlings work for you, they bring you the heads of minor enemies to prove their loyalty. It’s great.”
“Oh, I get that. I can’t be bothered with bandit extermination. Let the weak crush the weak. It’s the easiest way.”
And so, the old man and I continued chatting for a while…
