chapter 41
3. Ashera Glaead & Chersha Kalua (19)
***
Arbaltea, the capital of the Empire.
A huge mansion located west of the center of the empire made the viewer feel a sense of incongruity in itself.
It is as magnificent as an imperial castle located in the center of the capital. The exterior of the building, which gives a sense of wealth, was inevitably a sense of heterogeneity.
The main reason was to make people feel as if they were challenging the imperial power.
The number of servants hired for the huge mansion alone reached hundreds, and the tens of thousands of people who visited the capital each month to visit the mansion easily filled the four-digit figure.
And now, the owner of that huge mansion and the one who leads the most luxurious life in the Chaldean Empire.
The head of the Marquis of Birbalce.
Riar Birbalze was looking at the grounds in the vast mansion through the window of his study.
“Tolish… Do you really think Glad will accept that offer?”
“When did I ever say something I couldn’t keep to my father?”
On the other side of such a liar, a man wearing a luxurious uniform was smiling lightly.
A man with a confident expression as if he was worried about something.
The eldest son, Tolish Birbalce, continued.
“There will be pressure gradually from the surrounding commercial districts. You will gradually suffer from financial difficulties, and the number of knights, the core force of the family, has not decreased significantly. No matter how strong and historic the family is… Without strength, you would be nothing more than a wolf crying alone.”
Lira, who had just calmly listened to Tolish’s words, shed a blank laugh.
“… There was a time when a single wolf ruled the continent beyond the empire.”
Liar, who was looking outside the window without looking back at Tolisch, muttered softly as if he was reminiscing.
A miracle in which the blue wolf standing alone at the time when the empire was in danger reversed the situation of the doomed battle.
The gigantic blue wave itself miraculously protected the empire.
Because he watched that miraculous battlefield with his own eyes, not anyone else’s… I was greedy for Glead’s potential, but at the same time, I was also worried.
“That’s why now is an opportunity. Ashera Glaade Didn’t she give up her position as the successor to Glaade early on? Her martial arts talent is well known even in the vast Chaldean Empire. Even if Glad has a unique family style… , On what pretext would she refuse, unless she inherited the position of her successor?”
Tolish, who spits out passionate speech and emits a strange phosphorescence, continued to follow his words.
Lirra, who turned her head outside the window at that ardent speech, finally looked back at her son, Tolish.
The image of her son asking for the Ashera Glade for himself and speaking her sincerity to himself for the first time.
To the child’s will. Normally, at this time of year, she would have only sent her light gifts, but at the same time she added her wealth to Glaade, and at the same time sent her vassals to convey her intentions of an arranged marriage.
Since her childhood, her son, who resembled her and was very clever, worked hard for her family.
The growth was admirable, but on the other hand, I was worried.
“… Don’t be too obsessive.”
Because she was like that, she didn’t even know that she had bothered to say this.
Glead’s family customs are so unique that even within the empire, there was no one who didn’t know about her when it came to a famous family.
That personality that doesn’t discriminate between genders and insists on one’s will.
The power to resist the more someone oppresses it and the strange power of blood.
The arrogant blue eyes that stood alone and looked at the world reminded me of a lofty wolf.
There was nothing unusual about any of them.
“Your father knows better than anything what our marquis lacks. No matter how huge the wealth is, the voice that will support that wealth to the end must be powerful above all else.”
It is said that the Birbalce family has its own swordsmanship, but even Lira was aware that it was clearly inferior to the high-ranking knight families in the empire.
However, there was something that surpassed all of the infinite goods that supported such swordsmanship.
Isn’t Birbalche a family that still exists as a marquess but has a century of influence equal to that of the 3rd Duke of the Empire?
‘If only it could come true….’
ㅡBirbalce’s infinite wealth is combined with Glaad’s might.
If this can be achieved, you will be able to hold in your hands the power of omnipotence that is not afraid of the current imperial power.
“Our movement… The imperial family will also keep an eye on it.”
“I don’t think the process of gaining great power will be a flat, bloodless zone.”
“Ha ha ha!! Yes, if you are a man, you must have a huge dream in order to be called a man.”
Lir-Aga burst into a hearty laugh, patted Tolish on the shoulder, and walked out of his study.
And Tolish smiled so brightly at the sight of Lira. His father’s unique habit of patting his own shoulder was like an implicit expression of his full support for everything he did in the future.
Everything that Tolis himself came up with was running smoothly.
As if enjoying the joy of the present moment, Tolish said quietly, looking at the moon outside the study window.
“… How long have I been waiting for this moment?”
… Seeing the moonlight illuminating the land of her asrai, she seemed to recall the day she met her for the first time.
Brilliant blue hair reflected in the soft moonlight, and two eyes that seemed to embrace starlight as if looking down on everyone.
The moment he met her for the first time, he couldn’t help but feel about her, like her existence to lead this empire, a kind of nobility in her.
After that, she couldn’t feel the beauty of any woman she saw. And he said her own instincts were telling her that now was the moment to take possession of her.
“Asera, you wouldn’t know.”
The next day, Tolish Birbaltze left his mansion and headed north.
***
Ashera, who was taking a break from her ongoing administrative work while strolling through the garden located within the grounds of the Gleard Mansion, spoke to her maid.
“Selua… Are you there today?”
“Yes. I think everyone is revealing their true feelings that they have been hiding.”
Maid Sellua gave a small smile as she answered Ashera’s voice as if she was bored.
She says that the person she serves is popular with the famous families in the empire. Just by being exposed to that fact over and over again, the level of her own nose as her maid grew infinitely higher.
As she realized that she was serving such a great person, Selua felt her feelings for Ashera grow.
The appearance of a young lady who shines only among her brothers, who were like crazy, did not shine only in her own eyes.
“Among them, there are three families that are hard to refuse in the words of their retainers….”
While enjoying the soft touch of her Selua tying her own disheveled hair, she murmurs while thinking about what to do next.
In addition to the administrative work piled up over the days spent with Ed, the compensation to be paid to the bereaved families for the knights who died for Rachel, there were really only two things she had to worry about.
And, above all else, Glia, the frontline city in the north.
Even in Glia, the fact that Glead’s name was being talked about katabuta in itself meant that Glead’s status was faltering.
For Asherah, who was more proud of Glaade than anything else, that fact came very seriously.
Acera asked in a weary voice as she gazed at the colorful garden landscape, whether it was gradually approaching autumn.
“These days… How are the knights?”
They guarded the family like the central power of the family. As long as there was a gap in the number of top-ranking knights, the other knights of the family had to go outside and do more work.
“Most people don’t show it on the outside, but… , I think I’m definitely having a hard time.”
In addition, when will we be able to replenish the number of articles that reach the highest level again? Rachel Cardia. I was hit really hard by just one mercenary.
I had no choice but to think that way.
“If you are having a hard time… Ask for support from the mercenary guild, and ask them to compromise in moderation regarding the beast subjugation.”
“Yes. Then what about the schedule after that? The vassals are having a hard time dealing with their envoys… Shall I tell you somehow?”
“No, that’s fine. Let’s stick to the schedule.”
Asera’s eyes were cold as she said that.
Considering the efforts of the knights who were still working hard outside, she couldn’t even show herself weak on the outside.
But even so, in a space where I was alone with a maid like this, it was difficult to suppress the weak sound coming out without my knowledge.
The only schedule after that would be meeting and talking with people from other families.
The subject of the conversation was too harsh.
A story about an arranged marriage related to himself.
I heard that her grandfather stopped it to some extent, but the word about arranged marriages still comes in every day.
“Is it true that the Birwalce family’s eldest son is among the envoys of the Birwalce family who will visit again?”
“Yes, the Birbalce envoy informed me in the morning that he would personally visit.”
The name was Tolish.
I remember that when I was young, when I faced that image, I vehemently refused….
The family of the Marquis of Birbalce suddenly wanted to send more wealth than other families, claiming that it was for friendship between simple families. The fact that the eldest son, Tolish, came to the north was not at the level of lightly seasoning or trying to figure out his intentions.
To mean that you are going to bump into each other with sincerity.
Ashera, who swallowed her breath, even if it was small, raised her body after a short rest.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes, lady.”
**
After recovering his body, Ed, who had returned to work before he knew it, was crossing the mansion and his gaze was unknowingly taken away.
The envoys were luxurious enough to make one wonder if they were envoys from the imperial family.
However, it was natural to know that it was not an envoy from the imperial family.
A flag depicting a golden lion entering the main gate of Glaade. It was the Marquis family he knew well, the Birbalce Marquis family, otherwise known as the Golden Family.
It seemed unusual that their momentum was all sharp, and it felt as if each person in the delegation was facing the best of another family.
Then my eyes fell upon a figure in the center of it, clad in lavish livery.
Conquest engraved with the insignia of the Golden Lion. Now, he appeared to be in his mid-20s, and every movement was restrained, and the calmly sunken eyes made it impossible to know the latent nature within.
However, those shining golden eyes were neither arrogant nor conceited.
I was impressed with his eyes that had composure for the current situation, as if he was calmly aware of his position.
Then, when our eyes met on the way, I felt a sharp momentum. Ed, who instinctively raised his momentum at the sharp momentum that seemed to stab him, soon calmed down, realizing that they were an envoy.
“… ….”
Ed met that gaze but didn’t say anything.
He simply bowed his head lightly while being polite to the guests of the Glaad family.
“It’s pretty good at such a young age.”
Tolish, who was passing by, looked at Ed with a sudden interest in his eyes and said, and then passed by Ed as if that was the end.
Buck and go.
The delegation of the Marquis family passed Ed and entered the Glaad Mansion.
As Ed watched carefully, he involuntarily felt that he was clenching his fist.
That’s enough to put all your strength into it.
A bizarre feeling of discomfort, as if facing the enemy of a lifetime.
If I hadn’t unknowingly grabbed my hand, I would have unconsciously lost my hand to the sword.
‘Why….’
Obviously, in this first encounter with him, Ed felt a strangely heightened sense of hostility.