I Became the illegitimate son of a duke

149 – Neighboring Countries (1)

“ㅡ As the crime is extremely impure, 15 defendants are sentenced to death.”

The punishment of the criminals, who had stirred up a fuss in the courtroom, and in front of the king, ended surprisingly quickly and swiftly.

Under the will of His Majesty the King, they were sentenced to death, the court’s highest sentence, as scheduled.

“Eup! Ugh!!”

This time there are no mistakes like before.

Criminals whose mouths are gagged and their whole bodies bound are unable to resist, except for grotesquely deformed screams.

As originally written in the Criminal Code, it is impossible to arrest the accused as they are those whose crimes have not been confirmed, but it was possible because they were criminals who had already been convicted of crimes and had a history.

Of course, even if it is possible, actually doing it is a matter of a completely different dimension.

“The death penalty…”

“Do you have any problems?”

“…No.”

And Leclerc, who was observing the verdict, slightly frowned at the extremely harsh verdict, then just passed it over.

Originally, the punishment they should have received would have been a year in prison at most.

Except for one variable, His Majesty’s notice.

‘As expected, His Majesty is also a human being.’

This kind of thought is very disrespectful, but I still can’t help but do it.

His Majesty, whom I have always seen by his side, did not actively express all his desires, such as the lust for power, the lust for wealth, the lust for luxury, or the lust for s*x. He is always passive, to put it a little harshly, he has a temper that takes a piece of bread to his mouth.

But it’s not like he didn’t have a lust for power, wealth, or s*x. To make an analogy… Yes, His Majesty’s personality is that of a petit bourgeois who is always content with reality. Normally, he behaves as if he has no desires, but when he is forcibly given the opportunity to satisfy those desires, he delights and satisfies them.

Of course, living passively like this is impossible for a creature called human beings, so he occasionally reveals his will to do something actively, but that will is not in the expansion of power and accumulation of wealth, but only in the satisfaction of his hobbies. There is Since His Majesty’s administration of state affairs is close to the realm of his hobby, it is fortunate that the state administration has not yet been paralyzed.

Anyway, His Majesty, who has such a personality, acts so proactively and punishes those who challenge his authority?

‘It’s what I’ve been wanting so long.’

Your Majesty is not lacking in ability, it is lack of motivation.

I don’t know if it’s because the childhood memories of living as an illegitimate child are so strong, but His Majesty has always refrained from revealing his desires and has been almost restrained.

And that restraint will gradually disappear from now on. Being angry with someone and punishing them more than necessary is part of the desire to satisfy the feeling of retaliation caused by anger.

“I’m glad.”

“Yes?”

Those who were sentenced to death by His Majesty in the past were mostly those who deserved it, such as treason or corruption, but those who have been sentenced to death now do not deserve the death penalty.

However, they were sentenced to death according to Your Majesty’s will, which means that Your Majesty has finally realized how to vent their desires.

As expected, His Majesty also wonders where the Burgon blood went.

As I have served the Burgon family for 50 years, all of the Burgon bloodlines have had eccentric personalities. There was no

But that will come to an end in the future.

“Oh, excuse me. It seems like the idea is leaking out of my mouth.”

“hahahaha… You can. But are you leaving already?”

“Yes, I don’t think there’s anything more to see.”

The court attendant who helped Leclerc observe looked at Leclerc with a puzzled expression as he suddenly got up from his seat after talking to himself, then slowly nodded his head in affirmation.

Because he is right when he says that there is nothing more to see now that the judgment is over. I don’t know if I came to see the entire court, but I came to see just this trial. What more do I want to see here?

Above all, it’s a little bit like questioning the judgment of the noble person who only has one person above your head.

The law was created according to the will of the high-ranking people, so of course I must follow their will without question.

…………

“Meet His Majesty Claude, rightful King of Lotharing and King of Carolingian.”

“Nice to meet you, Lion of Albion.”

The conquest of Caroling drew great attention from several countries adjacent to Caroling, of which the most interested was the kingdom of Albion across the sea to the north.

Of course it has to be. It is said to be across the sea, but it is so close that you can see land with the naked eye, and Albion has been very active in trade with both Caroling and Rotaring.

‘Perhaps they want… Two things?’

Albion wants to see if the military power of Rotaling, which was used to devour Caroling, will be directed against them, and at the same time, they will want to continue the trade that was conducted in Caroling.

Albion has a large territory for an island nation, but except for the southern part, all of them are mountainous and highlands, so it is difficult to farm, and the climate is cold and humid, so it is impossible to lead a normal life if you stay in the island.

That means, inevitably, that Albion must continuously interact with the outside world in order for it to have a proper appearance as a nation.

But since one of the most active trading nations across the sea was destroyed by war, I couldn’t help but pay attention.

…………

The first two were correct.

After the audience ceremony and other ceremonial tasks such as the celebration of victory were over, Albion finished the introduction and moved on to the main topic, and asked exactly what I expected.

The army replied that they would not cross the sea, and that it was okay to trade in the Carolingian kingdom as usual, and the Albion lion literally liked it like a child. What is it to see a middle-aged man behaving like that… I was very upset, but I somehow endured it.

However, the next thing the Albion messenger said… Ehh.

“ㅡSo, I would like to make adjustments regarding the Duchy of Neustria.”

“…?”

The lion, who was delighted like a child, looked like a child realizing he had to pull out a rotten tooth, and soon began to spit out strange noises.

What? Adjustment? My land?

“Look, let’s go.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“From the look on your face… You seem to know very well what you just said. May I ask for an explanation?”

The lion sighs in sweat, swallows his saliva once, and then speaks again slowly.

“The Duchy of Neustria is the root of the Albion royal family, and although it is a branch, it is the spiritual home and hometown. In fact, my lord, His Majesty Edward, has a strong right of succession to Neustria.”

“Isn’t that what you said earlier? Do you think Jim is the kind of person who doesn’t understand that at once and asks you to repeat it?”

“…His Majesty Edward, my lord, has been deeply concerned about the recent aggressive expansion of Rotaring, and he is very uncomfortable with everything he has been working on to recover Albion’s lost brother, Neustria. You are here.”

Looks like you’re ready to talk a little bit now.

Deep concern… I’m telling you that I was very outraged.

“Your explanation does not at all convince me that I have to do that. I have justly won the war and regained the throne that was unjustly usurped by the usurper, along with the territory of the traitors who cooperated with the usurper. Wasn’t it justly retrieved?”

But what can I say?

Seeing what the lion said, the King of Albion seems very angry that I swallowed the Neustria he prepared to eat in an instant.

“Your Majesty only has a cause for the Carolingian throne, but nothing for the Duchy of Neustria.”

“It’s a justification, so is it necessary to have a justification for reclaiming one’s title as punishment for a traitor?”

“…Your Majesty.”

The lion’s face sinks deeply as he openly reveals that he has no intention of conceding at all. It’s like a frog caught in depression.

No, would you change your position and listen if you were like me? I should feel unfair. Why are you feeling unfair?

“Then at least… Could you give me the ring and scepter that the Duke of Neustria had? There won’t be any territorial problems.”

“No.”

The ring and scepter represent the legitimate right to rule the dukedom, so if you take them, how do I know what to do with them later?

In addition, even if the kingdom of Albion did not claim a claim to the Duchy of Neustria alone with the ring, having it in itself was a big risk for me.

I understand that the Duke of Neustria’s ring and scepter are very symbolic items for the royal family of Albion, a branch of the Neustria family, but understanding them and following them are completely different matters.