I Reincarnated As the Third Son of a Count’s Family, Only To Find a Series of Funerals

50 – Pride

Westburn, what kind of place was it?

A land of prosperity, glitter, and salt that had flourished long before Yurmania won over Yurmania. The largest jewel in the East…

For the people of Tyrea, the term ‘East’ is synonymous with ‘barbarian’, and to be evaluated as such as Westburn, a region close to the ‘East’, is proof of how wealthy and advanced Westburn is.

Some may think of Westburn simply as the salt mine, but those fools are ignorant.

While it’s true that the salt from the salt mines was Westburn’s main source of income, if Westburn had been known only for its salt mines, it would not have received the name of the largest jewel in the East.

Money attracts people, and the people bring culture.

Unfortunately, while Westburn may not quite measure up to Preswick in terms of artistic or technological advancements (though Westburn is not weak in these regards), because it’s a wealthy territory, people from all walks of life come to seek employment and opportunities, leading to the development of law and administration related studies in response to various conflicts and incidents. How so? If the judges and administrators from all over Yurmania hailed from Westburn, would you understand? Of course, the standards for law and public administration at Westburn’s universities surpass most other universities.

While some legal experts from free cities sneer at Westburn’s legal experts as ‘overly knowledgeable and subservient to authority’, the lords within Yurmania are persistent in recruiting Westburn’s legal experts.

Even free city judges who invariably refuse any act claiming it’s against the law might find Westburn’s judges, who desperately try to legitimately justify employer actions within the limits of the law, much more appealing to the lords. Especially now in this era when the existence of ‘law’ is constantly swayed by influential individuals, Westburn’s judges, who are skilled in utilizing the law thoroughly, actually do a better job than the inflexible free city judges.

Furthermore, thanks to a cartel formed by Westburn’s university alumni judges, it is a well-known rumor that if the law judges are from Westburn, they can easily avoid any charges except for charges of rebellion through legal loopholes.

And so on and so forth, Westburn’s administrators are known to handle matters more smoothly and flexibly than administrators from other cities or regions. Although there have been a few instances of them handling matters ‘too’ smoothly, which has led to some rumors…

Just from what I’ve said, it should be clear that Viscount Gates of Westburn didn’t take over Yurmania for nothing.

Did Gates commit countless abuses through only his power? No, it was due to the ‘advice’ from Westburn’s judges.

And more.

Gates’s eventual downfall can be attributed to his unilateral actions without consulting the judges (of course, it is unlikely that the judges would approve of his audacious attempt to court someone who didn’t even know he was the king’s child). This reflects how competent the Westburn judges are.

Of course, Gates’ abundant wealth could also be attributed to the excellent administrators in Westburn. No matter how affluent a region may be, if there are many “thieves,” it will inevitably decline. The country, although rich from oil in its previous life, didn’t necessarily thrive.

Anyway, how high and mighty do the people living in this “glorious” Westburn think they are?

Naturally, they think they are so superior that they could pierce through the sky.

The residents of Westburn consider everyone else as mere villagers. Only Preswick is seen as a competitor, and even the King’s decree, known as the Royal Decree, is not openly disregarded but rather viewed as a neighborhood inferior to themselves.

Except for Westburn, most of the people in the backward eastern towns are not even acknowledged as fellow human beings (it seems they have forgotten that they too are “Eastern” people). To be precise, they are considered the same people but not part of the same civilization…

So, except for the ruling class like the nobles, the people looking at the Westburn folks do not have a favorable opinion of them. Wherever you go, if someone insults them, they immediately respond, “Ah! Those Westburn folks.”

Particularly, the Eastern people despise the Westburn people entirely. It is strange that despite being no different than themselves, except for a slightly better living standard, they openly face contempt and discrimination. Recently, Gates intensified their hatred as he went around the East.

However, the Westburn people don’t even flinch at the hatred of these outsiders. They all share the mindset of, “So what? If you don’t like it, go live in Westburn.”

But recently, there have been two incidents that deeply wounded their pride.

They are the invasion of Westburn by the King and its annexation to a rural village called Silverwood.

Those in the know understand that the invasion of Westburn by the King was a decision made against all odds by Richard, or rather from his perspective. Even the aristocrats who typically dislike Westburn were opposed to the invasion.

Why? Because Richard’s reputation was not… particularly good. The massacre at the royal court that happened because of his two sons and the nobles’ dissatisfaction with them also affected his reputation. But Richard often used his spy network actively to exploit the weaknesses of the aristocrats, making their obligations heavier under the pretext of those weaknesses, or issuing orders that went beyond feudal contracts, among other pressures. He also silenced the aristocrats’ complaints about his two sons using these methods.

Therefore, most of the nobles did not take Gates’s audacious attempt, which served as the King’s justification for invading Westburn, seriously. They thought it was nothing more than a hunting dog no longer able to catch any prey, so it tries to eat them instead.

If the Earl of Silverwood had not heroically defeated the Kamus mercenary force hired by Westburn, the King might have stopped short of executing only Gates. It does not mean that the King valued Silverwood for no reason.

Anyway, the people of Westburn were initially offended mainly by the fact that their respected Earl, in their own thinking, was shamefully killed by the King.

Up to this point, they could still endure it. After all, the King became their new ruler. The rank wasn’t too far off.

Of course, the dissatisfaction remained, as they hardly cooperated with the officials sent by the King and grumbled when given any task. But compared to what they experienced, it was all just child’s play, right? At least, that’s what they genuinely believed.

The problem arose from there. After the Earl of Silverwood arrived at the royal palace, for some reason, the King abruptly handed Westburn over to him. This tore apart the pride of the Westburn people to the point where it couldn’t be restored.

Upon hearing the news, the people of Westburn naturally went into an uproar. Why should we be ruled by that lowly person? What has he done?

Moreover, from the beginning, the war between Silverwood and Westburn was clearly started by Silverwood. Because of that darn bucket.

From the viewpoint of the Westburn people, it seemed like Silverwood had first attacked them and then demanded compensation for their defense efforts. Furthermore, even though it was the Kamus mercenaries who invaded their territory, not the Westburn people themselves!

Without considering for a moment that they mismanaged the mercenaries, the Westburn people harbored hostility and suspicion toward their new ruler, the Earl of Silverwood.

So whenever Edric, our

“Don’t worry, Your Grace. As you commanded, I have gathered as much information as possible from the surrounding merchants and written it down here.”

Wayne Kyung handed me a list with various names.

“Good, now I shall give the second order. Summon these people listed here to this territory. Ah, I didn’t mean to bring them directly in front of me. Just provide them with enough convenience to ‘investigate’ this territory thoroughly. According to my estimation, there is no urgent time constraint, so take your time. When they take the bait, I will meet them personally.”

Gulp!

Wayne Kyung seemed nervous upon hearing my words and trembled as he took the list back.

Then, he raised his head and asked me.

“Your Grace… Do you intend to desolate this territory?”

“No? Why would I do that? Westbourne is clearly my territory. Is there anyone foolish enough to ruin their own dominion?”

“But… If these people listed here gather in Westbourne… Westbourne won’t last more than three months.”

“Oh, don’t worry. They are merely a means to show the arrogant Westbourne residents how to survive and what they need to do ‘kindly.’ And even if I truly intended to desolate Westbourne, what concern do you have? After all, you won’t be staying for long.”

I approached Wayne Kyung, who was still trembling, and whispered softly into his ear.

“Why. Although it’s a short period, did you develop an attachment to the territory you managed?”

Wayne Kyung shivered at my words, but then, with his lips raised to the highest extent possible, he smiled at me and said,

“No. I’m just so delighted. It’s just regrettable to summon them only to give a warning.”

The administrators sent from the kingdom despised Westbourne more than anyone else.