Ailes Kartis came to Maust Castle and we had a meeting with him.


    When he was holding his grandson in his arms, he looked like an old man, but when he was alone with me, he looked like an owl just by sitting there.


    "I never thought that you would destroy the House of Lentland so soon," he said. Your talents are astonishing."


    "Looking at the terrain, I judged that if we could pull out of the pass at once, the situation would turn in our favor. It was a bit of a gamble whether we could capture the fort or not, but I judged that the enemy would be caught off guard and it was a good bet.


    "Yes, that''s what''s so frightening about you."


    Ailes chuckled. His hair is somewhat grayer than when I saw him before.


    "We have our own kind of decision-making power," he said. I have purged suspected men, even of senior officials, and have prevented rebellions before they started. I am confident of that. But you are frighteningly strong in war itself. ......"


    He was smiling, but about 30% of his face said that he was really afraid.


    "It was the same when we defended Fort Nagrad to the death. You have a genius for warfare itself. Without it, it would have taken you five years at the earliest to wage a campaign in Naghli. By using the weapon of war, you defeated them in a matter of seconds. ......"


    "I choose to believe that I am blessed by God and act accordingly. Because--"


    I took a few drinks from the table.


    "If you are a hero who can build a country, you should have been protected by God from the beginning. If you are not that lucky, you will end up halfway.


    "Building a Nation," or ....... That''s not exactly a myth. ......


    Phew. ...... and Ailes sighed.


    "Please don''t take away our sons and daughters'' land. The other children are cute too, except for Serafina."


    "Your father-in-law should expand his forces to the west. I will never go west. I will not treat my wife''s father lightly. I mean it.


    "I understand," Ailes said.


    In effect, I was on top of Ailes right then and there.


    I was on top of Ailes right then and there.


    It is said that Hasse''s claiming the title of Crown Prince caused quite a problem in the capital.


    The royal court decided to take away the titles and lands of the lords who visited Hasse. Needless to say, they were not able to do so.


    We have lost our cause, but a cause only has meaning when the opposing forces are at odds with each other. There are no lords around me who can fight me head to head now, so I do not pose a threat.


    In the first place, when the present Paph. VI was on the side of the rebels, he was deprived of his position by Grandora III. So even the king''s orders have a relative value now.


    The reason is simple.


    "-An imperial decree is empty when the royal line is split in two, isn''t it?


    Fleur, a concubine, said. She was reading a letter that had been delivered to me, demanding that I hand over the crown prince.


    I was slumbering on Fleur''s lap.


    I had done a great job of carrying Hasse and gathering the lords and I needed some rest.


    "Yes. A lord who is being eyed by the king can defuse the situation by carrying the other royal line. The authority of the kingdom has fallen even further because of this. So to speak, they got what they deserved."


    "The Temple is also in a hurry. Especially those temples that have been assured of manorial control by praying for the peace of the royal family are not sure whether to follow the Count or not.


    "Thanks to you, we have made great progress in organizing the Temple''s territory. Thank you, Fleur."


    Fleur''s clerical skills were excellent, and she met with priests from several temples to summarize the situation in great detail. She knew which temples were allies and which were enemies. He knows which temples are our allies and which are our enemies, so that we can know where we should protect them and where we should not.


    "I am glad to be of service to you, Count.


    I got up and pulled Fleur into a hug.


    "Don''t be such a stranger. You''re one of my wives. When it''s just the two of us, you can call me you.


    "Thank you, oh, you ......."


    Both Serafina and Raviara are still tired after giving birth. They are still showing their faces, but they are inevitably visiting Fleur more and more.


    And no, they are not drowning in color. Fleur has a keen sense of politics. That''s really helpful.


    "By the way, one of Mr. Hasse''s retainers is a very talented man. It seems that he was always concerned about making sure that Hasse and his family lived without inconvenience. He seems to have been a dwarf."


    "Dwarves?　Was there such a person?"


    Fleur looks at people differently than I do.


    Not all dwarves are like that, but I can''t help thinking of bearded warriors. Some of them are famous gardeners who specialize in landscaping.


    "Oh, it''s not a man, it''s a woman. But they are not female officials, but female knights. I think she is Kerala or Hilara or something like that.


    "Dwarves have strange names. But I get it. Let''s meet him."


    To tell the truth, however, I was skeptical.


    I did not think that any of Hasse''s vassals would be that talented. If he had the ability, he would have found a more suitable place to serve Hasse. Is he a knight who is highly esteemed?


    But when I summoned the woman, I got a very unexpected impression.


    "Here I am! My name is Kerala Hilara, a knight of Hasse''s Kingsguard. I am a tax collector from a cold village in the west. I have been a military man for four generations, and I grew up with Master Hasse.


    I had the impression that most Dwarf women were small, but she was not much taller than I was. She has the brown skin characteristic of dwarves, but her voice and demeanor are not inferior to those of the children of noble families of good birth.


    "I hear that you arranged the events and other things that befitted royalty when Master Hasse was in exile. May I ask you about the history of this?


    Yes, sir. Now, let''s start with the New Year''s ceremony in January..."


    Without missing a beat, Kerala began explaining the annual events. What was surprising was that she had not just memorized the rituals, but had memorized the origin of the events and past precedents, and even explained what to omit and what to make up.


    "--So, for this ceremony, a sword is given to the vassal, but since the history of this ceremony only goes back about a hundred years, I have adopted a more ancient style and omitted it. Next--"


    "No, that''s enough. I understand."


    She''s smart.


    Kerala, I''d like to have her. She''d be the kind of vassal I never had.