Along with a loud crashing sound, Father's voice rang out thunderously.
Not long after, a lump rolled out. Naturally, the identity of that lump was Puvil.
He looked like he had been beaten black and blue.
"Ba, Baron! Please listen to me properly—!"
"You dog, what is there to listen to! What?! Hand over the land? Is that truly your master's intent?"
"Oh my, would I be crazy enough to come alone and say this to the Baron if it were not!"
"Right, then it was not you who was crazy, but Viscount Hadion! Then what to do... Fine, come here. Your neck should be enough to bring your crazy master back to his senses."
"Ah, oh my!"
As Father strode over and drew his sword, the fat Administrative Officer Puvil rolled on the floor in fright.
"Y-You will regret this!"
"You will only do that regretting after you are dead!"
"Ee, eek!"
Did he say his name was Puvil? The guy rolled on the floor like a bear, then jumped up and took a stance.
Oh, is he trying to fight?
...He was not.
"I, I have delivered the message properly. You will truly regret this!"
Saying that, the guy immediately opened the castle gate and shot out like an arrow.
He ran away at a speed that should not have been possible with that physique, then stopped abruptly and flipped us off.
"Fucking bastard! You barbaric bastard! You are fucked now, you son of a bitch!"
"Th-That son of a bitch!"
Father tried to run out immediately at that despicable behavior, but our reliable knight, Sir Balt, stopped him.
"My Lord, please calm down."
"Calm down? Are you not even angry that your liege received such an insult!"
"I am angry. I am, but..."
Sir Balt glanced at the castle gate as he spoke.
Puvil, who had escaped just a moment ago, was already far away, down by the lower village.
It was then that Father opened his mouth.
"Is he gone?"
"Yes, he is gone. Just in case, say one more thing."
"Hm, should I?"
What? Was he not angry?
Father walked out to the castle gate with an expression no different from usual and shouted.
"What are you all doing! Not bringing me that son of a bitch's head! Look here! Soldiers! ...Hm, is this enough?"
"Yes, that is sufficient."
"Right, tsk. My throat hurts after screaming like that for the first time in a while."
"You worked hard."
I could not understand the situation unfolding.
Just a moment ago, Father seemed angry enough to blow his top, but now he was acting as if all of that had been a performance.
The surprises did not stop there.
"My Lord, shall we get moving?"
"Ah, Herven."
"If you just give the order, this old servant will quietly take care of it and return."
The old soldier who always slacked off in a corner of the training hall was standing next to Father, and his appearance was quite unfamiliar.
How should I put it?
He looked like a mercenary who had experienced all sorts of hardships.
"It will probably be difficult for just you guys. That guy would not have come alone. He must have brought a knight or two... Sir Balt, how many knights are remaining in the castle right now?"
"Row, Khan, and Halo remain."
"Then send the three of them."
"Yes, understood."
"Take care of it before they cross over to Hadion. Herven, you work hard as well."
"Yes, sir."
With that, Sir Balt went to call the trio of knights—Row, Khan, and Halo—and the old soldier Herven and the soldiers withdrew.
Meanwhile, I still could not understand the situation.
'What is this?'
Everything looked unfamiliar overall.
Father... well, even if I accept that, are these people really the soldiers who used to greet me with those good-natured smiles?
In the midst of this, the only one who was the same as usual was Sir Balt.
Did he notice my gaze?
Sir Balt gave a rare smile.
"You must be very confused."
"Yes, a little."
"You would be. Anyway, you can guess the situation to some extent, right?"
"Yes."
From the looks of it, was it not a situation where Viscount Hadion demanded we hand over our land?
'I do not know what the justification is, but acting like this means he wants to fight.'
In other words, a territory war might break out.
"Do not worry. The Palaon territory is not that strong, but there are no bastards around here who can touch us and stay safe."
"Uh... yes."
Normally, I would have asked, 'Really?', but after seeing the change just now, I thought, 'Maybe?'
"Sir Balt, let us go inside. It seems we need some discussion."
"Yes, Baron."
It was then that Father called me.
"Ktun, you come in too. Since you have undergone the Blood Awakening Ceremony, you also have a duty to protect the territory."
"...Yes."
'Ancestor, who said my father was weak?'
[No one ever said tha...]
Silence!
Someone must have said it.
However, I could guarantee that I did not doubt it.
Even if everyone in the world doubted it, I alone did not doubt Father's bravery.
***
Inside the castle we entered.
A map was spread out on the large table where we usually ate meals.
"First, I will explain this situation to you. You have wits, so you must have realized it. That that moron made a ridiculous demand."
"Yes, he asked for land."
"Right. Here, he demanded this land."
The place Father pointed to was an area adjacent to the Viscount Hadion's estate.
"It is land we just left alone because there are no particular villages and no way to utilize it. But look. Here and here. Do you see them?"
"Yes, there are two villages."
"The right to collect taxes from those two villages has been with Palaon for generations. The owners changed several times throughout history, but for the last 200 years, it was unmistakably our land. Then, try connecting these two villages with a straight line. How is it?"
"Hm... The land Viscount Hadion asked for falls inside that straight line."
"Right. Although it is land we left alone, if you look at it this way, it is certainly our land."
"Yes, it is."
"Those guys would not be unaware of this fact. Nevertheless, they asked for this land. Why would that be?"
"I am not sure."
"It is simple. There is something to extract from this land."
"Something to extract?"
"Yes."
Looking at the map, the land Viscount Hadion demanded was in the middle of a mountain with nothing on it.
But what did he mean, something to extract?
"You have a look in your eyes saying you do not understand."
"Yes."
"You would. Since I was also very surprised when I heard it from my father."
"Pardon?"
If it was Father's father, it was the previous Baron Palaon.
In other words, my grandfather.
"Did Grandfather hide something there?"
"Father did not hide it. It was originally buried in that land. He just judged that it was hard to handle, so he did not touch it. Hm, from here on, it must be a story even Sir Balt does not know."
"Yes, Baron. If it is a troublesome story, I do not have to listen."
As Sir Balt tried to tactfully leave, Father shook his head.
"No, if I cannot trust you, who can I trust?"
Father said that and caught his breath for a moment.
Then he opened his mouth again.
"Just as I went to the battlefield to raise the family, Father traveled around the territory's domain trying to find a means to revive the territory. In the process, he discovered it."
"What?"
"A magic stone vein."
In that instant, Sir Balt gasped and inhaled sharply.
Then he asked in a trembling voice.
"A... magic stone vein, you say?"
"That is right. What Father discovered was unmistakably a magic stone vein. I also followed Father when I was young and confirmed it."
"Ho, how much... what is the volume?"
"I do not remember the exact figures as they were not recorded, but the mage who found the magic stone vein at the time said it was a considerable amount. Enough to revive a small territory like this in an instant."
"..."
Sir Balt shut his mouth tight.
Only then did he realize how serious this situation was.
Although he said 'small territory', money capable of overturning the rise and fall of a territory was by no means a small amount.
Hearing that, I understood the words 'hard to handle'. Wealth has a way of calling for blood, after all.
"Anyway, seeing that they pinpointed this land and demanded it, they must have also noticed the existence of the magic stone vein. A territory war is likely unavoidable."
"Hrm, I wondered what kind of guts that moronic Viscount had, but it was something worth going crazy over."
"It is."
"Then... perhaps it will become a difficult fight."
"It could be."
"..."
Sir Balt was silent for a moment before speaking.
"If you give the order, I will try calling my old comrades. I might be able to reach one or two."
"No, forget it. I cannot cause such a nuisance."
"I will ask for help in my name so that it does not inconvenience the Baron. Since they are my comrades as well."
"Do not waste your energy. This is our fight."
"However..."
"Listen to me."
At Father's firm tone, Sir Balt eventually yielded.
"...Understood."
"Anyway, as you said, it is certain that this will be a difficult fight. No matter that we have you, they must have started this fight because they have confidence in their own way. But let us do our best. As we always have."
"I will fight with my life."
"Reassuring."
As I quietly watched Father and Sir Balt, who were writing a heroic tale, a question suddenly arose.
"Father, then the intruder from last time..."
"Intruder?"
"Yes, the guy who intruded into the family on the day of the Blood Awakening Ceremony. Could he also have been Viscount Hadion's henchman?"
I finished preparing to vomit out my inner anger.
However, Father's answer was quite different from my expectation.
"That intruder is a separate matter. Your brother will handle that, so you do not need to worry."
"Hm, yes."
It wasn't.
The awkwardness of my prediction being wrong lasted only a moment.
I turned my eyes out the window.
Suddenly, a line from a comic I saw in my past life crossed my mind.
A situation where war with Hadion was certain.
'Then what can I do?'
I mean, what can a Necromancer with a single skeleton do?
For reference, I tried to make skeletons after Golgol, but for some reason, it was impossible.
[What do you mean 'what can you do'. You have me, Golgol, and Shield Krasion. Follow me to the training hall. There is much to do.]
'...Yes.'
Originally, I am a person without greed, so I do not wish for much.
Good clothes? Good car? Good house?
What is all that?
Clothes are fine if they are comfortable, and while I want a car, are not the bus, metro, and walking enough to solve everything?
As for a house, enough space to lay my body down is sufficient.
What I wished for in my past life was a simple but leisurely life.
Not financial leisure, but mental leisure.
Although in my past life, I was toyed with by the glib tongues of bourgeois capitalists and collapsed while vomiting blood...
'In this life, definitely.'
I will achieve a life where I can tilt a glass of beer against the red sunset.
I will live such a life.
If fast, in 5 years; no matter how late, by twenty-five, I will spend my evenings with the red sunset.
So let us endure.
[Too slow, you rascal! Faster, faster! The sword has no eyes! Golgol, what are you doing! Are you going easy on him because he is the master?! Right, just like that—!]
Clatter clatter!
This too shall pass.
...But I think this bastard Golgol is putting real emotion into the sword?