Chapter 145

“Technically speaking, as the wife of the successor, your right of succession is far higher than any random branch family, isn’t it? Just take the whole thing. Become the lord of the domain yourself. Wouldn’t that also count as the finest revenge?”

“Ah…!”

At my words, her eyes sparkled like stars.

“You’re right. It is simply a matter of me becoming the master of the vacant domain.”

“Exactly. And since all the knights you trained will fall under your command, you can also protect the leaked secret techniques of the Kiadran school.”

“…I see. Then I don’t actually have to silence every single one of them by killing them.”

You were seriously planning to kill everyone? Terrifying.

She nodded her head with an expression that asked why she hadn’t thought of that sooner, but then her brow furrowed slightly as something crossed her mind.

“However… that means I must continue to use the detestable name of Evas….”

“If you don’t like it, just change it.”

“…Pardon? How exactly? As long as I inherit the domain as Carmen Sonya Evas, the wife of the successor, that surname is the sole justification protecting my legitimacy.”

This lady. Has her self-esteem fallen entirely too low over the past ten years?

“You’re a Master. And not just any random Master, but a renowned Master whose name is famous all the way to the Baran Empire, nearly a thousand kilometers away.”

“Well… that is true, but.”

“Then what’s the issue? To inherit the count’s domain, you’ll have to visit the imperial capital at least once to see the Emperor’s face anyway… tell him then. Tell him you want to change your surname after inheriting the domain. Say you absolutely refuse to use a surname used by bastards who got cozy with an Outer God.”

“Mmm… even if I am a Master… and even if I have the merit of exposing and wiping out the heretics… will that actually work? If it were a barony or a viscounty, it might be one thing, but this is a count’s domain, isn’t it? Leaving the inheritance aside since the justification lies with me… changing a surname is practically no different from abolishing the existing count’s family, creating a new title of count, and bestowing it upon me. Will the Emperor truly go that far for me?”

Right. Managing things through the sheer weight of being a Master was usually limited to a viscount or a viscounty at most.

A high-ranking noble like a count was a Noble of Nobles, an entity that even emperors and kings could not treat lightly, unlike low-ranking nobles who could disappear as quickly as they appeared.

In other words, handling them carelessly would invite criticism that the nation possessed no respect for lineage.

Of course, if this were some backwater, mediocre little kingdom, who would give a damn… but this was the Baran Empire, one of the greatest nations on the Northern Continent.

However.

“This is a backwater frontier domain where the imperial family’s influence barely reaches. That’s exactly why the Count could act completely insane and pull all this crap. So, here’s a question. Do you think the Emperor actually liked this Count of Evas? Or do you think he thought the guy was a massive pain in the ass?”

“Well… he obviously would have detested him.”

“Exactly. So, go and tell him. Tell him you will become a staunch imperial loyalist. Tell him you will work hard to spread the imperial family’s influence not just here, but throughout the surrounding regions as well. From the Emperor’s perspective, a massive pain in the ass has vanished, and a powerful Master-class expert who has sworn absolute loyalty is stepping into that vacancy. If he does even a little bit of math, he won’t be able to refuse.”

“…I see.”

“In addition, make this specific request. Don’t ask to change the surname immediately on your own terms. Instead, arrange it so that you can change it roughly half a year later by imperial decree.”

“Why… is that?”

“If you change it immediately, your justification for taking the domain weakens. You need to operate as Carmen Sonya Evas for about half a year. After that, if you change your surname by imperial decree, you gain the perfect excuse that you had no choice but to comply because it was an order. Conversely, from the imperial family’s perspective, they get to display their power and influence over a frontier count’s domain.”

“The Emperor will likely use some plausible reason to bestow a purely nominal title with a name similar to Evas upon one of the princes or princesses. Something like ‘Evis’ or ‘Eva’ or whatever. And then, using the similar pronunciation as his excuse, he will order you to change ‘Evas’ to something else.”

“You can then use Kiadran under the pretext that using your original family name is far more natural than inventing a completely brand-new surname. Then, this place will become the Kiadran Count’s Domain, and you will reclaim your original name, Carmen Sonya Kiadran.”

Faced with my explanation, which sounded as if it had been perfectly prepared, she bowed her head in sheer admiration.

“…You are magnificent.”

For the record, the reason I could spout out these ideas so seamlessly was because I had already heard a very similar tale from Sis and a few others.

I didn’t know if those guys just had too much time on their hands, but without my knowledge, they had been hanging out and amusing themselves by spinning hypothetical yarns on the topic of ‘How Sword God can become a king.’

I had found it entertaining and joined in on the fun back then… and one of the scenarios that came up was incredibly similar to the situation she was facing right now.

—I’m telling you! The easiest way is obviously to just slice up the Marquis of Kesala and take his spot!
—Exactly my point! The Marquis and the Emperor of the Empire only stick together because they need each other, but their relationship is actually pretty strained. So, if you kill the Marquis, take his place, and then tell the Emperor that you’ll actively cooperate as a member of the Empire… the Emperor won’t object. In fact, he might actively support you!
—Yeah! Yeah! And after gaining his recognition and pretending to be loyal for a bit, you stab him in the back once the marquisate stabilizes!

Mm… it was just a hypothetical yarn, right? They were just joking around because they were bored, right?

…Wait. But in this situation, we could actually take things a step further, couldn’t we? Come to think of it, the conditions are far better than anything we imagined.

“Hey. If it seems like your words are going over well, try taking it a step further from there.”

“A step further… sir? How so?”

“Tell him you want to establish a countdom.”

“A countdom…? The exact countdom that the Count of Evas desired?”

“Yeah. Come to think of it, that bastard already prepared all the ingredients. You just have to cook them nicely and spoon-feed yourself.”

By this point, even she looked completely dazed by my rapidly accelerating ideas.

“How exactly do you mean?”

“First of all, with this recent territorial war, the Viscounty of Iden has practically become a dependency of this count’s domain. And the Count of Harpun’s domain is also on the verge of complete defeat.”

“That… is true. I made it so.”

“Exactly. Even if you head to the imperial capital, you’ll have to wrap everything up here first anyway. To hand those pieces of trash over to the Inquisitors, completely purge the confidants who watched you dance, and fully seize control of the knight orders here.”

“I suppose so…?”

“So, use the opportunity to conclude the territorial war and take all the remaining territories for yourself. Wrap it up, and then head up to the imperial capital. It might be a different story if the territorial war were still ongoing, but once the rice is already cooked and turned into a proper meal, it is incredibly difficult for someone to snatch it away from a person who is swearing absolute loyalty to them.”

“…….”

“And when you swear your oath of loyalty, tell him you want to establish a countdom in the exact same manner as Kesala.”

“Uh… I do not think he will grant that.”

“That’s why the next part is vital. As you know, even though the Baran Empire and the Kesala Marquisate live under the same roof, their relationship is pretty sour. Kesala is trying to expand its influence bit by bit, and the Emperor absolutely does not want Kesala’s power to grow any further. So… tell him you will stand thoroughly on the Emperor’s side, becoming a blade that will strike Kesala down if the need ever arises.”

“Ah….”

“And gain the Emperor’s trust by presenting a powerful proof of loyalty.”

“A proof of loyalty…? Do you mean something like a Geas?”

“Are you insane? Why would a Geas come up there?”

“Then…?”

“The Emperor has no idea what happened to you in the Kiadran Marquisate. How could he know what transpired a thousand kilometers away? So, the Emperor will still believe that you and your uncle maintain a perfectly harmonious relative relationship, right?”

“Most likely.”

“If you’re going to kill that uncle of yours anyway, let’s put him to good use.”

“Wait a moment. Don’t tell me….”

“Yeah. Slice off his head and present it to the Emperor as proof of your absolute loyalty and realignment. If you offer up the head of your own family’s patriarch from your maiden home and show that you’re willing to betray even your own bloodline if the Emperor wishes it, wouldn’t the Emperor trust you? Even if he remains half-doubtful, would he really be able to refuse your request right in front of all his aristocratic ministers?”

“…It would be difficult for him to do so.”

“Exactly. If you’re going to take a bite, take a massive one. Become a Count-King. Of course, to the outside world, you’ll still technically be a count… but nobody refers to the Marquis of Kesala as a mere marquis, do they? In his direct domain, they literally call him a Marquis-King. The Kiadran Countdom—doesn’t that sound magnificent?”

“I-I see….”

“And later on, make sure to let the Count know through the Inquisitors. Tell him that you, his daughter-in-law, fulfilled his precious father-in-law’s dream.”

Startled by my words, she ultimately burst into a fit of laughter.

“If nothing else, I absolutely love that part.”

Remaining down on one knee, she looked up at me and spoke.

“Please allow me to ask just one thing as well.”

“Hmm? What is it?”

“I asked a moment ago, but I have yet to receive an answer. Who are you?”

“Me? Just an unemployed loafer living in a corner of the Seol Viscounty.”

“An unemployed loafer…? Do you mean a person who idles away their time without any actual work?”

“It’s not that I have absolutely nothing to do… occasionally I enter labyrinths, occasionally I hunt Demon Kings, and conversely, I play the role of a Demon King myself from time to time. Though, yeah, I do spend most of my time acting like a total idler at home.”

“A Demon King…?”

“Don’t try to learn too much. You’ll get hurt.”

“U-Uh, then please let me ask one more thing. What is the reason you are helping me to this extent? To you, aren’t I just… a person you met for the very first time today?”

“Ah, that? I just found you quite to my liking.”

At my response, her face lightly flushed crimson.

“Y-You mean me? No… of course, as someone who used to be called the Red Diamond of the Idelhais Kingdom, I am reasonably confident in my appearance… but I-I am technically a widow, at least in form… a-and while I am obviously still pure and untouched… s-still, in many ways, I am lacking for you, my benefactor….”

“No, excluding the transcendent beings, you’re the first opponent I’ve faced whose skills were actually decent.”

“Ah, aah….”

Hmm? It was a compliment, but why did she seem a bit disappointed?

“Besides, those guys called transcendent beings didn’t really hone their own boundaries through raw effort; most of them are just powerful because they were born with a transcendent silver spoon in their mouths… seeing you reach that level entirely on your own makes you look incredibly admirable, you know? That’s why I find you quite to my liking.”

To be precise, it felt like a boundary Kelly might reach if she trained brutally hard for another ten to twenty years.

In terms of sheer talent, they seemed evenly matched, but the difference was exactly equal to their age gap.

Ah, speaking of age, based on their converted ages, Kelly is in her early twenties, whereas this lady is in her mid-to-late twenties.

“Ad-Admirable…?”

“Why? Does that make you feel bad by any chance?”

“A-Ah, no. A person of your caliber is more than qualified to say such th—no, wait. Does that mean you have actually exchanged blows with transcendent beings as well?”

“Yeah. Quite a lot.”

“Forgive me, but… what exactly is your boundary? Could you perhaps be beyond a Grand Master, reaching the path that lies after…?”

“Well, if you’re asking whether I am a transcendent being, ‘right now,’ I am not. Let’s just leave it at that for now.”

Faced with my line-drawing response, her expression turned thoroughly bizarre. It was glaringly obvious she was dying of curiosity, but because it was me, she forced herself to hold it back.

“Now then, shall we clean up the dregs? What are you going to start with?”

“First, I intend to summon the knight orders waiting outside and force them to swear an oath of loyalty to me. I will show them that these bastards got cozy with an Outer God, and reveal the fact that I will be taking over as the lord of the domain.”

“Will they follow you?”

“They are all individuals I trained myself. Most of them will comply.”

“And the ones who don’t qualify as ‘most’?”

A savage bloodlust flickered within her eyes.

“…They must be killed, of course.”

“Want me to give you a hand?”

At my offer, a soft smile played across her lips.

“I am more than enough on my own. Just introduce me to the Inquisitors who will collect this garbage for us.”

“Will do. There’s a temple of the Lumina Church here, right?”

“Yes. It is located on the eastern side of the outer castle.”

“See you in an hour.”

As a parting gesture, she moved forward on her knees, approached me, and politely pressed her lips against the back of my hand.

“Safe travels, my lord. I shall be waiting.”

“Huh? My lord? Didn’t we agree not to do that?”

“As a Steel Body user walking the path of martial arts, how could I possibly throw away a chance to receive guidance from someone who has surpassed a Grand Master and perhaps even touched upon transcendence? I am not a woman who lets go that easily.”

“Ah… well, sure. Then make some time later to come hang out at the mansion. I’ll teach you a few moves.”

“Yes. I will make sure to seize the countdom first so I can bring it along as my tuition fee.”

“No, I don’t need any of that. It’s just a hassle. I plan to live as an idler until the day I grow old and die. You can just act as my backing whenever I need some influence.”

“…….”

“…….”

“Why are you looking at me with that kind of face?”

“No. It’s just… I suddenly realized you are attempting a truly reckless challenge….”

Reckless? What’s reckless about it? The only thing reckless around here is that bald guy over there.