Greek Feast (3)

In the study of the Lord’s castle, the Duke of Taemuran, the Crown Prince, and Greek sat side by side. Behind them stood a mage who could be described as the Duke’s guard. She stood still, like a statue.

“Is the Count still the same?”

“Yes, unfortunately.”

Baron Greek answered with a gloomy face. He knew well that this question was just a formality. But thinking of his Father always made him feel frustrated and sad.

His Father had been healthier and more caring than anyone.

Greek couldn’t hide his gloomy face, but he was still glancing nervously at the Duke and the Crown Prince.

“Well, that’s that. About your territory. Ah, it’s not your territory yet, is it?”

“That part is still my Father’s territory. It’s true that I’m just acting as the Lord.”

“How bothersome. It’s clear to everyone that it will soon be your territory. So I’ll just call it your territory.”

The Duke said this as he stared at Greek. The Crown Prince just sat on the sofa with his arms crossed.

The handsome man with long blond hair seemed to have no interest in the conversation between the Duke and Baron Greek.

“By the way, wasn’t Count Greek under Marquess Serin?”

“Probably, yes. But we haven’t had contact for a long time. I haven’t met him either.”

“Is that so? Then you should take this opportunity to change whom you serve. A territory like this especially needs central support to function properly.”

The Duke of Taemuran finally broached the main topic. His tone was so firm that even Baron Greek could understand the underlying meaning.

Was he asking him to come under his command? But was that all? Baron Greek tilted his head in doubt.

“What do you mean?”

“Are you clueless or pretending? Do I need to spell it out for you? Tsk, tsk. I’m telling you to come under my command. Then this territory will receive solid protection, and you shouldn’t be satisfied with just this territory but come up to the central government.”

“That… I haven’t considered that.”

The Duke frowned at Greek’s answer. He didn’t like the response at all. The very act of this young man talking back irritated him, so he immediately resumed his threats.

“But you have to make a choice. Marquess Serin has been bedridden with illness for a long time.”

“Is that so?”

This was news to Greek. With almost no information network, everything was new to him.

“Well, that’s that. I have another matter to discuss.”

“Yes?”

The Duke uncrossed and recrossed his legs. Then he spoke in a lower tone.

“There are many things like large-scale waterworks and intervention in the neighboring kingdom’s civil war. So Greek City will also have to pay more taxes.”

“But that!”

It was so direct. Baron Greek realized the Duke’s true intention and was horrified. Waterworks or intervention in a civil war – these had nothing to do with his territory. This was a demand for an increase in taxes under false pretenses.

It was pure tyranny. It was like a declaration to start squeezing the neglected territories.

For their own pockets.

“Is that the official stance of the central government?”

Greek swallowed and asked. The Duke laughed heartily.

“Of course not. Taming the people is the lord’s responsibility.”

That meant it was a tax that couldn’t be publicly acknowledged. This was the purpose of the Duke’s inspection.

It was a declaration to start squeezing the territories that had been neglected after the war with the monsters. There was also the intention to increase his subordinates among the nobility.

Otherwise, the Duke wouldn’t be personally inspecting the Count’s territory, even bringing the Crown Prince. Well, the Crown Prince came along because he wanted to have fun.

In any case, the Duke didn’t like that the young boy wasn’t backing down immediately.

“I don’t think I can give you an answer right away.”

The Duke’s temper flared. Another insolent response. To Greek, it was a barely managed reply, sweat dripping down his body, but to the Duke, it was just annoying.

“What did you say?”

The Duke, speechless with disbelief, finally raised his eyebrows and shouted, making Baron Greek stamp his feet and rack his brains.

What should I do? What should I do? His head was spinning.

If it went as the Duke said, the citizens of Greek would have to bear several times the current taxes. He had to stop it.

But how?

Nobles who choose the wrong side always face such tyranny. And the burden falls entirely on the citizens.

Baron Greek hadn’t fully grasped that rule yet. But he knew he had to stop it, so he jumped up and shouted at the Duke.

“I will prepare a banquet! I will give you an answer there!”

This was the best Greek could do. In the urgent moment, El was the only one who came to mind.

Thinking of El naturally led him to think of his Master’s cooking, so he mentioned a banquet as a last resort.

He intended to buy time by any means, but the Duke only frowned more.

“A banquet? What could you possibly serve in such an outlying territory that would surpass the cuisine of the Royal Palace? It would probably just ruin my appetite.”

Strangely enough, the Crown Prince, who had been quiet until then, reacted to the word ‘banquet’ and joined the conversation between the Duke and Baron Greek.

“Your Highness! No, I will prepare the best cuisine for you.”

Baron Greek didn’t know what was going on, but he thought it was an opportunity, so he quickly yelled at the Crown Prince.

“What if I don’t like it?”

“I’m sorry?”

“I’m asking what you will do if I don’t like the food.”

The Crown Prince said this while touching his fine eyebrows. But Baron Greek couldn’t give a specific answer.

“I don’t think that will happen. We have a very skilled chef.”

He had no choice but to give a general answer, but the Crown Prince wasn’t satisfied.

“You’re that confident, huh? I’m bored. The Royal Palace is a tedious routine. I’ve visited many territories following the Duke, but none have relieved my boredom. The food is always the same. They call it delicacies, but it only makes me scoff. So, if you’re truly confident you can satisfy me, how about a bet?”

“A b-bet, Your Highness?”

Greek wondered what the Crown Prince was getting at but tried not to show it and asked. The Crown Prince pretended to think for a moment, then clapped his hands and spoke.

“Hmm, yes! How about the loser runs a lap around Greek City naked? If I lose, I’ll strip too. What do you think? Isn’t that a fair bet?”

No matter how you look at it, there was no seriousness in his words. Running around town naked? What the… Baron Greek felt like shaking his head wildly.

He couldn’t do that, so he clicked his tongue inwardly and pondered how to respond. He was confident in the cooking. Confident in his Master’s cooking skills.

So, he nodded for now. He needed to buy time to think of a way to escape the Duke’s clutches.

“If that’s what you say, what can I do? I will accept.”

When Baron Greek answered so bluntly, the Duke’s anger flared. This was ruining everything.

The Duke glared at the Crown Prince, as if asking why he had to complicate things. But he was his superior. He had no choice but to speak to Greek.

“Fine. I will await a favorable answer at the banquet. Oh, and remember this: if you refuse my proposal, Greek City will be isolated. You know what happens when logistics don’t function properly, right?”

The Duke said this while crossing his arms.

“Your Highness, why make such a bet? What if you lose?”

“That’s not going to happen, is it? The food in this territory is all the same. Even if by some miracle it satisfies me, I just won’t acknowledge it.”

“That’s true, but…”

The Duke shook his head inwardly as he looked at the Crown Prince. A prince who only likes to play. Well, it makes him easier to manipulate, but it was still irritating.

Of course, the Crown Prince had his own thoughts. He didn’t like the Duke threatening even the central imperial power.

His true purpose, disguised as a prince who liked to play, was different. There was a real reason he followed the inspection of numerous Count territories, including Greek City.

“Rather, tell me that story from before. That was interesting.”

“Which story do you mean?”

The Duke looked at the Crown Prince with a look that asked what he wanted to bring up this time.

“The one about the mage even my Father couldn’t handle.”

“That’s… something that should never be mentioned in the Royal Palace, Your Highness.”

“We’re not in the Royal Palace now, are we?”

The Crown Prince laughed as he spoke.

The Duke wondered what the prince was thinking, bringing that story up again. The more the Crown Prince laughed, the more the Duke felt mocked.

He didn’t stop there and asked the mage standing behind the Duke like a statue.

“Isn’t that right! You explain. You once carried out operations with that mage, didn’t you?”

The Duke’s chief mage, Medlinne, who had achieved the 7th class of magic and was granted the title of Count, one of the Empire’s top mages, slowly opened her mouth.

“I dare not speak recklessly about that person. Even His Majesty is wary of him, Your Highness.”

In a way, it was a statement that could insult both the Emperor and the Duke, but the Duke didn’t respond. Or rather, he couldn’t.

“Have you seen him too, Duke?”

“No, I haven’t.”

The Duke had been in another country during the mage’s exploits, attending multinational meetings regarding the Monster War.

So he had never seen his face. But there was a clear reason why his subordinate kept silent about the mage. He had heard too much about that absolute power.

“Your subordinate seems to respect that person greatly.”

“Well, I can’t stop such feelings. Besides, the person can’t be considered within the bounds of humanity.”

The Crown Prince subtly mocked the Duke with a smile.

But because of the Crown Prince’s usual behavior, the Duke just shook his head, thinking he was showing interest in something unnecessary.