“Lord Erdoin, perhaps you could begin by explaining…”
“Mm-hmm, I’ll do that.”
Erdduan is the head of the family. They both lifted their heads when my father spoke to them. I mean, I’d have guessed that by the time they bowed to a commoner like the Hultings…
And you, father, by the tone you’re using, you understand most of what’s going on. It’s very brave of you to make me explain it to him.
My father and I are seated across the guest table from Ser Erdoin and the Lord Commander of the House. Mazel’s family is standing because they’re the ones being apologized to but they’re commoners. I can’t help but feel a little confused.
“The village of Aarea lies in the domain of my House Bitgeft. But for some time it has been left to the Lords in charge. I apologize for the trouble I’ve caused the Viscount and his family.”
Lord Erdogan opens his mouth. It’s hard to react to an old man sweating and making excuses. And a proper nobleman. I wonder if Mazel’s parents haven’t stopped to think.
A nobleman apologizing to a commoner must’ve been scolded by the higher-ups. I don’t want to think about it. It makes me want to run away from reality too. The only one who seems unconcerned is my father.
Uh, this deputy was involved in the case?
“No…”
Sir Erdduan turns to look at me… and the Knight Commander of House Bitheft opens his mouth. He is about the oldest person in the room. He has a fearless look on his face. He looks more like an adventurer or someone with martial arts experience than a knight.
He just looks so strangely hunched over with that look on his face that I kind of feel like I’m watching an apology interview with an athlete who caused a ruckus in a previous life.
Actually, the chief of the village of Aarea is my father.
That’s a surprising statement. I look at Mazel’s family. Lily doesn’t look familiar but her parents look familiar. They look kind of uncomfortable.
I’ve heard that this Lord Hiner is also from Arlea village and he knew Mazel’s parents Arry and his family. He left Arrea when he was young and went to work for the Bitgefts.
“I don’t mean to boast, but I’ve had some talent for the martial arts. As a knight, I’ve had my opportunities and I’ve prospered.”
Maybe he had some skills. But to come from a commoner’s background and become the leader of a noble house’s order is an unusual rise. I’d say it’s the result of hard work. In fact… the world would admire and envy him.
“But it has only made the relationship between my father and the Lord Lieutenant more delicate.”
Or rather, that’s what the Lord Commander discovered. To be Lord Commander of a noble house from a commoner’s background, Lord Heiner must have been Lord Erdoin’s favorite or his father’s favorite because of his age. So he’s the favorite of the head of the house and he can’t be strong-armed by his father, the Lord Commander of the House of Lords.
Or Lord Hainer may have married a woman in the family of the head of the house, even if it’s not direct descent. I don’t mean to get involved in other families’ affairs.
And his father, the village chief, misunderstood him. And that’s the result.
“Father… I’m ashamed to say that I didn’t realize that the situation had come to this.
It’s true we’re at fault for leaving you in charge. I’m sorry.”
and they bow once more. We’ve got a pretty good idea of what’s going on. The look on Mazel’s parents’ faces tells me that they’re involved in something else, but it’s probably best not to ask them about it here and now.
“This is to apologize for the inconvenience. Please accept it.”
I open the box Lord Hiner seems to have brought on his desk and find a bag and a roll of paper. He holds out the paper to me.
It’s not that I don’t have a gift for you, it’s just that I’m a nobleman and I wouldn’t offer a gift of apology in person. It’s also meant to be in the form of a letter, like an apology certificate.
Whereas commoners, on the other hand, they don’t mind giving things away. Well, maybe a sack full of gold. The commoners are grateful to receive the real thing. That’s normal for the nobility of this world.
“This is for Lord Werner. The sack is for the Hulting family.”
“What about the punishment for the village chief and the deputy?”
I’ll check it before I pick it up. I have to check it before I accept it. but I’m not going to let them get away with it. It was Lord Erdduan who answered.
“You will be punished severely, of course. The former mayor, whose comments were deemed disrespectful to the Crown, is reassigned to the post of assistant laborer at the MacDair mines. The lieutenant will be downgraded to stable keeper. Both are long-term appointments. Any other villagers who commit violence will be placed on security detail for the time being.”
Well, well, well. I’m sure Lord Erdduan is furious that we’ve had to bow to them for what they’ve done, but I’d say he’s putting the Countess of Bitgeft’s position before that of Lord Hainer, whose own father caused all this trouble. And now that he’s been reprimanded, he’ll have to report back to you on what punishment he’s meted out.
Long-term certification means that you will be in the same position for at least a few years. There is no rule, but the average period is about ten years, and it is rare that it is less than five years. In addition, in this case, resignation is not allowed, so depending on the place you are transferred to, you may be treated like a de facto slave. In other words, in this world, slaves might be treated better than serfs.
The assistant laborers in the mines don’t dig out the ore directly, but they take care of the workers, cooking, cleaning, washing, and so on. They are low-ranking officials, but in terms of their positions, they have to go there as soon as they are summoned by the village headman.
And the McDare mines are, I think, a place for bandits and felons. Doing that kind of work there for a few years at least, it’d be easier to just get banished. I can just imagine the poking and prodding from a convicted murderer, or a worker for that matter. I wonder how long he can take it with his personality… or if he’ll die an “accidental” death too soon from his relationship with the prisoner.
From deputy to stable boy is a hell of a demotion. In a previous life it was more like being downgraded from branch manager to regular employee. Or maybe worse. A stable keeper usually has to sleep in a stable and is reduced to a subordinate of the governor. A deputy also gets a lot of extra work as a tsukemono.
Somehow I sense Lord Erdogan’s taking it out on us. In a previous life, this would be an arbitrary appointment. But then again, that’s what the nobility is supposed to do.
The villagers are made to work as security guards, which is a rather vague term when you hear it only in words, but in short, they are responsible for maintaining the roads and such like. If there is a fallen tree or something, they are punished if they don’t clean it up responsibly.
But the biggest problem is that this is a world where demons roam the streets, not just wild animals. The biggest problem though is that this is a world where demons roam the streets… But if you’re talking about the weakest demons around King’s Landing… You might even lose your life…
Usually, the village hires adventurers when demons appear in order to avoid harming the villagers, but this time it’s a punishment as well, so I wonder how it’s going to go. I’m not sure if the villagers will pay for it themselves, or in the worst case, they’ll have to exterminate it by themselves, even if it’s dangerous. The punishment is quite heavy despite what the word says.
“Also, regarding the Hultings…”
I looked meaningfully at the family of Mazel standing behind us and Sir Erdouan gave me what I could only describe as a grimace.
“The village of Arlea is the domain of House Bitgeft and the Hultings are certainly residents of Arlea. They are responsible for the disturbances. We cannot inconvenience Countess Zehrfeldt. I will leave you in the care of my House Bitgeft while your family remains in King’s Landing.”
… There you go.
