Chapter 65: Chapter 65: Sword master
[Maine Territory: Thousands of kilometers away from the Empire, even further than barons’ lands]
"What? Did the emperor assign another one of those noble brats?" The burly man, General Marcus, crumpled the letter in his fist.
"Stephen, send a letter to that emperor. We don’t need another one of his greedy people. I’ve had enough," he growled, throwing the letter into a waste bin, a look of pure disdain on his face.
"General Marcus, please calm down. It’s possible the new lord won’t be as greedy," his butler said, attempting to placate him.
Marcus glared at him before slumping back into his chair. "Every previous lord the emperor has assigned was either greedy or cruel. What else am I supposed to expect? He has lost my loyalty, and not just mine, but that of everyone in the Maine Land."
Stephen sighed and walked to the counter to make coffee. "You should drink this and calm down."
"How can I calm down? All day, we fight a war, and the nobles assigned here loot our commoners. Now I have to worry about this new lord," Marcus said, taking a sip before setting the coffee back down.
"General! General!" a knight shouted, bursting into Marcus’s office. Marcus took a deep, exhausted breath.
"What is it? Did the barbarians attack?" Marcus asked, his hand instinctively going for his sword.
"No, hah hah, General," the knight stammered, catching his breath. "The new lord has arrived! He and his soldiers will enter the territory any minute now," he said, pointing a finger toward the door.
Marcus, who had been about to run outside with his sword, stopped dead in his tracks, his expression turning cold. "Alright, let’s go see what kind of person he is."
---
"Halt! Now we are entering Maine territory. If you find anything suspicious, immediately tell the vice-captain."
"YES!" all the knights shouted.
As Bennett’s horse neared the territory’s walls, her gaze tightened. The scent of decay hung in the air, and she noticed the complete lack of guards at the gate.
’Why is there no security at the entrance?’
Her hand on the horse’s reins tightened. She noticed the people bustling about, their bodies malnourished.
"Captain, what are those nobles doing?" the vice-captain asked, frowning. "Why are the people so thin? I can see their bones as if they haven’t eaten properly in months."
Bennett nodded and dismounted her horse.
"Captain, what are you...?" the vice-captain began.
"I’ll walk from here," she said, handing him the reins. "Take my horse, too, and tie him up." She walked away, the commoners around her staring curiously.
’I need to question these fucking nobles. What were they doing this entire time? Didn’t they receive money from the empire, even if no backup could arrive?’
Her gaze fell upon a burly man striding toward them, a dark look on his face. He was followed by several knights wearing tattered armor.
"Kid, where’s the captain sent by the emperor?" the man asked, putting a hand on her shoulder and squeezing.
Bennett calmly slapped his hand away with the back of her own, a murderous look in her eyes. "Don’t touch me. I don’t like it."
The man looked at his hand, then began to chuckle. "Hoh, a kid with the courage of a lion, huh? You could make a good knight someday."
"Young Master, how can you run off by yourself..." Lily shouted as she reached her, her face turning pale at the sight of the tall, burly man with a long scar stretching down his neck.
Seeing her maid’s panicked face, Bennett patted her back soothingly. "Don’t fret, Lily."
Marcus closed his eyes, then turned his face away, muttering, "Tch, I hate pampered people who fret over small things."
After calming her down, Bennett looked at Marcus and said, her face expressionless, "Where is the main palace where I’ll be staying? And call the general of this place; I need to meet with him to discuss something."
"Huh?" Marcus looked at her again. "Why would you stay in the palace? That’s where the lord of this place will stay... wait a minute." His face went pale as he realized her meaning.
Bennett noticed his fists clenching tightly, as if he might rain punches on her at any moment.
"Are you the new lord? Ha ha, this has to be some kind of joke, right?" he asked, looking at her with desperate eyes, wanting to reject the entire situation.
Bennett narrowed her eyes, alerted by his dangerous stance. Stepping back, she unsheathed the sword at her waist. A dark aura enveloped the blade. "Don’t waste my time. Where is the general?"
Marcus froze, his jaw agape. "Y-y-you... you’re a sword master? What’s your age, kid?"
"Stop calling my young master so rudely," Lily interjected, peeking out from behind Bennett’s shoulder like an angry kitten. "He is the young master of the Darknight family!"
’What darknight, that dukedom, why did the emperor assign him here?’
The knights behind Marcus gasped and started whispering amongst themselves.
"What? Darknight? Didn’t they say the family line ended after the late duchess’s death?"
"That’s just a rumor. They tend to be exaggerated. If he has the duchess’s blood, the family can’t be ended."
"My age has nothing to do with it."
Hearing her, Marcus sighed and put a hand on his chest. "I’m the general of Maine territory. That direction is your palace, my lord."
Bennett looked at him for some time, then nodded and walked forward, with Lily quickly following behind her.
---
"Weren’t you the one fuming about this new lord just moments ago?" Stephen asked with a sarcastic tone, watching Marcus calmly retrieve files from a cabinet. "Why are you so relaxed now?"
"Shut up, Stephen. I’m still not fully satisfied with his personality," Marcus replied. "His strength is good, but I need to test his mindset. If he isn’t mature enough to take responsibility, I won’t entrust any of my soldiers to him."
Stephen raised a brow. "So, how are you going to do that?"
Marcus grinned, pointing to the files in his hand. "This is all the information about the nobles’ corruption. I’ll show it to him and demand his actions. If he ignores it like the previous lords, then he’s not suitable in my opinion."
---
"Lily, what do you think about this place?" Bennett asked, taking a cup of coffee from her hand.
"What do I think?" Lily tapped her chin with a finger, and after a moment, her eyes grew dim. "Young Master, from my perspective, this place is not good at all. Did you see how thin the people were outside? And the smell of decay is everywhere."
Bennett nodded, placing her cup on the table and spinning her chair so she faced the window. "Yes, I’ve seen it. What do you think is the reason for it?"
"Probably greedy nobles or incompetent people," Lily replied.
Hearing her, Bennett nodded, her fingers toying with each other. "Yes, it could be that, but that’s not the main reason," she said, her eyes hardening as she watched a child eating a raw potato outside.
"From my perspective, the main reason is, why the emperor hasn’t inspected this land or checked his subordinates’ behavior.
Even if this land is abandoned, all the nobles in the empire are usually invited to balls at the palace. Yet, the nobles from this territory never attend or get invitations."
"Knock, knock."
Bennett spun her chair around to face the door. Lily blinked at the sound, then quickly ran to open it.
"Ehh!" Lily yelped, seeing Marcus standing outside. She quickly stepped aside to let him in.
"Grrr, I’m not going to eat you. Why are you making that fearful face?" he grumbled.
"I doubt that," Lily retorted, her voice trembling slightly. "From your scary expression, anyone could tell you don’t like us. Hmph!"
"How rude! Didn’t you learn any etiquette in the palace?" Marcus shot back.
"That’s enough. She is my personal attendant, so don’t try to teach her."
Marcus froze, feeling his body lock in place. Lily stuck her tongue out at him before quickly stepping behind Bennett’s chair and standing at attention.
"Ouch," Lily said, clutching her forehead and sitting down, rubbing her head.
"Young Master," she said, looking up at Bennett with teary eyes.
Bennett ignored her, putting down the hand she had used for the magic.
"So, what’s the reason for your visit, sir?" Bennett asked, leaning back in her chair and fixing him with a gaze of authority she had seen the Crown Prince use at balls.
"Ahem," Marcus cleared his throat and placed a stack of files on the table. As Bennett picked them up and began to read, Marcus continued, "These files show the nobles’ corruption. As the new lord of this place, you need to do something about it, and fast."
Bennett squinted her eyes as she read through the files, her expression turning solemn. "These proofs..."
"So, what’s your decision, Lord Bennett?" Marcus asked, watching her intently, trying to read her emotions.
’Ugh, why is his face so expressionless? I can’t decipher his thoughts,’ he worried.