Merchant Noble is out (3/3 chapters for today)
In the Midst of the Banquet
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After the wedding ceremony, a grand banquet was held.
The First Town had a population of about 5,000 including university students, was in full festival mode. Throughout the city, alcohol and meat were served, and the entire atmosphere was filled with celebration. The fact that the lord had taken a royal family member as a wife was an honor for the people of the rural area of Mikanda, and they were celebrating as if it were their own personal joy.
Naturally, the banquet at the venue was also very lively.
“Delicious! Delicious!” (??)
“This is the first time I’ve ever eaten such delicious food!” (??)
The members of the Casablanca Seven are relaxing for the first time in a while, away from the royal capital where they must guard Casablanca. Usually, they ate in shifts, so it was rare for all of them to gather for a meal. They were the most excited of all the attendees.
Amid this, Fran, who had been whispering with a servant of the Warden Household, stood up reluctantly from her seat.
“Fran-san?” (Jeanne)
“I received a letter from the Baron’s messenger just now. Casablanca-sama and I will be stepping away for a while.” (Fran)
It seems that Casablanca was called by Arc. Naturally, Fran would accompany her as her guard, since it wouldn’t be safe to let Casablanca go alone.
“Nom, nom, is it okay if I don’t go?” (Jeanne)
Jeanne, the Second Unit, asked with her mouth full. The Sevens usually took their duties seriously even in such situations, rarely getting the chance to indulge in a feast. However, this time, thanks to Marie’s arrangements, they were attending not as guards but as guests. They didn’t want to miss this opportunity, and so they were stuffing their faces eagerly.
“Jeanne-san, that’s poor manners. It’s fine for everyone to stay behind. It seems to be quite a secret affair.” (Fran)
“Then, I’ll eat Fran-san’s share of the food as well.” (Alma)
“No one needs to come.” (Fran)
At Fran’s remark, Alma, the Forth Unit, breathed a sigh of relief and, with lightning speed, snatched the meat off Fran’s plate.
“Ugh…” (Fran)
Fran, who had been looking forward to the feast after such a long time, watched this scene bitterly as she left the hall.
—
The First Town hall was located at a distance just far enough that the noise of the banquet could barely be heard. It was where Arc, Yulia, Casablanca, and Fran faced each other in a small room on the highest floor.
“Sorry for calling you during the banquet, Casablanca-sama.” (Arc)
“It’s fine. So, why did you call my sister-in-law here?” (Casablanca)
Casablanca said, half-joking, while casting a sultry, upward glance at Arc.
“I have no such tastes.” (Arc)
Arc calmly responded, but seeing Casablanca in this light, he realized she was just as much of a beautiful woman as Marie. Normally, she would distort her face when dealing with nobles, so he had thought she lacked awareness of her own beauty, but it seemed she knew how to use her charms as a weapon. He had discovered a new side of Casablanca.
Then, just a little late, someone else arrived…
“Arc-dono, it’s been a while.” (Zenon)
It was Zenon, who was the former Chief Priest who had been dismissed by Cyan. Upon seeing Zenon, Arc recalled a complaint and conveyed it to Casablanca.
“Casablanca-sama, if you were bringing the former Chief Priest, you should have told me. I almost had a heart attack from surprise.” (Arc)
“Ah, sorry. I forgot.” (Casablanca)
Casablanca responded nonchalantly to Arc’s complaint.
It seemed unimaginable that she had forgotten to inform Arc when Zenon was appointed as the priest to conduct the ceremony for Arc and Marie’s wedding. This was likely part of her surprise.
Casablanca introduced Zenon to Arc as she had him stand next to her.
“I’ll formally introduce him. This is Zenon, the new representative of the church.” (Casablanca)
Zenon began explaining the situation himself.
“I was training at a local monastery when Casablanca-sama granted me permission to return. I have taken on not only the position of High Priest but also the vacant position of Chief Priest.” (Zenon)
It seems Zenon had taken both the Chief Priest and High Priest positions, which were the highest political and religious roles in the church.
Casablanca explained further.
“Unlike Cyan, who was a fanatic, I find it much easier to deal with someone like Zenon who knows how to calculate the pros and cons. That’s why I had him return. But listen, Zenon, if you issue any more heresy decrees and cause the kingdom to fall into chaos like before, I won’t hesitate to deal with you.” (Casablanca)
After receiving a glare, Zenon bowed deeply in response.
“Impossible! I can never repay Casablanca-sama enough. As I promised when my honor was restored, I will serve Casablanca-sama for the rest of my life.” (Zenon)
He’s been nicely tamed.
Arc thought to himself while watching Zenon grovel.
Zenon would no longer be able to openly defy Casablanca, who had successfully used him to bring the church’s power to her side. Though the church had been in fierce opposition only a few weeks ago, now that they realized they could gain an ally, they had formed an alliance. Arc marveled at Casablanca’s political acumen, or rather, her lack of principles, depending on how one viewed it.
“Yulia, don’t let anyone near this room.” (Arc)
Arc ordered as he let the three inside. Yulia stood outside, guarding the room, while Casablanca, Zenon, Fran, and Arc gathered around the table.
“So, what’s this about, Arc?” (Casablanca)
“Oh, yes, I nearly forgot.” (Arc)
Arc paused for a moment, letting the silence fill the room.
Arc suddenly fell silent, and the three of them began to feel anxious, but then he slowly began to speak as if nothing had happened.
“I’m sorry for the summons, but the one who has something to say isn’t me. Casablanca-sama, isn’t it you?” (Arc)
“Huh? I’m just here to attend my sister’s wedding.” (Casablanca)
Arc glanced at Casablanca, but she showed no sign of understanding his words. However, her attitude seemed less about not understanding and more about trying to cover something up, so Arc said nothing further. The room fell back into silence.
The distant sounds of the banquet barely reached them, and the atmosphere in the room grew heavy and dark, in sharp contrast to the noisy celebration outside.
It was Casablanca who broke the silence.
“Arc. Why do you think I’m plotting something?” (Casablanca)
“I can’t say. If I’m mistaken, my head will roll.” (Arc)
Arc didn’t answer directly but dropped a hint. This was something of great importance.
“Casablanca-sama, you must remain at the top of the kingdom as a royal. Why are you hesitating?” (Arc)
She still refuses to answer, so I have to nudge her a little. It’s more like I’m giving him a push than criticizing her.
Casablanca groaned in pain for a while. Then, she finally spoke with a pained look on his face, as if she had made up his mind.
“I will defeat Louis and become king.” (Casablanca)
Another wave of silence engulfed the room.
Zenon and Fran were stunned, unsure if they had heard correctly.
“Are you saying you will usurp His Majesty Louis?” (Zenon)
“Usurp… well, if you want to call it that, yes.” (Casablanca)
“Why would you think of such a thing, Casablanca-sama? As Viceroy, you hold great power, perhaps not as much as the king, but still, why risk everything and cause an internal conflict?” (Zenon)
Zenon’’s words made perfect sense. He was a capable individual, analyzing the situation and pointing out the irrationality of Casablanca’s potential actions.
To convince Zenon, she needs to tell her ‘that story’.
Casablanca began to speak.
“Are you aware that there’s a ‘abolishment of the royal family’ movement among some of the nobles?” (Casablanca)
“I wasn’t.” (Zenon)
“I didn’t know about that.” (Arc)
Both Xenon and Arc were surprised at the same time. Arc, of course, knew about it, but bringing up his information network would only raise suspicions unnecessarily.
“The ‘abolishment of the royal family’ idea has been spreading among the nobles in the last few months.” (Casablanca)
Casablanca began explaining.
The origin of this idea came from the Rizz-Friz incident, where two marquises connected to Louis were framed for having contact with heretics and were executed by the Church. In this incident, Louis had abandoned the nobles when pressured by the Church, and his actions became problematic.
Unlike Casablanca, Louis valued his relationships with the nobility, and as a result, the nobles had supported him. However, during the incident, Louis had abandoned the nobles, leaving them with no reason to support him any longer. Now, supporting Louis was no longer an option. But the other royals were either the Saintess Marie or the noble-hating Casablanca.
“So, the nobles no longer expect anything from any royal. As a result, the idea that ‘maybe we don’t need a king at all’ has spread. This is the ‘abolishment of the royal family’ movement.” (Casablanca)
“I see. That’s my fault for creating the conditions.” (Zenon)
Zenon said, sounding a little guilty.
“The Rizz-Friz incident was just the final straw. After my father lost to Leo, the kingdom’s credibility fell to the ground. Sooner or later, the nobles would have rebelled.” (Casablanca)
“I see. But still, I don’t understand. How does the ‘abolishment of the royal family’ movement lead to your usurpation, Casablanca-sama?” (Zenon)
Arc observed Xenon’s frequent use of the word ‘usurp’ with some unease, thinking that surely there were better ways to phrase it, such as ‘abdicate’.
“You mentioned that the ‘abolishment of the royal family’ theory is spreading, but that’s only among a small fraction of the nobility. Most of the nobles still hold onto the traditional belief that ‘nobles exist because of the king’. Before this theory spreads any further, I must become the king. Let me ask you this. Do you really think Louis can handle all the nobles baring their fangs at him at once?” (Casablanca)
“That’s impossible, I suppose.” (Zenon)
“Now that there’s a rift between the nobility and Louis, this is the perfect opportunity. I must seize the throne no matter what.” (Casablanca)
Zenon finally nodded as if he understood.
“What do you both think?” (Casablanca)
Casablanca asked Zenon and Arc. She casually asked some outrageous questions.
If they showed their support now, they would be roped into Casablanca’s coup. Arc needed to keep a cool head and carefully analyze the situation, weighing Casablanca’s chances of success.
“How many troops can you gather, Casablanca-sama?” (Arc)
“From the Viceroy position, up to 20,000 and a total of 50,000 if you include the national territories.” (Fran)
Fran answered, and as expected, she could even give the number right away.
“The directly governed territories are lands of both you, Casablanca-sama, and of Louis-sama, right? Can you really gather soldiers from there?” (Arc)
“There are governors who are close to Casablanca-sama, so…” (Fran)
Fran gave an uncertain reply. In other words, it wasn’t clear whether the royal directly governed lands would side with Casablanca or Louis.
“Fran. Be honest.” (Casablanca)
Casablanca stopped Fran from explaining further and bowed her head toward Zenon and Arc.
“If you two do not cooperate, my plan cannot succeed. As you both know well, I have almost no factions supporting me. I cannot do anything alone. But with Arc’s capable soldiers, and Xenon’s church forces, we can certainly defeat Louis.” (Casablanca)
She raised her head and continued.
“If I alone raise a rebellion, the nobles will seize the opportunity to crush me. As long as I’m eliminated, Louis will be no threat to them. That’s why I need a force large enough to even the odds if the nobles join Louis’s side. I need that much power.” (Casablanca)
Even if the nobles were distant from Louis, they might unite if it’s against Casablanca. Therefore, Arc couldn’t afford to only consider the possibility of facing Louis. Hhe needed to take into account the possibility of fighting the nobles as well.
While Arc was calculating the odds of Casablanca’s victory, Zenon suddenly stood up with a thud.
“Alright then! The reason I was able to rise once again as the High Priest is thanks to Casablanca-sama. I’m glad to be able to repay that favor immediately. No matter how unfavorable the situation, I will lead the Church’s forces to aid Casablanca-sama.” (Zenon)
“Thank you, Zenon. That means a lot.” (Casablanca)
After Casablanca joyfully thanked Zenon, she looked at Ark with eye pressure that seemed to say, “You’re next”.
Zenon’s quick agreement had been unexpected.
Perhaps he had found a way to win, or maybe he simply wanted to repay a debt out of pure goodwill. However, now isn’t the time to think about that. I need to think about myself.
“As a lord of this territory, I bear the responsibility of the lives and peace of my people, so I cannot give an answer immediately. Please allow me one day to decide.” (Arc)
Arc forced the words out, asking for more time to make his decision.
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