Chapter 156: |
Chapter 156
‘Good! I will receive the Borison Estate as I requested!’
The territory he requested was the Borison Territory, located deep in the Kennel Mountains of the Rafald region.
No one had ever been granted the Borison Estate before, so his share was clear.
‘The White Crystal Mine is in my hands!’
White crystal!
It was a type of magic stone!
Magic Stone is an essential mineral for making magic tools, and its value is truly enormous!
A type of magic stone, the ‘white crystal’, was buried in the Borison territory.
Originally, there was an abandoned mine in the Borison territory, and deep inside that mine was a white crystal hidden.
It was discovered accidentally during the war.
‘Of course, there are some things to worry about in the Borison Estate.’
Raymond frowned.
Reports say that several unidentified patients have appeared around the abandoned mine.
‘I needed to look into it a little more closely.’
‘I can solve this with my medical skills.’
The bigger problem is that the quality of white crystal ore seems to be somewhat poor.
‘They say that for some reason it has a slightly different color than the original white crystal. It seems like it’s mixed with impurities?’
White crystal is a transparent ore containing mana.
The quality is determined by the color of the mana in the ore, and it is said that the mana component appears somewhat cloudy.
Therefore, the white crystal buried in the Borison estate will only be treated as the lowest quality.
‘But even if it’s the lowest grade, a magic stone is a magic stone. It’s worth much more than a regular mine stone. I’m going to become rich from today.’
It was a moment that filled Raymond with such dreams.
Count Trenby stepped forward before Oden.
For your information, Count Trenby was the head of a fallen earldom and bravely went to war with the sole intention of reviving his family name.
He was at the forefront of the battlefield, killing the most enemy knights, and even when he was caught up in a waterborne operation, he played a major role in stopping the enemy’s fierce pursuit.
So he become the second contributor.
He also had a strong competitive spirit towards Raymond, and gave him a hostile look before going up to the stage.
‘Yes, yes. Go ahead and try. It’s a good day, so I’ll happily get over it.’
Raymond watched Count Trenby receive his award leisurely when suddenly a thunderous sound rang out.
“… … For this merit, Earl of Trenby, I grant you the land of Borison.”
“…!”
Raymond’s eyes widened as if they were going to tear apart.
The Borison estate he had been hoping for had suddenly gone to Count Trenby!
‘What? Why are they giving the Borison Estate to Count Trenby? That’s ridiculous!’
Raymond looked at Chancellor Gallman.
Chancellor Galman happened to be looking at Raymond, so their eyes met.
But Chancellor Galman’s eyes looked strange.
For some reason, the look of astonishment.
‘…Why is he looking at me like that?’
Come to think of it, it wasn’t just Chancellor Galman.
Everyone in the banquet hall was looking at Raymond in shock.
‘What?’
At that moment, an idea occurred to Raymond.
The Borison Estate, where the magic stone mines were located, went to the second heir, Earl Trenby.
So what about Raymond, who has contributed the most?
It would be reasonable to grant a territory more valuable than the Magic Stone Mine.
‘Then what kind of territory will I receive?’
At that time, people were sharing these whispers.
“The owner of ‘that territory’ has not been decided yet.”
“Could it be that Baron Penin has ‘that estate’?”
“That’s ridiculous!”
Raymond’s mind raced through the map of the Rafald region.
And he became stiff.
Now that he thinks about it, there was something there.
A territory whose whereabouts have not yet been determined.
It was the largest and most valuable estate in comparison to the Borison Estate.
‘…No way?’
Raymond’s fingertips trembled faintly.
‘That’s ridiculous. No way. He would grant me that territory?’
Then Oden said,
“Baron Penin, please come to the stage.”
Raymond swallowed and stepped forward.
Everyone in the banquet hall looked on in shock, sensing what was about to happen.
“Baron Pennin, you have served in the war as a field healer and have achieved countless merits.”
King Oden, as he had done before, listed Raymond’s merits one by one.
“As a healer, he saved the lives of countless soldiers, knights, and nobles, and hr led the soldiers’ morale by treating them with his heart. He also saw through the enemy’s cunning schemes and saved his allies from danger, and he played a great role in capturing important castles. In addition…”
The story that started like that never quite ended.
This was because he had made so many contributions during the war.
It was a glorious moment, but Raymond couldn’t hear it at all.
One thought kept lingering in my head.
‘Is Your Majesty for real? He would really give me that territory?’
“For the following services, I hereby grant you the following awards: Baron of Penin, and I hereby raise your title to Count.”
“… … !”
The banquet hall was in an uproar.
Count!
It’s a whopping two-step promotion!
It was an unprecedented speed in the history of the continent, as he was promoted to the rank of Count in less than a year after receiving the title of knight.
But up to this point, it was expected.
Because his achievements were so great, there were rumors that he would be given the title of Count.
The problem was the fief.
‘Where on earth is his territory?’
‘Surely not that territory?’
Before opening his mouth, King Oden looked at Raymond.
For a moment, deep eyes pierced Raymond’s gaze.
“Count Penin, I hereby appoint you as my ‘special-envoy’ to represent my will.”
“… … !”
“I appoint you as a ‘special envoy’ in charge of the post-war reconstruction of the war-torn Rafald region.”
A look of wonder rose among the people.
A ‘special envoy’ for post-war reconstruction. It was an unexpected appointment.
‘It’s a position that suits him as a healer, though.’
‘It will also be suitable for appeasing the public sentiment of the Rafald region.’
Everyone tilted their heads.
Of course, it was necessary to restore the war-torn Rafald region.
Also, since they were a people who had been enemies for 100 years, it was necessary to win their hearts and bring them into the arms of the Kingdom of Houston.
No one could do this better than Raymond.
His abilities as a healer will shine.
But is this the end?
What estate will he receive?
Then, Oden continued speaking.
“Count Penin, you are to carry out my will and restore the damage caused by the war within half a year, stabilize the Rafald region, and appease the people’s hearts. If you can accomplish this within half a year…”
A deep voice settled into the room.
“…In addition to the achievements you have made in this war, I will grant you the Ruin Territory as a fief and appoint you as a great lord – a lord in charge of the Rafald region.”
* * *
The banquet hall was filled with shock and amazement.
Ruin Estate!
This is where the castle of Ruin, the capital and core of the Rafald region, is located.
For reference, Ruin Castle was one of the five largest castles in the entire Kingdom of Droughton.
Also, it was the fief of the great lords of the Rafald region for generations!
The lord of the Ruin region has always been called the great lord or prince of the entire Rafald. There has never been a time in history when this was not the case.
‘You’re going to get off at a place like that!’
‘You want to make that bastard the lord of the Rafald region?’
Everyone in the banquet hall was shocked and thought.
Great lords!
How lofty a position is this?
The lord of lords was the seat of a high monarch who ruled over a region of the kingdom directly under the king.
You’re going to give that position to Raymond?
No matter how conditional it was, it was absurd.
And Raymond himself had the same thought.
‘… I’m going to be a great lord?’
All he wanted was a yolk estate that would make him super rich.
‘I never once imagined a position as high as that of a great lord!’
As Raymond floundered in the waves of shock, someone stepped forward.
“Your Majesty, with all my heart, I advise you to reconsider your decision.”
Marquis Terne!
He was a lord of the western part of Houston.
For your information, he is the leader of those who support the Third Prince, Lemarton, and he has stepped forward to prevent Raymond’s position from becoming stronger.
Others also looked at him with sympathy.
‘Even if he’s a war hero, it’s excessive.’
‘Such an important position should be held by another noble and orthodox family…’
‘Yeah, that’s too much. I just wanted a place that would make a lot of money.’
By the way, the last one was Raymond’s inner thoughts.
Raymond nodded repeatedly as if he agreed with what the Marquis Terne said.
As if to represent everyone’s feelings, the Marquis Terne spoke.
“I believe it would be more appropriate to entrust the Ruin region to someone more qualified than the newly-appointed Count Penin.”
But for some reason, Oden took a hard line.
“Why do you say that Count Penin is not qualified?”
“That…….”
The Marquis Terne kept his mouth shut.
‘Because he is a nobleman born out of wedlock.’
Other than that, there was nothing to nitpick about Raymond.
But it was a disqualification greater than any flaw.
Of course, he acknowledged his abilities.
Now, no one looked at Raymond with contempt, thinking he was an illegitimate child.
But it is the position of a lord.
A great lord who governs the entire Rafald region.
No noble would have wished to hand over such a high position to Raymond, let alone any other position.
“Do the others think the same? Are you all against giving the Ruin territory to Count Penin?”
There was no answer.
There was a clear air of opposition.
But then, someone stepped forward.
“That’s funny. If Count Penin is not qualified, then who is? You, Marquis Terne, who has not done anything worthy in this war? Or His Highness Prince Lemarton, whose misjudgments have caused great damage to the royal army?”
A bold speech.
It was Duke Raif!
“Oh, you speak harshly, Your Highness.”
“I don’t know what’s so harsh about that.”
The Duke Raif said coldly.
“I, the Duke Raif, as a lord of the Southern Cairn region, agree with His Majesty the King’s decision.”
Then, another unexpected voice spoke.
“I don’t know if this is the place for me to speak. Anyway, I agree with His Majesty the King’s opinion on behalf of the wizards of the Kingdom of Houston.”
It was Shameron of the Tower!
They have stepped forward with the awareness of Raymond’s capabilities.
From that point on, other voices began to emerge.
“I agree.”
“Me too.”
These were the nobles who had been indebted to Raymond until now!
The number was not that small.
The favor that Raymond had shown the. has been returned.
At that moment, a decisive voice supporting Raymond emerged.
“As the first princess of the Kingdom of Houston and the fourth in line to the throne, I agree with His Majesty the King’s decision.”
It was Princess Sophia!
She glared at those who expressed dissent with cold eyes.
“Don’t get me wrong, I’m not personally supporting Count Penin. But honestly, I don’t know who else would be better suited to this job than Count Penin.”
So, the Duke Raif and Princess Sophia, the two big shots came out and the room became quiet.