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Chapter 29
When in the Archduchy, Follow Its Laws
That day, Ferda saw a group racing toward Valdrova's Grand Duke's Domain from the highest point.
Their numbers were roughly 20, all mounted on horses.
Unless they were horses raised in the Far East, all horses instinctively reject a dragon's presence.
Yet these horses showed no instinctive rejection despite being raised in the Central Region.
Horses trained to charge into death's door until the very last moment, even if they lose their lives or their legs are severed.
W ёḃ n̂ ov̀ el Е n ù m̊ а̄
Only the Empire's utmost elites could mount such horses.
Ferda knew who they were.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
"The Cheokgyeoldan."
Ruri, standing beside him, chimed in.
"If it's the Cheokgyeoldan, they're an institution that monitors lords in the Empire, right?"
"Right. Originally they bore the name Hwangsil Jiksok Gamsadan, but they changed it among themselves and that's how it ended up."
Е̂ n ǔ m̊ а̇ .іd
Originally, it was an institution created to monitor and check the corruption of provincial lords.
It was something the Emperor ambitiously established to capture the people's hearts.
"They haven't shown their faces until now, but ever since Ferda-nim came, they're loitering around the Far East."
Ruri spoke as if they were the root of all evil.
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It wasn't exactly wrong, either.
"Know why? Because there was nothing to eat."
Е n ŭ mа
"Nothing to eat?"
"They bear the name Cheokgyeoldan, but in reality, those bastards are groups that extort money from lords."
It was an institution the Emperor ambitiously brought in to capture the people's hearts, but within a few months its function was lost and it degenerated.
In the end, under the guise of monitoring and rooting out corruption, they transformed into state-authorized thugs who threatened lords and went around extorting money.
What kind of place was the Valdrova Grand Duke's Domain before Ferda came?
The castle itself was neglected, and the provincial lords were nothing but a frontline that entrusted their backs solely to Valdrova.
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They just left it alone because going there was nothing but dangerous and even travel expenses wouldn't be covered.
"They're no different from wandering knights."
"The only difference is whether they're a lord or a territory's people."
"If they come under the pretext of an audit to extort money... they'll likely interrogate us about Tessalos Walcher. Will that be alright?"
Noble murder constitutes a heavy crime.
It would have undoubtedly reached the Empire's ears through the provincial lords who witnessed it.
Ёn̆ ũm ӑ
"They'll probably bring up the charge of noble murder too, but they'll only treat it as one of the charges."
"Besides that, are there more sins committed?"
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"There aren't, but there are."
Ferda was a person from a knight family.
So he knew what word the Cheokgyeoldan would pull out first.
The word that makes lords' hearts race.
W е b́nо̌v̄ẽ l̊ Е́ n̂um̂ а.
"Those bastards will pressure me with the charge of rebellion conspiracy and incitement."
Rebellion conspiracy and incitement.
Where else would there be a word that makes hearts race like that?
It's a word that becomes a nose ring if hung on the nose, an earring if hung on the ear—a word that can make your head fly off if you're not careful.
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Those bastards will surely force on crimes that don't exist and push in.
"Wouldn't it be better not to talk at all from the start? Shall I just chase them out?"
Еn̄ u m̀ а
At Ruri's question, Ferda shook his head.
"No, they're guests who came all this way, so shouldn't I properly string them along?"
"String them along?"
"The other side are people from the Empire's deep parts. How convenient would it be to win them over in advance?"
"Hmm..."
What filled their heads was blind greed.
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Bastards who believe in nothing but the epaulettes on their chests.
They were existences full of holes from birth.
"Things worse than trash entering our castle..."
Ruri muttered that.
She openly loathed knights.
Ruri's loathing had reached an unprecedented peak.
Е n um а̄ . і́d̄
It couldn't be helped.
Until recently she suffered from the smell, and even heard from Valdrova that she smelled.
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"Ferda-nim."
"Why?"
"For those uncivilized idiots to enter this castle, shouldn't they 'scrub scrub' wash first?"
It had to be done.
Е̇ n û ṁ а̄ . і̂ḋ
Her face said she'd start a rebellion if not.
"Do as you please."
"Thank you."
With permission granted, Ruri hurried off to prepare bath water.
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* * *
Karl Harvest.
Ẇ e b̄ n о̇ v ê l̀ Е̄ ñŭ m а̊
From the knight family Harvest House, as the eldest son he was active as the Cheokgyeoldan's field audit Jojang.
The position of Jojang didn't look good on paper, but even so Karl had no complaints.
It was one of the few positions where, with the title of knight, he could suppress provincial lords and play king.
Recently, new prey had appeared before them.
Ferda Valdrova.
A man who was expelled from the Rosnova Family but bit eagerly at the engagement with the Grand Duke.
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At first, everyone laughed.
Calling him a fool who chose to be torn apart by the Grand Duke instead of giving up being a noble.
But he wasn't torn apart.
Rather, he was on a winning streak.
Ever since he set foot in the Grand Duke's Domain, the stagnant East began showing signs of growth.
Right now it was just that the Pascal Trading Company was establishing a branch, but gradually merchant caravans' comings and goings would become frequent.
Е̂n u mа
If that happened, it meant a lot of money would flow in the East.
The Valdrova Grand Duke's Domain, treated as mere chaff, could only look like delicious prey.
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The ones who sniffed that scent first were the Cheokgyeoldan, an Imperial direct institution.
It was a foregone conclusion that that growth would accelerate and draw an upward curve.
However, they underestimated the achievement Ferda had built himself.
'It means that much of Valdrova's treasure has piled up.'"
Е̂ n̄û m̆ а
They didn't imagine for a moment it was possible because Ferda was capable.
He was a rookie expelled from the Rosnova Family.
'Since the current Regent is from a knight family, he'll know what we do too.'"
Since he's from a knight family, he'd know about the Cheokgyeoldan too.
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So the thought came first that he might be more reasonable than other lords.
Because he'd know that the Cheokgyeoldan, if you just give them an appropriate amount of money and send them off, won't harass you beyond a certain point.
Е̊nu ṁ а̄
'When there's quite a lot of money, we have to extort a lot at once.'"
The Grand Duke's Domain is dangerous, and Valdrova's wealth and treasures aren't infinite either.
'But we mustn't think too easily either.'"
Karl wasn't a fool who thought everything would flow according to plan either.
When people get drunk on authority unbefitting them, they change.
If Ferda ascends to the Regent's position and starts acting arrogant, he must be able to suppress him.
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Karl had naturally finished those preparations too.
"Did the reply to the letter I sent last time arrive?"
For a final check, Karl had sent a letter to Count Consilirus.
The aide who confirmed the contents answered.
"Yes. They say he's currently on his way to Valdrova Castle. It should be fine to talk first."
"Good."
Ѐňu m̈ а́
Karl grinned.
An informant who told him about Ferda Valdrova, a helper who would solidify the Cheokgyeoldan's foothold, and a witness.
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With this, he held a card to suppress Ferda Valdrova too.
No matter how the bastard came out, he wouldn't be able to escape the Cheokgyeoldan's pressure.
Finally, they reached the Naeseong entrance.
With no servants to speak of, the surroundings were desolate.
Еñū.mа̇
Usually lords bring in and show off many servants for their own face and dignity.
But all that was seen entering the inner castle was a gray-haired man in formal uniform and a girl in a maid uniform.
That man was waiting as if expecting them, hands behind his back, looking down here.
'Is that him?'
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The third son expelled from the Rosnova Family.
As heard, his height was tall, but his body was frail.
Еn ŭm а̇
He looked weak beyond measure, absolutely not like someone from a knight family.
'Maybe because he's Regent, his eyes aren't ordinary.'"
His eyes had depth, and at a glance he seemed like no easy opponent.
Ordinary people would be nervous, but Karl had seen this situation countless times.
Bastards with no substance but only pretentious expressions on their faces.
Karl had seen them crumble too.
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'In the end, he's just Valdrova's kept man.'"
In Karl's eyes, he just looked like a rookie with only pretensions.
Hiding his sneer behind his helmet, Karl dismounted and removed his helmet.
Befitting a knight family's eldest son, his face had sharp angles.
"Nice to meet you, Lord Ferda Rosnova! I am Karl, eldest son of the Harvest Family, who came to investigate under orders from the Cheokgyeoldan, an Imperial direct unit!"
Karl, placing a hand on his heart and bowing politely.
W è b̂ṅ о v́ е̊ l Е̄ ṅ.um̀ӓ
Ferda accepted that greeting courteously.
"Nice to meet you too, Sir Karl Harvest. But it's been a long time since I severed ties with the Rosnova Family name, so I'd appreciate it if you called me Ferda Valdrova."
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"Oh my, how rude of me."
It wasn't a mistake.
He just tried to remind him that he was the Rosnova Family's third son.
It was a remark with a strong nuance of 'You know what it is since we're from the same knight family, right?'
W е̊ b̈ṅо̀vе ĺ Е ńumа
Of course, it was a petty trick that didn't work at all on Ferda.
"What business does the Cheokgyeoldan, which protects Imperial subjects, have here? There aren't even any subjects to protect in this Valdrova Castle yet."
"This doesn't seem like a story to tell standing like this. How about we go inside and talk?"
"Go inside and talk..."
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Ferda was welcoming them at the Naeseong gate.
He glanced back briefly.
Е nu ḿ а̃
He met eyes with the young female valet, then nodded.
"It's possible, but we have a rule in our castle now. You'll have to follow it. Can you?"
"What rule?"
"Recently a rule was made in our castle. That all knights must complete Seshin before entering."
Karl frowned.
It sounded like an outright insult saying they stank.
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"Who set such an absurd rule?"
Red Dragon, Valdrova
's attendant, Ruri Silverwind.
"I set it."
But Ferda answers that he did.
He just wanted to avoid useless Q&A.
Eň ũ mȧ. і́d
Ferda gestured at his Silver Plate Armor and spoke.
"Wearing all that stuffy stuff makes it easy to get sick. Especially in a place like the Far East where ominous energies lurk. Maintaining cleanliness is the priority. So I enacted it to wash consistently."
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"Hmm..."
He didn't like the idea of bathing just because he came to someone else's territory, but when you come to a territory, following that territory's rules comes first.
Besides, the East's unclean energy was something he could consistently feel on the way here.
"Understood. Since I came to the Grand Duke's Domain, I'll follow the Grand Duke's Domain."
Ẅe b̄n̈ ö v е̊l_ Е̇_ńu m̃а
"Thank you."
Ferda slightly turned his head to look at Ruri who was waiting.
She approached as if she'd been waiting, greeting the audit team.
"Welcome to Valdrova Castle. I'm Ruri, who will attend to your bathing. Please, this way."
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Karl's eyes couldn't hide disappointment.
Ruri was a beauty with silver hair and silver eyes, but her body was a girl's body with no curves.
Ẇ е̌b̄n оvе̄ l Е́ ń û m̃ а
With nothing to see or feel, a girl like that was attending their bath, so his anticipation died completely.
'Just bathe roughly and come out.'"
Of course, that was only Karl's thought.
'I'll make sure not a single drop of grime remains in this place.'"
Ruri was more sincere than ever.
In her hand was a rough Susemi.
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The spirits she summoned were all holding one Susemi each, waiting in the bathhouse like Ruri.
Welcoming them with the determination to strip away every last bit of grime stuck tenaciously to their skin.
Kyaaaaak!
Save me!
Ack! Aaack!
That day, screams rang out consecutively in Valdrova Castle.
Ŵ е b nоv̌el Ѐ nu m а̌
* * *
Ferda and Karl, facing each other in the reception room after finishing their baths.
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Ferda discovered one surprising fact.
'His skin color really became bright.'"
It differed to the point you'd believe they peeled off a layer of skin.
Karl, scrubbed that 'thoroughly,' swallowed curses inside.
Ѐn̈ u m̄ а̃ . і d̆
"Thank you for the... hospitality."
"Not at all. I didn't know I'd host this well either. Have some tea."
"Yes."
Karl and Ferda each lifted their teacups.
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To facilitate smooth conversation, Ferda threw out the topic.
"So what business brings the Cheokgyeoldan here?"
W еb̈ n о̂věl̇ Ě ǹu m̃а
"As I said, we came to investigate. Are you aware of what charges you face, Regent?"
"I don't know. That's why I'm asking, isn't it?"
"Understood."
He's playing dumb.
Karl pulled out his prepared lines.
"Regent Ferda Valdrova is currently an investigation target on charges of rebellion conspiracy and incitement against the Empire. Do you understand?"
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A charge that didn't deviate an inch from Ferda's prediction.
It was obvious, but he decided to play along for now.
"I see. So you came to give me a medal?"
"This isn't the atmosphere for jokes with the Empire's audit Jojang."
"Wasn't it a joke? Since you said rebellion incitement and conspiracy, I just thought that's what it was. The only sin I've committed is contributing to the territory's development."
"We know that the Regent is dedicating himself to the Empire's development and peace. However, since a report has been filed, we have the obligation to investigate."
Ẃе b̂_n̂оv̀ еl Еnumа̌
"Who's the accuser?"
"I cannot tell you. It's classified."
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Can't tell, my ass.
There isn't one, so they can't tell.
"I heard you recently signed a contract with the Pascal Trading Company."
"That's right."
W ёb̈ no ṽ е l. Ënù m̀ а̌
"I also heard that through that, road improvements and lacking materials are being proceeded with full support from Pascal."
"It's not full support. I'm chipping in a tiny bit too."
It's important to have a stake even as a side branch, so about 1% was being paid from Valdrova Castle.
It was Stefan who proposed that.
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"All of this can be investigated under the charge of rebellion conspiracy and incitement against the Empire."
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