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Translator: penny
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: Lion Family
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I mounted my horse and rode toward the end of the migrant procession where the screams had come from.
When I arrived at the tail end, there were about six knights and a dozen or so people.
The problem was the appearance of those dozen people.
Their hands were bound, and gags covered their mouths.
"You're not knights from our territory. Where are you from!?"
At my words, the knights turned their horses toward me.
Then, I clearly saw the lion crest emblazoned on their armor chests.
There was only one family that used the lion crest.
It was the family aligned with the Prince Faction, located east of our own, led by a warlord-like lord with two fathers.
The Lion Family.
They declared to me with utmost confidence.
"We are knights of the Lion Family. We've come to capture escaped slaves."
"Escaped slaves?"
"Mmph! Mmph!! Mmph! Mmph!!"
At their words, the gagged people began making noises as if desperate to speak.
Noah, seeing this, asked the Lion Family knights.
"Are these people really escaped slaves?"
"That's right."
Noah stared intently at them in response.
After glaring for a moment, she spoke without hesitation.
"My lord, they are lying."
Everyone present—not just me—was stunned by Noah's unequivocal declaration.
No matter that Noah was my vassal and heir to the White family, claiming these people weren't slaves could be seen as insulting the Lion Family knights.
"You brazen wench!! Who do you think you're interrupting!?"
But there were even crazier fools among them.
These madmen had just insulted my vassal Noah right in front of me?
Suddenly, memories of a pushy subcontractor manager from my past life who pulled rank on me flooded back, and I felt my blood pressure spike.
"You lot are the ones getting bold? You dare insult my subordinate in front of me!?"
As I shouted, they finally seemed to realize their mistake.
I yelled at Rikain, who was by my side ready to protect me.
"Rikain! Untie their gags!!"
"Yes, my lord!!"
Rikain and the knights moved to remove the gags from the people.
Though freed, they still trembled in fear, so I asked them.
"Are you free citizens? Or slaves?"
"We... um... that is..."
They wanted to speak but kept glancing nervously at the Lion Family knights.
It reminded me of my past life, when I'd been bullied by school thugs and called to the principal's office.
The irritating memory resurfaced, and I stepped forward in front of the Lion Family knights.
"I swear upon the Goddess of Protection, Lupia, that your safety is guaranteed by me, Calix Cron, lord of the Cron territory. Speak freely. Are you free citizens? Or slaves?"
Lupia, the goddess who raises her shield before the weak to protect them.
With my oath proclaimed loud enough for all to hear, a spark of courage finally lit in their eyes.
And they cried out.
"We!! We are free citizens!! We want to migrate to the Cron Family! Please accept us!! Lord Calix!!"
"Please!! Please!!! Take us in!!"
"I accept you. From this moment, you are all citizens of the Cron Family."
At my declaration, they cheered as if liberated from hell itself.
Ignoring the joyful new citizens, I glared at the Lion Family knights, whose faces had soured.
"So, you tried to kidnap free citizens—who have the right to migrate—like slaves?"
"They're not slaves, but they are the property of our great lord, Baron Hadem."
Free citizens weren't slaves, but corrupt lords ignored that all too often.
The current lord of the Lion Family, Hadem Lion, was one such villain—and now that they'd been caught, they weren't even bothering to hide it.
I was dumbfounded by their shamelessness and turned to Hart.
"Hart!!"
"Yes, my lord."
"Does imperial law say it's okay to enslave non-slaves?"
"I've studied it for decades, and no such law exists."
Hart glared at the Lion Family knights like they were revolting cockroaches.
He seemed furious that they'd tried to abduct free folk headed to our territory.
"Hart the Steward is an expert on imperial law. Do you know it better than him?"
This world was feudal, and with the emperor bedridden, imperial law held less sway—but a law was still a law.
Unable to hold back, a Lion Family knight shouted.
"Will you really play it like this, Lord Calix!?"
"You bastards!!!"
Rikain and the knights drew their swords at the insolence, but I gestured for them to stand down.
Then I continued calmly.
"Once I've accepted them into my territory, they are my citizens. If you want them back, make them want to return of their own accord."
The Lion Family knights' faces twisted in understanding.
In short, I'd told them to 'go home and manage your own damn territory, you idiots.'
Realizing this, they didn't hide their rotten expressions.
"His Highness the Prince and our lord will remember this day."
I doubted the strategically minded prince would care about something this trivial.
But the lord of the Lion Family was another matter.
Warlord or not, he was one of the top fighters in the Prince Faction.
Still, looking into the eyes of these desperate ordinary folk who'd fled here with hope, I couldn't stand by.
As I thought this, they began turning their horses with humiliated expressions.
Where did these guys think they were going?
My accounting wasn't done yet.
"Where do you think you're going?"
I shouted, and they turned back to me.
Pointing at Noah, I said.
"Before you leave, apologize to my subordinate."
"Apologize? To that wench?"
"She's not a 'wench.' She's my 'treasurer' and my 'vassal.'"
Noah looked utterly shocked, as if she'd heard something unexpected.
The Lion Family knight wore a genuinely incredulous expression.
"We'll apologize for our rudeness to you, my lord. But we won't apologize to the wench who butted into our conversation."
It was the same in my past life and now.
I could tolerate insults to myself, but never to my people or family.
Yet these fools had casually touched my reverse scale.
"You still think I'll let this end with mere words?... Rikain!!!!!"
Shing! Shing! Sching!
At my shout, Rikain and the knights drew their swords and surrounded them in an instant.
Humans are curious creatures.
Even in dire straits, they don't believe they'll die until the blade is at their throat.
These knights were the same.
Only now did terror bloom on their faces as they realized I might truly kill them.
I spoke quietly to them.
"I'll say it one last time..."
The knight captain, over ten knights, and dozens of territory folk had gathered.
Their eyes burned with bloodthirsty intent, ready to mince them at my word.
"Leave with your honor... or leave your heads."
Whether it was my words, their swords, or the citizens' glares that scared them,
one thing was clear: fear filled their eyes, and they chose life over honor.
"I... I'm sorry. Treasurer of unknown name... I was rude. Forgive me."
"I accept your apology. Knight of unknown name, please don't lie from now on."
Noah accepted the knight's apology with a cold smile, and the Lion Family knights fled amid the free citizens' mockery.
And the next day, the ballad of 'the Cron lord who protected free citizens and vassals' began spreading among the bards.
What was this, some kind of YouTube? How were updates this fast?
I was starting to find bards a little scary.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
First-time visitors to the Lion Family territory are shocked by three things.
First, the knights and soldiers visible everywhere.
Second, the people toiling like slaves everywhere.
Third, the complete absence of smiles anywhere.
Bards who saw the Lion territory—which resembled a military base more than a domain—described it thus:
'Innocent citizens captured as prisoners by a war-mad lord.'
A domain existing solely for the coming war.
That was the Lion Family territory.
"My lord! We have a report!!"
The knights rushed to the Lion Family's main keep and reported every detail of their humiliation to their lord, Hadem Lion.
He listened impassively while sharpening his axe.
He looked more like a knight—no, a warrior—than a lord.
Muscles bulging like they might burst, a scarred face, bald head gleaming without a single hair, sharpening an axe that outshone his pate, he heard their report.
"So... the Cron whelp acted like that?"
"Yes! Lord Hadem!! It was utterly humiliating!!!"
Hadem took the news in stride, inspecting his axe.
Satisfied with the edge, he turned to his fleeing knights.
"And you just took that humiliation and ran back home?"
"Y-Yes!? Well... that is..."
Hadem gazed at the knight impassively, then swung his man-sized axe effortlessly.
Whoosh—!
It was like a middle-aged man testing a new fishing rod.
So natural that the knights couldn't even react.
Moments later, the lead captain's body and head were cleanly severed.
Thud!
"Eek!!"
Hadem calmly wiped the blood from his axe and stood.
He approached the terrified knights beside the fallen captain and murmured.
"The Valiant Lion has no need for timid sheep."
With that, Hadem returned to his chambers.
A man who seemed to be his adjutant ordered the remaining knights to clean up the corpse and followed Hadem inside.
"What shall we do about the Cron whelp, my lord?"
"What do you mean, 'do'? I'm not so petty as to rage at a young pup's antics."
To Hadem, Calix Cron of the Cron Family was just a whelp.
A kid who'd become heir after his predecessor died suddenly.
A weak lord relying on petty tricks like doubling wages for laborers or cutting tariffs.
The very fact that such a Calix dared stand up to him irritated Hadem.
"But I am concerned."
"You, concerned, my lord?"
Hadem downed the strong liquor his adjutant poured without a flinch.
Then he said flatly.
"From what I know, escaped free citizens usually turn into bandit hordes."
Hadem held out his cup for another pour.
His adjutant, 'Ragos,' filled it as ordered.
"That whelp's taken in too many free citizens. Makes you wonder if bandit hordes might appear in his territory... Wouldn't you worry about bandits infesting our neighboring domain?"
"...I see. That's troubling, my lord."
Hadem gave no explicit orders.
But Adjutant Ragos understood his intent completely.