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354 - - king's order

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"I heard you had something urgent to tell me.

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"Master Ars, something has come up."

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"Something bad?　What happened?"

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A royal decree has been issued.

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Yes?　A royal decree?"

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"Yes, sir. A royal decree, that is, an order from the king. My subordinates were the first to detect the information in the capital that the royal order was to be conveyed to the Fontana family, and by extension, to the acting head of the family, Ars-sama, and they sent me a telepathic message.

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"Orders from the royal family to me?　Are you sure you're not talking about coming back to Fontana territory again?"

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No, sir.

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What is it then? Tell me what it is, Leon.

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"Okay. Listen with all your heart. The information I have obtained from my men has been corroborated as being quite reliable. The royal decree is that the royal family and the Fontana family form an alliance and that the Fontana family become the next high lords.

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"...... what?　What did you just say, Leon? The Fontanas are the next high lords?"

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Yes. The royal family has already sent an envoy to convey the royal decree.

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　The New Year arrived as the council met to discuss the creation of the Fontana Charter and other documents, and by the time the council meeting was over, spring had arrived.

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　And then I had a child, and just the other day a birthday party was held in Vulcania for all the residents.

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　It was during this time of the year when the sun was beginning to shine that Rion brought me an extraordinary piece of information.

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　A royal decree had been issued by the royal family.

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　Moreover, the Fontana family was asked to become a high aristocrat.

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　Why is this talk about?

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　It is too much to expect Fontana to become a high aristocrat.

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"......How did it come to that?　Besides, weren't we talking about one of the three great nobles who would be the hegemonic aristocrat?"

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"That is true, but of the three great nobles, the Percival family has fallen far behind. Especially the loss of the labyrinthine city was a major factor. It seems that it became difficult for the Percival family to aim for the supremacy of the aristocracy now that they have seized an important place that had produced excellent human resources, magical stones, and materials for weapons and armor.

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"Maybe the Percival family, but what about the others?　The Memento family even went to the trouble of dragging an army all the way to Fontana in the name of welcoming the king. I don't think the Reinsatz family would back down so easily.

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"Of course. Perhaps this royal order came from a political decision in the metropolitan area.

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"A political decision?"

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Yes. The royal family itself has always considered the existence of a hegemonic aristocracy to be nothing more than an eyesore. Noble families that should be under their control are calling themselves hegemons.

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"That may be so, but isn't the power of the hegemonic aristocracy what kept the weakened royal family alive?"

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"That's right. But until now, most of them have been the great nobles located close to the capital. But if the Fontana family, which is located in the northernmost part of the kingdom, becomes the hegemonic noble family, it will create a distance between the royal family and the hegemonic noble family. Perhaps that is the goal.

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"...... don't know. How can distance be an advantage for the royal family?"

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"Of course, there are advantages. If the Fontanas become a hegemonic aristocracy, they will be offered a place in the capital region, far from their original territory, where they will station their army. Then, they will have to act as the Hereditary Nobility to settle disputes in the noble territories from the central to the southern part of the country. The cooperation of the royal families will be necessary to move the army freely. In other words, if the House of Fontana sends an army as the Hereditary Nobility, it will mean that the royal family will have an easy tool to use.

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　I see.

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　The Mementos and Reinsatz families, as well as the Percival family and the Risorte family, the former Hegemony nobles, are much closer to the capital area than the Fontana family, if we look at the location of their territories.

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　Although the hegemonic nobles have the name of being equal to some extent because of their alliance with the royal family, in reality, they have probably exerted pressure on the royal family many times with their large fiefdoms.

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　The royal family did not like such pressure.

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　Therefore, they thought that the Fontana family, which was more distant from the royal family than any other noble family, would be able to escape from such a pressure.

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　Besides, the head of the Fontana family, Garod, is only 4 years old this year, and I, who is in power instead, am a 15 year old former peasant.

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　They may see us as no match for the thousands of people in the royal city area in the struggle for power.

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　In short, if the Fontanas become the dominant aristocracy, the royal family may think that they will be a pawn that can be used only for their very useful forces at their disposal.

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"The Fontanas, or rather I, am being licked by the royal family. But the fact of the matter is that we will never be a supreme aristocrat. In the first place, there must still be a big gap in terms of strength between us and the Mementos and the Reinsatz. Even if we are in a territory near the capital, it would be difficult for us to claim to be the Hegemonic Nobility. Don't the royal families know that?"

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No, you are probably well aware of such a thing. No, I am sure that you are well aware of such a fact.

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"What's the point of issuing a royal decree if you know it's impossible?"

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"This is only my guess. But perhaps this is what is happening. The royal family does not want any noble family to gain power. They want to remove power from all noble families. But the royal family does not have much real power. So, what should we do? Let the nobles fight each other and crush each other.

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"...... I see. So, the information is leaked when the messenger who delivers the royal order has not reached the Fontana territory. I am sure that the Memento family would be furious with Fontana if they knew that such a royal order had been issued. Perhaps the same is true for the Reinsatz family?

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"I think it is a very clever strategy to reduce the forces around you without fighting yourself. If the Fontanas were defeated by another noble family, it could be said that they could not refuse the Fontanas' request.

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"That's absurd. Whatever you do, don't take that royal order seriously. If we jump on that bandwagon, Fontana will be caught in the middle of a war.

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"Then we need to move as quickly as possible."

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"What?　What do you mean, "move", Leon?　Why not just formally decline when the messenger arrives?"

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It's too late for that. Suppose that the messenger comes and tells Master Ars of the king's command. The knights of Fontana would surely be pleased. For a noble family like ours with the northernmost lands and knights, the opportunity to become a high noble will never come again if we refuse.

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"So you say. Is it any wonder that there are those who are simply happy without thinking about the trouble that will come afterwards? And if I refuse, I might be thrown up against the king's order. Is that what you mean?"

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"Yes. In this kind of talk, feelings take precedence over logic. First of all, I'm sure that Ars-sama will continue to be told that he has made decisions that are unbecoming of the acting head of Fontana.

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"But if you don't say no, you're going to find yourself on the edge of a cliff. What can we do, Leon?"

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"...... not give any statements to the messenger. Be evasive. That's the only way.

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"Giggle," huh? Or ....... Oh, I wish you'd take this kind of scheming and scheming somewhere other than me.

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"I don't have a choice. Then, I will think of a reply to the messenger.

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Sorry. Please, Leon."

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　He makes eye contact with Leon and nods.

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　Leon will think of a good reply.

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　But I am not sure how well that will go over.

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　The king's order, even its contents, have already leaked out to those around him.

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　Of course, the Mementos and the Reinsatz will know about it.

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　In other words, these two families, which have grown even larger by eating the Percival family, could turn against the Fontana family.

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　The royal family is really a plague to the Fontana family.

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　But I can't stay in sorrow.

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　I instructed him to gather more information and to think about the future moves of the Fontana family.

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