LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 32
Chapter 32: Signs
Giorg was busy with his duties.
A year had passed since the execution of Gazel and Almada, and Giorg had been swamped with his responsibilities as the leader of the Darkness Demon Group and as the Marquess of Zafing.
Though he was busy, it wasn’t to the point of being overwhelmed. Giorg didn’t hoard all the work for himself; he delegated tasks appropriately to his subordinates and handled his duties methodically.
Giorg’s role was to judge and decide, while execution was the job of his subordinates. And when the time came, taking responsibility was Giorg’s duty, something he was well aware of.
The missions of the Darkness Demon Group sometimes carried the risk of losing lives. For this reason, Giorg—or rather, the House of Zafing—made sure to take care of the families left behind if any of their subordinates fell.
(Hmm…)
As Giorg was going through the usual reports from his subordinates, something caught his attention.
“Is something wrong?”
It was Aisha who spoke to Giorg. At 17 years old, Aisha had grown into a beauty that garnered praise from many of the opposite sex. Walking down the street, she would turn heads eight or nine times out of ten.
“Ah, it seems like there might be some trouble brewing in the Gildolq Kingdom,” Giorg replied.
“The Gildolq Kingdom?”
“Take a look at this.”
Giorg handed Aisha the report.
“Is it alright for me to see this?”
Aisha, judging it to be classified information, asked Giorg again.
“Yeah, it’s fine. It’s still in the realm of speculation. There’s nothing definitive in this report, so don’t worry.”
“Then, if you’ll excuse me.”
Aisha took the report from Giorg and began to read it.
(Hmm… A status report on the Zabeil Border Duke Territory… The eldest son, Jilvol, has turned 17 and succeeded as the Border Duke. The previous Border Duke has entered medical treatment, but the people of the territory are living their lives as usual, showing no signs of disturbance.)
Aisha tilted her head after reading the report. It didn’t seem like anything that would cause a major upheaval.
“Lord Giorg… Is there anything particularly unusual? It just seems like the Zabeil Border Duke has been replaced due to medical treatment, right?”
Giorg nodded deeply at Aisha’s words.
“If you only look at that report, yes.”
“Huh?”
“Now, read this report.”
“Yes.”
Aisha took another report from Giorg and began to read it.
(Viscount Karkgol, under Marquess Kazinelt, is heading to the Royal Capital…? With ten knights… If I recall correctly, the treatment of central and regional nobles in the Gildolq Kingdom is quite different… So, is this some kind of petition?)
Aisha concluded that they were heading to the Royal Capital for some kind of petition.
“Lord Giorg, I still don’t understand. Even after reading this report, I don’t get the sense that any major upheaval is coming…”
“I thought so.”
“Huh?”
Aisha tilted her head in response to Giorg’s reply. Giorg was never one to play tricks on his subordinates, so the inconsistency in his words was puzzling.
“Actually, recently, lower-ranking nobles from the regions have been gathering in the Royal Capital of the Gildolq Kingdom.”
“Huh?”
“The last report was about Baron Barmol and Baron Harvin. Before that, it was Viscount Kilsam. Each report could be interpreted as them going to submit some kind of petition. Isn’t that what you thought too, Aisha?”
“Y-yes.”
“I also thought it was some kind of petition until the previous reports. But there’s no report of Viscount Kilsam returning to his territory. Moreover, the lower-ranking nobles I mentioned are heading to the Royal Capital with knights.”
“Aren’t the knights just for protection?”
“Maybe… but something feels off.”
“Off?”
“Yeah, if the knights they’re bringing are commander-level, then the story changes.”
Aisha gulped at Giorg’s words. If the nobles were bringing commander-level personnel, the question would be why they needed commanders.
“If commanders are gathered in the Royal Capital, and the soldiers are mercenaries or individually heading to the capital, then it might be possible to quickly form an army within the capital.”
Aisha gulped again at Giorg’s words.
“And then… there’s the succession of the Zabeil Border Duke and the calmness of the territory.”
“Huh?”
“The new Border Duke, Jilvol, hasn’t returned, yet the vassals and people are too calm.”
“Isn’t that just because it’s the expected course of action?”
“The previous Border Duke implemented good governance and repeatedly repelled invasions from the neighboring Flastarl Empire. He’s a hero. Yet, when such a hero steps down due to medical treatment, there’s no disturbance at all?”
“Ah… that’s…”
Aisha couldn’t respond to Giorg’s words. When he pointed it out like that, it did seem like information was being intentionally hidden.
“I hope I’m overthinking this… but if someone is plotting something and it’s directed at our country, it could be troublesome.”
Aisha nodded quietly at Giorg’s words.
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