Chapter 78 The Knight Of Grandchester
After a leisurely lunch, a red-haired man in a knight's uniform entered the room. It seemed like it was time for afternoon work.
"I don't think I can be of much help in suppressing the riot, so I'll get out of the way."
"As expected, I can't take a kid like you to the scene."
"Of course. I'm genuinely 8 years old. It's not just how I look."
'I'm Conan, right!'
"But doesn't 'can't take you' mean Grandfather is going to the scene himself?"
"That's right. I'm planning to head there with the knights."
"Isn't it dangerous?"
"It's the lord's duty. It's not a large-scale riot. Don't worry about it."
"Okay..."
In Sarasa's time, she had visited various countries for work. There were times when riots broke out near her hotel or terrorist attacks occurred. Once a riot started, Sara knew that there would be casualties.
Suppressing the riot with force wouldn't necessarily lead to a fundamental solution. The people's discontent would still simmer, and as a result, riots could spread to various places, posing a significant risk.
'What's going on? I have a really bad feeling about this. Is this riot really just about the hunters' treatment?'
Sara realized that she had been pretending to understand the situation just because she had heard a brief summary over lunch.
"May I confirm something before you leave, Grandfather?"
"What is it?"
"Are the rioters only hunters?"
Grandfather looked at the knight waiting by the door and nodded. The knight understood Marquis's request and answered Sara's question.
"The rioters consist of hunters and adventurers who sympathize with them."
"Adventurers? Are they from the Grandchester Adventurer Guild?"
"Many hunters are adventurers from the guild, but the sympathizing adventurers seem to be from other territories."
'Huh? Why are adventurers from other territories causing a riot in Grandchester?'
Fundamentally, riots are suppressed by force. Naturally, those who instigate riots are caught and face severe punishment, which may even include execution, depending on the circumstances.
Sara couldn't believe that adventurers from another territories would start a riot, receiving treatment similar to that of hunters. Even if they had a close relationship with the hunters, she couldn't fathom why they would take such a risk.
"How many people are involved?"
"There are 20 hunters and over 30 adventurers from another territories."
"Isn't that more than the number of hunters? By the way, are they really adventurers from another territories? Have their identities been confirmed?"
"We haven't received any documents to confirm their identities, so there may be few whose identities have been accurately confirmed."
'Wait, is this really just a riot'
"Grandfather, how many knights are in this territories's knight order?"
"There are around 500 official knights. Then there are about 700 quasi-knights and apprentices, and around 300 reserve knights."
"How many of them do you plan to bring to the scene?"
"Well, about 50 knights, and 100 quasi-knights and apprentices. We'll suppress the riot quickly with a small but elite force."
"But if the adventurers from another territories are knights or mercenaries, can we really suppress them with that number?"
"Huh...!?"
Everyone in the office, starting with the Marquis, reacted with a start to Sara's remark.
"It may be just a cowardly girl's jest, but if I were to invade Avalon, I would first target the Grandchester's food storage."
"What did you say?!"
"The riot occurred at a hunting ground that's becoming an important stronghold for Grandchester. We can't just leave it alone, and considering Grandfather's personality, I think Grandfather might go to suppress the riot."
It's already early autumn, and there's not much time left until the hunting tournament. Grandchester, as a noble, wouldn't leave the spark of rebellion in this region unchecked.
"If we just need to suppress the rioters causing a ruckus at Baron Walt's mansion, we don't need a large army. We'll probably try to resolve it quickly with a small number of people. But what if, while we're focusing on the knights, a group of ambushers attacks from a different direction? Since the hunting ground is in the forest, it's easy to hide ambushers. Moreover, if the mercenaries or knights from other lands are pretending to be adventurers, they might even pretend to escape and lead our knights into a trap."
"What the...!"
"Killing Grandfather or inflicting serious injuries right there would already be a success for their strategy. Grandchester would be thrown into chaos, and that would be it."
"But what kind of advantage would the enemy gain from doing that?"
Sara thought for a moment before answering.
"Grandchester is in the midst of the wheat harvest season. They'd take advantage of the chaos in the command system and set the wheat fields on fire. Or, they might steal the harvested wheat and use it as their own provisions."
"Hmm..."
"If Grandchester can't produce wheat, the food situation in Avalon would suddenly become critical. Normally, if one territory is in trouble, the country wouldn't be in crisis. At most, food prices would skyrocket. Of course, the country would release its stored food to save the people. But Grandchester wouldn't be allocated any of that. The country would think they have stored wheat, so they might even order them to release their reserves."
"Is what Sara's saying..."
Marquis's voice came out like he was squeezing it from the back of his throat.
"Yes. I suspect that the people who caused the embezzlement might have leaked Grandchester's situation to the outside. Or maybe the embezzlement itself was part of the plan. I hope the lost reserves haven't fallen into enemy hands. If they're seriously planning to invade our country, they'd prioritize securing food supplies first. Of course, our soldiers need food to protect the country too. But can we really secure food without a shortage when the country's food situation is deteriorating? It's terrifying to even think about it."
Sara thought the reason the Hunters were rioting was extremely weak. It's true that the Hunters might be dissatisfied, but they're essentially wearing 2 hats--they're both adventurers and Hunters. In a sense, being a Hunter is their side job.
Riots involve violent incidents like property damage and injury, and if one get caught, they'll be labeled a criminal and their registration with the Adventurer's Guild will be revoked. If they're unhappy with their side job, then just quit. There's no need to resort to actions that would jeopardize their main job.
In other words, they have no benefits to gain from committing the crime of rioting. They're probably getting paid to do it.
"If the rioters were only Hunters, I might have thought it was just a small scuffle that escalated into a riot. But involving adventurers from other territories is a bit unnatural, don't you think?"
The office was silent, like the stillness after a storm. The one who suddenly spoke up was the knight standing in front of the door.
"Milady, you are..."
"Ah, I forgot--this is our first meeting! I got careless because we're in the office!"
Sara decided to approach the knight and greet him.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Sara Grandchester. I'm the daughter of Arthur Grandchester and the granddaughter of His Excellency the Marquis. It's an honor to make your acquaintance."
She gave a perfect curtsy.
"I'm Jeffrey di Grandchester. I've been appointed as the leader of the Grandchester Knights."
"Grandchester, you say? That means you're my relative, Sir Jeffrey?"
"My father is the younger brother of His Excellency the Marquis."
Robert also walked up to join the two.
"In other words, we're cousins. His father is the 4th son of the previous Marquis, making him a knight just like me. But Jeff here is a strong warrior who won the sword tournament in the capital and was knighted for his own merit."
"Originally, my status would be that of a commoner, but I'm managed to hold onto a noble title by a thread."
"As usual, Jeff is being stubborn. Can't you just talk normally like when we were kids?"
"Rob, I'm in the middle of work right now."
Jeffrey furrowed his brow and gave Robert a stern look. It seems Jeffrey is a serious and strict person.
"So, Arthur's daughter is really at that age, huh?"
"Yeah. Are you disappointed, Jeff?"
"No, it's not that."
Robert patted Jeffrey's shoulder.
"Well, it's still surprising, right? I was surprised at first too."
"Of course, Rob. I couldn't believe your niece was like that. Arthur was a smart kid, but at that age, he's just a normal kid, right?"
"Yeah, that's true."
"And what's even more surprising is that I'm the only one who's surprised in this room."
"That's...because I've gotten used to it, I guess, Jeff."
Everyone around them nodded in agreement.
"Well, let's talk about that later. Jeffrey, even if Sara's worries were unnecessary, we should prepare for the worst-case scenario. You should lead half of the knights to suppress the riot and command the rest, including the reserve members, to gather at the castle. Once everyone is assembled, we'll strengthen the patrols within the territory, especially in the rural areas. I'll stay in the castle and take command."
"Yes, sir."
Jeffrey bowed to the Marquis and quickly left the room.
"It looks like the music gathering will be postponed, huh?"
"Can't be helped, Sara. If your worries turn out to be unnecessary, we can do it soon."
"That's good, I suppose."
Suddenly, Sara was overcome with a strong drowsiness. Because she had stayed up late until 8 pm last night and had eaten a lot for lunch, she was sleep-deprived and full. It was no wonder she felt sleepy. Sara tried to stifle a small yawn, but Robert noticed and picked her up.
"It looks like you're sleepy, Sara."
"Last night, I stayed up late and got scolded by Miss Rebecca too..."
"I see."
"I'll take you to your room. Kids need to sleep, after all."
Robert gently patted Sara's back, and she began to doze off in his arms, feeling comfortable.
"It's like she's just a normal kid, huh..."
That was a common understanding shared by everyone present at this scene.
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