Chapter 86 Aftermath Of The Hunting Ground Ii
"Is it His Majesty's intention...?"
"More accurately, it's about how the 'royal family' will respond, don't you think?"
"Milady Sara, isn't that the same thing?"
Jeffrey asks a question.
"No, Sir Jeffrey. The way the royal family responds and what His Majesty thinks as an individual are not the same. Grandchester, with its vast granary territories, is one of the wealthiest domains in the country. Naturally, the Marquis Grandchester family has significant political influence as well."
"Yes, that's true."
"Then, there must be noble families who don't think highly of the Grandchester family. If we make this incident public, they'll criticize us for hiding our misdeeds and blame the previous governor, who's related to us, for colluding with foreign invaders."
"That's likely to happen. But ultimately, it's up to His Majesty to decide."
Jeffrey speaks with a rough tone, emphasizing his point. As a knight who's been invited to join the Royal Guard, Jeffrey has a strong sense of loyalty to the royal family. He might believe that the country is governed by the king's absolute power.
"Indeed, His Majesty will make the final judgment. However, if His Majesty excessively favors a particular faction, it will lead to chaos in the country. Even if His Majesty has a good relationship with Grandchester, he won't go so far as to protect us at the cost of national stability."
Marquis takes over Sara's statement.
"Umm, that's what a king is like. They prioritize national peace and are prepared to sacrifice even their own kin or loyal vassals if necessary. And as Marquis Grandchester, I don't want to see the country divided because of my own mistakes."
"I see. I was too naive, Your Excellency."
"There's no need to say that. Loyalty is a virtue for knights."
Sara smiles elegantly at Jeffrey. However, no matter how you look at it, Jeffrey seems intimidated by Sara.
'Wait, did I say something to intimidate Sir Jeffrey?'
The reason was Sara's smile. Sara had intended to smile casually, thinking "don't mind it," but due to her physical age being older, her smile's combat power had skyrocketed. Moreover, it came with dress and makeup options. Even though he knew she was an 8-year-old girl, her destructive power was considerable.
"Cough."
Robert deliberately cleared his throat, changing the atmosphere of the scene. Although he was usually a man who couldn't read the air, he seemed to have a good sense of timing.
"Well, anyway. Do you think we should keep this incident hidden, Sara?"
"I expect it's impossible to hide it."
"Then we should make it public?"
Sara nodded.
"If we can't hide it, we should be honest and talk about it early. However, we have control over how much information to release. Lying is a bad move, but we can create a report without lying."
"What do you mean?"
"In Grandchester, mercenaries hired by Roisen incited hunters to riot, and we took action to suppress the riot. We also managed to capture enemy soldiers who were hiding in various places before they could attack. We'll report that honestly."
"What about the embezzlement case?"
"We can't hide the fact that the governor, who was manipulated by the enemy's skilled agent, embezzled the country's budget. Although Grandfather noticed it quickly and took action, the enemy's sabotage made the ledgers and documents unusable. To grasp the current situation, Uncle and the bureaucrats have been working late into the night, and we've finally managed to make a correct report to the country."
"It's a bit exaggerated, but it's not a lie."
"At this point, we can even release new ledgers and shock the Academy. I think those ledgers have enough destructive power."
"That's a great idea!"
'If we're going to proceed without lying and make it beneficial for Grandchester...'
"Let's report that we suspected the enemy country's espionage due to the embezzlement case, and Grandchester united to prevent the enemy's invasion beforehand."
"But Sara, didn't we sense the enemy country's intentions because of the riot that broke out earlier?"
"There's no need to report something that's not worth reporting, right?"
"Haha, that's true."
Then, Rebecca, who was sitting next to us, joined the conversation with a sly smile.
"If that's the case, we should report that the forest, which is precious to Grandchester, was burned down by fire magic, and the hidden soldiers were exposed. After all, it's an important place for holding the precious hunting tournament."
"Wait, wasn't that just a boy's magic going out of control, Revi?"
"Well, it's a fact that the forest was burned down by fire magic, isn't it?"
'Miss Rebecca's smile is black!'
"If that's the case, Uncle, we should take that boy in and protect him. He's capable of producing that kind of magic. If he doesn't learn to control it properly, he might lose control again."
"Hmm."
"Grandfather, he's a magician who prevented the enemy country's invasion. Wouldn't it be good for him to train with me and learn magic? Of course, if Miss Rebecca says no, I won't force it."
"Hehe. I think it's a great idea for Ms. Sara to learn what a normal magician is like."
"Normal... is that so, Sara?"
Marquis called out to Sara, who looked a bit disappointed.
"Well, I'll permit the magician boy's case. It's important for him to train with magicians of the same age. Robert, you're in charge."
"Your Excellency, may I take him in, then?"
Jeffrey interrupted.
"My son is around the same age as the boy, and since he's not training in magic, I think it's a good idea to have him work as a knight-in-training with my son. He's been in a mercenary group until now, so the work shouldn't be too hard. However, if the boy chooses a different path, I'll definitely support him."
"Hmm."
"And, if it's okay with you, Your Excellency, may I have my son participate in training with Milady Sara as well? He's been able to use fire magic for about a year now."
"Is that so? But shouldn't you send him to the Academy, then?"
"Next year, I plan to have him take the entrance exams, but for now, we're still preparing. I think interacting with Milady Sara will be a good stimulus for my son as well."
"I don't mind if Lady Rebecca is good, but doesn't your son also have a tutor?"
'Huh, it looks like I'm getting more classmates?'
"Sir Jeffrey, if he has a tutor, would you like to bring them to Grandchester Castle as well? I want Ms. Sara to experience the excellent teaching of an Academy graduate."
"I'm not sure, Lady Rebecca, but I think it'll be alright..."
"That's great! It would be wonderful if we could have Horseback Riding and Dance lessons together too!"
"That's an offer I couldn't ask for!"
Rebecca is originally a very enthusiastic governess, and Jeffrey seems to be a good father as well.
'Okay. It's fun to study.'
"Well, leaving the children aside, how do we explain to His Majesty that we didn't report the embezzlement as soon as we found out? It's been 2 years, after all."
"I didn't know if there really was embezzlement, and there were piles of unaccounted documents left untouched. I felt like someone was trying to cover something up, so I secretly investigated the documents. We're not lying, are we? And..."
Sara hesitated there...
"Grandfather, let's mix in a little white lie, okay?"
"Hmm?"
"For example, 'We made a big fuss to avoid being noticed by the enemy' or something?"
"Well, we did avoid being noticed by the country, after all."
"Is a lie like that within the acceptable range?"
"I think it'll be alright..."
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