Episode 131 Endless Dream Part 2 - The Saga of Lioncourt

Two Days Later I depart from Darmont Castle. The previous day, the lords of the northeastern territories had already begun their journey home, and now I lead a force of about 2,000 troops. "Thank you for your hospitality." "Oh no, we should be the ones to thank you. Hosting such a large army was quite something." I exchange farewells with Count Darmont. "What will you do from here on? Continue your conquests and expand your territory?" "Not at all. Expanding any further would be more than I can handle... Rather—" I point to the Kud River flowing beside Darmont Castle, tracing its upstream path into the gorge. "Let's develop the Kud River. We can work on the difficult sections of the gorge, enabling transport by boat from Lioncourt to Darmont." Count Darmont looks at me with surprise, his eyes widening. "You intend to pass boats through the gorge! Carrying rocks, carving cliffs, dredging the riverbed... It will be quite the undertaking." "Indeed, but it's not impossible, right? Of course, we'll need investigations and a long period of work... However, the Kudu River has a gentle flow and abundant water. We don't need large ships. Small boats should certainly be feasible." I grin and gaze at the count. I envision creating a route for boats similar to the shallow-draft rowboats I once saw at the port in the Count Drenne's domain. "I wish to make Lioncourt not 'the end of the earth' but 'the gateway.' Eventually, I want to penetrate the Eastern Mountain Range and connect to the east. The northern Bridal Road also needs further expansion; there's still much to be done... There's no time for external campaigns." These grand projects will likely not conclude within my lifetime. However, if completed, Lioncourt, which was literally 'the end of the world,' could become a crucial transportation hub and a center for inland trade. When goods move, people do too. With people gathering, even Lioncourt, currently filled with vacant lands, will see progress in development, and new settlements will surely spring forth. ‘To enrich the lives of the people.’ It's a dream I vowed in my youth... Yes, this is the dream plan I've always had. And finally, the environment to achieve it has come together. Upon hearing my plans, Count Darmont sighed, "This is beyond our enemies." "As long as the Lioncourt King lives, I shall never rebel. We should expand the Kud River from downstream as well. If this is achieved, the benefits to our domain will be immeasurable." "That would be a great help! ...But only while I’m 'alive'?" We looked at each other and shared a laugh. The count is not someone to be underestimated. Nevertheless, his consistent pursuit of 'personal benefit' makes him predictable and, in a way, an easy associate. Next year, my sister is set to marry, and from then on, familial relations will begin. Count Darmont is thirty years old, while my sister is ten... it might seem like a precarious match, but such cases aren't unheard of among nobility. Considering the count values "the relationship with me,” my sister shouldn’t endure poor treatment. Even though she's just one of many illegitimate children my father Rudolf produced, I hope my sister finds happiness. Furthermore, a man who had been a military envoy for the Clement faction... named Jean de Doron, sought asylum in Lioncourt. It’s not a change of careers; he is seeking asylum with his wife and children. With a name that sounds like he might disappear at any moment, Doron actually made the move. Although he was of the lower knight class, he foresaw the impending purges against the Clement faction and abandoned his territory. He was in a precarious position, likely to be held accountable given his rank. Considering his own safety and the future of his remaining family, his decision is understandable. For smaller knightly houses, civil war poses a threat of immediate extinction if they pledge allegiance to the wrong banner. Doron, fortunate to have connections in Lioncourt and to escape quickly, fared better than others. Count Darmont, having eliminated influential figures within the domain like Auge and Bizet, will likely wield a heavy axe for centralization... It's not hard to imagine the grim fate awaiting the mice that fail to escape in time. Doron will stay in Lioncourt as a "guest" alongside Charlo, but if he wishes for a position, I would certainly consider offering him one. Incidentally, Charlo, the other guest, seems to have become broken. In a crowd of citizens enraged by his cowardly antics, hurling insults and rotten vegetables at him, he was tasked with executing Clement and Bizet. However, he failed to aim correctly, and the axe repeatedly struck their shoulders and the back of their heads, resulting in a gruesome spectacle. Severing a human body is no simple feat. As for Clement, by the time his head finally fell, his skull had almost lost its original form. This, in the eyes of the citizens, appeared as though a younger brother was being ruthlessly tortured to death, and Charlo ultimately found himself subjected to overwhelming hatred, leading to his apparent mental breakdown. It seems he was weak-natured from the beginning. Charlo's hair turned patchy and bald overnight. He's chewing his nails until they bleed and swatting flies that only he can see. Well, his only value was as a hostage from the start. As long as a guard is assigned to prevent suicide, he and his family can be placed in some suitable residence. It won’t be an issue even if he loses his sanity. And so, I leave the lands of Darmont. Although I return to Lioncourt, there’s little time to relax. In the fields, the red flowers of Achillea bloomed. The season was already autumn, and before I realized it, the time had come for my retainers to pay their respects.