How to Live as a Tyrant’s Spoiled Brat Chapter 146

How to live as a tyrant's spoiled brat Episode 146

(146)

It was a sunny spring day at the end of April.

As soon as I woke up, I suddenly felt a strange sensation.

It felt like I was experiencing something I had already experienced before.

The reason became clear soon enough.

“A year has passed.”

I didn't know if it had only been a year or a whole year.

But a lot has changed in the meantime.

Rudy lived, the future Sword Master, Sir Tentia, became my knight and remained in the imperial court, and the future Archmage, Sereraji, also entered the imperial court.

The red-light district, the slums, the ivory tower borough, the learning district, and the magic district were all within my grasp or were closely related to each other.

It seemed possible to obtain an oath of loyalty from Marquis Planitis, who had started a war before the return, and Marquis Freuheit had completely changed.

He provided massive food aid to the Northern Grand Duke, and Saint Mateos was born 10 years earlier, turning the Church of Light into a pro-imperial faction and solidifying the power of Jerilis.

The emperor, who had left for the battlefield just one year after ascending the throne, was now staying in the palace and strengthening the empire.

I think it's safe to say that I had a pretty fulfilling time.

"ha."

I took a deep breath, rinsed my mouth with the warm water Rudy gave me, and wiped the waste products off my body with a wet towel.

Last night, I returned to the villa and drank the 'hwajeong' that Jaylilith gave me, dissolved in strong alcohol, and my body was boiling all night long and I sweated like crazy.

It felt like a fire was burning inside.

Unlike when I did the Yongchan ritual, I didn't faint, but I felt like I wanted to faint.

Eventually, I woke up exhausted at dawn and saw the sun high in the sky.

“Valentine, are you okay now?”

“Yeah. It’s refreshing. I feel like I’m flying.”

Tears welled up in Rudy's green eyes.

I got up from my seat to show that I was fine, and then just collapsed back on the bed.

"uh?"

I didn't have any strength in my legs.

It didn't seem like I had been unconscious for half a day.

“Rudy. I… … how many days did I sleep?”

“Today is the third day.”

"ah."

oh my god.

It seemed like he had fainted for good.

If I had starved for three days, my body would have ended up in this state.

Rudy looked at me with eyes full of a thousand emotions.

“I thought you were going to pass away.”

"……Sorry."

“He was screaming and screaming while twisting his waist… … .”

It wasn't like this when I ate 'Hwajung' before returning.

It seemed that Yongchan's consciousness had changed his body a lot.

He must have been very sick because his constitution was about to change again.

I apologized again for worrying you so much and staggered downstairs.

I have to eat some bread and go to work.

* * *

Today, Jaylilith was sitting on the throne in the audience room.

There are huge pillars over 25 meters high lined up on both sides, and the floor is paved with marble and colorful crystals.

A knight was sitting on one knee in front of him.

Brown hair tied tightly with a stubborn expression and proud blue eyes.

He seemed to be inwardly overwhelmed by the splendid sight of the capital city, but he kept his chest wide open as if trying not to show it.

A full-body plate armor with hundreds of tiny blemishes passed down through generations, and a belt adorned with dozens of medals and emblems.

Even the flag looks somewhat crude, as if it was made one by one by commoners rather than by artisans.

It was the appearance of a vassal knight ruling his own village.

“… … We would like to ask for help from Your Majesty the Emperor. We are sorry to be the one to ask for help, but we are in dire need of authority and a focal point.”

The court nobles and administrative officials frowned at the crude speech without any formality.

But the knight didn't seem to care at all.

It was a knight's virtue to make speech easy to understand.

Jaylilith turned her head and looked at me.

“Archduke Valen.”

A bright voice magically resonated throughout the audience room.

“It is said that the vassals in the central region are suffering from various difficulties due to the long-term indifference of the imperial family.”

I answered with a very sad expression on my face.

“It is truly a pity.”

“If they are the ones the Great Lords must attract, then they are the ones they must protect.”

It was an accurate metaphor.

The barons and knights of the central region were the ones paying taxes on the vast amounts of grain consumed by the capital city of Soletaraon.

“I will appoint a judge from the High Court, so have him travel around the baronial estates and knightly estates in the Midwest to resolve various issues.”

“I will follow your orders.”

As soon as I got to work, I was ordered to go on a long-term business trip.

I asked Rudy to carry my luggage in a dazed state, called Sir Tentia and predicted a long-term mission, and told my sister Sereraji that I would be leaving the capital for a while.

When I went up to the office to hear a detailed explanation, Jaylilith had an unusually serious expression on her face.

The air seemed to freeze as the golden eyes sank heavily.

“Valen. I am truly afraid to entrust you with this important task. It will require deep thought, not your usual improvisation.”

I said with a confident smile.

“Don’t worry. This time, I will bring you what Your Majesty desires.”

It meant to ask me what I wanted.

"Jerilis knows how to talk back now," he muttered, then snickered and said.

“I think there will definitely be chaos when the great nobles come up to swear allegiance.”

“!”

“They are coming to the capital, so why would they ride on a wyvern? They will gather all the knights and vassals they have, and come up with a guard of thousands of soldiers.”

With dozens of such lords gathered together, it was impossible for there to be no chaos.

“I have the largest knights in the continent, but even they are woefully inadequate. It would be pointless to come now and have the Brass Knights conscript. If we conscript them, blood will flow like water.”

The knights could be dealt with as armies, but not as soldiers.

“Do you think Your Majesty would also like to summon your vassals?”

“Yes. We must allow them to leave their fiefdoms and come up to the capital with peace of mind. Can you do it?”

There was even a slight tremor in the emperor's voice.

Jaylilith has always had the power to solve problems, and I've always come up with solutions that are less bloody and noisy.

That is, Jaylilith was always left with a last resort.

Not this time.

It was something that had to be done honestly and without any other means.

As she said, it didn't seem like something that suited me.

But I nodded without hesitation.

It was my job to make it happen in whatever way she wanted.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Jaylilith clicked her tongue.

“… … Should I think about it a little more and then answer? I feel uneasy because you answer so sharply.”

I spoke with even more confidence.

“There is no reason for me to commit atrocities against Your Majesty’s loyal subjects. I will bring stability to the territory.”

Only after hearing those words did her expression soften.

“Yes. We need to give it stability.”

“I have brought stability to the slums. Please wait in peace.”

I tried to turn around, but Jaylilith raised her hand as if telling me to wait a moment.

“… … I heard that you almost died from eating Hwajung. Did you really eat all of that in one sitting?”

Hwajung originally knew that she had to eat it all at once.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“If you eat that size of a flower in one go, you could die. If it weren’t for the Yongchan ritual, you would have died.”

Jaylilith shut her eyes tightly.

"yes?!"

“You shouldn’t act so ignorant there. Do you understand?”

“… … Yes, Your Majesty.”

I had no choice but to bow my head deeply again.

* * *

“Your Highness, my name is Marson, son of Maren.”

The knight Marson treated Valencian politely.

They could not even stand side by side with their horses, could not raise their faces, and could not even step on the shadow of the horse Valencian rode.

Tentia understood why he was acting so humble.

The imperial family divided up the vast territories surrounding their direct domain among the barons.

There, even if you were a knight, you would rule over a wide land with a grandee, village chief, and baron below you, and the barons would act as kings.

When she first came to study at the Capital Academy, she was shocked and bewildered by the children of counts and marquises being trampled by them.

The first son of a count is created a baron.

At that time, Tentia did not understand that the Baron whom her heavenly father served and the Dongbu who had challenged her to a duel and was now rolling on the floor had the same title.

It took them two more years to fully understand that they were court nobles with neither land nor people.

It would take a long time for Marshon to understand that too.

'The Midwest.'

Tentia felt distant and yet missed.

This is the first time he has returned to his hometown since he went up to the capital with a sword at the age of fifteen.

Born the second daughter of a country knight, she joined the Empire's greatest knightly order and now serves the capital's most notable figure.

He could say that he was successful and returned home, wearing armor and a sword that could not be bought even if he sold his father's entire estate.

What was not entirely pleasant was the strict-looking judge who followed Valencianus.

“Lord Valencian. As a judge of the High Court and a circuit judge, I will provide precise solutions to disputes between barons and knights. My representative experience is ending the inheritance dispute of the County of Harelun that lasted for twenty years… … .”

There were three main laws in the empire.

There were church law created by the church, imperial law created by the emperor, and customary law that varied from region to region.

Those country knights and barons naturally followed the common law, and even then their fists spoke louder than their lips.

If a dispute arose, they would go to the baron, have a big fight in front of him, have a drink in the evening and say, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," apologize, smile and leave, and then fight again for the same reason a month later.

I didn't know if that strict-looking judge could understand the law there, where the sword is stronger than words and compromise is stronger than logic.

Yeah, maybe that's why.

compromise.

What Valencian does best.

These are estates that have been neighbors for hundreds of years.

Once a conflict arose, you had no choice but to either completely end the other or just continue fighting.

Eventually, at some point, they acknowledged each other and reached an implicit agreement.

Valencian would probably be very good at that.

Only then did Tentia fully realize the discomfort in her heart.

She was romanticizing her image as a 'knight of principles', not fairness or principle.

In fact, whatever principle you follow might be fine.

'What nonsense are you thinking!'

Tentia gritted her teeth, feeling that the moment she admitted it, she would be unable to rehabilitate Valencianus.

It was imperative to pull him out of the pit of sin and hypocrisy.

He was someone who could shine brighter.

* * *

A tent was pitched in the open space in front of the Baron's castle, and a few chairs were placed.

A makeshift court was opened, and the waiting knights and barons flocked in.

“… … Therefore, under the laws of succession, this farm is Sir Rubidus’s territory.”

The judge calmly read the complaint, analyzed the situation, and made a rational, reasonable, and just ruling based on the law and precedents.

“Shut up, little one!”

But this was a place ruled by friendship, authority, and honor, not by reason, rationality, or justice.

“Are you now ignoring the laws that His Majesty the Emperor upholds?”

The judge was horrified by the article's verbal abuse and objected.

“Our family has served His Majesty the Emperor for 700 years. How dare you speak of loyalty in front of me!”

A knight with the honor and authority of the ages on his back was not an easy opponent.

In the end, the judge was hit head-on by the Sword Expert's murderous attack and passed out.

“Hmm.”

I actually knew this would happen.

The reason the High Court had authority was because the great nobles, tired of long fighting, came to it of their own accord.

What influence could a judge who showed up and made a fuss without being called have on a knight leading thousands of noblemen?

I woke the judge up by rubbing his face with a cold towel, sat him down next to me, and handed him a piece of parchment and a pen.

“Just answer the questions I ask. And at the end, write up the verdict and distribute it to each of you.”

"yes?"

“Do as I say. If you want to live.”

First, I tied the judge's mouth and gave the verdict in a flowing manner.

Even before my return, I have encountered many people who lived and died for this honor.

“Sir Rubidus has the wool, and Sir Ridov has the mutton. If you don’t like it, you can swap them.”

“The barley harvested in the spring goes to Sir Sencil, and the wheat harvested in the fall goes to Sir Elgid. Also, as punishment for quarreling with each other over such trivial matters, you should treat each other’s soldiers to a feast.”

“The mill belongs to a baron. However, since the river belongs to Lord Lensid, you must pay him a yearly fee for its use. However, the fee may be replaced by a watermill ticket.”

“The empire is a primogeniture. However, the knighthood and barony are inherited first by those who have the title of knight. If a son does not become a knight by the age of thirty, the lands belong to his daughter.”

The knights nodded and retreated one by one.

“If it is His Majesty’s decision, I will follow it.”

“I will agree to that.”

“That is fair.”

Tentia Kyung asked quietly, her voice cracking as if she was quite embarrassed.

“Your Majesty. Are you familiar with Imperial law?”

I smiled brightly and shook my head.

“No. You’re just talking nonsense.”

"yes?!"

When dealing with knights, the important things were friendship, authority, honor, and romance.

“Anyway, it’s not really important to pass judgment according to the law. What’s important is to protect their pride.”

“What is that!?”

At the moment when Lord Tentia was startled, one of the barons suddenly stood up and shouted.

“Your Majesty! Please reconsider!”

I glared at him and shouted.

“Do you dare to dissatisfy the judgment of me, the Grand Duke and Emperor of the Empire!”

Unfortunately, he didn't back down.

“The knights of my domain will not accept this kind of content.”

“Go back to them and tell them just this.”

I got up from my chair and slapped the Baron on the cheek.