How to Live as a Tyrant’s Spoiled Brat Chapter 283

(283)

The three virtues of a knight are to eat and drink well, find lovers wherever he goes, and gain fame by winning battles.

Some might say it's fidelity, loyalty, and devotion to the weak, but those are closer to ideals than virtues.

Also, a knight does not insult or kill another knight at will.

Standing at the top of the warrior class, they had a homogeneity that even the nobles could not fully understand.

thus.

“I am sorry, Lord Tentia. I am still lacking in training, so I have caused trouble to a guest who came a long way. Furthermore, I have made His Highness the Grand Duke Valencian wait like this, so I deserve to die a hundred times over.”

“No, Sir Jules. It is all my fault. I came as a guest, showing my unnecessary pride, and telling you not to rely on your lord’s reputation, but I was also conscious of your lord’s reputation. I have tarnished the face of my lord, who has been trying to establish a close relationship with your lord. How can I repay this rudeness?”

It was quite a common sight to see two people who had a bloody fight hugging each other and crying while shouting, "It was my fault," while leading a knight.

“It seems like things are starting to settle down. How about we go out now?”

Cariosa asked and I nodded.

“Let’s do that. I saw from above earlier that there were quite a few people gathered. I should at least wave at them.”

"once?"

Cariosa smiled meaningfully.

At that time, I didn't know what that laughter meant.

At best, I guessed that he was planning to go on horseback rather than in a carriage.

In fact, it was not common for nobles to show their faces in front of the common people.

To the city dwellers who were close to being pure humans, the nobles were too beautiful and mysterious, and to the mixed-blood great nobles, the common people were no different from stray cats that paid taxes.

It means that it is cute and fluffy, but awkward and difficult to pet.

Of course, it's not because they are lowly, but because they don't have the time and leisure to care about beauty and hygiene as much as the nobles, and compared to other countries, the citizens of the imperial city were very clean.

Even if they had only a little money, they used perfume and oil, city dwellers washed their bodies every day at public bathhouses, and it was common for rural peasants to wash their hair in a stream before Sunday service.

But no matter how much they polished themselves, the nobles were bound to be comparatively different, as their flesh and fluids had a fruity aroma due to their elven blood and thick mana.

Therefore, even good royal nobles like Severic kept their distance from their subjects, and their warm hearts were expressed through various welfare policies, festivals, and tax cuts, and they indirectly looked after them.

I knew Cariosa would do that too.

“Long live His Highness the Duke!”

“Under the banner of Asenortha there will be endless glory!”

“Please slaughter all the pirates!”

As soon as I opened the door to the Wyvern Pit and went out, a thunderous roar was heard from outside the fence.

A crowd of over 10,000 citizens surrounded Wyvernpit and cheered.

"oh my god."

The excitement was so intense that it was almost suffocating.

Sir Tentia looked at me with a puzzled expression.

“Your Majesty, there is no carriage or horses.”

I looked at the giant castle towering in the distance.

“Are you planning on walking? While continuing to receive these burdensome cheers?”

Cariosa raised one hand in a flash.

The cheers doubled in volume.

“Wow!”

“My lord!”

“Our lord!”

She looked at me and smiled bitterly.

“What are you doing, Grand Duke Valencian? Why don’t you come with me?”

I tried to look as dignified as possible.

He raised his head, straightened his chest, pushed his shoulders back, and smiled broadly.

And he stood next to Cariosa, took her hand, and lifted it up in a flash.

“… … !”

“… … ! … … !”

The cheering reached its peak and her vertical pupils dilated.

Cariosa pushed her way through the crowd toward the harbor.

The citizens did not cling to this picture of the lord personally walking down the street, as it seemed quite familiar.

If it had been the capital, there would have been chaos with people flocking to see even just a glimpse of Jaylilith's shadow.

“It is your lord!”

“Long live Asenortha!”

People she met on the street took off their hats or lifted the hems of their dresses slightly and bowed their heads as she passed, and Cariosa responded by lightly raising her hand.

She displayed simple behavior that even a landowner would not do, unlike a great lord who ruled millions, or even tens of millions, of his subjects.

“How much is it?”

I bought some fruit on the street and gave it to Lord Tentia.

“There won’t be any truth these days, right?”

I went into a coffee house and came out with a cup of coffee.

“If you see any fish-man fins or pirate flags, tell me right away. I’ll come right up to you and slaughter them all.”

He made a series of promises to captains before they set sail.

A beautifully paved harbor front.

With the sound of waves and the shadow of a sailing ship.

I wondered if she was the Cariosa I knew.

* * *

The naval port was deserted in broad daylight.

Of course, since the ship is at the dock, the soldiers will have been demobilized and there is no way civilians can enter this area, so it is only natural.

“That’s unexpected.”

Cariosa and I walked side by side along the harbor road toward the castle that was visible ahead.

Swish.

The sound of waves echoed as the spring sunlight poured down dazzlingly over the castle.

I glanced around and saw Cariosa shrugging her shoulders.

“What a surprise?”

“I thought they would show something more authoritative. Knights in full armor, strange horses with seahorse blood, huge scale-carried chariots, heralds driving their subjects with their howls, great white shark flags waving imposingly… something like that.”

Cariosa let out a faint smile.

“Like when I came to the capital?”

I nodded.

“Yeah. Just like back then.”

She shook her head,

“Sailors are surprisingly equal and obedient. As long as they show me respect and love and obey my words completely, I have no need to threaten them.”

"hmm."

“Also, I don’t let thieves or gangsters set up shop on my territory. Since there’s no one else to fear but me, everyone can’t help but like me.”

Far in the distance, near the castle, stood a dozen tall poles, and from each pole hung half-skeletonized corpses, dangling and shaking.

It looked like they had hung a corpse and left it tied up even after it became undead.

I heard the sound of Tentia Kyung swallowing.

The military port was huge, but it was not out of sight from the trading port.

That is, all citizens could see the corpses hanging in front of the lord's castle.

Cariosa had a gentle heat in her gray eyes.

“They are pirate captains. There are also a few traitors among them.”

A vengeful smile appeared on his lips.

“The example is always clear. The East is always at war, and people hesitate to betray those they fear rather than those they love.”

Whioooo.

At that moment the wind direction changed towards the sea.

Bam.

Cariosa quickly came up to me and grabbed my arms tightly.

Gray eyes gleamed right before my eyes, a mouth full of ivory teeth opened slightly as if it wanted to swallow me, and a flush appeared on its scaly face.

Merchants who had come to deliver goods and sailors who were the most dangerous on the sea came running towards us, pointing their fingers at us who had clung to the military port in broad daylight, but they quickly lowered their heads as soon as they saw the azure hair of their mistress.

Cariosa looked up at me without giving them a glance.

Even though my gaze was clearly upward, I felt infinitely overwhelmed.

“Why did you grow so big?”

Only then did I begin to understand how she ruled this East.

The goal is to decisively execute the enemies, show the winner's composure to those below, and establish authority.

She smiled confidently.

“Valencianus.”

"okay."

“This land and sea are all my fishing grounds. It’s only natural that I feed them.”

“I see.”

“No matter what I do, no one can stop me.”

Instead of answering, I inwardly admired her confidence and used blood magic to draw blood from the inside of my lips.

Cariosa thrust her finger into my mouth, dabbing blood on her pearly nails.

I vaguely heard Lord Tentia muttering, “Have you ever seen such a madman?”

Cariosa lowered his voice and spoke.

“I didn’t know you two would come. You’re so defenseless.”

There was a glimmer of excitement in his gray eyes.

I answered, out of breath.

The uniform was a little disheveled, so I quickly tidied it up.

“It wouldn’t have made any difference even if we came from three. As the Duke said, this is the Duke’s fishing grounds.”

Cariosa kissed his bloody fingers, lightly wiping away the blood that had accumulated on them.

It was the hand I had grabbed earlier and lifted up in a flash.

“… … That was too much of a provocation. I thought my eyes were spinning. You knew I wanted the authority of the Imperial Family, didn’t you?”

She wanted a painting of the royal family coming and recognizing her as king, and I gave it to her right away.

So that this natural predator can't help but get terribly excited.

Don't wish for more.

And tolerating my deviations.

I said with a confident smile.

“Of course. That’s what I was told to do.”

Cariosa stuck out her tongue, and I could vaguely hear Sir Tentia muttering, “Oh my goodness, they’re all the same.”

* * *

We crossed the harbor and climbed the rocky hill steps.

The stairs were each wide and tall, making it difficult to rush up, and there were easily collapsible stone pillars placed here and there to serve as defensive lines in case of an emergency.

“No matter how much I think about it, this place seems like a fortress, not a palace.”

“When I was 13, the fish-people landed at this port. This place is not as safe as you think. Didn’t you see it on your way here? Red marks on every white wall?”

“Because it’s the largest port, is it easy to attack?”

“Because you can go deep inland along the river. It’s the best base for fishermen and pirates.”

There were only two paths up to the castle, this one and the one in front, and they were joined together at this point.

There was another double wall between the high outer and inner walls, steel barricades were hidden in each corridor, and loaded ballistas were visible here and there.

“If a fight breaks out here, isn’t it already wrong?”

“My true base is not this city, but the dozens of ports connected to the sea route. Of course, I must at least have a minimum of defense.”

As befitting the greatest lord in the East, her castle was also splendid.

The central hall chandelier decorated with huge corals and pearls was strangely beautiful, and the hallway with its ceiling, walls, and floor covered in amber was jaw-dropping even for someone who had enjoyed all sorts of luxuries, and the long tapestry that decorated the walls of the reception room was engraved with the history of the Asenorta family.

A family that started with love for Summerlin, a fight against a giant sea creature, a fearsome fish-man, an endless surge of pirates, and a history of victory that overcame it all.

“Is that a peacock?”

The last tapestry was embroidered with a young girl fighting in the harbor.

Looking at the girl with a shining halo and the slaughtered fish-people, it felt like watching some kind of creation myth rather than the scene from ten years ago.

Cariosa nodded confidently.

“Yes. It was me. I was thirteen. The waves crashed like crazy, and monsters emerged from the sea. And I slaughtered all of them and proved myself worthy of becoming a marquis.”

The pride of one who has stood up for herself was evident at the corners of her mouth.

“Now you are trying to prove that you are worthy of being king.”

“That’s right. I’m going to kill all the pirates in the Anchor Islands. Then I’m going to start a colony project targeting the serfs of the newly acquired vassals. I need to make sure they don’t rebel. I need to let them off some steam.”

“It’s a rebellion.”

I laughed bitterly, and Cariosa shrugged her shoulders theatrically.

“It’s a rebellion. If you were dissatisfied, you should have defeated me.”

“That attitude. I really like it.”

“I knew it. Then we’ll develop mines, clear the land, and build forts. We’ll wipe out those damn pirates.”

“I’ll have to cut off the heads of all the pirate leaders. Who’s the most dangerous one?”

Cariosa frowned.

“The Pirate King Aquila. He built a fortress in the Anchor Islands.”

“Is it strong?”

“I don’t know if it’s strong, but it looks delicious.”

It meant that the scent of mana could be felt in the blood.

“You must be strong.”