Chapter 17
The confusion was brief.
I began to explain the general situation.
The sudden appearance of the Twin Head Ogre.
I spoke about the judgment of the baron and the knights who chose to confront it instead of retreating, given that we were in the middle of the forest.
At my words, Remton’s expression hardened as he nodded.
“If it’s a Twin Head Ogre… it would indeed have been difficult for the current subjugation forces to deal with it. You had exceptionally bad luck.”
Yeah, luck was not on our side.
To be precise, I had stolen it away.
“Is it true that the surviving soldiers are just over two hundred?”
“… Yes. Eight hundred soldiers were killed in the monster’s attack. We wanted to retrieve the bodies, but being deep in the forest and with the remaining soldiers heavily injured… we cremated all the bodies except for those of the baron and knights.”
“… Understood.”
After nodding, the marquis called a knight over.
“First, inform the baron’s family of this news. The same goes for the soldiers and knights. Set the compensation and ensure the funeral is as lavish as possible. Kyle.”
“Yes.”
The moment I answered, his gaze shifted to my waist.
Although the upper-tier knights like Adolf or Abel didn’t notice, with his skill, he probably sensed that my mana was activated in my pocket.
Well, surely…
He wouldn’t ask me to show it, would he?
Soon after, the marquis, who had been staring at me intently, spoke up.
“You look a mess. Get ready quickly and come to the conference room. I need to hear exactly what happened in this subjugation.”
“Yes.”
Nice.
That was a prime command.
If I quickly rushed to the annex to hide the treasure, no one would notice that I had swallowed the hidden piece.
“Understood.”
After finishing my reply, I casually glanced at Adolf.
His fists were so tightly clenched that they had turned completely white.
I couldn’t help but smile internally as I quietly exited the castle.
I had a destination in mind.
The annex.
I began to run toward it.
As I reached the main gate of the annex, Leonhardt appeared. Perhaps it was because I had entrusted the safety of my personal maid to him before leaving.
Next to him stood Erciel.
“I heard the news. There was an incident with the subjugation forces…”
“You heard already?”
“Yes. The rumors have spread. The state looked pretty dire when you entered the territory. Did the Twin Head Ogre really appear?”
“It did. I never imagined a variant like that would show up…”
As I answered with a slightly gloomy demeanor, he began to display a worried expression.
“The failure of this subjugation isn’t your fault, young master. Please don’t be too disheartened.”
“That’s right, young master. If such a monster appeared, no one could have done anything about it.”
Yeah.
It’s certainly not my fault.
Could one really judge a small step for the continent as a mistake?
“… Thank you. I need to prepare quickly and then head straight to the conference room, so get ready.”
“Yes.”
After that, I quickly washed myself up and donned suitable clothing. Then, I walked alongside Leonhardt toward the castle where the conference room was located.
After passing through the light inspection, about ten minutes after entering the castle, we soon arrived at the conference room.
Most of the retainers, including Marquis Remton, had already gathered there.
All their gazes were directed toward me.
I was the survivor who knew the most about this incident.
Moreover, I was a survivor of considerable status.
“You’ve arrived, Kyle. Come this way.”
“Yes.”
As I moved in the direction the Marquis pointed, I looked around.
The layout was very simple.
The Marquis sat at the most prestigious seat, with Abel and Adolf sitting on either side, while Duke was also present.
Finally, the retainers were seated in a line, divided on both sides.
Interestingly, the retainers were also split into two factions.
Near Abel on the left side sat his faction.
And of course, on the right side, where Adolf sat, was his faction.
It felt as if I were watching a royal court from the Joseon Dynasty.
The left Prime Minister and the right Prime Minister.
Well, it felt like they were roughly divided like that, with the factions lining up accordingly.
I was currently passing right through the middle of them.
I could sense the complex gazes of the retainers.
They were likely pondering about me, who had not attended this meeting in a very long time.
As I stood before the Marquis, the questions began to pour in.
I had no reason to be anxious, so I was able to respond confidently.
Suddenly, a monster appeared—what could we do about that?
It was a monster capable of sweeping away barons, knights, and soldiers without a trace.
There was hardly any room for doubt in that situation, was there?
‘There’s plenty of evidence.’
I had brought back the ogre’s corpse, carefully dissected.
I had collected parts like the claws, eyeballs, toes, and such.
Just examining these few areas would make it easy to estimate its size.
As I was answering, I noticed someone who seemed very dissatisfied starting to glare at me.
A stout, double-layered jaw.
With a body full of fat.
It seemed fitting to call him a prime example of a greedy noble.
Who was he again?
“I just received a report on the status of the byproducts. Young master, one head is missing. Do you happen to know where it went? I’m sure there were two heads.”
Soon, the name popped into my mind.
[Baron Hemington]
He was one of those aligned with Adolf.
My favorability with him was -70.
I could understand immediately why that pig was speaking in such an aggressive tone.
Perhaps Adolf hadn’t said anything about me yet, or if he had,
‘He might have told him to poke at me directly.’
From Adolf’s perspective, given that he was in a state of extreme anger right now, he might just want to find something—anything—to latch onto.
Or perhaps this guy was just a troll, throwing out random comments.
Glancing at Adolf, I saw him watching the scene with keen interest.
It didn’t seem like he had explicitly encouraged the Baron, but he didn’t appear to have any intention of stopping him either. It was as if he wanted to see how I would react.
“Yes, that was my doing. Is there a problem with that?”
At my words, the Baron’s expression brightened.
It was like the face of a detective who had just caught a criminal.
“Of course there’s a problem! All spoils obtained from the subjugation forces should be brought here and distributed according to principles!”
Had he lost his mind?
It seemed like the one shouting at the top of their lungs was desperate to devour me.
“Well, isn’t it an overreaction to be so sensitive about just one head?”
“One head, you say? If it’s the head of a Twin Head Ogre, it’s certainly one of the most valuable items!”
Well, that was true.
It was also true that I had taken it without permission.
But…
“Considering I helped in the battle, I think it’s fair for me to take something like this. Originally, the by-products of high-level monsters like ogres are distributed based on contribution, right?”
At my words, the baron scoffed.
“Oh really! You, who have just achieved the First Circle, shouldn’t act like you’ve accomplished something monumental! Although you have supposedly overcome Hermemu, it’s still too early for you to claim any merits! Surely Baron Jerome and his knights made significant contributions! Is it acceptable for you to use the precious by-products gained from their sacrifices so casually?”
This was really annoying.
It felt like there was a personal grudge against me.
If not, there was no way he’d be yelling like that with his eyes so bloodshot.
At that moment…
“Enough.”
I heard the count’s voice.
At those words, the baron and I subtly lowered our heads.
“Is it true that you took the head?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because I thought the brain of the Twin Head Ogre would make a very good research material.”
“I see your reasoning. But was it truly you who contributed enough to take the head?”
“Yes. Just by looking at the ogre’s corpse, one can tell. It’s true that Baron Jerome and the knights, along with the soldiers, made great contributions, but that doesn’t mean my efforts were insignificant.”
Was it because my answer was so confident?
A momentary look of surprise appeared in the pig’s eyes.
His thoughts were predictable.
He likely thought he had found a solid case as soon as he assessed the situation.
The head of the Twin Head Ogre.
Since it was a pretty valuable by-product, he was probably thinking of using this fact to pin something on me.
He must have thought that I was simply along for the ride, thanks to the sacrifices of Baron Jerome and the knights, and the soldiers.
If I had just watched from the sidelines as he imagined, I would have been in serious trouble.
But what to do?
I had worked very hard to help the expeditionary forces.
In fact, I had contributed at least 20% to defeating the ogre.
So taking one head wouldn’t raise too many suspicions based on my contributions.
“I can’t believe it!”
The pig screamed, struggling.
At that, the count seemed to make a decision and spoke.
“Bring the by-products of the ogre and the soldiers. I will verify it myself. If you truly did contribute as much as you claim, I will let this matter slide. But if you have lied, you will face the appropriate punishment. Is that acceptable?”
At the count’s words, the retainers nodded.
Soon after, the by-products piled on a cart, along with the soldiers, arrived. They seemed tense, gulping down their saliva as they lined up.
Shortly thereafter, Remton turned to the soldiers and asked.
“I heard that Kyle took the head of the ogre.”
At his words, the soldiers nodded hesitantly.
They couldn’t dare to lie in front of the lord.
“I have one question. Kyle here, do you think he contributed enough to take the head? If you think otherwise, feel free to shake your head.”
The moment the count’s question was asked, the soldiers nodded vigorously.
Yes, very resolutely.
Soon after, some of the more impatient soldiers started to speak up.
“Indeed, young master… I believe you were a great help in this expeditionary force. If it hadn’t been for your magic supporting the knights… everyone would have been done for against that monster. We were able to keep our heads cool thanks to your magic as well.”
The first hurdle was safely cleared.
The soldiers who had witnessed my actions had no reason to shake their heads in that situation. The mental cleansing I had given them was worth it!
Nodding at those words, the count began to examine the by-products closely.
“Indeed, the magic was effective.”
He began showing the wounds on the ogre’s body to the retainers.
In the body where lightning and fire had passed through.
The singed marks were plentiful, as if they were asserting the effectiveness of the magical damage.
“With this level of injury, and according to the soldiers’ testimonies, you supported the knights with auxiliary magic. In my opinion, I believe it’s reasonable to take one head; is there anyone who disagrees?”
“……”
There were no dissenting retainers.
The evidence was too clear.
While one could pick apart the soldiers’ testimonies, claiming they were fabricated, there was nothing they could do about the marks left on the ogre’s body.
Even the pig who had been hounding me could only lower his head, red-faced.
At that moment.
“Kyle.”
“Yes.”
“Based on your achievements in this expeditionary force, I will lift your confinement.”
The count declared firmly.
Nice.
Thank you, pig!
Thanks to that pig’s tantrum, things were resolved much more smoothly. Not only was my image improved, but I also had my confinement lifted as a bonus.
—
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