Volume 5 Chapter 17 Baron Gorigan’s Ambition
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Since the formation of the Anti-Demon Alliance, openly deploying troops in conflicts between humans had become taboo. However, for local lords not directly threatened by the Demon King, expanding their territories remained a priority. Territorial disputes persisted in various forms, slipping through the gaps in the treaties.
Now that the alliance’s future was uncertain, the treaties were gradually losing their strength. Small skirmishes would likely escalate further in the days to come.
Tizzy shared with me, mixed with complaints, a typical story of territorial disputes. It was neither as heroic nor as magnificent as the chivalric tales Shea-Shea enjoyed reading; it was a disgusting farce.
The incident began when a self-defense group in the mines massacred a band of treasure hunters pilfering ore.
Beyond the mountain range east of Duke Mineley’s territory lies the neighboring Vespar Kingdom. Traditionally, the mountain’s watershed marked the border, but being a natural landform, it was ambiguous in places. It seemed one could easily make accusations if they wished.
On the other side of the border, the Vespar Kingdom is supposedly the domain of a man named Baron Gorigan. His territory, centered around a mine, is managed similarly to Duke Mineley’s. This was no coincidence, as the Duke Mineley family had shared mining techniques with the Baron Gorigan family.
Originally, the Duke Mineley family was distantly related to the Vespar royal family and had good relations with the neighboring country in the past.
On the other side of the mountain, the ore quality is poor, so Baron Gorigan’s economic strength is less than a tenth of Duke Mineley’s. Even so, as a Baron, he is still considered very wealthy.
The veins of ore called ‘Wisdom’s Gold,’ centered around the Schulz Nest, extend beyond the mountains. Interestingly, the further from the Schulz Nest, the worse the ore quality becomes.
The golden metallic sheen of ‘Wisdom’s Gold’ may appear to an untrained eye as natural gold. Legends claim it can extract all kinds of metals.
Actual refining yields mostly copper and iron, but it also contains trace amounts of various metals, including gold and silver. So, Duke Mineley’s mountains are like having gold and silver mines.
The Duke Mineley family uses open-pit mining, which is efficient for large-scale mountain removal but causes severe environmental damage. While a rich forest remains near Schulz’s Nest, mines further away have become barren wastelands.
Near Schulz’s Nest, a large mithril ore vein lies deep underground, but it’s too deep to extract without dwarves. Some dwarves once lived there, but since the previous Duke Mineley offended the Dwarf King, it’s been almost completely closed down.
* * *
The bandits reportedly came from Baron Gorigan’s territory across the mountain.
In Duke Mineley’s territory, only ultra-high-quality ore is collected, while the remaining lower-quality ore is simply piled around the mine. Though refining good ore is more profitable, it’s a waste.
Even the discarded ore is far superior to that produced in Gorigan’s territory. The bandits targeted this, crossing the border to steal it.
If they had excess, they could sell it to Baron Gorigan, but the previous Duke’s will forbids selling ore to outsiders. Handing ore to a rival could cost me my head, so I understand the situation.
Strangely, Duke Mineley forbids selling the ore but hardly cares about the bandit damage.
Protecting the will is important, but he seems to think junk ore isn’t a big deal. He’s probably just a foolish noble, which is why my father left such a will.
The bandits’ scale grew larger over time.
Recently, they’ve not only stolen ore but also frequently abducted young girls. Tizzy’s older brother, the next Duke, formed a self-defense group, leading to the incident.
The spirited miners who organized the vigilante group were well-versed in the terrain. They quickly cornered the bandits and wiped them out with catapults.
Some volunteers had family or lovers kidnapped by the plunderers, so their merciless sanctions were understandable.
A catapult is simply a sturdy string with a belt. They wrap stones into the belt, swing them around, and release one end when momentum is gained—a straightforward mechanism.
Once accustomed, they can shoot accurately with considerable range and strength. When not in use, it wraps around the arm, is inexpensive, and causes no inconvenience.
Some plunderers, cornered in a narrow alley with poor footing, were armed with bows and arrows but were annihilated by stones falling from outside their range, unable to retaliate.
Arrows are limited, but stones are everywhere, so I can’t help but sympathize with the plunderers.
Still, it’s remarkable how untrained miners defeated the plunderers. The unnamed vigilante leader must have been talented. However, victory brought them harsh, unexpected consequences.
Among the killed bandits was Baron Gorigan’s nephew, a nobleman who managed to reincarnate. He begged the Baron for help afterward.
Though embarrassing to admit a nobleman was pretending to be a thief abroad, Baron Gorigan brazenly demanded an apology and compensation.
Surprisingly, Duke Mineley complied. He paid compensation and handed over the vigilante members involved in the combat.
”Honestly, this is beyond all reason. It’s unjust that those who did right are punished while the villains profit. Isn’t that so? Don’t you agree?”
Tizzy said with genuine regret. Imagining what happened to those handed over makes me feel gloomy too.
However, Duke Mineley felt more sympathy for Baron Gorigan’s nephew than for his own subjects—as fellow nobles.
It’s an incredible humiliation for a noble to be killed by stones thrown by someone of lower status. For Duke Mineley, it seemed like something that should never happen.
Among nobles who view their subjects as livestock, those like Tizzy who sympathize with the people are seen as heretics.
Tizzy’s thoughts may be influenced by Shirakaba. From the nobles’ perspective, Tizzy is the eccentric one… she’s had a hard time.
”I understand how nobles think. Even so, unreasonable things are unreasonable.”
A tear sparkled in Tizzy’s eye. Seriously, girls are like this… isn’t that a little cute?
”If I were the Duke, I’d deny doing anything but eliminating bandits. If you don’t show a firm attitude, like you’re ready for war if disrespected, it’ll eventually turn into a real war.”
If a noble leads forces into another country, it’s a full-blown act of invasion. Steering the conversation that way separates it from social status. The Duke seems to lack crisis awareness, but this isn’t a situation for leniency.
”That’s right… I wish my father had your courage.”
No, it’s not about courage. I’m just learning about this world from Miss Floria.
The teacher is good, so I probably know more than those foolish, unstudied nobles.
”Regardless of compensation, handing over the vigilantes was a mistake. Didn’t you lose the people’s trust all at once?”
”Yes, indeed.”
Rumors spread that those handed over to Baron Gorigan were treated horribly, and Duke Mineley’s popularity plummeted. Well, that was expected.
Nobles who think of people as tools face a big problem if the people start to hate them. The Duke’s move was incredibly bad.
Some lords rule through fear, but from what I hear, Duke Mineley couldn’t pull off such a trick.
If I were the Duke, I’d have hailed the vigilantes as heroes. Appointing the person who killed the thieving noble as a knight would also be a good move.
Advanced nobles have the authority to appoint knights. A knight can kill enemy nobles on the battlefield without issue.
In heroic tales, knight appointments are depicted very coolly, making it popular among people. It was a chance to boost vassal loyalty, but the Duke is truly hopeless.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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