House of the Wolves

"I feared the worst for them when they challenged such a great enemy, and yet, when the tides have turned, I needed to intervene in it to save not only their enemy but the entire system that will collapse alongside their adversary."

-Kazuto Xander Regalia-Taiga, Acting Marquis of East Serafina.

A part of his report to the Imperial Senate regarding the "5-Week War"

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

500 years ago, after the "betrayal" of Imperial Duke Gerald Renval E. Bougainvillea, all the lands that he freed from their colonial captors as well as some of the Bougainvillea family's ancestral domains became fractured and fell to the control of the individual noble families that used to belong to his feudal system.

While most of the former colonies were quickly reined back into the control of the Imperial System, which at that time was held by the Empire of Tenka, the ancestral domains that were legitimate lands owned by House Bougainvillea since antiquity became a problem to administrate.

While it can simply be left to their hands as they rightfully own it, the empire viewed it to defeat the entire purpose of punishing the family as it spanned the entire expanse of the Serafina region, a land that covers the entire eastern shores of the Ost continent all the way to the fringes of the steppes of the Turkman tribal union at the center of the continent. In the end, the land was split into two provinces, Western and Eastern Serafina, governed by Margrave House Regalia and Marquis House Taiga respectively.

Today, in the opulent palace of the Taiga Marquisdom, two certain news arrived at the doorstep of its master.

"Good morning, Lord Elmor… This is our schedule for today, one hour from now, you will have a meeting with the Demesne association's-"

"I'm sorry, Kazuto, but clear my schedule for today."

"S-Sir?" Hearing the marquis's words who was gazing outside the open window, the young man raised his face and showed a confused expression.

"…Also, have my fastest airship prepared and ready yourself as well, we have somewhere to go to today."

In the marquisdom's capital city of Marin, the news of the death of one of its nobles would've been a cause for public mourning. However, once they learned of who it was, some continued on their day as usual while some even got confused if it a state of public mourning should even be called.

"I see… so the news was true." The young man from before spoke and was seconded by the old marquis whose eyes are still gazing afar to the clouds beyond his airship's window.

"That's right. Joseph Bougainvillea, your godfather and my dear friend, has died… it took a while for the news to arrive to Marin so it would probably be the last night of his funeral already."

"Even so, we should still show up. Not just as a sign of respect but also to comfort his bereaved family."

"Right… Well, there's also one other thing."

"One other thing? What is it, father?" he asked while pushing his eyeglasses back in place.

"…I'm sorry, son, but I will have to keep it to myself. Instead, I want you to tell his heir and your academy batchmate, Joshua Bougainvillea, about his impending draft order for the Imperial Army. Instead of you, I will take him as my second-in-command."

"Understood, father. I'll be leaving now to prepare our presents for the family."

"Mm. Go on your way now."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

In the Bougainvillea family's manor, the funeral of the late Baronet entered its fifth and final day. As the family didn't have many acquaintances amongst the upper nobility, many of the visitors were nothing more than their own villagers and the three Knight houses under their command such as Houses Elliot, Robinson and the newly established House Dahlia.

["I wish to extend the condolences of the entire Dukedom of Boreas. While it took some time for the news to arrive in the Boreas region, we wish that this letter would arrive in a timely manner and bring you some comfort in this time of loss."]

["The royal house of Marl Kah wishes to extend its condolences to your family. While we cannot be there as our country are in dire straits due to the impending war, we at least want to alleviate your loss with these kind words. May it put your House in peace that the whole royal Salonga family prays for Joseph's soul and you, the family that he has left."]

As for some of the outliers, it was letters of friends from afar such as the Boreas Dukedom's Duchess Natasha and the royal family of the Marl Kah Republic. While these families who are supposed to be among the highest in Imperial nobility, due to them being members of the ancient Ostadonian alliance, are friendly with them personally, the fact that they didn't send an actual representative was a tactful move given that House Bougainvillea was a mere Baronetcy and doing so may invite unwanted attention.

"…He was such a good man. It truly is a great loss to no longer have him here."

"Right… Ever since we found out that it may kill him even if it was treated, he already told me to learn to harden my heart about it. But really hic-! how am I supposed to just endure no longer having him here beside me."

"Oh, Selena… please don't cry again now."

For the past few days, the widowed Selena has been shedding tears whenever the conversation turns to the now departed master of the house and the time they spent together as lovers and partners in life.

As for Joshua, who is now the incumbent lord of the Baronetcy who will take the family's imperial peerage (noble title and responsibilities) as soon as his father is buried, he conversed with the heads and members of their knight houses over tea as alcohol is culturally forbidden during the period of mourning.

"Young lord, I wish to extend my condolences to Lord Joseph… we all knew that it was coming but it really came at such an abrupt manner." A man many years older than Joshua, spoke after finishing the cup of tea on his hand. On his coat was the lapel pin of Knightly House Elliot, one of the Baronetcy's knightly houses.

"Mm. We were just as surprised as you are. We were all ready for it… or so we thought until we had to skip dinner that night to give his body its last rites."

"It really is a shame to lose him… and here I thought, I'd kick the bucket fighting for him before we can reunite in the afterlife." Huey spoke before being reprimanded by a man around the same age as him who wore the lapel pin of House Robinson's coat of arms.

"Haha! Don't say that, Huey-dono. If the lord was alive, he'd probably scold you for saying things like that."

"Uncle Abel is right, Uncle Huey. You and Father were childhood friends. He'd likely never take it well to lose you before he goes to the grave. He's quite stubborn on those things."

"Right. Haah… He does have those kinds of quirks that make him insufferable sometimes. Still, I wish he would've met a less painful end than what fate handed to him."

Time passed as townsfolk either governed by the Baronetcy or those from nearby lands who knew of the Bougainvillea family made their visit to the funeral service and paid respects to the departed Joseph and their condolences to the family.

By the third hour of the afternoon when the sun approached the summit of Mt. Akira and dusk began, the airship of Marquis Taiga landed near the Baronetcy's manor house, and he was met by some of the family members.

"Marquis… It's an honor." With a professional bow, Joshua welcomed Marquis Elmor who responded kindly afterwards and greeted Syrene whom he noticed to be standing beside Joshua.

"The honor is all mine, young Joshua… Oh! This must be the little lady. Hello there, darling."

"H-hewwo…"

"Oh-ho-ho! Well done, young one." true to her young age, Syrene twisted her tongue but still gave a well-practiced curtsy which earned a chuckle from the old gentleman.

"You must be tired from the long journey, marquis. Please, even if it's not the usual appearance of our humble house, we wish to welcome you in."

"Right, I should pay my respects to him and the missus. Kazuto, you are free to roam around as you wish. Since he's here anyway, you should talk to young Joshua about the thing I mentioned earlier."

"Yes, Lord Taiga… It's has been a while since we last saw each other, Joshua."

"That's true. Given that I went straight to the Imperial War College after graduation, we didn't have any opportunity to meet since then."

"About what father mentioned, there is actually…"

Elmor told his son as such before he entered into the manor house, leaving the two to talk to each other.

Inside the manor, the usual receiving area beyond the foyer was turned into the funeral area. Benches lined the place in front of the open casket which has the Bougainvillea family's flag and the Ostadonian imperial colors draped over it. Without batting an eye to everyone else, Elmor approached the casket and peeked into the appearance of his old friend that has now left the realm of the living.

Joseph was wearing the white traditional robe of the native Serafina folk. On his right side was a wooden replica of a saber and on the left was a small book that contained the names and signatures of his entire family and members of his noble household. Looking at him closer, Elmor saw how even after his body was treated for the funeral service, it didn't completely hide how much his body deteriorated due to the Mana tumor that eventually killed him.

"If he can speak, he'd probably say that he still looks better than you, lord Marquis."

"Ahaha… right, he would really say that with a straight face." After Elmor heard that familiar voice of a woman and replying to it with a joke, he faced the woman and gave her a bow. "I'm sorry if I didn't get here earlier, Selena-san. If I received the news any sooner, I may have sent my men to give him a funeral service that befits his station."

"Oh please, Elmor. He'd probably be grumpy about it if you went through with it."

"I'd rather be haunted by him than live my life regretting that I didn't give him what he deserved for decades of loyalty and service to the empire… Now that we're on the topic, I actually came here for another reason other than visiting Joseph one last time. Do you have a place with less people, Selena-san?"

"Yes. Let's take this to the study room… Martha, follow us please."

"Yes, madame."

While Elmor was telling her about his other objective here, Kazuto has just finished conveying the message that the marquis wanted Joshua to learn about at the manor's garage.

"F***… they're really going for it, aren't they?" Joshua cursed beneath his breath and was met with a nod from Kazuto.

"The Demesne association and the Penne Earldom, as you already know, is in practice, outside the Marquisdom's authority. Even if we outrank them in the local nobility, their close ties with some noble families in the imperial court guarantees them a degree of immunity from our control."

"And it doesn't help that they're keeping the Imperial magistrate on their payroll too, you say? Damn it all, I know that no government is free of corruption, but this is on a whole other level." Joshua gritted his teeth in utter frustration from their present circumstances.

Kazuto looked at the distressed Joshua, assessing how he responded to the news that the Demesne association has vetoed their request for tax amnesty in light of the sudden death of his father. Although he can see that Joshua was already agitated, Kazuto knew that he should tell him about the other thing before it's too late.

"There's another thing that I was tasked to tell you about, Joshua."

"Another one? Please tell me it's not as bad as the other."

"I can't really promise that given that it came from the same snakes that declined your amnesty request… Aunt Selena's request to Lord Hoshimiya Midora was declined. You're being drafted to the imperial army and you're going to fight in Irma Island." After he said that, Kazuto saw Joshua visibly turn deathly pale and lean on the veranda's railing to help him stay up, which made him hold onto Joshua to support him too. "W-whoa! I know that it's bad news, but you should at least know how to brace yourself, you know."

"S-Sorry… I just… I just can't take it anymore. Why… Why is this happening to us…?"

"Joshua…"

"Khh-! Damn it… DAMMIT!!!"

At that same moment, Selena received the same news about her request being outright declined by her half-brother and a part of the letter that Elmor didn't mention to his son due to the sheer sensitivity of it.

"Even after two decades… they really never changed---"

"…It would've been irrefutable if you became widowed only a few years after you were married, but the fact is that you're in the later years of your thirties, you have given birth to three children and there is no eligible bachelor around your age that can be matched to you…"

"Which means that this marriage demand that they are putting me in is nothing more than an outright insult of my decision back then to cut my ties with them to marry Joseph."

Such was the fear that Joseph held before he died after he learned that his wife has reached out to her family for help in what can only be described as begging for their aid. He knew that it will only end with his wife being demanded to abandon the Bougainvillea family and serve her clan once again.

"...If you want, I will back your protest against their demand for you to abandon your children and marry for the sake of the Hoshimiya clan. This is not just an insult, this is utter shamelessness!"

"You are right, Marquis… Lady Selena may have disobeyed them but making her abandon the young masters and possibly being forced to be a lowly concubine is preposterous!" Elmor's comment was seconded by Martha who maintained a professional expression but was obviously seething inside.

"…I've cut my ties with them during the generation of my father who also disowned me. Officially speaking, they no longer have any power over me unless I rejoin them." Selena reasoned out but was met by Elmor's reply.

"That's the problem, Selena-san. They're treating your request letter as a sign that you wish to return to the clan. I don't know exactly how they would do it, but it's clear that if not for some worth that they can still extract from you, they just want to shame you as revenge for disobeying them."

Before the conversation can continue, consecutive knocks came from the study room's door which was opened by Martha who received a news brought by a worn-out knight.

"M-Madame… we have unexpected guests."

"Guests? This late into the funeral's last night? Who are they?"

Martha's answer shook not only Selena but even Marquis Elmor.

"The Demesne association… all of them."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

At the courtyard of the Bougainvillea manor, a group of about thirty or so men decked with high-class clothing and several accessories made of pure gold and glistening jewels, dismounted from their extravagant carriages.

One of them, a man whose eyes reeked with a perverse glint that was quickly directed to the manor's young maids, approached the women and leered at them from head to toe as if he's licking them. He even pushed his rotund body's hips back and forth, simulating a se*ual action.

"Buhi-hihihi! My, my! You lot look quite like the treat, aren'tcha?!"

"Eeeek!"

"Hey-hey! Don't play hooky with us now, lassies! We can show ya'll what dreams are made of, if ya know whatcha mean!"

"""GUHAHAHAHAHA!!!"""

Hearing that made the other men who also had the same perverted leer, to laugh out loud as they walked towards the foyer where they began to shove or kick away the commoners that was either helping out in the funeral or praying for the deceased Joseph. They would even overturn the pot of porridge that was being served for both the workers and the visiting villagers. Their thug-like harassment was eventually met with the shout of a young man from the second floor of the mansion.

"Gentlemen! I implore you to cease this act of barbarism immediately!" Joshua shouted, prompting them to turn towards him with a disgruntled expression. As soon as they recognized who it was, they knew he was the heir and the one that they primarily went here for.

"Oh-ho-ho! It's the new baronet of this destitute family! Come on now, boy. We were just having some fun." Shouted back the stout man that harassed the maids from before.

"Assaulting my peasants, harassing my household's maids and wasting food in my abode… You lot sure have an interesting way of describing something fun, Earl Penne."

As Joshua walked down the stairs, the men let go of the mess that they were doing and gathered behind the fat man who Joshua identified to be Earl Kaltka Penne, the Demesne Association's chairman and one of East Serafina's most influential nobles.

"Bah! What on promethea are you even talking about, you brat? When the hell were I ever obligated to f****** ask you what I should and shouldn't do?"

"That's right!"

"How dare a mere baronet's brat prattle for us?!"

"Ghhh---!"

Amidst the men's verbal assault, Joshua began to buckle as he chose whether to drive them out or simply endure until they had their fill of insulting him. Just in time, the elderly marquis stepped between him and the earl and with a staunch expression, demanded their silence.

"While it's true that you massively outrank young Joshua and his family in your noble standing, that is no excuse to act like uncivilized barbarians, Earl… and you crooks, you better tie those lips tight or else…"

"Or else what, old man?"

"Or else I'll f****** do it for you and much more, bastard!"

However, even with his higher noble rank, Marquis Elmor held little to no influence among the nobles in the Demesne association and thus, only a few among the earl's company heeded his warning.

Wanting to show his lack of respect for the Marquis and adding more insult to the Bougainvillea family, the Earl began to shout as he approached Joseph's casket.

"Heh! What a gathering of clowns… and it stinks! Reeks of countryside hicks that roll in their own dung! Pweh! Because of you lot, I have to clear my nose now!" He grabbed the Bougainvillea family's flag and held it over his nose.

"You cur---!"

"Young Joshua! Stop!"

*FWOOOOOP-!!!*

Joshua rushed to grab the flag but was held back by Elmor after seeing what the earl was planning. In the end, Kaltka blew his nose using the flag before tossing it on the glass panel of the casket, staining the viewing glass with his snot.

"Marquis! Why did you---?!"

"Listen to me, young man! He's provoking you to attack him so he can legally demand a duel with you! A duel that he'd very likely cheat at! Calm yourself!"

After all of that havoc, a young man stepped out from the crowd, towering over everyone else in the room with his sheer height.

"You have done enough mess here, Earl Penne. I highly advise you to back off now."

"Hrm…? You might be a bigshot given that you're from the Regalia Margrave, young man, but this is a matter between nobles in East Serafina… Piss off, this isn't your turf."

"Oh? You seem to forget one important thing, Earl… I am Kazuto Regalia-Taiga. I have blood that belongs to the whole Serafina purer than any of yours. If you're going to flaunt your pedigree here, I can more than be a match against you."

"Che!"

After Kazuto silenced him, he demanded the reason why Kaltka and the other nobles in the Demesne came here which the Earl promptly answered with a shocking reply.

"We have been assigned by the dear Imperial magistrate to demand House Bougainvillea's bi-annual harvest taxes ahead of time given the very real possibility that they won't even have a ruling lord by the time that the taxes are to be collected. Also, it has been increased to 10 tons of grain or 200 ounces of gold."

The declaration of the tax hike earned the ire of the villagers who heard it as well. The earl quickly silenced them as the nobles behind him raised their weapons towards them.

"Preposterous!"

"That's far too much!"

"Silence, you peasant knaves!!! Do you have a death wish!?"

"ENOUGH!"

Before things can get worse, a shout from the hallways upstairs resounded and earned everyone's attention. It was no other than the matriarch of the noble house, Selena Bougainvillea.

"That's enough out of you all. Honored gentlemen, sheathe your weapons. This is not a place to brandish your blades like this." Selena spoke and after looking towards the Earl, the noblemen hid their weapons and gave a slight bow towards her.

"Ahh… How sweet of you, my dear Selena. You even graced me with an appearance knowing what we would be after all of this farce."

"…"

"Come on now, you must already know what I am here for."

At that moment, Joshua realized something that took his mind off the ridiculous amount of taxes that their family are being forced to take on.

"M-mother… is he here for-"

"…He is." That reply instantly enraged Joshua who glared at Kaltka with a bloodshot expression.

"While my main objective is to inform and collect your taxes, I'm also here with the express permission of Lord Hoshimiya Midora-sama… my dear Selena, I am here to take you with me as my wife."

With that declaration, the entire place became dead silent to the point that only the sound of the horses outside can be heard. What broke it shortly after was Selena who gave his reply to Kaltka.

"…I will not marry you, Earl Penne. Be contented with your eleven wives and many more concubines and leave my house in peace."

"Oh-hoho! Surely you jest, my dear. Are you really disobeying the order of your family again? This order for you came from Midora-sama, y'know? Surely this time, you wouldn't be so hardheaded and finally obey what-"

"I've done it once and I can do it again, even if I may lose all credibility among the nobility."

"Gukh-!" Selena's sharp retort gained Kaltka's frustrated snarl. She finished her answer with a line that defined who she is as a person.

"I may have lost my dearest husband, but he has left me with our children and his household that still needs me and considers me not as an inductee in their family but its full-fledged member and now, its' very well needed leader… I will not leave the Bougainvillea household, and I will die before you can make me do otherwise!"

After Selena's declaration, Kaltka was visibly seething in anger but managed to hide it well enough as he knew that he still has the upper hand in all of this. With that, a prideful and malicious grin formed on his face as he made up another scheme to cause problems for the Bougainvillea family.

"Heh! I don't care what you have to say about it, Selena. The orders of your family takes precedence over everything, even your personal wishes, and I am more than willing to raise this matter to the imperial magistrate which I will do as soon as I get back to the regional capital of East Serafina… While your case would take time, the same cannot be said to your other problem."

Kaltka raised his hand and out of the group of noblemen behind him came out a young man dressed in gaudy fashion and took out the scroll that contained the orders of the magistrate regarding the early collection of the household's taxes.

"The document has stated that as the Demesne Association's chairman, I have the exclusive permission to decide the amount of the produce or precious materials that would make up the taxes, and since all of you seem to be very willing to piss me off so much, forget about the 10 tons of grains or 200 ounces of gold, FIVE HUNDRED! I say that five hundred ounces of gold is what you should pay as proof of your loyalty to the Empire!"

"F-Five---!"

"T-that is clearly impossible!"

The shocked shouts from the crowd began to resound and of the nobles in attendance, it was Kazuto who raised his concern about it first.

"Earl! This is ludicrous! For a noble house with a Viscount or Marquis's peerage, it might be a normal amount! But House Bougainvillea isn't even a Barony!"

"OHHH! Is that a complaint about how the empire is being run that I'm hearing?! What is this now, honored pure Serafinian? Are you raising a complaint against how our mighty country is being run?! Do you really want to risk being tried for treason for the sake of this insignificant insects!?"

"Kh---!"

"BU-HIHIHIHIHIHI!!! That's right! Pay up or face the consequences of it all!"

While he was laughing out loud, the horses and their men outside began to shriek in fear before the door swung open with the arrival of two people whose clothes are stained with blood and mud.

"I was wondering who was snorting so loudly like a pig… turns out it was just you, Earl Penne."

"YOU---!"

The young man who just arrived was no other than Jonathan Bougainvillea, alongside his maid and the head of House Dahlia, Spica Dahlia. With his comment, Earl Penne turned around with an enraged expression.

"…Seems like you had one hell of a party here with your lapdogs, Earl. Too bad, you're too early to gloat for my father's death, there's still the burial tomorrow."

"Bah! How dare you take that tone with me, you brat?! I'll do whatever the hell I want to do! And what kind of appearance is that, huh?! You're so filthy!"

"…"

"Hah! Maybe you really are nothing more than countryside hicks that roll on your own crap! BU-HIHIHIHIHI!" the earl doled out that insult, making his entourage of noblemen to laugh as well.

"""BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"""

After the laughter has died down, in the end, the last retort went to Jonathan who spoke it while passing by them towards his father's coffin.

"That's rich coming from someone that looks, weighs and laughs like a pig."

"W-W-What did you say!?"

"You heard me… or are you also deaf?"

Hearing his reply made some of the people in the hall to stifle their laughs, much to the rage of Kaltka who immediately snapped back by worsening the conditions he put forward earlier regarding the taxes that he is here to collect.

"Alright! That's it! I'm raising your taxes to 600 ounces of pure gold! Give it now! RIGHT F****** NOW!!!"

His shout earned everyone's utter shock as the previous condition was already beyond ludicrous. Six hundred ounces of gold is not something that one can easily dole out, not even by a County or a Margravedom.

However, Jonathan shocked them with as much impact as the one that he gave to the Earl.

"If we give it now, will you leave and never come back?"

"Oh yeah?! Well then, you have my word!"

"Swear on the name of the empire!"

"You've got it!!!"

"Well then, all four of you in the front including the earl, clench your teeth for it."

"H-Huh?!"

"What are you talking about you brat?!"

From the satchel bag that he was carrying, Jonathan took out four glistening stones and with incredible accuracy, force and speed wrought from his experience of playing baseball, he threw all of it directly to their abdomen, making the three noblemen to fall on their knees in sheer pain.

"BWAK!"

"Ka-Kuhak!"

Two of them threw up on the floor while the other one passed out immediately after falling to the floor. However, the worst one amongst them four was Earl Penne who had three different "accidents".

"D-Did he…?"

"Yeah. He soiled his pants… No, wait! He also wet himself and is throwing up!"

The stones that Jonathan threw were gold ingots weighting over four kilograms or 150 ounces each. An incredible weight compared to a baseball but justifiably heavy to cause the pain that was showed by the four noblemen.

"E-Earl-!" after a moment of being utterly shocked of what just happened, the earl's entourage finally snapped into action. Some of them came to the aid of their fellows and their leader while others drew their weapons and pointed it to Jonathan.

"You filthy brat! How dare you---!"

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, sir."

"H-Huh?"

"I don't think those swords and pistols of yours can even tickle these bad boys."

"HYAU-!!!"

"GRRRRRR---!!!"

At that exact moment, three enormous wolves rushed into the hall and surrounded Jonathan, earning everyone's fear.

"D-D-D-Dire--- DIREWOLVES!!!"

"H-H-HOW ON PROMETHEA---!?"

"R-R-R-R-RUUUUUUNNNNN!!!"

Seeing the high-class monsters surrounding him, the noblemen froze in fear with some of them letting go of their weapons and running away immediately. Seeing that he has earned their fear, Jonathan spoke to those that still remained and gave them an ultimatum.

"You've already got the taxes that we owe the empire. You have no other business here… I will give you until the count of ten before I let my pets loose and have the freedom to devour you."

"H-H-How dare you take that tone with us! You will pay for---"

"One!"

"I-I-I am warning you! This will not go the way you think it will---"

"Two!!"

"Y-Y-You will pay for this---"

"Still wasting your breath and time, huh?! SIX!!!"

"EEEEEEEEKKKKKK!!!"

Seeing that he is resolute with seeing this through, the remaining noblemen took their unconscious fellows and the gold ingots and ran towards their horses or carriages to take their leave. Finally, peace returned to the manor… or at least, that would be the case if not for the fact that someone now needs to explain himself.

"You overdid things again, my liege. You only have 20 points for that." Spica mused to Jonathan as she approached and lightly petted the direwolves.

"Whatever. At least we won't be seeing them for a while… Now then, I guess explanations are now needed, huh."

Jonathan turned to face his family and both Marquis Taiga and his son who are all clearly demanding answers from their gazes alone.

"Before everything else, I just want to say this… I'm home, mother." He spoke and gave Selena as smile.

"Right. Welcome home, Jonathan."