I Became the illegitimate son of a duke

46 – Var (2)

“…”

The office fell silent.

Ines and Chloe are laughing as if they can’t say anything anymore, and the other attendants are holding their breath and watching me.

Knowing that the plunder and subsidies were not properly returned to the farmers, I asked them to investigate further to see if there were any more cases like this before taking action…

“…I’m going to turn around.”

It wasn’t just the nobles who did that.

As I said before, in the Duchy of Burgon there are feudal estates owned by nobles, but there are also many church territories owned by the church.

Since it is not possible to directly exercise administrative power over the church decree, the church is given funds and told to take care of the farmers suffering from the aftermath of the war… Crazy assholes.

“Still, the nobles are quiet except for those in Bar.”

Since the war did not happen only in the Bar region, subsidies were not given only to Bar.

Aside from the nobles in Bar, the nobles in Nevers, for example, used the funds I gave them properly for the peasants.

‘I must look quite insignificant.’

But the ecclesiastical territories had no such tendency at all.

No matter what, these idiots just ate up all the support money given to them for post-war reconstruction.

Even though most of them were given in the form of grain and farming tools, not money, these youngsters did not give them to farmers but sold them to merchants.

Because of this, farmers refuse to pay, and it is only natural that they desperately resist when payment leads to death.

“…Leclerc, what will happen if you punish them for embezzlement?”

“It’s possible if Bar’s nobles rush in before they can properly respond, but the church is very difficult.”

“As expected.”

The nobles of Bar, who are divided into several minor nobles, can be arrested or accused of embezzlement if they swarm before they unite properly.

However, such a thing is impossible in the Church Spirit.

Unlike the nobles who are divided into various interest groups, the Church Territory is united as one, and their head, the Seonghwangcheong over there, is something even I, the Duke of Burgon, cannot hastily deal with.

We are walking a tightrope with the execution of the Bishop of Dijon.

Did the church spirits know that, so they came out like that? Ha ha…

“…For now, the church decree will only gather evidence that they embezzled.”

Fortunately, the evidence is abundant.

All of the farm tools supported for post-war restoration were made in a forge in Dijon, and it was very easy to trace back the leaked route, thanks to the Dijon seal.

Furthermore, with the cooperation of conscientious clergy, we were able to gather much conclusive evidence that the ecclesiastics had sold agricultural implements.

I have no choice but to gather the evidence and put it aside until the time comes.

“But the bastards of Barr must make sure.”

“Is it possible?”

Of course, Bar’s nobles don’t have particularly scary backgrounds like the church territories, so there’s no need to notice.

I feel a bit embarrassed to get angry while looking at the other person… But what can I do with this kind of reality? Tsk.

“In that case, I will prepare the arresting forces. If you give them time to unite by asking them to commit crimes by message, it will be difficult for them to respond.”

“No, I will send a message inquiring about the sins of the nobles.”

“…Yes?”

Leclerc, who was preparing to arrest the nobles of Bar, is embarrassed by Claude’s unexpected words and answers.

Of course.

If you send a message instead of arresting them right away, it will give them time to get together, and if this happens, things will become complicated.

I don’t know if they set up a breach in policy or put pressure on them politically, but if they decide to rebel—

‘ㅡ Rebellion?’

Leclerc, trying to guess his master’s intentions, realizes one fact.

There is no way that Claude, who has been through a rebellion, would not have thought of the possibility that this action would cause a rebellion.

‘The punishment for treason is higher than for embezzlement.’

If a commoner embezzles, I don’t know. If a noble does embezzlement, no matter how high the punishment is, a fine is the limit. Making laws is the inherent right of the duke, but public perception is still beyond the duke’s control.

If the punishment is stronger than the fine, other vassals will be dissatisfied, which will adversely affect the rule.

However, if their crime is treason rather than simple embezzlement… Literally, anything is possible. Everything from the seizure of all property to the retrieval of titles and the death penalty.

Then even those who did not commit embezzlement can become involved in treason. Because the minor nobles of the Bar region are often related to each other through blood ties and alliances.

If this is the case, it’s completely to the duke-

“I’ve been thinking about this for a while… Don’t you think I have too few titles even though I’m a duke?”

“…As expected, you did.”

Claude’s answer drives a wedge into what Leclerc is thinking.

The territory of the traitors obtained earlier has been sprinkled with titles to appease the nobles, so there is nothing left. Most of the traitors were related by blood to other nobles, so it was an inevitable choice.

But if Bar’s nobles rebelled, a different scene would unfold.

There are no nobles of Burgon who are related by blood to the nobles of Bar, and even if there were, most of them were weak enough to be ignored.

“However, with the aftermath of the execution lingering, it is unlikely that they will revolt.”

“I wish there would be a rebellion, but I don’t want it that far. If they’re going to commit something like this, there will definitely be some people who say things that cross the line, so it’s enough to take away their territory.”

“…Yes, I understand.”

Chloe and Ines immediately realized what Claude meant by ‘crossing the line’ and made stern expressions.

“Okay, what should I do with my letter to them?”

“…You should use it to the extent that they feel insulted as much as possible. His Highness, the Duke of the previous war, in a case like this—”

Chloe’s and Ines’ eyes met each other, but quickly diverged, but Claude, who was talking to Leclerc for a while, didn’t notice it.

…………

“What is this!?”

I thought it was a response to a support request I sent earlier. What is this?

The baron, reading the letter brought by the messenger, is furious with his eyes wide open.

[We have secured a number of evidence and witnesses that support funds to go to farmers suffering from the aftermath of the war were embezzled. Properly deliver the subsidies that farmers should have received and apologize to them. Moreover, you will have to accept my official in your territory so that such embezzlement crimes do not happen in the future.]

“This… This…!”

The content of the letter could be roughly summarized like this.

As far as handing money to farmers, let’s say that. But what the hell is the point of apologizing to those thousand things and accepting the duke’s bureaucracy in my domain?

Apologizing to a thousand creatures whose noble blood feeds on the soil is an improbable devilish act, and accepting a bureaucrat is also a very terrible violation of my sovereignty.

“You dirty illegitimate bastard…!”

How dare you set a trap and humiliate me like this?

What do you mean by embezzlement of the support money that should go to the thousand things?

What kind of lord in the world would care about a vassal’s territory without the vassal asking for it first?

But suddenly, when I received a bribe, they said that I embezzled? There are degrees of madness.

“…!”

The faces of the vassals instantly become contemplative at the words the baron uttered.

Of course. This is because what the duke committed in the square of Dijon as a ‘killer butcher tool’ was so shocking that it spread beyond Burgundy to foreign countries.

If a duke with such a terrible taste hears that, it’s only natural that our vassals who assisted the baron will be in trouble.

“Each, Your Excellency…”

Not long ago, they were vassals who tried to get a profit by flattering the baron, but now it’s not like that at all.

If you agree with that statement and then the words leak out, the death penalty is certain.

“Why do you look like that? You and I are the only ones here. Are you guys going to inform the duke!?”

“Oh no…!”

If he was a noble with proper common sense, he would not have made such a statement, but unfortunately, this baron belongs to a noble without proper common sense.

It is because all the previous barons died in the war with Burgon 30 years ago, and he inherited the baron without being educated.

For him, it is impossible to look at other people’s notice. He’s in his estate, he’s the king himself.

‘My father-in-law said that he received money from the duke just like me, so there must be many people who have received such a disrespectful letter. If that’s the case, we have to stick together as one…!’

The duke lured the nobles of Bar into a trap with an obvious insult.

If we stay still, we will be looked down on and our rights will be taken away. I must quickly send a messenger to the nobles of Bar to form a faction against the duke.

If I could be the leader of that faction… That would be great.

“Whoop whoop…”

Among the vassals whose faces have turned blue and stiffened, only the baron has a fishy smile on his face.