I Was Reincarnated as a Commoner. I Can’t Stand Living Like This, so I’ll Become an Aristocrat! C106

 

106, Aristocrat's Private Army and the Monster Forest

“Richard-sama, may I ask you something? If the royal family supports the teachings of the goddess and the apostle, there is a risk that opposing forces will start a civil war, right? Is this how it will happen?Also, this may be a very basic thing, but do each noble have their own armed forces?''

When I asked that, Richard-sama looked quite surprised. Then, Lucien said this in an astonished voice.

"Leon doesn't know things that are commonplace for a nobleman. He knows things that no one else knows..."

　It can't be helped! Even if I want to learn the basic knowledge of this world, I don't really understand what basic knowledge is, so there are a lot of things that I fail to learn.

"Certainly, it's natural for a commoner living in the capital not to know about this area. I think I should explain this to Leon-kun."

Mr. Richard, you are right. thank you!

"Come thank you"

“Ah, first of all, regarding the military power of the nobles, each noble has their own private army.Basically, they are the same as the soldiers in the royal capital, and they employ commoners with a magic level of 4 or 5.The capital There is a headquarters in the city, and there are branches in other cities.The basic job is to maintain public order in the city, but some nobles clearly employ an excessive number of people to maintain public order in the city, and they conduct military training in the capital. Sometimes I let them do it.”

Does that mean there are quite a few soldiers in each territory? So, if there is a civil war, will the military forces of the opposing nobles head towards the royal capital?

What is that...that's really scary. Until now, I felt like I was listening to stories from a distant world, but I guess there are conflicts all around us in this world...

“Obviously, if you hire too many soldiers, your expenses will increase and your income will decrease.Therefore, you will increase taxes and the people will suffer.I have advised the nobles of the territories that are in such a situation, but the monsters If it is said that this is to deal with a threat, we have no choice but to accept the situation."

It's true that it's troublesome to be asked to deal with monsters. Even if you say that the outer edge of the monster forest is protecting you from it, you don't know how long it will last.

 that? 　I'm stuck on something just now, but... that's right. Many noblemen who are not the eldest sons become knights after graduating from the Royal Academy. Then you'll work for the Knights, right? It could be that half of the knights will betray you! ?

“Um, Richard-sama, I just realized something scary…maybe you can’t trust half of the knights?”

"No, that's definitely not the case. Basically, the knight order prioritizes those who are loyal to the royal family, and those who are not are assigned to the second and third knight orders. Those who are not loyal are They quit the knight order immediately.And former knights who quit often serve as captains or other positions in the aristocratic private corps I mentioned earlier.Of course, they cannot see into everyone's hearts. No, but you don't need to worry that much."

I guess... I'm glad it doesn't seem like it's in the worst condition. Basically, the Knights can be trusted.

However, a new question has arisen. How many knightly orders are there?

“Umm, are there many knight orders?”

"Didn't you mention that? There are four knight orders. The Royal Guards, which protects the royal family, the First Knight Order, which protects the royal castle and capital, the Second Knight Order, which mainly uses swordsmanship and fights monsters, and These four are the Third Knight Order, which fights magic and familiar monsters.The Second and Third Knight Orders are dispatched to the monster forest for most of the year.''

"So that's how it worked."

It's true that if you become a knight because you have no loyalty to the royal family and are sent to the monster forest all the time, you might want to quit. If you go to a noble's private army, you can get a position.

“Then there is the possibility of starting a civil war, but basically it would be the use of force. Basically every territory in this country has a climate suitable for agriculture. It's hard to imagine a rebellion like this.It's true that there are nobles with large agricultural areas that would be hurt if their distribution was stopped, but it's still not enough to have an immediate impact.As Leon-kun knows, the royal capital The surrounding area is also an agricultural area.The only thing that can be considered is salt, but that is also produced in the Townsend Duchy, so even if the distribution is stopped by other nobles, it won't have an immediate effect.Of course, it will be long-term. If this happens over a period of several years, the situation will gradually worsen, but if it is a short-term problem, it can be overcome, and countermeasures can be considered in the meantime.''

Indeed, for a while after leaving the royal capital, the fields were spreading out for a long time. An economic revolt would probably take some time to have an impact, and I don't think it would be a very effective measure given the current situation in this country.

“However, there is no point in thinking about the long term now.By then, the threat of the monster forest will be even more widespread than it is now, and it will no longer be that big. I think we should talk about it.”

 picture? In a few years, the threat of the monster forest will spread and it won't be as bad...?

Isn't the story of the monster forest a story that took place several hundred years ago? ?

“Richard-sama, what do you mean? Is the monster forest really that dangerous?”

When I asked that, Richard looked at me and Lucien with a serious expression.

"This is information that has not yet been made widely known. To avoid confusion, we have avoided disclosing it to commoners. Currently, it is only shared among the heads of noble families and those who hold positions in the royal castle. , I want you to promise me that we'll just talk about this for a while. Lucien too."

 picture? Lucien doesn't know either. Indeed, even at the Royal School, we hardly hear about the monster forest.

The monster forest is spreading and dangerous, but thanks to the knights, its spread has been suppressed.

That's all there is to it. Could the situation be that bad?

"I promise we'll keep this to ourselves."

"me too"

"Okay. I'll trust you guys when I say this. The monster forest is spreading at an increasing pace every year. Until a few years ago, we managed to overcome it by increasing the number of knights, but lately it's hard to stop it. It's becoming impossible. Right now, we're trying to slow down the spread and relocate residents of villages and towns that will be swallowed up by the monster forest in advance."

Is it really that bad...

“As an excuse to make them move, we simply tell the commoners that they are prohibited from entering because it will be used for the training of the Knights, but most of them probably think that it is because of the influence of the monster forest.If the city is swallowed up any more, , there is a high possibility that word will spread that the city is being swallowed up by the monster forest, and chaos will ensue.

　

I wonder how fast it is. Besides, I wonder what it means to have a monster forest spread out. Are the plants different from normal forests?

“How fast is the monster forest expanding? Also, what does it look like when it expands?”

"Plants in the monster forest are different from normal plants; some of them grow at impossible speeds and some can move like animals. As a result, they spread at a much faster rate."

There is such a mysterious plant! ? Another world is too scary...

"I can't say exactly how fast it's spreading because it's not constant, but if things continue like this, it's predicted that the monster forest will spread all the way to the royal capital in about 10 years. I thought I could still contain it, but..."

...Eh, more than ten years from now! ? That means I was still in my twenties! Arriving at the capital around that time... there's more time than I expected.

If this country's royal capital is swallowed up, the area where people can live will be considerably reduced. If such a situation were to arise, there would be a scramble for food and everything, and war would surely ensue. Being killed by monsters, being killed in a fight, or dying from lack of food... it's too painful.

I mean, the nobles know this fact, right? There's no point in starting a civil war, right?

Because even if we were to obtain a country, there is a possibility that it would soon be destroyed.

"Richard-sama, the nobles are aware of the current situation, right? If that's the case, I think they'll think it's not the time for a civil war..."

“It would be nice if you could think of it that way… but the sense of crisis has not been conveyed to the nobles who are not close to the threat of the monster forest.It is probably not a good thing that they were able to suppress it until a few years ago.It is dangerous. Even though I say that, there are many nobles who think they can control it in the end.The reality is even more serious.''

Is that what it is? But I certainly felt the same way. I knew that the monster forest was spreading and dangerous, but I was so caught up in my daily life that I didn't really think about it.

Unless there is actual danger nearby, a sense of crisis is not shared...

...But it's not like there are no territories of hostile forces bordering the monster forest, right?

If that's the case, don't you think it's dangerous when you hear about the current situation in that territory?

“There are some territories that are hostile to the monster forest, right? Don’t the nobles of those territories share a sense of crisis?”

“Actually, there are no nobles from the hostile force whose territory borders the monster forest.”

Oh, there aren't any! ? Why are you so biased?

“Why are you so biased?”

“Ah, the royal family is investing a lot of human resources and funds into countermeasures against the monster forest.Also, on the outer edge of the monster forest, knights and private armies of nobles are fighting together.Therefore, the royal family There are many families who feel indebted to them and support them.Furthermore, when they are exposed to the threat of the monster forest, it seems that people change their minds to help each other and survive, regardless of their status as aristocrats or commoners.''

Is that so...but that means that if there was no monster forest, there would be far fewer nobles supporting the royal family than there are now.

The monster forest is troublesome, but it also has some good aspects...it's kind of complicated.

But that fact is quite dangerous. Because if a civil war broke out, the nobles who supported the royal family would have to allocate their troops to deal with the monster forest, so they wouldn't be able to send out a large number of troops to help the royal family if a civil war broke out. Thing.

When we were fighting a civil war, our territory was swallowed up by a monster forest, and if something like that happened to us, we'd look like idiots.

If you know the current situation well, it's a pretty dire situation right now...If a civil war were to break out, it would most likely happen within a few years, and it would almost certainly be an armed civil war.

And it seems that the royal family is currently at a disadvantage in this civil war. Now that the statue of the goddess has shone, it will be a matter of how much support the royal family will have.

Moreover, no matter what the outcome of the civil war is, the country will definitely fall into disrepair, and at such times the threat of monsters will approach.

Up until now, I've been focusing on myself and not paying much attention to this country, but isn't this country in a very critical situation? 　

The worst scenario is one where the country is torn apart by civil war and swallowed up by a monster forest.

The best pattern is to avoid a civil war and stand together against the threat of the monster forest.

But even in that case, if nothing can be done about the monster forest, a fight will eventually break out and they will be swallowed up by the monster forest.

Even the best pattern is not good at all.

I wonder if there's anything I can do about this situation. If I can help, I'd like to, but no matter how much magic I can use, I don't know how much power I have on my own...

As I was worrying about this, Richard-sama's face became a little kinder.

``I'm sorry for speaking so harshly to you. We adults will deal with this problem. First of all, you should just enjoy your school life. Then, after you graduate, will you help us?'' ?”

"Grandfather, of course. I will do my best to help you."

"Lucien is reliable. Leon-kun is not a nobleman, so I'm sorry for getting him involved, but I'm going to ask for your continued support."

"No, I'm grateful that I can think of countermeasures better now than a commoner who gets caught up in the situation without knowing anything. I'll do my best to help as well."

"Thank you. You're very reliable."

Anyway, all I can do right now is practice magic and practice with a sword so I can protect the people I care about.

I'll do my best to do what I can.

From there, the atmosphere changed a little, we chatted about the events at the Royal School, and Lucien and I returned to our respective rooms. It's almost time for dinner.

Even so, the stories were all shocking.

First, let's talk about God. I thought God was close to me because there were apostles and divine relics in the past, but the fact that there is an oracle means that God really exists. Don't you say that God is real? Does God exist? 　

I don't really get it, but I guess it really exists.

Or rather, if God really exists, why can't we do something about this situation? I think, but maybe God is creating this situation...

A god who enjoys watching humans being destroyed by monsters...? Scary, too scary. Just don't get close to things with great power.

However, what was more shocking than the story about God was the story about the monster forest. To think that this world was in such a critical situation...it's such a shocking story that it doesn't really make sense to me.

I don't know what I can do for now, but for now I'll just keep my strength up.

If a time when there is no peace comes, then power will be everything. Whether it's fighting people or monsters...

I decided to become more powerful.