In This Life, I Will Be The Lord - Chapter 259

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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This Life, I Will Become the Clan Head

 

Side Story 2

 

Snicker.

 

When our eyes meet, Chanton Seosseou nods his head toward me with a smile.

 

It was quite an infuriating attitude, but I’m not someone who gets riled up over such petty provocations.

 

What does he take me for?

 

I maintained an expressionless face and quietly stared at Chanton Seosseou.

 

“I knew this would happen.”

 

In the process of putting Peres on the throne, Chanton Seosseou and I were on the same side.

 

Me, who supported northern Aivan and opened trade routes for eastern Ruman, and Chanton Seosseou, who dried up Angenas and the Previous Emperor’s funding and seized their lands.

 

But after bringing down our common enemy and achieving our goal, the cooperation ended.

 

Chanton Seosseou’s subsequent actions were exactly as I had predicted before the vassal families, before I inherited the clan head position from Grandfather.

 

Even though it was supposedly to bring down Angenas, too much Sersheu-produced grain had been distributed throughout the Empire.

 

The South’s long-continued good harvests, and the East and West that had suffered from poor harvests.

 

Naturally, the Empire’s dependence on Sersheu-produced grain, especially wheat, became excessively high.

 

Chanton Seosseou used this point without hesitation.

 

He began gradually raising the prices of Sersheu-produced grain.

 

Naturally, many families that needed wheat began watching Chanton Seosseou’s mood, and a faction centered around Sersheu was rapidly established.

 

As a result.

 

“Lord Ruman, I see.”

 

“I heard he arrived from the East yesterday. He must have rushed to attend without even resting.”

 

Indit Ruman, Avinox’s father, sat in the chair directly to the right of Chanton Seosseou that had been empty all along.

 

Seeing this, a noble near me sneered.

 

“Hmph, ungrateful fool.”

 

“How much did the Lombardi clan head accommodate Ruman’s convenience? Yet look at him clinging to Sersheu’s side like that.”

 

A laugh escaped me without realizing it at the grumbling of the pro-Lombardi nobles.

 

Just a year and a half ago, the eastern Ruman family was Lombardi’s closest ally.

 

The entire isolated East had come alive thanks to the eastern trade and cruise travel I had promoted.

 

Larane was even engaged to Avinox, the son of Lord Ruman.

 

However, today, the Ruman family was one of Chanton Seosseou’s close associates.

 

“Where are there eternal friends in this political arena?”

 

“Have you arrived, Lord Aivan?”

 

Northern Migente Aivan, who had once been trapped in a carriage with me, said as he set down his cane.

 

Though he used it unavoidably due to the leg injured in the carriage accident, as befitting the northern Lord Aivan famous for underground minerals.

 

Several large gems were embedded in his cane.

 

“Our North can be self-sufficient and has abundant resources, so we don’t need to watch Sersheu’s mood. But the East doesn’t have such circumstances.”

 

“That may be so, but.”

 

“It’s just that Lord Sersheu, who exploited that weakness well, is like a snake. Isn’t that right, Lord Lombardi?”

 

A snake.

 

If it’s such a big snake, shouldn’t we consider it a dragon?

 

I smiled at Lord Migente Aivan’s question.

 

And looking at Chanton Seosseou and Lord Ruman leaning close together having some secret conversation, I said.

 

“I quite like that saying about there being no eternal friends.”

 

It would be nice if they knew that too.

 

“It seems the Brown family won’t be attending today either?”

 

“Chanton Seosseou, that man torments them so much using food as leverage. Telling them to come and cast votes favorable to him.”

 

“Not attending is the best strategy. If the Brown family, who owes great debt to the Lombardi family, sided with Sersheu, that would truly be betrayal! Betrayal!”

 

At Lord Bern’s shout of “Betrayal!”, Lord Ruman’s shoulders flinched greatly.

 

But conversely, an even deeper smile appeared on Chanton Seosseou’s face.

 

It was a leisurely attitude as if saying ‘Bark all you want while you can.’

 

“As harvest season approaches, Lord Sersheu’s attitude becomes even more arrogant.”

 

Soon it would be time to harvest wheat.

 

The regional families that needed that wheat to get through fall and winter had no choice but to grovel at Chanton Seosseou’s every word.

 

“He’s a clever person.”

 

It was political sense unthinkable for someone who had known only swords his whole life and for whom being a knight commander was his calling.

 

That’s what made him more worth confronting.

 

Before I knew it, Chanton Seosseou was staring at me.

 

Unlike Angenas who had always burned with naked hostility, it was a gaze with cold competitive spirit.

 

Yes, let’s have a go at it.

 

I nodded my head with a smile just as Chanton Seosseou had done.

 

“His Majesty the Emperor enters.”

 

Just then, the meeting room door opened and the Imperial Palace’s chamberlain entered to announce.

 

Everyone gathered in the great meeting room stood up from their seats.

 

Shortly after, Peres appeared.

 

Red eyes visible beneath black hair smoothly swept back, and sculptural distinct features, all above a black formal uniform gorgeously embroidered with gold thread.

 

Peres had always been handsome, but he was increasingly gaining an indescribable weighty charm.

 

Whose fiancé is he? He’s really something.

 

I was watching Peres ascend to the Emperor’s seat on the platform with a proud heart.

 

“Hm?”

 

I tilted my head.

 

Peres’s expression when our eyes met was strange.

 

He seemed to hesitate for a moment, then appeared oddly dejected.

 

To others it would look like the same expressionless face, but to my eyes it was clearly different.

 

The corners of his eyes had drooped slightly downward.

 

Though I was slightly concerned about Peres’s expression, I soon composed myself.

 

“We will begin the great council.”

 

With the chairman’s words, the meeting room door closed firmly.

 

Everyone focused on Peres sitting in the high seat.

 

After a moment of heavy silence.

 

“Today’s agenda is the trade conflict between Lombardi and Sersheu, I hear.”

 

Just as I had done, setting aside personal feelings and returning to the perfect face of an Emperor, Peres’s low voice echoed through the large meeting hall.

 

Simultaneously, I felt several nearby nobles tense their bodies.

 

Unlike during Previous Emperor Yobanes’s time, the nobles found Peres difficult and fearsome.

 

Since he had never received help from other factions besides Lombardi and Sersheu in ascending to the throne, he owed nothing to anyone.

 

An Emperor who didn’t watch the nobles’ moods naturally came to possess absolute power.

 

Peres said while skimming through documents submitted by the noble council chairman.

 

“Currently, all trade by the Lombardi Guild and Pellet Guild entering Sersheu territory has been suspended.”

 

This was something Chanton Seosseou had done recently.

 

At the entrance to Sersheu lands, the southern border, he was not allowing passage of Lombardi Guild trade.

 

To be precise, all logistics from pro-Lombardi families that had entrusted goods to Lombardi Guild trade were blocked.

 

“I hear Lombardi raised this agenda. Lord Lombardi, please explain.”

 

Peres doesn’t reveal his private relationship with me in official settings.

 

It was something I had requested.

 

And Peres had been following my request well without a single exception.

 

As I slowly stood up, I felt dozens of gazes flying toward me.

 

I met those eyes one by one before opening my mouth.

 

“Since ancient times, unless territorial wars are taking place, not blocking guild trade has been a long-standing principle among us nobles. Moreover, the Lombardi and Pellet Guilds pay massive tolls to Sersheu annually in exchange for promises of cooperation to ensure smooth guild trade.”

 

I lightly held up documents Cleribane had handed me as I spoke.

 

“Nevertheless, Sersheu is unilaterally blocking trade and causing such massive damages. I, Pirenthia Lombardi, as owner of the Lombardi Guild and Pellet Guild, demand prompt resumption of trade and appropriate damage compensation from Sersheu.”

 

With the nodding agreement of those present to my words, Peres now asked Chanton Seosseou.

 

“Lord Sersheu, do you have anything to say about this?”

 

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

 

Chanton Seosseou, whose loyalty to the Imperial Court was at least sincere, rose from his seat and bowed once toward Peres before beginning his statement.

 

“Blocking the guilds’ entry was an unavoidable measure taken because they caused security problems in Sersheu. Wanted criminals had infiltrated the merchant caravan and nearly put the estate’s people in danger, and isn’t this more important than fulfilling contracts?”

 

Then Peres looked at me silently.

 

He was saying I was free to speak.

 

I countered toward Chanton Seosseou.

 

“The ones who rooted out those infiltrated wanted criminals were the Lombardi Guild, not Sersheu’s security forces, and why do you omit the fact that the Sersheu land those wanted criminals stepped on was nothing more than a checkpoint, Lord Chanton Sersheu?”

 

“If it weren’t for the Lombardi Guild, this wouldn’t have happened in the first place.”

 

“You’re being unreasonable. If there were security problems, you should have strengthened security. Halting all merchant activities because of something that ended as an attempt is not only a breach of contract, but something that brings more harm than benefit to both sides, as you well know.”

 

“For me, the safety of the estate’s people is more important than anything else, so I took such measures. Even if there were a hundred benefits, it’s unavoidable to protect the one most important thing.”

 

On the surface he’s pretending to care quite a bit for his estate’s people, but that’s nonsense.

 

Those suffering the most from Chanton Seosseou’s decision this time are none other than Sersheu’s own estate people.

 

It was a natural consequence since the merchant activities of the Lombardi and Pellet guilds, which had accounted for more than half of Sersheu estate’s export volume, had disappeared.

 

Those who had been doing business with them and Sersheu’s farmers who had contracted to supply grain to the guilds were left with nothing to do but look up at the sky.

 

Chanton Seosseou was simply the type of person who would chew and swallow a hundred losses like bitter medicine for the one thing he wanted.

 

“Prohibiting merchant activities was merely a choice I made as Lord Sersheu for the sake of my estate’s people.”

 

“You mean making the crops they farmed with blood and sweat rot away in storehouses?”

 

At my words, Chanton Seosseou’s eyes, which had been relaxed throughout, turned sharp.

 

I didn’t avoid those eyes either.

 

Though we were arguing like going in circles on ice, both I and Chanton Seosseou knew well what lay beneath the surface.

 

What Chanton Seosseou was aiming for by pressuring the Lombardi and Pellet guilds’ merchant activities, even while chewing and swallowing a hundred bitter medicines, was clear.

 

The place where those two guilds carried countless goods daily like ants moving in a line.

 

The land surrounded by Sersheu estate like the yolk of a cracked egg, and the center of eastern trade that had once belonged to Sersheu.

 

It was Chesayu, my father’s estate.

 

“Since Lord Sersheu says he made his choice as a lord, shall I also make a choice as the owner of a guild?”

 

And I couldn’t just stand by and watch that happen.

 

“For example, how about the Lombardi Guild and Pellet Guild completely cutting off their steps to the south?”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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