C105
"What...?"
"It's okay, Ethel. I'll save you from the clutches of that man."
Liena interrupted me halfway through the sentence with a confident attitude.
"No, Terence didn't..."
"Have you become close enough to call each other by your names? He really is a fox-like person. He also lured Elliot."
She didn't listen to me at all. Moreover, she seemed to believe that Elliot had betrayed her because Terence persuaded him.
"I'm sorry. I didn't want to do this either."
Liena seemed to be crying.
"But as long as that person controls you as he does now, I have no choice but to be hostile toward you."
"I'm not being controlled."
"Yes, that's right. Sooner or later, I will open your eyes."
It felt like a thick wall blocked Liena and me.
"I'm so sorry, Ethel. I can't give more power to that man."
Liena said that and walked toward her grandfather.
Feeling uneasy, I followed and listened to what Liena had to say.
"Grandfather, the story is over."
"What did that woman tell you?"
"Don't do that. My sister-in-law didn't say anything."
"Tsk, I understand. So, are we proceeding as planned?"
"Yes. Just as planned."
How was it planned?
Roland gestured, and one of his men ran toward the entrance of the village. Here was where Viscount Cainbert, who had brought his soldiers, was waiting.
Terence and I exchanged glances before heading toward the village entrance.
Roland's subordinate was seen whispering something to Viscount Cainbert.
The viscount heard everything his subordinate said, then unsheathed his sword, raised it high, and shouted.
"I, Lucio Cainbert, declare territorial war against the County of Wallace at this moment!"
Territorial war. The villagers were very agitated by these sudden words.
One of the residents, an elder, stepped forward and asked the viscount with a trembling voice.
"My lord, I am the chief of this village."
"Speak."
"Our village was annexed from the County of Wallace to the Viscounty of Cainbert several years ago, so why do you want to execute territorial war here...?"
"Oh, you don't have to worry. I have no interest in this run-down village either."
The viscount's sword pointed at the Andala mine located behind the village.
"This entire area has become my territory, but only one area remains that belongs to the County of Wallace."
"Are you referring to the abandoned mine?"
"Yes. Count Wallace has not fully paid his debt to me. So, I will take that abandoned mine as my land and repair the damage."
The residents who heard this whispered with expressions of confusion on their faces. At that moment, we heard the sound of a group of people near us talking.
"No, why that useless land...?"
"I didn't even know that mine still belonged to the Wallace family."
"But territorial war is quite strange. I can't even see the Count's soldiers."
"That's right. Shouldn't the imperial family be informed of a battle between noble families and notify the other party in advance that an attack is taking place?"
It might seem absurd, but it was an essential rule to maintain national order.
It wasn't an enemy country, but nobles within the same country were fighting, and if there were no rules like this, the Asteroth Empire would quickly fall into disarray.
Viscount Cainbert also seemed to realize this and spoke.
"I received permission from His Majesty the Emperor and notified the County of Wallace, but there was no response."
Of course. Count Wallace and his family were probably already moving to a rented house in the capital.
The rest of the County of Wallace was probably only the land near the Count's mansion, but they weren't fools, and there was no way they would return to the mansion where their debtors were waiting.
"This is a complete battle."
Since Count Wallace didn't have the strength to respond adequately, Viscount Cainbert could win the battle without shedding a drop of blood.
Somehow, even though there were so many soldiers brought by the viscount, there was no tension whatsoever, and it even seemed boring.
Terence whispered quietly.
"If I were in the imperial palace, I would have prevented such a ridiculous situation from happening."
"They deliberately targeted Terence while he was away."
There was a high probability that the emperor had approved the territorial war without thinking much.
From a national perspective, Cainbert and Wallace were nothing more than small fiefs where most people didn't even know where they lived.
If a large noble family like Cassius had decided to get involved in a territorial war, it would have been considered significant, but since the issue was Cainbert, it would have been just one more item on the agenda among the numerous pending matters in the political meeting.
"That's why you came with Cainbert, Liena."
Liena's intention was to use Viscount Cainbert to steal my mine.
Since I couldn't just obediently watch, I stood in front of the viscount.
"This territorial war is not possible."
The viscount arched his eyebrows.
"Who are you?"
"I'm Ethel, the owner of that mine."
"Oh, the daughter of Count Wallace?"
"Now, legally, we are not related. If you want, I can confirm it."