Chapter 28 - Averting a Crisis
Sitting beside Father, Mother gently placed her hand on his knee and began to speak. The worry had left her expression, replaced by a clear sense of relief. Her voice, firm and resolute, struck my ears with the same encouraging tone she had used when I was a child, reminding me of those moments when she cheered me on.
"The three brothers of the knightly family have grown beyond our expectations, Lord Husband. The eldest, who has not only overcome the breaking of his spirit but also embraced his role as the heir, and showed determination by choosing his own partner. The second, who acknowledges the strengths of the eldest, and with pride and conviction, has taken it upon himself to compensate for the shortcomings of his brother. And the youngest, despite possessing the internal mana of a count, remains humble, holding a deep love for his homeland.
I never imagined that the quiet third son would so eloquently speak to you about the noble principles, Lord Husband. His time refining himself in the royal capital seems to have transformed him into a man of the frontier, which is truly a joyous thing. The chick has grown large and begun to spread its wings. ...Lord Husband, our children are searching for a different path for the knightly family, one that differs from our generation’s. I wish for you to make a decision not as the head of the knightly family... but as the parent of these children."
Despite her words, there was a sharp intensity in Mother's eyes. Once again, it was clear that she had a firmer resolve. Father, on the other hand, was a kind-hearted person often swayed by the past. That’s why the people of our land admire him. There’s no doubt about that. But in order to be someone worthy of such respect, sometimes harsh decisions must be made. I felt certain of this.
Father, lost in deep thought, finally lifted his gaze. There was a fierce light in his eyes, one that suggested he had made his decision. The calm words that followed echoed in our hearts.
"I will send out the disownment letter for Uncle. However, it will only be the Uncle’s House that receives the disownment from the knightly family. His actions have crossed a line. As such, this is something we, as the knightly family, cannot overlook. Normally, such actions would be considered high treason and worthy of a death sentence, but considering his past merits, I will decree his disownment and expulsion from the town. This is my decision as the head of the knightly family. As for his subordinates, they will be informed that their actions will be their own responsibility. Whether they stay or leave is up to them."
""""Understood.""""
"There will be considerable pressure on you all. Many people will disappear. The threat to our homeland will not lessen. The number of soldiers is few, yet there are many to protect. You cannot say it’s impossible. Get it done. Carry it out with unwavering determination."
"""As you wish."""
Father, with his arms crossed, continued to glare at us three brothers. I wondered what thoughts stirred in his heart. Was it yearning or sorrow for some past scene I couldn’t comprehend? Regardless, we had to move forward. That was the decision. Mother lightly tapped his knee, as if to say, "Well done." And then, one of us turned pale at her next words...
"As the wife of the heir, there are many things you must learn. We must begin immediately. Come to my study. I’ll convey what’s necessary for now. You won’t be allowed to refuse."
"Yes, Madam."
"You will address me as 'Mother-in-law.'"
Mother’s faint smile carried a certain weight. I reminded myself once again to never anger her. Was it just a biased perception because she was my beloved relative, or was it true that the knightly family’s inner workings were secure as long as she was there? No, seeing the tense expression on my second brother’s face, it seemed this was no exaggeration. He, too, held a deep reverence for Mother. After all, she was the one who practically kicked Father into his role.
And so, it was with Father’s decision that the crisis of the knightly family began to move.
--- § ---
The disownment letter to Granduncle was completed the same day, along with a detailed explanation, and sent out as a circular to the heads of neighboring knightly families. The signatures and seals confirmed their approval of our knightly house's disownment of Granduncle. If someone refused to sign, they would have to provide a reason for their refusal. Frankly speaking, the frontier knightly houses didn’t have the luxury to meddle in another family’s mess.
The circulars were distributed one after another, and three days later, it reached the count’s house, which had been our lord. Most of the knightly houses under the count had already accepted the disownment, and so the head of the count’s house had no choice but to do the same. Had this been something my knightly house requested alone, it could have been dismissed as "foolishness." But since we attached a legally sound explanation, and sent it to the noble council as well, the count’s house, which had been our lord, was already in a situation where they couldn’t reverse it.
As long as one meets the necessary prerequisites of laying the groundwork and following kingdom laws, it’s hard for anyone, no matter how powerful, to bury the matter. In fact, it’s often more realistic to bury the foolish individual involved in the problem. This kind of thinking is commonplace among mid-tier nobles, and in terms of the noble way, it was entirely reasonable.
Granduncle, with his mindset, couldn’t keep up with the rapidly changing circumstances. He and his men, who were primarily focused on battle and whose philosophy was strength is everything, had little understanding of the noble way. The truth of the matter would only be revealed after the circulars had made their rounds. The real turning point came when my father received confirmation of the disownment from the neighboring knightly houses and approval from the lord's house.
This was when the "official notice" came.
In a fit of near madness, Granduncle tried to change the situation, relying on his military strength to influence things. But we all knew he’d try something like that. And so, before he could act, Second Brother had already moved. The main force of our knightly house had started working on persuading Granduncle’s subordinates.
This situation also had a bit of my advice behind it. I remembered the entertainment novels left behind by my former coworkers during my past life, in that dreary company dormitory. At times when there was nothing to do, "I", who had distanced myself from such distractions as entertainment, found enjoyment in reading the novels they had left behind.
They weren’t gifts—they had been discarded in the dorm’s trash bin. That’s why I could freely pick them up. But as I got absorbed in the reading, I couldn’t completely shake the fear that, as usual, it could be taken away from me at any moment. So, to deal with the situation, I would pretend to read the words with a complete lack of interest, as if it didn’t matter to me.
Among those novels, many were set in the Sengoku period (TL/N: Warring States period). They weren’t newly released books but rather old paperback editions, the kind you might find in a second-hand bookstore. However, for someone like "me," with nothing else to occupy my time, these books seemed to open up an endless space in my mind. The vivid narratives, filled with wisdom, offered a kind of insight that helped make the difficulties of my own life a little more bearable.
I devoured them, understanding the content, imagining what wasn’t written between the lines... If I were to say it now, those novels were a sort of thought experiment. The knowledge and wisdom I gained weren’t always useful, but they were etched into my soul as memories.
One of the pieces of wisdom I came across was the concept of Conversion (TL/N: The term is 調略 (chouryaku) in Japanese. Not really sure about the exact translation for this.). It referred to a series of actions aimed at drawing away individuals from the enemy's camp, particularly those engaged in intellectual labor, in order to separate them from their leader or remove them from the enemy's influence.
It was fine to recruit them after defeating the enemy’s leader. No one foolish enough would take in someone who was already planning to betray. The key was to watch how the person acted after being converted.
I passed this idea on to Second Brother. He’d been focused solely on battling monsters and magical beasts, and that made him less skilled at handling people. On top of that, the frontier mentality accelerated this blind spot. It was simply a matter of being too lax. Even someone you could trust with your life on the battlefield wouldn’t necessarily be the same in a town under normal circumstances.
If we’d mistaken which situation was the norm from the start, we wouldn’t have had any way to control people’s hearts. The effect was painfully clear. Granduncle wasn’t a man of great character. He always solved problems through sheer force, ignoring reason and kingdom laws.
Well, to put it bluntly, everything was done according to his whims. Even some of his subordinates had eyes that could see the truth. Those who dealt with intellect in their jobs had their doubts about the unreasonable orders he gave.
They were people who had a strong dislike for applying the Demonic Forest mindset to the town. No one would respect a man who blamed the common folk for rape and pillaging. As a result, the conversion tactics employed by Second Brother's skilled speakers were more readily accepted by many more than expected.
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