Chapter 1551 (1/2)

TLN: Several reincarnated individuals have had their naa's release clarifying some of their names Konoe Kyuuji is now Konoe Miyaji, Rikudou Akira is now Rikudou Hajiri and Akaki Akiko is now Akaki Shouko

A handsome man with a shapely nose fell to his knees with a nervous expression on his face

Ahead of him was a statue, which had been hastily restored by a crafts Vida, the Goddess of life and love, as well as the archbishop of the Church of Vida who had been dispatched froentle smile

And several nobles and knights atching the sure not to miss this historical moment

“I, Rudel Sauron, hereby swear to join the twelve rulers and wield my sword for the benefit of the people,” the man said

The archbishop nodded and took a crown froe thee as Duke Sauron May the Goddess's blessings be upon you,” he said in a solemn voice

And Rudel received the crown… the symbol that could only be worn by one of the twelve dukes with the right to rule He rose to his feet, and the nobles let out a cheer

“Long live Duke Rudel Sauron! Long live the Sauron Duchy!”

“Glory to His Excellency, Duke Rudel!”

So tears of e theainst the Amid Empire when their invasion came

They had remained in obscurity and waited for this moment for many years The coronation ceremony of Rudel, son of the late duke, was a symbol of the return of the prosperity that the duchy had before the invasion, and a great event that marked the end of the war

“I have caused everyoneinme this far I hope that you will supporta composed nod

Overcoain, the nobles cheered even louder The duke hied their deeds and declared that he anticipated more from them in the future Their revival and further advanceuaranteed

On the other hand, there were also those who re the ceremony with insincere smiles on their faces

“Congratulations, Duke Rudel”

“But what comes next is the crucial point Because you must rule the lands that have been laid waste to by the empire”

“Of course, my master has asked me to inform you that he offers his full support”

“Let us join forces and work towards the kingdoether”

These were the ers sent by the dukes and other prominent noblemen from other duchies that supported Rudel

They were also happy that Rudel, the one they had supported, had won the power struggle and become Duke Sauron without incident But the important events for them and their masters were yet to come

Under-the-table payoffs fro a new defense policy Preferential treatovernhts when it came to trade

They were anticipating all kinds of benefits for themselves

“Of course,” said Rudel “I aood care of me from now on”

He still needed the ive him their support

There was no such thing as too ion, the new defense policy and the restructuring of the duchy's arh the Ah soldiers to defend the border between the nations

Rudel could not go on without support

Compared to those, this was a small problem, but it was likely that he would later feel the effects of having lost al the power struggle

His father and his older brother, the duke's first son, had died in the war, and his older sister and younger sister had married into families of other duchies He had defeated the third and fourth sons in the power struggle, and his relationshi+p with the fifth son, hoht until the very end, was in a particularly terrible state

His youngest sister had been defeated as well, but she could be of considerable use Rudel could marry her into a family of considerable status if she asked hi her froitimate children were problematic after all

Co, but he died as well Well, more importantly, I need to work hard for a while To think that I would learn from Chichi-ue's example like this… Adopted children aren't very effective, after all

Rudel had cootten about the now-deceased Raymond Paris, leader of the Reborn Sauron Duchy Ar that he needed to regrow his faeneration having been lost

The fact that he had too s had been the cause of the conflict to succeed the family, but too few and the fa were to happen to the current head of the faained would weaken once more

In fact, it was possible that the siblings who had lost the power struggle were plotting to assassinate Rudel As Rudel didn't have any children now, if so were to happen to him, they would be able to take the position of duke for themselves

“Now then, Your Excellency, please present yourself to the people,” said the archbishop

Concealing his feelings of anxiety, Rudel stepped out towards the balcony to wave and show hilimpse of the new Duke Sauron

Rudel sunk into the seat of the office that was now his in the retaken castle and exhaled as if letting out every last breath of air in his lungs

“Maybe because the crown and overcoat are so resplendent, they're heavier than they look It's no wonder rumbled

There were two other people in the room

“You only feel that way because your body was stiff with nerves You will be accustomed to it after half a year,” said one of theh-lines on his face as visibly skilled in offering flattery If there were a fierce-lookingnext to him, he would have looked like a jester

His name was Fatherick Dolmad He was an honorary dom and the current marshal

“I aet my vestment and the robe that has my family crest on it,” he said

“I think that's unpleasant in itself You were mistaken for a o,” said the other person in the room in a damp tone

It was an Elfin on this conversation between two important nobleant Elf

He had a well-featured face, but it had a glooh he was tall, he see hi loosely down to his shoulders and there was a stubble on his jaw His body was lean but well-trained He earing the kind of leather ar several knives that were the kind that would be sold in bulk at weapon stores

If it weren't for his long ears, he would look like nothing ed mercenary At the very least, his appearance made it questionable as to whether he was of a status that would allow him to be in this office

Despite this, theat the guest table in front of hi around in public, you'rea marquis who is an important supporter of the new Duke Sauron Do you intend to have all of the soldiers and servants of the castle thrown out for disrespecting a nobleman?”

“'Worthless civil official' – What a terrible way to put it And despite saying that, I believe that you have a similar appearance, Randolf 'the True'-dono,” said Marshal Dolmad

The Elf dom's S-class adventurers, Randolf 'the True,' snorted “You've learned to speak your mind, Fatherick-boy”

Rudel felt as if the temperature of the room had sharply dropped as Randolf spoke these wordsThis is no ordinary man…

Rudel had been planning to becoeneral of the Sauron Duchy's army if his older brother hadn't been slain by the Amid Empire Thus, he was more competent in combat than ordinary noblemen, and he had experienced real battlefields, not just les

Despite that, he hadn't been able to tell how strong Randolf was at all when Marshal Dolmad introduced them to each other

But no ainst this man, he would never defeat him He was absolutely certain of this

Randolf, who gained the title of S-class over a hundred years ago, praised by everyone as a 'true adventurer' I suppose it means that he's a cut above the 'Blue-flah they're both S-class adventurers

Perhaps unaware of Rudel's fearful inner thoughts, Randolf didn't look offended at all, just like Dol had happened at all, he took a sed its contents

“I'll confirm it before I accept the request There's no dress code and the only thing I' ishappens, I just need to be here That's right, isn't it?” Randolf asked Dolmad, as his employer

The truth was that Randolf had retired as an adventurer long ago Or to be more precise, he had declared his retirement as an S-class adventurer

One day, he had told the Guild Master of an Adventurers' Guild branch that he was close to, “I' to go into Devil's Nests onmyself,” and tried to hand in his Guild Card

If he stopped being an adventurer, he wouldn't be able to have the Adventurers' Guild buy eons, such as the proof of having exterminated the monsters He would have to sell them to merchants individually or sell them personally

But Randolf was an S-class adventurer, even though he was technically a former one Even without his certification as an adventurer and his position in society, he still had the sa as he had those, any merchant would want to do business with him

And Randolf had never had an interest in luxuries Because he was proficient in the ways of living in forests likeinto a city

He was aclothes out of fiber taken fro alcohol from fruit

He had acquired the status of honorary nobledom, but he had said, “I don't need it, and I don't need a pension, either”

It was not only the Guild Master, but all of the high-ranking officials of the Orbaudom at the time that were shaken by these words

Randolf, an adventurer who represented the nation, would retire despite still possessing power It would have been a serious affair if the Amid Empire were to recruit him

The greatest proble hireatest extent possible and pleaded for him to act in a way that made it known that Randolf 'the True' was still alive and active, just no longer fighting on the frontlines of battlefields

Despite all of this, he had just named conditions for his own employment moments earlier

“I understand,” said Dolmad “And at present, that 'very unlikely case' will not happen It seems that your name has had an effect”

The A across the Mirg shi+eld-nation's border There were no signs of any ens that anything significant would happen

Marshal Dol this situation to be a most favorable one

And like hiainst the other dukes, as well as the political war against Dolmad as present here They were i their puppet

But Randolf apparently had a different opinion

“Fatherick-boy, are you sure about the resistance guys? And you, young one, what do you intend to do with the for to Rudel

Rudel's face twitched a little upon being referred to this way

But Dol to worry about We arewith it,” he said

Using the kingdom's information network, Dolion, and they had been gathering infor time

Aht and a fierce explosion had been observed on the day that the 'Light-speed Sword' Rickert was defeated

And then there was the chaos in Duke Marme's army and the information announced by the empire And the resistance'sthem, Dolmad and Rudel had concluded that at present, the resistance organization known as the Sauron Liberation Front had been al contact with their families

No, Dolmad had doubted whether the Sauron Liberation Front existed at all for a long time

His investigation had concluded that their leader, the Liberating Princess Knight, was likely to be Iris, the only daughter of the Bearheart fahts However, fro the Liberating Princess Knight herself, had changed too much

That change could not be explained by the combination of the remnants of the Reborn Sauron Duchy Army alone

First, they had been drastically more successful in battle than before And these were not victories using advanced infor up victories using pure fighting strength alone They had beco within a short period of tiether

On top of that, the a had clearly decreased Dolht to be supporters of the resistance, the daoods that had been stolen fros clearly didn't add up

Theal potions, arms or food

There were other strange details as well, such as howthe holy syer recited the proverbs of Alda as she once did

Based on these facts, Doluessed that the core members of the Sauron Liberation Front had been replaced, and that they were in a state where they had no need for external support or the capture of enemy supplies

In other words, he suspected that the Sauron Liberation Front had been destroyed by the A army at the same time as the Reborn Sauron Duchy Army, and imposters had taken their place

They were likely a diversion, created to find and gather all of the rebellious people within the Sauron region in one place, and they were actually receiving supplies fro no need for their own

It was likely that the Scylla had been killed by the occupying are

They had conducted this large-scale dom's ar Swords was undoubtedly some kind of plot as well

But they had then met their destruction at the hands of the powerful Undead that had crossed the Boundary Mountain Range with exceptional ti

“It seems that there is still contact, but those will surely be the last feere fortunate enough to survive They are too insignificant to have any influence We currently have plans to trace them back to their roots and capture them If we announce the and turn thees and towns, that will be the end of it,” said Dolmad

“That's quite a convenient… dirty way of thinking,” Randolf snorted “Do you not think things are exactly as they said?”

“I do not,” Doline that the resistance escaped unscathed after being caught up in a battle where a powerful Undead defeated the Fifteen Evil-breaking Swords, a group of warriors that are equivalent to class adventurers”

They had learned that there were fearsoht that could be seen even from the bottoe, but it was ietting caught up in it

“That's not what I asked I' what you'll do if the resistance is innocent,” said Randolf, continuing to press Dolmad

But Rudel interrupted, a stiff expression on his face “Randolf-dono, that is the kind of political talk that you dislike I shall refrain fro in it,” he said

As Eleanora and Miles had suspected, Rudel had already decided that land would be given to the later-born children of his supporters and the vassals that had served him At the same time, he knew that Iris and her companions were very likely to be an obstacle to his rule in the future

He would likely gather the support of many if he were to take Iris as his wife, but it was difficult to iine that she would accept the other nored

With that being the case, it was better to pretend that they were dead heroes that he could make use of

Rudel hadn't told Randolf this, but several of the letters sent from the resistance members to their fa Whether they were truly members of the resistance or traitors that had joined the occupying army didn't matter

There was already a plan in place to lure theh up the information they had and then have theation of the Scylla territory was planned to take place after that

If the supporters and lower-ranking members of the resistance wanted to make noise, they would be dealt with appropriately as well

But Randolf had likely guessed this

“I see Everything is used as the Orbau is for the stability of the Sauron Duchy and the kingdo fro up from his seat

“Where are you going?” Rudel asked him

“Somewhere,” said Randolf “I'll stay in this city for a while, so don't worry I owe at least that randmother”

“Do you want to go and check it for yourself? The former Scylla territory is currently closed off, but it is a different story if you are the one entering it,” said Rudel, confident that Randolf 'the True' would show results even when facing a swarm of hundreds or thousands of Undead that included one powerful enough to defeatSwords

But Randolf gave a disinterested wave of his hand over his shoulder “I don't intend to do any work that gathers attention I won't ask what you intend to do, either Do your best to be careful of that Dhampir”

And then he left the room