Chapter 93 - House Marquis Gerdodus
A dignified old man, his face stern and commanding, entered the reception room, supported by what appeared to be a healer. He looked every bit the image of a criminal mastermind, but his complexion was poor, a sign of either illness or simply advanced age. It was clear he had health issues, but despite that, this must be Marquis Gerdodus.
"Keithling, you're being too roundabout," the old man said.
"Father! Are you all right!?"
"Quiet. We have guests."
The frail old man, with some assistance, took a seat on the sofa. Though his body seemed frail, his eyes were sharp, and his mind appeared to be as active as ever. Indeed, he was the don who ran the underworld of the Royal Capital.
Yet, something seemed off. Even for me, the thought of taking down a sick old man was unappealing. The fact that he had woken up from his sickbed to meet us suggested there was something he wanted to discuss. The matter of the next head of the house, as the marquis had said, was indeed convoluted and troublesome. I hadn't come here to play games.
The marquis's presence was formidable, even in his weakened state. Objectively speaking, the next head of the house wasn't bad, but he was no match for the marquis. Experience, it seemed, was a powerful thing.
Perhaps now we would hear something more interesting. My subordinates seemed to think so too, as they quietly took their seats. Josephine, in particular, looked intrigued.
The marquis settled into the sofa and began to speak solemnly.
"No need for introductions. First, I must apologize for my son's actions. I am truly sorry."
"I accept your apology. But Marquis, you know we're not that cheap. We came here expecting retribution."
"Of course. We will pay the price. But we have our own circumstances. Hear me out, and then you can make your decision."
"We're not short on time, but we do have other things to do. We'll indulge you, but make it worth our while."
"Hmph. I expected a mere woman to be less perceptive. The Royal Capital is in crisis. This is due to both internal and external factors."
I had been wondering about this. Why was the Royal Capital in such a state of decay? The reconstruction efforts couldn't have been a lie, so something must have happened at some point.
We hadn't delved too deeply into the current state of the Royal Capital, so it wasn't surprising that we didn't know. According to the marquis, the Royal Capital was in dire straits.
Internally, the city's fighting forces were nearly nonexistent, both in the official military and the underworld organizations.
Externally, the threat came from foreign powers, particularly the underworld of Retnark.
During the war, the underworld of the Royal Capital had not evacuated to the underground. Instead, they had taken advantage of the deserted city to loot and pillage. The marquis was vague about this part, but the implications were clear. When the city was devastated by a massive explosion, the underworld forces were also decimated. Even if the leadership remained, the lack of manpower left them powerless.
In the early post-war period, residents had gradually returned, and reconstruction had slowly begun. However, a major setback occurred. The underworld organizations from Retnark had infiltrated and spread a terrible drug among the returning residents.
Previously, the Royal Capital had been home to several powerful underworld organizations, but the war had weakened them significantly. They were quickly overrun by the Retnark forces. The remaining leadership, distracted by power struggles in the Royal Capital and Exembra, had been caught off guard and were now at the mercy of the foreign powers.
The current state of affairs was simple: the Royal Capital was under the complete control of foreign underworld forces.
These foreign powers, treating the Royal Capital as a foreign territory, were engaging in despicable activities. Drug trafficking, kidnapping, and human trafficking were rampant, and daily occurrences of robbery and murder were a serious concern.
"Retnark's underworld has certainly made a significant move, but it's not just them. You're also facing provocations from Exembra. You know the Snake Head Society. They are, after all, foreign powers. They are taking advantage of the situation to eliminate the Brenark forces."
Indeed, the Snake Head Society, centered in Exembra, had branches throughout the country. They were one of the Five Great Families in Exembra but were also a powerful international organization. It made sense that they would take advantage of the situation.
"So, the marquis house, which once oversaw the Royal Palace's dark side, has finally decided to act. The interests in Exembra and the Arena must pale in comparison to the current state of the Royal Capital. There's no time to focus on anything else, right?"
The foreign underworld forces were overwhelming, and the official military and knights, who should have been protecting the citizens, were also decimated. The Royal Capital was as good as an empty shell. The power brokers of the city had finally realized the gravity of the situation when their own backyard was being ravished.
The marquis house had its own forces, but they were no match for the overwhelming numbers of the foreign powers.
"Of course. But our forces are not enough. We could drive them out, but we wouldn't be able to hold the city afterward."
"You mean you can crush the foreign forces in the Royal Capital with your own forces, but you'd be too weakened to defend against new arrivals?"
"Exactly. We would suffer significant losses, and the new forces would overwhelm us."
The marquis paused, looking at us.
"The Kikyo Society. I must admit I underestimated you, but you've been a pleasant surprise. Let's be direct. We need your help."
I see. If the Kikyo Society joined forces with the marquis house, they might be able to avoid heavy losses. They could even shift the burden of casualties onto us, achieving their goals with minimal damage.
Still, they hadn't forgotten what they had done to us. It was incredibly audacious of them to ask for our help.
To be honest, I didn't like it.
I understood the logic. As fellow Brenark forces, they wanted to drive out the foreign powers engaged in despicable activities. The Royal Capital was the hometown of Zenobia and Caroline, and helping them was a reasonable decision. The marquis house seemed willing to pay the price for their second son's actions.
But I didn't like it. Being used so easily was not acceptable. Even if the logic made sense, I couldn't accept it.
"...I refuse. We are not your pawns. I have no issue helping the Royal Capital, as I have friends there. But I won't assist your house. That's my final word."
"Then what do you propose? Even if you eliminate the current underworld forces, they will just send more. Or do you plan to fight this battle in the Royal Capital indefinitely?"
That was impossible. I had no sentimental attachment to the Royal Capital, as Exembra was my home. The marquis's point was valid. However, I still didn't like it.
"Marquis, I have no issue helping the Royal Capital. I am willing to assist, but not your house. That's all."
"Then what?"
I silenced the next head of the house, who was about to protest.
"I won't help the Gerdodus Marquis House. But I will assist another faction. That way, we can still help the Royal Capital, can't we?"
I glanced at Josephine, the head of our Intelligence Unit. She nodded, understanding my intent.
"The Kikyo Society is considering other potential allies. Marquis, you know the Count Oversta, right?"
"You can't be serious. You want us to broker an alliance with them?"
I wasn't entirely clear on who they were, but if Josephine suggested it, it must be the right move. The marquis's reaction suggested they were not on good terms, or perhaps they were simply difficult to deal with.
"...We can't let the Royal Capital fall. We need the Kikyo Society's strength, even if it's led by a woman. And it has to be the Count Oversta. It's a necessary evil, I suppose."
"Father, what will you do?"
"I will broker an alliance with the Count Oversta. He is bedridden, but his wife effectively runs the house. There should be no problem."
"But isn't the Count's wife missing?"
"She asked for it to be kept secret. I'm sorry, but I had to keep it from you. She is in a place where we cannot reach her. I will provide the guidance, and you can take it from there."
The power brokers of the Royal Capital were not limited to the Gerdodus Marquis House. Each had their own small forces. Losing these forces would be a significant loss, and they were not a group of idealists who would band together for the greater good. Success could mean gaining control, but failure could lead to a fall from power.
If the marquis's words were true, the Kikyo Society's assistance to the Gerdodus Marquis House would greatly increase the chances of success. With the marquis house alone, they could crush the foreign forces, but with our help, they could achieve a decisive victory with minimal losses. This could elevate the marquis house's reputation in the Royal Capital and bring them to the forefront. Whether they would actually do so was uncertain, but I certainly didn't like the idea.
So, we would support a different faction.
Honestly, I had no idea who the Count Oversta was, but given the flow of the conversation, it seemed like the only option. Josephine's suggestion was reliable, so I was fine with it.
"Josephine, take care of the details with the marquis house. That's enough for now. Let's move on to the matter of reparations."
I didn't like the Gerdodus Marquis House, but they were a necessary part of the Royal Capital's ecosystem. My friends' hometown couldn't be left to its fate, at least not now.
However, I couldn't let them off easily. We needed to see how far they were willing to go.
"The one who started it should be the one to make amends. I'll accept nothing cheap. I've already prepared. Take a look."
The marquis glanced at his secretary, who handed me a piece of paper. It must contain the terms of reparations.
"Let's see. What do we have here?"
I took the paper and read it.
First, the Gerdodus Marquis House would not interfere with the Kikyo Society in any way.
Second, they would withdraw from all involvement with the Exembra Arena.
Third, they would pay a compensation of 100,000,000 Gist.
I see. The first two points were expected, but the third was insulting. 100 million Gist was far too little. Did they really think this was enough to make amends?
This was unacceptable.
"Marquis, I have no interest in negotiations. This is nowhere near enough. Cheap? It's too cheap. If this is all you offer, I'll take it as a declaration of war."
"…What would make you satisfied? Our situation is dire. If this isn't enough, state your demands."
Did they really think this would be enough? I didn't care about their financial situation.
"First, provide us with information on all the factions in the Royal Capital that are hostile to the Kikyo Society. Not everything, just the ones you consider a nuisance. That would be helpful. Dealing with the Arena is troublesome, so I'll take care of them as well. We have other captives besides your second son, so provide information on them as well."
"…Understood. I will give the information to your Josephine along with the Count Oversta's details. Is that acceptable?"
This was a reasonable concession.
"That's not all. The compensation is too low. Are you underestimating the Kikyo Society?"
"I assure you, I am not. But our resources are limited. Business is not normal here. I cannot offer more money."
"Then something else will do. Land, or a building that could serve as our base. A large one, preferably."
"Fine. Give them something suitable. Is that acceptable?"
The marquis gave a short command to his secretary. He seemed to be giving it away quite easily.
"That's fine. Josephine and her team will stay behind to handle the information exchange. Once it's done, guide them to the base you provided. We'll move there first."
"You are a demanding woman. Very well. I will have you escorted once everything is ready. Josephine, wait here."
The marquis and his entourage left the reception room.
Well, this is how it goes.
I would leave the information exchange to the Intelligence Unit, with Josephine leading. It was better to have everyone involved rather than just one person.
We would move to our new base and set up there. The Noble District was likely the only area left intact in the devastated Royal Capital. We couldn't expect a place from there, and it would be inconvenient for us. The outskirts, with many undamaged warehouses, would be a better option.
Until the escort arrives, we'll indulge in some tea and snacks.
This has become quite complicated.