I Was Reincarnated as a Marquis in Another World

A month after the imperial envoy came and went, Count Ilerias and Count Izza visited my territory.

Normally, I would have to provide appropriate security and ceremony from the border to welcome two counts serving the same emperor, but…

Those guys committed a madness of disobeying orders, destroying an army of over seventy thousand in the battle at Salei Village. As a result, the deprivation of their titles and confiscation of their territories was almost certain as soon as they ascended to the imperial capital.

Moreover, I had already decided to abandon the emperor they serve and was taking all necessary measures to do so.

So, there was no need to spend money and effort on proper hospitality.

No, to bring those two and their vassals under my command, I needed to break their unnecessarily high pride a little.

Now, for those two and their subordinates, the only lifeline is the Croilet Marquess… no, the royal family…

But would our military commanders, who came from serfs, really respect them if they were of equal or higher status?

I remember when I first hired a man-at-arms, those unemployed individuals who thought becoming a knight was everything in life, treated their superiors, the instructors, as less than them simply because of their background…

To blend those of hereditary privilege with our forces, I needed to establish some discipline from the beginning.

And whether it worked or not, the two counts of the Eraline Empire, despite having likely never experienced such humiliation in their lives…

Greeted me with the brightest expressions and voices they could muster.

“I, Leon von Ilerias, have come by the invitation of your Excellency the Marquess. Though the journey was not short, thanks to your consideration, I arrived comfortably.”

“Jacques von Izza, I too have come by invitation. I appreciate your special thoughts along the way, which allowed for an uneventful journey.”

“No, when excellent young individuals like you come, it’s only right to provide this much. Come in. You must be hungry after your journey. I’ve prepared a modest meal, so let’s eat together.”

With that, I quickly ushered the two into the reception room where the meal was prepared.

**

The walls and pillars were carved from top-grade marble, the floor had a checkered pattern, and the desk was made from an entire cedar wood block, while the chairs were embroidered with golden thread.

To embellish a bit, this reception room, as splendid as the emperor’s palace, saw me and the two counts eating in silence for an hour.

To be precise, I dined on the finest foods like sturgeon caviar brought from the north, a cream soup with truffles, and lamb steak.

For the two counts, however, only a thin soup made from a mixture of rye and barley dough, with vegetables, was provided.

After thirty minutes of silence during the meal, I finally spoke up.

“Count Izza, Count Ilerias. Is the meal satisfactory? I’ve put some effort into your reception.”

Even if their territories are poorer than mine, those two have likely never had such a simple meal, even in a battlefield where food was scarce.

So, such food wouldn’t suit their tastes or go down their throats easily.

However, to steer the negotiations in my desired direction, it was necessary to deflate their spirits as much as possible… it was an unavoidable measure.

No, after breaking their pride completely, giving them a way to survive could be considered mercy.

“I believe saying this will be hard to understand. But it should be, for the meal you received is the same as what convict laborers sentenced to death eat in our territory.”

The two counts looked at me with blank expressions upon hearing that.

Surely, they thought they would at least receive a minimal level of respect in a meal after coming this far, so being presented with such a meager feast was shocking…

To receive a menu meant for a serious criminal must have been bewildering.

“That might be shocking. However, think coldly. Did you not cause the deaths of thousands of soldiers and knights through your disobedience during the last battle at Salei Village? As a result, you caused significant disruption, if not outright failure, to the expedition planned by His Imperial Majesty. Although you did not intend it, I was left to face the enemy’s eighty thousand with merely twenty-seven thousand.”

Of course, while the influence of my encouragement led to their mistakes, even if they were to report the evidence to the emperor, they would likely come up empty-handed.

After all, I had just treated them to good wine and given them words of praise.

“Thanks to Deus’s assistance, I managed to whittle down thirty thousand out of that eighty-thousand force, and in exchange, I secured the territories of Iris and Architel. However, I wasn’t able to pursue the fifty thousand forces of Marquis Simon, thus… I could only watch as Marquis Simon joined the central defense forces in Franche. That resulted in the expedition ending in defeat. Thus, His Majesty’s political clout is greatly diminished now. So… a scapegoat will be needed, and who do you think that will be?”

The two counts answered my words with serious expressions.

“It will be us…”

“Exactly. While other nobles in similar situations would shift their loyalties to survive… no one will trust those bearing the mark of disobedience on the battlefield. Therefore, your lifeline will be that His Imperial Majesty may choose to confiscate some of your territories and demote your ranks. But that isn’t likely. Thus, you two are essentially living corpses. I misspoke; let me correct that. Our most great emperor shall execute you, and your families will be sold into slavery as traitors… thus, you will be in a worse position than living corpses.”

Typically, unless the emperor has gone mad, one hardly gets executed for disobeying orders in battle, despite the significant losses.

Because directly or indirectly opposing the emperor should not result in cutting off a noble’s head and selling their family into slavery… it would cause loss of support from other vassals.

However, this time, the nobles, including the emperor, suffered significant losses in the war.

So, they need a target to vent their anger on, claiming the fault is not theirs, and that will be precisely these two.

Thus, such extreme punishments could be considered.

As evidence, some argue that the witch hunts, where madmen accused widows or women of being evil witches to be killed, arose because Earth was entering a little ice age, leading to severe famine, creating a need for a subject to express anger towards…

To break the silence and heavy atmosphere around the dinner table, I clapped my hands twice.

Then, my attendants brought out food for the two counts, similar to what I was eating.

“However, I do not wish to sacrifice you because of the emperor’s mad expedition. To be direct, I plan to soon become independent and become king. Moreover, I would like to accept the houses of Counts Ilerias and Izza as loyal vassals of the kingdom. Of course, I cannot offer higher titles or broader territories as when other lords voluntarily pledge their loyalty… but you won’t have to worry about being stripped of your titles or having your families sold into slavery like now. Also, if you gentlemen… no, if you follow me… I would ensure you can lead a more prosperous life than now. For your attendants as well… Even if in your current financial state it’s difficult to afford such food, as my vassals, you will be able to enjoy this level of luxury at least once a week. So, make your choice.”

The two counts looked into my eyes, then faced each other and knelt simultaneously on both knees.

In Eastern countries, when swearing loyalty to a monarch, one typically kneels on both knees together and bows. However, in this land where people believe in Deus, it is customary not to adopt such a position which signifies complete submission even to a monarch… thus it is more customary to kneel on one knee and lower one’s head.

By kneeling on both knees, they were effectively pledging absolute loyalty with their bodies.

Of course, it’s advantageous for them to kneel to me and survive rather than die in disgrace by not doing so…

At this point, they too would follow the rules of my territory, treating individuals based on their current titles and ranks regardless of their backgrounds.

If their attendants do not comply, they would strive to follow behind me, even at the risk of being punished for contempt and irreverence.

As proof of that, the two counts looked at me and humbly asked, “Your Majesty, what shall we do?”

“Count Ilerias, whatever command you give, I will follow it even if it means my death.”

Seeing that, I felt very pleased.

After all, even though they were weakened by their defeat in the last battle, I had acquired two count territories without shedding a drop of blood.

“Follow the laws of our kingdom. Treat everyone equally based on their current titles and ranks rather than their backgrounds, and do not exploit serfs and citizens beyond what is acceptable. Furthermore, obey the king’s orders, and as long as this kingdom exists, I will guarantee the wealth and glory of you and your vassals…”