Published: January 17, 2026
[Sesto]
A failure in the war. Just a few days, and both my and Yard’s evaluations plummeted drastically. If things went badly, Father might report this to His Majesty, and Murcia could return to the Marquis Fertio family and become the next head of the family. It was a blunder serious enough to cause such a crisis.
Father declared this the last chance, and now Yard and I spend our days doing menial tasks together. Looking back, the days when I freely ruled a large town as magistrate were like heaven. The failure started when I foolishly followed Yard’s ridiculous suggestions and used the town’s budget to hire mercenaries.
“…It’s Brother Yard’s fault. Getting swayed by such a fool’s words… damn it!”
Since I realized I lost Father’s trust, I haven’t been able to shake this gloomy mood. Yard, being stupid, arrogantly claims that he’s grown from this experience, but following that idiot again would obviously lead to another failure.
Now, I hardly talk to Yard anymore, but somehow I have to achieve a greater feat than everyone else.
“Lord Sesto! Seato Village is in sight!”
“…Finally,” I muttered with a sigh when I heard the voice from outside the carriage. Looking ahead, I saw a large fortress wall.
“…They built it so ostentatiously.”
It felt like a taunt aimed at my fallen state, making me feel sick all of a sudden. Perhaps it was the lack of proper breaks and camping, since we came here at about twice the normal speed, and my fatigue was mounting.
“…It irritates me that this is Van’s territory, but right now, I just want to sleep somewhere decent.”
I muttered that as we arrived at Seato Village.
Getting off the carriage, I saw Van looking up at me with wide eyes.
“…It’s been a while, Van.”
Although he’s my younger brother, he’s a noble with a noble title. I made sure to greet him at least. Van’s smile twitched slightly as he replied.
“Ah, ah, long time no see!”
What kind of greeting was that? Doesn’t he know how to respect his brother?
Annoyed by Van’s reply, I handed him the letter I had been entrusted with. When Van asked a rude question, I reprimanded him. That seemed to provoke Van’s retainers.
Espada stepped forward to complain, and the others glared at me with hostile eyes. What an unpleasant village. The lord and his subordinates of a village with only about a thousand or two thousand people were shockingly disrespectful to the next head of the Marquis Fertio family.
Normally, Espada should have been punished for this. But right now, I’m a fallen man who lost His Majesty’s trust. I must endure whatever ill treatment I receive. Someday, the time to prove them wrong will come.
“…Is there any way to lower Van’s evaluation? The higher Van is rated by His Majesty, the more we brothers lose out.”
I locked myself in the assigned inn room, thinking about future plans. But no good ideas came up. In my current state, I have no subordinates I can freely command or the financial power to hire mercenaries. All I can do is desperately respond to whatever His Majesty orders.
Before I knew it, preparations for departure were complete, and we were leaving Seato Village.
Maybe because I had been overthinking, my mind was fuzzy even when we got on the carriage. As I watched the march while being rocked by the carriage, I got sleepy and decided to rest until the next break.
“Lord Sesto, it seems we’ll rest soon.”
Suddenly, a voice called from outside the carriage, waking me up. I forgot who it was, but it seemed to be the knight appointed as captain who woke me.
“…As expected, sleeping in a carriage makes my body ache.”
Stretching my back and waist despite the pain, I looked out the window.
Ahead, Van and his group were quite far in front already preparing for a break. They had even started a fire, so the difference in marching speed seemed significant.
I immediately asked the captain about it after getting off. He made excuses blaming the carriage’s performance. Because of his low awareness as a knight, I severely scolded him as a member of the marquis family. The knights around gave me cold looks.