Allegiance
Translator: Cinder Translations
...
After the turmoil caused by Quik, no one was willing to retain their lordship power any longer. One by one, they loyally transferred it to the Administrative Council.
Following a series of rewards, Alden gained a new Viscount (Old Ford), three Barons (Schroeder, Bryce, Austin), six Vice-Barons, and a host of knights.
Almost everyone summoned to the Lord's Manor Hall received a title—everyone, that is, except for the acting head of the Education Department, Lady Ladia Setia. This was because there had never been a precedent for granting titles directly to women in this world; noble women generally inherit titles from their deceased fathers or husbands, and only in the absence of male heirs.
However, Lady Ladia was not very enthusiastic about titles, possibly due to her other identity. She seemed somewhat indifferent to worldly matters that people often flock to.
Later, Paul instructed Butler Philip to prepare a grand banquet, allowing the newly promoted lords to enjoy themselves and celebrate their social advancement. The Lord's Manor was filled with revelry for an entire day before the guests finally took their leave in the evening.
Three days later, Butler Philip reported an unexpected piece of news: a group of Emden nobles, led by Sir Helsen and Sir Sean—formerly vassals of the Kent family—wished to pay him a visit.
Paul asked, "What do they want?"
Philip replied, "It seems related to the recent conferment of titles."
Oh? Perhaps they want to gain some benefit as well? Fine, let them come.
"Let them come over this weekend."
"Yes, sir."
...
"Congratulations, Lord Grayman!"
In the Lord's Manor Hall, under the leadership of Sir Helsen and Sir Sean, the Emden nobles all bowed to Paul.
"Please, have a seat!" Paul responded with a smile.
After everyone was seated, Helsen said, "We have heard that Lord Grayman has had his powers restored by His Majesty the King, so we came to offer our congratulations."
"Oh? The news spread so quickly? It's only been a few days."
"Lord Grayman, you are being too formal. You should have notified us."
Sir Brett Sean—the lord of Biddeburg—said with what he considered to be the perfect smile.
Paul smiled and said, "Haha, isn't it good that you heard even without my notifying you?"
An awkward silence fell over the hall; it was known that the young earl was not adept at social interactions, and it was true.
Exchanging glances, the nobles, led by Sir Helsen and Sir Sean, suddenly knelt on one knee, followed by the others.
Paul, sitting in the lord's seat, looked bewildered. "What are you doing?"
Sir Helsen looked up and said, "Please accept our loyalty, Lord Grayman!"
Huh? What does this mean?
Sir Sean said, "Emden is now under your jurisdiction, Lord Grayman. We, the lords of Emden, are also under your control. Now that you have had your powers restored by His Majesty the King, you rightfully become our liege lord."
Haha, so they came to hitch a ride on his coattails.
After two years in another world, Paul was finally enjoying the feeling of dominance, with subordinates bowing to him.
Paul felt a bit self-satisfied. He glanced around, stood up, and extended his hands in a gesture of acceptance.
"Very well, very well! I accept your loyalty. Please rise. From now on, you are official vassals of the Grayman family."
Whether their loyalty was genuine or not, having more subordinates was never a bad thing.
The nobles were somewhat surprised. Was it really so simple? According to tradition, there should be a solemn ceremony, with several surrounding barons witnessing, and everyone swearing an oath to serve the new liege lord. Such procedures were deemed proper.
Although the Grayman Earl seemed pleased, accepting them so casually felt rather frivolous and lacking in dignity.
In less polite terms, it had a bit of a "warm face sticking to a cold butt" vibe.
Seeing the confused expressions of the nobles, Paul cleared his throat and said, "I have a good idea of what you're thinking, but this earl prefers to avoid unnecessary formalities. As long as your loyalty is sincere, why bother with empty rituals? I will announce to the surrounding areas that you are now under my protection."
"Of course, we are sincere!"
"Rest assured, we will respond to any call!"
"Next time there is a war, please make sure to send me to the front lines!"
"Whether in sickness or health, we will follow you to the end!"
...
The hall was filled with a flurry of excitement as the lords swore their oaths, looking extremely enthusiastic.
"Good, good! I see that everyone is sincere! Haha."
Paul responded happily to the lords.
Of course, he was not entirely convinced. To the end? Wasn't Maltz Kent still cold from just six months ago?
The Kent family had maintained long-term interests and relationships with these vassals through marriage and other means for decades, even over a century. Paul could only offer them a hollow promise of protection.
In the event of a real conflict, the most they would do was fire a few shots in the air to justify the king's pay.
Expecting them to lead troops into battle was unrealistic. At most, they might avoid stabbing him in the back.
However, one should not strike out at people who come to offer their loyalty. Paul needed to respond to their gesture.
"Philip!"
"Yes, Lord Grayman," the old butler replied.
"Let's hold another banquet tonight to honor the Emden nobles. Make sure everyone has a good time and doesn't hold back!"
The nobles responded in unison, "Thank you, Lord Grayman."
Paul then instructed Philip to bring Old Ford, Schroeder, Bryce, and others to join them.
Thus, the vassal relationship was formally established.
However, the Emden nobles felt a subtle disappointment. They could see that while Lord Grayman was pleased with their allegiance, he did not seem to take it too seriously, as if it was something nice but not essential.
Indeed, Paul had a strong army under his command. During the rebellion against the usurper, many had witnessed the might of his forces. The conscripts hastily gathered by the nobles were no match for Alden's army, crushed in terms of discipline, morale, and equipment, only able to endure due to their numbers.
Fortunately, Paul had granted them protection. Originally, they were bound by the Administrative Council; now, when they were in trouble, Paul had to step in to help.
How could they respond to this protection? Maintaining a long-term relationship required mutual benefit. If they couldn't help militarily, they would have to think of ways to contribute in other areas.
Considering the rumors surrounding Paul's conferment of new vassals, the nobles' feelings were mixed.
(End of the Chapter)
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