Chương 637: B9 - Chapter 15: Merit Festival VI

Myr was dumbstruck. The queen was dumbstruck. And even the crowd had gone deathly still. Leo could hear the beating of his own heart, hammering louder than it ever had, even in the middle of battle. The area his brother had marked was just that shocking. This wasn't simply a fief; it was practically another kingdom. More importantly, it encompassed the entire stretch of land connecting Rukia to the elves.

All trade and contact between them would have to pass through territory controlled by the Hohenheims from now on. It was then that Myr awoke from her stupor. She didn't speak immediately, merely staring at Zeke as if trying to ascertain... something.

"Lord Hohenheim," she said after a moment, her voice low.

"Are you intent on making a mockery of this ceremony?" Zeke's expression didn't change.

"Whatever gave you that impression, Lady Myr?" Without averting her eyes, she swung her arm out, pointing at her sullied map. Zeke smiled at that.

"Do you think me unreasonable?"

"Yes." She didn't even hesitate. Leo heard a faint chuckle; his brother was clearly enjoying himself. For what reason, he couldn't say.

"And yet," Zeke said, "I believe I am well within my rights to do so..."

"And who gave you that right?" Zeke tilted his head.

"Wasn't it you? Or whoever came up with the system of trading merits for land?"

"Nonsense!" Myr yelled out.

"How is this demand even remotely comparable to the amount of merit you possess?" Finally, she glanced over at the map, performing some calculation before returning her attention to Zeke.

"Even at a cursory glance, I can say with certainty that claiming that much land would require over five hundred merits. And even together, you and your brother have little more than thirty." Zeke nodded.

"We are indeed a bit short..." Myr sneered.

"A bit? You don't even—""But," Zeke continued, "that is only so if you don't consider all the factors." He pointed at the map.

"As you can clearly see, there is not a single settlement, city, or even cultivated field within my domain. It all falls squarely into the area of the nine-times multiplier, does it not?" Myr didn't even have to check to know it was true. The vast stretch of land between Rukia and the elves was a No Man's Land, overrun by the monsters emerging from the Great Forest. Clearing it would be a monumental and ultimately thankless task.

Without destroying the source of the hordes, anyone settling there would be forced to battle endless tides of high-level creatures for next to no gain. Even the newly constructed Sanctuary would likely return to nature once the manpower defending it was reassigned. On its own, the land was next to worthless. But as Leo looked at the blood covering the map, he finally understood. Giving away portions of that wilderness would hardly matter.

It might even benefit the kingdom to have somebody else bear the brunt of the monster threat. Giving away all of it, however, would place every route to the elves beneath Hohenheim control. Yet even after understanding that much, Leo didn't know how Zeke intended to push this through. Myr was right. Even with the highest possible multiplier, they didn't have nearly enough merit to claim the entire stretch.

And if his brother were forced to leave even the narrowest corridor through his iron curtain, the entire strategy would fall apart. Myr appeared noticeably calmer. She must have reached the same conclusion. If she could push the northern front onto the Hohenheim family while preserving a single passage for Rukia's trade, it would be an optimal outcome. All the benefits, with none of the work...

Judging by the look in her eyes, Leo believed she might even throw a few extra merits their way, just to bring him closer to his goal—but not quite close enough to reach it. But Zeke's smile was just as warm.

"Should we tally up the merits, then?" he asked. Myr nodded slowly.

"... Let's." Zeke brought out his merit certificate and handed it to Myr. She glanced at it briefly before reading it aloud, just as she had for the others. The total amounted to twenty-one merits—more than anyone else so far, but not by much. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. Next, Zeke brought out a second scroll, and Myr took that one as well. Before reading it, she shot Leo a look, which puzzled him. Then she began reading again. This... It was about him!

He quickly searched his robes and found that his certificate had indeed disappeared at some point. He stared at Zeke, wide-eyed. When had his brother taken it from him? During the teleportation? Weren't they supposed to be at the same level? Then why was it that Leo felt so utterly helpless in the presence of his adoptive brother? In the end, Leo's merits totaled ten, bringing their combined number to thirty-one.

With the nine-times multiplier, that amounted to two hundred and seventy-nine—barely more than half of what they needed. It was then, just as Myr was about to speak, mockery already on her lips, that Zeke reached inside his robe again and brought out another scroll. Then another. And another... Myr stared at him.

"What is the meaning of this?" she asked, making no move to take them from him. Zeke tilted his head.

"My merits," he answered.

"I have more." Myr's withered face grew increasingly ugly beneath her scowl, but it didn't seem to affect Zeke at all. He remained stock-still, holding out the small bundle of scrolls as if he hadn't even noticed the delay. Eventually, that same vine took them from him, a little more forcefully than necessary, and deposited them into Myr's waiting palm. She cracked the first one open and began to read. She did the same with the second, then the third, still saying nothing and proclaiming no merits.

Eventually, Myr simply sighed.

"Lord Hohenheim, I thought we were past such silly games. Surely, you must have understood by now that there will be no exceptions made for you or anyone else today." Zeke nodded.

"I am not asking for one." Myr's scowl deepened further.

"Then what is the meaning of this? Those merits belong to them, not to you or any member of your family. Even if you now claim to have adopted these individuals recently, we will not acknowledge such a trick." Zeke shook his head.

"Surely, you jest. How could I possibly be that shameless..." A short silence followed, during which even Leo had to fight hard not to roll his eyes. Zeke called out, "Vulcanos! Ashclaw! Redfang! Stand." Leo looked around, confused as to who the last two people were. The ones who rose were naturally Vulcanos, alongside Elder Tiger and Elder Dragon. Leo felt a bit sheepish. He had traveled with them for so long, and they had even broken bread together on many occasions, yet he had no idea those were their names.

Everyone, including him, had only ever called them by their titles: Elder Tiger and Elder Dragon. Before anyone could question his actions, Zeke called out to them again.

"Tell everyone your current status." Vulcanos was the first to speak. The charcoal-black giant's voice shook the ground.

"I am Master's devoted servant. I was purchased legally in the presence of the venerable Exarch of Storms, within his very palace and with his explicit permission." He then held up a document that looked as pristine as if it had only just come from the scribe.

"I am my master's most loyal slave." Leo's eyes widened. No way... The others, Ashclaw and Redfang, better known as Elder Tiger and Elder Dragon, produced similar documents and proclaimed their allegiance as well. Afterward, the three stood still, each holding out their respective document. It was a surreal experience, especially for Leo, who knew the latter two better than most. Elder Tiger and Elder Dragon had spent most of their lives in the hellhole that was Undercity.

Their hatred for humans and slavery as a whole ran bone-deep. How Zeke had convinced them to stand before thousands and freely proclaim themselves his legal slaves, Leo truly couldn't say. But neither lowered their head. Elder Tiger stood with her shoulders thrown back, the faintest curl tugging at the corner of her mouth. Elder Dragon's eyes, meanwhile, gleamed with open amusement as he watched the royal faction. Whatever this performance was, neither of them appeared reluctant to play his part.

"As you can see," Zeke said, turning back to Myr with a smile, "these three have long since been my property. Under the laws you have chosen to uphold, their claims may therefore be exercised by their legal owner." His grin widened—a bit too much, in Leo's opinion.

"And as the queen has already graciously established, slave rights will be upheld within Rukia. Isn't that right, Your Majesty?" Silence. Not even Myr dared to speak carelessly now. Leo could sense the volatility of the situation. A single wrong word now, and the entire house of cards would come crashing down. If the queen went back on her word to acknowledge the right to own slaves, she would immediately lose two of her new vassals. The others wouldn't be far behind.

After all, a queen who stripped away guaranteed rights as soon as they became inconvenient to her was no queen at all. If she had been an Exarch, they might have gritted their teeth and borne it. Alas, Miriel was no Exarch. She could likely not even match a single one of the mercenary captains in direct combat, let alone all of them. Words alone were far from enough to suppress them. The air had grown so quiet that even the distant calls of birds could be heard. Thousands of eyes remained locked on the queen.

Even the lowliest commoners had realized by now that her next words might very well decide the fate of their country.

"Lord Hohenheim," the queen said at last.

"... Must things really be this way?" There was a moment of silence.

"I acknowledge your claim," she said, her voice measured.

"The rights granted today permit you to do exactly as you say. You may take the North, the only connection to our ancestors, from our hands, and I have no legal grounds upon which to stop you." Another pause.

"Further still, you have turned kind intentions into chains of obligation. Through clever words, you have found a way to deprive Rukia of vast stretches of land without offering even a token force to its people in return." A murmur rippled through the plaza. Smiles vanished. Men and women who had watched the proceedings with open amusement now stared at the blood covering the northern reaches of the map. A wounded soldier near the front stiffened. An elderly half-elf clutched the hand of the child beside her.

"You speak of merits as if they were mere numbers, ignorant of what this land means to us. You speak of titles as if they were mere words, ignorant of the honor with which our ancestors carried them..." Miriel Arden Rukia, Queen of Rukia, looked down at Zeke with a mournful expression. But there was nothing defeated in her eyes.

"Even you must realize that this is not just, do you not? Do you care so little about the lives of the people that you would use trickery to deprive them of what little they have left?" The murmurs grew harsher. Where the crowd had once watched Zeke with interest, they now regarded him with narrowed eyes and clenched jaws.

"Tell me, Lord Hohenheim..." There was a pause, longer than all those before it.

"... Is this all just a game to you?"