I Became the illegitimate son of a duke

139 – Before and After (2)

“Is this the first time you’ve actually seen something like this?”

“I see you, the rightful ruler of both realms.”

Duke Aquitan, who has arrived in Dijon, bows his head to me on one knee. It is a typical and classic oath of allegiance.

‘Looking at it in person, it looks surprisingly neat.’

There were many other nobles who said that they couldn’t believe it or that they had dark feelings, but you can believe that they swore allegiance like this.

Of course, nobles do lie, but they don’t seem to be able to do anything symbolic like this. Maybe it’s because nobles take up an important part of their ego, such as honor or pride.

“Are you satisfied with the newly acquired territory?”

“Yes, they are all fertile territories, enough to make up for all the losses lost in this war, which made the treasurer very happy. However, what I am truly satisfied with is not a piece of land, but Provence, my family’s enemy. It gave me the opportunity to tear it to pieces. I sincerely thank His Majesty for giving me this great opportunity.”

“…Opportunity?”

A chance, what kind of opportunity did I give to the subject who arbitrarily crowned me as king? Do you know how surprised I was when I heard that he had chosen me all of a sudden when I was just living peacefully and chatting with the kids?

Thinking about it now, you’re suddenly pissed off? Originally, I planned to simply suck honey in the Carolingian Civil War, but I was forced to lead a huge group task called Carolingian.

The leader is not only very honorable, but the position at the pinnacle of power, but I could live my whole life playing and eating until I died even when I did not eat Caroling, that is, I ruled only Rotaring. There was no reason to devour Caroling.

“Ah, ah…! I made a mistake. It wasn’t a chance, it was your great help.”

The duke of Akitan, who saw me slightly spoiled, contorted his face in doubt at first, then suddenly made an expression as if he had realized something, and then hurriedly corrected his words.

…As an aid, originally, I was forced to participate in the war because I wanted to give as little compensation as possible to the nobles who elected me, but from the point of view of the other side, it is correct.

Those might not have been able to clearly understand my intentions, but looking at them from the outside, they were of great help. Even if you said you were assisted, since you were rewarded anyway, you’re wrong… No, you’re completely right.

“Was the help enough?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. I have received more than I would like.”

“That’s really good. Anyone who sees it, wouldn’t a man who ascended the throne himself look more handsome than a man who was accidentally crowned king by someone else? You don’t have to.”

“…hahahahaha, indeed.”

Duke Aquitan, who was out of breath at the moment he heard my words, smiled forcibly and said so.

Until now, you have always acted smartly and responded well to my words, and as expected, you know that it is embarrassing to know that they openly pinched me for putting me on the throne for their own benefit, right?

“…”

Hmm… I need to stop pummeling. Your face was suddenly distorted.

Originally, I was going to get more angry at him for daring to do this on his own, but first of all, the cooperation of his faction is essential for the stabilization of Caroling, so we should do it in moderation.

Aren’t I the only one who loses if I suddenly get fed up and come out uncooperatively? If Jo Won suddenly goes crazy and acts as he pleases, the loss goes entirely to the leader who has to lead him.

Feudalism is troublesome.

“Of course, I didn’t do it entirely on my own, but thanks to your cooperation, I was able to obtain the throne of Carolingian. Thank you very much.”

“Thank you very much, but I’m glad Your Majesty thinks so.”

“hahahahaha, since you’ve been to Dijon, why don’t you look around a lot? It’s smaller than Lutesia, but the quality of the city is definitely higher.”

“Yes, since you’ve come this far, you can’t go back empty-handed, so of course you should. Are there any precautions, such as not going around alone?”

“I can’t help but feel free to explore by yourself. I will give you the best comfort during your stay in Dijon.”

“Thank you for your kindness.”

Compared to talking only through letters, being able to have a conversation right in front of you like this is really nice because you can look into your feelings.

I’ll try to make you as comfortable as possible while I’m in Dijon so you don’t get distracted. Invite her to a banquet and act as a face madam.

…………

“…Heh heh.”

At first, I gave my granddaughter to it because I wanted to establish blood ties with the mighty Duchy of Burgon, which is just a neighboring country.

Of course, it was very inconvenient as the other person was an illegitimate child, but he was officially registered as an illegitimate child, and the granddaughter continued to love him, so he approved the marriage without hesitation… To think that it would come back with such an amazing result.

At first, he was just a registered bastard, but suddenly he became a duke, and he wears a crown, and now he wears one more…

“What do you think?”

“Wouldn’t it be a great honor for Laurel’s family? In the past, nobles who wanted to make rotaring and ropes made a fortune, but now it is incomparable to that time.”

“Yes, yes, this will allow our Laurel to enjoy great prosperity.”

Of course, the Duke of Laurel is overjoyed that Claude has accomplished such a great feat.

Of course. Although it has a sense of being diluted in modern times, it is not an exaggeration to say that in a medieval society where people could not trust others and relied on blood ties, two married families were literally a community of destiny that stayed together until the end.

It is natural and close to common sense that if two families made of blood gain something, they should share it with the other. It not only benefits, but if one family suffers a loss, the other family even relieves the loss.

Of course, the more insignificant the blood ties are, the less common sense, but Claude is the king and Ines is the daughter of Laurel’s successor, albeit a long distance away. It was not unreasonable for the Duchy of Laurel to expect a gift from Claude.

“Well… I’ve heard rumors that he’s a very violent personality, no, he’s an eccentric, but he’s given something to me all along, so I can’t pretend I don’t know Laurel completely.”

Above all, the Duchy of Laurel has helped Claude in various cases, such as the civil war caused by his uncle and the unification of the coins of the Holy Empire, and has often acted as an intermediary between the imperial powers. No matter how lacking in common sense and dignity as an aristocrat, I think he will of course take care of our situation.

“It’s true that she’s a bit uneasy because she has a history of neglecting Ines… Well, she’s like that. She’s a person with no humanity, so she’s stricter when it comes to debt, so it’s okay.”

When the Duke of Laurel hears his eldest son’s words, Claude openly invites her as a concubine and gnashing his teeth at Ines by thinking of simple things, but soon he smiles and passes it over and begins writing a congratulatory letter to Claude. Of course, I also wrote down a few small requirements.

…………

The Duke of Aquitan, who decided to stay in Dijon for a long time to attend the banquet to celebrate the victory, has been touring various places in Dijon as advised by Claude.

The new town outside the city walls is still under construction, although some buildings have gone up. Dijon is prosperous, but it is a city and the building styles are similar, so there was nothing much to see except for waterways and excreta management. The factory is literally Dijon. It can be said that it is a unique item.

“Ugh, hmm…”

Awesome.

I’ve only heard of the factory, but I’ve never seen it myself.

Of course, I can’t say it out of my mouth because I have face, but if I had been alone with no one beside me, I would have opened my mouth and sighed freely.

“You seem to like it.”

I want to have such a consistent quality product that keeps popping up.

Is it said that the king came up with this method of production? There are some savage ways of thinking, such as comparing Lutesia and Dijon, which Ji destroyed, or openly checking me, who is on the same side, but in this part, they are completely opposite, running at the extreme of civilization.

“Could this production method be applied to Aquitan?”

“That… Of course you can apply it. There is an order from His Majesty to forbid the transfer of knowledge and the leakage of technicians outside Dijon, so we cannot help.”

Tsk, I haven’t said that I want to hire him yet, but he suddenly turned down.

Anyway, it’s impossible to leak technicians and technologies, but since copying isn’t really a problem, I’ll have to try this production method when I go back to Akitan.

Well, since it’s simply producing the parts separately, you’ll be able to follow along right away.

“hahahahaha, it’s okay, it’s okay. Isn’t it a process that ends if you just do the work separately? You don’t even need your help.”

“…Yes, good luck.”

Seeing Duke Akitan making remarks that seem to disparage the factory and its technicians, the craftsman who guides him frowns a little, but he doesn’t think much of it.

Because the moment you get angry and say otherwise, the author may realize his mistake.

Wherever you go, try running hard all by yourself.