YLTESCIA: A Reincarnator's Tale in the Lands of Merusia (3)

Chapter 415: Power and Authority

"Hmm... I see... So that's how it is..." ［Grey］

He nodded his head and cupped his chin, soon closing his eyes as he thought deeply of the town'sー no, the whole kingdom's circumstances. It wasn't just him, but Yuna as well, a couple more questions popping in and out of their minds at the moment.

It has been a couple moments since the commotion outside and silence has reigned over the town once more as the sun sank down over the horizon. Rumors and gossip were still abuzz, but there was little they could do about it.

Night has come, and after such an unexpected turn of events, Grey and Yuna are now asking Norma and Nord about the situation of the town, the Kingdom, and how things came to be as they are right now.

"So what you're saying is... The Kingdom is still unstable, am I correct?" ［Grey］

"Yes... Though it has been over 5 years since the civil war, and people are slowly adapting, there are still those who adhere to the old laws of the kingdom." ［Nord］

"It may seem peaceful right now... But war could erupt at any moment. Especially the feud between the King and Duke Schemer." ［Norma］

"That's quite troublesome, isn't it?" ［Yuna］

Grey and Yuna had been so used to the peace in Oiros, that they had forgotten that there was a reason why it was called the most peaceful of all continents. In contrast, the other continents were savage places where the strong prey on the weak.

And apparently, the Kingdom of Aldengard was no different. It was a Kingdom whose olden laws were focused on human supremacy, suppressing all other races and oftentimes turning them into slaves, treating them worse than animals.

Thankfully, the previous King abolished such a system and everyone was granted equal rights under the eyes of the law. However, it wasn't one without any sacrifices. Such drastic change was opposed by the traditional nobles, wars waged in blood.

And it wasn't just once or twice, but several times did wars break out in the Kingdom, bringing about a time of chaos and ruin to the lives of the citizens. And before long, with the reign of the new King, the flames of war were finally extinguished.

"But hmm... If the enemies have already been taken care of... Why is there another conflict happening with the higher-ups?" ［Yuna］

"That's... That's just how people are..." ［Nord］

"So there are snakes and rats, huh..." ［Grey］

"Yes, precisely..." ［Nord］

However, with every evil defeated, a new one will rise up and take its place. It was an endless cycle fueled by the bottomless greed of people, doing every little thing they can to have a taste of absolute power and rule over others.

Even if one was pure-hearted, once their hearts are intoxicated by power, they would soon be corrupted and become the person they feared the most to be. Such was how susceptible people are by temptation and others around them.

The new King has been acknowledged by the people, but there are many nobles who are dissatisfied with that. Amongst them was Duke Schemer whose family was that of a Count's before the start of the civil war a couple decades ago.

The House of Schemer helped out a lot in the civil war, but in reality, however, they were simply taking advantage of the situation and clinging on to their star to climb even higher heights. Now that they have the status of Duke, their desire for more only grew stronger, wanting to take the whole kingdom for themselves.

Now, it just so happens that the current Lord of Veltofar, Viscount Hameln, is part of Duke's faction. Even if he tried to escape, there was no way he could violate such a contract which was made with contract magic.