Chapter 199: 199 Having Everything Stolen

Dale Mars, lord of the Mars family.

He had been feeling anxious lately.

’Why is that bastard Karl being so quiet?’

Dale wasn’t naive enough to think Karl came just to kill time.

The guy obviously held a grudge and wasn’t the type to act without reason.

If not, there was no reason to come all this way.

And his stay was much longer than expected.

Even if he didn’t know exactly what a great witch did, it wasn’t a job with that much free time.

’…He wasn’t just sitting quietly like a tourist either.’

He brought stunning beauties.

Revealed they were a great witch, elf, and dragon.

Showed off magic performances proving how incredible they were.

Showered the townspeople with massive wealth as “gifts.”

Those women wandered the territory, got close with the people, and greatly raised Karl’s support.

It clearly wasn’t just for fun or the territory’s benefit.

He definitely had ulterior motives.

He even delayed his departure several times with excuses.

Thinking that, Dale stayed on guard watching what Karl might do…

’But the guy showed no real reaction. What the hell is his goal?’

Karl not moving made it impossible to read him.

That anxiety and worry turned into stress and sleep deprivation.

…Of course Karl wasn’t actually idle.

Recruiting vassals, gaining people’s support, even training Dale’s wife and daughter.

He did pretty much everything.

The reason Dale didn’t know was because no one in the territory was on his side.

Every vassal and even personally hired maids were women trained by Karl.

Everything Dale did was reported to Karl.

Spies he sent for information were recruited by Karl and fed fake intel.

Information that should reach Dale was blocked in advance.

They even worked to keep Karl’s actions hidden from him.

In that situation Dale couldn’t know anything.

After Creusa and Leda were perfectly trained, he was practically led around by them too.

That was probably the root cause of his current predicament.

And the conclusion was coming soon.

“My lord, the vassals have summoned you.”

“…They summoned me? They dare order this lord to come?”

A maid visiting the lord’s office reported.

Hearing it from a mere maid was absurd enough, but the content was outrageous.

“Yes. That is what they told me to convey.”

“Hah!”

The vassals dared summon the lord.

Suddenly, without any prior notice or preparation.

’I went easy on them because of Karl, and now they climb over me.’

True, Dale’s authority as lord was currently low.

Lacking support, he needed the vassals’ cooperation.

But the lord was still above vassals.

He was the one and only head of the family and territory.

And vassals dared summon him?

This insolent act was a challenge to the lord’s authority.

’…Once my position stabilizes, I’ll teach them a lesson.’

But right now he had no power to reprimand vassals.

He could deal with this later—first he had to go hear them out.

He was purely curious what they were thinking.

“Fine. But a lord can’t just run when called. Prepare my formal attire.”

“…Understood.”

With the strangely smiling maid’s help he changed and headed to the meeting room.

Opening the door, the vassals were waiting.

…But the atmosphere was weird.

’What. Why are all the vassals gathered? Even the knights?’

Dale thought it was just a few vassals bothering him again.

But every vassal, elder, even knights were here?

This was no ordinary situation.

No, them gathering like this was already a serious problem.

And without any report to him, the lord.

Summoning him separately at the end!

’Above all the biggest problem is…’

Dale’s gaze turned to the man in the center.

A man flanked by breathtaking beauties in both face and body.

Karl—his constant eyesore—looked at him with a sinister smile.

’Th-that bastard called all the vassals and waited for me?’

Blood drained from his face.

Even Dale wasn’t clueless enough to not realize what this meant.

He thought Karl did nothing, but the guy had been preparing something.

Somehow recruited all the vassals to his side.

And now pointed a blade at his throat with that!

“W-what is the meaning of this? I’m already baffled you summoned the lord. What the hell are you planning?”

He bluffed to save face, but couldn’t hide his tension.

What the hell was that bastard trying to do?

He frantically tried to figure it out.

Of course it was already too late—the atmosphere made that clear.

“Dale Mars, lord. All your crimes have been revealed.”

As expected, Karl spoke first.

He stepped forward confidently as if representing all the territory’s key figures.

“Therefore, I and the vassals have decided to strip you of the lordship.”

“Ha! Ridiculous. You’ll remove me, the lord, just because you don’t like me? You think you have that right, brother?”

“Well, honestly… of course I do.”

Dale’s eyes widened at Karl’s shameless, confident answer.

He was saying he could remove him as he pleased?

Even though he was the officially recognized lord?

“…You’ve grown arrogant away from home. Do I, head of the Mars family and lord, look insignificant?”

“I’ve always respected our family and territory. Unlike you who snatched the seat the moment our parents died.”

Dale’s eyes narrowed.

True, seizing power illegitimately made his support thin.

But that couldn’t be grounds to remove him now.

“And I’m a far superior mage than you, and behind me stand the great witch and the other amazing ladies. Even if I remove you and take the lordship, who could dare to complain in this land?”

Dale swallowed from tension.

Karl’s current military power was indeed that overwhelming.

’Is he really planning to remove me by force?’

You can’t just steal the lordship?

What problem is that?

If he killed him here, no noble—even the king—could say anything to Karl.

Unless they wanted to make enemies of a great witch and a dragon.

No sane king would pick a fight with witches over one rural territory. Heck, they wouldn’t even do interfere even if it’s on the capital.

’And if the vassals and people are on his side…’

He could definitely remove him by force anytime.

Align stories and bury problems before they arise.

Dale wasn’t unaware of that.

“Haha… So you’ll really kill the me and take it? You know that’s bad for the territory. A family and territory without tradition will shake.”

“I never thought I’d hear that from you.”

“Let’s be realistic. You’ll return to the witch lands even if you become lord, right? Removing me for revenge just leaves the territory empty. You don’t want that, do you?”

Shouting that, Dale gained some confidence.

“Think carefully too! No matter what, I’m the legitimate successor! You’ll remove me without justification? Can you handle the chaos after?”

“We do have justification.”

“…What? There’s no such justification…”

“I have all the documents on the various corruption you committed using territory funds. You have used territory funds for sightseeing and gambling and whatnot.”

“…!”

Karl lightly waved papers in front of him.

Illegal funds he secretly siphoned for personal power.

The guy knew and even had proof?

’N-no way. How did a guy far away…’

Was there a spy from the beginning?

No, fixing that was more urgent now.

“S-so what. A lord can use that much money…”

“Normally yes. But for someone who became lord less than a year ago? Plenty of ’reason’ to remove you with the vassals, right?”

Dale bit his lip.

They only needed one flimsy justification.

Once achieved, no problem.

Just a made-up reason.

That alone creates the background to remove him.

Politics works that way if there’s justification.

“We vassals also agree with Lord Karl Mars’s opinion. All vassals vote to remove Dale Mars.”

The vassal representative coldly declared to Dale.

…..

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