Chapter 60: Rewards
Ten days after the celebration banquet on the northwest border ended, envoys from the Holy Sword Legion entered the capital, and news of the great victory in the northwest spread throughout the city. The royal family officially issued a proclamation confirming this news. Soon, the people of the capital celebrated wildly, with everyone discussing this major victory over the orc army.
Information about Donald, the top genius mage and summoner of the North County, as well as his performance in the battle against the orcs, was also spread throughout the capital and the entire country at the instigation of certain individuals.
With this, the originally planned reward—a piece of land for a knightly fief—seemed insufficient. King Celt XV declared that, for the dignity and fairness of the kingdom’s nobility, additional rewards should be given.
This decision left the members of the Noble Council in a difficult position, unable to reach a formal resolution immediately.
For such significant achievements involving noble titles, the final decision usually rested with the Noble Council, composed of the royal family and local nobles. The king would propose a resolution, and if more than half of the council members voted in favor, the reward would be officially determined.
For ordinary life-long lords and knights, the king simply made the decision and notified the Noble Council to record it.
On the day the female countess returned to the capital, the king had already asked her about her journey. He also had his own thoughts regarding Donald’s request.
The next day, the king convened everyone in the council hall to make the final decision regarding the rewards for the great victory in the northwest. The rewards for other nobles and professionals had already been decided, as their greatest achievements were merely eliminating a few hundred defeated orcs, and a knightly title was sufficient to reward them.
The only challenge was determining the reward for Donald Merlinar, the greatest contributor. This was due to obstruction from established noble families and hostile noble forces.
If it weren’t for the commendation documents submitted by the Ansel family, which legitimized Donald’s military achievements and recorded them accurately without any falsification, and the statement made by the second prince, Duri, to deter those who might try to interfere, would noble descendants have already tried to secretly steal his credit?
Such things had happened in previous years, especially to common adventurers with no strong background.
However, this time with the Ansel family’s support, the King and the Second Prince’s attention, and the backing of a whole county of mages behind that genius, it was difficult to manipulate things, which is why no fraud occurred. It was precisely because of this that some noble factions were dissatisfied and tried their best to undermine the outcome of the grants.
At this resolution meeting, many noble officials still prepared to argue endlessly over the size of the grants, but their King dealt a decisive blow to them.
“Everyone here is an elite of the kingdom; there’s no need to argue over trivial matters. The envoy sent to the North County has returned. Here is the request from that genius mage—let’s present it!”
At the King’s words, a servant promptly handed over the prepared documents for the ministers and nobles to review.
In order of rank, everyone present read the documents. Many nobles’ expressions changed slightly, while some remained unchanged.
After everyone had read it, a noble member stood up and spoke first.
“Your Majesty, restoring land that is already a manor to noble territory seems to violate the rules, and there’s no precedent for this!”
King Celt XV glanced at that noble, realizing he was just a puppet speaking on behalf of a certain noble faction, so he paid no attention and waited for others’ opinions.
“Your Majesty, I think this isn’t a bad idea. After all, it was originally an hereditary fief that doesn’t bring much benefit to the kingdom. And since it’s the genius mage’s own request, why not go along with him?”
This representative spoke on behalf of the southern noble factions. Previously, they had prevented Donald from receiving a large grant because it affected their own interests. Now that the grant target was far from their territories, they had no reason to object and even spoke in support of him.
As for the greatest rival of the Merlin family—the nobles bribed by Viscount Macbeth—they wanted to speak out against it but were powerless. They couldn’t get a word in amid such powerful figures, and Macbeth’s bribes hadn’t gone far enough to make them offend the nobles.
At that moment, the King’s Marshal and Minister of Military Affairs, Earl Dawson, who had remained silent throughout the meeting, suddenly spoke up: “Your Majesty, this baron claims that, given his military achievements, the grant he’s being given is too low! After all, he was originally a hereditary noble!”
It was then that some of the elders present remembered that the hereditary knight who had offended the great nobles and was forced to be exiled to the most remote lands in the North County was none other than the favorite disciple of this old marshal. Although the old marshal had disengaged from the struggles among noble factions out of disillusionment over the years, his words carried great weight throughout the kingdom.
At this point, the Chancellor Rutherford also stepped forward and said, “The old marshal is right. A lordship, and at that the most desolate lands in the North County, is far too meager for the military achievements of that young mage! If word gets out, it will surely tarnish the reputation of our Kingdom of Celt!”
Although the Chancellor’s remarks were secretly arranged by His Majesty the King, with the support of the female countess in the capital, and through various financial incentives, the fame of Donald the Human Hero and the Orc Slayer quickly spread widely in the capital. Even when the royal family prepared rewards, they had to take public opinion into account.
If the rewards were too stingy, it would inevitably lead to criticism and dissatisfaction, which would undoubtedly dampen the enthusiasm of noble lords and common adventurers to join future battles. On the other hand, the royal family, which was usually stingy, couldn’t afford overly generous rewards, and the great nobles wouldn’t be willing to give up their own interests.
Under Donald’s prior instructions, the female countess secretly arranged for agents in the noble council to offer suggestions. “Your Majesty, I have a proposal. Since Lord Merlinna was originally a hereditary knight, perhaps we should elevate his title to baron. As for his lands, in addition to the original lordship, we should also include the areas surrounding the Green Cloak Forest and the woods near Giant’s Rock. Though barren and remote, they cover a large area and their value should be comparable to that of a fertile baronship!”
Upon hearing this, the nobles present were shocked. Adding up those lands, they covered hundreds of square kilometers! Such an area was equivalent to that of a high-ranking noble above the count level. But after some thought, their expressions returned to calm.
Considering that most of the land consisted of mountainous forests and dangerous areas close to the Green Cloak Forest—places almost no one wanted—many nobles smiled and nodded in agreement.
At that moment, Rutherford suddenly said, “Your Majesty, since the great King Seventh, our Celt Kingdom has not conquered new territories for too long. The nobles here have all settled in their own domains, lacking the drive to expand. Now, this mage Merlinna has chosen an uninhabited forest wasteland—isn’t this exactly the way a knight should act?”
“Exactly! If that mage can successfully develop these lands, it will mean adding more territory to the kingdom, which is a tremendous achievement!”
Earl Dawson also spoke in agreement.
“Not only that, if Merlinna succeeds, he will set an example for all the nobles in the kingdom, inspiring them to be more proactive and bringing significant benefits to the kingdom’s development!”
Even the old marshal spoke up, and all the military officials present agreed. Most of the neutral nobles immediately changed their stance, as such rewards did not affect their interests at all.
Thus, the noble representatives had little objection to granting additional lands as rewards.
After all, giving that meritorious individual just a lordship along with some wilderness areas the kingdom couldn’t care about seemed like a solution that required almost no cost from them!
King Celt XV then said, “Truly loyal nobles of the kingdom, worthy of being called the greatest mage genius in the North Counties. Then, as he requested, let us grant him that original lordship along with two nearby forests and the uninhabited lands north of Giantstone Castle. What do you all think of this reward?”
“Your Majesty handles matters fairly, with clear rewards and punishments. We have no objections!”
This decision to grant rewards was approved by the royal family and representatives of various local nobles, and it was unanimously passed in the meeting.
The king waved his hand decisively and declared, “Then it’s settled. The scribe shall draft the decree of reward and deliver it to the Noble Council today, to be officially announced throughout the country tomorrow!”
With the king’s unambiguous tone and the support of several major noble factions and Marshal Dawson, the head of the military, this decision was firmly established. Seeing no one object, the old king was greatly relieved.
The North Counties had always been a concern for the old king. With the growing power of the major noble factions and the weakening of central authority, he was already very worried. He feared that after he returned to his ancestors’ realm, the new king might not be able to control these nobles, allowing their power to grow even further.
The old king was well aware of the old grievances between the Macbeths and the Merlinas. Back then, Macbeth held great power, and as king, he couldn’t stop them from seizing the lands of a declining knightly family. Now, the Northlands would gain another noble lord—a powerful mage—who could oppose the ambitious Macbeths. By checking each other, the two sides achieved a balance, effectively thwarting Macbeth’s desire to unify the Northlands. At least as long as that genius mage was alive, Macbeth’s ambitions could not be fulfilled.
Moreover, this move allowed the royal family to gain an ally who had the potential to become a high-ranking mage—why not do it?
After all, those who became bronze spellcasters lived at least half as long as ordinary people, and if they advanced to silver rank, they could live past 150 years. This meant the Kingdom of Celt would have another guardian for another century.
His Majesty the Fifteenth had ruled for decades and understood political tactics very well. He would only act when necessary, and when he did, it would strike at the heart of the Macbeth family.
Most nobles agreed, and it seemed the king was also determined. Even the few nobles who wanted to hinder the Merlinas from regaining their lands had no choice but to agree.
Fortunately, Donald only wanted the Green Cloak Forest and the forests and wastelands beneath Mount Izumo. Though vast—almost the size of a countship—they were dangerous, jungle-covered wastelands that usually went unattended. They stopped opposing him and were happy to grant these unclaimed lands to the greatest contributor.