ARCHDEUS

INTERIM LORD(4)

Steve Gale is enjoying the bonus he got.

He spent his salary by going on vacation to a luxurious inn called the Shining Golden Pavilion. He is on holiday with his wife and two children.

Steve is a family man.

Even if there was a beautiful woman here, she wasn't too interested.

Especially the woman who was pacing around near her room.

The woman even though she looks not too well groomed but with her clean skin and blonde hair, if she is polished just a little will definitely be a prima donna.

The woman had passed back and forth many times around the hallway. What surprised him even more was that the woman turned out to have many bodyguards wearing armor.

Steve understood a little of the woman's status. Even though the woman looked like someone who had just lost a gamble, she must have a high position so that people who looked like knights were always next to her.

But of course Steve did not bother. He was already satisfied with this happy little family.

So during the holidays at this inn, Steve spent his time with the family by utilizing all the lodging facilities.

This inn does not have the most famous facilities that should be in the hotel or the upper level pavilion, the swimming pool. As a civilization that has a low awareness of sanitation, bathing habits are taboo so it also applies to entertainment and water sports, namely swimming that never existed.

So the most interesting activity at the inn that they can do is try all the food that is there.

A variety of luxurious and exotic foods that they had not previously eaten can now be felt as much as possible.

Or there is extreme entertainment that is pig fighting. So in this inn there is a basement that provides an arena where pigs fight. Two pigs will be locked in a narrow cage and then pitted against each other. So the punters would place bets on the pigs that they felt would be the winners.

It was a strange but quite famous pastime. But as a family man, Steve felt the game was not good for children so he did not bring his family there.

So alternatively they play a more classic game that is a ball game like football and badminton of course with some modification rules.

In addition they can also watch theatrical plays and comedies provided by the pavilion.

Broadly speaking, Steve is satisfied with all the facilities available. Seeing his son and wife laughing clearly made him happy. But happiness was lost when he saw his subordinates coming with a pale face.

His subordinate apparently ran from the office to his vacation spot only to say that the CEO called him.

Steve didn't feel anything was wrong so went to the office casually.

But when he arrived at the CEO's office, instead of being greeted by congratulations like before, he was pelted with a stack of paper.

It was not just the CEO who was there. All the directors were also present.

Steve was confused as to why he was being pelted and why the board of directors wanted to see him.

But his confusion was slowly answered when he heard their CEO's question.

"Where did you get this thing!"

Warren, the CEO, pointed two objects at his desk. The first thing was a purple orb and the other was a stone tablet containing runes.

Steve answered honestly. He got it from two hunters trapped in a dungeon.

But the CEO was even more angry while pointing at him.

"The hunter! You said hunter, motherfucker?! Look at all the consequences you've made!"

The CEO threw an envelope with paper at him.

Steve opened the envelope and read the letter which was quite thick inside:

...∰∰∰...

...JUSTITIA...

Remarks: That for the sake of the Extraordinary Criminal Investigation it is necessary to take legal action in the form of calling someone to be questioned.

Basis:

Article 5 paragraph 8 Lese-Majeste

Article 112 paragraph 34 Robbery of Property

Article 64 paragraph 8 Public Security

CALL OUT

Name: Warren Delson

Gender: Male

Nationality: Artchania

Title: Chief Executive Office of Nightorb Corporation

[...]

[...]

etc.

...∰∰∰...

Steve froze when he saw the name of the entire board on the list.

He could only sculpt after reading this letter before being questioned by Warren.

"Have you seen it? Are you sure those two guys are just hunters?"

***

News of the count's eldest son's appointment as Interim Governor quickly spread.

The majority welcomed him with disappointment. How not, their great lord was now replaced by a trashy noble who could not even enter the military academy.

Some welcomed with enthusiasm. They are a group of people who have a dirty interest in the government.

In the early days, after Alex had sworn an oath of office, and given him a command staff as a symbol of leadership, Alex was buffeted by various administrative affairs.

Fortunately, as Alen said, everything complicated was left to the old man. This includes administrative affairs, meetings, and supervision.

In the end, Alex just sat quietly in the count's office. With this he is official as an official who gets a blind salary.

Alex thought about the fate of his plants in the village. He only knew one person who had the ability to do magic plant cultivation. It was Francess, a friend of Ryana and Lacey. Besides, he doesn't trust anyone else.

So Alex just idly gave a letter to the company that became Francess' apprentice. What surprised Alex was that the company was willing to give up its internship contract and hand it over to Alex. Likely as a businessman, the businessman smelled the scent of money if he took off his apprenticeship contract with Frances.

Frances doesn't mind either. Although it was rather a pity that he had to leave this promising company, but given the enthusiasm of the directors, Frances could only nod in agreement.

Well, however, to be able to have a connection with a great nobleman like Alex would of course the bourgeoisie would be willing to sacrifice. Although the nobles they met were trash nobles though.

So in the end, Francess took care of all the plants Alex had.

As for his apprentice status, he would still be an apprentice in his previous company. Factually, he works for Alex.

To thank him, Alex ordered the county's head of agriculture to send him fertilizer subsidies.

Alex established it as a regional program to increase agricultural productivity. But secretly, the company where Francess interns got far more fertilizer subsidies than others.

"This ..."

Alex picks up a letter handed over by Alen.

"Sir, this letter is from the Nightorb Company. They plead with my Master to see my Master's Majesty" Alen said.

"Oh .. the company of that dungeon," murmured Alex.

Currently the county is preparing a big news that will surely make the world of journalists turbulent.

It was regarding the discovery of the False Dungeon in the county. Not only that, the county would also design some events like 'In the raid process, the adventurers were assisted by Young Master Fertiphile. Young Master Fertiphile contributed a lot to the raid's success.'

Of course it is a thing designed by the public relations section. After all, in reality Alex was also in that dungeon when the raid was done. They can't possibly explain that Alex was saved from the dungeon. If it happens put where the counties face who always confident with the power of their nobles?

"Forget it, I refused a meeting with them" Alex continued.

What is more thrilling is that a magic mining company gets a subpoena from the County Security Authority on the basis of lese majeste charges.

Lese Majeste is a violation of the dignity of the ruling power or of the state. Lese majeste is actually a rule given to protect the royal family. But along with the time in which the power of the nobility grew, they managed to add articles and articles in the criminal law by making them also able to protect in the Lese Majeste. Of course, in the Lese Majeste they added a new issue that is lese noblesse to protect the dominance of the nobility against their own territory.

So an insult to a noble can have consequences that are almost as severe as an insult to royalty. Surely lese noblesse only applies if the perpetrator is in a lower social class such as commoners. However in the event of a conflict between nobles or a conflict between the royal family and nobles, lese noblesse cannot be enforced. Conversely, if this conflict involves the dignity of the royal family, the nobility who is the perpetrator can be exposed to the demands of the Lese majeste.

And what happened to Nightorb Corp. it was not only that they were exposed to the case regarding the robbery of property but also Lese majeste for deliberately robbing the property of a noble and performing acts that were considered to demean the degree of nobility.

Sooner or later the case of Nightorb Corp. this would be heard by the public along with the news of the discovery of the False Dungeon.

Alex is not going to let those people go.

At least until all the items they took were returned.

Moreover, Alex was thinking of taking the False Dungeon. He wouldn't hand it over to Nightorb or any other company.

Alex took a paper and wrote something down.

Alen who was standing nearby could not help but glance curiously.

...∰∰∰...

Dear Lord Harderborg's

My Lord, I sincerely and joyfully exclaim in the Majesty of My Lord, may My Lord and family always have the protection of the Almighty God.

With all my heart, I, Lord Fertihall, offer my Master to cooperate in managing the False Dungeon in the Great Forest of Roth especially My Lord has a lot of experience in the mining world where. Hopefully, with this cooperation, the relationship between the County of Fertiphile and the County of Morhust can be more closely implemented.

...∰∰∰...

The use of the title Lord Haderborg is not without reason. Regis was the eldest son of the Count of Morhust so he had a courtesy title[1]. Regis can be invoked as 'Lord of Harderborg' (without the use of the definitive article 'the') in a formal letter, as can Alex, the eldest son of the Count of Fertiphile who is called 'Lord of Fertihall' (without 'the').

Alex secretly smiled cunningly.

After all he also had to get a piece of cake from this incident.

He's gonna ask Regis for help. Alex sure understands the implied meaning in this writing.

As Alex was thinking about his plan, a knock on the door sounded.

Alen opened the door and a servant handed him a letter.

Alen gave the letter to Alex.

"What is this letter?" ask Alex.

"Sir, this is a letter from the County of Otilia. They begged to meet with my Master" explained Alen.

"Oh ...."

"My lord, this is the fifth letter they have sent us" Alen said.

"Hoh really? Why are they so diligent? So Alen, tell me what their problem is and why are you so indifferent to the letter they sent?"

NOTES:

courtesy title[1]: a title of courtesy often given to the eldest son of a nobleman or spouse of a lord.