Amy: "Huh? I know about that. We learned about it in school."
What Shirone knew was this:
At a gathering of nobles in the Iron Kingdom, a nobleman nad Valthes declared that if anyone could prove they had more courage than him, he would give them his prized vase.
In response, a lower noble nad Mus took up the challenge. His thod was to simply throw the vase to the ground.
While it seed like a re drunken spectacle, it was actually an event that revealed long-festering political tensions.
Shirone: "The Iron Kingdom’s noble system is bicaral. The upper house conveys the king’s will, and the lower house represents the commoners. Thanks to this, the Iron Kingdom has beco prosperous, but the conflicts between the nobles have reached a serious level."
Bringing commoners into politics weakens the authority of the nobles but greatly enriches the nation.
Shirone: "The upper house’s power cos from military strength, and the lower house’s power cos from taxes. In the end, the conflict between the two factions was inevitable. When Mus, a lower noble, acted arrogantly, Valthes was furious. At the ti, it was brushed off, but resentnt lingered."
Rian: "But what does that have to do with the Parrot rcenary Group?"
Shirone: "Three months after the vase incident, a civil war broke out in Mus’s territory. An unknown army invaded. From here on, this is information I heard through family intelligence, but it’s said that Valthes was the one who started the civil war. He hired rcenaries, not his own soldiers, to attack Mus."
Rian: "Don’t tell the rcenaries involved were...?"
Shirone: "Yes, they were the Parrot rcenary Group. Of course, many rcenary groups participated, but the Parrot rcenary Group achieved overwhelming results. It might have been a gamble for a new rcenary group, but according to the intelligence I heard, they were an extrely aggressive group. Most rcenaries work for money, but it seed like they had so kind of belief. Anyway, led by the Parrot rcenary Group, a few units finally broke into Mus’s inner fortress. But just as victory was within reach, Valthes’s private soldiers suddenly attacked from the rear and ambushed the rcenaries."
Shirone imagined the situation at the ti.
Hire rcenaries to attack the enemy, then use private soldiers to eliminate those rcenaries.
It was a strategy to secure both victory and innocence.
Shirone: "Valthes never intended to completely purge Mus from the start. The power of the lower house, supported by the commoners, is stronger than you’d think. He just wanted to send a warning. In the end, the rcenaries were disposable pawns from the beginning. It’s almost embarrassing to call it a war, but politically, it was a perfect victory."
Rian: "But if it ended like that, the lower nobles wouldn’t have just sat back, right?"
Shirone: "Of course not, but they couldn’t show it openly. After all, the upper house is a group protected by the king. There was probably so kind of agreent. The fact that Mus hasn’t brought up the incident even after seven years ans he must have received so compensation from Valthes."
Rian furrowed his brow.
Rian: "So the ones who fought were just discarded? Politicians are impossible to understand. This goes against chivalry."
Shirone: "It’s natural to think that way. But in the end, that’s how the world works. I’ve been exposed to even worse intelligence since I was a kid. The world doesn’t operate on principles as much as we’d like to think."
Silence followed. They, too, would one day have to step into a place where the great forces of the world were at play.
The vase incident had nothing to do with them, but it wasn’t soone else’s problem either.
Tess: "Anyway, that’s how they were discarded. Most of the rcenaries who attacked Mus’s territory were either killed or fled. The Iron Kingdom officially labeled them as bandits. Even now, a small number of escapees are being hunted through the Red Line. A prisoner nad Lucas is probably one of them."
Shirone felt uneasy.
Shirone: "They’re fugitives hunted by the state. No matter how remote the island is, how could they survive for years? There’s also the possibility that they’re imposters. The na ’Parrot’ isn’t exactly unique."
Tess: "Imposters..."
Tess looked up at the dawn sky.
Tess: "Shirone, you said you t a woman at the market, right? You ran away with her after encountering so strange guy."
Shirone: "Marsha noona?"
Tess: "Yes. At first, it didn’t connect, but the mont I heard Jis ntion the Parrot Bandits, I was sure. The na of the Parrot rcenary Group’s leader ca to mind."
Shirone: "Huh? Isn’t it Freeman?"
Tess turned his head.
Tess: "Claire Marsha. That’s the leader’s na."
Shirone: "..."
Tess: "It could be an imposter. But everything fits. The Parrot rcenary Group, now renad the Freeman Organization, lying low. Marsha, a stranger who ca to the island. My gut tells they’re the real deal."
Shirone: "The leader..."
Shirone prided himself on being a good judge of character, but he hadn’t even guessed that the woman he’d spoken to was the leader of a rcenary group.
No, perhaps that’s why she was the real deal.
’A-Class Fugitive.’
Looking back now, it made sense.
Marsha’s face, filled with disdain as she spoke of the collusion between nobles and criminals, suddenly ca to mind.
And her past as well.
Tess didn’t know Marsha’s circumstances, but he could read the burden in Shirone’s eyes.
Tess: "Don’t overthink it. No matter what happened with her, we’re not going to fight. We’re going to save Jis’s sister. We’ll judge after we et her."
Shirone: "Yeah."
Shirone shook off his worries and spurred his horse forward with a determined look in his eyes.
In the distance, the shadow of Mount Toa lood.
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