The root cause of the Lacus family's crisis was Baron Margell's greed, but what directly plunged them into trouble was the head butler's betrayal.
Because of that incident, Rio's father collapsed from shock and completely lost the will to carry on.
Although Deneb briefly cared for him using holy power, his advanced age made it impossible for him to fully recover his strength.
No matter how gentle Rio might be, he couldn't overlook such a matter. Without punishing the traitor, he couldn't properly lead the family.
Most importantly, there were still traitors remaining in the merchant guild, and the only person who might know their identities was the head butler.
The head butler, who had been staying in the lord's castle, was captured before he could escape, all thanks to Ghislain's lightning-fast actions.
"S-Spare me! I had no choice—I was threatened by the former lord!"
The head butler began pleading the moment he entered, sobbing and sniffling before Rio.
He had never imagined things would turn out this way, especially since he knew the Lacus family well.
However, everything fell apart when mercenaries suddenly appeared.
Rio asked with a bitter expression.
"Tell me who the remaining traitors in the merchant guild are."
"I—I don't know them all!"
"Weren't you the one managing the servants? And the ones who fled with you were all your people."
"The ones I know of are just them. I don't know if there are others still inside!"
"Sigh…"
The head butler desperately tried to keep the traitors' identities hidden—not out of loyalty but out of self-preservation.
'I need to have at least one ally!'
The Lacus family had taken over this territory, leaving him, the traitor, as good as dead already.
However, the head butler had watched Rio grow up, practically treating him like a nephew. He believed that Rio, given his personality, would spare his life.
If that happened, the other traitors would have no choice but to protect him, even if only to save themselves.
The head butler had no other options. Surviving meant either becoming a slave or losing everything.
'There are too many people involved—I can't die alone!'
Some of the vassals had actively supported this incident. No, more than that, they had schemed to split the merchant guild apart.
They must be hoping he wouldn't reveal anything. For now, they would have no choice but to protect him.
Of course, deep down, they probably wanted to silence him immediately.
'I'll deal with the aftermath later. Right now, I have to live!'
And so, the head butler clung to Rio's mercy.
"Young Lord—no, Lord! Please, have mercy just this once. I know I betrayed you, but haven't we been together for twenty years?"
"..."
"I was only following the orders of the former lord! I truly don't know if there are any more traitors."
Rio sighed. He wasn't naive enough to believe the head butler didn't know.
There were likely more people involved in this than expected. With his naturally gentle disposition, Rio wasn't confident he could root them all out.
'W-What should I do?'
He was in a dilemma. Having only just become lord, Rio still found the position unfamiliar. He wasn't sure how to give orders—or whether he even had the right to.
Having spent his life without power, it was natural for him to lack confidence.
Some of the observing vassals spoke cautiously.
"Since this was under the former lord's orders, perhaps we should investigate further?"
"If he speaks carelessly, innocent people could be wrongly accused."
"This kind of matter requires careful handling. We should proceed slowly."
Hearing the objections, Rio became flustered, sweat dripping down his back.
He lacked both the confidence to persuade them and the strength to overrule them.
The vassals were all watching Ghislain closely. Without him, they would likely have tried to intimidate Rio as a group.
They were only following Rio's orders because they feared Ghislain. It didn't mean they had fully accepted Rio in their hearts.
In the end, Rio turned to Ghislain and said, "Older Brother, what should I do in situations like this? Please, share your wisdom."
Rio believed that Ghislain, who always resolved problems easily, would surely have a brilliant solution.
Ghislain nodded, having already noticed the vassals' behavior and smirking to himself.
"They used to call me the Sage King, you know."
No one had ever called him that. Despite all the titles he had earned, none involved the word 'wisdom.'
But Ghislain prided himself on knowing countless truths about the world. He was a man who had faced all kinds of hardships.
Ghislain squatted in front of the kneeling head butler.
"Now that you're the lord, watch and learn. There are many ways to make someone talk, but the best method is 'empathy.'"
"Empathy?"
"Yes. When you empathize, there's no secret they won't reveal."
Ghislain habitually reached for the back of his waist. Then, he realized something.
"Oh, no, I don't have my 'empathy' with me right now."
Of course, Astion wouldn't be carrying something like a hand axe. Ghislain gestured to a knight nearby.
"Bring me a hand axe."
"W-What? Oh, yes!"
The knight hurriedly fetched a hand axe. Ghislain inspected it, turning it over a few times, and then, without warning, struck the head butler's thigh.
Thwack!
"Arghhhh!"
The head butler screamed. He hadn't even recognized Ghislain or witnessed his actions before this.
So, he hadn't expected something so brutal to happen in front of the lord.
"W-What are you doing?! Who are you—"
Thwack!
"Gahhh!"
Ghislain didn't say a word. He just kept striking areas that wouldn't be fatal.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
"Arghhhh!"
The head butler's screams echoed through the hall, and the onlookers turned pale.
No one dared to stop Ghislain. They all knew how terrifying he was.
The hero's party had already agreed to follow Ghislain unconditionally for this matter.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
Ghislain kept chopping with the axe, showing no interest in questioning the head butler.
Finally, the head butler, having grasped the situation, screamed and begged for forgiveness.
"Ahhh! S-Stop! Stop! I'll talk! I'll tell you everything!"
Having spent his entire life living comfortably in the merchant guild, the head butler had likely never experienced such pain. Overwhelmed by the sudden violence, he surrendered almost immediately.
Several vassals turned pale at the sight. They had helped forge records and even used poison, making them accomplices.
When the head butler finally agreed to talk, Ghislain withdrew the hand axe. However, the head butler fainted from the pain before he could say anything.
"What the hell? Why is he so weak?"
Ghislain picked up the axe again, intending to wake him with another shock.
"O-Older Brother, w-wait!"
Rio, whose face had already gone pale from the sight of blood, hurriedly stopped him.
"Hmph."
Ghislain glanced at Rio before stepping back.
In truth, this was the right moment to stop. For the sake of the lord's authority, the final decision had to come from Rio for it to have meaning.
Still, Ghislain had created enough of an atmosphere that no one would dare challenge Rio.
Ghislain moved behind Rio and placed his hands on his shoulders, speaking softly.
"You are now the lord of this place. That means you must deal firmly with those who are clearly guilty. That's the only way to protect the innocent."
"Y-Yes…"
"Listening to your vassals' opinions is important, of course. But this time, the wrongdoings are already obvious, aren't they?"
"T-That's true."
"So, there's no need to waver because of their words. It's fine. You'll learn as you go. For now, start with this—order them to take that man and make him confess everything by tonight."
Rio looked at the acting captain of the knights and gave the order.
"T-Take him away and by tonight…"
"That's it, that's it."
"...M-Make him confess everything."
"If he doesn't talk by then, you'll face the punishment instead."
"If he doesn't talk by then… you'll face punishment instead."
"Good. Well done."
Rio's back was drenched in sweat. It felt as if a demon was whispering in his ear.
Nevertheless, once the order was given, the commander immediately straightened up and replied.
"U-Understood!"
The commander, already terrified by Ghislain's display of violence, didn't dare disobey.
The other vassals, too, fell silent. They were so frightened that they barely dared to breathe.
As the knight dragged away the unconscious head butler, Ghislain leaned toward Rio and whispered again.
"Next, give Baron Margell's family a small estate and order them to remain within the territory under surveillance for five years. After that, their status will be reviewed based on the situation in the estate."
"Next, give Baron Margell's family…"
"And imprison all of Baron Margell's vassals. Their cases will be reviewed individually to determine their guilt."
"And imprison all of Baron Margell's vassals…"
Rio repeated Ghislain's words like a parrot.
"Good job."
Each time, Ghislain followed up with praise.
The knight commander even placed a hand over his chest and responded sharply.
"Yes, sir!"
No one dared to question the orders or resist. Ghislain's brutal actions earlier had left a lasting impression.
Even Rio, by association, had become someone to be feared.
The vassals who had pretended to be innocent were rounded up as well.
With the aftermath settled swiftly, Rio stood there blinking in confusion. Ghislain clicked his tongue.
"Do you get it now?"
"W-What?"
"A lord isn't someone who enjoys power. He's someone who takes responsibility for the entire territory. That's why you need to make quick, accurate judgments and firm decisions."
"I-I understand."
"In the future, just give your orders like this. A lord sets the direction for the territory. The specialists will handle the rest. This is your land now, so don't overthink it. You'll get used to it."
"Y-Yes… I understand."
Rio trembled slightly. He still felt uncomfortable in this position. He doubted he could ever be as decisive as Ghislain.
'I… I'm not suited to be a lord at all…'
For now, he was simply relieved that the crisis had been resolved. He still didn't understand why Ghislain had entrusted him with this position in the first place.
Ghislain had deliberately intimidated the head butler in front of everyone, creating an atmosphere where no one dared resist or object.
He made sure everyone understood that Rio wasn't alone—that Ghislain was behind him.
Thanks to that, people started associating Rio and Ghislain as a unified force.
Moments later, the captain of the city guards was dragged in, looking bewildered.
"W-What? What's going on here…?"
He still hadn't grasped the situation.
The Lacus family had won the battle and taken the territory. But wasn't the outcome already obvious?
Yet now, the city guards and main forces of the territory had all submitted to the Lacus family.
The city guard captain couldn't make sense of it.
Ghislain grinned and rolled his shoulders.
"Didn't I tell you I wouldn't let this slide?"
"W-What? Huh?"
"This isn't the right place for this. Let's have a quiet chat somewhere else."
Ghislain didn't intend to kill him. The city guard captain's insults were more of a childish outburst, so Ghislain was willing to overlook them.
Still, wrongdoing was wrongdoing—he planned to give the man a little lesson.
Soon, the city guard captain's screams echoed outside.
"Aaaaah! I'm sorryyyy! I'll never curse againnnnn!"
Everyone remaining in the hall broke into a cold sweat.
It felt as if the real ruler of this territory was someone else entirely.
It was like a dragon had claimed the territory for amusement and appointed a puppet lord.
Following similar procedures, all administrators and soldiers eventually swore allegiance to the Lacus family.
The news spread quickly, and even the commoners welcomed it.
Because the Lacus family had gained control without a full-scale war, stabilizing the territory wasn't difficult.
Ghislain looked at Rio, who still seemed uneasy, and asked, "So, what's next?"
"W-Well…"
"Isn't there something you wanted to do as lord?"
Rio had never thought about such things. Becoming a lord had always seemed impossible to him.
"I…"
He had suffered great injustice. If the Yulian Mercenary Corps hadn't helped, he would have lost everything—including his life.
Rio had learned many things from this experience. The most important lesson was that those with power must use it properly.
And now, even if only slightly, he had gained power too.
Thinking that way, a desire began to form—to make this domain a better place to live.
Taking a deep breath, Rio slowly opened his mouth.