A Famous Traitor and Treacherous Genius

251 – A Funeral, Not a Festival (2)

A person died.

So what should we do?

Festival!

You shouldn’t say that.

When Saint Geo Nostrum dies, the whole country rejoices, and even his father jumps up from his seat and dances for a moment, but once a person dies, there should be a funeral, not a festival.

Funerals for nobles tend to be longer than expected.

Because nobles come from various places to pray for the deceased’s peace and pay their respects, it takes quite a while to bury the body or cremate it.

After the body is placed in a coffin with magical measures and a mortuary with a temperature control magic, the body is buried or cremated only after as little as a week or as long as close to 15 days from the date of death.

However, this was all due to a problem of physical time, not any special etiquette or anything like that.

It took a long time for the deceased to arrive, quickly pack up and arrange a carriage, and rush across the continent to pay condolences, so the funeral took a long time.

So what about now?

“Five days will be enough.”

As the chief resident leading the funeral, I set a period of just five days for the funeral to be held with the administrators dressed in all black mourning clothes.

“The morgue is the same as the morgue in the Barcelona Government-General, and I personally handle the reception of mourners.”

“Can I leave it to you?”

“It’s not like I’m sad or worried. If I step forward as a resident, there won’t be people who trip over me for no reason.”

Sir Carlos expressed concern.

Since it was neither a good thing nor a good thing, there were definitely people among the nobles who would come to Barcelona and make sarcastic remarks or spread conspiracy theories.

“It’s a matter of the deceased’s honor, but the context must be made clear. Baron Balzac Lembourg Gunther received a gold mine development project as a preferential treatment to repay the baron’s enormous debt, and personally checked the gold mine with a pickaxe. I went there to do something and got into trouble.”

At least on the outside, it is a natural death.

It is a tragedy caused by neglect of safety due to one’s own greed.

“Sebastian, the butler, will be the witness, and wizards from Gibraltar will perform a re-enactment spell and it will be revealed that the tragedy is real.”

What I deduced based on the direction of the body was true.

“The moment he hesitated to run away, he was momentarily blinded by the golden light seen between the walls, so he couldn’t move. And the moment he tried to look at the wall, the tunnel collapsed and he suffered disaster.”＜ Br＞

Hello.

No one is talking.

All you can hear is me briefly quenching my throat with somnus tea.

“Barcel 005 Administrator.”

“Yes, Governor.”

From noble mtl dot come

Administrator number 005 answered my call, a young man with navy blue hair and the name ‘Edwin’ written on his nametag, raised his glasses.

“The contract for the transfer of development rights in area C7. Now that Baron Gunther of Lembourg has passed away, how should the authoritative interpretation be done? The rights to the developed gold mine.”

-If the party who entered into the contract dies or is unable to maintain the contract, the rights and property are considered assets and are transferred to the first heir.

There has never been a case like this before.

It was written down in the contract, but it didn’t actually happen.

Even though there have been murders committed by miners in gold mines and the deaths of miners among themselves, at least this is the first time that a nobleman with development rights has died.

“Baron Balzac Lembourg had no adopted children or heirs. His only blood relatives are Charlotte Gibraltar and her grandchildren, that is, the Governor’s mother and her brothers and sisters.”

“Then, of course, if we inherit the Baron’s assets, the gold mine there will naturally also become ours.”

“Yes. That…”

“Inheriting Baron means inheriting Lemberi as well.”

Gold was mined.

However, if you want to get that gold, you will also have the Barony of Lembourg Gunther.

“I’ll ask the administrators. I heard that the empire has a system called ‘renunciation of inheritance.’ Are you sure?”

“Ah, yes. This was institutionalized about 40 years ago. If an heir gives up on inheriting assets, the inheritance rights are transferred to the next heir.”

“Then, is there a system called renunciation of inheritance in the Kingdom of Nostrum?”

“…”

“There is none.”

I asserted.

“In Nostrum, everything that belongs to a parent is inherited by the children, especially the eldest son. If someone else than the eldest son wants to inherit assets, he must leave the family and become a ‘dead person.'”

If it were possible to give up the inheritance willingly, there is no way my father’s older brothers would have left like that.

“In other words, if things continue like this, Lembury’s debt will be passed on to the only heir… Charlotte Gibraltar.”

Administrators avoid my gaze.

Sir Carlos slightly pulls on his black tie, as if he is uncomfortable wearing mourning clothes rather than a knight’s uniform.

“Even if you give up the inheritance, if you are concerned about the latter, it will go to your mother’s siblings. But your mother is an only child. In that case, in the end…”

“It will be passed on to the son and grandson.”

“To me, that is.”

The administrators swallow their saliva.

“Lemberi, where the surviving families of the Knights of the Golden Dawn settled, and all the debts owed to Lembury.”

It’s not like I’m going to eat them, but everyone is looking at each other and can’t hide their discomfort, as if there’s a knife at their throat.

“At ease. Everyone. I have thoughts on everything regarding Baron Balzac Lembourg Gunther.”

I took out a gold coin from my pocket.

“If there is one thing I must command you, it is to express solemn mourning for the dead.”

Of course.

This is common sense.

“Why did you die in Barcelona? Why did you make this troublesome thing for us? At least let’s not say such heartless and inhumane things in front of others.”

However, if the dead person is said to be ‘a helpful person by dying’, you can say that it shouldn’t be done, but there are times when you laugh, and if there is a ‘person who is a nuisance by dying’ ‘ ‘, there are times when you get annoyed and wonder why they died that way.

“Through this funeral, we, Gibraltar, plan to completely erase the ‘Lembourg Gunther’ that has been cast over our family.”

I took out a glass bottle from my pocket, tilted the end of the bottle, and lightly spilled it around my eyes.

“No matter what you did before you died, what you did during the process of dying, or what you left behind after you died, it is true that you are dead.”

Juruk.

“Let’s just express our condolences on a human level for my grandfather’s death. Prepare the funeral with the best treatment possible. And…”

I grabbed the gold coin I had taken out earlier and folded it in half.

“One day, the entire country will express its condolences. I think of it as a rehearsal for the national funeral to express condolences for the ‘good king’ of St. Geo Nostrum. Do you understand?”

Everyone nodded heavily.

* * *

At Barcelona Station, people dressed in black mourning clothes began to get off one by one at each stop on the Mado Automatic Line.

Most of them are nobles.

When a nobleman dies, there are cases where condolences are expressed by sending a letter, but when a person who is old or has a well-known name ‘passes away’, people often come to pay their respects in person to mourn their death.

Would this many people pay tribute to the death of an ordinary person?

Some of the miners in Barcelona even spat on the floor, saying, “They didn’t even come when the miners died,” But at least those voices died down as the number of nobles increased one by one.

Viscounts, barons, counts, and even marquises.

This is an unprecedented situation where, in fact, if someone from the duchy of Morgania comes, at least one noble with a title in the empire will visit.

No, the Sword Master, who is like the Grand Duke of Winchester, died?

Those who wondered who had died and why there was such an uproar at the Government General and why the nobles were gathering so quickly soon sighed when they saw the death notice posted on the bulletin board by the Government General’s administrators.

“Baron Balzac Lembourg Gunther dies in Barcelona. Collapse of mine shaft during gold mine development.”

“It doesn’t say how he died?”

“I don’t know. How can we know if he died from excessive bleeding or from being stoned? But… The Baron died, so why are you making such a fuss here?”

It could not help but feel like a fuss to people who did not know or were not interested.

“Wasn’t the man named Baron Gunther the one who embezzled Lembur?”

“They said he was the governor’s maternal grandfather.”

“…What?”

Until just a few months ago, Barcelona was the Marquis of Barcelona.

As there was more interest in the composition of the Knights of the Golden Dawn than in the Gibraltar family, surprisingly many people did not know about the surname Lembourg Gunther.

There was no need to know exactly, and it had already been nearly 20 years since the name Lembourg Gunther became widely known, so it was forgotten and lost to the attention and memories of many people.

“It is said that when the Crimson Marquis of Gibraltar was greeting the current Marquis during his time as Margrave, his father fell to the ground holding his back his his. Is that the Baron who died this time?”

“That’s right. Tsk tsk. That’s too bad. If he had lived a little longer, his only grandson could have become the crown prince of the empire.”

“Is this something to be pitied?”

“Well? At least seeing as high-ranking people came and expressed their condolences, didn’t he still seem to have been a prestigious person?”

Ordinary territory residents do not know the details.

Even those who know something to some extent can only judge based on the information given unless they know the detailed story.

“They say he was disowned, but it looks like the funeral will be held in a really grand manner.”

“Yes. …Oh my god, look at that.”

The gates of Barcelona.

Instead of magic cars, carriages bearing the coat of arms most frequently seen in Barcelona entered Barcelona, displaying black flags instead of family flags.

“That can’t be…”

“Oh my god. The Marquis himself?”

A funeral attended by the Gray Governor of Gibraltar.

People who seemed like they would never come to that place for something like this appeared.

“There was a reason why all the nobles wanted to wear mourning clothes themselves.”

A funeral is a place to mourn the dead, but it is also a place for the living to meet face to face and talk to each other.

“Yes, even if I was disowned, I still have to come even though I’m dead.”

* * *

“I don’t think you need to come all the way to the mortuary, father.”

My father, the Marquis Crimson, came to the mortuary in person.

It’s cold enough to freeze your skin if you don’t wear thick clothes thanks to temperature control magic.

The unique smell of a corpse emanates from a corpse placed inside a coffin made of magic stones.

Not a good place to talk.

Although my father and I are the only living people in the morgue, it is definitely not a good place to talk.

“He is greedy until he dies, and when he dies, he leaves, causing trouble to his children and relatives.”

“Father.”

“Yes. Just be careful not to let other people hear.”

“Others will also be careful about what they say in front of my father, but please don’t show too much. It may not make you laugh, but shouldn’t there be sadness?”

My father looked at the dead body of Baron Balzac as calmly as if he had seen the corpse of an enemy.

It has to be that way.

Whether before his return or now, if I had to pick two people my father would want to tear to death, it would definitely be this one person and that incompetent king.

“Please stay by my mother’s side. I will protect this place.”

“Protect?”

“Yes. You have to protect it. If it were just a funeral, you could just stay still, but this is not a normal funeral.”

I pointed up and down.

“Finishing the funeral successfully. That’s what this war is about.”

“…No way. No, that’s still true.”

“It wouldn’t be great if an ordinary person died, but since Baron Balzac is dead, wouldn’t it be a perfect environment to use?”

I pressed my hand against the wall of the morgue.

“This is the former Marquis de Barcelona Castle.”

With a cooing sound, part of the wall went down and a staircase appeared.

“As long as the enemy base is utilized, the reality is that there are passages everywhere that will not be surprising even if the enemy makes a surprise attack at any time.”

“…”

“It would be better for my mother and younger siblings to stay in the magic automatic ship that I have separately arranged for them. Father, please protect that place. “I will protect it.”

“Protect. From what?”

“Of course…”

I knocked lightly on the coffin, then lifted an object next to it.

“The scum who are trying to tarnish Gibraltar’s honor by stealing corpses are probably not honorable Nostrum people.”

Crash.

“Either steal the body, or steal the gold next to it.”

Thieves are shot and killed.

With the imperial musket.