Without much room for other options, the Margrave said, to quell the complaints.
"If you say so, then what about this? Let's see if you guys can face them off and get rid of them."
If the S-series won, his retainers would no longer be able to openly protest. After all, the Margrave family has its roots as a house of warriors. There would be no problems at all for him to surround himself with slaves, so long as they were strong. On the other hand, if his retainers won, he would have an excuse to return this gift from Tullius.
With this strategy, the Margrave randomly selected one of the S-series and one of the best warriors from the house.
......And the result was…… the S-series slave gained an overwhelming victory. The slave, who wore armor and a sword, and whose collar was hidden, looked to the casual observer like an adventurer or a mercenary. The slave had treated one of the fiercest men from the Margrave as if he were a baby.
"I hope you are satisfied, your Excellency."
The one who said with a voice lacking in intonation was the first slave entrusted to Doldran by Tullius — Lucie, the M-22. She acted as a liaison between the Margrave and the ‘Man-eating Snake’, and also reported back on the Margrave’s movements. She was also present at the reception of the S-series, perhaps to observe how the Margrave would react.
The Margrave looked at the girl beside him uncomfortably. He had no complaints about their performance. But the way he was handed them, left much to be desired. However, in the face of this result, there was no choice but to agree.
"Indeed—"
"Please wait!"
A young man interrupted the Margrave, who was about to give his approval, and spoke up. He was the only son of the Margrave, and he was dressed more elegantly than the rest of the retainers. He looked somewhat annoyed.
"What are you thinking, dear Father? You invite these slaves in, and then you humiliate a knight who is loyal to our family!"
"Hm......"
"Please let these people go now. If they are slaves, they will value their freedom. As nobility of the kingdom, we have no positions to offer those of lowly status. Wouldn't this be better for both parties!"
But there are other facts that the Margrave’s son was unaware of. While the right to command these slaves was handed to Margrave Doldran, he was not free to release them. The chains connected to the collars of the S-series, including M-22, extend from the hands of that mad viscount of Marlan.
However, there was no way he could divulge it here. If he did, Tullius would get news from M-22 and start working to brainwash his son.
So he had no choice but to poke and prod at his argument.
"......You may be my heir, but you have no say in this. This is a decision that I, as the head of the family, have made."
"Father!"
"Obey! For these are the words of the kingdom’s Margrave."
Doldran gritted his teeth at the fact that he had no choice but to suppress his son's opposition through his authority. Defying him further was tantamount to saying that he, the Margrave, the person tasked to quell the unrest from monsters in the west, was inept.
Whether or not he knew about his father's feeling of helplessness, the son lifted the corner of his eye and shifted his focus. He looked at M-22 from the corner of his eyes.
"You, you bitch! You've seduced my father again!"
He yelled and grabbed her by the collar. This was not the way a noble would treat a woman, but nobody around could punish him for it. Because no matter how she was treated, Lucie, M-22, was a slave. It was common knowledge in this world that those who are fitted with a silver collar are not to be treated as human beings.
A young woman with an age gap like that of parent and child suddenly appeared one day and served by the side of the Margrave day and night. That brought about nothing but gossip and speculation.
(Deplorably, since it was grounded in truth, he could not rebuke him......)
Margrave Doldran looked down involuntarily. Although he was one of the more honest of nobles, he was still in his prime, and his wife had long since passed away. As a byproduct of Tullius' brainwashing, he had also regained his health, which had been previously compromised by work. What would happen if a woman who listened to everything he said and did everything for him, even though she had another true master, appeared in his life?
He laid his hands on M-22 two months ago. She did not resist. After that, on nights when he couldn't quell his rage, he did the same thing again and again.
When he considered this fact, his spirits sank and his mouth became heavy.
"Please stop, young sire!"
A voice from one of his retainers brought Margrave Doldran back to himself. It was one of the men who had accompanied him to Marlan who stopped his son. In other words, he had been brainwashed just like the Lord.
"Huh, let go of me! She's a slave, but she's an adulteress who's harming our family! That can be punished by death!"
"What the young sire says is true. But that person does not belong to you!"
The retainer was right. Killing another person's slave was tantamount to damaging their property. M-22 was currently in the service of Margrave Doldran, whose true owner was also Tullius. Even though she was at the bottom of the social hierarchy, and even if nobody would blink an eye at her death, only her master can kill her at will.
The Margrave’s son took one look at the retainer who stopped him hatefully and pushed the female slave away violently. He then turned resolutely to his father.
"......Father, we can't have this kind of behavior repeated over and over again. As the head of the noble Doldran Margrave family, please refrain from behaving in an immoral manner. I'm sure you've heard about the ruckus that happened at Count Cartan's house, right?"
It was a story about a noble family that had caused a disturbance involving slaves last year, and the head of the family had been forced to retire in the ensuing trial.
"Yeah...... of course."
Margrave Doldran affirmed with a melancholic expression. In any case, that was a case where Marquis Lavallee made a rare blunder, and that ‘man’ and his slave were very much involved in it. Naturally, he could not remain indifferent to the matter, so he did his research. Based on the story and what had happened to himself, he guessed that the ‘man’ in question had used brainwashing to manipulate the results of the trial.
Surely, his son was unaware of the truth of the case and simply warned him at face value.
"I wouldn't want our house to make the same mistake as theirs."
These words, imbued with a deep sense of concern, were meant as a warning to his father.
If the misconduct becomes intolerable, he will not hesitate to force him to retire. That was what he was insinuating.
"......I'll bear that in mind."
Or would it not be better for this house and the people of this land if that were to be the case? He thought about it, but Margrave Doldran, who did not have free will to agree with that, replied gravely.
"For today, I shall back off. But I will not give up on the issue of Lucie and these gladiatorial slaves."
"My apologies......."
The son, who made no effort to hide his disapproval, returned to the residence with many of the retainers in tow. It seemed that most of the family was in agreement with the son. If it was a true noble family, that should be the way it should be.
The Margrave sighed at his isolation, and helped lift M-22 off the ground.
"I'm sorry. I was thinking of the house. Forgive me."
"No, your Excellency. I understand that I am the cause of the disturbance. I'm sorry as well."
M-22 said, and prostrated herself on the ground. Margrave Doldran raised an eyebrow. He didn’t have the perversion of letting his frequent skin-to-skin contact partner lay on the ground.
"Good. Stand."
"I am indebted to you."
Then she looked up. Her face, as well as her hair, was covered in dirt and sand, but she didn't seem to be bothered by it. Tullius had explained to him that she was not without emotion, but I doubted it when she acted so nonchalantly.
While lightly cleaning off the dirt with a handkerchief, I asked her about one thing that was bothering her.
"You're reporting to Marlan on how that thing behaves too, aren't you?"
"Yes, your Excellency. The movements of your entire family are also subject to report."
