Chapter 107
The Custody Dispute
“Excellent. You did well.”
The labor union formed by the village workers would ultimately become nothing more than a puppet unable to escape Ferda’s influence.
That was exactly the outcome Ferda wanted.
“Thank you. And one more thing—the Imperial authorities have finished processing the name change for the Dandolo Merchant Company.”
From now on, it would officially operate as the Hestia Merchant Company rather than the Dandolo Merchant Company.
Even the family emblem stamped onto its tents would soon be replaced with Valdrova’s crest.
“You’re doing well. Keep it up.”
“Leave it to me.”
Thus ended the council meeting with the provisional labor union.
“Now that the matter has been settled amicably, I believe you may return to your other duties.”
Instead of rising from his seat, Ferda turned his attention toward the stack of documents Isabella had placed before him.
“I heard there were several more disputes.”
“That is correct, but I can resolve them on your behalf under the authority of the Administrator.”
“No. Since I’m already here, we might as well deal with them now. Would it not be better to settle them quickly? And besides....”
“Besides?”
“Now that I’ve tried resolving something through conversation, it feels surprisingly refreshing.”
“Mm. Understood.”
Could that truly be considered a conversation?
Isabella had her doubts, but she did not voice them.
She moved away, and a short while later, two men entered.
“These are the stonemasons I mentioned earlier who require mediation.”
Ferda gave them a cursory glance.
A dark-skinned man sat beside a comparatively pale man.
At a glance, their appearances clearly marked them as being from the south and the central regions.
Ferda addressed the darker man first.
“Are you from Halim?”
“Yes. I’ve spent twenty years doing nothing but constructing fortress walls in Halim—”
“And you’re from the Empire?”
“That is correct.”
“I have heard the general outline. In short, your construction methods differ, and you are currently trying to reconcile them.”
The pale stonemason spoke.
“Yes. We have been discussing how to build the wall while accounting for the terrain and local conditions, but this southern fool refuses to understand—”
The Imperial stonemason clicked his tongue.
The Halim stonemason snorted.
“A wall that must account for the terrain and surrounding conditions is merely an imperfect wall, is it not? The walls constructed in Halim are renowned for remaining unbroken under any circumstances.”
“Perhaps the winter wind has frozen your brain after coming from such a hot region. You people have never suffered a proper invasion. What expertise could you possibly possess after spending your lives building walls out of sand?”
“If stuffing stones into empty gaps counts as construction, then my three-year-old son must be a master craftsman.”
“You bastard—!”
“Enough.”
Ferda stopped them before the hammers meant for striking walls could be aimed at each other’s heads.
He now understood the situation clearly.
It was a dispute born from the pride of two master craftsmen.
“I understand both of your positions. Therefore, I can give you a clear answer.”
“You know which method we should use?”
“How could I possibly know that?”
No matter how intelligent Ferda was, he could not compare himself to men who had spent their entire lives working with walls.
However, he could still resolve the dispute quite clearly.
Ferda raised his index finger.
“One month.”
“...Pardon?”
“Within that time, construct a wall four meters long and four meters high.”
The two men stared at him blankly.
“What do you mean?”
“Are you telling us to decide among ourselves whose method to use?”
“Yes. That is your responsibility.”
From the perspective of men who had come seeking mediation, it was an absurd ruling.
Ferda did not stop there.
“Within one month, you must construct a wall capable of sufficiently withstanding my siege magic.”
“Pardon?”
The two craftsmen stared at Ferda in alarm.
They wondered whether he was joking, but his eyes were gleaming.
“You could explain your respective construction methods to me all day, but I would not understand them. Therefore, I am proposing a solution in my own way.”
Ferda pointed at them.
“You know how to build strong walls.”
Then he pointed at himself.
“And I know how to destroy them.”
Even the Empire’s famously sturdy walls had crumbled beneath his hands.
“So build the strongest wall you can within one month. I will strike its exact center with Magic Blast. Do you understand?”
“What happens if the wall collapses?”
“That is simple.”
Ferda drew his thumb across his throat.
Both stonemasons turned pale.
“Y-You would execute us because a wall built in only one month collapsed?”
“If you construct a shoddy wall, you will be charged with impersonating experts and committing fraud. It may even escalate to threatening national security.”
“That is far too much of a leap.”
“Is it a leap, Administrator?”
Isabella shook her head.
“Seeking the death penalty for those who fail to defend the border would be considered lenient.”
“So she says.”
The craftsmen realized that this was no longer the time to defend their pride.
The days when they had regarded each other as enemies now seemed foolish, for a true threat to their lives had appeared before them.
As sweat trickled down their faces, Ferda asked,
“Are you thinking of running away?”
“Cough!”
“O-Of course not.”
Ferda had seen straight through them.
“You are free to run. Try it if you believe you can. However, I will pursue you and drag you back. Naturally, by then, it will no longer matter whether the wall exists.”
Ferda let out a quiet breath, then calmly asked,
“Have either of you ever suffered so badly that you could not decide whether to beg for your life or beg for death?”
“....”
“If you are curious about the process, I would be happy to explain it.”
“N-No, thank you!”
“We have no intention of running away, so what use would there be in learning such a thing? Ha ha...!”
The two men had become intensely motivated.
Ferda nodded.
“Then I may assume you understand everything I have said.”
“Of course! How could we possibly fail to understand?!”
“Then leave. You now have twenty-nine days, twenty-three hours, and fifty-five minutes remaining. You should begin constructing the wall as soon as possible.”
“Y-Yes, sir!”
The moment Ferda issued his command, they fled the room as though escaping for their lives.
Once the murderous tension had subsided, Ferda muttered,
“Conversation is a better tool than I expected.”
“Provided one can call that a conversation.”
Despite her words, Isabella looked satisfied.
“At the very least, they will no longer waste time fighting unproductively.”
“If they continue fighting even after this, that would almost deserve recognition in itself. What is the next dispute?”
“The next dispute concerns....”
Ferda continued resolving the remaining conflicts.
None of the others possessed pride as fierce as the two stonemasons, so he managed to settle them easily without resorting to threats.
“It seems that concludes everything.”
At some point, every document Isabella had placed before him had disappeared.
Ferda was about to bring the session to an end when—
“There is still one matter remaining.”
“One?”
Isabella took a single document from inside her folder and handed it to him.
“After seeing how you handled today’s disputes, I concluded that you are well suited to judge this matter. This is a formal complaint that I wrote personally.”
Ferda looked at the name of the accused listed in Isabella’s complaint.
The moment he saw it, his breath caught in his throat.
He could already imagine exactly what kind of disaster was about to unfold.
“...You intend to file a complaint against this person?”
“That is correct.”
Her blue eyes were utterly serious.
Then, as though driving the final nail into the matter, she declared:
“I hereby accuse Senior Researcher Echidna Philiase of dereliction of duty.”
“You fucking bitch.”
Echidna was the one who opened with a curse the instant they came face-to-face.
She had flown over as soon as the message reached her, and those were the first words out of her mouth.
Now this is refreshing.
Ferda had only ever seen her gloomy, vacant grin before. This was his first time seeing her blaze with such fury.
At last, she looked somewhat like a proper witch.
Despite being greeted with outright abuse, Isabella did not so much as flinch.
She pushed her slightly fallen glasses back up her nose and said,
“A pleasure to meet you, Senior Researcher. Even people and beasts greet one another upon meeting, but it appears you belong to neither category.”
Isabella was no pushover either.
Echidna’s eyes looked ready to pop out of their sockets.
“You’re the one who picked the fight first, remember? Did you shove your age up your ass and get so sick of living that you’re looking for a way to die?”
“I fail to understand how I picked a fight. I merely stated the facts.”
“You said I haven’t been doing my job? What the hell do you know to say something like that?”
The battle of wills between the two proud women resembled a clash between dragons.
Naturally, it was the innocent bystanders who suffered.
“R-Regent....”
Stephan, one of those unfortunate bystanders, asked in a trembling voice.
“What is it?”
“Who... is that witch?”
“She is a witch employed by our castle.”
“Why have you kept her secret until now? I had never heard that a witch was living there....”
“There was no particular need to hide it, nor was there any need to mention it.”
That was true enough.
Stephan steadied his heart and carefully watched the two women, hoping not to get caught in the crossfire.
Isabella cleared her throat and addressed Ferda in a crisp voice.
“As I explained, I am accusing Senior Researcher Echidna Philiase of dereliction of duty. Her research has shown less progress than that of Marquis Burnell, who was recruited later, and she has never once submitted a progress report. Recording one’s work is the duty of a researcher. Neglecting that duty is no different from deliberately shirking one’s responsibilities.”
Isabella’s argument was perfectly logical.
Under normal circumstances, Echidna might simply have apologized and let the matter pass.
However, there was one decisive reason why she could not accept it.
“So what you are asking for is....”
Ferda swallowed, as though uncertain whether he should even read the request aloud.
“...custody of Mori.”
Custody.
It sounded like an utterly trivial reason.
Yet that single word was precisely why the situation had escalated so far.
It was why Isabella had accused Echidna.
And why Echidna had completely lost her temper.
“Consider the matter rationally. Are you seriously suggesting that such a vicious witch should be entrusted with a delicate child?”
“Mori-chan was being raised perfectly well by me long before you arrived! Regent, you’re not actually going to take her away from me because of something like that, are you?”
Echidna glared at him.
“Let me ask, just in case. If I did, would you kill me?”
“What? No! No matter how upset I was, how could I possibly lay a hand on you, Regent...?”
Realizing her mistake, Echidna hurriedly relaxed her expression.
Apparently, she had not lost all reason.
Still, Ferda found the situation every bit as troublesome as they did.
What should I do about this...?
It was not an easy problem to resolve.
The process of creating that golem had never been simple to begin with, and now that Echidna had proven herself to be a Rune Maker, Ferda understood her value all the more clearly.
But Isabella has a point.
There had been no visible progress on the golem, while Mori’s wardrobe grew more varied with each passing day.
Echidna could hardly complain if it appeared that she was neglecting her work.
And right now, the golem’s potential value is greater than ever.
With the conquest of the East being publicly proclaimed, the golem project had also risen in priority.
Echidna’s research needed to be pushed forward.
And the way to pressure her is custody.
It was a subject as dangerous as walking a tightrope.
However, the witch possessed a Red Circle.
And as a member of the Philiase family, her capacity for obsession was terrifying.
They were a lineage whose thought processes were driven by emotion, so she had to be handled carefully.
After the two women had growled at each other for quite some time, Echidna made a suggestion.
“If you’re going to take away my custody rights, then we should at least ask Mori-chan what she wants first!”
Ferda turned toward Isabella.
“Agreed.”
Isabella showed a surprising amount of enthusiasm.
It was as though she no longer cared about the dereliction-of-duty accusation at all.
In any case, Ferda decided to settle the matter and summoned Mori.
A young lady in neat clothing entered the room.
“Oh my... she’s so cute....”
“Khk....”
Echidna openly fussed over her, while Isabella made a choked sound upon seeing Mori’s face, overcome with emotion.
“Are all witches and Dragon Spawns like this?”
“How should I know?”
Ferda had no interest in finding out.
Ignoring them, he decided to proceed with his task.
“I will ask the question. Mori, how do you think this dispute should be resolved?”
Mori looked back and forth between Echidna and Isabella before writing, as usual.
In elegant handwriting, she answered:
—I believe cutting the body in half would be the clearest solution.
“...?”
Ferda seriously contemplated those words.
He wondered whether they were some sort of poetic metaphor.
“Do you mean that I should determine which of the two cherishes you more?”
—Eliminating the source of the conflict is also one possible solution.
She really was asking him to kill her.
Ferda looked at Mori’s face again.
Heavy dark circles lay beneath her eyes.
“...I will now give my ruling.”
Ferda opened his mouth.
“For the next week, Mori will be placed under my supervision.”
“Whaaat?!”
“What?!”
Both Isabella and Echidna reacted in shock.
They immediately protested, as expected.
“Th-That makes no sense! You entrusted her to me!”
“That arrangement was only temporary until a proper system could be established. Mori is property of the principality, so I have the authority to decide who manages her. Therefore, I may also place her under my own supervision.”
Isabella fidgeted with her glasses, trying to hide her agitation.
“More importantly, Miss Mori is a small and delicate girl. I do not believe it is appropriate for such a girl to be cared for by a man....”
Scratch, scratch, scratch!
“It seems she disagrees.”
Mori was vigorously drawing X marks with her pen.
Apparently, she regarded Ferda’s ruling as the ideal answer.
“For the next week, Luri and I will care for Mori. She does not speak, so her presence should not interfere with my work.”
“What do you intend to do after that week?”
“I will decide according to the accused researcher’s performance.”
Ferda’s blue eyes shifted toward Echidna.
“Echidna.”
His low voice sent a shiver through her body.
“Y-Yes!”
“The reason you entered this castle was to research your golem. Correct?”
“Y-Yes, that’s right....”
“Burnell has produced results, while you have remained silent all this time. I understand that you enjoy playing with dolls, but you must at least perform the work you were hired to do.”
“Uuu....”
Unable to refute him, Echidna lowered her head.
“Therefore, I will grant you a six-month grace period. Until then, Mori’s care will rotate on a weekly basis.”
“Are you saying that after I spend one week with her, I must hand her over to this witch for the next?”
“Yes.”
Neither woman was satisfied.
They wanted Mori entirely to themselves, yet now they were being told to take turns like workers on a rotating shift.
“And one more thing.”
Ferda was not finished.
“Mori will report her productivity levels directly to me. If her efficiency falls significantly, the person scheduled for the next rotation will take over the remainder of that week without warning. If the replacement’s efficiency also declines, Mori will be placed under my command for one full month.”
If children were fighting over a toy, then the natural solution was to take the toy away.
The instant the ruling was delivered, life returned to Mori’s eyes.
She wrote the following on her notepad:
—I believe this to be a judgment worthy of a wise and benevolent ruler.
“Good. Then the matter is settled.”
Echidna glared at Isabella.
Her eyes were filled with resentment, as though blaming her for everything.
Strangely, however, no magical circuits formed.
That meant the emotions contributing to the creation of her circuits were unrelated to anger or resentment.
Isabella met her gaze without backing down.
When it came to force of personality, the former chief secretary of the Magic Tower was no less formidable.
The rift between them seemed to deepen.
Mori, meanwhile, looked noticeably more at ease.