The Second Son of The Marquis Runs Away from Home ~ Lacking Talent, He Abandons Everything and Becomes an Adventurer ~ - 77

Chapter 77: Hand-Me-Downs

About half of the Imperial relief force that arrived consisted of a unit known as the Engineers, specializing in tasks like fortification construction. The decision to prioritize the reconstruction of Heinlberie over escorting the survivors to Imperial territory was likely based on the information about the number of survivors conveyed in advance.

Leading the group was the “Pure Knight” Luminus, clad in silver armor, and…

“Mother!”

“It must have been tough, Serena.”

Mother Merltina, accompanied by the Orthodox clergy, was also present.

“I’m sorry. I was entrusted with this, but in the end, things turned out like this…”

“We’re the ones who should apologize. We, the adults, pushed everything onto Serena alone, even though it should have been our responsibility to handle this. The fault lies with the Popes and us who were not competent enough.”

Merltina gently stroked Serena’s bowed head, her words carrying a hint of guilt.

(I heard stories, but there are people like her too…)

Having witnessed mostly the corrupt side of the Orthodox Church, it was somewhat reassuring to know that there were decent adults among them. Luminus then approached and spoke.

“Thank you for your efforts, Lord Berg. May I inquire about the current situation?”

Nodding in response to Luminus’s words, the five of them headed to a room within the cathedral.

—

“This is the current situation in Heinlberie.”

I gave a concise explanation of what happened before Luminus and the others arrived. Naturally, it wasn’t like nothing had happened.

One of the former upper echelons of the church went berserk and attempted to rape a woman. Fortunately, it didn’t succeed, but the misdeeds of that person were made public. As a punishment, he was subjected to a stoning crucifixion, where the people threw stones at him until he succumbed to a poorly timed hit after about three hours. Witnessing this, some of the former upper echelons either started working earnestly or fled in their current state.

While assisting in the burial of the dead in the residential area and rescuing those miraculously still alive, we managed to make preparations to move around on our own.

“…Lord Berg, have you ever been in charge of disaster recovery or commanding troops in a crisis like this?”

“…? No, I haven’t.”

“…Is that so? It seemed like you had experience the way you handled things.”

“This is just something my older brother taught me. He shared similar cases from the past, and it turned out to be beneficial.”

I didn’t expect the conversations with my older brother in the past to be useful in this way, but…

“I see… I apologize for interrupting the flow of the conversation. However, regarding that…”

After handing over the information to Luminus, he told me that I could take a break. Taking his words to heart, I decided to take advantage of the offer.

—

“What’s bothering you?”

After Berg and the others left the room, Merltina asked Luminus, who seemed lost in thought.

“Well… I can’t understand why his evaluation was so low in the kingdom.”

“That Berg guy?”

“Yes, precisely.”

Merltina nodded, understanding who he was referring to.

“Ah, I see. That young Berg. To be honest, his strategic decisions and judgments are remarkable, even from my position as the leader of the main force.”

The documents on hand summarized the confiscated personal wealth of the former church members, and the relief that had arrived was to be entrusted to the empire to cover the costs. The exact amount was unclear, but it wouldn’t overly burden the empire’s finances.

“As for the treatment of the former upper echelons, I’ve given them one chance. However, the final judgment is left to us.”

The execution carried out by Berg wasn’t a bad decision either. In normal circumstances, it might have been different, but during a crisis, making lenient judgments would lead to a more apparent decline in public order.

By participating in the execution, the people would develop a sense of camaraderie, and the public display of justice would serve as a release valve in the current situation, preventing further offenses. It was a means to prevent recidivism.

“Even if he doesn’t possess a rare drop, he’s handling things as if he’s been in command for a long time. Considering that he’s not even twenty and this is his first time, it’s quite impressive. Aria and the others might have supported him, but even so, he executed it splendidly.”

“That’s why I don’t understand. Why would someone with such talent be undervalued by the kingdom?”

Luminus was perplexed, and Merltina replied with a sigh.

“Surely, the kingdom must have been blinded.”

Merltina replied with a distant look in her eyes…