"Drive him out…?"
An unbelievable statement came flying at me.
At first I thought I misheard, but—
"I want to kick my father down from his position, and take the seat of lord myself."
He said it again, plainly.
He looked like a reasonable person, and yet behind that exterior he was thinking of usurpation…
What kind of person does that?
I should report this immediately—
…Wait.
I almost jumped to a conclusion out of shock, but thinking more carefully, something felt off.
There’s no way he would tell something like that to people he just met.
A normal person would take time to judge whether someone will help with wrongdoing.
And Albert doesn’t seem shortsighted enough to seek cooperation from us just because we’re strong.
"...Is there some reason behind this?"
For now, I decided to listen.
Sofia seemed to agree, keeping quiet.
"Thank you. I’m glad you’re willing to hear me out properly."
"Whether we accept or not is undecided. We’ll listen first."
"Of course. That’s fine."
Then Albert began to explain.
This town—Lenoglade—apparently prospers from its silver mine.
They dig up silver and export it.
Sometimes they process it in town and sell it elsewhere.
The townspeople had lived like that for years.
But recently that system had begun to fall apart.
"A plague has broken out. Many people have fallen ill."
"That’s terrible…"
"If there’s any silver lining, the mortality rate is low. They get a high fever, but if they rest for about a week, they recover. However, it’s highly contagious, and no effective treatment has been established. We haven’t been able to handle it well… it’s shameful."
Albert looked like he genuinely blamed himself.
"During an emergency like this, we must focus on treatment and stopping the spread. Those infected need proper care, must rest from work, and be isolated so the disease doesn’t spread. We must do those things, but…"
Albert grimaced.
"My father—the current lord—refused all of that."
If mining stops, income stops.
Even temporarily, it would cut off the town’s financial base.
"My father said this: 'There is nothing to fear from such a disease. Everyone is ordered to continue life as usual.'"
"That is…"
It’s not incomprehensible.
If the economy stops, the town eventually collapses.
To prevent that, you avoid excessive restrictions.
I can understand that much…
But applying no restrictions at all?
That only makes the disease spread further.
Recovery becomes distant, and the economy gets hurt even more.
You need restrictions and economic activity.
The balance is what matters.
"On top of that, because revenue dropped, he declared taxes would be raised."
"What…"
"And he said a slight fever is no problem—everyone should go to the mines."
"Whaaaat…"
The lord’s decisions were full of problems.
"He always had some suspicious tendencies, but now his selfish thinking is showing openly. At this rate, the town will be ruined… or my father will be."
"I see."
So he wants to overthrow his father before that happens.
Albert’s idea is extreme…
But with no time left, there may be no better choice.
The longer this continues, the more damage the people and town will suffer.
"I can’t leave the town’s governance in my father’s hands anymore. That’s why—even if it’s a rough method—I decided to push him down."
"I… see…"
"What do you think? Will you help me?"
"...Can you let us think about it for a bit?"
That was all I could say for now.
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