Dream Life Vol 3 Chapter 13.1: “Baronet Gateskell: Part 1”

　Around 7:00 p.m. on July 11.

　A letter from the head of the Degenhardt branch of the Blacksmith’s Guild arrived at the residence of the Frontier Count Roswell.

　It conveyed information about the purchaser of weapons for Maddock and other bandits that I had requested at noon today.

　And the letter contained some surprising information.

　The common purchaser of the long sword, two-handed sword, and spear was the Ouellette Trading Company based in the commercial city of Aurella.

(Ouellette Trading Company? Never heard of it…) (Zack)

　As expected, I did not expect the name of Viscount Tysburn to appear as it did, but I also did not expect the name of the merchants of Aurella to appear.

　I would check with Mr. Oldham, though, to see if Baron Oldham, who manages the Roswell family, might know,

“Oulette Trading Company… I’ve never heard of it. Let’s check with the Merchant Guild tomorrow.” (Oldham)

　Even Oldham, who must have had many contacts with merchants, had never heard of the Ouellette Trading Company.

　The next day, I asked the Blacksmith’s Guild to investigate.

　The request was to see if the Ouellette Trading Company was purchasing other weapons. It was possible that they were just arms dealers and that the weapons had been given to Maddock and his colleagues by chance.

　Branch Manager Degenhardt immediately dispatched his staff to the various workshops.

　Oldham also dispatched his staff to the Welburn branch of the Merchant Guild to investigate the Ouellette Trading Company.

　That evening, Oldham and I cross-checked the information we had gathered, and we learned only that it was a medium-sized medicine-related trading company, that it had not traded in weapons until now, and that it was a newcomer to the guild branch.

　Oldham also brought another piece of information to my attention.

“It seems that Baron Gateskell’s subordinate, Harrison Gunnell, is on his way to the Viscount’s territory.” (Oldham)

　Harrison Gunnel, the white-haired warrior who had been seen behind Viscount Tysburn and his men the other day, had not left a strong impression on us. But he is said to be a knight with a strong influence on the security and military affairs of the Viscountcy.

“…I have heard that his skills have been used to improve the security of the Viscount’s territory. However, there are some not-so-favorable rumors…” (Oldham)

　Gunnel was a knight who was active on the front against Lux, but it is said that he was engaged not only in simple combat but also in espionage and assassination.

　Rumor has it that he was also involved in assassinations within Lux, and since he began working for Gateskell, a number of influential people have died suspiciously in Viscount Tysburn’s domain, and Gunnel may have been involved in these deaths.

“…The fact that Sir Gunnel returned to the Viscountcy at this time of year suggests that he went to make some kind of preparations… or to put it bluntly, preparations to sabotage the marriage of Miss Rosalind. Fortunately, neither Viscount Tysburn nor Sir Gateskell are military experts. Therefore, it is safe to assume that nothing will happen in Welburn until Sir Gunnel returns. We need to do something about them while we still can…” (Oldham)

　However, Baron Oldham’s expectations were completely betrayed.

　And in the worst possible way, too.

~Gateskell’s Perspective~

　I, Baronet Desmond Gateskell, was born the second son of Eton Gateskell, a knight.

　The Gateskell family is a family of knights with a fiefdom in the northern part of the empire, and I have an older brother a year older than me. My older brother seems to have some talent as a warrior, but he has no outstanding talent and is completely incompetent as a lord.

　I, on the other hand, have no talent as a warrior. However, I am proud to say that I am more than capable as a civil official. As proof of this, even though I’m not even a senior aristocrat, I graduated from the Imperial Academy of Advanced Studies in the imperial capital of Primus in the top rank.

　However, it was decided long before I graduated from the academy that my brother would take over the Gateskell family.

　The Imperial Academy of Advanced Studies is an institution of higher learning for the upper nobility, and many of the children of Imperial family members and dukes study there. The doors are wide open to these high-ranking aristocrats.

　However, it is very difficult for a non-aristocrat like me to enter the academy. Furthermore, after entering the school, my grades were also padded according to my title, and it took a lot of bloody effort to make it to the top under such disadvantageous conditions.

　I had dreamed of becoming a bureaucrat in the imperial capital ever since I learned that I would never inherit the Gateskell family. So, I was willing to put in any effort I could. The result was that I graduated top of the class.

　However, my efforts were completely in vain.

　The imperial capital was more corrupt and decadent than I had imagined. The distribution of posts through nepotism and the principle of precedent prevailed in the imperial capital.

　Without bribes to imperial officials and senior aristocrats, it was impossible to even meet the personnel managers.

　It was all about money and nepotism. This huge wall stood in front of me.

　I had confidence.

　I was confident that as long as I was given the opportunity, I would be recognized for my abilities. But even that opportunity required money.

　It was then that I happened to make the acquaintance of His Excellency Viscount Constance Tysburn.

　It was entirely by chance that Master Constance came to the Imperial Capital in the name of the Governor of the North. It was also by chance that one of the civil officers had died of illness during the trip, leaving a vacancy.

　I took the opportunity and risked everything I had.

　It was also fortunate that I was familiar with the situation in the North, and especially that I had a theory about the economic value of the Northern Road. It was also my luck that when I went with Master Constance to report to His Excellency the Prime Minister, his inquiry was in my field of expertise.

　It was not luck that I, as one of the youngest members of Master Constance’s entourage, was able to answer directly to His Excellency the Prime Minister, the Duke, and that His Excellency was so impressed by my words, and that this impressed His Excellency and raised his opinion of Master Constance.

　This was the beginning of my becoming a vassal of the Tysburn family. Master Constance placed his complete trust in me and entrusted me with the huge task of reforming his own domain, a task that was too big for someone who had just turned 20. That too in the form of delegating full authority.

　In order to live up to his trust, I put my life on the line and worked hard.

　Even so, the situation in the Viscountship of Tythebarn did not improve. The geographical location near the Porta Mountains in the east, far from the main roads and with no other major industry than agriculture, meant that small reform ideas would have no immediate effect.

　I was impatient with the lack of results.

　Then Aurella merchant Olaf Ouellette showed up.

　He was an old acquaintance of Harrison Gunnell, my subordinate, and offered a large loan and slave labor in exchange for the cultivation of a plant used to make a certain medicine.

　I was suspicious of him, but I took Ouellette up on his offer because of its attractive terms.