As if waiting for this moment, I suddenly stood up and raised my objection, drawing the attention of all the clan heads attending the gathering.

“An objection... you say...?”

Mariblack, the host and provider of today’s venue, looked flustered and trailed off nervously.

Of course—at first, I came just to report survival and was bombarded with questions and attention, then answered all casually and spent most time dozing off in a corner.

Suddenly acting like this must have been confusing.

“Why? You said to raise objections, so I did. Is that a problem?”

“No... not at all. Melbes respects the voices of all families.”

“Then good!”

Having gotten the host’s permission, I spoke boldly.

“The Goldbeard Count family is not the right choice for this reconstruction contract!”

“Excuse me...?”

Mariblack and all the other heads reacted as if hearing nonsense.

Well, understandably so.

The Goldbeard Count is only one of the thirty-two count families, and also functions as vice head of Melbes.

That alone made them more than qualified to represent Melbes, and they own several construction companies, so I agreed they were a suitable candidate.

But...

“Um... Then Marquis Yandel, are you against participating in the contract?”

“No! Of course we will participate! It’s a chance to make a fortune—why watch with your fingers crossed?”

“Then why oppose this agenda...?”

“The reason’s simple! Goldbeard is fine, but I think there’s a better candidate!”

“A better candidate... who would that be?”

Mariblack asked genuinely puzzled.

I shamelessly pointed my thumb at myself.

“Why, it’s our own Marquis Yandel family!”

“......”

“......”

What? Why the silence?

Shouldn’t someone now ask to hear the reason behind such confidence?

I had no choice but to promote myself alone.

Admittedly, it looked like a kid running for class president, shouting eagerly.

“If the Yandel family participates in construction, all the barbarian warriors will join. You may not know yet, but barbarians are born better workers than dwarves—”

Trying hard to appeal, someone suddenly snorted and cut off my flow.

“Pfft.”

Looking closely, it was a dwarf fiddling with his beard while hanging on his chair.

The Goldbeard Count—the competitor for this contract.

“...Why are you laughing?”

“Oh, sorry. I don’t mean to disrespect my barbarians... it’s just a little amusing.”

“Then what’s so amusing?”

I asked coldly.

The Goldbeard Count looked momentarily flustered but soon chuckled and looked at me manfully.

“Even outside construction, there’s no way barbarians are better than us dwarves.”

Haha...

What a damn racist.

My head almost went blank, but knowing that getting angry meant losing, I kept calm and spoke.

“Huh? You say they aren’t better? Just look at their height. Dwarves can never compete with barbarians physically.”

Short stature was the dwarves’ sore spot.

They seemed to rationalize their inferiority with other skills, but...

That very rationalization showed they knew their weakness.

“...Ha ha, if size were everything, how would there still be only one barbarian noble like you?”

He laughed casually, but it was obvious his pride was seriously scratched.

So it was time to press the weakness a bit more.

“Oh, isn’t it curious? After all this time living well and eating well, why haven’t you grown taller yet?”

“...Heh heh.”

“Oh, Count, don’t you get confused sometimes between goblins and dwarves? They’re so similar in height... Oh wait, maybe you haven’t been to the labyrinth to see just how alike you and goblins are?”

“......”

“Uh... Marquis Yandel? P-Please calm down a bit—”

“Calm down? I think the Count over there should calm down. His beard’s trembling over there.”

“......”

“But I suddenly wonder—why do all dwarves grow beards? Growing a beard doesn’t make you taller—”

The Count, who’d been silently trembling his beard, slammed the table and stood up.

“I will not tolerate any more disrespect!”

Though he stood, his eye level hardly changed.

‘Tsk, this is why I say all chairs should be confiscated from dwarves.’

I clicked my tongue inwardly but calmly asked the dwarf who overturned the table.

“What if you don’t tolerate it?”

“......”

“What will you do then? Challenge me to a duel?”

Of course, this question is a cheat code.

His only possible answer was to evade with a sneer.

“...Barbaric.”

Just mocking my low level.

Still, it was a bit funny.

“Why? Isn’t that why you brought me here? To crash into other nobles who look down on me?”

“I opposed it back then.”

“Huh? But wasn’t it unanimous when we voted?”

“That was already agreed upon earlier—”

“Oh, so you can’t even voice your opinion if everyone else agrees?”

“......”

“Well, if you’re short, maybe your courage is short too—”

I was about to make one more sarcastic remark when someone shouted like an angry bull.

“Marquis Yandel—!!”

This time, it was a tough opponent even for me.

He was the current head of Melbes, an elderly gentleman named Takuo Wellbeart.

A black bear race noble, he holds the title of count.

Though we rarely spoke one-on-one, every time we met he smiled kindly and said pleasant things, so I had a good impression.

I also heard from Baron Rabbit that he’s very respected within Melbes.

And no one has ever seen him angry until now...

‘He’s usually quiet and smiling, but when he gets mad, it’s serious.’

When the head, who usually sat quietly like a figurehead, shouted, both I and the Goldbeard Count flinched.

Then he scolded us like a passionate youth.

“Never forget why we’ve gathered! We must always unite as one to survive!”

Wow, what a voice.

Well, he’s black bear race, so his size isn’t much different from mine either.

“Differences in opinion? Fine! But I won’t tolerate us fighting amongst ourselves! Understand?”

“...I got a little excited. Sorry, Head.”

“How can Marquis Yandel have no answer!?”

“...I’ll restrain myself.”

As I took a step back, the head sat back down calmly as if never having been angry.

So...

“Can I continue what I was saying earlier?”

I spoke with a sly smile.

“You mean what you were saying earlier...”

“Your speech was interrupted by an interrupter. You were explaining why Marquis Yandel should be chosen.”

“Oh, yes... Please continue.”

I smoothly continued as if I had even prepared a presentation.

Why barbarians are the best laborers.

I talked about cost efficiency and manpower and said we could use the 8,712 Viphron residents as labor.

“Hmm... Barbarian warriors really build houses that well?”

“Of course, not «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» as delicate or sturdy as dwarves, but fast.”

At this point, I tried humility and glanced at the Goldbeard Count, who coughed apologetically.

He didn’t seem to dislike the compliment...

“Ahem, our work speed isn’t slow either.”

His comment showed how competitive he was.

“Anyway, this reconstruction is about quickly restoring a wide area. The royal family would want that too.”

“That’s true.”

“That’s why I say I’m the best fit for this contract.”

“Certainly... you have a point...”

After the briefing, reactions were ambiguous.

Some seemed fairly persuaded, others suspicious.

Someone even expressed doubt.

“But so far it’s just Marquis Yandel’s word. That they’re so skilled at construction...”

“Then why not have a contest? Call dwarves and barbarians, have them build, and judge the results. If I lose, I’ll accept cleanly.”

This rough-and-ready challenge, more suited to a tavern than a noble assembly, flustered the host as he looked at the Goldbeard Count.

As if asking his opinion.

But, judging by his earlier behavior and stature, the Count was clearly immature.

“Good! Let’s fight!”

The duel was set.

After the duelists agreed, everyone naturally looked to the head sitting in the corner.

How would the head react to us actually dueling?

Everyone worried, but surprisingly, his reaction was cheerful.

“Hahaha! Yes, this is better! I’ll arrange a venue soon and notify you. But both winner and loser must promise to accept the result cleanly.”

“I swear on my honor as a warrior.”

“I also swear on my hammer.”

Okay, that settled the matter...

Since the contract discussion took a long time, Mariblack resumed the meeting.

“Then that concludes the contract discussion. Next agenda.”

To them, the contract discussion wasn’t all that important.

After all, it was just about making money.

For new families like ours, it’s a big deal.

These families had held noble status for hundreds or even thousands of years and already had enough wealth.

And in that sense...

“This next agenda is a free discussion on the Noark invasion and the occupation of Viphron.”

As the new topic arose, all the heads stiffened and sat up.

Their attitude was much more serious than the previous topic.

“This discussion is for sharing information and analyzing the unknown situation, so everyone is free to speak.”

As the meeting began, those who had stayed silent started speaking up with zeal.

“There’s evidence that the royal family knew in advance about the Noark invasion. This information came from a very reliable source...”

“I must stress this is unconfirmed. There are reports Noark tampered with the protective magic circle in Viphron.”

“Hoo... how could such ruffians touch the legacy of the Great Sage...”

The discussion dragged on without clear resolution, and of course, many questions were directed at me.

“Marquis Yandel, do you know anything?”

“Yes! You were closest when it happened, weren’t you?”

“You’re the only one who’s been to District 7 and Viphron.”

They seemed to expect answers, but sadly, I knew little.

Noark and the royal family acted suspiciously.

But I had no solid proof to bring up here.

“I don’t really know.”

I honestly said I didn’t know, disappointing some.

Yet, they seemed somewhat convinced.

“Hmm... I see...”

“Well... no way the Marquis would know everything.”

“This topic will surely come up in the royal meeting. We can only wait for their information.”

“But we’ll only hear trivial details. The really important info won’t reach us.”

“In the end, they’ll monopolize all the gains from this incident.”

For some reason, the mood suddenly darkened and everyone looked bitter.

I tilted my head and said,

“Uh... I might be able to tell you something in a few days...”

The clan heads looked puzzled.

“...Huh? What do you mean, Marquis Yandel?”

“Exactly what I said.”

“Haha, exactly what you said? You speak as if you’ve been granted attendance rights to the royal meeting?”

“Well, I have.”

It wasn’t really a secret, so I answered plainly.

But maybe this was something they couldn’t ignore.

“......”

“......”

After a brief silence.

“What?!”

“Marquis! Is that true?”

“Good heavens! Someone from Melbes has been granted the right to attend the royal meeting!”

Suddenly it became chaotic.

“Isn’t this the first time in almost 600 years?”

How have these people missed so much in hundreds of years?

Honestly, it’s a bit ridiculous...

“Marquis! Marquis! Tell us! How did you get the permission?”

“The underground first floor exploration?”

“No, maybe because of rescuing the explorers in District 7?”

My warrior instincts told me so.

“Marquis! Say something—”

“My throat.”

“...Huh?”

“I suddenly got thirsty. Got anything cool?”

From now on, I’m in charge.