In this crossover anime, many ruthless and powerful figures reside in my territory.

"Lord Lister, the retainers of the Dick family have invited us to a military duel with them outside the city at dusk tomorrow."

"I see."

It's quite normal for the subordinates of two dukes to compete and vie for power when they meet.

However, Duke Dick visited White Moon Territory under the pretext of congratulating the new Duke of White Moon on his ascension to the throne.

This is clearly sabotage.

A cold glint flashed in Lister's eyes; the possibility that his guess would be confirmed was growing stronger.

"My lord, please rest assured, we will never tarnish the reputation of the Eller family!"

Chris swore the oath alone, while the guards around him remained silent.

Lister could sense that these guards, who were also from collateral branches of the nobility like Chris, did not regard him as a member of the Eller family who needed protection.

"...May your military career prosper."

Chris remained kneeling until Lister and his men had left.

He silently stood up, looked back, and saw that everyone was staring at him as if he were a monkey.

A monkey blending into the crowd.

Chapter 26 Duchy War

To Liszt's surprise, his parents actually didn't come to see him.

He came back at noon and it's already dinner time, yet they're still lingering in the garden, being all lovey-dovey.

Parents are true love, children are accidents.

He was the one who caused the accident, wasn't he?

However, to Liszt's delight, Madara returned for a free meal.

It seems that the other party returned to a normal eating pattern after the first meal, not to mention that the dinner at the manor in White Moon City today was very sumptuous.

Melfie knew that her brother did not like to eat with the servants at home, so she invited Lister to have dinner and dessert in the garden.

It was very charming at dusk.

At the same time, he could hear the band playing music on the other side of the garden, as well as his old father's familiar, gruff laughter.

Based on his father's habits, it's highly likely he was dancing a courtly embrace with his elderly mother.

······

Lister suspected that this was something the father and daughter had planned together.

Melphine was still wearing that bright red dress. She glanced at Madara Uchiha, who was enjoying Western desserts at the table, and hesitated.

"Sister, just say whatever you want to say. Everyone here can trust you."

Indeed, apart from his parents who spoiled the mood and the band, the only people present were Rena and Elsa, who stood behind him as maids, and Madara, who was his trump card.

"...My father said that I would be in charge of making all the decisions this time, and I have already sent my most trusted team to leave disguised as civilians."

"Yes, concealing their identities is very important. The worst-case scenario is that they might be intercepted en route."

Lister picked up the small cake in front of him with his fork and took a big bite.

"Emmm~~~ Elsa, take some more candy back with you before you leave."

"Yes."

Seeing her younger brother's obsession with cake, Melf couldn't help but laugh and cry. She guessed he hadn't eaten much of it while in Red Maple Territory.

"Ahem, let's get down to business."

After tasting the cake, Lister immediately straightened his expression.

"I went to verify my conjecture this afternoon, and now I am quite certain that the Dick family came for the Duchy War."

A war between duchies?!

Melf was so startled that she dropped her knife and fork.

“But according to the Code of Law…”

She suddenly swallowed her words, while Lister added calmly.

"Today I went to the church near the South Gate. The priests inside were in a panic, tidying up and setting up the room. Judging from the setup, it was for the purpose of receiving an archbishop."

"With the archbishop present, the principality war has become the overseer."

"I also heard Chris say that Duke Dick's retainers and our family's retainers had written to each other and agreed to a military duel outside the city at dusk tomorrow."

“If I were Duke Dick, I would declare war before the banquet and then begin the attack on the inner city.”

"At that time, the inner city was missing some of its forces, and we hadn't had dinner yet, so we were at a physical disadvantage..."

"None of these violated the Code of Law or the rites."

Melf felt a chill run down her spine. She grabbed her head, seemingly blaming herself for not thinking of that.

"Of course, these things are not guaranteed to happen, but it's always good to be cautious."

Lister continued eating his cake with peace of mind, believing that the reminders were sufficient, and that Melphine naturally knew more about the situation within the territory than he did.

At this moment, Madara Uchiha, who was standing nearby, asked a question.

What is a principality war?

"...is the last resort for the great nobles to resolve conflicts."

Lister cut the cake in front of him, the sharp knife effortlessly slicing through the strawberries on the cream, the blade stained with red juice.

"There are contradictions of all sizes in society. It can be said that contradictions are everywhere. As long as there are differences between people, conflicts are inevitable."

"Commoners can mediate disputes, and minor nobles can settle their disputes through duels under the supervision of major nobles."

"What about the nobles of duke rank and above?"

"What if there is an irreconcilable conflict between the great nobles?"

"Therefore, the Code stipulated that if there were major conflicts between nobles of the same class that needed to be resolved, they could apply to the head of the church at the next higher level for supervision, and one of them could declare war and start a national war."

"Wars between dukes are wars between principalities."

"The rules of the national war are that you must not plunder property, harm ordinary civilians, or kill nobles. You can win as long as you capture the inner city where the nobles are located and take them prisoner."

"After a victory, you can choose one piece of loot within the scope of the regulations."

"In short, these are all options that would cause the Eller family to suffer heavy losses."

Madara Uchiha understood that a war that could be controlled and limited in scale was always better than an unrestricted war.

Of course, it's best to avoid war altogether.

"Mr. Ban."

Lister put down his knife and fork, his sky-blue pupils filled with unfathomable shadows.

He smiled and said.

"If a national war really breaks out tomorrow, my elder sister will be the target of all their efforts."

"Although they are all worthless trash that you cannot even look at, Duke Dick's puppet-making magic, his knights who use blood energy, and the spellcasters should be able to relieve your boredom a little."

"Of course, we need not hold back against anyone except the Duke himself."

"I'll take responsibility if you kill me."

Ban observed Liszt with great interest.

In the afternoon, he had already observed the energy properties of blood, holy light, and arcane magic.

He had no interest in the three powers until he encountered a strong opponent.

More than anything else, he wanted to know how Lister would perform the following night.

That look... it was a murderous look.

"I will protect her."

Melf then realized that the purpose of Lister's long speech was to get Ban to stay by her side and protect her.

"Wait! It would be best if these gentlemen came with you!"

"You think that old man can beat me?!"

"Your safety is the most important thing!"

Suddenly, a dazzling burst of white light erupted.

The bowl of pudding in front of Melfie broke apart and scattered outwards, forming the shape of a lotus flower.

"Click."

Lister sheathed his sword and lowered his foot from the edge of the round table.

"Sister, we haven't had a competition since you started cultivating blood energy."

"Now I'm telling you, even if you use your full blood energy technique, you still can't beat me."

"Listen to me this time."

The next second, he turned and walked towards the mansion.

Melf, who was standing there stunned, suddenly burst out laughing.

"Pfft! He was such an arrogant guy when he was a kid, but now he's suddenly become a gentleman."

Her eyes involuntarily narrowed into a cute arc.

When she saw Ban stand up, she quickly stood up as well.

“Mr. Ban, please take good care of Lister in the future. The wealth of the Eller family will be open to you. This is my request as her older sister.”

Ban only paused for a moment.

They actually made him take care of people... Is this how it is when nobody in this other world has ever heard of Madara Uchiha's reputation?

It was a wonderful feeling.