Chapter 54: The Rising Ophern

War.

“It is the most likely outcome,” I said.

“The Marquis’s household is finally showing its true colors. Actually, I heard about the state of this place back when I was first deployed by Dark Moon.”

“That sounds like an interesting story.”

“Well, it is where we were being sent, after all. To the north are monsters, to the south is Marquis Owen, and to the east is Gisert. They are all watching for an opening.”

“A well-fed tiger and a fox that has only tasted blood. Two of them.”

For generations, the household of the Count of Ophern had many enemies.

It wasn’t because the Ophern family went out of their way to create grudges.

By nature, those who called themselves nobles were greedy.

Even if they possessed a hundred things, nobles were the type to run wild just to gain one more.

They were the sole reason the Count of Ophern’s household had to struggle to survive.

They always aimed for the southern granary.

‘In a way, it’s everything… the south.’

While the north, east, and west were all important, the south was undoubtedly the most vital.

For the Count of Ophern, where monsters rampaged in the north, the southern granaries were essential.

Without the abundant food and resources from those lands, defending the rest of the regions would be nearly impossible.

In other words, targeting the south was synonymous with targeting the entire Earldom.

And the two entities targeting them were always looking for an opportunity.

The only fortunate thing was…

‘The fact that they don’t know how to cooperate.’

Each of them wanted to monopolize the entire southern region for themselves.

What if Marquis Owen and the Duke’s Household of Gisert joined forces to target the Count?

Even with the solid power of the Count of Ophern, it would be difficult to overcome them at once.

No, it would be impossible.

However, historically, the two rarely cooperated.

Even if they did, it was merely a temporary alliance that soon shattered.

There were even cases where Marquis Owen helped prevent the granaries from falling into the Duke’s hands, and vice versa.

A Marquis and a Duke.

It was an interesting situation because the moment either one of them obtained the Count’s granaries, the balance of power would definitively tilt.

They both felt it was better to let the Count keep what he had than to let the other side take it.

It was a strange balance.

And this balance had been passed down through generations.

Of course, this deadlock wasn’t exactly a good thing for us.

“It’s an annoying confrontation. They treat our household’s property like the money in their own pockets.”

“That is… a ridiculous story,” Reton remarked.

“Yeah. It’s ridiculous. Hmm… The Marquis wants war, but I don’t know if it will be a full-scale invasion or if he just wants small-scale skirmishes.”

“Even so, sending knight-class individuals here is certainly a major event.”

“Right. That’s the problem.”

The Marquis’s household was moving.

It was still impossible to know how far they intended to go.

The important thing was that we had to move in accordance with their actions.

And if possible…

‘I shouldn’t just be reacting; I need to take complete control of the board.’

I shouldn’t move according to the board they had set; I had to make sure I was the one leading the situation.

To lead the board, there was ultimately only one way.

I had to build my strength.

‘I’m starting to have too much to do…’

At first, I thought stabilizing the territory would be enough, but now I felt that wouldn’t be nearly enough.

‘First, power. Then, information. I’ll need money as well.’

But this was the territory where my family lived.

To protect my family, I was willing to go through any amount of trouble.

That was my way of protecting what was precious to me.

Deciding to further refine my original plans, I gave an order to Reton.

“First, go and hand these people over to the Guard Corps. If you come up with a plausible excuse, I, as the Inspector, will handle it appropriately.”

“You intend to let the Count know about this?”

“Exactly.”

As long as it wasn’t related to Dark Moon, Reton was quite clever.

‘He’ll have to be clever about Dark Moon eventually too, but for now, this much is enough.’

I had to use this clever Reton to build my own power.

I would need to inform my father of the Marquis’s movements to get him to act.

And following that…

‘I must make the entire household move.’

I hurried Reton and sent everyone away.

A short while later, the Guard Corps achieved an unexpected success.

It was thanks to Reton “packaging” the enemies well and handing them over.

“We’ll treat this as a conflict between underworld organizations. There’s no point in making a loud noise about it. The important part lies elsewhere, doesn’t it?”

“I’ll… try to handle it that way.”

“Yes, sir!”

I used the administrator Myuron and Benson, who used to be called the “manure-shoveler,” to handle the matter.

‘This is why power is a good thing.’

Some in the Guard Corps had their doubts, but using the authority of an Inspector made things easy.

To the lower-ranking guards, it was processed as people caught while fighting among underworld factions.

That was the official story.

To keep the residents at ease, there was no reason to tell them everything.

‘The important stuff is elsewhere.’

Internally, however, the Count’s household was in an uproar.

‘Who would have known that the people captured from the underworld were spies sent by Marquis Owen?’

They never imagined that such skilled individuals would be caught in a supposed underworld brawl.

At that news, even Earl Ofern, who had been in secluded cultivation, had no choice but to step out for a moment.

“You’re saying Marquis Owen’s territory has moved?”

“Yes. There are two knights.”

“How did the underworld deal with two knight-class individuals?”

The level of the underworld was higher than one might expect.

However, it wasn’t at a level where they could easily subdue two knights.

Moreover, the knights of the Marquis of Owen specialized in Combined Attack Arts.

It meant that two of them gathered could exert the power of three or four.

If it were an assassination, perhaps, but those captured this time were alive.

No such assassination had taken place.

“That… they refuse to speak about that part at all. It seems some kind of Geumje has been placed on them.”

“Hmph… Is that so?”

“Yes. Aside from that, they are compliant. We have definitely obtained information. It is certainly the Marquis of Owen’s household.”

“Hmm… This is ridiculous.”

Earl Ofern felt something was off.

It was fine that the underworld groups were killing each other off.

If their power decreased through infighting, Earl Ofern would be the one to benefit.

It was also good that they realized the people captured in the middle were Marquis Owen’s lackeys.

Spies that needed to be caught at all costs had been apprehended.

None of these were bad results.

Yet, it felt unsettling.

The world does not usually revolve solely for one’s own benefit.

However, the current state of the territory was running well even while he was keeping his hands off things.

The lands under direct control that had developed through new farming methods were one thing, but many other things were happening without a clear explanation.

It certainly wasn’t something he could just blindly be happy about.

‘I’ll have to keep investigating.’

Whether it was a good or bad thing, he had to be the one in control of everything happening in his territory.

Earl Ofern decided he would have to reorganize the territory’s information network before returning to his cultivation.

Before that, he had to handle the matters requiring urgent attention.

“It will be difficult to strike Marquis Owen with just this incident.”

“I am aware.”

Viscount Rivers, a long-time vassal of Earl Ofern, answered the Count’s words with a small frown.

Regardless of the process, the evidence and witnesses were clear.

However, they could not move.

Earl Ofern’s power was not yet thick enough to swallow Marquis Owen whole.

They could provide a check, but a full invasion would be difficult.

The strange balance of the three territories was no exception for the Count of Ophern.

As someone with deep loyalty to the Ophern family, Viscount Rivers found the situation immensely dissatisfying.

But unlike Viscount Rivers, the Count’s expression wasn’t so bad.

“We must endure for now. For now… Haha.”

Though it wasn’t known even to the vassals of the territory…

‘I only need time.’

There was the hope brought by his youngest son, who had been the household’s concern.

If they could interpret the Dragon’s Relic and utilize its power properly…

‘No matter how strong Marquis Owen is—no, even the Duke—we would be able to face them.’

The axis of the delicate balance of the three territories would tilt toward the Count’s household.

If there were no hope, that would be one thing, but because there was a definite hope, Earl Ofern’s expression no longer clouded.

Even so, he didn’t plan on just staying still.

“There’s no reason for us to just take it quietly, is there?”

“Then…”

“Secretly tell the Crows to come to the castle.”

“I heard they were already heading back to report.”

Backroom dealings weren’t something only the Marquis could do.

Although he was known as the Silent Knight, it didn’t mean the Count was incapable of a scheme.

“Yes. I heard it’s related to the previous incident. If they move, it’s only polite for us to move as well. Let’s join in similarly.”

“Are you saying we should shake them from the inside?”

“There might be a war, so we must prepare in advance. Select the Crows carefully.”

“I will inform the Captain, Ident.”

“Good. And while you’re at it, it would be nice to give them the things we obtained recently. Didn’t we prepare a few magic tools?”

“I will take measures immediately.”

An eye for an eye.

Blood for blood.

The Marquis tried to shake the Count’s household through the underworld.

The Count had also made up his mind to move with the same intention.

Because even if it wasn’t a full-scale war, he could exact a kind of revenge.

“Excellent. Haha…”

Despite his age, Viscount Rivers was still bellicose.

He grinned, baring his teeth.

The Count laughed back.

“Indeed. Let’s do this steadily. Since we have the capital obtained from Pyreun, tell them to make it a proper operation.”

“I will prepare so they can spend lavishly. To the point where it won’t matter when the Crows return.”

“Good.”

Moving quietly, in silence, yet seizing and shaking the opponent’s lifeblood without a sound—that was the Ophern family.

The crouching Ophern family was beginning to rise little by little.

***

Reton’s secret fortress.

In the place that had now become one of my secret training grounds, I sat quietly and began to grasp the situation.

“You’re saying my father’s side has started moving?”

“Yes. My kids said they saw several people slipping out. Since there are few who show such movements, it’s almost certain.”

“I suppose so.”

Reton reported properly even while trembling.

The underworld.

‘Wasn’t it a place where those who could be called the lowliest of the territory gathered?’

The information from such a place was quite useful.

Furthermore…

‘The Guard Corps is buzzing, and it seems a few knights and members of the Knight Order have slipped out, so it’s certain.’

I also held the title of Inspector.

Even if I stayed still as an Inspector, information about the territory kept trickling in.

‘It probably isn’t as much as my father gets, but…’

Even if there were secrets, it didn’t matter.

It was enough to quietly grasp how people were moving.

If I mixed the underworld information from below with the Inspector’s information…

‘I can grasp all information even while staying still. It’s a bit lacking for now, but this much isn’t bad.’

I was becoming able to see through the inside of the territory.

I just had to use my head a little.

What was lacking could be filled by putting in more legwork later.

Before that.

“Reton. Did you do exactly as I ordered?”

“Huh? Yes, yes! Not all of it yet, but it’s almost done. I’ve gathered quite a few people.”

“Good.”

I had to increase the number of hands and feet I could use.

To that end, while my father was moving, I also worked Reton hard.

And as for the results…

“Lead the way.”

“Yes!”

I was ready to see them.