Chapter 48: Whispers of the Elder Council

On the bed in an antique-styled room.

Hans was asleep.

Knock!

Knock knock knock!

A loud knock came from outside the door.

Hans, roused from his sleep in the middle of the night, furrowed his brows for a moment.

“Ugh! Who is it?”

He called out toward the door.

“The family head has summoned you! It seems urgent, so you should come quickly!”

A familiar voice responded.

Knight Roderne.

After enduring what felt like torture at the hands of Lawrence and escaping the prison, Roderne was Count Cheimon’s trusted subordinate who had summoned him.

For some time now, he had been serving as Hans’ personal guard knight.

“Yes! I’ll be there right away!”

Hans shouted energetically, then reached for the washbasin at his feet.

After quickly washing his face with warm water, he stepped outside the room.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes.”

Upon arriving at the Count’s study, Hans knocked quietly on the door.

“Count. This is Hans.”

“Come in.”

Hans opened the door.

Count Cheimon greeted him with a broad smile.

“Haha! Sorry to call you so early. I just received some very good news, and I wanted to share it with you as soon as possible.”

“What kind of news could make the Count’s face brighten like that? I’m really curious.”

“Heh heh. Don’t be shocked when you hear this. The Barony of Romenton has fallen.”

“Is that true?”

“Yes. I only just heard it today myself.”

Hans feigned surprise, eyes wide open, but tilted his head in curiosity.

“Count.”

“Yes?”

“There’s something I’m curious about. Unlike the Barony of Kargas, isn’t the Barony of Romenton known to have a much stronger lineup of knights?”

“That’s right. They have at least three four-star knights, and a considerable number of three-star knights as well.”

Hans quietly nodded.

‘The Count doesn’t know that Murren has reached five stars.’

The commander of the Barony’s knights, Murren, had only recently attained five stars—something Hans himself had learned not long ago.

Had Lawrence not told him, Hans might never have known.

Since Murren’s rise happened barely a month ago, and Zephron had kept this fact tightly under wraps, it was no surprise that Cheimon was unaware.

‘Good, that works in our favor.’

Four-star and five-star.

Though only a single digit difference, the distinction was significant.

A five-star knight was recognized almost everywhere as an elite force.

Given the current situation where the heir’s strength must be kept as hidden as possible, it was far better for the Count to believe the outdated information.

“Still, if they managed to bring down the Barony of Romenton, doesn’t that mean the heir’s growth is extraordinary?”

“Hmm. If the heir had toppled Romenton alone, I would agree. But after reviewing the reports, it seems a bit different.”

“How so?”

“You know the Barony of Kargas, right? It seems the heir took not only the knight commander but also all the reserve knights from there.”

“Ah……”

“Romenton’s knights may be superior, but the heir isn’t just anyone. He had some tricks up his sleeve.”

“True. He defeated the official knights stationed in Kargas as well.”

“That’s probably why Romenton lost. Still, as you said, the heir’s growth speed needs to be closely watched.”

Despite his words, Cheimon’s expression remained casual and unconcerned. Clearly, he didn’t yet see the heir as a major threat.

‘The misinformation is working perfectly,’ Hans murmured in admiration.

Lawrence had told him the heir wiped out the entire knight order, including the five-star knights.

What method did the heir use to fool even this cunning Count so completely?

The curiosity was unavoidable.

But curiosity aside, now was the time to claim rewards.

Hans looked at the Count with bright, eager eyes.

Cheimon chuckled heartily at the sight.

“Haha! Don’t look at me like that. I won’t forget your contributions. You were right—the heir really struck hard against Irudan’s faction! Hahaha! It’s so satisfying!”

“Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it. Words alone don’t grant rewards, do they? I told you before that I value you highly. From now on, you will be in charge of all intelligence regarding the heir.”

“Really?”

Hans brightened.

Compared to the previous simple reconnaissance tasks like a bat flitting about, the role given now was far more important.

“Yes. You are now the head of reconnaissance for the Count’s house. Feel free to report directly to me.”

“Thank you! I’ll do my best to uncover everything about the heir!”

“Good. I trust your intelligence skills. First, find out the heir’s next destination as much as possible.”

Although the heir was sharpening his teeth against Irudan, he might still act recklessly and attack his own faction.

Better to cross the stone bridge cautiously to avoid accidents.

Hans nodded at this.

“I’m already curious what expression Irudan will have in today’s meeting.”

“Probably a face like he just bit into something sour, right?”

“Haha! That’s a perfect description!”

Cheimon smiled slyly.

After talking with Hans, the Count closed the door and arranged several Memory Crystals on his desk.

‘Irudan must be in quite a hurry.’

It was surprising that, despite the assembly of the Elder Council being weeks away, he was trying to discuss countermeasures remotely via the crystals.

Since each noble house had their own communication crystals, coordinating at the same time made it easy to hold discussions as if they were all in one room.

Soon, eight crystals lit up.

Cheimon smiled gently as Irudan’s face appeared on one of them.

“We shall begin the 33rd Elder Council meeting. I assume everyone has heard about the fall of the Barony of Romenton.”

Everyone nodded. Cheimon’s gaze then shifted to Irudan.

“Count Irudan, how do you intend to handle this? After all, Romenton was part of your faction, was it not?”

It had been almost two months since Kargas Barony fell.

This was the question Irudan had been asked most often during that time.

Now it was his turn to repay that humiliation.

As if to confirm this, Irudan’s face twisted into a scowl like he had just tasted something bitter.

Hans had called it exactly right.

‘Still thinking about it.’

“Of course, revenge must be taken, right?”

Grit!

The sound of teeth grinding was audible even through the crystal.

Everyone had asked Irudan that very question.

“I don’t suppose you would say that but then easily abandon your faction’s people. You’re not that much of a fool, Count.”

“What? You’re going to say such harsh things just because I’m not face to face with you right now?”

“Oh, why are you so angry? Calm down, Count. I’m merely repeating the same question you asked before.”

Irudan furrowed his brows even deeper.

The bastard!

His hostile expression seemed to throw the words straight from his face.

Cheimon found the situation very amusing.

“The Barony of Romenton was truly loyal… but seeing their lord so coldly abandon them, I wonder if they can even rest peacefully in the afterlife…”

“Don’t speak so carelessly! Who said he abandoned them!”

“Heh heh. Then I suppose you’ll give the heir a sharp warning?”

“We must get a clear answer here. Don’t you all agree?”

At Cheimon’s question, the nobles all nodded one by one.

Even those belonging to Irudan’s faction shared this sentiment.

The attack had significantly raised their fears.

Noble houses like Cheimon’s and Irudan’s might still be safe, but others could be struck down overnight.

With two baronial houses already fallen, everyone needed a dependable leader to rely on.

Faced with everyone’s silent consent, Irudan’s expression became even more sour.

Seeing his own faction’s people react like that meant it was unwise to retreat lightly.

‘Damn it!’

He had been caught at the worst possible moment.

In the end, he had no choice but to nod.

—Very well. I will send a letter to the heir myself. I will tell him not to act rashly. But I think it’s too soon for a direct confrontation, don’t you agree?

‘Hmm.’

Cheimon considered.

Should he press further or stop here?

He quickly made a decision.

‘This is enough.’

The heir had already shown his hostility toward Irudan’s faction.

If a warning letter were sent now?

The heir would not stay quiet—he’d likely go wild.

Then the next target would be clear.

He’d strike Irudan’s faction without hesitation.

Could they really just send a warning after two members of the faction were taken out?

Cheimon was sure they could not.

At that point, the sword would be drawn.

“Heh heh… Let them clash madly with each other.”

The best outcome would be them destroying each other, and even if only one side suffered losses, that wouldn’t be bad.

Eventually, Irudan’s faction would shrink, and his own faction would grow stronger.

The heir’s role was fulfilled there.

‘Irudan will handle it.’

Whether by assassination or poison.

If the grudge deepened, he would do whatever was needed to eliminate the heir.

‘Things are getting interesting.’

Cheimon only needed to enjoy the spectacle with a glass of wine.

“The first agenda is resolved. Now, onto the second agenda: the Balanced Development Support Fund.”

Since they had already divided it once before, everyone knew how sweet that honey pot was.

All the nobles’ eyes lit up, and they swarmed eagerly once again.

Four days had passed since the cult was wiped out.

In that time, the Barony of Romenton had been neatly brought under control.

Elena and Praxian, who had recently started handling administrative tasks, were in charge of the work.

Thanks to that, he could focus on training with ease.

Sweating through his exercises, Ethan was approached by Silvia, who was accompanied by several guard knights.

“Your Highness the Heir, a letter has arrived.”

“From Greston?”

“No.”

“Then where?”

“From the Amelton County.”

Ethan’s eyes sparkled.

The Amelton County.

The house ruled by Count Irudan, the head of the faction.

He took the letter immediately.

Unfolding it, he read slowly.

Though the letter was filled with all sorts of flowery phrases, the core message was simple:

Do not provoke our faction any further.

It was essentially a warning.

“Hm.”

Ethan smiled mischievously.

Silvia’s eyes shone in response.

Having spent a long time with the heir, she had come to understand his way of thinking.

“Do you intend to strike Count Cheimon’s faction this time?”

“Well, maybe just once. By now, Irudan and I are probably hoping for a clash. I want to shatter that hope.”

“Excellent plan. They won’t be prepared, so swallowing their house won’t be difficult. Have you decided that the next target is the Viscounty of Dekun?”

The Viscounty of Dekun.

One of the two viscounties under Cheimon’s faction.

It was also the place where the bald mercenary said the Dragon Clan’s documents were being distributed.

“That’s right. Investigate Dekun thoroughly. Start with the distribution route of the book, and check if there’s anyone connected to the emblem we saw last time.”

“This is the investigation report.”

Before Ethan finished speaking, Silvia handed over a document as if prepared in advance.

She was truly a capable strategist.