In the castle of Count George, the atmosphere was particularly oppressive today. The servants dared not move, fearing they might be caught in the fallout.
The servants knew something big had happened. The knight captain who had led an army of soldiers with him 1 month ago had been carried back.
It was said that he was attacked in a remote place to the west and was rescued by some minor nobles.
The servants understood that these minor nobles were likely trying to curry favor with the Count, which is why they sent someone to escort the knight captain back.
In the castle hall, Count George sat on the main seat. George was an elderly man in his sixties, with age spots on his face and sharp eyes. He sat hunched over in his seat, but no one dared to show him any disrespect.
It should be known that Count George had risen from a knight to his current position as an Count. His means and wisdom were not to be underestimated by anyone.
In the kingdom of Siacan, most of the great nobles inherited their titles from their ancestors, and titles like the Count were only bestowed to a few in a year.
Today, everyone knew that Count George was angry. Both of his sons were dead, and they died in that remote rural area.
As for the death of a few sons, Count George honestly didn't care. He had too many sons—at least a dozen—and only a few of them had turned out to be capable.
But Baron Adam, however, was one of the sons that Count George had paid special attention to. And now, he was dead.
"How dare they challenge the authority of Father!"
Count George's eldest son, Viscount Jesse, stood up and said harshly, "Father, allow me to take the knights and storm into Sedona City, turning them all into slaves and selling them."
A gleam of joy flashed in his eyes. With one less competitor, his chances of inheriting the title of Count were even greater.
"Shut up, sit down," Count George's sharp eyes shifted, and he said coldly, "He's dead, so he's dead. Dying in that place is no big deal."
This made everyone in the room fall silent. To hear Count George speak like this meant that the matter had already moved beyond mere words, and he was now filled with murderous intent.
Indeed, Count George could hardly wait to drag Adam's corpse out and beat it to a pulp. The fact that Adam had died was one thing, but he had also lost an entire hundred-strong knight squad. That was the greatest mistake.
Moreover, that Sedona City, a small barony, how dare they attack his son and knights? This infuriated Count George even more.
The atmosphere became heavy with silence. The knight captain, kneeling on the ground, was pale. It was only thanks to the family heirloom—a thick iron chestplate passed down through the generations—that he had survived. It was this piece of iron that saved his chest from being pierced, allowing him to play dead and escape with his life.
He then used Count George's name to lure and threaten a small city lord noble, forcing them to escort him back to Count George's domain.
The knight captain also shared everything he had witnessed, as well as his analysis of Baron Adam's situation.
"Go and rest up," Count George waved his hand and said. "Go and see the best healer."
"Yes!" The knight captain exclaimed, moved by the lack of punishment. He happily turned to leave, planning to celebrate his miraculous escape from death that night.
Count George silently watched the knight captain's retreating figure, and once the man was out of sight, he spoke softly, "Take good care of him. He came back to deliver the news, so he's shown loyalty."
"Yes!" Viscount Jesse responded with a serious expression.
"The Fourth Prince is getting anxious. His condition is worsening, and he wants to prepare everything," Count George suddenly changed the subject. "Adam has failed, but the people in those remote areas are still gathering. This time, who will go?"
"Father, I'll go!" Viscount Jesse stepped forward and said.
"..." Count George silently gazed at his eldest son, now forty years old. But still, he was too impatient. This was the one thing that displeased him.
"You can go, but I want you to gather a thousand knights before next summer." Count George said sternly. The Fourth Prince's demands were becoming more urgent.
"No problem," Viscount Jesse immediately agreed. Although the western region was remote, raising a thousand knights wouldn't be difficult for him. After all, they didn't need elite knights.
He had already made plans—once he reached that area, he would use his father the Count's name to force those nobles to give up some of their men. It wouldn't take much—just twenty knights from each noble, and he could easily gather the thousand needed.
"Don't mess it up. If the Fourth Prince blames us, it'll be over for all of us." Count George said harshly. This was about the struggle for the throne.
With the Fourth Prince's position, he didn't have much of an advantage, especially with the First and Second Princes as strong competitors.
Thus, the only chance the Fourth Prince had to become king of the Kingdom of Siacan was to rebel, raise an army, and strike decisively when the new king was crowned, eliminating all his rivals.
Now, it was a matter of building up strength, especially by gathering enough knights. Without a substantial force, they wouldn't even be able to break into the royal capital.
"Father, please rest assured. This time, I'll go and bring the head of that Sedona City noble to establish my authority, intimidating those smaller nobles." Viscount Jesse patted his chest and said.
"Fool!" Count George scolded. "That Sedona City lord is not simple. He managed to kill a hundred of my knights. Though he used beastkins, his strength cannot be underestimated."
"Please guide me, Father," Viscount Jesse said cautiously.
"Send an assassin. Have them kill the lord of Sedona City. Afterward, you can take over Sedona City, and bring all those beastkins with you. They will be the backbone of the army."
Count George's eyes flickered with wisdom. This was the smallest cost for the greatest reward. He had always operated this way in the past—those assassins were his best tools.
"But... but they killed our knights," Viscount Jesse said anxiously. Those crude and lowly beastkins were actually going to be integrated into their army?
"Hmph! You're even more short-sighted than the rat-tribe beastkins," Count George scolded. "We take in those beastkins because they're strong." He cared only about the results. Any beastkins who could kill a hundred of his knights were the best source of knights.
"Uh..." Viscount Jesse stared blankly at his father. Wasn't it you who hated beastkins in the past?
"I'll give you half a month to prepare. You'll have three thousand gold coins. If I don't see results by next year, don't bother coming back." Count George said coldly.
"Yes!" Viscount Jesse's face lit up with joy. Three thousand gold coins—he could easily pocket a thousand of them.
"Get me assassins, a hundred or less." Count George added.
"That..." Viscount Jesse was stunned. Assassins with fewer than a hundred rank? The cheapest ones would still cost at least one hundred gold coins each.
"With the smallest cost, we get the greatest reward. Some gold coins are worth spending." Count George admonished.
"Yes!"
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