Chapter 61: The Intent Behind Kindness
After the capture of Red Soil City and the completion of its integration and reorganization, aside from the reinforcements from Eaglehead Territory who remained for joint defense, the territories of Bayor, Forest, Gem, and White Mountain all began their return journeys under the leadership of their respective lords.
In terms of distance, if Yam and the others wished to return to White Mountain Territory, passing through Gem Territory would actually be the fastest route.
It would take less than twenty days to return to White Mountain Territory, and about twenty-five to twenty-seven days to arrive at White Mountain City.
However, since Giggs wished to talk more with Atork to deepen their friendship, they had to choose to return via Red River Territory.
This route would add approximately seven to ten days to their journey.
Yam did not oppose this suggestion.
He could tell that although Giggs did not express it openly, he was inwardly very anxious about the current situation in White Mountain Territory.
The three lords of the Fertile Plains, led by the Baron of East Mountain Territory, held the same status under Count Shuvaric as Baron Hess of Gem Territory did under Marquis Visen; they were both used as vanguards.
Previously, Red River Territory and White Mountain Territory shared this role under Count Shuvaric as well.
But now that Red River Territory and White Mountain Territory had been abandoned by Count Shuvaric, the front line of conflict with Marquis Visen naturally shifted to White Mountain Territory and the Fertile Plains.
Even someone with little political acumen like Yam could see that the root of this conflict between East Mountain Territory and White Mountain Territory, the so-called bandits who attacked East Mountain Territory, were actually orchestrated by Count Shuvaric. The real aim was simply to fabricate a pretext for conflict with White Mountain Territory.
However—
Yam still couldn’t understand many things.
For instance, why, when they responded to the conscription order and went to attack Red Soil Territory, the three lords of the Fertile Plains didn’t take that opportunity to launch an assault.
Had they attacked White Mountain Territory then, White Mountain Territory surely wouldn’t have been able to hold out.
At that point, Baron Ster would have been forced to retreat step by step, and even Yam and Giggs might have had to withdraw from the Red Soil campaign to return and reinforce White Mountain Territory.
Also, if the enemy was so confident in their claim that a group of bandits had invaded White Mountain Territory, then all they needed to do was to have those bandits make a brief appearance, or even just fabricate a connection with the Bole Family.
Then the Baron of East Mountain Territory, along with his two allies from the Fertile Plains, could have forcibly invaded White Mountain Territory with some justification.
Even if they later cleared up the misunderstanding, the damage to White Mountain Territory would have already been done.
Yam couldn’t understand why Count Shuvaric would abandon these options and merely allow the Baron of East Mountain Territory and Baron Ster to argue.
But he did understand that, in terms of strategy, military coordination, and diplomatic negotiation, he was truly no match for those born into the Bloodline Nobles.
Even though Giggs’s aptitude and potential were quite poor, and he wasn’t much better than Yam in terms of military coordination or strategic vision, he was vastly superior in diplomatic negotiation, a level Yam felt he could never reach no matter what.
...
Monica stood outside the study door, taking several deep breaths. After psyching herself up with a bit of self-hypnosis, she finally knocked on the door.
“Come in.”
The deep voice of Marquis Visen rang out from inside the study.
Monica took another deep breath, then pushed the door open.
In an instant, a white mist surged out through the crack in the door like a flood through an opened gate.
Wherever the White Mist passed, the ground was immediately covered by a layer of frost at a speed visible to the naked eye.
As the mist continued to pour out and the frost continued to condense and solidify, a thick layer of ice rapidly formed on the floor and even began to spread outward.
“Thud—”
A dull thump sounded.
Marquis Visen stomped his right foot heavily on the ground.
All the ice crystals shattered instantly and evaporated at a speed visible to the naked eye, not melting into water, but turning straight into smoke, as if winter snow had been thrown directly into a blazing fire.
“Grandfather.”
“Speak.” Marquis Visen looked at Monica, and for once, a faint smile appeared on his face.
After nearly a year of meticulous instruction, though Monica was still far from the perfect heir he envisioned, she was already more than capable of maintaining the Kasein Family’s foundation.
“What progress is there?”
“Red Soil Territory has been taken. The Antre Family has been completely eliminated. Uncle Wade personally handled it, so there’s no way anyone could have escaped.”
“Good.” Marquis Visen nodded. “Wade is very experienced with matters like this. With him acting and Dean stationed, the Antre Family wouldn’t have survived their purge. They should be heading toward Withered Wood Forest under the pretext of organizing Red Soil City now, right?”
“Yes.” Monica nodded in reply. “However… the excavation work is still progressing slowly. But now that Red Soil Territory is in our hands, and Andre is dead, Baron Hess surely won’t have the mind to pay attention to any anomalies in Withered Wood Forest, so...”
“Better safe than sorry,” murmured Marquis Visen.
Monica immediately understood and chose not to speak further on the matter.
“I understand your thinking, but sometimes, not everything can go as planned. That’s why you must have the resolve to make decisive choices,” Marquis Visen said slowly.
“The battle for Red Soil Territory dragged on for so long because Wade wanted to buy Arsen some time. After all, I had given him an ultimatum, I wanted the mechanism unlocked before the war in Red Soil Territory ended. It was only because of some of Andre’s actions that the assault on Red Soil City spiraled out of control, forcing him to let Dean intervene.”
“So… what have you learned from this?”
“All plans must be built on a foundation of sufficient strength. That way, even if the original plan fails, one can compensate through forceful means.”
But Marquis Visen shook his head slightly after hearing this. “You’re only half right, and that’s just the surface.”
Monica humbly sought guidance.
“If your strength is great enough, enough to disregard all rules, then you don’t even need to make plans or deploy strategies. You already have the capability to obtain whatever you want.”
“So, whether it’s a plan, a scheme, or a tactic, it all ultimately serves one purpose: to secure your own interest,” Marquis Visen said in a deep voice.
“Wade wanted to buy time for Arsen, so in this situation, ‘buying time’ was the benefit. But when the situation spiraled out of control, his benefit shifted to ‘meeting my demand,’ so if he didn’t want to be reprimanded by me, he had no choice but to immediately seize Red Soil City.”
Monica appeared deep in thought.
“So now, the ongoing standoff between East Mountain Territory and White Mountain Territory is actually just Count Shuvaric’s way of securing his own interest.”
“Correct.” Marquis Visen nodded. “He believes he did me a favor by not launching an assault on White Mountain Territory while I was attacking Red Soil Territory. This is the same as when I took action against Red River Territory and White Mountain Territory, and he cleanly abandoned those two territories. ...Now then, can you guess what interest that Count truly seeks?”
“The Bole Family.”
“Why?” Marquis Visen looked at Monica with appreciation, signaling her to continue.
“The reputation of the Antares Family,” Monica said solemnly. “He could abandon Red River Territory and White Mountain Territory because he knew those two territories were nominally part of Red Eagle Territory. And since the Golden Lion Family no longer concerns itself with or intervenes in Red Eagle Territory, he could not secretly seize those lands, because we would never allow it. So he decisively gave up those territories.”
“However, the Bole Family, which had originally sworn fealty to Count Shuvaric, turned and defected to our side. That is what truly wounds Count Shuvaric. If he cannot resolve this matter, then the influence of Count Shuvaric, and indeed the entire Antares Family, will decline. This shakes the very foundation of the Antares Family’s rule over the Fertile Territory. Thus, the Antares Family must deal with the Bole Family swiftly.”
Marquis Visen nodded with satisfaction, then said, “When we were preparing to strike Red Soil Territory, Count Shuvaric suddenly incited conflict between the Baron of East Mountain Territory and Baron Ster. Yet, during our campaign against Red Soil Territory, he didn’t make any moves. His intentions were already crystal clear. ...The Antares Family doesn’t want to go to war with our Kasein Family, because they fear the situation might spiral completely out of control. But the Bole Family must die, because this touches the very foundation of the Antares Family’s rule, just as our Kasein Family’s control over Red Eagle Territory is non-negotiable.”
“So, how do you think this matter should be handled?”
“I believe we should allow the destruction of the Bole Family,” Monica said firmly. “Furthermore, we can bring White Mountain Territory under our control.”
“Then the Kasein Family would directly border the Antares Family. At that point, any conflict or tension would have no buffer zone,” Marquis Visen shook his head. “Don’t you understand why I refrained from taking action against Forest Territory and White Mountain Territory?”
“Then we could reward White Mountain Territory to one of the family’s Bloodline Knights,” Monica said bluntly. “After the Bole Family is wiped out, and White Mountain Territory returns to our control, no matter what we do, we’ll have the initiative!”
Marquis Visen stared at Monica for a long moment, then suddenly laughed. “Now that’s more like it.”
Monica’s heart skipped a beat.
“Very good. From Wade’s handling of this matter, you’ve learned the most crucial and valuable lesson, how to secure benefits for yourself.”
Marquis Visen nodded. “You haven’t given up on Yam Soderbell, have you?”
Monica’s face suddenly turned pale, and her heartbeat and blood flow surged.
“Since you’re destined to be the future head of the Kasein Family, you do indeed have the right to choose your own husband, even if that man is a fool.” Marquis Visen’s smile quickly faded, replaced by a cold expression. “But Yam Soderbell is the one exception.”
“Why?” Monica couldn’t understand. “Yam Soderbell is an outstanding talent. Not only is he highly capable, but his Bloodline Aptitude is also exceptional. Even if I could choose a fool as my husband, for the sake of the Kasein Family’s future, I could never actually do that.”
Marquis Visen did not interrupt her. Only after listening quietly to Monica’s reasoning did he sigh deeply within.
Yam Soderbell truly was exceptional.
So exceptional that even Marquis Visen greatly admired him.
But unfortunately, his surname alone ensured that Marquis Visen could never allow the Kasein Family to be associated with such a ticking time bomb.
“Because the Soderbell Family is, in fact, the Bourbon Family,” Marquis Visen said, enunciating each word clearly.
“I don’t know what happened back then to let the supposedly exterminated Bourbon Family preserve their bloodline, but now it is unquestionably certain that…”
"...the Soderbell Family is the Bourbon Family. Or rather, within Yam Soderbell flows the bloodline of the Bourbon Family."
Monica was completely stunned.
Yam Soderbell was actually Yam Bourbon?
"Now that you know the truth, what do you think we should do about the Antares Family’s desire to annihilate the Bole Family?"
Marquis Visen did not give Monica much time to compose herself.
Because throughout the years he had led the Kasein Family to grow strong, he had encountered more than one crisis where there was no time to think or react.
Only under such a state, when overwhelmed by complex and vast information, could one still swiftly and accurately sort out their thoughts and make the correct decision. Only then would Marquis Visen truly feel at ease.
"Time!" Monica raised her head, her eyes bloodshot. "If we let Count Shuvaric execute the Bole Family without intervening, then our Kasein Family will be questioned. So, there must be a time limit. If that time is exceeded, regardless of the outcome, we must act. Otherwise, our Kasein Family’s influence will be doubted."
"Very good." This time, Marquis Visen was truly satisfied.
"I’ll go make arrangements right now!"
"No need." Marquis Visen shook his head. "Someone is already doing this for us."
"Someone?"
"Viscount White Swan." Marquis Visen sneered. "They want to draw in the Soderbell Family as allies, but Yam Soderbell is merely Giggs Bole’s Household Knight. So what’s the best move?"
"Vacate the lordship of White Mountain Territory..."
"Let’s see if Giggs Bole is a fool." Marquis Visen let out a short laugh. "It takes only twenty-five days to return from Gem Territory to White Mountain Territory. If he receives a call for reinforcements during the journey, it would take just fifteen to twenty days. And by then, we should also be dispatching our troops, so Count Shuvaric will have only ten days to deal with Baron Ster."
"But if he chooses to return via Red River Territory..."
Monica spoke slowly, "Then Count Shuvaric will gain an additional five days."
"So if Giggs is a fool and doesn’t understand Atork Senels’s intentions, choosing instead to return to White Mountain Territory as quickly as possible, then Baron Ster might still survive. But if he’s smart, understands Atork’s hint, and truly believes Bayor Territory will support them, then he must bear at least half the responsibility for his father’s death."
Marquis Visen said slowly, "This is another lesson I want to teach you... When someone who doesn’t know you or barely knows you suddenly shows you excessive concern and kindness after just two or three meetings, you must be cautious. Especially when there’s a significant difference in status, the price behind such kindness will always be high."