Inside Count's room, only A, C, Artemis, Maxwell, Rowena, and Mara remained.
A had completely assumed Guntor's form—so perfectly that if the real Guntor were brought in right now, it would be impossible to tell them apart. The same was true for C, who had taken on Jeffrey's appearance. Not only that, both had also extracted Guntor's and the Elder Guntor's memories.
In Keilname County, they were now effectively Count Jeffrey and Elder Guntor, though the real ones were still in Westirifer. Yet when it came to knowledge and authority, A and C were no less authentic. They possessed every detail about the county, state affairs, the Keilname family, and the entire Keilname County.
At that moment, Rowena spoke up.
"Sir A, Sir C… we should begin the integration. According to Master, we have only one day left, and a large part of it has already been spent reaching the county and this point. Look—the evening is almost here. Only a few hours remain."
Hearing her words, A (as Guntor) and C (as Jeffrey) both gave their approval. Mara then used her space magic to completely cleanse the room, erasing every trace of what had happened there that day. The shattered golems, Jeffrey's sword—nothing remained. The room was restored to its original pristine condition. Mara vanished once more into Rowena's shadow.
After that, "Jeffrey" and "Guntor," accompanied by Artemis, Rowena, and Maxwell, went to meet Talmora—Jeffrey's mother and wife.
When they arrived at Talmora's mansion, she was catching fish in the pond beside the house. Two guards stood nearby, engaged in sexual acts with Rkliona, Fifi, and Fobila.
The moment Fifi—the youngest of the sisters—spotted "Jeffrey," she stopped sucking one of the guards' balls, turned to Talmora, and called out,
"Mom… Grandpa and Brother are here… and they've brought some other people with them."
Talmora looked up. Sure enough, "Father-in-law" and several others stood beside "Jeffrey."
Without hesitation, C walked straight up to Talmora and gave her a deep, passionate mouth-to-mouth kiss.
"Muuuaahhh… Slurpp… Kiss… Slurp… Muaahh…"
C behaved with Talmora exactly as the real Jeffrey would have. After the kiss, he introduced the Westirifer delegation to her, then introduced the Keilname family members—including Rkliona, Fobila, and Fifi—to the Westirifer group.
Once the introductions were complete, A (still in Guntor's form) spoke in the authoritative voice of an elder to Talmora:
"Daughter… I have been thinking deeply these past few days. You already know that three or four days ago, envoys from Westirifer came to us asking for an alliance. But that foolish boy Jeffrey refused them. This time, however, the situation is far more serious. They have not come to form an alliance—they have come to make us their vassal.
"I know I have made this decision rather hastily, declaring that Keilname County is ready to become a vassal state of Westirifer. But there is a very important reason behind it.
"Look at me, Talmora… I am already 309 years old. My death could come at any time. In the true bloodline of the Keilname family, the only younger-generation members left are you, Rkliona, Fobila, Fifi, and Jeffrey. I cannot put your lives at risk."
Talmora looked surprised.
"But Father… if we become Westirifer's vassals, wouldn't that be unfair to the Kingdom? We owe them a great debt."
Guntor replied,
"Daughter… in name we will be vassals, but in reality we will simply integrate our ruling territory into the Westirifer Duchy. As for any supposed injustice to the Kingdom—tell me, Talmora, haven't we repaid our debt? For the past thousand years we have given the Kingdom 25% of our county's revenue. Has that favor not been returned by now?
"And why should we remain loyal to the Kingdom? Did they not know that Westirifer has been sending envoys everywhere for days? Yet they never once thought it necessary to speak with us.
"Talmora… Daughter… Westirifer has promised that even though our jurisdiction will fall under theirs, the Keilname family—Sir Hombert's bloodline—will always remain protected.
"Moreover, Daughter, consider this: if we reject their proposal and war breaks out later—and God forbid something happens to Jeffrey—then our entire Keilname family will be finished. For the last fourteen years you have not become pregnant. Jeffrey's wives are only you and his three sisters, and in recent years he has failed to impregnate any of you.
"Jordan is gone now too. The last time anyone impregnated you was fourteen years ago—when Fifi was conceived. After that, Jordan fell ill and died. I don't know why such misfortune has fallen upon us.
"Talmora… what I mean is that in our true bloodline, only Jeffrey remains as the sole male heir besides myself. I cannot risk his life. That is why…"
After listening to all this, Talmora said,
"Father… you are worrying unnecessarily about Jeffrey. If Westirifer tries to pressure us, we will answer with our military forces. Do you really think our guards and hunters cannot keep Jeffrey safe?"
Guntor replied firmly,
"Daughter… absolutely not. I say this from experience.
"The situation right now is this: the people standing with Jeffrey are Westirifer's envoys, and I have already confirmed to them that, starting today, Keilname County will become part of the Westirifer Duchy.
"You will later explain this to the ministers and citizens. Look at my age—it would not look good if I personally announced such a serious matter. People would think the old man has lost his mind. As for Jeffrey… he may be Count now, but he is still just a boy of twenty-three. The ministers may or may not take his words seriously."
After thinking for a while, Talmora asked,
"Father… I will handle everything. But I have some questions I would like to ask the envoys myself."
Guntor nodded.
"Of course. Go ahead and ask."
With his permission, Talmora walked over to where "Jeffrey," Rowena, Maxwell, and Artemis stood. She greeted the Westirifer envoys and then posed her questions.
"Sir Envoy… I would like to confirm a few things. Only after your answers will I be able to tell you whether I agree or not."
Maxwell glanced at Rowena. Receiving her affirmative nod, he replied,
"Lady… please ask."
Talmora continued,
"Sir… if the county is integrated into Westirifer, will our Keilname County still retain any identity?
"What will happen to the county after integration? Who will manage its affairs?
"And if the Kingdom shows displeasure, will you help us or not?
"What will become of our bloodline?"
She paused, then added,
"Sir Envoy, if you answer these questions satisfactorily, I will accept your rule. Otherwise, I will not."
After Talmora finished, Maxwell smiled and said,
"Lady… your questions are straightforward. Westirifer is not what you imagine. Allow me to answer them one by one.
"First question: No, Keilname County will no longer exist as a county. After integration, it will be known as Keilname Town.
"Second question: As always, your Keilname family will continue to manage the town. However, in Westirifer there are no noble or royal titles. Everyone has equal rights. Your family's position will be called 'Chief.' This is not unique to you—every town or state in Westirifer has a chief family that regulates its people and handles lower-level judiciary matters.
"You will continue to work exactly as you do now. The only change is that the authority above you will no longer belong to the Kingdom, but to the Westirifer Duchy. You will, of course, have to follow all the rules set by Master Lucifer. If you wish, I can provide you with a recording of those rules.
"Third question: If you integrate into Westirifer, all your troubles will become ours, and all our joys will become yours. Should the Kingdom turn against you, they will have to deal with us first.
"As for your final question about your bloodline—Master Lucifer has many ways to preserve it. I do not know the exact methods, but if you speak with him, he will certainly show you the path. His nature is very kind. You need only ensure that you never speak ill of his mother, sisters, wives, friends, or family. Apart from that, to be honest, Master Lucifer spends most of his time with the citizens. In fact, the entire Westirifer Duchy is his family."
After Maxwell finished, Talmora said,
"Sir Envoy… just one last question, if you are willing to answer it?"
Maxwell gestured for her to continue.
Talmora asked,
"After integration, will we have to pay any interest to you? What will happen to our treasury and our army?"
Maxwell chuckled.
"Haha… Lady Talmora, you asked three questions in one. Let me answer them.
"Westirifer will not take any interest from you. You will simply become part of our Duchy.
"Second: Your treasury will no longer belong solely to you—it will belong to the entire Westirifer Duchy. However, we will not demand anything from it unless there is an emergency, because its purpose is to keep your state's economy alive. Only its name will change; its function will remain the same.
"Third: Your army will no longer be exclusively yours. The special 'Welencia Guards' named after Lady Segencita's family will remain under your personal control. But your overall military power will be merged into the Duchy's forces.
"As for your capital and its name—currently named after Lady Segencita—it will no longer be a capital, but it can become a district of your state. That was not part of your question, so consider it a bonus."
Talmora remained silent for a while, deep in thought. Finally she spoke:
"Sir Envoy… Keilname County accepts coming under your rule. From today onward, Keilname State will be part of the Westirifer Duchy. But do not forget your words. You will not go back on them."
Maxwell replied solemnly,
"Not at all, Lady Talmora. I swear on Master Lucifer's name—and on the Goddess of Life and Fertility—that everything I have told you is true, and I will never go back on my word. Actually, I am not the one speaking these answers. Master had already anticipated your questions and prepared these replies himself."