Around three in the afternoon, a carriage pulled by two horses traveled on the main road of the Royal Capital. Although it was clearly the ride of a noble, it didn't attract any attention.
This was the Royal Capital, where the most esteemed nobles of the entire Kingdom resided. Not to mention, with the Golden Princess's engagement ceremony approaching, great nobles from all over were rushing here. If you threw a brick now, you might just hit a Viscount.
Yes, the highly reputed Golden Princess was getting engaged, which caused many who admired her beauty to stomp their feet and wail in sorrow.
Although they all knew that the beautiful Princess would absolutely be out of their reach in this life, it didn't stop them from harboring some beautiful fantasies!
This principle is like in modern society, where many celebrity fans fantasize about their idols as their beloved or their wife.
The carriage turned from the main road onto a side street and, after passing the Mage Guild, stopped in front of a residential area.
The carriage door slowly opened, and out stepped a middle-aged noble wearing a monocle. He carried a unique scholarly aura, making him appear quite unusual.
Viscount Kerton looked at the towering wall before him and couldn't help but feel a sense of awe. Just a few days ago, this was an ordinary residential area. To have the wall built so quickly was clearly the work of magic.
On this side of the road, there was a three-meter-wide gate, with a small shaded pavilion on each side. Inside each pavilion stood a strong man in silver-white armor.
Just from the man's physique and expression, one could tell he was an extremely elite soldier. His sharp, hawk-like eyes instantly spotted Viscount Kerton, who was observing him.
Viscount Kerton adjusted his attire and walked towards the gate, leaning on his gentleman's cane.
The old butler, who was serving as a guard, immediately stepped ahead of him to the gate, presented an invitation, and announced to the two guards, "My master has come as invited by Earl Albert."
The guard inspected the invitation in his hand, then calmly and respectfully said, "Please wait here for a moment."
After speaking, he pulled a small magical device from the pavilion. A tiny bell gently swayed but made no sound.
Before long, a beautiful woman in a maid's outfit arrived at the gate. After a glance, she immediately confirmed their identities.
"Viscount Kerton, my master has been expecting you for a long time. Please come in."
"Thank you."
Viscount Kerton respectfully bowed to the maid, which surprised the butler walking beside him. His master was a noble, and the other party was clearly just a maid. Shouldn't it be the other way around?
Just as he was puzzled and about to follow his master's steps, he was called out to.
"Lute, you stay here and wait for me. No need to follow."
"Yes." The old butler obeyed his master's command and stopped at the entrance, watching Viscount Kerton and the maid walk into the newly built estate.
Viscount Kerton walked on the newly paved stone path, his gaze involuntarily shifting to the sides.
Only some remnants of the original residential buildings remained. On the wide open ground were numerous sturdy Tiger Beasts. They were releasing attack magic or directly charging into the residences, each blow making a loud noise and leaving huge marks of destruction on the dilapidated houses.
If it were an ordinary person, they would probably shrink back at such a sight, but Viscount Kerton's expression remained unchanged.
Not to mention that these magical beasts all had masters, so the possibility of them harming someone was not high. Viscount Kerton himself was a person who had fought on battlefields. Don't let his refined appearance fool you; if he took off his tie and picked up a sword, he was a warrior!
The two didn't walk long before they arrived in front of a larger wooden house. The maid stopped at the doorway, signaling Viscount Kerton to enter the room.
Viscount Kerton first nodded to the maid in acknowledgment, then entered the wooden house.
Upon entering the house, Viscount Kerton didn't see any luxurious furniture, only a round table covered with a white tablecloth.
Two chairs were placed beside the round table. On one of them sat a handsome, white-haired young man, who was currently holding a book. It seemed Viscount Kerton's entry had caught his attention, and the young man slowly raised his head, a gentle smile on his face.
"Please sit, Viscount Kerton."
"Thank you, Lord Lock." Viscount Kerton bowed to the white-haired young man. Although it was not in accordance with etiquette based on age, it was a way to show respect based on their noble titles.
After Viscount Kerton took his seat, a maid immediately served him freshly brewed black tea.
Viscount Kerton took a small sip, offered a polite compliment, and then got straight to the point: "Lord Lock, may I ask why you invited me here this time?"
"Viscount Kerton, no need to be so nervous. This invitation is not for anything important; I simply wanted to chat with you... about the Bahaus Empire!" Lord Lock said casually, but the sudden shift in his tone made Viscount Kerton's heart skip a beat.
Viscount Kerton feigned composure and said, "The Bahaus Empire? I don't know what you wish to discuss. Begging your pardon, but besides the annual wars, I am not familiar with the Empire's situation."
"How could that be?" Lord Lock's lips curved slightly as he looked at Viscount Kerton with interest. "You've gained quite a few benefits from the Empire, haven't you!"
Viscount Kerton immediately stood up, an angry expression on his face, and sternly rebuked, "Lord Lock! Please do not insult my loyalty to the Kingdom!"
"Come now, Viscount Kerton." Lord Lock tilted his head. "I already know about your capture by the Empire back then. You even have letters from high-ranking Empire officials in your home. I'm not scolding you, Viscount Kerton, but don't write your private thoughts in a diary; it's not a good habit. Now you're in an awkward spot, aren't you? Your butler has already delivered it, along with some of those letters, into my hands."
Viscount Kerton's face immediately turned pale. It was his butler, who had followed him for many years, yet he had betrayed him!
Why!? The image of his old butler, who always bowed and scraped to him, immediately flashed in Viscount Kerton's mind. He wanted to question him loudly, but now was clearly not the time to think about that.
Viscount Kerton forced himself to calm down, slowly sat down, and looked at the young man in front of him. Since the other party hadn't chosen to expose this matter, it meant there was still room for maneuver.
"Then, Lord Lock, what do you want?"
"Heh heh. Viscount Kerton, I'm not interested in your past treasonous affairs, because the only person you can pledge allegiance to from now on is me!"
...
Half an hour later, Viscount Kerton left the gate with a normal expression.
"Master!" The old butler, who had been waiting at the gate, immediately came forward and bowed respectfully to him, as usual.
Viscount Kerton looked at the old butler, who was bowing before him, with a complex gaze. After a long moment, he responded faintly, "Let's go back."
With that, Viscount Kerton walked with heavy steps towards the carriage waiting by the roadside.
"Yes, Master!"
The old butler slowly straightened up, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes that made one feel a chill all over.
But in the next moment, a white-robed priest riding a Tiger Beast slowly walked past him, scaring the old butler into an immediate respectful bow.
The white-robed priest merely glanced at him without speaking, then followed Viscount Kerton's steps.
Inside the large wooden house.
Lord Lock stretched, slowly rose from his seat, then handed the magic book in his hand to Vier.
"This is the last one, right?"
"Yes, Master. All the minor nobles connected to the Theocracy have been met. However, this Viscount Kerton is the most special among them; he even has connections with the Empire. According to my investigation, he is known as 'Iron-Hard' in the Kingdom's noble circles, practically a representative figure of resistance against invasion," Vier said with a light laugh, holding the magic book in her arms.
Lord Lock also chuckled, explaining, "After all, they are nobles of the Kingdom; these are minor things. One can only say this Viscount has strong business acumen, able to navigate between the three nations and play all sides. He's quite capable. It's just his backyard management isn't great; he was actually betrayed by his subordinate, his head must be covered in a field of green grass!"
Vier just smiled without speaking. Although her master often said strange things, after so many years, she could already understand what he wanted to express. That Viscount was indeed amusing; none of his three children was his own, all were the old butler's bloodline.
Ever since Lord Lock attained the title of Earl, the Kingdom's nobles eagerly sought to invest in him as a potential stock. After all, from the previous incident at the Royal Hunting Grounds, it was not difficult to see that the Golden Princess, supported by Lord Lock, had a greatly increased chance of inheriting the throne. By clinging to both of them early, they might become great nobles in the future.
Not only on Lord Lock's side, but Princess Lana's side was also now swarmed with noble daughters vying for favor.
Lord Lock was quite happy about this. Some nobles worth wooing, after cooperation was established, would be seen off by a Tiger Knight upon their departure. This made the visiting nobles arrive with smiles and leave with smiles, well... their faces were stiff on the way back.
As for the content of the cooperation, it was natural to join the loving family group and conspire for the Kingdom together. These guys all had dirty secrets, and with a little manipulation, they all fell in line.
Of course, it wouldn't work with just threats, so Lord Lock also made some promises and offered some benefits, throwing in a little sweetener.
He believed that anyone not too foolish would not risk their lives to expose this matter. Even if someone was truly that brave, not caring about their life, and exposed this matter, tracing it back to Lord Lock, no one could convict him.
At most, Lord Lock's reputation would suffer some damage, while they would have to pay with their lives.
Lord Lock was betting that these self-serving, money-grubbing, opportunistic nobles wouldn't have that courage, and such people were the easiest to control. If they were more upright, Lord Lock would actually be less at ease.
Currently, Lord Lock didn't need to worry too much about military strength, but political power was still severely lacking. Once the throne changed hands, some idiotic individuals would certainly need to be cleared out. Perhaps some personnel could be supplemented from these minor nobles to temporarily stabilize the Kingdom's situation and implement new laws and so on.
It was a form of waste utilization. If they weren't useful, then once suitable candidates were found, they would be cleared out.
"Lord Lock, Miss Eindora has arrived."
The guard's announcement brought a happy smile to Lord Lock's face. The time had come!
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