Two carriages, along with a group of their bodyguards, arrived at Blue Rose camp. While their guards rode in with horses, the two carriages were being pulled by magical beasts that looked like overgrown lions with spotted brown coats, a mane, and visible sharp fangs. These beasts were known as Bladens, but to the reborn Victor, they reminded him of the once-extinct sabretooth with a mix of leopards from Earth. Magical beasts like these are not easy to tame, and only a few can afford its care, even among nobles. This means that the people who entered the camp were not ordinary nobles.
The arrival of the carriages contrasted with the camp's filthy and muddy environment. It was clean, shiny, and looked so new and expensive. One of the doors opened, and with the help of the footman, a large man stepped down. This man has orange hair with a curved mustache. He has a big belly and looks very proud in his bright outfit of red and yellows. It contrasts the gloomy colors of the camp. He is the son of the Duke of Umbel, Erchel. He was the same person Victor met before. He was arrogant, short-tempered, and self-entitled, and thanks to the novel, he also learned he was one of the culprits who pushed for the war of Aztos and the murder of the local Baron. Victor could not believe this man had planned all this. He doesn't seem to be the kind who has the brains to plan such a complicated scheme.
Erchel does not look happy. He looked disgusted at the camp and frowned at the mud clinging to his shoes. He even grabbed a handkerchief that was handed by his servant and covered his nose. But what surprised Victor was the identity of the man in the second carriage. It was Prime Minister Ernest Avington. The man was tall and lean, with an aquiline nose and sleek purple hair, green eyes, and clean-shaven – something is rarely seen in Claes. He is a very handsome man. He also looks the opposite of the other nobles as he clothes himself in black, which is less disruptive to the eyes. Even General Aster looked completely surprised to see him. The Avingtons are a lower nobility family with a rank of a Count, yet they are held with high prestige in the Claes as if they belong to high nobility not just for their money but also for their long history as competent ministers and advisors of the Claes government.
Victor, who is peeking behind the tents and soldiers, only recognizes him because he met him in his first life in the capital. In Claes, the only way to recognize people is through drawings, paintings, or personally memorizing someone's face. So, it is impossible to recognize someone you have never met. The prime minister also never came to the Blue Rose camp in his last life.
*****
General Pietro Aster stood straight and confidently in the presence of the two nobles. His right-hand man, Silas, and his nephew stood behind him for support while most of the members of the camp looked on. As the commander of the Blue Rose, despite its bad reputation, he still has to act as respectfully as he can. He was very confused as to why the Prime Minister was there. He and the prime minister have met before, so he is familiar with the man. However, most ministry officials rarely venture outside the capital and/or beyond their territories, and if they do, they have their retainers to do their work for them. Even though in nobility, Pietro's family outranks the prime minister's (Marquess normally outranks a count in Claes), Count Avington has a very high position in the ministry, and Erchel Umbel outranks him since he is from a Duke family. Usually, in this case, the duke himself should be the person who will fulfill this obligation, not the son, but he heard from his network that Duke Umbel is dying, and his sons are fighting over this position since he did not name an heir. Erchel is one of those people vying for the position. This means he also has to deal with the family drama that the man is going through, and everyone knows Erchel Umbel is very hot-tempered.
"Welcome, Master Umbel and the Prime Minister." Pietro greeted. "I'm surprised with your arrival, prime minister. I did not expect anyone aside from Master Umbel to arrive."
"We were heading the same way, so I decided to tag along. I apologize for the intrusion," The man answered calmly and clearly with a smile. Yet his eyes are calculating and full of cunning. He is informing people who are aware that he is not an ordinary man to deal with.
Erchel, however, does not look happy. He is seething at the sight of Count Avington's presence, but it is hard to tell since he has a handkerchief covering his face. Pietro finds this insulting as you cannot expect a clean environment in any camp in the army, but for a spoiled person such as Erchel, his actions would make sense. However, Pietro didn't point it out. He is giving face to the arrogant Umbel offspring.
"You are heading…here?" Pietro asked confusingly.
"I was heading towards the Agan territory, and the ministry decided that I could be tasked to send a missive to the third prince." He answered and looked around. "He doesn't seem to be available?" one of his eyebrows rose. Everyone knows that the third prince looks like the emperor, and since having black hair is rare in Astoria, it would have been easy to spot him. The question was legitimate as, in most cases, as a prince, he is obligated to also be present in this greeting even if he is not the commander of the army.
"I apologize, but the prince has encountered an unfortunate incident this morning and is currently resting." Pietro lied, but he still had to do so with a straight face. "I could arrange for him to be woken up…"
"There's no need." Count Avington interrupted. "I apologize for interrupting you, but the prince's health is more important. I will wait until he wakes up. My tasks to Agan are not urgent."
"I see," Pietro said. "If you wish, you can wait in one of our tents as we discuss with Master Umbel," Pietro suggested.
Erchel Umbel looks hopeful when he hears this. He did not expect to have the Prime Minister come with him to the camp. It was simply a coincidence that they were heading in the same direction. When he was heading towards Blue Rose, he was optimistic. He already has the terms for Aztos, and he will get that territory no matter what, and it has to be under their rule. It isn't just the magical pools he is after. This was a planned strategy for the faction of the sixth prince – the faction of whom he is a part.
This new territory is said to hold something important, plus the people will be a good source of materials for potions if the terms of the contract are approved. However, this also means he will get the magical pools his family needs, which will allow him to rise toward the heirship and defeat his annoying brothers. But with these terms, there are some questionable methods and concerns, and he knows that if he does so with the prime minister present, he will scrutinize it.
While Claes do have laws and rules, this doesn't mean nobles follow or always enforce them. Sometimes they bend the rules, test them, and even get away with only a minimal sentence, and most people will be more tolerant of it. Only a few were seen as unforgiving, and as long as you didn't get caught, no one would complain. Contracts, for example, are very important in Claes, and they are magically bound once signed. Even if the terms of the contract contradict Claes laws, they have no choice but to enforce it once it is signed, and Erchel is taking advantage of General Aster's gullibility due to his lack of education and political prowess. Even the third prince has the same level of naivety compared to the rest of the royals in the capital. Hell, Umber believed you would probably lead the third prince through his nose.
However, the Avingtons were not that kind of nobles. They are always the law-following, upright people. While they are of lower nobility, they still hold considerable power, especially as most in the justice system, some of the royal advisors, and the prime minister belong to that family. And for Umbel, it pissed him off that this low-class noble had more power than his own house among the central nobles. They are a Duchy. He is supposed to outrank him. Even now, this annoying commander gave more face and respect to this imbecile over him, a Duke (he is not a Duke yet, but he already calls himself one).
However, Avington's response was. "I will sit in with your negotiations. I am curious about the outcomes of the war."
"Urgh!" General Aster and Count Avington both turned towards Master Umbel, who looked red as he tried to hide his anger and frustration.
"I believe we should get in." Count Avington said. "It seems Master Umbel needs to breathe."
General Aster and even some soldiers chuckled, and this just pissed off the aspiring duke.
*****
Victor was no longer worried about the negotiations. He knows one of the officials of Aztos who has been waiting in the tent is also the prince who is disguised as an ordinary citizen representing their country to get better terms for them after losing the war. He is not interested in meeting them, and with Count Avington there, he is sure that he will provide a contract that is fair for everyone.
Count Avington is part of his brother Lysander's, the second prince's faction. Normally, the Avingtons are a neutral party, and they treat people respectfully regardless of status. They won't deny a request so long as the request is reasonable and important, even if they don't like the people who requested them personally. This is why most nobles and commoners trust the Avingtons. But at this time, the Avingtons seem to have sided with the second prince faction. Although most are not aware, Victor only knows because of his last life. The Avingtons were very important for Claes. They were the people who held on to the stability of the empire during the fight among the princes and the many events that would come for the country.
Because of this, Victor returned to this tent instead of listening to what the result of the negotiations was. In the best-case scenario, the people of Aztos will get rights as citizens of Claes and will have a formal magistrate to manage them. With Avington, Victor is sure it is someone who will be assigned as competent, and this will also bring a positive favor for the prince of Aztos, who will more likely side with his brother and his rise to the throne. The timeline is accelerated, but in the novel, the Prince of Aztos becomes a reliable advisor and ally to his brother anyway. The only worst thing that he could think of out of this event is that Erchel Umbel would have a tantrum.
*****
After hours of discussion inside General Aster's tent, the parties involved finally got out. All parties have satisfied looks except for one. After the carriage of the Umbel house left, Erchel Umble had a tantrum.
"THAT WRETCHED IMBECILE OF A MAN!!!!" He screamed angrily as he took out his anger on one of the servants who were with him in the carriage as they left the camp. The poor man did not complain or fight back at his master as his body was bleeding and injured. Erchel has been holding in all his anger during the negotiations. He tried to act implicitly and coyly at the Count, trying to distract him from the terms of the contract and taking advantage of the lowly stupid general and his lack of awareness. But he did not get what he wanted.
The uneducated general would consult with the count, and even the Aztos parties would ask the questions to Avington, not him. HIM! He was the one task for the contract in the first place! IT'S HUMILIATING! He fought hard in the ministry to get the position, yet he got most of the terms in the contract removed and modified due to that count! The members of the faction would be furious at him for his failure. All their efforts were wasted! The territory was supposed to be theirs, not under the capital, which is dominantly under the count's authority. There are rumors already going on that the count has become part of the second prince's faction, which would be bad for all of them if that man were to rise to the throne. The only thing he got from the ownership of the magical pools, and that's it. They are going to regret this! Regret this! He will need to fast-forward his father's death so that he can get that heirship fast. He can't act what he wants unless he holds that position.