Chapter 12: Viscount Gauvain
After leaving Claude's group, Abium didn't stop anywhere and stealthily advanced towards the western part of the woods.
Although he had a magic stone lamp in his hand, he decided not to use it. He knew that using a lamp in the middle of the forest would not only attract monsters towards him, but it might also invite unnecessary problems.
'I heard that there is a necromancer roaming in the Baxborn Woods. There is a high chance that necromancer might have some connection with the Order of the Dead organization.' He thought of a particular organization and decided not to think about them now.
As for Claude's group, he did not worry about their safety.
He knew that Claude's current strength was more than enough to kill any normal or Elite goblins in a matter of seconds.
As long as they didn't encounter another Hobgoblin, they would get after to Baron Auguinare's territory before dawn.
'I don't think there is another Hobgoblin group roaming in this woods.' He muttered inwardly and soon glanced around.
It's been four hours since he separated from Claude and others. He didn't encounter any monsters or wild animals along the way, which made him frown a little.
'Did the Hobgoblin group scare away all the nearby monsters?' He knitted his eyebrows and shook his head.
'Well, it doesn't matter anyway.' He muttered inwardly.
Soon, he arrived near a large tree, sat next to the trunk, and took out three slices of dry pieces of bread and a water pouch from his bag. Then, he ate the three pieces of bread quietly and drank a gulp of water.
After that, he again stored the watch pouch back into his leather bag, took some rest, and stood up to continue his journey.
His next destination was the Hidden vault. It was a ruin located at the western edge of the Baxbron woods.
The Baxbron Woods or the Edge Mountain range was a mountain range that covered an area of 160,000 km2 (62,000 sq mi) in a stretch of 1,600 km (990 mi) parallel to the western border of the Mainland, traversing territories of Margrave Eliot, Baron Auguinare, and the Viscount Gauvain territory's western region.
Beyond the Baxbbron Woods was the borderland.
It was a mysterious land that separated the 'Forgotten land' from the Mainland.
But Abium didn't have any plan to go near to that mysterious borderland or the 'Forgotten land.'
His current goal was to retrieve an artifact from a secret hideout next to the 'Hidden vault' ruin.
'But the earlier vision showed me that an underground passage leads to an ancient Tower.' He shook his head and continued to walk further.
But as he took a few more steps, he suddenly noticed a group of gray wolves sleeping outside a rocky cave, hid behind a tree, and held his breath!
For the first time, an anxious expression appeared on his face.
He knew that these wolves' strengths were more powerful than the Hobgoblin and decided to move in a different path. He quietly took a few steps back, moved behind large rocks, and checked if any wolf had woken up.
After confirming the gray wolves were still asleep, Abium breathed a sigh of relief and stealthily walked towards the west in a separate route.
...
At the same time, in the Lawbarth household mansion,
A slightly obese man with blonde hair, a round face, and olive skin, whose face was so similar to Robert's face, sat on a wooden chair in his study and was in the middle of reading a letter. He wore a luxurious silk cloth and even had diamond-embedded golden rings in all his ten fingers.
He was none other than Viscount Gauvain.
As he further read the letter, he turned his face solemnly and soon frowned.
A while ago, Viscount Gauvain received a piece of news about the goblins' ambush and got startled deeply.
But what made the frown on his forehead deepen was Johnathan's reckless move.
In the letter, Johnathan mentioned that he left those soldiers and servants as scapegoats and moved to the Royal Capital Dewsummit City.
'That fool didn't even check those bastards are still alive or not.' He clicked his tongue in annoyance.
Viscount inspected the paper carefully and soon fell into deep thoughts.
'That Coward!'
He cursed Johnathan in his mind and decided to act cautiously.
Viscount knew Johnathan sacrificed the commoners as scapegoats only to protect Robert, but still, what he did was an irresponsible move in his eyes.
'He should've used the 'Order Eye' artifact and checked if they are still alive or not before running away.'
'What if someone got any wind of this news?' A worried expression appeared on his face.
'If Robert didn't get selected into the academy, my whole plan will foil. Damn it, if the academic mages heard of this news, they would never allow Robert even to take the affinity test.' In truth, the academic mages didn't care much about reputation, but they would always double-check the student's personality.
For them, a mage should be strong, brave, and courteous, not a coward and weak. Robert may look like an arrogant kid with a proud face, but Viscount knew that his son was indeed a coward.
'A single black mark in my name would lead to great consequences. Both Red Python and Order of the Dead organizations are completely relying on Robert on their mission. I can't fail them. I hope Hogg helps him get into the academy.' He muttered inwardly.
After a short ponder, Viscount ordered the servant to summon the city garrison captain and waited.
Within a minute, a black-haired guy, around 30 years old, walked in and gave him a salute.
He had brown eyes, a square face, and a deep C-shaped scar on his right cheek. He was the City Garrison Captain Rex.
Meanwhile, Viscount Gauvain looked at the black-haired young man and asked coldly.
"Did the scout squad find anything unusual in the Baxborn woods during their last week's surveillance mission?"
"No, My Lord. The scouting squad leader came to the city three days ago and gave me a detailed report. He said there was nothing abnormal in the woods. Also, Vice-Captain and the adventurers' group are still in the Baxborn Woods and helping Lord Bilet with his mission." Rex shook his head and responded.
"Something is wrong. Just now, I got a letter from Johnathan. He stated that more than a hundred goblins ambushed their unit."
Rex's face stiffened as he heard those words, and soon he asked in a shocked tone.
"What?! My lord, how is our young master? Is he okay?"
Viscount waved his hand at Captain Rex's concern and spoke.
"He is safe. Johnathan escaped with Robert and a few other household members before the ambush. But the problem is that he left those commoner soldiers and servants as scapegoats." He paused for a moment and then added in a grim tone.
"He also affirmed that a hybrid appeared in that goblin group."
"Oh, Mother Nature! Does that mean the soldiers and servants are all dead?! What should we say to those soldiers' family members, My Lord?" Rex asked in a shocked tone.
"If we tell them that they died protecting Robert, it will look more suspicious. Moreover, all our soldiers are in good condition. So, others could easily figure out what had happened in the Baxborn woods. If the news leaks out, we will be in deep trouble." Viscount said solemnly.
After a slight pause, he continued.
"First, dispatch a patrol unit to Baxbron woods and see the situation. Also, destroy all the evidence."
"Yes, my lord." Guard captain Rex stood in front of Viscount nervously and replied with a nod.
Meanwhile, Viscount turned his gaze towards that small paper and ordered.
"Also, go to the Adventurer's guild and put the soldiers' and servants' names on the wanted list. Ten white gold coins for each head. Select any reason for their crime."
"My lord, is it worth spending that much money to kill them?" Rex showed a hesitant look on his face.
"Fool. We are the one who is going to kill those vermins. This wanted list posture is to make these peasants believe our lie. Well, no use in keeping their lives anymore. If you found anyone alive, finish them off."
"Sir... Umm, is it necessary to kill every one of them? Why don't we threaten them by using their family members to keep their mouths shut?" Rex looked into Viscount's eyes and asked nervously. In truth, one of his relatives was also among the group as a guard.
But Viscount Gauvain shook his head firmly and spoke.
"If we do that, it may look more unusual later. If a noble from the opposite faction gets the winds of this news, it will be more troublesome for my plan. Just keep an eye on their families, but don't cause unnecessary problems. We must keep our profile low for the time being. You can go now."
Meanwhile, a bitter smile appeared on Rex's face. Alas, all he could do was nod his head and walk away from the small room.
After Viscount sent the city garrison captain out, he leaned his back on the wooden armchair and muttered with a smile.
'Once our mission got successful, our household doesn't need to pay any heed to these worthless lives. We'll become the ruler of this land. Hehe, conspiring with 'The Order of the Dead' is indeed the right choice.