Translator: Cinder Translations
...
Malon silently listened to Andrew's account.
The vassal spoke for a long time about family honor, noble dignity, and so on. In his view, it was beneath the Ganard family's dignity for the Alden Administrative Council to manage Byerldine.
"Andrew..."
The young count put down his knife and fork and looked at his vassal. He felt quite gratified; he hadn't expected to have such a loyal subject. From Baron Andrew's tone, it was clear that his loyalty was genuine. Since the betrayal last year, Malon had learned to discern the true meaning behind people's words.
"The Ganard family is truly fortunate to have someone like you loyal to it."
"Milord, please don't say that. The Warren family would never go against our ancestors' vows!"
"I am pleased and grateful for your loyalty, but I do not intend to change the current situation."
Malon's words were not beyond Andrew's expectations; he had long guessed that this would be the result, but he still felt some dissatisfaction.
"Why? Are you just going to watch yourself be sidelined?"
"Heh, sidelined? In fact, since I ascended to the throne, I haven't personally governed the territory, have I?"
Hearing his lord speak this way, Andrew's face reddened. Although he knew the earl was referring to the traitors like Ankiro, he felt a pang of guilt. Despite his loyalty, he was too absorbed in martial affairs and had paid too little attention to what was happening in Buteya City, even failing to notice the betrayal of his lord.
When someone recommended he go to the south for battle, he went without a second thought. If he had been more attentive, perhaps he wouldn't have needed to rely on others to quell the rebellion.
Andrew lowered his head and said, "As a vassal of your family, I bear a great responsibility. Please punish me, milord."
"No, Andrew, I do not intend to hold you responsible. In the end, I am still too young and was easily manipulated by people like Ankiro."
Malon shook his head and said, "Andrew, think about the current situation. Over the past few years, Ankiro and his people have placed their own men throughout Byerldine. After their defeat, these people will either be captured or flee. Without the arrival of Alden's people, Byerldine might have quickly descended into chaos. Moreover, haven't you noticed that my subjects are living better than before since you returned?"
Baron Andrew nodded slightly. From what he had seen over the past few days, at least Buteya City was better than before.
Malon continued, "Moreover, the assets under the Ganard family's name have not only suffered no loss but have actually increased significantly with the support from Byerldine. The profits have multiplied several times, even surpassing the tax revenue from two years ago."
"Uh… congratulations then."
"Andrew, I advise you to invest in setting up factories. Otherwise, as more factories open, the speed at which money comes in may not be as fast as now."
"Thank you for the advice. I will consider it."
"Furthermore, Paul has shown me great respect. Any decisions regarding Byerldine are consulted with me, and I review the quarterly tax revenue. Every expenditure of the tax is made known and approved by me. Think about those in history who faced similar situations as mine—none of them managed to drive away wolves only to invite tigers."
Andrew silently thought that if the count said "no" a few more times, perhaps Earl Greyman would not have shown so much respect.
Then Malon said, "And you, Andrew, should return to your fief tomorrow. The fiefs of the four traitors have been stripped of their titles. With my consent, Alden Town has dispatched officials to directly manage these places. Only your fief remains unchanged, still managed by your family, with all taxes and outputs intact."
Malon did not need to say this; Andrew had already confirmed this point through correspondence with his family.
"Yes, I am very grateful to Earl Greyman for this, but…"
"Alright, Andrew, you should understand the current situation. Not to mention that Paul and I are blood-brothers, but the practical threats force us to unite."
Andrew speculated, "Are you referring to the Kent family? If the infamous Maltz Kent rises to power, it would be a disaster for the northwest territories."
Unexpectedly, Malon shook his head, "No, this is indeed an urgent threat, but it's not the only one in the long term. Andrew, having been to the south, what are your views on the situation in the kingdom and even the entire continent?"
Malon's question surprised Andrew a bit. He hadn't expected the count to ask such a "profound" question. As a young lord who was still not of age, and Andrew being just a lower noble, discussing the kingdom's situation and continental affairs seemed somewhat absurd.
"Milord, I… cough!"
Andrew cleared his throat to cover his embarrassment. He had gone to the south merely to fulfill his battlefield aspirations and hadn't considered such issues.
"Just tell me what you know. For example, how long do you think it will take to quell the southern rebellion?"
Andrew frowned, seeming to hesitate. After a long while, he said, "To be honest, I think the process of suppressing the rebellion might be… quite arduous."
"Why?"
"Not to mention that the Duke Giles is powerful himself, while I was in the capital, there were rumors that there might be foreign forces supporting him. Moreover, many bad news has come from the south, suggesting that the loyalist lords to the royal family have been dealt with."
"So, does that mean the royal army will be locked in a stalemate with the rebels in the south for some time?"
"That's quite likely."
"Even if the royal family gathers troops from various regions?"
"There are quite a few lords following Giles..."
Listening to Andrew, Malon lightly tapped his fingers on the table, staring at the flickering candlelight, lost in thought.
"Throughout our country's history, the royal family has always been the strongest force. His Majesty the King is the supreme arbiter among the lords and the object of our collective loyalty. The sword and shield in His Majesty's hands, which are used to maintain this loyalty, are sharper and more solid than ours. He controls the most powerful force in the kingdom."
"What do you mean?"
"If such a force is being restrained for a long time, it indicates that the country is on the brink of or has already lost its order. The force maintaining order is declining, even if it is still the most powerful, but it is visibly weakening."
Andrew's eyes widened. Even though he had been on the battlefield, Malon's words astonished him. It was so disrespectful, especially coming from a fifteen-year-old boy.
"Lord Ganard, are you saying… Aldor will descend into chaos?"
"That's what I believe. Take the recent events in the Northwest Bay as an example. If the royal family were as strong as in history, would the two factions still be at war? No, they wouldn't. A hundred years ago, when the lords had disputes, they wouldn't just fight amongst themselves, and the royal response wouldn't be so slow. Even you know the news and returned to the northwest, but there has been no formal stance from the royal family."
Malon stared into Andrew's eyes and whispered, "The royal family is hesitating, observing, and worried that the current strength may not be enough to quickly resolve everything, further exposing its weakness."
"So, Andrew, we need to stay close to like-minded people and protect ourselves in the face of chaos. The closer we are, the safer we will be."
The young count's words made Andrew deeply moved. It seemed his lord had grown considerably after facing great changes. Regardless of whether his words were correct, at least he… well… hadn't thought of this layer.
"Lord Ganard, what do you need me to do?"
"After staying in Alden Town for a while, I have a premonition that my ally seems to be… seems to be establishing some kind of 'new order,' let's use that term for now since I'm not sure how to describe it precisely. And we in Byerldine should make good use of our initial advantage to occupy a key position in this new order."
(End of the Chapter)
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