Chapter 428 - Reassurance

"I’m not a very ambitious person," Anfey said to Baery.

Baery snorted. "You’re always where you’re supposed to be," he said. "That can’t always be a coincidence."

"Maybe. I want a peaceful life as much as everyone, but it seems like the world has other plans for me."

"I had a talk with Christian," Baery said. "He trusts you. I trust his opinions, of course, but I need to know more about you before I can work with you."

"Work with me?"

"A lot of people call me a madman," Baery said with a sigh. "But this world is cruel. I have to be ruthless to survive. Scarlet is braver than we expected and she is disrupting the plan. What happened to Slanbrea had aroused suspicion, as well. We are at a disadvantage right now. Scarlet and Fernando’s alliance is very strong, at least at the moment. Knights of Divine Wind also have been sent to aid Fernando. There are not a lot of members in that order, but every single member is at least a silver knight. They can be a decisive factor in this war.

"But, we still have hope. You and Marino are very important. Scarlet maybe working with the Church, but I’m not worried. They cannot touch me. But at the same time, I cannot touch them, either. That is where you and Marino come in."

Anfey nodded but did not say anything. He did not know if he had enough power and influence to affect the situation. If Baery was speaking on Yolanthe’s behalf, then this must be part of a larger plan. All he needed to do was listen.

"When you were at Zagreen, you ordered the murder of those priests and knights, didn’t you?"

Anfey nodded.

Baery shook his head. "You couldn’t have known, but other than Martin, there were several other spies among those priests and knights. Some spent decades infiltrating the Church. Your mercenaries murdered some valuable informants at your order."

"I…I didn’t know."

Baery sighed. "This is why Yolanthe decided to grant you access to some information relating to the Church. Black Eleven will be in charge of receiving this information from Sacred City."

"I see," Anfey said, nodding. He appeared very calm, but in reality he was very surprised by Baery’s announcement. Even though this might not seem like a great honor, it showed how much Yolanthe trusted him. It was an important step towards becoming a member of the class of political elites. It showed that Yolanthe fully trusted and accepted him.

"No one knows what the necromancers want or what they’re planning," Baery continued. "But we do know that they are not using their full power. That is why Yolanthe asked us to prevent a full scale conflict. Scarlet must be thinking the same thing, or else she wouldn’t have let me get passed her. Yolanthe believes that considering this situation, it’s unrealistic for Maho Empire to forcibly take over this country. What may work is to help one person take control of the Country of Mercenaries."

"Me?" Anfey asked, incredulous.

Baery nodded. "Yolanthe believes that the biggest threat to our society is privileges. Especially privileges of the upper class. In order to get people to work for you, you need to give them benefits. You need to convince them that following you would work out favorably for them. As long as there are benefits, people will be loyal to you willingly. The larger the benefits, the less likely they will be to rebel against you and take others’ offers. But this affects the development of society, which is why ever since he became the ruler, he’s been actively trying to weaken upper-class privileges."

"But what should we do about it?" Anfey asked. "The only thing I can think of is ending the system of nobility, but that’s not practical, is it?"

"How is it not?"

"What?" Anfey asked, his eyes widening. "My title is legal, isn’t it?"

"Legality is not the issue," Baery said. "You can’t give too many titles, but you have to be generous at the same time. If people do not know how beneficial it is to ally with you, it may not work out in your favor."

"But…"

"Don’t forget, Lord Marino received a title as well," Baery reminded him. "And he needs to give titles to his men. You can ally with him. As long as you two recognize each other as nobility, it will make things much easier."

"Really? Isn’t it a bit ridiculous?"

"What you think isn’t important," Baery said. "What’s important is what he thinks. Marino defected. What do you think about that?"

Anfey frowned and shook his head. He had good reason to hide the fact that he did not know what Baery was talking about.

"Mercenaries believe in freedom. They believe that each man is his own and needs to fight for a living. But everyone wants to follow tradition. A lot of people have been calling for changes. They want reassurance for themselves and their families."

"Oh," Anfey said. "Now I see."

"There are a lot of capable mercenaries, but no one can be sure what their children will be like. If they can have a fulfilling life without risking their lives everyday, they will take that chance. They need reassurance. Traditions are like habits. They’re hard to change, but they can be changed."

Anfey took a deep breath and nodded. He had similar thoughts before, but he could not analyze the situation as deeply as Baery could. He wanted to try and change this country in the direction Baery talked about.

"I think we’ve talked enough," Baery said. "Do you need anything?"

Anfey thought about it and said, "Money."

"I can’t to anything about that," Baery said, shaking his head. "Blackwater and White Mountain are both wealthy cities. It’s better to go to them."

"I’m worried about Scarlet."

"She won’t do anything," Baery said. "Just like I won’t do anything until I’m fully convinced that I will win, she won’t, either. Maybe she will aid Tiger of Tawau mercenary group a bit, but that shouldn’t be a problem, should it?"

"That’s not an easy opponent," Anfey said. "I don’t know what Hotchbini is doing and I’m worried about her."

"Give me a few days," Baery said with a nod. "I’ll get you more information on that city."