Chapter 204: Using Public Resource for Oneself

Leaving the count's estate, Viscount Leon-Castell worriedly rode his family carriage back to their residence in Northport.As soon as he got out of the carriage, Derek de Leon-Castell hurriedly approached, surrounded by servants, and asked anxiously.

"Grandfather, how did it go? Did the young Countess of Castell make things difficult for you?"

The old Viscount frowned at him and reprimanded him.

"What young Countess? That's our Lord, the esteemed Countess of Castell!"

Derek was taken aback, seemingly puzzled by his grandfather's sudden change in attitude.

"Grandfather, weren't you..."

The old Viscount glared at him, glanced at the surrounding servants, and said in a low voice.

"Follow me to the study."

Once in the study, Viscount Leon-Castell dismissed the servants and maids, while Derek took the initiative to pour his grandfather's favorite Yunette honey wine.

The old Viscount sipped the wine, his expression softened slightly, and Derek couldn't help but ask.

"Grandfather, why are you suddenly so respectful to the young... Countess?"

The old Viscount gave him a look and said calmly.

"We are vassals of Castell. Loyalty to our lord is our duty; naturally, we should respect the Countess."

"But... but didn't you say before that Castel had no future and would eventually be swallowed by other great nobles?"

Derek couldn't help but say. He frowned, confused by his grandfather's change.

"Without the protection of the Blazing Sun and having lost the Borde family's patronage, Castell is still a vassal of Borde, but anyone can see it's on the brink of collapse. As a branch of Castell, we must plan ahead, and the Starfall bloodborne is a force worth investing in..."

Hearing his grandson's words, the old Viscount looked at him deeply.

"Those words, did your friends from the Starfall Kingdom tell you that?"

Derek paused, quickly lowered his head, and said.

"You... you're overthinking. I don't have any friends from the Starfall Kingdom..."

The old Viscount waved his hand.

"Enough, I'm old but not blind. I may not ask about certain things, but that doesn't mean I don't know. I usually don't ask because having multiple plans isn't a bad thing..."

"Rest assured, the Leon-Castell family will be yours sooner or later. I don't have the energy to cultivate a new heir. Although you lack your father's talent, you're still better than your wastrel uncles. Entrusting the family to you will at least slow down its decline."

Hearing his grandfather's words, Derek's face turned pale and then flushed.

"Grandfather, I didn't..."

The old Viscount sighed.

"I know you mean well. I've been strict with you, and your uncles have their own territories. It's natural for you to worry about your inheritance. It's understandable to associate with extraordinaries to strengthen your position..."

"In fact, I tacitly approved your actions. The north is not like the south. If the Starfall Kingdom's bloodborne wants to extend its reach into Castell, our small Leon branch has no power to resist... Rather than resisting, it's better to align with them, potentially preserving and even strengthening the family's position during the power transition." Sᴇaʀch* Thᴇ NʘvᴇlFirᴇ.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

"Then... have you changed your mind now? Why?"

Derek couldn't help but ask.

The old Viscount looked at him.

"You should know about the attack on the Countess last night, right?"

Derek instinctively wanted to deny it, but seeing his grandfather's deep eyes, he finally nodded honestly.

"Yes, I know..."

But after nodding, he quickly added.

"But I didn't know they would use Arle as a cover, nor did I expect Arle to push our Leon-Castel family into the spotlight! This isn't what we agreed on!"

The old Viscount snorted coldly and said.

"Can't you see? The Starfall bloodborne is forcing us to take a stand. Among the three Viscount families, we are the closest to the Castell family, with the best reputation and highest influence. It's easy to expand our power through marital ties if the Castell family falters..."

"The Crescent is not Starfall, nor is it Coria. Those bloodbornes ultimately don't dare to openly rule the north; they still need the northern nobles!"

At this point, seemingly recalling something, the old Viscount suddenly asked.

"Derek, after yesterday, have the bloodbornes from the Starfall Kingdom contacted you again?"

Derek looked embarrassed, as if his grandfather had seen through him.

"You... you knew?"

"To be honest, no, they haven't contacted me again. They promised they would succeed, but it seems... it seems..."

"But it seems they failed, and after failing, they disappeared, right?"

Viscount Leon-Castell asked.

"Yes."

Derek answered honestly.

Looking at his not-so-bright but always arrogant grandson, the old Viscount felt exhausted.

He sighed deeply and said earnestly.

"Derek, stop associating with the Starfall bloodborne."

"The Starfall Kingdom's bloodborne is likely no match for the Countess. The Countess' background far exceeds our expectations. After all, she is the child of that Highness. Even if the family has declined, she still holds some trump cards."

"Grandfather, what exactly happened?"

Derek couldn't help but ask.

The old Viscount paused and said.

"The Bloodborne Count who orchestrated this infiltration from the Starfall Bloodborne is probably dead."

"Dead... dead?"

Derek's eyes widened, and he couldn't help but exclaim.

The old Viscount glared at him.

"Keep your voice down. It's enough that you know about this, but... I imagine it will soon spread within your circle anyway."

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"Overnight, the Countess silently eliminated a Blazing Sun Bloodborne who was targeting her. She must have powerful protectors in the shadows, and Castell's foundation still stands strong."

Hearing his grandfather's words, Derek's expression changed slightly.

"Then... what should we do?"

The old Viscount looked at him with disdain.

"What's there to panic about? It's the Starfall Kingdom's bloodborne that's trying to overthrow Castell, not our Leon-Castel!"l

"But..."

"No buts, Derek. The past is the past. Even if the Countess doesn't know the details of your actions, she probably has a pretty good idea. Otherwise, she wouldn't have reprimanded me. But she doesn't seem inclined to pursue it further. The ones who will suffer are those bloodbornes who infiltrated the County and the nobles who are loyal to them."

Hearing his grandfather's words, Derek suddenly felt a stirring in his heart.

"You mean..."

"I mean, this might also be an opportunity for our Leon-Castell family."

The old Viscount said meaningfully.

As he spoke, he took out the investigation order Charlotte had given him and handed it to his grandson.

"Derek, from now on, you must sever all ties with the Starfall bloodborne and help me complete this task."

Derek took the order, read it carefully, and then turned pale.

"Investigate the nobles? Wait... and audit the family businesses?! The Countess is putting our Leon-Castell on the spot! And... how do we have the power to make other nobles comply?"

"Grandfather, if we really go through with this, our reputation among the nobles will collapse. All the Castell nobles will turn against us!"

The old Viscount sighed.

"I understand all that, but we have no choice... The Countess has made it clear that she will not allow us to play both sides. Castell's power can't dethrone all the nobles in the County, but dealing with a single Viscount family is more than enough."

With that, he gritted his teeth.

"Since we have no choice, we might as well pledge our loyalty fully to the Countess, assist Castell in crushing the Starfall bloodborne's schemes, and maximize the benefits for our Leon-Castell family!"

"But... won't this provoke a rebellion among the county's nobles? Our Leon-Castell will be the first to suffer! The Countess might just be overthrown, but we could face utter destruction from the wrath of the other nobles!"

The old Viscount drained his honey wine in one gulp and said quietly.

"Derek, do you know how many people the Countess used to reclaim the mining workshop?"

"How many?"

Derek couldn't help but ask out of curiosity.

The old Viscount held up three fingers.

"Three, only three people. Besides the Countess, there were just three, and two of them were servants, plus a pet cat..."

"Three people? That's impossible! There are extraordinaries and guards stationed at the mining workshop! How could she..."

Derek was incredulous.

"How? By relying on the prestige of the Castell family that has ruled the north for centuries, by the title of Count of the North, and by Castell's influence in the kingdom!"

The old Viscount said emphatically.

Looking at his grandson, he continued with a tone of frustration.

"The Countess may be younger than you, but she is far stronger."

"From what I know, she stormed into the mine with just her steward, killed a Silver Moon bloodborne, and won the loyalty of the mine's guards with just a few words!"

"Not only that, but even Viscount Remisio, who oversees the Castell silver mine, has old ties with the Castell family. He assisted the Countess in quelling the rebellious mine manager that day!"

"Before I left, the Countess mentioned sending professionals to assist with the investigation. If my guess is correct... it could very well be Viscount Remisio."

"The royal guard? She... she dares to seek aid from the royal guard? Castell isn't a vassal of the king! Such behavior would never be accepted by the nobles!"

Derek couldn't help but exclaim.

"But... what if the Countess holds evidence of the nobles' betrayal? What if she has a legitimate reason to reclaim their titles?"

The old Viscount said quietly.

With a sigh, he continued.

"The Starfall bloodborne made a mistake, a fatal mistake..."

"They thought they could better balance the power of the nobles by inciting internal strife among the Castell nobles, making it easier for them to control. But they ended up giving the Countess a big gift..."

"With leverage over various nobles, the Countess has every reason to escalate minor issues, seize the opportunity to reclaim titles, and if anyone objects, it would be seen as rebellion. Through private connections, she could likely seek aid from Viscount Remisio."

"I've heard the Remisio family is in dire need of money, and Castell has plenty of it. Viscount Remisio is the kind of man who would do anything for the right price. The Countess can circumvent the royal guard's restrictions by hiring or even allying with the Remisio family!"

"When the army guarding the Castell silver mine raises the Remisio family banner instead of the Crescent flag, everyone will know those aren't Remisio's conscripts but actual royal guards. Yet, they'll have no choice but to accept it, and the northern nobles' private soldiers are no match for those well-equipped professional troops!"

"Derek, the Starfall bloodborne can no longer control Castell. To control Castell, they must control the Countess, but they have already failed."

"With mysterious protectors for extraordinary strength and the Remisio family available for worldly military support, if I'm right, Viscount Remisio might have already received a call for aid from the Countess!"

Hearing his grandfather's analysis, Derek was dumbfounded.

The old Viscount looked at his grandson, who, despite having some extraordinary talent, was otherwise almost useless, and sighed.

"Derek, from now on, get close to the Countess."

"I have a feeling... even with the backing of Legendary Bloodborne, the Starfall bloodbornes might not be a match for the Countess!"

"Although the Countess is young, when standing before her, even as a Silver Moon knight, I dare not breathe heavily. Anyone who treats her like a child is bound to suffer greatly!"

...

The conversation between the Leon-Castell family's grandfather and grandson roughly set the direction for the family's allegiance.

Meanwhile, at the Castell silver mine, Viscount Remisio, stationed with the royal guard, received Charlotte's letter sent through the teleportation array.

This fierce-looking Viscount sat by the campfire, eating roasted meat, and with greasy hands, picked up the letter and chuckled.

"Hmm? Hiring the royal guards to garrison the mine? Heh, this young Count is quite bold! How could the royal guard interfere in the affairs of a ducal vassal? That's public power for private use! And it's overstepping!"

He took a large gulp from his mug, but when he saw the remuneration figure in the letter, he sprayed his drink out in shock.

"Pfft... cough cough... cough cough cough... At least five hundred gold tana per kingdom soldier?!"

With a changing expression, Viscount Remisio shot up and shouted to his lieutenant, who was drinking with others nearby.

"Glenn! How many family banners did we bring? Bring them all out!"