Imperial Throne

Chapter 124: Yam’s Choice

Because he had found a new lead on Raven, Ion couldn't sit still. He departed immediately the next day.

Yam had originally wanted to leave together. After all, it concerned the death of his eldest brother, and of course, he wanted to personally participate in the investigation. Moreover, a Third-Tier Magical Beast had appeared near Ruby Village, which was located in the Gem Territory close to the Withered Wood Forest. He was worried that his father might not be able to handle it and might need to rely on the effects of Nirvana.

But unfortunately, Hatch and the others returned at this time.

They brought back news from the Eaglehead Mountains.

"Thirteen people entered the mountains in total, but we only found ten corpses."

In the strategy room of the White Mountain Territory's City Lord's Manor, where the map model was placed, Hatch laid out all the items collected from the operation on a long table in the room.

The items were quite miscellaneous, but one piece stood out—a scrap of cloth.

When Yam picked up the piece of cloth, a strange fragrance dispersed.

Eaglewood.

A special type of wood that only came from the Eaglehead Territory. When roasted over a fire, it released a very distinct light fragrance. It had high adhesion properties when woven into cloth using specific techniques, but typically it would only retain its scent for three to five days. Only through repeated roasting, tanning, and washing could the specially treated fabric retain the unique fragrance for a long time.

Because of this, it was extremely expensive and considered a luxury item used only by nobles.

Judging from the size of this scrap, it seemed to be a piece torn from someone’s clothing during a scuffle.

"Was this found on one of the bodies?" Yam asked curiously.

"Yes." Hatch nodded. "The other party seemed afraid we wouldn’t notice it, so they made it quite obvious. When we found the bodies, one of the hands was gripping this scrap of cloth. But upon my inspection, it wasn’t torn off during a struggle. It looked more like someone shoved it into the hand after the person had already been killed."

Yam nodded, understanding Hatch's implication.

Someone wanted to fabricate the illusion of a silencing incident.

"And the other three people haven’t been found?"

"They were found…" Hatch began. "We spent some extra time specifically to search for those three. However, the result turned out differently than I initially expected."

"How so?"

"To be exact, all three were already dead." Hatch continued, "Two of the corpses were buried not far from the other ten. If not for traces of disturbed soil, I might have overlooked them. Based on my assessment, someone deliberately hid these two bodies to make it seem like internal strife, which would better mislead us."

"The only thing they didn’t anticipate was how quickly we’d uncover the issue and find the scene before they could fully set it up."

Yam nodded.

If they had followed the perpetrator’s trail step-by-step, by the time they discovered the bodies, decomposition would have set in, and all evidence would be lost—leaving only the misleading clues planted by the one behind it. The disturbed soil would also disappear over time, making it impossible to detect the hidden corpses.

In simpler terms, they would be led around by the nose.

"What about the last one?"

"He committed suicide when he saw us," Hatch said solemnly, his tone rarely this serious. "I found an empty poison vial on him. Afterward, I checked the bodies more thoroughly and confirmed they had all been poisoned. Also, in the Eaglehead Mountains, I found a map and a few falsified ledgers. I didn’t quite understand them, so I sent them to Miss Sherry."

Yam took the map from Hatch and, with just a glance, his brow furrowed.

"Have you confirmed the route on this map?"

"I ran part of it, not the whole way, but I can basically confirm the route shown is accurate."

Upon hearing this, Yam’s expression turned equally grave. "Do you know what this means?"

"I do." Hatch nodded. "This route can indeed go directly from White Mountain Territory to the Eaglehead Territory, and it’s a safe path. Even if there are Magical Beasts, they’d only be First or Second-Tier, so even ordinary people could travel it safely."

"Moreover..."

Hatch pointed to a location near the White Mountain Territory on the map.

"This place—I also had someone scout it. The person was originally from Mountain Ridge Village, and they confirmed this exit lies near the border of White Mountain Territory. From Eastern Mountain Territory, if you cross the border and take this mountain path, you don’t even need to pass through Mountain Ridge Village. You can go straight along this safe route back to Eaglehead Territory."

Though Hatch said nothing more, Yam already understood what he meant.

Just then, Sherry had someone deliver the ledgers.

Looking at the messenger, Yam asked in a low voice, "What did Miss Sherry say?"

"This is a secret trade ledger, recording the transactions of the group of bandits who raided villages in the Eastern Mountain Territory. It also includes a sealed letter and a seal—the seal bears the crest of the Kasein Family. The letter states that... the Kasein Family ordered people to pose as bandits to attack the Eastern Mountain Territory, looted a large quantity of materials and resources, and then returned to Eaglehead Territory through a hidden passage opened in the Eaglehead Mountains, leaving the subsequent troubles and responsibilities to the White Mountain Territory."

"So, this group of people were actually the bandits who raided the Eastern Mountain Territory?" Yam sneered. "That group of mysterious bandits we've been completely unable to trace until now."

At that moment, Lily hurried over.

Following behind Lily was Sherry.

The veteran soldiers in the room all greeted Lily and Sherry respectively—the former was the Lord of the White Mountain Territory, while the latter was currently the 'steward' of the White Mountain Territory. Both held extremely high status, and naturally, no one would be foolish enough to offend these two women.

Yam immediately understood what had happened: after Sherry learned the contents of the sealed letter, she went to find Lily without delay, and the two of them had come together.

"What’s going on?"

"A clumsy conspiracy," Yam sneered. "Someone tried to provoke a conflict between us and the Kasein Family by planting evidence that points all the blame toward them. Father has mentioned before that the Eastern Mountain Territory was indeed raided, and it’s entirely possible that the bandits used this newly opened safe route to reach Eaglehead Territory. But would a Marquis Family really leave behind a ledger and a map for such actions?"

"But we can't rule out that possibility, can we?" Lily pressed, unwilling to back down. "The Kasein Family already had a grudge against Count Shuvaric, so it's entirely possible they'd carry out such a raid. If they hadn't planned in advance to retaliate against the Fertile Territory, how could they have known about a secret route directly connecting Eaglehead Territory to White Mountain Territory?"

Yam did not argue against Lily’s point.

It was indeed plausible that the Kasein Family could have done such a thing.

But just as he had said, even if they had, there was no way they would leave behind a ledger or a map. The kind of people entrusted with such tasks would have been the most trusted core members of the Kasein Family. The route would have been memorized, not recorded.

So this was clearly a deliberate setup.

However, the setup was built upon pieces of evidence that might very well be true.

By now, Yam could clearly see the malicious intent of the one behind the scheme: to drive a wedge between the White Mountain Territory and the Kasein Family.

"We already have no room to reconcile with Count Shuvaric’s faction. If we fall out with the Kasein Family too, we’ll be crushed between two giants." Yam sighed. "Yes, the Kasein Family did start a war. But compared to Count Shuvaric, who genuinely wants us dead, the Kasein Family is relatively safer... at least until I’m no longer useful to them."

Hearing this, Lily couldn’t help but feel a pang of sadness.

She already knew Monica had sent over the formula for a Third-Tier Bloodline Potion, along with its main ingredients. The Kasein Family’s intentions were clear, and they truly had no way to refuse.

"What about Giggs’s revenge?" Sherry suddenly asked.

Looking at Sherry, both Yam and Lily felt a twinge of guilt.

As the daughter of a merchant, she should have had a happy family. Instead, she had been dragged into the blood feuds of the Bloodline Nobles, ending up with a broken family and a lonely fate. As Giggs's wife, she was destined never to marry again—that would have been a disgrace to the Bole Family. Lily had once subtly suggested she could find a lover as long as she didn’t have children, but unfortunately, Sherry had no such plans.

At present, she was mainly helping Lily manage the finances of the White Mountain Territory—including the construction progress of Westerburg, procurement of materials, and tax matters.

The trade operation involving the looting of smugglers was personally overseen by Lily.

"His revenge will be fulfilled too," Yam said in a low voice. "I promise you that."

He still trusted his instincts more and believed that Giggs most likely hadn’t died in yet another assassination by Count Shuvaric, though he had no direct evidence. So for now, he pinned the blame on Count Shuvaric—it at least helped the two women feel better.

After comforting them and seeing them off, Yam rubbed his brows wearily.

Hatch and the others didn’t speak, just quietly waited to the side.

After a long silence, Yam suddenly spoke. "Hatch, who do you think set this trap?"

"I don’t know, Lord Yam," Hatch shook his head. "You asked us to track enemies and find clues—that we can do. But to deduce who did this? That’s a bit beyond us."

"Do you think it could be Bayor Territory?" Yam asked.

"Lord Yam, I don’t know," Hatch shook his head again. "But I don’t think so. Based on what you just said, this group set out from Bayor Territory originally, and then tried to hide that clue... So, is it possible that this was also a trap laid by the enemy?"

"You might be right." Yam had a suspicion, but he didn’t say it aloud. Even if he told Hatch and the others, it would be meaningless. "Since this matter has reached a temporary conclusion, let’s leave it for now... My father and Akar might need your help. Rest for a day, and depart for the Gem Territory tomorrow."

"Yes," Hatch replied with a nod. "And these things, how should we handle them?"

Hatch pointed to the ledgers, maps, and various messy items.

"Send someone to deliver them to Monica in Red River Territory. She’s probably more eager than me to learn what’s in them."

Once Hatch had everything packed up, he and his men left the room.

Soon, only Yam remained in the strategy room.

He looked at the map model, then glanced at the letters occasionally sent by Atork. He noticed that the style of certain letters matched the brushstrokes in the sealed letter quite closely.

But he told no one of this discovery.

Because he understood—Bayor Territory had been trying to recruit him since the assault on Red Soil Territory. Even now, they were maintaining a very friendly relationship. He hadn’t understood why before, but ever since seeing that healer Eric and hearing the intelligence from Akar, he fully understood now: Marquis Visen had been seriously injured, and the Senels Family from Bayor Territory clearly had intentions of replacing him.

Therefore, this planted evidence against White Mountain Territory was meant to create a rift between Yam—or rather, the White Mountain Territory—and the Kasein Family.

He could have withheld all the items as evidence.

But doing so would have been equivalent to picking a side.

Yam didn’t want to be dragged into the power struggle between the Senels Family and the Kasein Family. He didn’t want to pledge allegiance just yet. So the best move was to pretend he knew nothing and hand everything to Monica. He believed that woman would know how best to use it, and he could play dumb and stay out of the vortex.

After learning of the Forest Witches’ existence, Yam dared not gamble early.

Because the Soderbell Family couldn’t afford to lose now.