Worlds Conquest

No wonder no one had approached Ryan earlier—the problem lay right here.

First, none of the nobles wanted to split the mines with yet another person. Second, if the territories were to be redistributed, then those nobles hoping to move their knight fiefs closer to their own lands wouldn't care about the Frozen Territory. No noble would covet such a desolate place—and from a geographical standpoint, Ryan's domain had no influence over the land redistribution either.

The same applied to Baron Hatton's Shenma Territory. It was the closest to the Frozen Territory, and naturally, farthest from the others' lands.

The only complication had been the conflict with Baron Roche, but that had been resolved. Word had it that Knight Watte had already abandoned his fief and led his people and wealth back to Roche's territory.

Rebuilding in the future wouldn't be any easier than it had been for his father.

In every age, wars over land have always been brutal. That much had never changed. Ryan could already envision the coming storm of blood and fire.

…

Northern Flower Fortress, this ancient stronghold, had gathered several thousand troops. Naturally, it drew the attention of the two viscounts.

Thus, only two days after Ryan arrived, Viscount Miles's envoy appeared at the castle.

It was Kristan Miles, the viscount's eldest son. He hadn't originally intended to come, but when Rag Miles, the youngest son, had volunteered to take on the mission, Kristan couldn't sit still. He needed to assert his presence.

"Baron Ryan, everyone underestimated you. The support of the Rimehart family behind you far exceeds what we imagined."

Kristan said solemnly, his concern lying not with Ryan himself, but the powerful house standing behind him.

Ryan found it amusing and asked an unrelated question:

"Sir Kristan, did you come here alone by your own choice?"

Kristan's expression turned cold. Though he had fought for this opportunity, he believed no outsider should have known, much less so quickly.

He didn't answer Ryan, instead turning to Baron Barnes.

"Baron Barnes, my father, the Lord of House Miles and governor of Zeroth County, sent me to ask why you've gathered such a large force."

Baron Barnes smiled, then nodded toward Ryan.

"You'd best answer Baron Ryan's question first, Kristan. As the future holder of a fifth-rank noble title, you clearly haven't yet learned proper noble etiquette. You shouldn't ignore the question of a peer."

Ryan waved it off casually:

"Since Sir Kristan chose silence, that itself is an answer. It seems our future Viscount Miles has been played."

"What do you mean by that?"

Kristan's fists clenched tightly, veins bulging, as he glared at Ryan.

"Isn't it obvious?"

Ryan looked him straight in the eyes.

"Everyone knows—no matter who comes, we're not disbanding this army or leaving. Yet you took on this doomed mission, and once you return, it will stain your record. All those nobles around Viscount Miles will see this as your incompetence."

"Whatever the reason, you'll have failed."

"Originally, this failure was meant for someone else. But you volunteered for it. As the viscount's eldest son, of course you can snatch others' achievements—"

"—provided it's actually a success."

Under Ryan's steady gaze, Kristan trembled all over, his expression distorted with rage. He could no longer maintain composure in front of these men.

Ultimately, the viscount's eldest son left in anger and resentment.

As he departed, Ryan and Baron Barnes exchanged a look.

"It seems Viscount Miles really isn't a match for Viscount Dragón,"

Ryan sighed. That viscount's eldest son outshone Kristan in every way.

A few hours earlier...

Ellis Dragón, the eldest son of Viscount Dragón, had galloped to Northern Flower on horseback—alone. He didn't enter the castle. Instead, he left a few words before riding off again in haste.

"As long as the three barons do not stand against House Dragón, then you will forever be our friends."

"I hope you won't let greed cloud your judgment. We can divide the land together."

"But if you choose to oppose us, you will be opposing our fifty thousand-strong army. Our soldiers will tear down this old fortress and raise Dragón's banner atop the Northern Flower."

It was unclear whether these words were crafted by the viscount or by Ellis himself. But at the end, he left them with one final, unsettling statement:

"Soon, Kristan Miles will arrive. He stole a mission that was supposed to belong to Rag. You don't have much time to consider."

This made it clear: House Dragón had complete visibility into the internal politics of House Miles. With such intelligence, it was hard to see how Viscount Dragón could possibly lose.

That was why Ryan had chosen to provoke Kristan like that.

Compared to Ryan, Baron Barnes looked much more serious.

"There's no way they have fifty thousand troops—not even close. But they definitely have at least ten thousand."

"That number won't break Northern Flower, but it will trap us. And if that happens, we'll walk away with nothing."

After all, they had gathered here for profit. If they left empty-handed, it would be a devastating loss.

"Don't worry, Baron Barnes. You're forgetting one very important thing,"

Ryan said with a smile.

"You've forgotten that our county governor, the Viscount Miles, is about to die."

"He was expected not to survive the last winter. Since he lived through it, then this winter is sure to be his last."

"I think that's why Viscount Dragón can confidently sow discord within Miles's camp."

"But they've all underestimated an old man at death's door—a man who hid his identity as a mage for so many years, and who knows full well that his heirs are incompetent."

"He'll go mad, if that's what it takes to protect the Miles family's wealth and land."

"We just need to wait. He'll give us the opportunity we need."

With that, Ryan turned and walked back into the castle.

He wasn't entirely sure about his predictions for Viscount Miles, but he felt that if the viscount lost too thoroughly, it would dishonor everything the Miles family had extracted from Zeroth County over the years.

And more importantly—it gave Baron Barnes a bit of confidence.

Ryan had noticed that this baron wasn't as steadfast in his resistance to the two viscounts as he appeared to be.