Lord: I Grind EXP with Warband Panel

Chapter 233: Chapter 12: Homecoming

"Mother! Mother...!"

"The Governor is here, Governor Donovan!" Sarah called out to her mother, who was upstairs with the servants, sorting through clutter.

"Who?"

A flurry of footsteps, and a dusty, middle-aged woman emerged from a storage room.

"Who’s here?" Lady Odogin asked in disbelief.

"Governor Donovan. Robson and the others are coming back today, and Governor Donovan heard the news...

Oh, right, Viscount Weisheng is here too, and Grandpa Ansari," Sarah said to Lady Odogin.

"Oh! Lord of Dawn above, if they stay the night, we’ll have to sleep on the streets!"

Hearing this, Lady Odogin put a hand to her forehead, feeling a kind of happy distress.

In the past, the arrival of any one of these figures would have been cause for the Odogin Family to hold a grand banquet in their honor.

But now, all these people had come at once, and even the Governor...

Lady Odogin remembered the last time she’d heard about the Governor was from her husband, back when Governor Donovan convened a council of nobles to discuss the kingdom’s war.

Baron Otto had been full of complaints because, according to Governor Donovan’s plan, the Odogin Family had to contribute five men. This had troubled Baron Otto for a long time.

.....

After Baron Otto and Marquez arrived at the Royal Capital, Robson and Valentino promptly began their journey.

In reality, Robson didn’t have much time to spend at home. Once Prince Noah and Marquis Oscillate returned to the Royal Capital, he would have to rush back there himself.

The engagement was a secondary matter. In the Frank Kingdom, engagements were entirely affairs handled by the parents.

The most important thing was the situation on the Eastern Front.

Although everyone had more or less divided up the territories, the Beastmen on the Eastern Front still needed to be dealt with, and this was a time for the various nobles to display their strength.

The war to reclaim the east would have a major impact on the future situation of the entire four northeastern provinces.

Factoring in travel time, Robson only had about two or three days. And within those two or three days, he also had to ask his hometown folks for some investment.

At this moment, Robson had already entered Lait County with Valentino, his father, and his second older brother.

Along the way, quite a few nobles came to pay their respects. Of course, they weren’t aware of Robson and Valentino’s identities; they were purely motivated by the several hundred soldiers following Robson’s carriage.

That’s right. Robson hadn’t just returned by himself; he had brought a portion of his soldiers with him—mainly the ones gifted to him by Marquis Oscillate, as well as those his father had prepared for him.

These soldiers were the core of Robson’s forces. He certainly couldn’t just leave their families in the south; that would be a huge blow to morale.

Moreover, Robson needed these soldiers to witness something: the arrangement for the death benefits.

Robson’s goal was to build an absolutely loyal and extremely powerful army. After all, his fief was located on the border between humans and Beastmen.

According to the rules of the Frank Kingdom, nobles on the border possessed the right of expansion. As long as they could ensure their people survived on enemy land for over ten years, that land would belong to the lord.

Since he had chosen the border, how could Robson not stir things up a bit?

And to make things happen, he needed a powerful army. Robson had many ideas regarding his military, but so far, he hadn’t been able to implement them.

This made things difficult for the nobles along Robson’s route. The southern part of the Frank Kingdom had always been relatively peaceful, and they didn’t prioritize military readiness as much as the Northern Nobles did.

Most critically, the Frank Kingdom was currently locked in a fierce war with the northern Beastman Empire, and the Patriarchs of many families had already rushed to the battlefield.

Furthermore, Robson was leading an Elite Army. In an era where "army" was often synonymous with "bandits," the nobles along his path were all on tenterhooks.

Fortunately, Robson had always emphasized military discipline. Coupled with his previous reforms to the Non-commissioned Officer system, his army’s conduct was quite good. There were no instances of looting, vandalism, or forcing the locals to open their doors.

.....

Although Robson’s contingent was large, they moved quickly. Plus, Robson had brought along the carriages from the battlefield to transport troops, so they reached Lait County in just a few days.

As Robson stepped down from his carriage, he looked at the familiar yet strange scenery and couldn’t help but feel emotional, a sentiment akin to returning home in glory.