Chapter 237 - 16: Rushing Back to the Royal Capital
Chapter 237: Chapter 16: Rushing Back to the Royal Capital
It had been a long time since Robson had such a straightforward conversation. There were none of the phony pleasantries common among nobles—just simple offers and haggling.
It couldn’t be helped. Many of his previous dealings fell into a gray area.
The world worked in mysterious ways. Robson was just moving the right resources to the right places, but he had to do so secretively.
To get things done, such methods were essential.
After striking a deal with Earl Kifri, Robson had a couple of drinks with him. The Earl then looked around and said a few words, alluding to his good relationship with Robson and inviting everyone to be his guest at his castle.
Most people ignored the latter part, but the former left a deep impression.
Anyone with discerning eyes could see that Earl Kifri was backing Robson up.
People could afford to ignore Valentino, but Earl Kifri was a major figure right in their midst.
After Earl Kifri left, Robson could clearly sense that Viscount Donovan and Viscount Ferno were much more agreeable.
In the end, Viscount Donovan promised one hundred households in exchange for five spots for his family, while Viscount Ferno promised two hundred and fifty households for fifteen spots.
It was obvious that Viscount Ferno was not acting alone.
This was also quite normal. Although it was never officially acknowledged, everyone knew that Viscount Ferno was the patriarch of the Odogin Family.
Much of what he did had to be considered from the perspective of the entire family.
As for why they didn’t just aid Robson for free...
If Robson’s fief had been in the south, they would have absolutely helped him regardless of the cost. Unfortunately, his domain was a world away from theirs.
...
When the banquet ended, Robson chose to stay at the manor to spend some time with his family.
Once Robson left for his fief, they would truly be worlds apart. Baron Otto was only a Bronze-rank Extraordinary, and Lady Odogin had no Extraordinary rank at all.
The future development of his territory would surely present many problems for Robson to solve. By the time they met again, death might have already separated them forever.
He also read many letters from his relatives. Among them were offers of support from many, which in total added up to over a hundred households.
Baron Otto, his second brother-in-law, and even his eldest brother far away on the front lines had all used their influence to help Robson secure over a hundred more households.
It couldn’t be helped. The Frank Kingdom was situated at the border between the Human World and the Beastmen, and the entire kingdom had experienced a world-shaking catastrophe just thirty years ago.
Thirty years ago, if Robson had been setting out to develop a Viscount’s Domain, he wouldn’t have even needed to say much; a simple wave of his hand could have brought in several hundred households.
But now, every noble kept a tight watch on the few peasants they had.
This was also why, in recent decades, the Southern and Northern factions appeared to be evenly matched politically.
When the Northern faction fled to the south back then, they were little more than a band of soldiers. The subsequent reconstruction of their territories relied partly on aid from the Algeria Kingdom and the royal family, but the vast majority of their land was purchased from southern nobles.
This essentially wiped out the Northern faction’s coffers, and they fell into heavy debt with the southern nobles—much of which remains unpaid to this day.
One must understand that in those days, the Northern faction had been all-powerful, completely unbalancing the kingdom’s political landscape.
The Northern faction’s strength was inevitable, as the very purpose of the Frank Kingdom’s existence was to defend against the Beastmen—a task at which the Northerners were far more adept than their Southern counterparts.
This led to Louis II resolving to deal with the Northern faction. But he botched it and ended up letting the Beastmen in.
That was the long and short of the catastrophe from thirty years ago. The root of it all was the kingdom’s political infighting.
Of course, Louis II’s own poor handling of the situation was also a significant factor in why the defeat was so disastrous.
During this time, besides being with his family, Robson also joined Valentino in receiving the various relatives who slowly arrived.
...
This period at home was probably the most comfortable Robson had felt in the year since he’d transmigrated.
Before, he was afraid of exposing himself, so he had to be cautious in everything he did, constantly on edge.
Now, he couldn’t care less.
’What’s that? You think the Odogin boy who recently came back is a bit strange?’
’That’s not strange. He’s matured after experiencing the crucible of war. That’s just what successful people are like.’
He had to admit, no matter which world he was in, people had their similarities.
These peaceful days couldn’t last forever. A few days later, a letter arrived from the Royal Capital: Marquis Oscillate and Prince Noah, along with some nobles from the west, would soon be arriving in the capital.
Robson knew it was time for him to set out.
The wait had actually been a little long. The higher-ups arranging for Prince Noah and Marquis Oscillate to return to the capital together was most likely a move to help the Prince regain the trust of the Western Front’s nobles.
Robson had originally thought Marquis Oscillate could handle the matter in three days at most, but it ended up taking six.
’Perhaps Marquis Oscillate didn’t just help Prince Noah win back the trust of the western nobles, but even helped him secure their support.’
Of course, this had little to do with Robson. The list of western nobles Prince Noah was trying to court didn’t include Lord Robson’s name. Or rather, Lord Robson was simply assumed to be a supporter of Prince Noah already.