Lord: I Grind EXP with Warband Panel

Chapter 289: Chapter 53: The Mature Earl Uman

The outcome of the battle was decided. Having reached the Golden Eighth Tier, Robson no longer felt the urge to charge into the fray.

When his Personal Guards caught up, Robson retreated to a nearby tree. He simply closed his eyes and began to rest, waiting for Claude and Knight Commander Elon. Lord Robson was drained of energy; he hadn’t rested for a moment since receiving the reports from the front.

It had to be said, the battlefield was an excellent crucible for a man. Although humanity had already secured a decisive victory, localized skirmishes were still breaking out, yet Robson could somehow just relax in such an environment.

Seeing their lord like this, his Personal Guards said nothing. They simply formed a perimeter around Robson, vigilantly protecting him.

Before long, the sound of approaching hoofbeats broke the quiet. Robson could easily discern that the horses were heading straight for them.

’Why did they stop?’

Slightly puzzled, Robson raised his head and looked toward the sound of the hoofbeats.

There, he saw two men dismounting their warhorses after being stopped by his Personal Guards.

The lie of the land obscured his face, but Robson was certain that neither of the arrivals was Claude.

Robson’s Personal Guards were intimately familiar with his trusted commanders, like Claude and Ais.

....

Watching his horses get led away by those commoners, Wulan was seething.

A Knight’s warhorse is his most trusted companion, and now he could only watch as his companion was unceremoniously led away.

"Brother, I have to say it, these people are going too far. Who do they think they are..."

"Shut up, Wulan. We are here begging for a favor. Why are you getting so worked up over a few animals?" Earl Uman said, his eyes narrowed into a nonchalant squint.

Wulan stared at Uman in shock.

"Brother, what’s gotten into you? They took your Fire Cloud Lion! And that’s your reaction? You were never like this before!"

"It doesn’t matter what I was like before. This is me now," Earl Uman replied tersely.

"Hold it!"

Just as Wulan was about to argue, a resonant voice boomed from the distance. It was clearly a voice empowered by martial energy.

Wulan didn’t have to think twice to know the voice was projected so they could hear it clearly.

Wulan followed the sound with his eyes and saw a tall, young nobleman clad in silver armor. He was berating the very Personal Guards who had just led away Wulan and Uman’s mounts.

"Serry, a Knight does not abandon his warhorse. These two gentlemen are my friends..."

"What’s the meaning of this? He has his Personal Guards take our warhorses, and now he’s yelling at his Soldiers?" Wulan was baffled.

"He’s doing this to give you face," Earl Uman said.

"Isn’t that hypocritical?" Wulan asked, looking at Earl Uman.

"So what if it’s hypocritical? At least he’s making the gesture. Now, from this point on, you don’t say a word. If they ask you anything, just say you weren’t involved and don’t know anything," Earl Uman instructed.

Wulan nodded and fell silent.

Before long, Robson arrived with a troop of Soldiers before Wulan Knight and Earl Uman. The Earl stood at the bottom of the slope.

Below were just two men, isolated and powerless. Above, the young nobleman was flanked by a troop of formidable Soldiers. A single glance was enough to tell who held the advantage.

"Earl Uman? I didn’t expect we’d meet again so soon. But what’s with this posture of yours?" Robson asked with a smile, looking at Uman.

Robson was surprised. He hadn’t expected the first person to arrive would be neither Claude nor Elon, but Earl Uman.

It was one thing for him to come, but he had brought only one other person, remained silent when their warhorses were taken, and even deliberately stood at the foot of the slope. Those in the know would understand that Lord Robson was there to rescue them; those who weren’t might think he was there to arrest them.

That said, even if it wasn’t an arrest, it was something quite close to it.

"Viscount Robson... It has been a while. I never imagined I would fall into such dire straits. The fact that I, Uman, am still alive is all thanks to you, my lord, for coming to my aid.

When I saw you and your men descend like saviors from the heavens, my lord, I was overjoyed. I handed command of the army to my clansmen and came at once with my own brother to thank Viscount Robson for saving our lives." Earl Uman’s words were earnest, his voice even trembling on the verge of tears. When he finished speaking, he did not forget to bow.

’So he’s putting on an act?’ Robson was slightly taken aback. He remembered vividly how arrogant and naive Earl Uman had been before.

Although his current performance was a bit over-the-top and still clumsy, at least he had learned to bow his head.

As the saying goes, you can teach a man a thousand times to no effect, but let him learn from experience, and he’ll get it in one go.

"I appreciate the sentiment, Earl. If there is nothing else, please return for the time being.

I, for one, must properly punish this captain of my Personal Guard. He dared to slight the two of you just now, nearly causing a disaster," Robson said. Though his words spoke of punishment, his face was all smiles, and he made no move to act.

This wasn’t Lord Robson throwing his weight around just to be a bully. He was probing Earl Uman’s tolerance to see just how much profit Lord Robson could squeeze out of this.

It was all for the sake of profit. Since he was the winner, he had to think about how to take all the spoils. It was as simple as that.

"You are too severe, my lord. This young captain was only concerned for your safety." Earl Uman knew the man was toying with him, but he was no longer the Uman of old.

So what if he was being mocked? Would he lose a pound of flesh over it? If he, Uman, were to actually walk away now, the Gauss Clan would lose far more than a pound of flesh in the future.

He had single-handedly plunged all the southern and northern factions from beyond the pass into an abyss. Those people hated him to the very bone.

"There you are mistaken, Earl Uman. If this captain dares to make you dismount today, tomorrow he might dare to make Earl Fengman dismount.

Even if you don’t mind, should word of this get out, it would be a stain on my, Robson’s, honor.

And you of all people should know, Earl Uman, just how hurtful rumors can be," Robson added with a smile.

This was a blatant jab at Earl Uman for the two times he had used rumors to attack Robson.

’Did you really think you hid your tracks so well back then, Uman? All the things you did? So why come to me now, all friendly and agreeable?’

"Forgive my transgressions, Lord Viscount. I, Uman, have come today for the express purpose of atoning for my sins," Earl Uman said, his face instantly a mask of remorse. It was impossible to tell how much of it was genuine.

"And what sins would those be?"

"You risked your life to save me, my lord, yet I have twice stabbed you in the back with slander—once in the Royal Capital, and once in Fengman City."

"And I’m just supposed to take your word for it?"

"I have letters, which I will present to you, my lord."

"I gave no such order, so why did the southern nobles who followed me end up on the battlefield?"

"I invited them. Others joined of their own volition. I have letters as proof."

"Who was involved?"

"Kerry..."

"That’s enough!"

Just as Earl Uman was about to recite more names, Robson cut him off.

’It’s finally over...’ Earl Uman took a deep breath, his back already slick with cold sweat.

In that moment, facing Robson had felt just as oppressive as facing Louis III himself.

"We’ll discuss this matter later."

Robson waved his hand, his stern expression melting into a smile.

Earl Uman had clearly come prepared. He had, at the very least, thought things through, and his will to survive was strong. Throughout their entire exchange, Earl Uman had answered without a moment’s hesitation, the words tumbling out as if he had anticipated every one of Robson’s questions.

The information Earl Uman offered was enough to show his sincerity, and Robson had no intention of letting him say more.

In the future, Lord Robson planned to use this matter—defying a direct military order and attacking without authorization—to suppress the unruly southern nobles.

If Earl Uman didn’t name names, then Viscount Robson would officially know nothing. But if Earl Uman had actually named them, it would have put Lord Robson in a difficult position.

If the list was too long, he couldn’t possibly punish everyone. If it was too short, he would punish that one batch, the matter would be closed, and then what would Lord Robson have left to hold over the heads of his opposition?

The list was best left as a Schrödinger’s list—one that Lord Robson could add names to whenever it was convenient. After all, besides Lord Robson’s own loyalists, basically every other southern faction had been involved. Pinning the charge of "unauthorized troop deployment" on them would be no problem at all.

Though Earl Uman was initially confused, he soon figured out Robson’s plan. Unfortunately, figuring it out now was useless. Understanding early and understanding late were two entirely different things. The current reality was that he, Uman, had lost—lost completely. And it wasn’t just Uman, but the northern and southern factions as well. They could only wait for the winner, Robson, to take all.