Chapter 317 - 75: Meeting Count Sriphine Again
Chapter 317: Chapter 75: Meeting Count Sriphine Again
Count Sriphine gazed at the brightly lit Wayne Mountain. To be this illuminated at this hour could only mean one thing: someone had won a great victory, and they were probably still celebrating.
He recalled how, when they had just left Feiying Pass, the man had needed the Fengman Clan and Marquis Oscillate just to get a seat at the table.
Now, he had already climbed above them through his own abilities.
Whether it was timing or fate, it was truly hard to say.
"My Lord, we’re almost at Wayne Mountain. Do you remember what I told you? Please don’t say the wrong thing when the time comes," Viscount Max warned, looking at Count Sriphine.
Back on the central front, they had all moved in the same circles. Their noble ranks were similar, so the issue wasn’t apparent.
But once they left the central front and were no longer under Marshal Grantham, Count Sriphine’s flaw—his lack of political acumen—immediately became apparent.
It wouldn’t have mattered under normal circumstances, but now, Viscount Robertson’s side had achieved a great victory, while the military merit faction had accomplished little.
There was only so much territory beyond the pass. If Robson and Earl Uman truly joined forces and prevented the military merit faction from sharing in the post-war spoils or participating in the post-war administration, the faction’s already weak power would surely be diminished even further as the others grew stronger.
Not to mention, it would be bad for their reputation. The lower-ranking nobles would surely start to look more favorably on Robson’s side.
Count Sriphine nodded. As an Extraordinary, his memory was still quite good.
As the two of them traveled, conversing with a few of their Personal Guards in tow, Count Sriphine suddenly stopped.
Viscount Max looked at Count Sriphine in confusion.
"My Lord, what is it?" Viscount Max asked, looking at Count Sriphine in confusion.
"According to what you were saying just now, shouldn’t we be a little more respectful?" Count Sriphine asked, looking at Viscount Max.
Viscount Max thought for a moment, saw no issue with it, and nodded.
Count Sriphine then walked forward and addressed a quiet thicket of bushes.
"Friend, I am Count Sriphine of Auric Province. The battle is over, and we are heading to Wayne Mountain to report the results to Viscount Robertson.
My apologies for the intrusion. Would you be so kind as to lead the way?" Count Sriphine said to the bushes in front of him.
’Someone’s there?’ Viscount Max focused his senses. He himself was a Silver-rank Knight, yet he hadn’t detected any movement around them at all.
Before Count Sriphine had even finished speaking, a figure suddenly emerged from the thicket. The man wore leather armor and carried a longbow on his back, a sword hanging from his belt. He walked up to Count Sriphine and bowed.
But whether it was because he was too flustered at seeing a high-ranking noble like a Count, or for some other reason, he stammered for a long time, barely able to get a word out.
"Our lord is on the mountain. This way, my lords."
Max watched the cavalryman who had suddenly appeared, amazed.
As someone who moved in the circles of the military merit faction, he naturally knew what this was: a hidden sentry posted outside the camp.
Although this was standard procedure, it spoke volumes.
The outcome of the war was all but decided, yet that Viscount Robertson remained vigilant. Moreover, Viscount Max, who considered himself a seasoned veteran, had been completely oblivious to the presence of these soldiers...
No wonder that man could win battles. Indeed, no one could rise so high purely on luck.
Viscount Max thought that was the end of it, but to his surprise, the hidden sentry called out.
In an instant, the silence of the forest was shattered. Nearly ten soldiers suddenly appeared around Count Sriphine, and there was even a cavalryman who immediately spurred his horse and charged toward Wayne Mountain.
Viscount Max’s jaw dropped, utterly at a loss for words.
...
After inventorying the contents of the chest and discussing post-war arrangements with Ais for a while, Robson prepared to return to his tent to get some rest.
The war may have ended, but another war was just beginning.
Defeating the Beastman Army was merely the prelude to Lord Robson establishing his foothold on the eastern front.
War is a continuation of politics. Robson had now used military means to establish a dominant position; the next step was to consider how to expand that advantage.
Compared to the visible clash of blades on the battlefield, the open and hidden attacks in the political arena were far more difficult to guard against.
Just as Robson and Ais stepped out of a rear tent, the sound of a horse galloping hard came from the distance.
Robson was puzzled. ’It’s the dead of night. Why would a rider be coming with a message now?’
’Could it be that more Beastmen are attacking?’
Robson looked to Ais, wondering if he knew something, but Ais just looked back at him with the same confusion.
Their confusion didn’t last long, as the rider quickly found Robson.
"My lord, there’s a group of people at the foot of the mountain. They claim to be led by Count Sriphine..."
Robson listened to the rider’s full report and began to laugh.
It seemed it wasn’t the Beastmen attacking, but the humans.
"I understand. Ais, go get Earl Uman," Robson said.
’Their timing is perfect,’ he thought. ’After all the dealings I’ve had with Earl Uman, it’s time to see what he’s really made of.’
"As you command."
...
After Ais left, Robson made a point of going to the entrance of his tent.
Count Sriphine was different from Earl Uman.
Robson’s previous attitude toward Earl Uman was because the Earl had caused a huge disaster and had a habit of trying to stab him in the back.
Count Sriphine, however, had a clean slate, and their previous relationship hadn’t been bad.