Chapter 397 - 145: The Banquet Ends
Chapter 397: Chapter 145: The Banquet Ends
As soon as Louis III finished speaking, Prince Noah immediately stood up and started to applaud.
Everyone had been wondering if Prince Noah would object to Louis III’s arrangements, since the banquet was, after all, being held in his honor.
It was precisely to dispel these doubts that Prince Noah had taken the initiative.
He had already built up enough prestige in the Royal Capital; one banquet, more or less, made little difference.
Besides, Robson’s role in this banquet was just a formality. He, Prince Noah, was still the main star.
Prince Noah applauded, and he was followed by a hall full of thunderous applause.
Everyone began to praise Louis III’s wise and decisive judgment.
The banquet officially began in an atmosphere where both hosts and guests were delighted.
At this point, the effect of Louis III’s endorsement began to show.
Once the banquet started, a steady stream of nobles came to greet Robson.
Now that Louis III had given his endorsement, as long as Robson didn’t do anything to court disaster, he was guaranteed a high position in the kingdom.
There was nothing wrong with coming over now to get their faces known.
Robson and Valentino smiled as they welcomed guests from all sides, expanding their social circle.
One shouldn’t underestimate these brief encounters. Often, just becoming a familiar face was a kind of serendipity in itself.
The primary purpose of this banquet was to serve as an announcement, letting everyone know about the marriage between Prince Noah and Princess Yifulei.
It was also a chance for everyone to get acquainted, as there were many representatives from the allied forces of other kingdoms present. After all, they would soon be fighting side by side.
.....
The banquet continued late into the night, and Robson finally got a taste of just how hard these nobles could party.
They spent over an hour on a single, simple dance.
When the banquet finally ended, Robson and Valentino took a carriage and hurried back to Fengman Manor in the Royal Capital. The next morning, when Robson awoke, he could already see Valentino out on the manor grounds, practicing her Swordsmanship.
What Robson hadn’t expected was to see another person in the manor’s garden.
Marquis Oscillate was sitting on a long bench. At that moment, the Marquis looked like a leisurely old man watching his granddaughter practice her Swordsmanship.
’Robson didn’t believe for a second that the Marquis had come all this way just to watch Valentino wield her sword.’
’Right now, the General’s Act was being pushed through, placing the Marquis at the center of a political storm. Every second was precious to him.’
...
"Marquis, you’re here."
Seeing Marquis Oscillate had arrived, Robson straightened his clothes and immediately went out into the manor grounds.
Seeing Robson arrive, Oscillate smiled and patted the spot on the bench beside him.
"Robson, you’re here. Sit."
Robson walked over to the Marquis’s side and looked at him.
"I was wondering, my Lord, given your busy schedule..." Robson began to ask.
"None of that ’my Lord’ business. Haven’t I told you before? You two are engaged now," Marquis Oscillate said with feigned sternness.
Robson smiled.
"Yes, Grandfather."
"So, what did you think? Were you satisfied with last night’s events?" Marquis Oscillate asked with a smile.
At these words, Robson understood Marquis Oscillate’s purpose.
"Last night’s events" naturally referred to the banquet—or more specifically, the rewards Louis III had bestowed upon him there.
The most important part of Louis III’s rewards was, without a doubt, the land.
These territories were mostly located in the provinces near the Royal Capital. Compared to the poor, remote lands beyond the pass, this real estate was worth its weight in gold.
’But, by the same token, these lands were all within the Royal Family’s sphere of influence. If Robson wanted to manage them, he would have to throw in his lot with the royals—at the very least, he couldn’t remain a pure-blooded member of the Southern Faction as he was now.’
Clearly, Marquis Oscillate felt a slight threat.
Robson was no longer the rookie from the Western Front. The terms offered by the King had genuinely given Robson an out.
In fact, these couldn’t even be considered "terms" from the King; they were simply the rewards he deserved.
"In this kingdom, merit is always rewarded, and crimes are always punished.
I believe that in such a kingdom, we will surely defeat the Beastmen," Robson said with a smile.
’He, Lord Robson, wasn’t a fool. An out was just that—an out.’
’Never mind the vast territory beyond the pass, the Beastmen he could use for training his troops, or those Magic Ruins. Just for Valentino alone, Robson couldn’t switch sides.’
’His future as the lord of Affleck, backed by the Fengman Clan, was bright.’
Oscillate understood the meaning behind Robson’s words: his reward came not from the King, but from the Kingdom.
The implication there was profound.
"I wonder... what do you think of a place like Ehrlichland?"
Marquis Oscillate’s sudden change of topic caught Robson off guard; he didn’t know how to react for a moment.
When he finally processed it, he understood the Marquis’s intent.
’Ehrlichland? What did he think of it? It was fantastic, of course!’
’Feeling the pressure from Louis III, Marquis Oscillate was starting to up the ante.’
"Lately, I’ve been hearing that the lord of Ehrlichland has been complaining about the hardships of developing the frontier. His family also writes to me often, asking me to help him swap for a different fief."
’Just as I thought!’
’Marquis Oscillate’s methods were simple and direct.’
’He was offering to trade Ehrlichland for the small Viscount’s Domain granted by the King, all to secure Robson’s complete support for the Southern Faction.’
’The specific method was a common tactic used by high nobility to expand their territories: a fiefdom swap.’
’As for whether the noble of Ehrlichland had actually written any letters or complained...’
’The Marquis’s answer was simple: if Robson agreed, then those letters could be written, and those complaints could be made.’
’So, was Robson tempted?’
’The answer was obviously yes. The whole of Ehrlichland was a full three counties. Even after leaving a county for his, Lord Robson’s, old subordinates, that still left two whole counties for him!’
Affleck alone, at over half a county, was already equivalent to the entire domain of some down-on-their-luck high nobles.
Two whole counties! What did that even mean?
Moreover, the lands beyond the pass held special significance for Robson, not to mention the maps left behind by the previous Earl Clan.
There was, for instance, the Ancient Array that Robson had discovered there.
Trying to mess with things like that within the pass, in the heartlands of the kingdom? It would be impossible to avoid being discovered!
"Ehrlichland... to be honest, the first time I set foot there, I felt a strange calling.
Grandfather, I am absolutely certain that this place is the foundation of my future!"
Oscillate laughed upon hearing this.
Then, he handed Robson an envelope.
"Since you like it so much, I’ll see what I can do.
The kingdom recently received a shipment of aid, and I’ve already allocated three thousand soldiers from the Standing Army to your command.
You’re a general of the kingdom now, so you can choose the weapons for your three thousand soldiers yourself. When you go to collect them, give this letter to the officer at the Defense Army armory...
Oh, and by the way, the domains you’ve received have a total of over thirty-two hundred households. When the time comes, remember to send someone to take a proper count," Marquis Oscillate added with a smile.
Robson nodded.
’This was, without a doubt, the happiest week he’d had since he’d transmigrated.’