A Divine Assist

"Don't worry. This Life Essence has only been lent out temporarily; it'll be returned in a few years.

Life Essence may be precious, but it isn't impossible to obtain. After all, not every noble family is as prosperous as ours. There will always be some surplus circulating outside.

Get some proper rest and stop thinking so much. Leave the rest to your father. He'll find a solution."

The Baroness spoke with feigned calm.

Yet the trace of worry between her brows betrayed her inner unease. As long as they were willing to pay the price, they could certainly obtain Life Essence. The only uncertainty was when.

Nobles had their own circles too. Even when Life Essence was available, it mostly circulated within those respective circles.

After all, with a strategic resource like this, people traded not only benefits, but favors as well.

Already sensitive by nature, Lesur's expression grew even uglier when he heard his mother's words.

"A few years"... but how many few years did a person have in a lifetime?

By the time the Life Essence returned in a few years, his two younger brothers would be about the right age as well.

As for himself, he would most likely be abandoned.

At that thought, Lesur's hatred for Hudson surged up once more. In his eyes, Hudson was responsible for all of this.

If Hudson had not provoked him before, he would never have switched the Life Essence, nor would he have ended up utterly disgraced.

"Revenge. I must have revenge!"

Blinded by hatred, Lesur had only one thought in his mind—kill Hudson.

Unfortunately, thinking about such a thing was easy. Actually carrying it out was not.

A direct attack was definitely out of the question. Even a novice knight was still a knight; ten or eight strong men would be no match for one, let alone a little brat like him.

Poisoning and assassination were only fantasies too. No one would do something so deadly for him. He estimated that the moment he revealed such an intention, someone around him would report him.

Even the Baroness before him would not support it. Once something like this began, the consequences would be endless.

No matter how dissatisfied she was, the Baroness was unwilling to take the risk. Besides, that eyesore Hudson would soon leave to make his own way in the world. Who knew when he might die out there?

"Wait, Mother!"

"Is there going to be another war outside?"

Stopping the Baroness, who was about to leave, Lesur asked excitedly.

The Baroness nodded with some hesitation. Ever since the mobilization order had been issued, it was no longer a secret.

Baron Redman had not slept all night. As the woman sharing his bed, how could she have slept either?

Now, she worried for both her son and her husband.

War was full of uncertainty. If something happened to Baron Redman on the battlefield, the good days of her and her sons would be over.

They would not be thrown out directly, but their status would inevitably plummet. Even if her stepson, who inherited the family estate, continued to treat her respectfully for the sake of noble propriety, the futures of her sons would still be uncertain.

Brothers and fathers were entirely different matters. Especially half-brothers born of the same father—they would be pushed even further aside.

"Then let Father take Hudson with him. He's already a knight; it's time for him to go to the battlefield.

The battlefield changes by the moment. If an accident happens, no one would find it strange. As long as we bribe a few people and wait for a chance to strike, we can definitely succeed in one blow."

Lesur said viciously.

It was the only reliable plan he could think of to set Hudson up.

After giving it some thought, the Baroness shook her head regretfully.

"No!

Not to mention that the soldiers who can march out with him have served the Coslo Family faithfully for generations. They won't be so easily bribed.

Even if someone were willing to do it, acting under your father's nose would make it hard not to leave traces behind.

Besides, Hudson is a knight now. Three or five ordinary strong men are no match for him at all. It won't be easy to ambush him.

If we fail to kill the snake and leave behind clues, the trouble will be enormous. Once your father suspects us, there will be no way to contain this."

Rejected again, Lesur's heart bled. The scheme he had finally come up with had been dismissed by his own mother, leaving him deeply wounded.

In his view, his mother was simply "long-haired and short-sighted." If she had been a little more decisive, Hudson and the others would never have had the chance to grow up.

The epic heroes praised by wandering bards had all slowly risen after suffering persecution. Though he was playing the villain now, that detestable Hudson was clearly not the protagonist.

Lesur was certain of that. No protagonist could be so mediocre. Hudson had neither a fiancée who came to break off an engagement, nor a childhood of eating bran and swallowing vegetables, nor even exceptional talent for cultivation.

From childhood to adulthood, he had never discovered a single shining quality in Hudson. If his mother had not been so hesitant and cautious, they would have killed that nuisance long ago.

If they had killed those three bastards before him, the Coslo Family would belong to him, Lesur. He would never be in such a predicament now.

Just as Lesur was indulging in his own fantasies, the Baroness beside him spoke thoughtfully. "We can't act directly, but that brat Hudson, in order to compete for favor, volunteered last night to lead troops into battle alone. Your father refused him, though."

"Let him go!"

"Mother, no matter the cost, we have to make him go!"

"The battlefield changes by the moment. Anyone can meet with an accident. If Hudson dies on the battlefield, then even if Father suspects something, he won't be able to find any evidence."

Lesur said excitedly.

The more he thought about it, the more feasible it seemed. First, he would arrange for Hudson to be killed, then use the same method to deal with his other two older brothers. Then he would become the first heir.

"But, Lesur, the battlefield changes by the moment. What if the plan fails, and Hudson earns military merit instead? Then the loss would outweigh the gain."

The Baroness said hesitantly.

Clearly, Baron Redman had not told her the details of their conversation. She did not know about Hudson's Coasting Plan, or she would not have been so conflicted.

"Mother, you think too highly of Hudson. Don't listen to Father's boasting. Before every son leaves, he gives them a few words of encouragement. It means nothing.

What is Hudson capable of? How could you not know?

Even if he truly has some skill, he has never had any experience commanding troops. If he can keep his footing on the battlefield and avoid collapsing before the battle even begins, that will already be good enough.

As for earning military merit, that's nothing but a fool's dream. The other nobles aren't fools. If there are benefits to be had, they'll swarm over them. Without Father there, Hudson definitely won't be able to compete with them. By then, not only will he fail to gain any benefits, he might even end up as cannon fodder."

Lesur analyzed the situation methodically, as though some mysterious force had possessed him, making his thoughts exceptionally clear.