The Year's Most Miserable Collateral Victim

Having endured the agonizing "politics lesson" of Count Pierce, the nobles, including Hudson, all felt a sense of relief, as if they had survived a catastrophe.

The Governor knows far too much, yet this fellow is so outspoken, blurting it out without any restraint in front of everyone.

If it weren't for the vast difference in status and strength, I reckon everyone would have been tempted to kill and silence them.

At first, everything was fine. It was just a matter of being called out and criticized. As long as you had thick skin, nothing was a problem.

However, as the criticism continued, the tone began to change, gradually evolving into a massive exposure of dark history, causing many nobles to die on the spot.

This includes the private transactions Hudson made with his neighbors; although the specific details were not directly investigated, the fact of these transactions was revealed.

Fortunately, Hudson has always been relatively well-behaved, only making a few low-key deals, and there isn't much of a dark history to dig up.

In the midst of the thunderous chaos, there was enough juicy fodder to grab attention, and this little incident was quickly ignored by everyone.

This once again proves that moral standards are judged by the contrast with one's peers. Compared to the group of nobles who have gone bankrupt, doing business with one's neighbors is nothing, even if the goods traded are a little unusual.

The local nobles were conspiring to blockade the Northern Aristocrats, but Hudson didn't join them! Since he didn't join, there's no question of betrayal.

As a member of the neutral camp, buying and selling goods to both camps is reasonable and acceptable.

The nobility who bring disaster are a different story; they go to extremes. Cruelty, greed, and extortion are all taken for granted.

Sabotaging teammates is just standard practice; sowing discord and getting allies to take the fall is only average.

Colluding with the enemy to betray teammates, or even bribing the enemy to attack allies—these completely unscrupulous acts actually happened.

All the scandals that couldn't be brought to the table were exposed, and his disgrace became inevitable.

It's fair to say that Count Pierce's elite strike hit a nerve with many. Whether they can recover depends on their individual methods.

Other problems can be solved, but the loss of reputation is truly irreversible.

Betrayal is either zero times or countless times. Morality can be disregarded, but violating the rules of the game will inevitably result in repercussions.

As a powerful figure who had cultivated the Southeast Province for over a century, it was not surprising that Count Pierce possessed this information. The only thing that puzzled Hudson was why these cards, which could have been used as leverage to coerce the nobles into serving him, were played all at once.

He didn't believe Count Pierce was truly so righteous as to not tolerate such filth happening in his territory. If he really wanted to stop it, he could have done so from the beginning.

"Looks like things should calm down for a while. Hudson, you've been having a really good time lately!"

Hearing that familiar voice, Hudson suddenly felt enlightened. "Let things settle down for a while," Count Pierce wanted the two counties to have some peace and quiet.

If that's the motive, then everything makes sense. Basically, all the nobles with any real power in the two counties have been thoroughly dealt with.

Each of them, to varying degrees, has a less-than-honorable past that has been exposed. Dealing with their own messes is enough to keep them busy for a while, so naturally they don't have the energy to do anything else.

This kind of operation always gave Hudson a sense of familiarity, as if he had seen it somewhere before.

After hesitating for a moment, Hudson suddenly remembered. It wasn't just familiar; it was clearly copying homework verbatim.

This kind of tactic was something that Royal Capital Caesar III had already used. When he first ascended the throne, a group of nobles also made a huge fuss, and repeated attempts to appease them were to no avail.

Enraged, Caesar III overturned the table, exposing the dark history of the nobles' infighting to the public.

The result was self-evident: the nobles, stunned by the defeat, were all busy cleaning up their own messes and had no time to bother the King.

Although it's not a fundamental solution, as long as the method works, that's fine. The best way to stabilize the situation in the short term is to keep all parties preoccupied with their own problems.

"Uncle Chers, I have to go now."

Without waiting for Baron Chers to stop him, Hudson turned and left.

The two had a good relationship, but after one party, the man revealed his intention to marry his daughter to Hudson, the relationship suddenly changed.

Hudson was prepared for a noble marriage. But even if he was going to use marriage as a bargaining chip, he should at least marry someone good-looking!

Unfortunately, Chers's big, burly daughter doesn't fit Hudson's aesthetic at all, so she'll just have to hide from her for now.

This kind of trouble became increasingly frequent after things settled down in Hudson's territory. No fewer than ten nobles had expressed their intention to form marriage alliances.

They were almost all of similar social standing, all adhering to the principle of matching social status. There was no attempt to climb the social ladder, and no princess was impulsively drawn to this young baron.

Baron Redman was quite satisfied with most of the families. If it weren't for the large number of interested families that made him hesitate to make a decision, he might have already settled on Hudson's case.

Upon receiving the news, Hudson immediately wrote to his father, earnestly expressing his strong refusal, which temporarily dispelled his dangerous idea.

Noble marriages must be approached with extreme caution. Once arranged, even if one knows there are pitfalls, one can only grit one's teeth and jump in.

This involves two families, and the alliance is between two surnames. To ensure a long-term and stable relationship, everyone normally follows the principle of voluntariness.

Forced marriages did exist, but they were rare in aristocratic circles.

As for free love, that's a luxury. Apart from a few cases where childhood sweethearts grew up together, it can barely be considered free love.

In normal aristocratic marriages, social status and position are considered first, followed by personal ability and moral character, and finally personal wishes.

The range of potential partners for both men and women is very narrow; they can only choose from each other within their own family's social circle.

Generally speaking, if you find something you don't dislike, then quickly commit to it! Delaying it will only make you realize that the next one will be even harder to accept.

The stories of princes and Cinderella, princesses and knights, all have one prerequisite: a powerful earl as a father.

This is the bare minimum. Only when this minimum requirement is met can there be love; otherwise, it will only be a tragedy.

Reality may be a bit harsh, but Hudson still expressed understanding. In this cruel world, to survive better, one must learn to stick together.

This applies to both minor and major nobles. Marriage is undoubtedly the most economical way to solidify an alliance.

Based on the principle of not being at a disadvantage, the rule of matching social status and family background gradually emerged.

"Why are you running so fast? Even if you have to pay a fine, there's no need to be in such a hurry!"

Hearing the complaints behind him, Hudson became even more frustrated. He was just a sledgehammer seller and had absolutely nothing to do with the head-splitting incident.

Ultimately, however, he was convicted of selling the "murder weapon." Honestly, he didn't even have time to collect a single copper coin from the sledgehammer that cracked his skull.

The blatant retaliation extinguished Hudson's will to argue. Reason told him that without sufficient power, attempting to overturn the decisions of the powerful would only worsen the situation.

He didn't know how many hammers he would have to sell to earn back the huge fine of three hundred gold coins.

Hudson had hoped to make a profit, but he was ultimately disappointed to find that all the profits from selling the sledgehammer went to paying fines.

After calming down, Hudson quickly accepted reality. Without engaging in any public relations efforts, he opted to pay the price to avoid further trouble, essentially buying a "GG" spot.

At the very least, after the incident of splitting open the skull, all the nobles in the two counties knew that the "Divine Bow Knight" was not only a master archer, but also an arms dealer.

Also caught in the crossfire was the unfortunate Baron Ciss. Compared to Hudson's fine of three hundred gold coins, his penalty reached a staggering five hundred gold coins.

Unfortunately, Baron Ciss had no sledgehammers to sell and no need for GG promotion, so he had to bear all the losses himself.

If even the two innocent bystanders suffered such a terrible fate, then those directly involved in the case are even less likely to escape punishment. While they might not face execution, the outcome is practically the same: all participants are sent to serve as Northern Frontier border.

"All"—that's the key point. Not only the chuunibyou knight "Joseph" who cracked open the skull, but everyone else involved in the fight was also implicated.

This punishment is quite severe. Accomplices and ringleaders receive the same treatment; Count Pierce is clearly demonstrating to everyone through his actions: I'm the boss, I'm in charge!

Keep in mind that the person who died this time was a Northern Aristocrats. He ran to the doorstep of his enemy to guard the border, and the probability of him escaping unscathed was not much higher than the chance of finding a dragon scale on his way out.

It was a bit harsh, but it was a result that all parties except the parties involved could accept.

Apart from the two unfortunate innocent bystanders who were caught in the crossfire and remained indignant, the nobles in both counties received a warning and education.

The incident of the split head being smashed was over, but it was only the beginning. Every single fight and brawl that had recently occurred in the city had been dealt with seriously by Count Pierce.

"Fine," "fine," "further fine"... all the nobles involved received notices of punishment for varying amounts. If it weren't for the fact that the fines would eventually be tallied up and submitted to the Noble Council, Hudson would have suspected that the earl was using the opportunity to amass wealth.

In just three days, the total amount of fines issued by the Governor's Mansion exceeded 30,000 gold coins.

In a secluded courtyard of the city lord's mansion, Baron Ciss, who had been accumulating a bellyful of anger, was finally on the verge of exploding.

"Pierce, what exactly does this bastard want? Does he really think the Felix Family is easy to bully and can be slaughtered at his mercy?"

Again and again...

Before he could finish speaking, the old man behind him hurriedly stopped him, saying, "Young master, you can't say such things carelessly. If someone hears you, it will cause you a lot of trouble!"

You can't just say things like that. The reason Baron Ciss is living in a secluded courtyard is because the main courtyard of the city lord's mansion has already been given to the Governor.

They weren't far apart, and if the sound were too loud, it might reach the ears of that narrow-minded Governor, and who knows what might happen next.

Baron Ciss was truly suffering; as the most unfortunate innocent bystander of the year in the Southeast Province, he had endured far too much.

Every time a conflict occurred in Dadir City, he was accused by the Governor's Mansion of "failing to maintain order," "allowing chaos to occur," and "failing to fulfill his duties as lord," and then fined.

Of the more than 30,000 gold coins in fines that have been confirmed so far, Baron Ciss alone contributed one-fifth. Although no one said anything to his face, the label of "great traitor" had already been bestowed upon him by the nobles.

In particular, the younger brothers of the Northern Aristocrats were very dissatisfied with their leader's "composure" in recent days.

His underlings wanted him to cause trouble, and the local nobles wanted to see him cause trouble as well. Undoubtedly, since everyone wanted him to cause trouble, "being more composed" was the best option for Baron Ciss.

While it may seem like they're being targeted, the charges brought by the Governor's Mansion aren't entirely unfounded. If they were to clash head-on with Governor Pierce, Baron Ciss himself would ultimately be the one to suffer.

He was seeking a powerful patron, but unfortunately, these punishments were aimed at his Grand Duke father. If Ciss wasn't the son of Grand Duke Cavadia, he wouldn't have received such treatment.

"What's there to be afraid of? He dares to do it, so how can people not talk about it? Anyway, no matter what I do, the final result will be the same."

All of them were the maximum penalties; our Governor- General took every opportunity to exploit the situation to the fullest extent.

Ciss said with a cold laugh.

If Count Pierce's actions hadn't all been within the bounds of the rules, he would have already started a commotion.

As a second-generation rich kid, how could he not have a temper? The fact that he's been able to tolerate it until now is quite remarkable.

Despite his complaints, Baron Ciss ultimately didn't go next door to cause a scene. The harsh reality made him realize even more the importance of power.

The current unfair treatment stems from the fact that the power to decide matters lies with the other party. Any small problem can be magnified and treated unfairly.

"Young master, our troubles may have only just begun. Right now, the Governor is only dealing with the conflicts within the city; what follows is the infighting and plundering among the nobles."

Compared to minor incidents like fighting, the real trouble lies ahead. Although we always have compelling reasons for our actions, there are always imperfections.

If any loophole were exposed, the punishment would be more severe than it is now. If this Governor continues to target us, things could get really bad.

It wasn't that the old man was cowardly, but rather that his rich life experience told him that once those in power get serious, it's a storm.

"It's too late, Uncle Ferren. Even if we're careful enough, what about the others?"

You know how much trouble they caused a while ago. If they wanted to find fault, they could find loopholes everywhere.

"A single move could have far-reaching consequences. If they suffer severe punishment, can I, in my current position, really sit idly by?"

Baron Ciss said with a sullen expression.

He became the boss when others did, but the treatment he received was completely different.

Other leaders share the largest share of the pie in the league; but he, as the leader, is carrying the biggest burden in the league.

There may be great benefits in the future, but in the short term, as the nominal leader of the Northern Aristocrats, he is merely a figurehead.

---Aside---

Yesterday I wrote 20,000 words, and today I'll try to write 9,000. No more than that, your author can't afford this! Give me the votes, I need some comfort!