Chapter 435 A deal with one person? No, a deal with everyone.
"You haven't forgotten what you said, have you?"
The air on the top floor of the building was eerily quiet. After a long while, Alberto finally spoke, shocked by Kaeld's choice.
"I will never forget, Mr. Alberto. My family has lost everything. The oath in our blood is the only banner that reminds us that we are still nobles. I will not forget, and neither will the Valencia Family."
Only Wandering Nobles can understand Wandering Nobles, and how much effort they have put into reviving their family's glory.
However, many times, the outcome is failure.
"This time, success is not guaranteed either."
"Of course, isn't that inevitable?"
Instead, Kaeld laughed. At this moment, he finally felt the atmosphere of his identity being recognized, not by Alberto in front of him, but by Baron Ryan, who represented Alberto.
"More than a decade ago, the Valencia Family had more than 300 members, but now, the Valencia Family has less than 50 members left."
"Many people have died, but we have never forgotten to restore our family's glory."
The fall from nobility to Wandering Nobles is terrifying, and many nobles have died because of it, most of their deaths being meaningless.
" Valencia is willing to pay with his life for this."
"So—would you kill someone?"
The cold voice didn't come from Alberto, but from behind Kaeld. Kaeld's hair stood on end in that instant. He turned around and saw a Catfolk wearing a hood standing behind him, holding a sharp dagger and drawing possible paths.
Alberto stood up at that moment, nodded to Apia, and then left.
"He doesn't know what Lord Ryan wants you to do either."
"After all, strictly speaking, he hasn't even come into Lord Ryan's sights yet; it's just that the lady-in-waiting has put his name on the Baron's desk."
Apia said this, sat down in Alberto's seat, and pushed the dagger in his hand toward Kaeld.
Then, Apia spoke of the two families.
" Baron Mendes, whose grandfather was a descendant of the Carlos Ducal Family, was granted land and wealth for acquiring a large amount of crucial wealth for the Carlos Family in a trade with the Elves, and thus became a Baron in charge of a village of more than seven hundred people."
"Later, the Carlos Family was defeated in the war, and most of the Divine Wind Legion was wiped out. Baron Mendes suffered heavy losses in the subsequent wars. His family lost three knights, which was a lot for him."
"The deaths of the three knights meant that many more squires would be killed in the process, both during and after the war, which led to an even greater shortage of manpower for the Mendes Family."
"Not a slave, but a member of the family bloodline."
"The fortunate thing is that the Mendes Family has a lot of women, which is a rare tactic for them."
"Marrying women off helps other nobles reproduce more offspring, but recruiting nobles to join is a very difficult thing, and the nobles cannot bear such a disgrace."
After Apia finished speaking, she handed a bottle of precious Magic Potion to Kaeld.
" Valencia is sending someone to the Mendes Family within five days, because five days later, a bloodline descendant of the Deane Family will appear on the river outside the royal city."
"As for the Deane Family, you may not know them."
"This family came from the north and was once a noble family in the Andara Kingdom. The King the Sera Kingdom granted a piece of land to his loyal followers, and they have been fighting with the Mendes Family for ownership of a the Forest for almost a year."
"Your men, kill that Deane Family scion."
"I heard everything you just heard. Your only bargaining chip for reviving your family is your life."
"Then let's start risking our lives from now on."
"If you fail, Baron Mendes and the Baron Dean family will hunt down the Valencia Family. Don't be too confident; you are no longer nobles, and they will not be punished for killing you."
"You most likely... won't be able to save these fifty people either."
"What if it succeeds?"
Kaeld clenched his fist. He never considered failure. Restoring the glory of the Valencia Family was his sole pursuit, no matter how difficult the process.
As for the consequences, we'll have to consider that after the Valencia Family's resurgence!
"Success?"
"If you succeed, then you are qualified to meet Lord Ryan. Line up, and you will appear on Rhino Horn Mountain."
Apia disappeared into the shadows, leaving no trace of the Frozen Earth Territory in the deal.
Two days later, Baron Mendes welcomed a Wandering Nobles to the family. Everyone was of noble blood, so it was not an insult to the Mendes Family lineage, but rather an expansion of the family's lineage.
Importantly, at this juncture, when the family is facing difficulties, the addition of a strong man would undoubtedly bolster the territory's strength.
"Damn Dean, that the Forest has belonged to Mendes for a hundred years, how dare they steal it?"
" His Majesty the King has been meditating for months. What kind of Mages meditates for so long? I think he just doesn't want to deal with those damned guys Dean."
"They deserve to be hanged!"
"Drive them out! Send them back to the cold the North, to hell with those evil Orcs!"
Three days later, the populations of the two noble territories clashed once again at the edge of the Forest.
"Wherever the river flows, that is Mendes' territory. The Deane Family has no right to cut down trees on this land!"
"This is Mendes' property!"
"What Mendes? His Majesty the King has already granted this land to Dean. It's the Mendes Family's trash who should leave this place; this land belongs to the Deane Family!"
Overall, the Deane Family has the upper hand.
It's not because of their numerical advantage; they have fewer people. However, the people that Baron Dean brought from the Andara Kingdom might have many problems adapting to the new environment, but they all experienced the internal strife and Orcs threat in the Andara Kingdom, so they still have some ferocity in them.
This ferocity meant that Mendes's men were always at a disadvantage in fights.
"Traitors of Andara, go back to your the North!"
The Valencia Family member who had just joined Mendes had a crazed look in his eyes and charged angrily toward the other side. As he charged, the people behind him also rushed out, brandishing tools such as hoes and axes, shouting.
"Damn Dean, you don't deserve this the Forest that belongs to Mendes!"
Zar Valencia's extreme madness instilled fear in those in front of him, causing them to involuntarily push aside and reveal a young man hiding behind him.
"Get out of this the Forest!"
The dagger sliced through the flesh and blood that blocked its path, finally piercing the young man's heart. Only when death arrived did the young man finally react, staring in shock at the man before him, whose eyes were filled with madness and devoid of any desire for life.
Indeed, there was no such thing. Zar Valencia kept stabbing and pulling until the person in front of him was a bloody mess. Only then did he look around, and without any hesitation, he placed the dagger in the hand of the corpse in front of him, grasped the other person's palm, and stabbed it towards his own heart.
Pfft!
Blood splattered across the sky as Zar Valencia died with a relieved laugh. Although it had only been three days, he had defiled Valencia's noble bloodline. Only in this way could the shame on Valencia be washed away.
"Young Master Tony is dead!!!"
In the midst of the chaotic battle, someone shouted out, plunging the entire battlefield into an eerie silence.
Everyone stared in shock at the two people lying in a pool of blood. One of them was dressed in fine clothes, and as he fell, some of the silk fabric was lifted, revealing his prestigious badge.
"Young Master Tony is dead..."
Both hands were trembling, even Mendes's, until someone suddenly realized what was happening and roared angrily.
"You actually killed Young Master Zar! He was a member of the prestigious Mendes!"
"To avenge young master Zar!"
"Avenge Young Master Tony!"
Royal city, construction site.
Many of the Valencia people are very nervous.
" Kaeld, who exactly is Zal going to kill? That Count Ryan Zar... could he be deceiving us?"
Kaeld stared unfocused ahead, and after a long while, replied:
"The heir to a Baron."
"One..."
Valencia's people looked at Kaeld in shock and despair, unable to believe the answer.
"It's over, it's over."
" The Mendes Family and the Deane Family will definitely hunt us down, as will other nobles. Zar, Zar wouldn't dare, would he? Kaeld, how could you let Zar do such a thing?"
" Zar will be skinned alive, his limbs cut off, and he'll be burned alive over a fire pit. Everyone will hear his screams. The Valencia Family will be destroyed because of this. We are no longer nobles; nobles who kill us will face no punishment..."
In an instant, Valencia was thrown into chaos.
"What's the rush!"
Suddenly, Kaeld roared, his fists clenched so tightly they turned blue.
"Since Count Ryan dares to do this, then... there must be a way. If Mendes and the Deane Family hunt us down, we will fight back. Our bloodline is still noble, and our resistance is recognized by the rules of the nobility. Even the Deities will not blame us."
"And Zar probably won't survive either. When we were choosing someone to go to Mendes, you were all dodging, but he stepped forward. He was already dead by then."
"That's not Zar Valencia, we'll all forget about him."
Outside Unicorn Fortress, inside the Ryan Manor.
After just a few days of renovation, the manor now appears as imposing as a fortress, and the cold glint hidden in the shadows makes even the wild beasts that approach this land turn away.
" Connie Dean?"
Borgeld looked at the somewhat frail-looking young man in front of him with some dissatisfaction.
"Why are you so thin?"
"When I was twelve years old, I killed a bear and a wild boar all by myself."
Connie Dean said that he instinctively lowered his head when facing Borgeld, and he felt a strong sense of oppression, much more terrifying than Magical Beast he had ever seen before.
"Your brother is dead."
Borgeld, too lazy to argue with the other party, said nonchalantly.
" Tony?"
Connie looked up, his eyes wide with shock.
"Why are you acting so strangely? Isn't this exactly what you wanted?"
Borgeld said uninterestedly, showing no interest in the endless disputes among nobles. If she were in such a situation, she would most likely kill all her enemies, and then the rest would submit to her.
Connie lowered his head, feeling a mix of frustration, fear, excitement, and exhilaration.
"I... I am very grateful to Lord Ryan."
"Don't be so quick to express your gratitude."
A long, icy blue sword was drawn and landed between Connie's eyebrows.
"Now I have one more question for you."
"You personally participated in the murder of your own brother, successfully becoming the heir to the Noble Title. You already possess power and a prestigious status, so why did you kill him?"
"Because..."
Connie instinctively lowered his head; this was a gesture he had repeated every day, and it was impossible to change it in a short period of time.
"Raise your head, future Dean — Baron."
Connie looked up and met Borgeld's aggressive gaze, and finally his voice stopped trembling.
"I am the Baron's second child, but I only receive five silver coins a month. Tony and my father both treat the Baron's property as their own private property."
"I used to think my family was poor, but it wasn't until the day Baron Ryan arrived and my father opened the cellar and took out chests of Gold Coin that I realized I had nothing."
"So you're going to kill him?"
"No."
Connie bit his lip until blood flowed, and he cried.
"Five silver coins a month was enough to make me Formal Knight. I could have been thinner, but I don't have any more food. The knight's training method consumes too much food."
"I begged my father for three whole days, and he agreed to give me ten silver coins every month, but I am already Formal Knight, and that is not enough at all."
"I can only hunt alone in the Wilds."
"Later, I went to Tony and told him that I was the most loyal heir of the family, and that after he inherited the Noble Title, I would be able to help him train soldiers to fight against the Orcs."
"But he refused, telling me that his family would never have to face the terrible Orcs again, and even went to his father to get the ten silver coins back to five."
"So you're going to kill him?"
Borgeld asked again, though she didn't know why she was asking. Ryan had told her to ask this question, no matter how the other person answered, she only needed to ask this one question.
"No, even so, I never thought of killing him. I knew from a very young age that the family would belong to Tony in the future, and I would be his knight."
"But he actually wants me to marry into the Count Fragoso Family so that the Deane Family can form a marriage alliance with the Count Fragoso Family."
"This is a disgrace, an absolute disgrace. The blood of the Deane Family flows in my veins. Even in death, I am a member of the Deane Family. I will never allow it..."
"He actually wants to expel me from the family."
Connie was trembling all over, and snot was running down his face.
"So you're going to kill him?"
Borgeld's voice remained unchanged, and Connie collapsed to the ground, bursting into loud sobs.
"I didn't want to, I didn't want to, I..."
"I just... don't want to be nameless, sob sob sob—"
"So you're going to kill him?"
Borgeld became interested; she found it quite fun.
"I... yes."
Connie raised his head again and said loudly:
"Yes, I'm going to kill him."
"Hmm~"
After thinking for a moment, Borgeld decided to use his own words.
"So, do you regret it?"
"Didn't you only ask one question?"
"Isn't this a problem? There was a problem just now, and there's another problem now. I'll just ask one question, no problem at all."
Borgeld tilted his head, thought for a moment, and realized there was indeed no problem.
"I have no regrets."
He swallowed hard, and Connie's voice was no longer trembling.
"Are you afraid of dying?"
Borgeld pointed his longsword at Connie's forehead again.
"I'm not afraid."
"But you killed your brother, the heir to a Baron, that..."
"Don't tell anyone! Absolutely don't tell anyone!"
Connie roared, his eyes filled with madness and despair.
"No, Boss Ryan told me to tell you."
"You owe your brother a life. Either pay it back, or live on with his life."
Clang!
The ice-blue longsword fell to the ground. Even though Connie had been struggling financially for over a decade, it was clear that this sword could bankrupt the Deane Family.
"You live in the sunlight. It may not have been like this in the past, but it will definitely be like this in the future. Damn, what a convoluted statement."
"Well, anyway, you take this sword, go to the Northlands, and come back alive."
"When the time comes, go to the Frozen Earth Territory and let Boss Ryan ask you all those weird questions."
Borgeld looked at Connie and said seriously:
" Baron Dean, are you willing to go? If you die, you will lose a lot of money that comes with the Noble Title Baron."
"I will go."
Connie gripped Frostmourne tightly. He knew the sword's value wasn't in monetary terms, but in his life.
"I will come back alive."
"I will definitely come back alive."
The Deane Family, Baron Dean, who had just moved there, did not have a castle. Connie knelt on the wooden floor, gripping the hilt of his sword. He was surrounded by members of the Deane Family, all of whom were staring at him in shock, which made Connie laugh involuntarily.
Looking at her father, whose attitude towards her was completely different, she saw him giving most of his love to her.
"I will personally avenge your brother, the Mendes Family, and that Valencia Family, a fallen family that dared to kill the esteemed heir to Baron Dean."
"You can't take the risk. You must stay and inherit the Noble Title. The Deane Family cannot afford to lose another heir."
"No, Father."
"I will avenge my brother myself. Mendes and Valencia are our enemies, but they are my enemies even more."
"I will personally exact my revenge on them; I will gain power in the Northlands."
"You'll die!!!"
Baron Dean roared, his unusual outburst shocking yet understandable to many, given their shared fear of the Orcs of the Northlands.
"Father, are you afraid?"
Connie stood up and pushed aside the two knights at the door.
"I will come back alive, and I will bring Dean's glory to new heights."
"I was never the heir to the Noble Title, so it doesn't matter if I die."
"But I will do my best to live."
"At that time, I was the true successor to Baron Dean."
On the other side of the world, Ryan's letter also arrived in the Sera Kingdom. It was about the Mendes Family, but it wasn't sent there or to the royal city. Instead, it was sent to the Carlos Family.