Secret Pact at Last

It was Victor who shot the arrow. The best way to deal with such a stubborn person is to send him away, and doing so would also be more intimidating.

Baron Rossi's previously resolute expression crumbled immediately upon hearing of his companion's sudden death.

Alex squatted down in front of him. "There are five of you in total. Two of you are so brave. I wonder if you and the other two are just as brave!"

Upon hearing this, Baron Rossi immediately became frightened. He grabbed Alex's leg so quickly that Alex didn't even have time to react.

"My esteemed sir, I will tell you everything, please spare my life. I am the only direct descendant of the Oleander family left, and we cannot let the Oleander family line die out."

Alex stood up and forcefully pulled his legs apart.

"As long as you are willing to cooperate, you will enjoy the treatment you deserve. Now I hope you will behave yourself and stand up first."

Baron Rossi quickly stood up as instructed.

Alex asked Rossi, "Who was the guy who was just shot? Why did he dare to threaten you?"

"His name is Layson. He and Eli were both courtiers of the Duke Wiske, but he was just an official and didn't even have an honorary title."

The reason he dared to threaten me was because I was forced to come to the Grand Duchy of Vera. If I hadn't come, our Oleander family would have been stripped of its title, and I would have lost my noble status. I had no choice but to come.

Alex was curious, "Is this Duke Wiske so powerful that he can even interfere with the succession of you nobles? Doesn't your Noble Council stop him?"

Rossi sighed, "The Noble Council of the Raine Kingdom is different from that of the Grand Duchy of Vera. It is divided into two levels of council: the provincial council and the kingdom council. Barons and viscounts can only participate in the provincial council, while the kingdom council can only be attended by nobles of Count or above!"

"And our Wos Province council in the west is completely controlled by the high-ranking nobles within the province; all promotions and successions of nobles require their approval."

Alex frowned and said, "Then they shouldn't interfere with the promotion of nobles so casually. If these high-ranking nobles go too far, won't the Royal Family intervene?"

Rossi said bitterly, "A reason is all it takes, and the Royal Family is the first to do this!"

My father died in battle when the Fas Kingdom invaded, and our territory was destroyed by the Fas Kingdom. Our people were all taken away as slaves.

My family was impeached by the provincial governor, who accused us of desertion. How could that be! It was my father who sent me with my mother and wife to the provincial Governor's Mansion to seek help, while he and his troops held out, waiting for reinforcements. But the reinforcements never came, and we were prepared to die in the castle, which was then burned to the ground by the Phasi army.

"Although it's a far-fetched reason, it's still a pretty ugly way to do this!"

"What is this? Later I learned that the reason why the governor did not send reinforcements was because the high-ranking nobles within the province coveted the territories of us border nobles. They gathered their own private armies, bypassed the army of the Fas Kingdom, and watched our territories be captured."

Moreover, as a crucial barrier on the western border, the Wos Province frequently engages in small-scale wars with the Fas Kingdom, which maintains a permanent presence of four legions there. Although, for unknown reasons, the Kingdom Military Department transferred one legion away at the beginning of last year, the remaining three legions remain stationed throughout the province.

At the time, these three legions wanted to send reinforcements to support us border noble territories, but the army's provisions were collected by the provinces, and the governor kept withholding them, making it impossible for them to send troops.

Alex and Victor exchanged glances. They both knew that the Kingdom Military Department of Ryan had drawn troops from the western border corps to prepare for the eastward expansion strategy and to cooperate with the Rebellion of Count Colt. They never expected that the misfortune that this unfortunate Baron Rossi suffered was also related to them.

"So you came here on the orders of Duke Wiske. Can he help you inherit the title?"

"Yes, Duke Wiske is the governor of the Wos Province, the undisputed local emperor within the province. If I can complete this mission, I can smoothly inherit the title and have my territory returned."

Alex questioned, "Even if you successfully ascend to the throne and reclaim your territory, it will be destroyed and your people will have been abducted. How can you possibly manage such a territory?"

Rossi said seriously, "I know it may be difficult to continue managing the territory, but no matter what, I cannot let the Oleander family disappear and let my father's sacrifice be in vain."

"You do look like an aristocrat."

"Sir, I know you've come for what I brought. I'm willing to hand it over to you, as long as you guarantee my safety and give me the treatment I deserve."

Alex immediately looked at this person with new respect. "I thought you would refuse vehemently, and I was even planning to use some tricks on you, but I didn't expect you to hand it over so easily."

"No, sir, I'm not stupid. As long as I live, the Oleander family will not disappear. I had no choice before, so I obeyed Duke Wiske's orders. Now that I have a choice, I will naturally make sure I survive first."

Alex nodded.

Just then, Baron Rossi said again, "My lord, my other two companions are my close followers. Please do not harm them."

Alex waved his hand, and the warriors released the two men.

The two immediately ran to Rossi's side. "Baron, thank you for saving us, but what will happen to our territory and title if you fail to complete this mission?"

"Don't worry, as long as I live, as the only direct descendant of the Oleander family, I have the absolute right to claim the title and territory, and I think there may be a chance to revive the family here."

As for my mother and wife, my mother is quite old, and I left her 300 gold coins before I left, which is enough for her to live comfortably in her old age. My wife, Lana, also left me a long time ago and went back to her hometown; she doesn't need me to take care of her future. Now I only need to think about myself.

After Rosie calmed down his two henchmen, Rosie, along with Alex and Victor, found the items hidden in the castle's guest room.

The item was in a wooden box. Rossi opened the box and handed it to Alex. "Sir, I have kept it very well. You can check it."

Alex took out a parchment scroll from the wooden box and examined it carefully.

"Is it true?" Victor asked, leaning closer.

"It's real. It's my father's personal seal, and the signature is perfect. The style is exactly the same as the copy my father kept," Alex said excitedly, having finally obtained the secret agreement after going through so many hardships.