Baron, Fool

He almost thought he had heard wrong, because the other party had called him by the name of the young master of Tervain Village.

Not the way a Church pastor would, as if he were truly Sir Davis.

For a moment, he couldn't figure out what had gone wrong.

If both knights knew who he was, did that mean the disguise he had put on had been completely exposed?

But where had the information leaked from?

The people under him were one hundred percent loyal to him. Where had the problem come from?

The older knight suddenly laughed and removed his eagle-beaked helmet. His eyes, previously hidden beneath the helmet's shadow, became dazzlingly bright.

The man had a fair, clean face, and his thick short beard was neatly trimmed. His sturdy build didn't make him look old, but in truth, he was probably around sixty.

Judging by his bearing alone, no one would believe he was an obscure, nameless knight.

"Stop guessing. I'm Nordus Tervain, the current Baron Tervain."

As he spoke, he surveyed the hall. Then he casually found a spot and sat down, acting as if this were his own home.

"Surprised to see me like this?" Although the baron was dressed very warmly, judging from his physique and appearance, he was undeniably healthy.

"Are you wondering how I could still be so hale and hearty despite the rumors that I was assassinated? Or are you wondering how I knew you weren't David?"

The baron casually picked up a date and chewed it vigorously with his back teeth. Seeing Ergons remain silent, he laughed instead.

"It's enough that you even had to wonder whether I was the baron."

He was right. Everyone said that Sir Davis and the current baron had a poor relationship, but no matter how bad it was, they were still uncle and nephew. The looks they exchanged could never resemble those between strangers like them.

That was something he could never fake in front of someone familiar with them.

Not everyone was like Pastor Alphons and the others, who had never met them and could easily accept this completely new version of him.

Ergons put away his contempt. He had grown accustomed to relying on his Cheat System and treating everyone as someone he could take whatever he wanted from.

The baron's experience and wisdom were enough to make him discard that contempt.

However, he still didn't understand where the leak had occurred. If the baron didn't know enough about his situation, he couldn't have come over so directly.

"Don't worry about it. The real problem came from the Church. Remember the matter of you killing Bane?

"David would never kill Bane."

It really was true that the person who knew you best was often your enemy. Baron Nordus had studied Sir Davis thoroughly.

Ergons understood now. Even if Sir Davis hadn't died at his hands, he definitely wouldn't have been Baron Nordus's match.

The baron was still wrestling with the date in his mouth. "Speaking of which, do you support the Church or the duchy?"

He seemed to feel that he had asked too soon, so he simply asked another question. "Do you know why the knightly orders controlled by the Church later developed into knightly-order states, then joined together to form a duchy?"

"Because divine authority is far less reasonable than political authority."

He had answered his own question. "Take Tevalinburg, for example. This Pastor Alphons is still too inexperienced. He's far inferior to that old dog who raised David.

"He thinks I've been stripped of my authority, but Tevalinburg will always belong to House Tervalin. I know every little thing he does."

Ergons had to admit that there was indeed a considerable gap in experience and wisdom between a pastor and a noble.

Baron Nordus's eyes remained full of appreciation as he looked at him, and he spoke with the commanding air of someone who could make all the decisions.

"I didn't expect you to have some ability after all. Setting aside personal feelings, I truly think you're more capable than that boy David. You've done well, so this village is yours from now on.

"As for that ridiculous plan of the Church's—surely you don't really think they're doing it for the good of the Northern Knights?

"They just want to put divine authority above everything again. And the Count doesn't agree with that... Elisa? You really are here."

Ergons felt a little panicked. When Elisa came running in with the seductive expression of a drunk, carrying a jug and wearing a flower in her hair...

The air froze.

Elisa was also startled when she suddenly saw the baron.

Her cheerfulness vanished, as did the seductive look on her face. The wine jug in her hand clattered to the floor, and the flower tucked behind her ear seemed to wilt as well.

But the baron didn't pursue the matter. However, the self-satisfaction of someone in control of everything had vanished. He merely asked, "Everyone says I'm blindly loyal to the Count, and that I bear the stain of killing my own brother to seize the title. Yet they don't know that I once stood unmatched among the armies, received military authority directly from the Count, expanded our territory for a thousand li, and commanded several thousand soldiers.

"Between me and that foolish pastor, you know whom you should choose!"

His words were somewhat disjointed.

"I hold worldly authority in Tevalinburg. What the Church wants is that outdated notion of the divine right of kings. I hope you understand."

He didn't look at Elisa again from beginning to end, and his attitude, which had initially been filled with appreciation, now held a trace of restrained anger.

But Ergons wasn't afraid of him. He thought, You're just a braggart selling your head for glory, yet you dare show off in front of this transmigrator? Do you really not know that your grandfather is famous for taking a man's head from a thousand li away as easily as reaching into a bag?

The baron had no idea that the fact his head was still on his shoulders after this brief exchange was already a blessing. He continued putting on airs as if he were profound.

"True gold, after being tempered by time, will eventually shed its outer shell of stone and reveal its radiance. Stone won't.

"That is how the people of our family are. So I won't blame you for killing Sir Davis. This has nothing to do with personal feelings. I'm simply pleased to see that there is a worthy successor. You should know that I've always hoped someone among the younger generation would distinguish himself."

The baron seemed to have more to say, but Elisa had spoiled his mood. He brought things to a hurried close. "I'm very happy to have met you today. You truly have the qualifications to grow and eventually assist my son.

"All right, enough. I should be going back. Oh, right. Although I've told you so much, I must emphasize one thing: you should be filled with respect for the Holy Light, but you don't need to respect those fools who serve it. They can't even deliver a gift properly."

After saying this inexplicable thing, the baron walked outside and mounted his griffin. "You must work hard—hard enough that your people won't replace you. Otherwise, you won't have the chance to assist my son."

Baron Tervain had arrived in a hurry and left just as quickly.

The knight who remained behind took a new surcoat from his leather pouch and put it on.

"Life should have a little ceremony to it. I now represent the Church, so I'm notifying you about the matter of the supplies being hijacked. I also bear Pastor Alphons's warrant, ordering your side to investigate the attackers."

After saying that, the knight removed the surcoat, stuffed it back into his leather pouch, then walked out without looking back. He mounted his griffin and left.

What the hell!

He had previously placed his bet on the Church, believing it could give him room to play both sides and allow him to take control of Tevalinburg.

Judging from the current situation...

Could it be that the Church was being treated as a bunch of fools by those great lords?

The new Griffin Knight sent by the Church was the local lord himself, while the newly arrived official in charge seemed to have no idea what was going on.

Wasn't this just ridiculous?

They had even sent people to attack a local noble, believing their target was nearly dead. They had arranged everything as they pleased, taking whatever they wanted.

And the result?

"This is a disaster!"

Ergons had never wanted to stand too close to either side. Now, he felt that the Church didn't even have the qualifications to let him play both sides.