The Loyalist Count

The cave was incredibly dim, with only torches providing a faint light to keep one from going blind in the darkness.

Reiner looked at the disheveled Count Rademacher before him. The man appeared to be in his twenties, his light brown hair a tangled mess, and he looked at Reiner with eyes full of longing and hope.

He walked up to the man, removed the rag from his mouth—which had been used to wipe who knows what—and began to untie the ropes binding Count Rademacher.

"Thank you, my dear fellow noble. If not for you, I might still be suffering humiliation at the hands of those damned, base bandits!"

Count Rademacher stood up from the ground, straightened his slightly tattered, fine aristocratic clothing, and spoke to Reiner.

"You are too kind. As a noble, I could not stand by and watch another noble be humiliated! It is what I ought to have done!" Reiner quickly adapted to his change in status, and with the help of his predecessor's memories, he transformed himself into a quintessential aristocrat.

"May I ask your name, my lord? I must forever remember the name of my benefactor!"

"Reiner! Reiner Morland. I am the lord of this territory, the master of Morland Castle. A man claiming to be your knight came to my castle earlier and told me of this matter, which is why you are able to see me here!"

"That must be the damned Karl! It was he who betrayed me! And to think he would do such a thing!" Upon hearing this news, Count Rademacher immediately began to curse, clearly furious about the situation.

Reiner felt a stir in his heart as he watched the man's reaction: Could the mission to find the mastermind be complete already?

He suppressed his secret joy and asked with concern, "What exactly happened? That Sir Karl disappeared after I defeated the enemy. What did he do?"

"It was him! If he hadn't colluded with the bandits, how could I have been ambushed and captured by this rabble? We were completely unprepared at the time. Three of my knights were killed by the enemy while unarmed, and he actually led his squires to launch an attack on us!"

Reiner shook his head with regret after hearing this and said, "That is truly a pity. But as a knight who swore an oath to you, why would he suddenly betray you at such a time?"

"It must have been them!" Count Rademacher said, annoyed.

"Who?" Reiner asked, knowing he was not far from obtaining the Junior Cavalry War Soul.

Count Rademacher hesitated for a moment, then said, "It is those ambitious lords. Ever since His Majesty the Emperor unfortunately fell from his warhorse while sweeping through the nomadic tribes during his eastern campaign three years ago, his health has been extremely poor. For the last two years, he has been bedridden. Some of the great lords who submitted during His Majesty's prime have regained their ambitions, plotting to overthrow the Morland Imperial Family, either to carve out their own kingdoms, incite a claim to the throne to establish their own dynasty, or simply to profit from this chaos!"

Hearing what Count Rademacher said, Reiner was slightly surprised. He had known all along that the Morland Family was a distant branch of the current imperial family, but he had not known that the imperial house was currently so precarious.

However, this was understandable; it was difficult for minor nobles like them to know the political situation of the entire country, let alone when they were located in the remote Northern Frontier of the empire.

Count Rademacher continued, "And I, Boras Rademacher, am a loyal supporter of the Morland Imperial Family. Under the leadership of the imperial house, we firmly oppose those lords who dream of splitting the empire and replacing the royal family!"

"Naturally, they view us as a thorn in their side. Many loyal subjects of the imperial house have already been persecuted by them. I am not the first, and I will certainly not be the last. By the way, I heard your surname is Morland. Do you have any relation to the imperial family?"

Only now did Count Rademacher notice the issue with Reiner's surname and turned to ask.

"Ah, yes!" Reiner laughed and said, "My great-grandfather was a prince of the imperial house, but because he was not favored, he was enfeoffed here as a baron."

"Oh! So that is it! So you are indeed of the imperial line!" Count Rademacher realized, pondered for a moment, and then said, "Then, do you have any thoughts on the current plight of the imperial house?"

Reiner thought for a moment and understood the man's intent. The man simply wanted him to participate in this dispute, but he had no such thoughts on the matter.

After all, although he had transmigrated and possessed a cheat system, he was very clear about his own position. As a minor baron, if he were to get involved in such a situation, he would undoubtedly be chewed up and spat out by others!

"Haha, what thoughts could I have? My territory is so poor, and this winter I still have to guard against an invasion by the Krad People. Sigh... such is the sorrow of a small lord; a great noble like you cannot understand!" Reiner tried to change the subject and politely decline.

Unexpectedly, Count Rademacher did not mind and said meaningfully, "Who knows? But if you could consolidate the entire Northern Frontier, you might gain even greater benefits in this conflict!"

Having said that, Count Rademacher did not wait for Reiner's reply and said to him, "Regardless, thank you for the rescue. I will give you the reward you deserve!"

He took a ring from his inner pocket and handed it to Reiner, saying, "If you change your mind, or if you encounter trouble that is difficult to resolve, you can send me a letter. Seal it with wax using this ring, and I will understand your meaning!"

Reiner hesitated for a moment but took the ring. Although he did not want to be associated with the current chaos, the benefits of befriending a high-ranking count outweighed the risks.

Just like that, Reiner found other captured knights and attendants in the cave. However, what Reiner still did not understand was why an inland count would lead such a weak force for him all the way to the godforsaken Northern Frontier. Since the man did not say, Reiner did not feel it was appropriate to ask too much.

When the last person was released, a digital sound suddenly echoed in Reiner's mind: "Congratulations, Baron. Mission completed: Investigate the mastermind. Reward obtained: Junior Cavalry War Soul: Swift as the Wind! Cavalry under your command gain a 5% increase in combat effectiveness!"

Listening to the system's notification, Reiner cast aside all his concerns. After all, he had a massive cheat system—what was there to worry about?

After ordering his soldiers to loot all the property in the cave, Reiner gave the order to return.

"My Lord Count, why not stay in my castle for a few days? I am very sorry that you encountered such a thing in my territory. I will hold a grand banquet for you!" Reiner said.

"Forget it!" Count Rademacher refused, "The situation in the empire is very grave. I must return to my territory as soon as possible to prepare. Forgive me for being unable to attend the banquet!"