[Paranormal Incident at the Rowling Ancestral Estate!]

[Paranormal Incident at the Rowling Ancestral Estate!]

(Long chapter)

The Roland Family's ancestral estate lay in the southwest of Roland Plain. A branch of the Roland River ran through the area, and the fertile land along its banks was dotted with several farms, with towns nearby as well. Following that tributary downstream led through a scenic valley.

This was where the great Roland Family had first risen. Hundreds of years ago, when the Roland Family's ancestor had merely been a low-ranking noble with a small village as his fief, the Roland bloodline had begun to spread across this land.

The carriage passed through a dark forest, lush green trees flourishing on both sides and the air crisp and fresh. Along a flat path, Du Wei could see the little valley to the left from inside the carriage. Looking to the right, he could make out a tall tower in the distance. That was the Roland Family's ancestral estate.

After centuries of the family's glory, the little village from several hundred years ago was long gone. The original ancestral estate had undergone countless renovations and reconstructions over the centuries and had grown to a considerable scale.

A crimson stone wall encircled a castle built from massive white stones quarried from the nearby valley—according to legend, it had originally been a small mountain, but centuries of quarrying had turned it into a valley.

The arrival of the eldest son of the family patriarch naturally received exceptional attention. The three hundred private soldiers stationed at the castle had put on their brightest equipment early and lined up beneath the red wall outside the castle to await him. The arched gate impressed Du Wei, even from within the carriage. In his view, that thick stone wall could serve as a sturdy defensive perimeter if necessary.

As expected of an imperial military noble house, the three hundred private soldiers stationed in the castle were clearly well trained. They sat straight in their saddles, handled their horses skillfully, and had fairly decent equipment. Du Wei later learned that these three hundred soldiers at the Rowling Ancestral Estate had been selected as the best from private forces throughout the Roland Plain territory. Their training was excellent, not inferior even to the Empire's regional troops.

The dark forest outside the castle was also a natural hunting ground. Hunting events were held here every year, which served as another form of training for the soldiers.

The castle's main structure had two towers, one of which was especially tall, even slightly higher than the small mountain in the distance. Du Wei, who had studied family history, knew that this was because one generation of the Roland Family had produced an eccentric patriarch. Although that patriarch had been a military commander, he had been deeply interested in astrology and had even married a female astrologer. The high tower had been built so his wife could better observe the stars at night.

A red carpet had been laid from the castle gate all the way to where Du Wei's carriage stopped. The moment Du Wei bent over and stepped out, a silver-haired old man who had been waiting for some time approached. He was thin and tall, dressed in an immaculate gray formal suit. His movements were rigid and solemn, yet reserved and respectful in just the right measure.

As soon as Du Wei's feet touched the ground, the old man bent deeply in greeting and said in a low, measured voice, "Young Master, I am Hill Roland, the steward stationed here. I learned of your impending arrival three days ago. Everyone in the castle has prepared to receive your inspection. Please follow me."

With that, the old steward turned and carefully led Du Wei up the steps. His etiquette was beyond reproach: respectful and polite, humble without being ingratiating. He guided Du Wei onto the red carpet while carefully walking outside it himself, allowing Du Wei alone to enjoy that honor.

There was no time to closely examine the castle's interior decorations. The only thing that left a deep impression on Du Wei was the enormous flame-like banner on the wall directly facing the entrance after they passed through the castle gates.

The banner was seven or eight meters tall and six meters wide, taking up the entire wall opposite them! It was the family's heraldic banner. Two swords crossed upon it, their blades entwined with irises, red flames burning around them, with a crown above!

Entering the first-floor hall of the castle and immediately facing such a majestic banner gave the place an air of solemn grandeur.

Then all the servants in the castle, dressed neatly in uniform, stood on both sides of the hall to welcome Du Wei. Du Wei had little interest in this strange "inspection." He casually nodded, then said quietly, "My steward, take me to the study now... As for everyone else, disperse and return to your work."

Old Steward Hill carried out Du Wei's order meticulously. Soon, Du Wei was led to a study...

Well, if possible, Du Wei would rather have called this place a library!

Because it was simply too large!

The circular room had a high domed ceiling overhead, decorated with antique plaster patterns. Plaster statues stood on either side—many depicting outstanding figures who had emerged throughout the family's history.

Tall bookshelves lined the entire circumference of the room... Damn it! Those shelves were two stories high! They were packed with countless books of every kind. Du Wei made a rough calculation and found that there were at least tens of thousands of volumes here! There were also many iron cabinets containing important items, such as family genealogies and ancient, significant documents.

Of course, as a military noble house, even the study revealed a trace of martial spirit! On the wall directly opposite the study entrance hung a massive two-handed sword and a huge battle axe! The two weapons were crossed on the wall! Judging by the cold gleam on their blades, servants clearly still cleaned and maintained them with great care.

Several enormous display cases had deliberately been set into the bookshelves along another wall. Inside were all kinds of weapons, though judging by their designs, they were all antiques.

There were standard shortbows used by the Imperial Army a century ago, old-fashioned knightly sabers, long cavalry blades, and black ironwood bows...

Du Wei was drawn to the weapons. He could tell that these antiques had been maintained in excellent condition. Though weathered by time, several still gave off a sharp, cold glint!

"These were all used by the outstanding ancestors of our family throughout the generations," Old Steward Hill said behind him in the same unchanging tone. "They all record the glory once achieved by the great ancestors of our Roland Family."

Because of the room's shape, voices reverberated here with a low hum and echo, adding an extra sense of gravity.

Du Wei lightly stroked the old rosewood desk and quietly looked around.

It was clear that although everything here had been strictly maintained and carefully cleaned, the marks of age were still obvious. Many parts of the bookshelves had been worn smooth and glossy, and Du Wei suspected that the enormous desk beneath his hand was probably even older than the old steward before him.

"This was once the center of power for the Roland Family, where the family patriarchs thought and made all manner of decisions. Every object here bears traces of that former glory," the old steward said in a low voice. "Although the family's decision-making center was later moved to the Imperial Capital, family tradition dictates that every patriarch returning to the castle for inspection or a brief stay may not retire to his bedroom on the first night. He must spend the night in this study, to remind himself not to forget the family's glorious history and the heavy responsibilities he bears."

After pausing, the old steward glanced at Du Wei and lowered his head. "You are the eldest son of the current patriarch, the Count, and have come to inspect the castle as his representative. May I ask about tonight...?"

Du Wei immediately nodded in cooperation. Smiling, he said, "Tradition is tradition. It must be observed. Naturally, I am no exception. Though I am not the patriarch, I am my father's eldest son and have come here as his representative. Tonight, I will spend the night in the study according to tradition."

The old steward's expression softened considerably, and a touch of warmth entered his voice as he slowly said, "Yes, I will have it prepared. Also... I know you have come this time on behalf of the Count to inspect the territory's industries. Where would you like to begin your work? Once I received word of your arrival, I had the income and expenditure records and account books for this year's family industries organized and prepared. When do you intend to begin reviewing them? Or shall we wait...?"

Du Wei smiled and interrupted him. He calmly walked around the desk and sat behind its broad surface. The sofa was somewhat firm, but still comfortable. After thinking for a moment, Du Wei smiled. "My steward, I have traveled a long way and am feeling a little hungry. Please prepare something for me first. Then I believe I can begin reviewing the materials you have prepared."

It seemed that the efficiency here was quite good.

Very soon, Du Wei enjoyed a very typical southern aristocratic afternoon tea in the study. After he ate a sweet pumpkin pie and had just wiped his mouth, Old Steward Hill directed two sturdy male servants into the study.

The two servants pushed a cart piled high with thick volumes like a small mountain! Stacked together, the volumes were probably half a head taller than Du Wei himself!

"These are all this year's income and expenditure accounts?" Du Wei frowned, beginning to suspect that the old steward was trying to make trouble for him.

"Young Master, they are," Old Hill answered seriously. "These materials include the surveyed land area and cultivated acreage throughout the southern Kote Province, the fiscal income and expenditures of six towns, logistical expenses, military pay, supplies, and weapon consumption for family private forces stationed in three locations within the territory, as well as grain harvests and the budgets for new construction projects this year. I have also prepared some projections for next year. However, time was short and I have not yet completed them. Still, I do not believe you will leave here very soon, so we have ample time."

Du Wei could not help touching his nose as he looked at the mountain of accounts before him. "...Is all of it here?"

"This is only part of it." The old steward rarely made a remark that was even slightly less serious. "As for the rest... I believe you may need a week to review it."

Du Wei began to frown as he silently scrutinized the steward before him.

The old steward did not look as though he were joking. But... surely he did not naively believe that a thirteen-year-old boy like him could understand these accounts? Nor could he seriously think that a thirteen-year-old could shoulder the entire family territory's industries!

Then he must know that being sent back to the old home by the patriarch was a disguised form of exile. If so, why had this man brought over such a huge pile of accounts and solemnly asked him to inspect them? What exactly was his intention?

Could it be that the resident old steward was dissatisfied with this young master who had been sent back, worried that Du Wei's return would divide the authority he had previously held, and was therefore making a show of force?

A servant bullying his master?

Or perhaps he had been up to something in the family businesses, profiting from them, and now intended to use Du Wei's youth to muddle through?

Anything seemed possible!

Yet Du Wei said nothing. He did not even raise a single question. Instead, he picked up the top account book, blew the dust from it, calmly sat down, opened to the first page, and began reading quietly.

After a while, Du Wei raised his head. The old steward was still standing to one side.

"Oh, does my steward have anything else to say to me?" Du Wei asked seemingly casually, his tone turning cold. "I do not like people standing beside me when I read."

"As you command, Young Master." A flicker of surprise appeared in Old Steward Hill's eyes. He seemed to open his mouth to say something, but swallowed the words before they came out. Then he turned and led the servants away.

Once the heavy study door had closed, Du Wei gently set down the account book in his hand. He rose and paced back and forth a few times through the vast study, stretching his body. Then he smiled and murmured to himself, "It seems there may really be something worth looking forward to."

Over the following hours, until night fell, the old steward came to the study twice more. Once, he came to pour Du Wei tea. The other time, after the sky had darkened, he personally led people in to light the candles for Du Wei.

What surprised Old Steward Hill was that this young master was actually reading through those accounts!

And he was not merely putting on an act—he was reading them attentively! Several account books lay open on the desk, and Du Wei appeared to be calculating certain figures. After the old steward brought people in to light all twenty of the study's huge candleholders, Du Wei casually asked him several questions concerning the accounts.

He was not asking at random. Every question struck at the heart of the matter! This was enough to prove that the young master was serious! He had genuinely absorbed those tedious accounts!

This... was this really the eldest young master whom the family in the Imperial Capital had called an "idiot"?

Although he had tried hard to conceal it, Du Wei still caught the surprise on the old steward's face. Du Wei said nothing. Only after the old steward left the room again did he slowly close the account book he had read to the last page.

Actually... these accounts were quite interesting!

Du Wei had spent an entire evening not truly examining the tedious figures, nor had he cared to check whether the accounts had been falsified. He was not some genius, after all. Whether the records were genuine or false was something he, a person entirely unfamiliar with the industries, could not possibly discern.

No one would have known that Du Wei was reading in a completely different way—one others could never have guessed!

Who said account books could only be used for bookkeeping?

At the very least, Du Wei had learned much from them! And these were things never recorded in history books or documents recounting the family's past!

From the names and contents of the various entries in these accounts, Du Wei could immediately gain a thorough understanding of the Roland Family's degree of control over its territory.

Within the territory, the Roland Family practically formed a system of its own and even possessed considerable autonomy. The authority to collect fiscal taxes belonged to the family, and even the appointment of local officials was basically decided by the family. Although tax rates were collected according to imperial law, the family could alter, reduce, exempt, or increase them using certain special pretexts.

They only needed to submit a portion of the collected taxes to the Empire's central treasury each year according to a fixed proportion.

There was military authority as well. Judging from the military-related entries in the accounts, there were very few troops officially stationed here by the Empire. Only two small, second-line reserve infantry regiments were symbolically garrisoned on the outskirts of the territory. More notably, the supplies and transport for these two reserve infantry regiments were provided every year by the Roland Family! The Imperial Army did not handle them!

In most parts of the territory, it was the family's private forces that maintained local security and order.

Through these accounts alone, Du Wei had effortlessly grasped the Roland Family's current situation in the economic, political, military, and other spheres!

If that old steward knew Du Wei had "read" the account books in this manner, his eyes would surely have popped out!

From these accounts, Du Wei had at least confirmed two things: first, the family could completely control taxation in this region! And militarily, it was even more so!

Du Wei, who had come from another world, had learned an important piece of common knowledge there: two crucial signs of a nation's sovereignty over its land were taxation and military garrisons!

And now, both of those were almost entirely controlled by the Roland Family! What did that mean?

It meant the Empire's central government had almost completely lost control over the Roland Family's territory: half of Kote Province. Here, the Empire's central authority had lost sovereign control! This place was practically an independent little kingdom.

Leaning back against the sofa, Du Wei pondered. This state of affairs surprised him somewhat! When a nation's central authority gradually lost its power, it was often a sign that the curtain on chaos was about to rise.

Du Wei sat there for a while. The room was very quiet, with only the occasional crackling sound of candle flames.

Then Du Wei abruptly rose to his feet, spun around, and stared at the wall behind him!

A huge floor-to-ceiling bookshelf stood against the wall, packed densely with books. Nothing seemed unusual.

But a faint sense of unease rose in Du Wei's heart... Yes, the sensation he had felt just now had not been mistaken!

Because his spiritual power was much stronger than that of ordinary people, Du Wei's senses were sharper as well. Just moments ago, he had suddenly felt as though someone were watching him!

It was as if a gaze from some unknown hidden corner behind him had been fixed silently upon him!

There was nothing unusual on the bookshelves, so Du Wei looked upward.

Above the shelves, a row of portraits hung on the wall.

These oil portraits stretched in a long line, ordered from the oldest to the most recent. They were portraits of the successive patriarchs of the Roland Family!

The first portrait on the left was the oldest-looking of all, painted so long ago that the figure inevitably appeared somewhat distorted. It depicted a middle-aged man in an Imperial Army uniform. The man in the painting was the imperial marshal of that time! He was also the Roland Family ancestor who had won the war, rendered great service to the Empire, and received the Roland Plain from the Emperor!

The man looked spirited, his features carrying the same cold, unyielding gaze as Du Wei's father, Count Raymond! That gaze seemed to be fixed directly on Du Wei!

Du Wei's heart stirred. He tried taking several steps back, then moved two steps left and right, all while staring at the oil painting. Then he smiled, sighed softly, and murmured, "Sigh... Perhaps I'm being too sensitive... It's only an oil painting."

He turned away and casually picked up another account book...

Behind him, the eyes in the marshal's portrait on the wall suddenly blinked!

That was right. The figure in the oil painting suddenly seemed to come alive. The eyes that had been watching Du Wei's back blinked!

Those eyes, which should have been stiff and lifeless as part of a painting, suddenly became lively as if infused with life! As they rested upon Du Wei, there seemed to be a trace of curiosity in their gaze...

At that very moment, Du Wei, who appeared to be reading the accounts, suddenly spun around without warning and fixed his eyes on the oil painting on the wall!

One man and one painting—their gazes collided in an instant!!

"Stop pretending. I know you're watching me." Du Wei slowly raised his hand. He held a silver spoon, the one he had used earlier to eat the pumpkin pie. The silver spoon gleamed brightly, like a mirror!

"You're watching me, and I was using this to watch you just now." Du Wei smiled as he stared at the painting on the wall. "You don't need to keep pretending... But don't you know that spying on someone from behind is very rude?"

"..."