Chapter 186

Within the Bia Kingdom, Malen Family.

The person currently in charge of the Malen Family is Joseph's mother, Lady Bersa.

She herself was a noblewoman, and although her family was slightly less powerful than that of Pimalon, they were not to be underestimated.

At the very least, her family was able to help her maintain control of the Malen Family after her husband's death, and to this day, no one has been able to challenge that control.

Lady Bersa liked to be in control of everything, including the arrangements for her son Joseph.

Now, Joseph has openly defied his wife's orders for the sake of a disabled wife, and while she was negligent, he took his wife and son away from Bia and settled in the Desinia Territory.

This was tantamount to a challenge to Lady Bersa's authority and power.

Moreover, without her son and grandson who were the next heirs, Lady Bersa's position within the Malen Family was somewhat shaken.

She had to force Joseph to come back.

Therefore, Lady Bersa used some of her methods on the research that Joseph was currently doing with Reinog.

Without any warning, many studies have been greatly hampered, and some have even had to be temporarily halted.

This approach not only resulted in a significant waste of research funds but also severely damaged Cyrus's interests.

After all, these are the things he values most right now, and he has invested a lot of money and energy in them, just waiting to see Reinog and Joseph's results.

result...

In his reply, Bia Kingdom subtly hinted that Cyrus could expand his territory without restraint.

--The Bia Kingdom can accept the conditions of submitting to the Desinia Territory and becoming part of its domain.

According to the Pope, the Bia Kingdom is currently in turmoil, partly due to the machinations of the Malen Family.

This would allow them to both perfectly retaliate against the Malen Family and gain new territory—a win-win situation.

After careful consideration, Cyrus decided to send cavalry to besiege Bia.

When the news reached Biya, Yasa Dek feigned shock and anger.

He presented the information about why the Lord of Desinia had sent troops against the Bia Kingdom to a group of nobles.

Especially around Lady Bersa, who was also attending the meeting, he questioned her about why she was using such underhanded methods within the Desinia Territory to sabotage the research that the Lord of Desinia valued.

"Do you think the Lord of Desinia is easy to bully just because he's young?!"

Asa Dek angrily questioned, "Have you forgotten how this young lord seized power in the Gadayat Kingdom step by step, established the first territory on the Western Continent with only a lord, and then destroyed Gaina, caused the Anas Empire to split, and obtained the Yami Kingdom..."

"Now, he has even destroyed the Saint Airo Empire and possesses the largest and most expansive territory in the entire Western Continent. It's no exaggeration to say that he has obtained the highest power!"

"Where did you get the audacity to use these tactics right under the nose of the Lord of Desinia?! Have years of pampered life made your brain rusty?!"

Lady Bersa's face was ashen, a mixture of red and blue... as if a palette had been spilled.

She sat stiffly in the chair, but now she just wanted to disappear into the ground...

By the Creator God, she desperately wanted to faint immediately!

She had never experienced such an humiliating moment!

Yasa Dek maintained an angry expression on his face, but secretly he was delighted.

After all, this Lady Bersa, relying on her power over the Malen Family and being a woman, repeatedly contradicted his decisions and rallied others to her side...

Yasa Deuk had long been dissatisfied.

The other nobles attending the meeting couldn't help but show their fear. "Your Majesty, what should we do now?! Should we have Lady Bersa personally apologize to the Lord of Desinia...?"

"Aside from apologizing and agreeing to the other party's conditions..."

As long as the Lord of Desinia withdraws his troops, anything goes.

Other nobles couldn't help but echo this sentiment.

This is all Lady Bersa's fault!

Whoever caused the problem should be held responsible for resolving it. They were innocent and should not bear the wrath of the Lord of Desinia.

Thinking of this, everyone's gaze towards Lady Bersa suddenly carried a hint of anger.

Lady Bersa's face stiffened.

She was rather thin, and although she was getting on in years, it was clear that she had been quite beautiful in her youth.

However, her high cheekbones and somewhat sunken cheeks make her look rather rigid and serious.

Lady Bersa had been in charge of the Malen Family for many years, and she quickly adapted to this situation that was being targeted at her.

Seeing that all the nobles were demanding that she apologize, she sneered, "Do you think that if I go and say sorry, the Lord of Desinia will abandon his attack on Bia?"

"You are all far too naive."

Lady Bersa looked at Asa Deuk: "Your Majesty, perhaps Desinia's ultimate goal is Bia, and he's just looking for an excuse to declare war."

"If you hadn't been so reckless as to attack within the Desinia Territory, how would they have found this excuse to attack Bia?!" a nobleman said with great dissatisfaction.

"You're right, you're the culprit. The Malen Family has truly fallen on hard times, allowing a woman to run the family for so many years, to the point that the entire Bia is now facing..."

"Ha, even your son has abandoned you. I heard he's now a nobleman in the Desinia Territory... Wait, has your Malen Family already been bought off by Desinia?!"

"A coordinated attack from within, deliberately designed to destroy Bia?!" A nobleman, believing he had found the so-called "truth," slammed his fist on the table and stood up.

The reason was quite reasonable, and the other nobles couldn't help but show expressions of doubt and contemplation.

Yasa Dek sat at the head of the table, his hands crossed in front of his nose and mouth, his face serious and stern, but inside he was practically dying of laughter.

--Oh, look at Lady Bersa's expression, she looks like she's about to pounce on them and scratch their faces.

This group of people truly was his source of joy during his time in office.

Sigh, thinking that I might never see it again, it's a little bit of a pity.

Yasa Dek coughed softly.

The room fell silent instantly.

He reopened Lady Bersa's wounds, saying, "Don't say that. Joseph left Bia because Lady Bersa couldn't tolerate his wife..."

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"Moreover, it was precisely because Lady Bersa wanted Joseph to return that she resorted to sabotaging the Lord of Desinia's research; otherwise, she wouldn't have attracted..."

Although he ostensibly defended Lady Bersa, Assa Desque actually stirred up even more hatred for her.

As expected, the protests from the other nobles grew even louder.

Asa De Kluck, fearing that Lady Bersa might actually faint from anger, soon ended the fruitless meeting.

He said that the forces of the Bia Kingdom were absolutely no match for the cavalry of the Desinia Territory, and that they should think about how to protect themselves from the enemy's attack.

--A voluntary surrender?

Although Yasa Deuk did not say it explicitly, it was implied.

Although Lady Bersa did not show any fear at the meeting, she was still afraid inside.

In particular, when she returned home, the main members of the Malen Family discussed whether she could continue to be competent in managing the family.

The final result was the stripping of her rights.

Even if Lady Bersa was furious and resentful, it was to no avail, because the Desinia cavalry was already at the gates of Bia.

In her view, His Majesty Yasa Dek was completely inactive, offering only passive resistance, as if he wished he could hand Bia over to the Lord of Desinia.

As a result, in just over half a month, the Desinia cavalry had broken through several cities in Bia and was just one step away from storming the royal city.

Lady Bersa has been staying indoors lately because whenever she goes out, several people look at her with disapproving eyes.

She couldn't stand it.

That day, a maid knocked on the door.

Lady Bersa came to the door but did not open it. Her heart was pounding heavily, her face was stiff, and her voice was dry as she asked through the door, "... What is it?"

The knocking stopped abruptly.

The maid outside said, "Madam... Lord Desinia requests your presence at the palace..."

Lady Bersa nearly fainted. She gripped the doorknob to steady herself, and the words seemed to be squeezed out through clenched teeth. "The palace... which palace?"

Maid: "Naturally, it was the royal palace in the capital city. His Majesty personally welcomed Lord Desinia inside..."

She paused, then continued, "The knights are waiting outside. If you don't come out, they will force their way in..."

With a "click".

Lady Bersa's pale and stiff face appeared before the maid.

With Yasa Deuk's covert cooperation, Cyrus's takeover of the Libyan territory went very smoothly.

The Bia Kingdom was originally located right next to the Saint Airo Empire, but now the Saint Airo Empire is his territory. After the cavalry set off, they headed straight for Bia.

This battle was won with virtually no effort.

The people of the Bia Kingdom were originally filled with fear and dread of the arrival of the Desinia cavalry.

Later, they discovered that these cavalrymen, after occupying the city, not only did nothing to them, but also quickly dealt with some local nobles who oppressed commoners and slaves, gathered up homeless orphans and the elderly, and restored order in the slums.

These actions made the people of the Bia Kingdom realize that the arrival of the Desinia cavalry had actually improved their lives.

As a result, some voices resisting Desinia disappeared.

After meeting with Lady Bersa, Cyrus abolished the noble titles of the Malen Family, but retained the noble titles that belonged exclusively to Joseph.

After all, Joseph had already left the family and had previously used his own abilities to obtain a noble status within the Desinia Territory.

Joseph did not take Lady Bersa to his home, but instead let her stay at her original residence.

As for her life afterward, Joseph left her a large sum of money, enough to ensure she would never run out of money before she died.

As a son, this is all he can do.

Because he knew his mother, who was powerless to resist the Lord of Desinia, she would surely transfer all her hatred onto his wife...

As Cyrus finally settled all the matters after the occupation of Biya, winter quietly arrived, still bitterly cold, but this time, people wore cotton-padded clothes that had been made long ago.