Ⅰ
Greisa Hamlet looked at Count Bette before him, and an uncontrollable chill rose from the depths of his heart, as though it would freeze him solid-
"Father, why don't we annex Bette Territory?
As long as we divide the profits properly, those fellows will surely agree.
And for the adjoining Einhaas Fief, we need only stir up the Witchers' old 'controversy,' and it will become the next battlefield.
An irresistibly tempting battlefield that draws those fellows in.
All we would need to do is sit back and reap immense rewards."
These were the questions Greisa had privately asked his father after his coming-of-age ceremony.
The Old Lion had smiled then.
"This world is far more complicated than what you can see.
And in South County, there is another fellow I must remain wary of."
"Count Bette?"
The Little Lion had guessed immediately.
"Yes, him."
The Old Lion had affirmed his eldest son's perceptiveness.
And as a reward, the Old Lion had revealed a few secrets-
"That monster, Count Bette, cannot die!"
An undying monster!
At that moment, Greisa Hamlet had committed his father's words to memory.
That was also why, despite being able to annex Bette Territory quite "smoothly," he had waited so many years for an "appropriate" reason.
Yet the instant Count Bette appeared, the Little Lion understood that he had still underestimated him.
The intuition inherent in his [Spirituality] let him see death.
The muscles, bones, blood, and organs in his body were suffering pain unlike anything he had ever experienced.
As though they were freezing solid!
That chill was no figure of speech!
It was a real attack!
Without the slightest hesitation, the Little Lion played one of his trump cards.
He tore open an ancient scroll patterned with golden lines.
Warm white radiance instantly filled