Chapter 136: It’s Not a Difficult Request. (4)
Marquis Branford squinted his eyes, observing Ghislaine as if trying to gauge his sincerity.
Ghislaine, on the other hand, confidently lifted his head and stared back at the Marquis.
“Don’t you get caught slipping while you’re pushing that stern guy away; just hand over everything you’ve prepared to me.”
After realizing that Duke Delphine was reaching out and expanding his influence, the Crown Prince Faction hastily began to exert its power in the North.
The chosen territory turned out to be the Brivant Territory.
“That place is great, but the problem is, it’s already within the grasp of Duke Delphine.”
In his previous life, both the royal family and the Crown Prince Faction had poured tremendous resources into the Brivant Territory.
They even transferred the population of the royal direct territory.
However, unfortunately, Duke Delphine had anticipated that the Crown Prince Faction would make such a decision long ago.
His efforts to weaken the Tower of the Bloody Flame were also aimed at reducing the power of the Crown Prince Faction in the long term.
“I managed to keep the tower alive by providing Runestone, but… with the entire territory lost, what can one tower accomplish?”
Most of the vassals and retainers of the Brivant Territory had already been swayed by Duke Delphine.
In such a situation, no matter how much support was provided to Brivant, it would be like pouring water into a bottomless well.
But what if the Crown Prince Faction decided to support Ghislaine?
All the time and money spent by Duke Delphine would become meaningless. It would simply amount to futile efforts.
“Don’t think about slowly nurturing this; just give me everything you’ve prepared. Fighting is my specialty, after all.”
As he observed the confident Ghislaine, Marquis Branford’s mind became a tangled mess.
Count Brivant was kind but lazy and timid. To the Marquis, he seemed no different from a parasite living off the taxes and techniques of the tower.
“But if it’s this guy…”
Initially, he thought Ghislaine only wanted to be a guardian to make his work easier, backed by power.
But now it appeared to be more than that. Considering that the Marquis was the leader of the Crown Prince Faction, Ghislaine came forth with a purpose.
There might be some noise surrounding this decision, but altering the support target to Ghislaine now would not be difficult.
It wasn’t difficult to do.
There was a justification that the leader was a talented person taking on the role of a guardian.
Anyway, the Crown Prince Faction didn’t choose the Brivant Territory because they particularly liked it. It was just that the other territories in the North were such a mess that they had no choice but to select it.
‘Ah, so there was a reason for risking my life and charging in like this.’
This guy was growing on me more and more. He was definitely better than the lazy Count Brivant. If I was going to support someone, it had to be a guy like him.
However, liking him aside, he couldn’t make decisions on his own to move the entire faction.
Besides, the risk factors couldn’t be ignored.
‘What if this guy is a pawn of the Duke?’
If someone who had gained all the power of the Crown Prince Faction turned out to be a spy, it would only strengthen the Duke Delphine’s power.
“I understand what you’re saying. But the risk factors are too great to support you blindly.”
Ghislaine shot back grumpily.
“Can we trust Count Brivant?”
“I’ve done sufficient investigation on the Count.”
“Don’t you know me well too?”
“…I can see it’s quite different from the assessment known so far.”
In truth, the biggest reason for not trusting Ghislaine was this. He couldn’t understand why he was hiding himself.
‘Ah, should I just blurt out that I’m from the future?’
Ghislaine pressed down his frustration and said flatly.
“If you can’t trust me, how about trusting my father? I am the heir and vassal of Perdium.”
“Hmm.”
The Marquis stroked his chin, deep in thought.
Surely, Count Perdium was trustworthy.
A man who had silently defended the border for many years and remained loyal to the royal family.
Some nobles of the Crown Prince Faction even suggested that it would be better to raise that responsible man instead of Count Brivant.
But due to how poor the Perdium Territory was, they had crossed him off the candidate list, thinking he wouldn’t be able to offer any support.
‘Unbelievable. I can’t believe I’m having to consider moving the entire faction just because of one guy.’
Marquis Branford couldn’t help but chuckle inwardly.
It was ridiculous to be pondering such nonsense, but there was something even more absurd: the fact that he was actually intrigued by the ridiculous option that the guy presented.
As he was mulling it over, Ghislaine spoke again.
“I’m sure you’ve also heard reports about the war between Perdium and Digald.”
“Why bring that up all of a sudden?”
“You seem quite unsettled. It seems someone is instigating Digald from behind. I don’t have the evidence to show… but I suspect Count Desmond supported the troops.”
It’s not that there wasn’t evidence. The knight of Desmond he had captured back then was still in Ghislaine’s hands.
But he couldn’t publicly reveal that yet. He had to save that for a later purpose.
However, just the hunch alone was sufficient to persuade the Marquis.
“…What you’re saying is…”
“Count Desmond is a suspicious person. It’s possible that we may both have the same enemy.”
“Perhaps there are still some left.”
In any case, the fact that Ghislaine had allied with the Crown Prince Faction would spread rumors soon enough. Therefore, there was no need to hide their strained relationship with Duke Delphine.
Marquis Branford gestured to his butler.
“Bring me the documents regarding the war in Perdium.”
The marquis meticulously went through the materials brought by the butler.
There was nothing special; it was just another common territorial conflict occurring in the North.
The only thing that raised suspicion was:
“The scale of the troops sent from Digald was larger than anticipated…”
Though it was said to be due to excessive conscription and hiring many mercenaries, the author of the report added a personal opinion about suspicious movements in Desmond.
If Count Desmond had helped Digald, it would all fall into place.
As it was, the Crown Prince Faction was already suspicious that Count Desmond had sided with the Duke Faction.
Marquis Branford closed his eyes again and fell deep into thought.
Everyone else maintained a tense silence.
Especially Claude, who couldn’t hide his anxiousness, biting his lip.
“Our biggest problem, the population issue, is something we can’t solve by ourselves. If the marquis helps us, what would take decades could be resolved quickly. It’s a tremendous opportunity.”
Even if they brought in firewood farmers from the mountains, they were still short on labor.
No matter how much money they made, solving the population problem was not easy.
“Most are serfs, and unless they escape, they can’t come to our territory.”
Even if the Penris Territory gained a good reputation, except for the freedmen with permission, they couldn’t move freely.
It wasn’t easy to get back the territory residents who had fled from Penris Territory back in the day. Nearby lords were making excuses not to return them.
“No, how on earth did someone who only roamed within the territory get such information?”
He looked at Ghislaine as if seeing something unfamiliar.
After a long deliberation, Marquis Branford opened his eyes and asked.
“Do you have any other requests?”
“Yes. Perdium has only recently experienced war. No matter how much we earn, it seems it will take time to stabilize the territory.”
“And?”
“I would like to request a three-year deferral on tax payments for Perdium and its vassals.”
“….”
The retainers frowned and muttered to each other.
How could they ask for a tax deferral when they were hoarding money like a dragon?
Even a great lord with vast power wouldn’t dare say they couldn’t pay taxes. If they did, they’d face blame from numerous nobles and officials.
Before losing face, it was clear the royal family wouldn’t stay quiet.
Saving a few coins could end up creating enemies.
“I don’t think it’s sheer greed…”
The marquis clicked his tongue inwardly, unable to understand Ghislaine’s intentions.
Ghislaine hadn’t appeared that foolish so far, but the time spent with him wasn’t enough to guess what he was aiming for.
However, Claude, who had experienced Ghislaine’s tricks multiple times, instinctively realized that more trouble was ahead and his face fell.
‘Not going to pay taxes?’
Ghislaine was not the type to save money in that manner.
This clearly indicated that he had plans that required a massive sum of money. He was even trying to save up for taxes!
‘Sigh, I’m going to suffer again. Now that I just need to sell cosmetics, what’s making him stir up more trouble?’
Why can’t I, Claude, be happy!
Marquis Branford chuckled as he saw Claude’s face turn black as if he were dying.
Seeing his subordinate react so dramatically suggested it wasn’t a substantial reason.
By now, he was curious just how far Ghislaine planned to go.
“Is there anything else you need?”
“For now, this should suffice. If you grant permission for my previous request, the rest will take care of itself.”
If there was something he desperately needed, it was to block the nobility’s criticism.
Receiving territory residents from the directly governed territory and not paying taxes would provide grounds for other nobles to pick a fight.
Yet, if Marquis Branford supported him, no one would dare to voice their discontent.
Therefore, there was no need for Ghislaine to ask him to help.
Understanding Ghislaine’s intentions, Marquis Branford smirked.
‘He had no choice but to come to me.’
He had to persuade the royal family and the Crown Prince Faction nobles to change the supported territory, postpone tax payments, and serve as a shield against attacks from other nobles.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say no one else could do it.
From the looks of things, Ghislaine seemed to be laying the groundwork to ensure that he’d continue to receive help, using the excuse of being his guardian.
‘This guy has an extraordinary audacity.’
Whether it was for the position of a great lord or an even greater power, it was clear he was aiming to use him for something.
Even without Rosalyn’s matter, he would have found some bizarre way to approach him.
If it was this guy in front of him, that would undoubtedly be the case.
The marquis stroked his chin, lost in thought. Now that it had come to this, it seemed better to solidify their relationship a little more.
“I heard you have a younger sister.”
“Yes.”
“What do you think about forming a marriage alliance with one of the influential nobles of the Crown Prince Faction? It would be fine to tie our families together. If you’re agreeable, I can find an appropriate person from the branch family.”
Everyone present was taken aback.
The dignified and cold Marquis Branford was offering to play matchmaker!
An offer like this was too glorious for a small family like Perdium to refuse.
Everyone thought Ghislaine would accept immediately.
But Ghislaine, without answering, lowered his head and touched his forehead.
To make such a proposal… this was undeniably a suggestion to take his sister hostage.
Chuckling to himself, he lifted his head and said, “I appreciate the kind offer, but I must decline.”
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