31: Charlie's Choice

"Father!" Carter softly reminded his father, whose words were becoming increasingly extreme.

Evans finally stopped.

"To tell you the truth, one of those four baronies in the Red River Valley has already been reserved by the Grand Duke for a descendant of the Grand Ducal family as a fief."

"Of the remaining three fiefs, one is going to the Border Defense Army. The Border Defense Army contributed significantly this time by repelling the invasion of the Fel Orcs, so a quota must be allocated to the military nobles within their ranks."

"As for the final two baronies, whether it's Horn, Gallio, Lambert, or even myself, we all have ideas and want our own family descendants to fight for them. I'm not even certain I can secure one fief myself, and yet you still want to restore your own?"

"Do you have any idea how many titled nobles in Rage Bear City are waiting to obtain a fief right now?"

"At a time like this, you're still thinking about restoring your fiefs—don't you think it's laughable?"

"What you need to do now is return to your families and find a way to restore your strength, rather than daydreaming here."

Evans's words completely shattered the delusions of Charlie and the others.

"I... I understand, Lord Evans."

"Thank you for your trouble!"

Knowing there was no hope before him, Charlie bowed respectfully to Evans and left the manor without looking back.

The remaining few saw Charlie leave so decisively; after a moment of stunned silence, they also bowed to Evans and chose to depart.

Once they had all left, Carter turned back and asked his father.

"Father, are you truly interested in a fief in the Red River Valley?"

"Why wouldn't I want a Barony if I can get one? If I don't fight for it, Horn and the others will anyway."

"So regardless of whether I can win it, I have to try. It would be best if I get it, but it doesn't matter if I don't."

"But the Red River Valley isn't peaceful right now. I've heard that the Fel Orcs in the Wasteland of Chaos to the north show signs of a large-scale southward movement. That remote area of the Red River Valley is right on the edge of the Black Mountain Range. Whether it's a massive southward push by the Fel Orcs or a Black Tide erupting from the Black Forest, the Red River Valley could be wiped out in an instant. Isn't a Barony there essentially useless?"

Evans looked at his third son. He was only nineteen this year but was already a Silver Mid-rank knight; he truly lived up to the resources Evans had spent to cultivate him.

Carter was excellent in all aspects. Evans had previously felt that Carter had no major flaws and would soon be able to share his burdens, just like his two older brothers.

Looking at him now, he was still lacking a bit.

"Carter, it seems you've stayed in the family for too long and don't know the cruelty of the outside world."

"What task is without risk? Should we stop doing something just because there's a bit of risk involved?"

"How many people are desperate for a Barony? These past few days, several Earls and over a dozen Viscounts have been arguing until the roof nearly blew off Thunder Hall over these few baronies."

"Everyone wants to secure a Barony for their family to strengthen their family's power."

"Ever since the Kingdom signed peace treaties with the barbarian tribes of the High Rock Hills to the east and the Dwarf clans of the Eight Peaks Mountain Range to the west, our Rage Bear Territory has been unable to expand in those two directions."

"As for the Black Mountain Range to the north, even when His Grace the Grand Duke and His Highness Volrigard personally took action back then, they made no progress. Who has the strength now to continue expanding territory to the north?"

"Our Rage Bear Territory hasn't seen a new pioneering territory appear for nearly twenty years. Twenty years, my child."

"All the good places with resources in the Rage Bear Territory have already been enfeoffed. The remaining barren lands are useless; putting resources into them is just losing money. Besides, the Grand Duke doesn't want to grant even those wastelands as fiefs anymore."

"Of those four baronies in the Red River Valley, one has a salt mine, one has an iron mine, and the other two have fertile land and high-quality advanced timber resources. Crucially, the Red River is there, allowing communication with Rage Bear Fortress via the waterway."

"Aside from being too remote and close to the Black Forest, the value of those four baronies is very high."

"As for the danger?"

"Whether the Fel Orcs can break through the Black Mountain Range is still an unknown, and the Black Tide hasn't erupted for quite some years."

"Let a family descendant go there and try. If they succeed, the family gains a Barony with good income; if they fail, it's just the loss of some initial investment. Either way, it's not a loss."

"Remember, my child, investment involves risk. There is no such thing as a foolproof investment; the higher the risk, the richer the reward."

Evans's teaching made an impression on Carter.

"I understand, Father."

"No, you don't fully understand yet."

"In a couple of days, I will arrange a position for you in the Border Defense Army. Go and train in the Border Defense Army for a year."

"You've grown up; it's time for you to see the cruelty of the North."

Facing his father's arrangement, Carter readily agreed. Going out for training was a family tradition, and it also meant he was about to take over some of the family's authority.

"Yes, Father!"

...Outside the manor, Charlie was caught up by his companions as he was returning to his family.

"Charlie, you left too quickly. We spent so much money; even if we can't return to the Red River Valley, we should have had Earl Evans point us toward a clear path!"

Hearing this, Charlie snorted in disdain.

"Point us toward a clear path? Have you not realized yet? That Black Gold Pig never intended to help us at all, despite all the gold coins we shelled out and all the family treasures we gave him."

"And the result?"

"All we got in return was a knightly title!"

"Just how much money has that Black Gold Pig embezzled? How could the Grand Duke let him be the Finance Minister?"

"Did you see what he was eating just now? It was Honey-Snow Fruit, a specialty of the Blackwater Territory in the South. Those things are hard to transport; shipping them all the way from the South to Rage Bear Fortress costs one gold coin each, and that Black Gold Pig ate a dozen of them in no time."

"Then there's the Ghost Swordsman Gyle and that black-clad swordsman. They are both Silver Peak top-tier swordsmen, just one step away from entering Gold Rank. Why did they choose to serve Evans? It's because that Black Gold Pig is generous."

"That guy just tosses out two bottles of advanced magic potion like it's nothing. Damn it, the money he's spending includes what we gave him!"

"Insatiable Black Gold Pig, using our money to buy people's loyalty."

"His Grace the Grand Duke never intended to kill us this time. We would have been better off giving that money directly to His Grace; perhaps we could have gotten a better outcome."

"That Black Gold Pig already made it very clear just now—our families' territories have already been reserved by those high nobles. They're just pieces of fat on their dinner tables."

"The gold coins we sent this time were completely wasted."

Charlie shouted in anger, and his companions quickly covered his mouth.

"Don't be so loud! We aren't far from the Black Gold Manor. Don't let Earl Evans hear you."

"So what if he hears?"

Charlie talked tough, but his voice unconsciously lowered significantly. The group also accelerated their departure from the manor's vicinity.

"So what do we do now?"

"Did you hear what that Black Gold Pig said earlier?"

"What?"

"His Grace the Grand Duke wants to send a descendant of the Raging Bear Family to the Red River Valley."

"It seemed he did say that." His companion nodded.

"I've decided. I'll go back and wait for the Grand Duke to determine which member of the Raging Bear Family is heading north to the Red River Valley. Then, I'll lead my family to follow him there."

"Members of these high noble families have never been to the border regions, especially the Red River Valley near the Black Forest. They need locals like us who are familiar with the environment to serve as guides."

"To be followers?"

The others fell into deep thought upon hearing Charlie's idea.

"Think about it yourselves. I'm heading back to my family first. The Rock Crystal Family cannot perish in my hands. Even as a follower, I'm going back."