Chapter 205 55 Using Public Property for Personal Purposes
Chapter 205 -55- Public tools for private use
After leaving the Earl's Mansion, Viscount Len Castel sat in his carriage and returned to his family's residence in North Port with great concern.
As soon as he got out of the car, Derek de Lencastle, surrounded by servants, hurried over to greet him and asked with a worried look:
"Grandpa, how are you? Did the little Earl of Castres give you any trouble?"
The old Viscount frowned at him and scolded:
"What little count? That is our lord, the respected Lord Count Castells!"
Derek was startled, as if he was a little surprised by his grandfather's sudden change of attitude:
"Grandpa, you are not..."
The old Viscount glared at him, glanced at the surrounding servants, and whispered:
"Come to the study with me."
Entering the study, Viscount Len-Castell dismissed the waiter and maid, while Derek took the initiative to pour his favorite Syonite mead for his grandfather.
The old Viscount picked up the wine glass and took a sip, his expression softened slightly, and Derek couldn't help but ask:
"Grandfather, why do you... suddenly have so much respect for the little... Earl?"
The old Viscount glanced at him and said calmly:
"We are Castel's vassals, and it is our duty to be loyal to the lord. Naturally, we should respect the Earl."
"But...but didn't you say before that Castel has no future and will be annexed by other big nobles sooner or later?"
Derek couldn't help but say.
He frowned, puzzled by his grandfather's change:
"Without the protection of the Blazing Sun and the loss of the protection of the Boulder family, Castel is still a vassal of Bold, but everyone can see that it is already on the verge of collapse. As a branch of Castel, we must You need to plan early, and the Fallen Star Bloodborn is a force that can be invested in..."
After listening to his grandson's words, the old Viscount looked at him deeply:
"These words were told to you by your friends from Fallen Star Kingdom, right?"
Derek made a move, quickly lowered his head and said:
"You... are worrying too much. I don't have any friends from Fallen Star Kingdom..."
The old Viscount waved his hand and said:
"Okay, even though I'm old, I'm not blind. I haven't asked about some things, but that doesn't mean I don't know. I just don't want to ask more. After all, sometimes, it's always good to prepare more escape routes... "
"Don't worry, the Leon-Castle family will belong to you sooner or later. I don't have the energy to train a new heir. Although you don't have the talent like your father, you are better than your prodigal uncles." , leave the family to you, at least the defeat will be slower."
After hearing his grandfather's words, Derek's face turned pale and red:
"Grandpa, I didn't..."
The old Viscount sighed:
"I know you don't have any bad intentions. I'm always strict with you. Several of your uncles have their own territories. It's normal for you to worry about your inheritance. You can also make friends with some extraordinary people to stabilize your position. understand……"
"It is better to say that even I acquiesce in your actions. The North is no better than the South. If the blood descendants of the Fallen Star Kingdom want to extend their hands into Castel, our small Len branch will not have the power to do so. To compete... Instead of doing this, it is better to surrender to the past, and maybe take advantage of the change of power to maintain or even strengthen the family's status. "
"Then...have you changed your mind now? Why?"
Derek couldn't help but ask.
The old Viscount glanced at him:
"You should have known about the attack on the Earl last night, right?"
Derek subconsciously wanted to deny it, but looking into his grandfather's deep eyes, he finally nodded honestly:
"Yes I know……"
However, after nodding, he quickly said:
"But I didn't know that they actually used Arles as a cover, and I never thought that that guy from Arles would suddenly push us, Len Castel, to the forefront! This is different from what was promised at the beginning!"
The old Viscount snorted coldly and said:
"Don't you understand yet? These fallen star blood descendants are forcing us, Len Castel, to take sides. After all, among the three viscounts, we are the closest to Castel, and we have the best reputation in the earldom. Well, the influence is also the highest. It is easy to take advantage of the in-law relationship to strengthen one's own power after problems arise in the Castel family..."
"The new moon is not a falling star, let alone Coria. After all, those blood descendants do not dare to blatantly rule the North. In the end, they have to rely on the nobles of the North!"
Speaking of this, the old Viscount seemed to have remembered something, and suddenly asked:
"Derek, after yesterday, the blood descendants of Fallen Star Kingdom didn't continue to contact you, right?"
Derek looked a little embarrassed: "How do you know?"
"You...you know everything?"
"To tell you the truth, yes, they did not contact me again. They clearly promised that they would succeed, but it seems... but it seems..."
"But it seems to have failed, and the contact was suddenly lost after the failure, right?"
Viscount Len-Castell asked.
"Yes."
Derek answered honestly.
Seeing his grandson who was not very clever but always arrogant, the old Viscount suddenly felt tired.
He sighed and said seriously:
"Derek, stop contacting the Fallen Star blood descendants."
"The blood descendants of the Fallen Star Kingdom are probably no match for the Earl. The Earl's background is far beyond our imagination. After all, she is the child of His Highness. Even if the family is in decline, she will still have some trump cards in her hand. ”
"Grandpa, what happened?"
Derek couldn't help but ask.
The old Viscount paused and said:
"The Blood Count who planned this infiltration is probably dead."
"Dead...dead?"
Derek's eyes widened and he couldn't help but scream.
The old Viscount glared at him:
"Keep your voice down. It's good that you know this, but... I think it will spread in your circle soon..."
"Overnight, the Earl quietly eliminated a Blazing Sun blood descendant who was targeting her. There must be a strong person guarding her in secret. Castel's heritage is still there."
After hearing his grandfather's words, Derek's expression changed slightly:
"Then...then what should we do?"
The old Viscount glanced at him with disgust:
"Why are you panicking? It's the vampires of Fallen Star Kingdom who are trying to overthrow Castel, not us Len Castel!"
"But……"
"It's nothing, Derek. The past is in the past. Even if the Earl doesn't know the details of what you did, I'm afraid he knows a lot about it. Otherwise, he wouldn't beat me up. However, the Earl I have no intention of continuing to investigate. The ones who will be unlucky are the blood descendants who have sneaked into the earldom and the nobles who have followed them wholeheartedly. "
After hearing his grandfather's words, Derek suddenly felt something in his heart:
"what do you mean……"
"I mean, this might be our chance with Len Castel as well."
The old Viscount said it with profound meaning.
As he spoke, he took out the review order that Charlotte gave him from his arms and handed it to his grandson:
"Derek, next you must draw a clear line between you and the blood descendants of Fallen Star, and assist me in completing this work."
Derek took it and browsed it carefully, then his face turned pale:
"Examine the nobles? Wait... you need to check the family property?! Your Lord Count is going to put us, Len Castel, on the fire! And... how can we make other nobles obedient? !”
"Grandfather, if we really do this, the reputation we have accumulated among the nobles over the years will probably collapse, and all the Castel nobles will be hostile to us!"
The old Viscount sighed:
"Of course I know these things, but we have no choice... The earl has made it clear that he will never allow us to have both sides. The power of the Castel family cannot depose all the nobles in the earl territory, but it can't deal with just one The Viscount’s family is more than enough.”
As he spoke, he gritted his teeth:
"Since we have no choice, we might as well completely pledge our loyalty to the Earl, assist Castel in crushing the Fallen Star Bloodline's plan, and maximize the benefits for us, Len Castel!"
"But... but will this really not cause a rebellion among the territorial nobles? We Len Castel will definitely be the first to suffer! The earl may just be overthrown, deposed, and driven away, but we Len Castel may be destroyed by the anger of other nobles! "
The old Viscount drank all the mead in the cup and said quietly:
"Derek, do you know how many people the Earl sent out when he took back the mining workshop?"
"how many people?"
Derek couldn't help but asked curiously.
The old Viscount made a three sign:
"Three people, only three people, except for the earl, there are only three people, and two of them are accompanying maids, plus at most one pet cat..."
"Three people? How is this possible?! There are extraordinary beings and guards stationed at the mining workshop! Why does she..."
Derek looked ridiculous.
"Why? Based on the prestige of the Castel family that has ruled the Northland for hundreds of years, based on the title of Earl of the Northland, and based on Castel's influence in the kingdom!"
The old Viscount said loudly.
As he said this, he glanced at his grandson and said:
"Even though Lord Earl is younger than you, she is much stronger than you."
"As far as I know, he broke into the mine that day with only his butler. Not only did he kill a blood descendant of the second level of Silver Moon, but he also gained the allegiance of the mine guards in a few words!"
"Not only that, even Viscount Remicio, who guards the Castel Silver Mine, has an old relationship with the Castel family. He even assisted the count in putting down the rebellious mine steward that day!"
"Before I left, His Excellency the Earl said that he would send professional personnel to assist in the review process. If my guess is correct... it is very likely that it will be Viscount Remicio."
"The Kingdom's Army? She...she dares to ask for help from the Kingdom's Army? Caster is not a vassal of His Majesty the King! Such behavior will never be approved by the nobles!"
Derek couldn't help but said.
"But... what if the earl holds evidence of betrayal by the nobles? What if the earl has a legal reason to take back the title?"
The old Viscount said quietly.
As he spoke, he sighed softly:
"The blood descendants of the Fallen Star Kingdom were wrong, and they are still wrong after all..."
"They thought they could use provoking internal fighting among the Castel nobles to better balance the power of the nobles and make it easier for them to control them, but they didn't expect that they would instead give the Earl a big gift..."
"With the leverage over the nobles, the Earl has every reason to magnify the small matter and take back the title. If someone rebels, it will be no different from rebellion. With personal relationships, she can certainly ask for help from Viscount Remigio."
"I heard that the Remigio family is very short of money, and what Castel lacks the least is money. Viscount Remigio is a guy who dares to do anything as long as he is paid enough. The Earl is fully capable of bypassing the various restrictions of the kingdom's army and winning over the Remigio family through private employment or even alliance!"
"At that time, the army guarding the Castel silver mine will replace the crescent flag and raise the flag of the Remigio family. Even if Everyone knows that they are not Remigio's conscripts but the real kingdom army, so they can only accept it with a pinch of their noses. The private soldiers of the nobles in the north are definitely not the opponents of those well-equipped professional armies! "
"Derek, the descendants of the fallen star can no longer control Castel. If they want to control Castel, they must control the earl, but they have failed. "
"The supernatural power is protected by a mysterious strongman, and the secular army can be won over by the Remigio family. If my guess is correct, maybe Viscount Remigio has already received the earl's letter for help! "
Listening to his grandfather's various analyses, Derek was stunned.
The old viscount looked helplessly at his grandson who was almost useless except for his extraordinary talent, and sighed:
"Derek, get close to the Earl in the future."
"I have a hunch... Even if there is the support of the legendary blood clan behind them, those Fallen Star Bloods may not be the Earl's opponents!"
"Although the Earl is young, even I, a second-level Silver Moon Knight, always dare not breathe in front of her. Anyone who really treats her as a child will probably suffer a great loss!"
...
The grandfather and grandson of the Ryan-Castel family had a heart-to-heart talk, and it was almost determined the direction of the family's next position.
At the same time, in the kingdom army stationed outside the Castel Silver Mine, Viscount Remigio also received Charlotte's letter sent by the teleportation array.
The fierce-looking viscount sat by the campfire, eating barbecue while picking up the letter with his greasy hands and reading it, sneering:
"Huh? Hiring the Kingdom Army guarding the mine? Hey, this little earl is really brave! How could the Kingdom Army interfere in the affairs of the Duke's vassal? This is misappropriation of public property! And it's overstepping one's authority!"
As he spoke, he picked up the large wooden cup of wine beside him and took a big sip, but when he saw the number of hired funds on the letter, he immediately sprayed out all the wine in his mouth:
"Puff... cough cough cough... cough cough cough cough... The commission for a Kingdom soldier is at least 500 quintana?!"
With a change of expression, Viscount Remigio stood up and shouted to the adjutant who was drinking with others not far away:
"Glenn! How many clan flags did the family bring? Turn them all out for me!"