Chapter 146: Suspicion

"Have you packed everything?" Akar stood outside the wasteland and asked Jinna beside him.

"Third Uncle, everything is packed." Aches helped Anna onto the nearby carriage, then nodded toward Akar.

"Good."

With that, Akar turned and walked toward a nearby knight.

After killing the Village Chief’s family of Kalel Village, Akar did not flee. Instead, he sent someone to find the Bruno Merchant Guild's branch head stationed in Kalel Village and had him deliver a letter to Monica in Red River City. In the letter, Akar did not hide his actions or faults, but he did alter certain wording: for example, though he was the one who struck first, the letter stated that the Village Chief’s grandson, Yabos, had humiliated his nephew first, with language clearly containing contempt and insult toward the Soderbell Family.

Later, when the Village Chief realized the gravity of the situation, although he wanted to quickly quell the matter, he chose the wrong method: he attempted to use the influence of the Kasein Family to try to kill Akar in order to silence him.

In summary, Akar indeed acted rashly. However, seeing his nephew so humiliated, and considering that the opponent's words had insulted the Soderbell Family, the Billy Family, and the Bole Family—and even falsely implicated and tarnished the Kasein Family’s reputation—Akar felt that even if he had acted on impulse, he was justified. He was also willing to pay a certain amount in compensation.

As for why it was Akar representing the Soderbell Family to come for Aches instead of his older brother Yam taking Aches back to White Mountain Territory, Akar explained that Yam had been busy handling affairs in White Mountain Territory. There were signs that the unknown forces who had previously attacked Westerburg in White Mountain Territory had acted again, so Yam could not leave.

Kalel Village was about three days’ travel from Red River City at a normal pace, but for larger merchant caravans, it usually took four to five days.

Likewise, if traveling by fast horse, it usually took about two days.

And now, it had only been four days since the massacre Akar carried out in Kalel Village—yet the Bruno Merchant Guild had already sent a messenger on a fast horse, and Monica had immediately arranged for a Bloodline Knight to deliver the Kasein Family’s decision regarding Akar’s actions.

But after reading the letter, although Akar appeared relieved on the surface, he actually felt a weight settle in his heart.

In the letter, Monica highly praised Akar for dealing with the vermin that had tarnished the Kasein Family’s name. She also waived all compensation owed by the Soderbell Family, and warmly inquired about Aches’s health, even stating that if needed, she would send Eric to White Mountain Territory again.

If that was all, it would have seemed like a normal social letter.

However, the letter also stated that the Bloodline Knight delivering the message would accompany Akar and help escort Aches to White Mountain Territory, and that along the way, they would carry the “Kasein Family” banner to ensure the journey’s safety.

Nominally, this was an escort.

But in reality, it was also surveillance: the Kasein Family clearly found it suspicious that the Soderbell Family had suddenly produced an “Aches Soderbell.” This matter also involved policy and administrative issues in Kalel Village. After all, White Mountain Territory had just been attacked, and all clues pointed to the Kasein Family. Even though Yam had clearly stated that he believed it was a setup, only a short time had passed since that statement, and now Akar had killed the Kasein Family’s appointed administrator in their own territory.

No matter how magnanimous the Kasein Family might be, they were bound to take a suspicious stance—especially since the other party bore the legacy of the “Bourbon Family.”

Still.

Although Akar felt a heaviness in his heart, he wasn’t overly concerned.

Because from the moment he decided to strike against the Village Chief’s family in Kalel Village, he had already anticipated this outcome.

“Thank you, Sir Foss.” Akar smiled warmly at the Kasein Family knight standing nearby.

“Lord Akar, no need to be so polite,” Foss replied with a smile. “I’ve looked into the matter. It truly was the Village Chief’s family in Kalel Village who were at fault. I’ve already had the messenger send a written report back to Lady Monica. I believe she’ll soon dispatch guards.”

As he spoke, Foss’s gaze also fell on Aches and the young companions at his side.

His tone turned sentimental. “I understand your feelings, Lord Akar. If my family were treated that way, I might have been even more ruthless than you.”

“Sir Foss, you came from the west?”

“Mm.” A trace of melancholy appeared on Foss’s face.

Currently, in Red Eagle Territory, the Kasein Family was essentially the sole dominant force. As a result, many Bloodline Users weary of wandering had begun choosing a strong protector in the region, and most turned to the Kasein Family. This had allowed the Kasein Family to experience an unprecedented surge in power over the past two years.

For example, the very knight standing before Akar—Sir Foss—was a Third-Tier Bloodline User who had wandered in from the west and pledged fealty to Monica about a year ago.

Though the Kasein Family was a Marquis Family, and Marquis Visen himself a Sixth-Tier Bloodline User, they had only taken full control of Red Eagle Territory in the past five years. Their foundation was not as deep as that of the surrounding great noble houses. As such, even the number of Third-Tier Bloodline Users was relatively low. What’s more, Marquis Visen had ambitions to form a knight order, which naturally required both a greater number and higher quality of Bloodline Knights.

Thus, although Sir Foss had only been under the Kasein Family’s banner for a year, he was already a widely known figure in Red River Territory.

Of course, much of this recognition also came from Sir Foss’s own remarkable abilities.

“I heard things in the west have fallen into chaos?”

"Yes." Foss's gaze toward Akar suddenly turned somewhat meaningful. "The Siger Family has suffered heavy losses and has completely lost control over the Western Region. The Western Army Commander of the Kingdom's Military has adopted a defensive strategy, guarding the key passage from the west to the Kingdom's heartland, but has allowed the cavalry of the Aust Empire to rampage freely in the Western Region. The flames of war have gradually spread to the territory of the Kingdom's Wall. Their intentions are now very clear."

Akar was not particularly skilled in military strategy.

So upon hearing Foss’s words, he didn’t fully grasp the specifics, only vaguely understanding that the western part of the Tyrella Kingdom was now a quagmire.

Foss clearly realized this, so he quickly changed the subject and didn’t delve deeper into military matters. "This boy—he’s your family’s lost bloodline?"

"Yes." Akar nodded. "He is my eldest brother, Arsen Soderbell’s son. He died in a conspiracy. My father and second brother only recently learned about it. We investigated for over a year before finally finding a clue. But since White Mountain Territory is currently facing some problems, Yam couldn’t come, so he sent word for me to fetch Aches."

"White Mountain Territory is in trouble again?"

"Yes." Hearing the surprise in Foss’s voice, Akar nodded, his expression particularly grave. "I don’t know the specifics either. My brother didn’t explain clearly in his letter. So aside from picking up Aches, I also want to go see what exactly is happening there, and whether I’m needed."

"I see." Foss nodded slightly.

"They seem to be about ready. Let’s head over."

While Akar and Foss were speaking, Aches's side had also finished preparing.

This time, Akar wasn’t just taking Jinna and Aches.

Also named to leave with them were over a dozen of Aches’s young companions and their parents.

Among these, aside from the three boys Akar favored—the ones who first ran up to him and helped suggest ideas—the rest were the children who had been willing to return home to get copper coins.

However, among all of them, the only ones Akar truly valued were the first three boys.

The others, those dozen or so, were Akar’s way of repaying the kindness they had shown earlier. Regardless of their initial hesitation, the fact that they had been willing to hand over their savings in the end made Akar feel they were still worth saving.

Of course, he had noticed the desire and pleading in the eyes of other children’s parents, but Akar remained firm in his refusal. Their selfishness wasn’t a sin—it was human instinct. He himself would make “selfish choices” when facing certain issues. Akar simply believed that once a choice was made, one should be prepared to face its consequences.

Soon.

This grand convoy of nearly twenty carriages set off.

Although Foss had come alone to Kalel Village, Monica had long arranged for a guard unit to wait on the road from Kalel Village to White Mountain Territory. They would travel with Foss and be responsible for escorting Akar and his group back to White Mountain Territory.

...

Meanwhile, at the Lord's Manor in Red River City, Monica was reporting to Marquis Visen.

Though Monica had officially taken over governance of Red Eagle Territory and was in name its true lord, she still lacked the strength to handle major affairs. For those, she had to seek her grandfather Marquis Visen’s counsel.

"Grandfather, the matter has been thoroughly investigated." Monica's expression was unusually grim. "There are indeed traces of the Forest Witches in Red Eagle Territory. They’ve been hiding here for over thirty years."

"Do you mean you only traced their tracks back thirty years, or that their activity has only spanned the past thirty years?"

"Only traced back thirty years," Monica answered in a low voice. "Based on my analysis, I suspect they’ve remained in Red Eagle Territory since the fall of the Bourbon Family. I don’t know the specific reason, but I suspect they’ve been hunting the bloodline of the Bourbon Family all this time."

"To hide in Red Eagle Territory this long without being discovered, someone must be helping them." Marquis Visen shook his head. "That white swan alone couldn’t have pulled this off. So... Count Shuvaric is involved too."

Monica didn’t respond.

She knew well that when it came to intelligence analysis, she wasn’t even half as capable as her grandfather. At such times, she always envied the late Burton—he had not only been highly talented, but also outstanding in deduction and intelligence work. Unfortunately, he had been too arrogant and had enjoyed a smooth life for too long, forgetting the ever-present dangers of the world.

"I saw you sent Foss out as well—did you find a lead?"

"No." Monica shook her head. "It’s about Kalel Village."

"Kalel Village?" Marquis Visen frowned. "What happened there?"

"Some elders in the family had been secretly funding and bribing the Village Chief of Kalel Village. So when Joshua transported goods from Gem Territory, a portion was secretly siphoned off. The profits were large, and they operated very discreetly, so Anna never noticed. I only discovered this after delving deeper into the issues Akar Soderbell caused there."

"The Soderbell Family again?"

"Arsen Soderbell, the eldest son of Ion Soderbell, reportedly died in a conspiracy twelve years ago. But what the Soderbell Family didn’t know is that Arsen had already fathered a child. They only recently discovered the existence of this bloodline and hurried to retrieve him. However, the child had suffered greatly under the Village Chief’s family in Kalel Village, which led Akar to kill them."

"How did you handle it?"

"I gave the Soderbell Family some face." Monica explained her course of action.

"Sometimes, punishment is necessary to assert authority."

Marquis Visen made a brief remark that made Monica realize she had erred in not demanding compensation from the Soderbell Family.

"But just now you said Yam didn’t personally go to retrieve the Soderbell bloodline, and sent Akar instead?"

"Yes." Monica nodded. "Reportedly, Yam is busy handling urgent affairs in White Mountain Territory and couldn’t leave."

"Are there any urgent affairs in White Mountain Territory recently?" A trace of doubt appeared on Marquis Visen’s face.

"I haven’t heard of any." Monica also shook her head. "But based on our intelligence, Yam hasn’t shown up for some time."

"Didn’t you say Yam encountered Forest Witches?"

"Yes." Monica nodded.

"Interesting." Marquis Visen suddenly smiled.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.