ALL NOVEL Chapter 91
Chapter 91: Hierarchy Re-organization (6)
Mateus von Gustin’s initial strategy was simple.
He planned for three branch families, excluding the Igreet family, to swiftly mobilize their forces and besiege Varehein City.
At the same time, they would decisively crush any northern noble reinforcements en route.
Meanwhile, the elders would cause internal chaos by rallying support within.
Ideally, it would result in the fall of the Adalbert family, though even if they held out, it wouldn’t matter.
After all, they only had to wait for Marquis Royce’s reinforcements to arrive.
However, this meticulously crafted plan crumbled before it even started.
“Ha…”
Mateus, with a look of disbelief, stared at those entering through the castle gates.
There stood Elder Aren, Elder Marius, and their followers, all of whom were panting heavily as if exhausted.
Despite their visible fatigue, neither elder could bring themselves to meet Mateus’ gaze, their expressions full of shame.
“…What on earth happened?”
“The Young Lord uncovered our secret alliance. With the information leaked, we had no choice but to escape Varehein City,” Elder Marius explained.
Elder Aren added, “Indeed, had it not been for an informant we placed within the Bitenfeld family who warned us just in time, we would have fallen to the Young Lord as well.”
Mateus gritted his teeth at the elders’ account.
“How did Martin learn of it?”
“It seems Adel Bitenfeld disclosed everything to the Young Lord,” Marius replied. “The two joined forces, and during today’s assembly, they attacked the Bitenfeld family head.”
“An assembly? All the family’s key retainers would’ve been there, especially with the Blue Dragon Knights. That should mean the White Dragon and Gold Dragon Knights would have mobilized. But I haven’t heard of them leaving Varehein City. You’re not saying Martin fought them all alone, are you?”
“Well, that’s…”
“Urgent report!”
A knight came running, interrupting Elder Marius.
“The Bitenfeld family has just made an official announcement! Oliver von Bitenfeld attempted a rebellion but was suppressed by Martin Adalbert. He and the other traitors were then escorted to Varehein City, and Adel Bitenfeld was officially inaugurated as the new family head!”
“What about the Blue Dragon Knights?! What were they doing?”
“T-The Blue Dragon Knights declared their support for Adel Bitenfeld, stating they would never tolerate anyone betraying the main family!”
“That idiot Oliver!”
Unable to contain his rage, Mateus cursed.
It was no secret that Oliver von Bitenfeld, while exceptional as a knight, lacked the qualities needed as a lord.
Still, there was a limit to incompetence.
How could a family head fail to control his own child or the knightly order that represented his family’s core strength? It was beyond infuriating.
If he could, he would have liked nothing more than to take Oliver’s head himself, just to calm this fury.
“There’s nothing more foolish than dwelling on the past… But this, I cannot forgive. I suppose, at the very least, Elder Aren, it’s fortunate you joined us.”
“I was late to realize how ruthless the Young Lord truly is. Now that I’ve lost his favor, I will never be forgiven.”
“There’s no point in reasoning; what matters is that we walk the same path now.”
The forces under both elders would just barely fill the void left by the Bitenfeld family.
It was regrettable that they could no longer disrupt the Adalbert family from within.
“The urgent matter now is the head of the Fezek family. If we don’t bring him into our fold soon, we’ll be left facing the Adalbert main family and northern nobles on our own. If things continue down that path, we will all…”
“…meet our ruin.”
Whoosh.
Continuing Elder Aren’s words, Mateus opened a subspace.
A crystal orb used for communication appeared above his right hand.
He promptly channeled mana into it, attempting to contact Wilhelm von Fezek.
Flash!
After a moment, a figure began to take shape in the crystal’s glow.
The problem, however, was who appeared on the other side.
“Why is it you, Simon Fezek?”
—F-Father ordered me to stand by for communication…—
“And where is he?! Where has Wilhelm gone?!”
—He didn’t tell anyone… He only said he needed to clear his mind, and left…—
Simon Fezek replied with a dismal look, clearly struggling to provide an answer.
Strangely enough, Mateus found this oddly fortunate.
Crash!
For Simon had thrown the communication crystal to the ground, severing their connection.
“That cowardly wretch!”
Even without seeing, Mateus could picture it.
Wilhelm, surely by now, was groveling before Martin, pleading for forgiveness and begging for his life.
Just as his fury peaked, Elder Marius stepped in to calm him.
“I understand your anger, Mateus. But now is the time to make plans. With the Fezek family against us, the Young Lord can attack us without hesitation.”
“Elder Marius is correct. Given the Young Lord’s disposition, he will certainly launch an offensive. We must focus on reinforcing our defenses.”
“…Very well, I’ll follow your counsel.”
That their opening strategy had collapsed before it began was absurd enough.
Now, however, their family faced the threat of annihilation.
Where exactly had everything gone wrong?
No matter how hard Mateus pondered, no answer came.
—
Upon returning to the family estate, Martin received news from Elder Oriana that Elder Marius and Elder Aren had deserted the family.
What’s more, they hadn’t left alone.
Their followers had joined them, briefly throwing the Adalbert main house into turmoil.
Fortunately, Vincent had maintained order, preventing the confusion from escalating into a major disturbance.
Nevertheless, Martin needed to address the chaos, so he summoned his key retainers.
‘Just seeing them was reassuring.’
Vincent von Igreet.
Oriana Flores.
Lucas Hoffman.
Philip Alofs.
Christian Havertz.
Four 7-circle warriors, and one 8-circle warrior.
From a purely military perspective, Marquis Royce’s household posed no real threat.
The only concern was Nicholas von Royce himself; if all of them attacked at once, he could still be defeated.
Of course, they were likely aware of this too, so it was unlikely they’d allow the situation to come to that.
“Just when I thought I’d seen everything. Elders of all people, rebelling against the main family even after hearing the former head’s dying wish.”
“It makes me wonder how someone can become so foolish,” Vincent remarked, opening the conversation, with Lucas chiming in right after. “There are many lordship vacancies up north, aren’t there? If they had just demonstrated loyalty until the end, they could have eventually achieved their ambitions.”
Martin nodded at their words before he spoke up.
“No matter how it looks, the betrayal of those two elders was somewhat foreseeable. Unlike Elder Oriana here, they were given chances to show loyalty, yet they refused till the end.”
“Still, I don’t think we can relax,” Philip, the leader of the knights, interjected. “With their addition, it’ll be harder to launch an attack on the Gustin family.”
“I agree with you there, Philip. Even with the added strength, the best they can do is to stay in their territory and focus on defense until Marquis Royce’s reinforcements arrive.”
“If the Royce family’s forces travel to the north, it’ll take at least two weeks. However, since the lords under the 1st Princess are likely to disrupt them, it’ll probably take around three weeks,” Christian calculated, and everyone, including Martin, nodded in agreement.
The Royce family’s estate was located at the far end of the west.
Given that the western lords all served different factions, blocking their movements wouldn’t be difficult, though no one expected active fighting.
“Regardless of when the Royce forces arrive, it’s best if we subdue the Gustin family swiftly.”
“In that case, it’s crucial to see where the Fezek family sides. If they join the Gustin family, things will become even more bothersome.”
“Just as Vincent mentioned. We are prepared for the possibility of a Fezek betrayal.”
“I’m not opposed to that idea, but… still, I think it’s worth talking with Wilhelm first, Young Lord,” Oriana suggested.
“May I ask why?” Martin asked, turning calmly to Vincent.
Wilhelm von Fezek, in truth, had never stood out much compared to other branch family heads.
‘He usually hid behind other heads or elders when dealing with major issues.’
Only once had Wilhelm expressed a direct desire.
That was before Martin’s regression, shortly after his return to the nobility, when Wilhelm had arrogantly declared war on him.
Of course, Wilhelm paid the price by being the first to be crushed.
“Wilhelm’s… well, he’s practically a coward. After hearing about Oliver’s downfall, he’s surely petrified.”
“So, it’s possible he could join us through negotiation alone.”
“Exactly. If we’re to face off against Marquis Royce, it’s in our best interest to conserve as much strength as possible.”
“I think Vincent is right. Young Lord, if anyone could persuade him, it’s you. Or… perhaps intimidate him,” Elder Oriana said, supporting Vincent’s suggestion.
Martin looked around, as if gauging opinions from others.
Most of them nodded, showing their agreement with Vincent and Elder Oriana.
“Understood. I’ll attempt to persuade Wilhelm.”
“A wise choice.”
“Alright then. Tomorrow, I’ll make an official announcement declaring the Gustin family’s rebellion and initiate war preparations. I trust everyone will ensure things go smoothly…”
Knock, knock.
A knock sounded at the office door, prompting Martin to turn.
He had told Sien beforehand that only important matters required interruption.
Given that she came in despite that, it must have been something that needed his direct attention.
“Come in, Sien.”
As the door opened, Sien entered, her face visibly flustered.
“What’s going on?”
“Well, it’s… Wilhelm von Fezek has arrived at the main family estate.”
“What?!”
Martin was genuinely taken aback.
The others wore similar expressions.
Although he’d intended to reach out, no one had expected Wilhelm would actually come to them first.
“Is he alone? Or did he bring anyone with him?”
“He came alone.”
“Where is he now?”
“He’s been escorted to the reception room. He specifically requested to see you, Young Lord.”
“Then I suppose it’s only polite to meet him. He did come all the way here, after all. I’ll go see him for a bit.”
After speaking to his retainers, Martin immediately left the office.
‘It seems he intends to join our side, but…’
He was genuinely curious as to Wilhelm’s true motives.
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