The new count of the Vaze, who was a cousin of the former count, immediately sued for peace, proclaiming that it was just all bad misunderstanding. However, Count Tristan Rassier refused all forms of communication and took Vyrhil by force. This had to be done because the count’s roughly 1,000 men wasn’t enough to lay siege on Veka. If left alone, they would recover. Therefore, taking one of their fiefs was a sure way to reduce their strength. There was the lack of information on how the town was conquered, but everyone considered it as minor detail except for Ansel. The town would have been damaged to some degree. It would fall to Gavin or him to restore the place.

  Ironically, Vyrhil was Baron Bartko’s fief. Given his recent two major failures, nobody stood up for him when he lost his land. Subsequently, Count Tristan Rassier officially granted Vyrhil to Gavin Durrell and allowed him to rename the town, which was a very high honor. The official ceremony was yet to be held, just like Finnic’s knighthood ceremony.

  “What’s going to happen to Baron Bartko?” Ansel asked innocently. Gavin, Finnic, and he were currently in Fortress Mow, preparing to depart for Gavin’s new fief. They couldn’t just leave since the conflict was still going on, and Gavin needed staff such as a butler, maids and such. Besides, the count was occupying the town at the moment to mount further attacks.

  “Well, he will keep his title but will remain landless,” Finnic answered. “He is now a fallen noble. His children won’t inherit the title if he can’t regain the land.”

  “Life isn’t going to be easy for him and his family. He could visit his wife’s family for protection but the man’s ego will be at the bottom,” Gavin added.

  Finnic chuckled. “It feels like eons ago that we had that battle two days ago.”

  “Fucking hell, it’s been only two days…,” Gavin muttered while rubbing his face. “It feels like a fever dream.”

  “Yeah, no kidding. We shouldn’t have survived that hell.”

  “All thanks to you, Ansel.”

  “It’s not like I am doing this for free. Your well being equals mine,” he replied indifferently. It wasn’t quite true however. He was at the bottom of the chain and changing his boss would have been fairly easy.

  “Anyway, the count told me not to involve myself in this conflict anymore and focus on working on my fief.”

  “Have you decided on the new name?”

  Gavin shook his head. “Not yet. It’s all too sudden. Anyway, that’s it for now. Since we don’t have anything to do, let us relax for the time being. I dare say we deserved some break.”

  In Ansel’s mind, Gavin’s days on a battlefield were surely over. The man was 43 years old and just gave his best performance of his life a few days ago. Only decline would remain. Meanwhile, older men were generally wiser and, thus, made a better governor. The count probably saw it like that.

  Ansel and Finnic were in the courtyard after the meeting with Gavin. Finnic was unusually quiet while on their way. He clearly had something in his mind which reminded him that he did want to talk about something before the battle.

  “What is it you wanted to talk about?”

  He was walking around slowly, looking up to the sky. It took him a while to spill his beans. Did he have a lot in his mind or was he hesitating?

  “There is something I realized in the last several days. This is probably as high as I will go.”

  “You’ve just become a knight and yet you are complaining about that?”

  “There won’t be an opportunity to be in Gavin’s shoes, will it? Once the count reunites the region, it will be peaceful for decades.”

  He looked down, kicking a small stone on the ground. “Gavin being a mere knight at 43 years old…, that’s going to be me, ain’t it.”

  Ansel remained quiet.

  “Answer me, please.”

  “Yes.”

  “Fuck.” Sighing deeply, he was walking around at a faster pace. “Can you help me out? The rank of baronet is all I ask for even if that’s the last title I will receive.”

  There was a pretty significant gap between the two ranks. A knight was just a glorified soldier and a baronet was a landlord. Anyone of noble lineage could easily become a knight if money wasn’t an issue. But the title of baronet was something entirely different. It was a title that’d be never given to anyone without merits unless one’s father was Margrave or higher. He could certainly understand why Finnic was itching to reach the next rank. Folding his arms, he gave it some thoughts. It didn’t take him long to come up with an idea although he wondered whether telling him was the right choice. For his future, Gavin and Finnic working together was better for him.

  “Finnic, like I told the baron a moment ago, I don’t work for free.”

  He paused walking around and looked in his direction. “Are you saying there is a way?”

  “Uncertain, but there could be a way.”

  Dashing toward him, Finnic grabbed him by the shoulders, shaking him. “What is it?!”

  “I don’t work for free, Finnic.”

  “Is it money?” Then he answered his own question. “No…, you never asked Gavin for money. Is it a title?”

  “Just like you, I, too, want my own piece of land.”

  He wasn’t looking to become a king or anything like that. No, no, he wouldn’t dare. All he wanted was a land to call home where no one would bother him.

  “Gavin can’t grant you land.”

  Neither can you, he thought. Well, he could as long as it was small enough within his own fief. But that was besides the point.

  “He will at least make me a noble. Then I can work my way up with someone else.”

  “Is there anything I can do for you as a payment for your advice?”

  Under normal circumstances, Ansel wouldn’t even have bothered telling him that there might be a way. It was better to keep his mouth shut to avoid a dilemma like this. However, this case was a bit different because the window of opportunity was not for long. If he let it go by, it would be gone forever. If so, then perhaps letting Finnic grab that opportunity wouldn’t be so bad.

  “You will owe me. In the future, I may ask you for a big favor. You will do it no matter what.”

  “A, anything! I will do anything you will ask!”

  He could sense the desperation in his voice. He was like Gavin a few days ago, feeling so close to the ultimate goal he was after.

  “The answer to your desire is this place.”

  “This place?” He blinked his eyes in confusion. “Fort Mow?”

  “The count said he is going to dismantle the fort. You should oppose it. You may need Gavin’s help on this one because a knight’s voice alone won’t be enough.”

  Finnic gave it a thought for several seconds. “I don’t get it though? Why keep the fort?”

  “The fortress is located right in the heart of the domain. It will make a good trading outpost and, given enough time and investment, a trading centre.”

  “But I am just a knight. I can’t rule a settlement.”

  “I know. But a knight can hold a fortress just like how Gavin was allowed to control the fortress. Right now, it’s a military installation which a knight can hold. Give it a decade or so, it should become a trading town if you do it right. Then perhaps the count may grant you the rank of baronet and let you continue to rule over the settlement. He wouldn’t be able to take it away easily after you spent a decade in it. This is where Gavin comes in as well. If you keep him as a friend, he will voice up for you in the future.”

  It took a moment to process what Ansel told him. A smile eventually emerged on his face.

  “You are fucking a genius,” he uttered.

  “You do need to keep a cordial relationship with Gavin, though. You want friends in the upper court.”

  This wasn’t true. Finnic could break up his relationship with Gavin if this idea went through. But Ansel wanted them to remain friendly and figured that he wasn’t smart enough to figure out he didn’t really need Gavin in the long term.

  “In other words, I can’t do this alone.”

  He wasn’t meant for this sort of task indeed. He was a warrior through and through. In fact, the count may become suspicious when he brings the topic up. He was already suspicious enough when Gavin survived.

  “My hands are tied. I will be Baron Durrell’s page after all.”

  “I understand. You’ve already given me so much. I will probably ask my family to help me out on this one. I dislike them but I need them now.”

  Whether Finnic could make this happen, it was entirely down on him now. While watching him merrily walk away, humming, he thought about Count Rassier. In some ways, he found him eerily similar to himself and, perhaps because of that, he didn’t like him. He seemed meticulous, cunning, and cruel. If he had his ways, Gavin would have perished although he may have not been on the battlefield in the first place if it wasn’t for his own advice. He wouldn't have been promised a promotion if it wasn’t his advice in the first place. The bottom line was that the count looked to be a man who was more than willing to throw people under to walk on. He wondered whether the count was willing to settle down quietly after reunifying the region. He needed to find out the kingdom’s structure and situation to make an accurate prediction on how the count would behave. If the king was weak, then he felt that the count might raise a flag of rebellion. Even if the king’s authority was strong enough, there might be ways to exploit whatever weaknesses there may be. The bottom line, for him at least, was that he needed to decide who to side with soon. Peace was not an option for him because he wouldn’t get promoted rapidly in peace. Gavin spoke about a promotion after 10 years of service. That certainly wouldn’t do for him. He won’t ever get his own fief at such a speed.

  “Well, let’s see how this one goes first…”

  Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

  Count Rassier’s army clashed twice around Veka, both of which he emerged victorious. The second battle especially caused a massive loss for the Vaze. Vystok soon surrendered after witnessing the battle first hand. They must have seen the writing on the wall.

  Then Count Vaze sued for peace once again with a condition of ceding Vyrhil. This was, again, rejected. In sheer panic, the count started sending messages to the king as well as his relatives far away, begging for assistance. However, not even the king had a say in this because this wasn’t a territorial war. This was an internal family matter. Should any house get itself involved, it’d be giving the count Rassier a justification to attack. Actually, Count Rassier may have hoped for anyone to meddle in. Unfortunately for him however, no one intervened, and Count Vaze became increasingly desperate. He sent another offer, ceding Vyrhil, Vystok, and Vystol. Ansel felt that this was a foolish move. Veka, the capital of the Vaze, needed the vassals to meet the demand for wheat. He didn’t have any information on population and wheat production but he assumed that the city needed at least two of its corresponding farming towns. If not, the citizens of Veka would eventually depart the city due to the lack of available food. It was like digging one’s own grave albeit slowly. And, this time, Count Rassier responded, demanding Count Vaze to downgrade himself to the rank of Viscount and come under his control. In return, he would keep the city and Vyzil.

  “It’s over, Count Vaze, well, Viscount Vaze, accepted the terms,” Gavin declared in front of Finnic and Anzel at Fort Mow.

  “It won’t be long for Veka to collapse,” Ansel responded. “I give 5 years tops. He fell into a trap he won’t be able to get out of.”

  “None of our business,” Finnic said.

  “Indeed,” Gavin agreed merrily.

  Meanwhile, Gavin renamed Vyrhil to Ateria which was apparently his mother’s name. He also hired a butler and two maids. He was to depart for his new fief tomorrow.

  “If my mother was alive to see this…, she would have been absolutely overjoyed…,” he lamented. The man blossomed a bit too late. But then, better late than never.

  “Baron Durrell, I shall follow you wherever you go,” Ansel declared with a light bow. Finnic hurriedly followed although he didn’t say anything. His loyalty was probably no longer with him at this point.

  “Page Ansel, I’ve ordered a tailor for you. I can’t have you wearing those peasant clothes now. Get yourself something better befitting your station.”

  “Thank you, Baron.”

  “The gate will now be open,” he declared. “The count has given an order to empty out the place. The soldiers will leave as well. By tomorrow, we will be the only ones left.”

  By “we”, he meant he, Finnic, and Ansel along with his personal soldiers.

  “Pack your things if you have any. Dismissed.”

  But Ansel was the only one who was walking out. Glancing back at them, he proceeded to leave the room. It was none of his business.

  “You must be Page Ansel?”

  A man in fancy clothes greeted him in the courtyard. His moustache was curled upward as well, giving him a rather unique impression. He had two young women in fine dresses with him. He wondered how they got in but soon saw the gate fully open.

  “Yes, I am. What can I do for you?”

  “I am from the Magnanto boutique based in Crisuri. The baron has asked us to tailor a suit for you.”

  “Oh, I see. How should we begin?”

  “We have a carriage parked outside. Let us go there.”

  The two women turned out to be his assistants, and the carriage was fairly large. They were able to stand in there. Apparently, the carriage acted as a mobile work station for them. In fact, they started to work on his suit right away after measuring his size.

  “Give us a day. We will have your suit ready to go,” he said.

  “This is all paid for, yes?”

  “Of course.”

  When he walked out of the carriage, a soldier was waiting for him.

  “Page Ansel, the baron is asking for you, sir.”

  He knew why he was calling him.

  “Was it you who put the idea into Finnic?” was what he asked as soon as Ansel entered his office.

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Don’t play dumb. Finnic is a muscle brain. He couldn’t have come up with that brilliant idea.”

  He beamed a grin and admitted, “Yes, it was me. But I sort of had to.”

  “Explain.”

  “He got on his knees and begged me with tears in his eyes. He …” Ansel hesitated for a moment. It was all an act however. “He said he didn’t want to end up like you.”

  Gavin looked confused. “Like me? What’s this about?”

  “He said he didn’t want to become an old knight.”

  He looked flabbergasted for a moment but let out a laugh in the end.

  “Well, if he puts it that way, I can hardly blame him, can’t I.”

  “Are you going to help him?”

  “I kind of have to. If I refuse to help, I will be losing him.”

  “You will lose him either way. Well, at least you will have an ally, I guess.”

  “It could be good for you, boy.”

  Blinking his eyes, he asked, “You think so?”

  “I was going to make Finnic my guard captain and you a page. He’d be doing the physical work while you do the paper work. Now that I can’t rely on him, all the work will fall onto you.”

  “You can find a new guard captain.”

  “Oh, I will. But this time I will find a commoner who’s willing to be a knight for his entire life.”

  Finnic had a noble lineage. Therefore, he was able to aim his sight higher. A commoner knight may be entirely satisfied with being just a knight. Obviously, Gavin didn’t want his men to leave frequently.

  “Anyway, I want you to go ahead and depart for Ateria tomorrow alone.”

  “Alone, sir?”

  “Finnic and I will go and meet with the count to stop the demolition of the fortress. There isn’t much time to stop this, is there?”

  Ansel gave him a nod.

  “My butler and two maids should already be there. They are there to make the manor livable before our arrival. You go ahead first and survey the town. Give me your report upon my arrival.”

  “Where will I stay in Ateria?”

  “I can give you a small house or you can live in the manor.”

  He did like the idea of having his own house but didn’t want the extra chores he’d need to deal with. Besides, he’d barely stay at home anyway.

  “I will occupy a guest room in your manor, Baron.”

  “Are you sure? You can have a better room.”

  “I will rarely stay anyway. I just need a place to sleep.”

  “Point taken. I am going to write up a letter right now. Hand it to the butler when you meet him.”

  It was done in minutes and was handed over to Ansel. It bore a red seal stamp. He assumed that it was the seal of his title. With the letter in hand, he left Gavin’s office and found Finnic in the courtyard. He usually trained in his spare time but he wasn’t doing that this time.

  “What’s up?” He casually asked him which made him snap out of whatever he was thinking.

  “Oh, it’s you.”

  “What’s up?” he repeated.

  “I, uh…, am not sure if I can do this.”

  “You can’t be having a second thought?”

  “You don’t understand. Never in my life have I done a number game. I am really not suited for governing a settlement, let alone create it.”

  “Didn’t say you’d get your family involved?”

  “I… don’t have a good relationship with my family. I wasn’t kicked out but was on the verge of being kicked out.”

  “Who is your family anyway? What’s your last name?”

  “It’s Burendo. My full name is Finnic Burendo.”

  “The Burendo? Never heard of them.”

  “They hold a viscount title and are not from this region. Contacting them alone will take weeks.”

  “I can’t really help you, you know. I am to leave for Ateria tomorrow and have a shitload of things to do once there.”

  “You can give me pointers, though, can’t you?”

  “Sure can, but do you really think that will suffice?”

  “Will Gavin take me back if I fail?” Finnic wondered aloud.

  “Don’t think so. We have a replacement knight already,” he lied, but it wasn’t too far from the truth. There were plenty of knights looking to be employed and they would prefer to be employed directly under someone with a title. That way, they’d hold some authority.

  “Dang it.”

  “Just hire an advisor or something.”

  He was pretty certain that Finnic would be kicked out of the count’s domain if he failed because the count wasn’t someone who was kind to losers. But then Finnic asked for this in the first place, and he had no obligation to go out of his way to help him. It’d be a thankless job anyway. Either way, Finnic would need to get his shit together soon because Gavin and he would go meet the count tomorrow.

  “Satisified?” The fancy tailor asked Ansel after he was done dressing up in his new attire as a page. It featured a purple sleeveless open surcoat. Underneath it, he was wearing a white shirt with ruffled sleeves and there was a purple neck scarf around his neck. As for his pants, they were brown with long boots. Lastly, there was a brown belt around his waist.

  “Better than what I was wearing.”

  “Oh, for sure. I hope our work will serve you well for years.”

  “Magnanto boutique in Crisuri, yes?”

  The tailor nodded in satisfaction. “Glad you remember.” And he handed Ansel a small token. “If you ever need new attire in the future, feel free to visit us again. The token will ensure that you are a returning customer and will receive a discount.”

  “I can also summon you, yes?”

  “For complex clothes, you must visit the shop. We were able to tailor your suit in a day thanks to its simplicity.”

  “I see. Thank you.”

  “Tata, young page,” he bid farewell politely and walked toward their carriage. And there was another carriage waiting for him for his departure to Ateria. Looking down on his new clothes, he said to himself.

  “This is all I’ve got on me along with a few coins.”

  Of course, there was his spear as well. Walking toward his carriage, he greeted the driver.

  “Baron’s order to take you to his new domain,” he told Ansel. He didn’t know how to ride a horse. There was an option for him to ride a horse with someone but given the long it took to reach Ateria, it was better to use a carriage. Besides, this wasn’t an urgent matter.

  “How long will it take?”

  “A carriage is slow. Two days, I reckon.”

  Before getting on, he glanced back at the fortress which looked pretty empty. It looked like both Gavin and Finnic left for Crisuri already and most of the soldiers departed. He was one of few last remaining people.

  “Let’s go.”

  It took a little over two days to reach Ateria. He departed Fort Mow early in the morning and arrived at the town at near noon two days later.

  “What in the world…”

  Ateria was devastated. He could see ruined structures here and there, and the whole place was a giant mess full of debris and whatnot. The carriage made it to the manor which looked to be the only place that was cleaned. A middle-aged butler, flanked by two maids, welcomed him.

  “Page Ansel, I assume,” he greeted him casually. Strictly rank wise, the butler was higher although this would be corrected as soon as Gavin arrived.

  “Here is a letter from the baron.”

  Verifying the stamp, he skimmed it through.

  “I see. We got off on the wrong foot.” He, then, greeted Ansel more formally which made the maids look surprised.

  “Welcome to the Durrell manor, Page Ansel,” the butler said.

  “What happened here? The town is a mess.”

  “War happened, Page. The majority of folks have fled the town although I assume they will return once order is restored.”

  “Any guards?”

  “None. At. All.”

  “Ouch.”

  “Anyway, let’s begin our introduction, shall we?”

  The butler’s name was Wallace, a 31 year old servant. The two maids were 29 and 18 years old. Their names were Selena and Clara respectively.

  “My name is Ansel, 11 years old.”

  His age seemed to have surprised the maids. Given the fact that the butler paid him respects, it was their understanding that Ansel must have been someone of impotence to the baron. But he was just too young.

  “Selena here is going to teach you how to read and write as per the baron’s order,” Wallace said.

  “You can count on me, Sir Page,” Selena said with a bow.

  “Likewise, I will be in your care.”

  Wallace looked like a typical butler with black hair swept back. Selena had long wavy orange hair. Clara had shoulder length straight brown hair. Selena looked especially beautiful. Looking over the manor, he couldn’t help but feel that just a pair of maids wasn’t going to be enough to keep the place maintained. The manor was primarily composed of two main parts. The manor, which was a fortified two story structure, and a tower. Judging by the number of windows, there were more than ten rooms. Finally, the manor was encased with wooden walls.

  “Do you have any idea how many are still in the town?”

  “Some are there. A few tens maybe?” Wallace responded. “It’s not our job to interact with them.”

  “True, it’s my job.”

  Indeed, under normal circumstances, the butler would only interact with others outside of the manor for business purposes only. His sole task was to keep the manor running smoothly. The maids won’t even leave the manor as well. Ansel wasn’t sure what a page did exactly on paper, but it was indeed his job to inspect the town before Gavin arrived. Anyway, there was a lot to do, A LOT.