I Inherited a Beautiful Wife and a Territory - Chapter 93

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Inheriting a Beautiful Wife and Estate Episode 093

93. The Great Chaos of Serpal

The nobles of the Yusta Peninsula were indifferent to the homeland’s war.

However, not everyone could be like that. For instance, the Platice Family hoped to advance into the central government.

Furthermore, they desired new territories beyond the Yusta Peninsula.

‘Even though that feeling has diminished considerably now… the Yusta Peninsula ultimately has its limits.’

The growth of Ospal.

Even though their territory was explosively expanding through this, the Platice Family still hadn’t abandoned that position.

This was why the Platice Family was staking everything on this war.

“I will achieve merit in this war and become a frontier count of the homeland.”

The single-minded determination to receive newly conquered lands as a grant.

With that resolve, the Platice Family mobilized nearly a thousand troops. Including hired mercenaries, it was an army of over a thousand.

And one more thing.

Count Platice had something in mind. More precisely, Duke Aidren, who had summoned him, made a remark while playing chess.

“Conscripting people from the count’s territory to increase numbers is not a good strategy.”

“Hmm.”

Count Platice made a contemplative sound.

He too understood why the Duke was saying this.

‘Our territory has a small population.’

No matter how much he squeezed his count’s territory, there was a limit to the numbers he could mobilize.

One thousand.

It was sufficiently mobilizable.

But this wasn’t defense—it was an expedition. Sending as many as a thousand troops on such a mission would leave the Platice territory empty.

The problem was that while he struggled to mobilize that thousand, counts from the homeland could mobilize them without difficulty.

“Why don’t you seek advice from the count’s son?”

The Duke casually mentioned this as if he knew his troubles.

Son.

But ironically, the ‘count’s son’ being mentioned now was not Count Platice’s son, but rather the son of the Duke who had brought it up.

Count Platice gave a bitter smile.

“As it happens, I received a letter from that boy.”

“Oh? What did it say?”

“He told me to meet with Your Grace once.”

Upon hearing this, the Duke blinked for a moment.

Then he burst out laughing.

“Hahaha. That’s Cliff for you. His thinking is very clever and cunning!”

Praise coming from the Duke’s mouth.

It was different from simple paternal praise.

And Count Platice still didn’t understand. This was because Cliff hadn’t provided any additional explanation.

The Duke, grinning slyly, asked casually.

“Count… do you know why that boy said such a thing?”

“I don’t know. He didn’t explain the reason in his letter either.”

“Haha. Of course not. He’s quite a cunning person.”

Having said this, the Duke explained.

“His not mentioning it was his way of being careful. He probably refrained from discussing matters outside his authority. But that boy surely anticipated my next move.”

The Duke’s next move?

Count Platice’s eyes narrowed. He still found it difficult to grasp the conversation between this father and son.

‘Anyway, as expected of father and son, they’re alike in being impossible to read.’

While Count Platice was internally cursing them, the Duke continued his explanation.

“I’ll put it simply. As the kingdom’s Prime Minister, I can influence the homeland’s merchants.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“While I cannot give orders to the Serpal Family, I can disadvantage kingdom merchants who do business in Serpal.”

“…!”

That damned Serpal.

When that name was mentioned, Count Platice’s expression changed.

Count Platice swallowed hard and asked the Duke.

“Would you… issue such an order?”

Serpal was already shaking due to Ospal’s rise.

If at that time the homeland merchants stopped going to Serpal on the Prime Minister’s orders?

‘Those bastards who have been running wild with money from Serpal will collapse, and instead of Serpal, people will use our Ospal. Hehehe.’

It was a masterstroke that could completely bring down the Serpal Family.

So Count Platice immediately asked if he would do it, showing his emotions. But the Duke only wore a meaningful expression at that question.

“No matter how much of a Prime Minister I am, it’s difficult to disadvantage a specific family.”

Count Platice showed a disappointed expression.

Then the Duke said.

“But if there’s a justification like war that stakes the nation’s fate, wouldn’t the story be different? Families that support the homeland’s war will receive benefits, while conversely, territories that turn away from the homeland’s war will face disadvantages.”

He wouldn’t disadvantage the Serpal Family.

“The cabinet has already sent orders with such content to each territory. The Serpal Family must have also received notice of the homeland’s intentions.”

In other words, the Serpal Family should also contribute to this war as much as the Platice Family.

Or it also meant he would give full support to the Platice Family’s Ospal, which was contributing.

Count Platice honestly felt a bit disappointed.

‘Still, should I consider it fortunate? This way, we won’t be the only ones exhausting ourselves in the war.’

Because the Serpal Family would also have to contribute considerable forces to the war.

He thought he should be satisfied with that. The Duke, smiling slightly, gave more advice.

“And I think the Count is truly the leader of the northern Yusta Peninsula. Also, even if not…”

The Duke trailed off.

“The military would positively consider giving the Count, who has already formed connections with the central military, command over all forces coming from the Yusta Peninsula.”

This was telling Count Platice what he needed to do now.

The Prime Minister had already set the stage through administrative orders.

So he should go to the military and talk with the leadership there. So that Count Platice could command even the forces from Serpal.

A gleam flashed in Count Platice’s eyes. He finally understood everything the Duke was saying.

And he thought of Cliff.

‘Is this why he told me not to call the army immediately but to meet the Duke first?’

Anticipating that the Duke would help like this?

If that were truly the case, it would be incredible.

‘What a terrifying father and son pair.’

He was asked to take care of the Platice territory’s security.

This gave him justification to recruit and train people from the count’s territory.

‘Of course, even so, they won’t become my private soldiers.’

They would strictly become soldiers of the Platice Family, not the Elimis Family.

Still, it meant Cliff would have an army he could command, like a kind of unit commander concept.

And much larger than before.

That alone was good. But he was far from satisfied.

“…No matter how I think about it, deploying as many as 800 more soldiers to this war is unreasonable.”

Cliff shook his head at Count Platice’s decision.

The matter of a thousand able-bodied men being absent.

That would increase his own burden accordingly. So if possible, he needed to reduce that number to less than half.

While still being able to achieve the same level of military merit.

‘The news has probably reached Serpal by now, right?’

And Cliff already guessed how the Duke would have moved.

If the count’s house hadn’t participated in this war, it might be different, but with the Platice Family participating and Ospal being able to replace Serpal, the Duke’s decision was certainly predetermined.

The Serpal Family would also be forced to send troops.

If not, they’d have to send a heap of gold coins at least.

‘Even that alone would be a huge burden for Serpal right now.’

Cliff grinned.

Imagining the chaos that must be happening in Serpal right now made him feel good.

“…These are the kind of people who might pull something else if their power isn’t drained like this.”

They had already attempted to assassinate him once in Platice Count’s territory.

If he had been alone, it would have been fine. But at that time, he happened to be with Priscilla.

Though they probably didn’t consider that when they attacked, he couldn’t just leave alone those who had gone that far.

‘Still, we don’t have enough power to deal with them directly yet.’

That power needed to be whittled down.

And he didn’t know what they might do while the Platice Family’s forces were away.

‘So it would be easier to establish a clear hierarchy with them below the Platice Family.’

Anyway, this matter seemed to have succeeded.

The reaction came faster than he had expected. Seeing this, it seemed the Duke had made the first move.

Keren came to inform him of the news.

“Serpal has decided to procure hundreds of battle slaves and mercenaries to dispatch to the battlefield. I was worried they might provoke us while our forces were away… but it seems we don’t need to worry about that.”

The corners of Cliff’s mouth rose.

“Did that news come from Serpal itself?”

“Yes.”

Cliff nodded his head.

“Then probably soon… news will come from the Count.”

What Cliff said came to pass exactly.

The Count sent someone.

Saying they could reduce the additional deployment from 800 men to about 300.

‘Amazing.’

Keren was inwardly amazed by Cliff’s accurate prediction.

Cliff had also anticipated that Serpal would send troops. Everything was going according to Cliff’s expected flow, which was now almost eerie.

Meanwhile, Cliff was doing other things.

‘By now, about half the forces that departed from Serpal would have gone… and a central noble would have seized command as well.’

And probably that central commander had a high chance of being Count Platice.

So the possibility of Serpal’s army returning had disappeared.

“Should we start now?”

As Cliff muttered, his shadow wavered and a man revealed himself.

A question from the man who had been hiding in the shadows.

It was a Dark Elf, a master of shadow concealment. At his question, Cliff nodded.

“…An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.”

He had waited until Serpal dispatched their forces.

And he still lacked the power to face Serpal in a direct confrontation. But hadn’t the other side also used their shadowguards rather than their full strength?

‘In a duel within the shadows, there’s no reason for us to lose.’

Cliff’s eyes sparkled.

“…Understood. I will follow the lord’s will.”

The shadow scattered and disappeared.

The Serpal Family.

Recently, the family atmosphere had been quite turbulent. First, reconciling with the Elimis Family failed, and leaking that information also failed.

The Elimis Family.

Ever since they appeared, everything about Serpal had been shaking.

‘A fishing village like Ospal…’

Until now, only Serpal had been the sole trading city in the northern Yusta Peninsula.

But that position had now crumbled. They still had the largest market, but were gradually losing market share to Ospal.

Baron Serpal ground his teeth.

“They take only our serfs but continue trading only with Ospal. Grr.”

This was the kind of thing that made Baron Serpal even angrier.

So he had ordered an assassination.

To eliminate him when the opportunity arose. But even that seemed to have failed.

Cliff was still alive.

And the orders that came down from the homeland.

This caused the family to stir again. Wondering if even the Prime Minister of the homeland had already turned his back on Serpal.

“Ugh…”

He was furious.

Serpal’s shadowguards had been annihilated.

Serpal’s market share was being stolen by Ospal.

And the wealth they had accumulated was also heavily consumed due to the homeland’s demands this time.

‘No more, no more!’

As long as he lived, he would no longer be shaken by Cliff!

That resolution led to the worst outcome.

That day, the Head of the Serpal Family lost his life in his own study.

Great chaos came to Serpal.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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