Chapter 323: Act 90 – The Gathering Storm (Part 4) (Second Update)
“He is trying to curry favor with us,” Makarolo replied succinctly.
“Quite interesting,” Count Violet chuckled. The young man, although impulsive in his actions, was not reckless, which indeed made him interesting; the timing of this letter’s arrival was, in his view, exceptional.
This was clearly not a coincidence.
Bal lifted his head to glance at Makarolo beside him, thinking that this old fox must have noticed it as well. But what did the other party actually want?
If he desired concrete support—sending a mere letter that could hardly be seen as a petition seemed a bit naive. A person capable of sending such a letter wouldn’t be so childish.
But if what he sought was merely a promise from the royal faction and the princess’s camp, how did he plan to resolve the actual crisis afterward?
Empty words would not fend off an army—
Count Violet suddenly felt a great curiosity; the young man was walking a tightrope, a dangerous yet thrilling act. But what made it even more intriguing was that he was experiencing uncertainty about the outcome for the first time.
Interesting.
“All he wants is for us to shield him from the storm,” Livwz frowned. “Is there such a good thing, Your Highness? If we agree to his request, we would greatly offend Count Rendener.”
Princess Grifian frowned. The name of Count Rendener was not a reliable ally to her, but more like a knife hanging over her back.
However, that old coot had yet to declare his stance. As her teacher had said, it would be unwise to force him to side with the Crown Prince.
“Hmph, a cunning old fox,” the Half-Elf Maiden rubbed her forehead irritably.
“I think that young man is likely aware of this point,” Makarolo interjected after some thought. “He knows the distinction in our perceptions of him and Count Rendener—he would not be oblivious.”
“Makarolo, do you mean—” Princess Grifian pondered for a moment, and her silver eyes brightened slightly as she looked at the letter on the desk.
“Then why did he send this letter?” Makarolo countered, “I don’t think it’s to mock our intelligence—”
His playful remark elicited a slight smile from Count Violet nearby.
Princess Grifian’s expression softened a bit as well.
Only Livwz let out a soft snort.
“Exactly, the notion of shielding him from the storm has two implications,” Count Bal agreed with Makarolo. “I believe this young man is trying to win our favor, but he is not seeking to pledge himself to us; he is well aware of his own identity.”
“So what does he want?” Master Livwz raised his snow-white eyebrows, puzzled. Though he was the chief court magician of Erluin, he had devoted his life to studying more advanced magical skills and lacked understanding of the conflicts among nobles.
“What does he want? Hasn’t he made it quite clear in his letter?” Count Violet smiled slightly.
Master Livwz, although not skilled in understanding people’s minds, had reached a certain level on the wizard’s path and was, after a gentle reminder, quick to grasp the implication: “Are you saying he hopes we will acknowledge his words?”
He frowned; although he did not hold the young man in high regard, he couldn’t deny that if this could earn goodwill from the other party, it would be a worthwhile investment.
The elder recognized his position—first and foremost, he was Erluin’s court mage, serving as a mentor to this Half-Elf Princess, and only then was he Wizard Livwz; personal likes and dislikes had to be set aside for the sake of the group’s interests.
“No need to acknowledge; we can simply accept it as is.” Makarolo was the clearest among them regarding Brendel’s intentions. “The young man’s goal is very clear—he is targeting Count Rendener, but he needs to avoid provoking a united front against him from everyone.”
“But this action is already a challenge to all the nobles. No one has dared to forcibly seize the territory of a legitimate noble; this precedent—” The elder shook his head worriedly.
“But this young man isn’t forcibly seizing anything.” Count Bal shook his head, saying it with a hint of amusement.
Makarolo glanced at him, wondering why this usually neutral Count Violet was leaning toward the young man. Still, he responded, “That depends on how the others interpret it. The most important thing is our understanding; sometimes an excuse and a blatant confrontation are entirely two different matters,” Makarolo stated. “Did the princess see the magic stone recording the information in his letter?”
“I did,” Princess Grifian nodded. “There are indeed troops from Madara, and not just a small presence,” the Half-Elf Maiden replied, snorting lightly, “I don’t wish to delve into the sordid details between Count Rendener and Madara, but—”
She did not finish her thought, but her dissatisfaction was already quite apparent.
“Prepared very thoroughly,” Count Bal spoke highly of Brendel. His admiration for the young man was growing.
“Now let’s see what benefits we can obtain,” Makarolo’s expression turned serious. “We cannot abandon Count Rendener; the young man knows this clearly. But one thing surprises me.”
Everyone looked at him, waiting for this cunning fox’s continuation.
“It seems he has discerned the relationship between us and Count Rendener, and his underlying intention is to make himself a pawn.”
“A pawn?” Master Livwz did not understand.
“Clever!” Count Bal’s eyes brightened as if he had missed this implication. “This is a clever move to pressure Count Rendener!”
“Yes,” Makarolo nodded, unlike Count Violet’s surprise—he felt a bit alarmed. Setting aside how Brendel guessed their royal faction’s views on surrounding forces, just his foresight regarding Erluin’s overall situation was enough to make him feel wary. “This young man is currently trying to curry favor with us. Count Rendener will surely notice; among nobles, there are no secrets—”
“Then,” he continued, “what do you think that old fox will consider? If he were to side with Duke Anlek at this moment, what kind of situation would he face?”
“Attacked from all sides.”
Count Violet quietly listened to this discussion, unable to help but scrutinize this figure beside him, whose temples were already streaked with silver yet maintained the aura of a past leader of the royal faction. He couldn’t help but think:
Only this person could see so clearly; age does indeed have its merits.
“But what benefit would he gain by doing so?” Princess Grifian nodded in agreement after hearing Makarolo’s words. “Willingly becoming our pawn, if Count Rendener turned to our side, he could be discarded at any moment; he must understand that.”
Master Livwz paused, and upon hearing Makarolo, he thought that the young man might not be entirely unpleasant. Nevertheless, the elder hesitated, “That young man seems to have some goodwill towards us; perhaps he wouldn’t mind pledging himself to us. After all, right now, we are the only ones who can cover for him in this matter—”
Count Bal glanced at the elder, thinking that scholars would always remain scholars and could never become politicians. He interjected, “That young man desires something quite simple; he is merely playing a balancing game. He is picking sides and is convinced that Count Rendener will not ally with us—”
“Quite the gambler.” At this moment, a voice came from outside. A knight opened the door, allowing a noble draped in a mink coat to enter.
That familiar face caused Makarolo to pause slightly—Overwell. Back in the days when he was still within the royal faction, the latter was merely a shrewd young man.
But now, the impulsiveness and sharpness of that formerly youthful face had faded, and his demeanor had grown more composed and sharp.
Overwell glanced at Makarolo and slightly bowed to the princess. “Your Highness,” he then greeted Makarolo, “Lord Makarolo.”
While it could be said that Overwell’s status in the royal faction was now subtly higher than that of Makarolo, the latter’s humble demeanor pleased Makarolo greatly.
He nodded and smiled. “Lord Overwell.”
“No need for formalities,” Wolf Knight raised his head and replied. “Please continue with the previous topic. I think Lord Makarolo and Count Bal’s analysis is quite reasonable. However, regarding what the young man wants, I have a few words to share—”
The room fell silent.
All eyes turned to the unexpected guest, especially Princess Grifian. Among everyone present, only she knew that only this Wolf Knight truly understood the young man named Brendel.
Overwell surveyed the room and smiled, “Some people have no value in becoming pawns; they are the foolish. Some unwittingly become others’ pawns; they are the unwise.”
“But someone like this young man, who actively chooses to become our pawn—that’s a player.”
“A player?”
“Yes, even if controlling just one piece, that still qualifies as a player. In this game, he has already reached the same height as us.” Overwell paused. “He is a pawn, but aren’t we as well? It’s merely a matter of having more resources.”
Everyone fell silent.
“So Lord Overwell, do you mean he wants to participate in this game?” Even the Half-Elf Maiden found this hard to believe. She took a gentle breath. “Isn’t that like taking advantage of others? That’s a bit infuriating.”
“Indeed,” the Wolf Knight shook his head, exchanging glances with the cunning fox Makarolo and seeing the mutual helplessness in each other’s eyes. “The unfortunate thing is, we have no choice but to accept, for his proposal is the most advantageous option for us.”
“A cunning fellow,” Master Livwz shook his head, suddenly feeling that he should not have participated in this discussion. He rubbed his forehead.
“What should we do then?” The elder asked wearily.
“We can simply be accommodating,” the Wolf Knight decisively remarked. “As for the rest—”
He smiled slightly. “Let’s watch that young lad perform.”
Perform?
Everyone was incredulous, even Aike, who had the most confidence in Brendel, couldn’t help but worry on the side. On one side was a young man with nothing, and on the other was the cunning and powerful Count Rendener.
Perhaps Brendel had the Silver Elves backing him, but the Silver Elves had already declared they wouldn’t interfere in Erluin’s internal conflicts.
So where did his confidence come from?
Among them all, only Princess Grifian thoughtfully looked toward another report on the desk. That report bore a simple sentence:
Duke Toniger, Sir Minate suffered a crushing defeat—(To be continued. To find out what happens next, please log in for more chapters and support the author for legitimate reading!)
