Chapter 395: The Complicated Situation In South County
Kant had already made up his mind to head to the East County
But Rolf was worried.
Although he had a tough personality, he was very concerned about his supreme lord, Lord Kant. Now that he felt that the East County was indeed dangerous, he really didn’t want Kant to set foot in this place.
If something went wrong, the East County City, the capital of the East County, would be a cage full of sharp blades.
At that time, it would be difficult to leave there safely, let alone continue with the plan.
The Crimson Sect, the remnants of the Demon Wors.h.i.+p Cult, had already infiltrated to such an extent. It basically meant that the entire East County was completely rotten, like a sieve that had been infiltrated!
Even the faces of the Sarleon Lion Knights who were guarding beside them changed slightly, and their eyes were filled with caution.
They thought of the Snake Cult on the Continent of Pendor.
The heretic cult that had once been suppressed.
It was precisely because the Snake Cult had infiltrated the entire Empire that either n.o.ble or the commoners were all believed in the Snake Cult. Thus, no matter how hard they tried to eliminate it, the Snake Cult was still plagued the Empire. It had slowly grown stronger when the Empire was facing a crisis.
In the end, even the king believed in the Snake Cult. It had completely become a religious force that could influence the politics of Empire!
Right now, same thing might had happened in the East County.
Although it had not reached that stage yet, it was almost there.
This was the reason why Rolf had stopped Kant from continuing to head to the East County City.
He did not know how many other fallen knights like Viscount Gibran, who were controlled by the demonic forces, or fallen people who believed in and pledged allegiance to the Crimson Sect were in the unfamiliar East County City.
If they were willing to pledge allegiance and wors.h.i.+p to the abyssal demons, then they were definitely not good people.
Even if they were good people, they would become madmen and fanatics.
This was the consequences of believing in the abyss.
They would only gone crazy and brutal.
Despite the beliefs of the G.o.ds were so strict, so inviolable, and so cold and rigid, it was much better than the beliefs of the abyss. At least, there would not be any trouble.
If the G.o.ds were shepherds who treated human believers as lambs, then the abyssal demons were hungry wolves who treated humans as lambs, and they would kill at will when they were hungry!
There was a big difference between the two.
Entering East County City like this was undoubtedly equivalent to a sheep entering the tiger’s mouth.
There was a slight silence in the tent. Although Kant intended to go to East County City, he also knew that things was not as simple as prediction. On the contrary, he had to be prepared to prevent a series of troubles.
Tonight’s battle would probably spread throughout the entire East County in a short period of time.
It would even spread throughout the entire Dukedom of Leo.
There was no impregnable wall to stop the news.
Kant, who had sneaked into the East County, would also be known by others. After all, when Gibran left, he did not hide Kant’s ident.i.ty. Instead, he shouted loudly. Almost everyone in the vicinity had heard him clearly.
This included the villagers and militia of Nali Village, as well as the knight attendants who had escaped.
“There’s some trouble.” Kant frowned slightly.
No matter how he thought about it, the probability of encountering trouble during this trip to the East County could not be reduced.
If he was unlucky, he might have to go through a few fierce battles. At the very least, he believed that he would not have a good relations.h.i.+p with that Countess Agatha, even if she was his aunt.
The royal family did not have any family ties, and the internal affairs of the small dukedom in this world were very common.
“Lord.” Rolf suggested, “Why don’t you go back and bring more troops?”
“We’ll become a big and obvious target.” Kant shook his head.
In fact, not to mention 500 Desert Bandits, just 30 Sarleon Lion Knights and 5 Sarleon Lion Squires were enough to draw attention. After all, they were all plate armor and chain mail. Ordinary knights did not have such equipment!
Even if they said that they were an ordinary mercenary group, they could only fool the ignorant villagers.
As for the real n.o.bles, they probably knew that they were a private troop secretly trained by an unknown peer.
Those n.o.ble enemies would definitely probe Kant’s strength. If they had their own private troop, they would even secretly set up traps. Even worse, they would even try to annihilate Kant’s troop if they had a chance.
Just like the fierce Gale Mercenary Group, it was the fearsome force that belonged to Countess Agatha.
However, thinking of this, Kant felt a slight headache.
He was the one who destroyed the Gale Mercenary Group. Moreover, he had captured the other attacking troops at the Stone Pa.s.s.
Although people didn’t say it explicitly, Countess Agatha had almost become a laughing joke in the entire Dukedom of Leo. Especially after losing these two elite troops, a total of four grand knights might be enough to hurt the vitality of the East County.
One had to know that on the surface, the Dukedom of Leo only had ten grand knights at most.
But if it were really as Rolf had said, bringing troops over would not be infiltration.
It would be an invasion.
There would be a direct conflict.
Kant was not afraid of East County with his current troop’s strength, even the entire Dukedom of Leo. In a field battle, Kant’s troop could almost take them away in one wave. But after conquered the dukedom with violence, it would be even more troublesome to deal with the rebellions and other enemies.
One had to know that Kant didn’t have many troops. It was not enough to defend the three counties.
Not to mention that there were foreign enemies eyeing them.
For example, the Silver Platter Kingdom.
Once they discovered that the Dukedom of Leo was in internal strife, they would not hesitate at all.
When the time came, the Silver Platter Kingdom would take advantage of the internal strife to launch an attack. They would attack the Dukedom of Leo in all directions and win the final victory. And finally, they could settle the score for their defeat ten years ago.
Ten years ago, the Dukedom of Leo was as united as an iron plate.
Now, it was in pieces.
In the South County, there was a battle between the Grand Duke and the top-tier n.o.ble.
In the North County, there was a battle between Viscount Wayne and Viscount Kevin.
In the East County, not only wit was independent, but there was also an internal divide between Countess Agatha and Viscount Gibran.
If there was a new invasion from Silver Platter Kingdom, it was unlikely that the n.o.bles in the Dukedom of Leo would unite to resist the invasion. Instead, they would wait for the price to be offered and see what they could gain by joining the Silver Platter Kingdom.
In any case, if the dukedom were destroyed, the n.o.ble would still be the n.o.ble. Only the rest of the dukedom would change.
Oh, one more thing, the royal family that ruled the dukedom would change.
But it did not matter to the n.o.ble. It was all the same. They were just va.s.sals.
But no matter what, if Kant led his troop and went to the East County, the consequences would be troublesome. The entire Dukedom of Leo would probably be in an uproar, not to mention Countess Agatha.
Even the though the n.o.bles were always up to not good behind the scenes, but on the surface, they still followed the rules of the n.o.ble court.
If Kant led his troops into the East County, they would definitely with each other.
If things went wrong, there would be a war between the n.o.bles, and even internal strife among the n.o.bles of the Dukedom of Leo.
The n.o.ble court represented the authority of the top n.o.ble and the royal family. If the authority of the n.o.ble court was weakened, then there would be no scruples between the lower-level n.o.bles. When they fought each other, they did not differentiate between allies and enemies.
After all, even if they were n.o.ble, they also had grudges to each other. Even if they didn’t, they were willing to join the fight for the sake of benefits.
Kant had lived here for more than ten years. He was very clear about this.
After all, he was also a member of the n.o.ble.
“Baron Kant.”
However, Bertram, who was kneeling in front of him, spoke.
Looking at Kant’s slightly frowning appearance, he said dejectedly, “Perhaps It’s okay for you to go see Countess Agatha. The current East County is no longer under her control.”
“I don’t understand.” Kant frowned even more. His words were very vague.
“Countess Agatha’s authority has been weakened.” Bertram shrugged.
He sighed calmly and said, “It’s not a secret that the Gale Mercenary Group was gone. Everyone knows that they were completely destroyed when they launched a sneak attack at the Stone Pa.s.s. The current Countess Agatha can only control the East County City.”
Kant said, “Because her strength was damaged, her authority was reduced.”
“Yes.”
Bertram nodded. “She’s not good now.” After a pause, he continued, “Even Viscount Gibran was very rude to Countess Agatha in his words. At the same time, he also revealed some ulterior plans.”
“It’s just that he was defeated by me before he implemented it.” Kant’s lips curled up. “He may be very disappointed.”
“That’s right.” Bertram had nothing else to say.
However, when he thought of the words he had heard back then, he still reminded Kant after hesitating for a few moments, “Baron Kant, right now, your strength is formidable, but the strength of the Crimson Sect is also not to be underestimated. I once heard that this sect has the ability to destroy the Dukedom of Leo. It’s only because they fear the Silver Platter Kingdom that they temporarily lay low in East County.”
“Afraid of the Silver Platter Kingdom? I am more curious about that.” Kant frowned, but the national religion of the Silver Platter Kingdom instantly appeared in his mind. He seemed to be deep in thought as he said, “Could it be… the Holy Church?”
“I am not sure.” Bertram didn’t collect much information on this matter.
However, he had already given Kant a lot of useful information, especially regarding the situation of the Dukedom of Leo and the complicated situation in the East County. He had a good understanding of it.
“You’re not bad.” Kant nodded.
He sat on the low stool and looking at Bertram, his eyes lit up slightly. After thinking for a moment, he said, “I still lack a friend in the East County who can help me convey my word. Perhaps you can help. I don’t know if you want to.”
“Of, of course, I’m willing too!” Bertram agreed instantly without any hesitation.
Only a fool would not agree.
Baron Kant was responsible for the heavy casualties outside.
If he did not agree, the consequences would probably be a cut on his neck. It would not be surprising if he were thrown into the pile of corpses outside. After all, they were the ones who launched the attack first. There was no reason to argue about it.
As for human rights and such things, they were really useless.
They were useless!
“Very good.” Kant nodded in satisfaction.
There were two dark chess pieces in the East County now, but there had to be a clear one as well.
This young man, who was shocked by Viscount Gibran’s fall and had doubts about Countess Agatha’s strength, was the best chess piece for him. As long as he could control it well, he might be able to have a great influence.
At the very least, Bertram’s father was a baron of the palace, and the connections he had could help maintain stability.
The East County was an important dumping ground for Kant in the future.
He could not afford to make any mistakes.