Chapter 161 - Walking on Eggshells (1)
After giving a brief answer, Eisen immediately looked at Henry. It was understandable that he did so, since Eisen was basically biting the hand that had fed him.
Henry was overwhelmed with a lot of thoughts and feelings, but instead of replying hastily, he calmly asked the next question.
“Has the type of battle been decided?”
“It’s going to be a Fief War.”
‘As expected!’
A Fief War was an honorable type of battle that required the participation of the family head and had the potential to inflict significant damage on the opponent.
Henry felt a sense of disgust toward Eisen for putting his life on the line without discussing it with him first. While the decision of what to bet was up to the head of the family, Henry couldn't help but feel disappointed in Eisen.
However, Henry was somewhat thankful for this rather unexpected opportunity because, in a Fief War, there was a rule that the family head had to participate in the battle; thus, it was worth taking this chance to get rid of Alfred for good.
Eisen’s foolish greed for the Three Golden Sites had unintentionally served as a good opportunity for Henry.
‘I didn’t expect his stupidity to come in handy like this.’
Henry believed that Alfred was certain he could defeat Eisen, hence the bet on the Three Golden Sites. Eisen's stubborn refusal to lose was the reason he agreed to the battle, since he also thought he would win.
However, there was something Eisen was greatly mistaken about. He had been a powerless count of several years, and he didn’t have anyone else by his side other than Henry.
‘What’s up with his confidence when he only has me as his vassal?’
All the more ridiculous this was.
No matter how much the Fief War followed the method of war consisting of one hundred soldiers, one outstanding commander could play the part of all those soldiers.
‘Well, will that even matter?’
Of course, this was the case in normal circumstances.
However, in this case, it was different because Eisen possessed monstrous power that was not equal to a hundred soldiers, but rather to one thousand.
‘I guess this will be the last time doing this crap as well then.’
Having grasped this opportunity, Henry began pondering the situation.
If he could get rid of Alfred through this Fief War, all that would be left was Arthus and the emperor. If everything went as planned, Eisen would no longer be needed since Henry wouldn’t need to use him as a puppet to capture Arthus and the emperor.
Henry was going to use this Fief War to simultaneously get rid of both Alfred and Eisen. Only after destroying the two marquis was he was going to move on to his next plan, namely the imperial palace.
‘But, this is much earlier than I thought.’
All the parts of his plan were falling into place like puzzle pieces, but it was also moving too fast.
The sooner the revenge, the better it was. However, it was wiser for Henry to take his time to prepare and proceed with caution, rather than rush things and risk failing.
Henry had lived this life only for revenge.
However, Eisen had already agreed to a battle and it couldn't be undone. On top of that, the battle was just around the corner. Therefore, even if Henry fell ill from overworking, he had to carry out all his plans according to this new schedule.
‘And if my prediction is right, Arthus will start his rebellion on the day of the Fief War between Alfred and Eisen.’
Henry wasn’t the only one with this unexpected opportunity. He was sure that Arthus would proceed with his dark and twisted plan through this Fief War.
Of course, this was purely Henry’s prediction, but there were some facts that made it plausible.
Arthus had been preparing a rebellion for a long time, and coincidentally enough, Alfred was going to eliminate that bothersome Eisen. In addition, the emperor was addicted to the Pink Swamp, so there was no reason to delay the rebellion any further.
The Fief War between Alfred and Eisen was the perfect opportunity for Arthus to start the rebellion.
‘Before the rebellion, I’m sure he's going to make clear of his allies and enemies.’
In order to have a successful rebellion, it was essential to have good security, as everything could go wrong if there was an informer within the team.
Considering the current situation, most of the nobles would certainly side with Arthus since no one in their right mind would put all their trust in the drug-addicted emperor to stay neutral.
Because of that, distinguishing his allies from his enemies could be a waste of time.
‘But still, Arthus will make sure to filter out those who aren’t on his side and get rid of them as soon as possible.’
If he had already started his plan, what would Arthus be scared of?
At any rate, Henry decided to prepare thoroughly, thinking that this Fief War was going to be the last battle to end everything at once.
‘I’ll really have to postpone memorizing the book about illusion until later.’
Henry shook his head, recalling the illusion book he had placed in the subspace. Even though he had assured Viram that he would memorize the book in ten days, he now wasn’t sure he would have enough time.
‘I should first figure out the strategy of the Etherwether family.’
If one understood their enemy, they could win all their battles even if they fought one hundred times.
Henry wanted to know the strategy of the Highlander family as well. However, after learning about the existence of Chimeras through Von, external observations to their plan were pointless.
Henry thought it was best to defeat Alfred by a landslide no matter what, given that the second battle against Arthus would happen after the Fief War.
‘Let’s see, the person from the Etherwether family who would be the most cooperative with me is…’
Henry had already formulated a strategic plan for the Shonan family as their vassal. Therefore, his immediate concern was gaining insight into Alfred's overall force.
He thought about candidates who could inform him of the Etherwether family’s plan.
‘As expected, it would be best if the informer is a part of their team.’
The most effective approach was to acquire internal information from a key member who was also an insider.
Henry didn’t have to think for long, as he had already identified the perfect individual to serve as his informant.
‘I have an idea of who’s going to be the spy. Now, I’ll have to go see Vant.’
Henry had roughly concocted a plan.
Having made up his mind, Henry headed straight toward Vivaldi as soon as he left Eisen’s mansion.
* * *
“Cough cough! W-what brings you here, Lord Henry?”
Henry stormed into Vant’s office before the secretary could even notify him.
Vant couldn’t help but choke on the tea that he had been leisurely enjoying.
“Everything’s good, right?”
Henry smiled like a fox.
To Vant, Henry was the scariest person and the worst boss ever.
Vant wiped the tea around his mouth and said, “Y-yes, everything is good! I’ve been managing the chess matches and all the documents, and… The Million Gold Organization taxes and… and…”
“That’s enough. I came here today because I wanted to get a construction permit.”
“...A construction permit?”
Vant looked like he couldn’t comprehend why Henry needed that.
Final approval from the mayor was needed in order for additional buildings to be built within Vivaldi. However, there was no need for a personal visit to obtain permission, as complaints were typically managed by lower-level officials, with the mayor's final approval being the last step. Of course, this was only in normal circumstances.
However, every second was precious to Henry. In addition, he had the authority to meet with Vant in private any time he wanted, so there was no reason not to use him.
“Yes. I’m thinking of repairing the old city wall. Of course I’ll be supplying all the manpower and materials from the Million Merchant, so just keep that in mind.”
“W-what? But I don’t even have a budget to use on that right away…!”
“I don't need a budget.”
“What?”
“All expenses will be paid by the Million Gold Organization, so all you need to do is fill out the necessary documents, stamp them, and send them to the Million Gold Organization right away.”
Henry had already gathered the large sum of twenty million gold coins through members of the Central Aristocratic Association. Therefore, he wasn’t going to waste the little time he had just to save some money.
Even though all the expenses were going to be covered by the Million Gold Organization, this was still all too sudden.
When Vant looked puzzled, Henry took out a piece of paper and gave it to him.
“Here, have it.”
“Lord Henry, this is…?”
“It’s a bill for fifty thousand gold coins from the Million Gold Organization. To be exact, this is a small compensation fee that I’m giving you for approving the construction.”
‘Fi-fifty thousand gold coins!’
This was half of the prize money hidden inside the Vivaldi tower that was to be paid to the new chess champion. In other words, this was also half the prize money he had lost to Henry.
Vant still hadn’t gathered one hundred thousand gold coins.
After receiving the bill, Vant bowed deeply, his forehead almost touching the floor, and said, “I’ll do my best!”
“Of course you will.”
The reason Henry gave him fifty thousand gold coins, and not one hundred thousand, was to give him a sense of hope.
No one could’ve predicted how Vant's attitude might’ve changed had Henry cleared his debts right from the start. Furthermore, Henry couldn’t be bothered to correct Vant’s attitude if it did change.
“I’ll leave it to you then.”
Henry immediately left the city hall and headed toward Ten’s mansion.
* * *
“You’re here, Lord Henry.”
“Ten, I have something to say. Follow me to the conference room.”
Instead of accepting Ten’s greeting, Henry immediately dragged Ten to the conference room.
Henry stared at the continental map on one side of the room and said, “Ten.”
“Yes, Lord Henry.”
“Do you remember what I told you last time?”
“Which thing are you talking about?”
“I promised to give you the entire Million Gold Organization after I conquered the continent, remember?”
“Of course I do, which is why I’m working hard every day to do the work you entrusted me with so that I can become the Golden King in the future.”
“As expected of you Ten, you’re reliable.”
“No worries. I’m only doing what I should be doing.”
“Right. Speaking of conquering the continent, I think it’s time.”
“...What?”
“The time has come to conquer the continent. There will probably be a big war soon. So from now, we’re going to start preparing for the war in advance.”
“W-what? Lord Henry! What do you mean war all of a sudden? I have no idea what you’re talking about…”
How could he show up out of nowhere and talk about war?
Ten couldn’t understand why Henry was making such remarks, as the continent was currently experiencing its golden era of peace after being unified into a single empire.
“I understand why it might be hard for you to see, given your comfortable life with the Million Gold Organization. But this empire is rotten, and to face those problems, we need to get ready for what's coming.”
“But why does it have to be us that prepare?”
“If not us, then who? Are you just going to wait for the war to start and get killed? Last time, you said you would help me conquer the continent.”
“N-no, what I mean is, even though you’re Marquis Eisen’s only vassal, how are you going to conquer the continent through a war?”
Ten’s question was full of skepticism.
Ten’s reaction was understandable because no matter how extraordinary Henry’s abilities were, war was a completely different kind of problem.
Henry smirked and said, “I’m his vassal, but my power doesn’t come just from that.
“What?”
“Come to think of it, I haven’t told you.”
“What? Lord Henry, what are you…?”
Just as Ten looked puzzled, Henry smirked again and raised both of his hands.
Sizzle!
“...!”
A pillar of fire rose from both of his hands.
Crack!
The rising flame pillar quickly turned into ice and became a sharp ice awl.
Henry then put his hands together and got rid of the ice. He rubbed the palms of his hands together and said, “You saw it, right?”
“What…? Whatttt?”
Ten was genuinely shocked.
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