"Think it over? The nerve!" Philip crumpled the agreement. These weren''t conditions; they were demands to surrender hisnd and leave. epting it would be madness.
"That brat has quite the nerve!" Philip seethed, irritated by Ss''s dismissive attitude toward a baron''s authority.
"What is he doing now?" he demanded.
"He''s wandering around the vige, saying he wants to see his grandfather and mother''s homnd."
"Unbelievable," Philip scoffed, disgusted by the audacity.
"What should we do about it?" Stay connected with My Virtual Library Empire
"Let him do as he pleases! He''ll leave in three days," Philip replied.
"Are you sure we shouldn''t stop him?" The implication was clear: should they really allow him to scout the territory just before a potential battle?
"There''s nothing to see," Philip said dismissively. His barony was barely the size of arge vige. From the nearby hill, Ss could easily discern their limited defenses and troop numbers. Besides, Falun was a neighboring vige—they knew the ce well, down to the number of stones in the walls.
"Let him poke around; there''s no need to stir trouble. Feed him for three days and then send him off."
"Yes, my lord."
Philip decided to stall for three days, hoping to exhaust Ss''s supplies. He had no idea what consequences this decision would bring.
"I am the grandson of Norman and the son of Lyria! Are there any here who knew them?" Ss called as he moved around Greve''s territory. Startled soldiers tried to intervene, but Ss countered each attempt.
"I am simply looking for those who knew my grandfather and mother. What''s the problem with that?" he demanded.
"Well, it''s… just…" The soldiers stammered, but Ss pressed them.
"What exactly is the problem? Have I poisoned a well? Set fire to the armory?"
Unable to argue, the soldiers stepped back. They continued watching him from afar, but couldn''t stop him from meeting anyone he pleased. Slowly, the locals, who had been lingering in the shadows, came forward. An older man cautiously approached Ss.@@novelbin@@
"Sir…?"
"Yes, what is it?"
"Are you truly the grandson of old Norman?"
"That''s right. I heard this was my grandfather''s homnd."
"Did Norman ever say anything about me? My name is Anders, and I was somewhat close to him."
Though Ss had no such memories, he knew Anders well from his visit before his return. Ss closed his eyes, pretending to recall.
"Hmm, I do remember something. My grandfather mentioned teaching a few hunting skills. And I believe he left you a dagger before he left?"
"Th-that''s right," Anders stammered, surprised.
"And how is your daughter? My grandfather said she was just a baby when he left."
"...!" Anders'' eyes widened in shock. These were details only someone from the vige would know. Certain now of Ss''s identity, Anders turned around and shouted to the others.
"Everyone,e out! It''s true! This young lord is Norman''s grandson!"
At his words, shadows emerged from all around, vigers stepping forward one by one.
"Is he really Norman''s grandson?"
"My goodness, that knight was no ordinary man!"
The vigers, who had been watching quietly, began murmuring amongst themselves. Sensing the softened atmosphere, Ss raised his voice.
"I''m d to finally meet my grandfather and mother''s people! Is there anyone here who can share stories of them?"
A few vigers stepped forward hesitantly. The fear that had gripped them earlier seemed to lessen, and soon, several people approached Ss to speak.
"Lord, my name is Heine."
"Ah, I''ve heard you''re quite skilled at repairing things."
"Have you heard of someone named Roy?"
"Weren''t you the one who proposed to my mother and was promptly rejected?"
"W-why are you bringing that up..."
Once the conversation got rolling, the crowd quickly gathered around Ss, excited to share. Noticing the growing noise, Ss pulled out his coin purse.
"It''s hard to talk like this. Someone, go get some drinks and meat! I''ll cover the cost!"
A cheer rose from the vigers, and soon the entire vige had turned into a celebration.
Unlike Falun, Elmholt was a fairly active trading hub. Thanks to that, it was easy to procure enough food and drinks for everyone. As the vigers began to feast, Anders raised his ss for a toast.
"To Lord Ss, grandson of Norman, son of Lyria, and descendant of the Dragon yer!"
"To Lord Ss!"
Once the alcohol began to flow, a storm of questions followed. The vigers, who had previously kept their distance, now gathered around Ss with curiosity. He answered with a blend of half-truths and charming tales.
''I''m d I visited here before,'' he thought. Ss''s previous visit to Elmholt was impulsive; he hade on a whim, wanting to see his grandfather''s hometown. Surprisingly, the vigers had weed him warmly, thanks to the goodwill his grandfather had left behind.
"Norman was such a kind soul. I can''t believe he''s gone," one man mused.
"He caught me once trying to steal some game but just let me go."
"He would leave a piece of fur at cold houses, saying he''d found it by the way."
Ss smiled as he listened to the vigers reminisce.
''This ce is worlds apart from Brick Vige,'' he thought. Here, they fondly remembered his grandfather''s kindness, and the stories carried onte into the night.
As dawn approached and most people had drifted off to sleep, Ss scanned the guards dozing nearby and whispered to the few vigers still awake.
"So, how''s life been around heretely? Are things going well?"
"Going well? What do you mean?" a man asked cautiously.
"Since the baron took over. He doesn''t seem like a good lord."
The vigers tensed, exchanging uneasy nces. Speaking ill of the lord could lead to severe punishment. One older man tried to quiet the grumbling middle-aged viger beside him, but thetter, visibly intoxicated, continued.
"We''re barely scraping by. The baron doesn''t let up, and it''s a miracle the devil hasn''te for him yet."
"Hey! You shouldn''t say that!" someone scolded, but the man ignored him, sighing heavily.
"He keeps raising taxes, and we''re struggling. Can you believe he doubled the poll tax in just ten years?"