"I've seen it." Griffine nodded, "There are indeed Madara's troops, and not just a small amount." The Half-Elf Girl let out a light hum, "I have no interest in probing the filth between Count Rangdenier and Madara, but—"
She didn't finish, but her dissatisfaction was clear.
"The preparations are thorough." Count Bali was referring to Brand, and he was growing increasingly impressed by the young man.
"Now let's see what benefits we can garner," Macaro's expression turned serious, "We can't abandon Count Rangdenier, and the young man is well aware of this. But there's one thing that surprised ."
Everyone looked at him, waiting for the Deceitful Fox to continue.
"He seems to have deduced the relationship between us and Count Rangdenier; his intention is to make himself a pawn."
"A pawn?" Master Liwu was puzzled.
"Impressive!" Count Bali's eyes lit up, not having seen through this level of intent either, "This is a brilliant move to force Count Rangdenier's hand!"
"Yes," Macaro nodded, unlike the Violet Count's surprise—he was a bit alard, "Not even considering how Brand guessed our internal Royalist views on surrounding powers, just his foresight regarding Erune's situation is enough to warrant caution. This young man is currying favor with us now, and Count Rangdenier won't be unaware of this. Among nobles, there are no secrets—"
"So," he continued, "what do you think that old fox will do? If he sides with Duke Anlek now, what situation will he face?"
"Enemies on all sides."
The Violet Count silently listened to this and couldn't help but look seriously at the past leading figure of the Royalists, now grey but still as sharp as ever, silently thinking:
Only such a person can see things so clearly; experience does speak volus.
"But what's in it for him?" Princess Griffine nodded in agreent with Macaro's words, "To willingly beco our pawn, if Count Rangdenier sides with us, we could discard him at any ti. He must understand this."
Master Liwu hesitated; hearing Macaro's analysis, he felt the young man was not that detestable, but the old man remained uncertain, "That young man seems to have so goodwill towards us. His actions might an he's willing to join us. Besides, only we can cover for him now—"
Count Bali glanced at the elder, thinking that a scholar stays a scholar, never a politician. He added, "The young man wants sothing simple—just playing the balance ga. He's aligning himself, convinced that Count Rangdenier won't side with us."
"A gambler." At this mont, a voice ca from outside the door. The knight guarding the door opened it, allowing a noble draped in mink fur to enter.
Macaro was slightly taken aback by the familiar face—Overwell, who, back in the heyday of the Royalists, was but a capable young man.
Now, the impulsive vigor on that once youthful face had given way to a steadier and sharper deanor.
Overwell glanced at Macaro, bowed slightly to the princess, "Your Highness," and then greeted Macaro, "Lord Macaro."
Nowadays, Overwell's position within the Royalists had subtly surpassed that of the long-out-of-power Macaro, but his humble deanor made Macaro feel very flattered.
He nodded and smiled, "Lord Overwell."
"No need for pleasantries," Sir Wolf lifted his head and replied, "Let's continue the earlier topic. I find Lord Macaro and Count Bali's analysis quite reasonable. However, regarding what the young man wants, I have sothing to add—"
The room quieted.
Everyone's gaze shifted to this unexpected guest, especially Princess Griffine. Out of everyone present, only she knew that Sir Wolf had the best understanding of the young man nad Brand.
Overwell looked around and smiled, "So people lack the value of becoming pawns—they are commoners. So unknowingly beco others' pawns—they are fools."
"But like this young man, proactively making himself our pawn, he is a chess player."
"A chess player?"
"Yes, even if he controls just one piece, he can be called a chess player. In this ga, he stands on the sa level as us." Overwell paused, "He is a pawn, but are we not also? The only difference is that we have more resources."
Everyone remained silent.
"So Lord Overwell, you an he wants to participate in this ga," even the Half-Elf Girl seed incredulous, taking a light breath, "Isn't this like cheating? This is infuriating."
"Indeed," Sir Wolf shook his head, exchanging a look of helplessness with Deceitful Fox Macaro, "What's frustrating is that we have to accept, as his proposal is the most advantageous for us."
"A cunning fellow." Master Liwu shook his head, suddenly feeling he shouldn't participate in this discussion. He rubbed his forehead.
"So what should we do?" the elder asked wearily.
"Just muddle through," Sir Wolf concluded, "the rest—"
He smiled slightly, "Just watch that little guy perform."
Perform?
Everyone found it unbelievable, even Ecco, who had the most confidence in Brand, couldn't help but worry. On one side was a young man with nothing, on the other, the shrewd and powerful Count Rangdenier.
Perhaps Brand had the support of the Silver Elves, but the Silver Elves had already indicated they would not intervene in Erune's internal conflicts.
So where did his confidence co from?
Among everyone, only Princess Griffine seed to be contemplatively looking at another report on the table. The report contained just one simple sentence:
Tonyger, Sir Min Tai's crushing defeat—(To be continued. For more information, please visit qidian. More chapters available, support the author, support legitimate reading!)
User Comments
0 comments from readers