Sword of Dawnbreaker

Chapter 333 - 332: The Gran Family

Whenever Gawain began discussing matters of power struggle and aristocratic games, Rebecca and Amber would surprisingly find common ground and form a cute circle. In the eyes of these two girls, the rules of intrigue between the King and nobles were exceedingly complex and useless. Rather than studying these things, it was far more interesting to wrestle with wolves at home, toss fireballs, loaf around, or sneak drinks...

Nonetheless, while they thought so, they did not dare voice their thoughts in front of Gawain. Amber constantly feared that Gawain might actually smash her against the wall with an eggplant, while Rebecca couldn’t forget the terror of being hung on a beam and beaten by her elders. After listening to Gawain, they both pretended to ponder seriously, and Rebecca appeared thoughtful: "So, the King is worried that during the diplomatic reopening between Anzu and Typhon, the nobles might cause trouble?"

"That’s about right."

"But why would the nobles want to make trouble?" Rebecca asked, confused, "Isn’t it good that the war between Anzu and Typhon can be postponed?"

"It’s good for the King, good for the commoners, but what benefits do the feudalistic and regional nobles gain?" Gawain chuckled lightly, "For most feudal nobles, the King’s wars are just a routine obligation to fulfill. As long as a few knights and retainers who bring their own provisions are sent to fight, they’ve completed their duty. What does the war’s outcome matter to them? If they win, the knights sent out will bring back a lot of wealth and merit; if they lose, even if the kingdom falls, they only need to pledge allegiance to the Typhon Emperor, and their titles and lands remain unchanged—at least, for many Anzu nobles, the rules are as such, and they know no other way of playing the game worldwide."

For the Gawain of his previous life, this was a hard-to-understand "rule," but in this life, Gawain had to confront this reality: nobles’ wars in this era are generally a celebration for opportunists and robbers; nobles might be greedy, might be barbarous, but they unanimously follow the rules of aristocratic games. Their wars rarely end with true life-and-death struggles. More often than not, noble wars are simply to loot wealth and land, and once this goal is achieved, everyone will promptly halt and carry out a customary "closing" process—

During wars, few nobles will die; the worst-case scenario for most is being captured. No one is willing to kill noble prisoners because they are worth substantial ransom, which is entirely reasonable and legitimate—the most famous example is from Anzu year 576, when a dispute broke out between two Earls in the West. In the war, which was sanctioned by the royal family, Earl Beltira was defeated, and even he himself was captured. To redeem their leader, Kant territory paid gold worth twice the Earl’s own weight and nearly thirty percent of land ownership. After the war ended, the two Earls and their blood relatives remained safe, and those captured knights (lower nobility) and barons and viscounts returned safely after their families paid sufficient ransoms.

Except for the unlucky few nobles who died on the battlefield, "only" six thousand seven hundred commoners died.

Not killing noble prisoners, never completely ending any "honorable surname," settling wars with ransoms—these are noble warfare’s three major rules.

No one will break this rule, as it’s the rule all nobles jointly follow and enforce. It maintains their "honor" and has ensured the stability of the country’s feudal system for the past seven hundred years.

The nobles call such wars "civilized wars" and refer to them as "elegant and respectable, like duels witnessed before the Goddess of the Night." Initially, these rules were created to prevent the fledgling kingdoms from crippling themselves through severe internal strife and struggles. But now, it has become a means for nobles to demonstrate their nobility and restraint. The nobles of Anzu seem to believe that even if Typhon truly attacks, even if Anzu truly loses, they can still use these rules to maintain their dignity—just promptly pledge allegiance to the Typhon Emperor.

So, they don’t care what outcome the King’s negotiations with the Typhon Emperor bring; they’re merely focused on whether they can profit in this process. Because Francis II, to prevent instability from the domestic nobles, can only advance certain "benefits" ahead of time...

Those nobles never consider what purpose the Typhon people have for attacking this country—Typhon, in transformation, is like a gluttonous monster. Does this hungry giant care whether its food has pledged allegiance to it?

Gawain glanced at the scroll in Rebecca’s hand and chuckled softly: "Francis II acknowledges my actual rule over Kant territory. It’s merely a gesture of goodwill, and he presents a piece of royal domain east of Kant territory as a gift, hoping the Cecil Clan can remain ’quiet’ during the negotiation period. After all, although the Cecil Clan has left the kingdom’s power center, I am back now, and under certain circumstances, my influence might cause him unimaginable trouble..."

"Regardless, who wouldn’t accept what’s freely given," Amber summarized succinctly, then frowned, "But the King only sent a hurried messenger to deliver the message. Isn’t that too casual? I don’t understand your noble’s intricate rules, but shouldn’t there at least be some kind of granting ceremony for a deal between the King and Duke?"

"Sending a document quietly is the only choice Francis II could make," Gawain laughed, "What else could he do? He’s a royal bastard seven hundred years later, trying to grant a title to a Grand Duke, an ancestor from seven hundred years ago? Not to mention the ceremony itself — who bows first? Should we both bow? When I met Charlie the First back in the day, there was no need for such formalities; Francis II needn’t risk his longevity either!"

Amber envisioned the awkwardness of the scene and gasped immediately: "...Ugh, how troublesome."

"In any case, keep it for now," Gawain waved dismissively, "I have another more important matter. Rebecca, you know... Uh, perhaps you don’t know, you go find Aunt Heidi."

"What is it?" Rebecca listened ignorantly, growing slightly nervous at being asked to fetch Aunt Heidi, "Ancestor, can’t you tell me?"

Gawain gave the girl an angled glance: "Tell you? Do you know the southern borders’ noble genealogy?"

"...Oh, then I’ll go find Aunt!"

Rebecca hurriedly dashed out, and not long after, Aunt Heidi arrived at Gawain’s study.

This elegant lady not only possessed outstanding beauty and administrative skills but was also quite astute regarding the rules of the aristocracy and kingdoms. Upon entering, she immediately spoke, "Ancestor, what the messenger delivered should be the King’s decree, right?"

"Indeed, the Kant territory and the hills east of Kant are now part of the Cecil lands, but that’s not what matters," Gawain waved his hand, "I called you here to inquire if there’s a noble family by the name of ’Gran’ in the southern borders?"

"Gran?" Aunt Heidi frowned slightly, thought for a moment, then nodded, "Yes, Viscount Gran, located to the northeast—ah, now it’s Viscountess Gran ruling that land."

"Viscountess?" Gawain raised an eyebrow, unable to help but think of Rebecca—Rebecca is also a Viscountess, "Did the previous Viscount Gran pass the title to his daughter?"

He had already learned from Patty on the mind network that the current Gran family affairs were managed by a female head, so it was no surprise, just a bit of curiosity prompted him to ask casually.

"No, the previous Viscount Gran was the husband of the current Viscountess," Aunt Heidi shook her head, "The former Viscount unexpectedly passed away from an accident a few years ago, and according to his will, the title was passed on to his widow, Ropeni Ge’lan."

Anzu’s inheritance laws are relatively lenient, with spousal inheritance or transition of titles not being uncommon. In fact, many nobles rely on astute marital alliances to continually expand their family influence—in situations where they wish to avoid easily provoking nobility wars, marriage is one of the important means for nobles to seek benefits and land.

"Ancestor, why are you suddenly inquiring about the Gran family?" Aunt Heidi was quite curious about Gawain’s mention of a noble surname with which they had little interaction, and couldn’t help but ask.

Gawain pondered briefly, then candidly replied, "I suspect this family has ties to the Eternal Sleepers."

"Eternal Sleepers?!" Aunt Heidi was startled, yet she did not question the reliability of the information, nor did she ask how Gawain came by it. With great trust in her ancestor, she directly inquired about the threat level, "Is it a situation similar to the Kant territory?"

"Not yet confirmed, but at least one family member is deeply connected with the Eternal Sleepers," Gawain said seriously, "Has this Gran family shown any unusual changes in recent years? Like extra production suddenly appearing, or suddenly becoming prosperous like the Kant territory?"

"...Not at all, in fact, quite the opposite," Aunt Heidi thought for a while, then shook her head, "The Gran family was initially thriving, the young previous Viscount Gran was a quite capable figure, but in a magic experiment accident, the Viscount accidentally died, and the Gran family, along with their controlled territories, rapidly declined... Although in recent years, Viscountess Ropeni has managed to stabilize the situation, putting the territory back on track and gradually developing, but nothing suggests covert involvement of an evil cult follower..."

At this point, Aunt Heidi added a remark, "Of course, the Eternal Sleepers are elusive in their actions, so nothing can be assumed."

"Died unexpectedly in a magic experiment accident..." Gawain slowly furrowed his brows, "I’m planning to go there and see the situation for myself."

"You want to go in person?" Aunt Heidi slightly frowned, "It’s unusual for a Duke to personally visit a lower-ranking noble, it doesn’t seem appropriate..."

"The rules we set back then—and anyway, I visited the Kant territory last time, so adding a trip to Gran territory is no different," Gawain waved his hand, "I still prefer to see it with my own eyes, or I won’t feel at ease."

"Alright, I will make the arrangements," Aunt Heidi lowered her head, "It just so happens, the Gran territory is just east of Kant’s domain, and with our acquisition of the eastern land of Kant, the Cecil territory is already in contact with Gran territory... As new neighbors, we won’t lack a reason for a visit."