Chapter 187: Alliance Marriage

Viscount Wilk slammed the secret report onto the oak table, the Parchment trembling so the candle flame flickered: "I don't know whether Leibadun is mad or not, but I'm sure the nobles of the Central Provinces are all insane; you have no idea of the predicament of the Central Provinces' nobles."

His bloodshot eyes swept over Robin, his Adam's apple rolling violently, "Those pampered lords can't even feed the tenant farmers on their own fiefs now!"

Fengling lightly waved her wand, and a faintly glowing map appeared in the air, the borders of the Central Provinces outlined by scarlet Runes: "The Imperial Census shows that the four Central Provinces account for half of the nation's subjects." Her fingertip brushed over the dense noble crests, "And land consolidation has reduced half the Barons to empty titles; the newly appointed Count Edmond's domain is even less than a third of our Viscount's lands."

"What's even more ridiculous is the ennoblement system!" the Viscount seized a copper magnifying glass and smashed it onto the map, the handle cracking a Baron's crest, "Of the twelve Barons newly ennobled last year, nine didn't even have half a mu of land! Those so‑called 'honorary nobles' can only scrape a living by serving as lapdogs for the royal family in the Imperial City!"

Robin ran his fingers over the dragon‑scale pattern of his Dragon‑slaying Spear, the gilded Rune warming slightly with his movement: "So as long as Leibadun throws out the bait of a westward expansion…"

Viscount Wilk's fingers clenched the carved armrest, his knuckles whitening from the strain, his murky eyes bloodshot: "All the nobles of the Central Provinces would respond wildly." He swallowed laboriously, his Adam's apple moving up and down, his voice hoarse as sandpaper, "Allen, if the situation becomes too dire, you must take the wealth your family has amassed over the years and leave this place, fleeing to a land where no one knows you."

The night wind swirled the withered leaves outside, rattling against the window lattice, the candlelight casting flickering shadows on his face; at this moment, he was no longer the scheming Viscount, but a father full of worry.

Robin lunged forward a step, his armor clanking crisply; he dropped to one knee, his gaze steady as iron as he looked up: "Father, I will not abandon you and Mother; we will go together." His voice rang strong and resolute, "From the moment I lifted the Dragon‑slaying Spear, I have been ready to protect everything."

Fengling leaned by the doorway, her wand absentmindedly tapping the floor, the Rune's faint glow circulating around her.

She watched Robin's straightened back, her eyes, glowing with an uncanny light, narrowing slightly, the sound of her heartbeat growing clearer in the silent room.

Recalling his blood‑soaked fighting on the battlefield, recalling his focused expression while polishing his weapon, a strange fervor rose in her heart.

When Robin turned his head to meet her gaze, she hurriedly looked away, but the Rune on her wand flared suddenly with her emotional turbulence, reddening the tips of her ears.

Viscount Wilk looked at his son, a mix of pride and pain flashing in his eyes; he trembled as he reached out to touch Robin's face, but his hand fell weakly halfway, "Foolish child, this is not something you can bear alone."

Robin slammed the Dragon‑slaying Spear into the ground, sparks from its tip illuminating his resolute face: "The Knight Guild and the Purple Bauhinia Organization will not stand idly by; we are not without a fighting chance." He strode to the wall bearing the Empire Map, his fingertips tracing the border between the Central Provinces and the Western Frontier heavily, "These two great powers have operated in the Western Frontier for years; once the royal family intervenes, their interests will inevitably be harmed."

Fengling lightly tapped her wand, and the map filled with dense magical markings; violet dots represented the Purple Bauhinia Organization, silver stars marked the Knight Guild's strongholds: "According to the latest intelligence, the Knight Guild has secretly amassed elite forces at the border, while the Purple Bauhinia Organization's assassination squads have already infiltrated the lands of the Central nobles."

Her voice carried a barely perceptible excitement, the Rune circulating around her, "Mrs. Aishar has sent word; as long as we can hold the first wave of attack, the two great powers will inevitably intervene."

Viscount Wilk stroked the beard on his chin, hope flaring in his eyes: "Not to mention the Southern and Eastern Frontiers will also launch attacks on the four Central Provinces." He lifted his cane and tapped the Southern Frontier region on the map, "The Grand Duke of the Southern Frontier has coveted the Imperial City for a long time, and the Eastern nobles covet the fertile lands of the Central Provinces; even if Leibadun goes mad, he cannot abandon the four Central Provinces to focus entirely on the Western Frontier."

Robin turned to his father, a cold sneer curling his lips: "Leibadun thinks using the Central nobles as a cannon will let him easily seize the Western Frontier? He forgets the entire Empire is already a chaotic board." He clenched his fist, "As long as we hold our ground and the various forces check each other, that will be our moment to strike back."

Fengling's eyes glittered with an unusual light as she watched Robin's spirited demeanor, her heartbeat quickening. She lightly waved her wand, casting a sound‑dampening barrier around the room: "I've contacted the liaison of the Purple Bauhinia Organization; they are willing to supply a batch of magical arrows and healing potions." She paused, her gaze burning into Robin, "But as a trade…"

"Whatever the terms, I agree." Robin's voice was laced with the harsh resolve forged on the battlefield, the Dragon‑slaying Spear pressing a deep crimson imprint into his palm.

Fengling watched the blood‑soaked youth's undimmed fighting spirit, the Rune on her wand flickering violently.

This scorching edge made her heart race more than any Incantation could.

Viscount Wilk's silver goblet clanged heavily against the desk, the wine splashing onto the spread strategic map: "What conditions?"

The old noble's pupils narrowed slightly in the candlelight, keenly noticing Fengling's tightened hem and trembling wand.

"Al—Allen must marry Mrs. Aishar." Fengling's hair strands fell, covering her flushed cheek, "Mrs. Aishar controls half the magical workshops in the Western Frontier; only an alliance marriage can ensure—"

"Absurd!" Viscount Wilk's roar shook the beams, dust cascading down, his aged hand gripping the Sword's hilt tightly, "Aishar is notorious as a 'seductive harlot'! Her betrothal is clearly—"

Viscount Wilk, so incensed he even called her a seductive harlot, shows that Robin's standing in his eyes far exceeds his own title.

"I agree."

Robin's voice rang like a hammer striking the silence, "The Western Frontier needs a unified front, and I need her magical armaments."

The youth continued polishing the Dragon‑slaying Spear, yet in the unseen shadows his knuckles whitened from the effort.

Fengling jerked her head up, gazing at Robin's calm profile, suddenly recalling his lone act of shielding civilians from arrows on the battlefield; that fervor, she realized, never belonged to any one person.

The night wind carried the war drums from outside into the room; Viscount Wilk stared at his son's stubborn silhouette, finally collapsing heavily into his chair.

(End of Chapter)