Chapter 31: Tournament and Banquet

On the temporarily constructed tournament grounds.

Two Green Forest Warriors slammed into each other, fighting with relatively primitive weapons.

Neither of them wore armor, and one could see the well-developed muscles, gruesome scars, and various tattoos on their bodies.

Calling them tattoos was not entirely accurate; Aaron knew that the ancient "Green Forest Warriors" liked to use green or blue dyes to smear their bodies and faces, creating simple patterns.

To this day, this custom still circulates in the Green Forest.

Although he did not think that guys with green and blue patches on their faces were particularly terrifying, it was said that this could effectively deter enemies.

Once upon a time, these "Green Savages" were the Nightmare of the northern lords of the Kajashi Kingdom!

Bang!

Just as he was lost in thought, on the stage, a bearded warrior had already knocked down his opponent with a stone axe and was roaring at the crowd below, showing off his muscles.

"Very good!"

On the high platform, Theodore raised his hand and announced loudly: "The winner of this tournament is Mokeduo from the Wasteland!"

Aaron looked around boredly; on the high platform, in the position with the best view, Lady Sonia, Jinni, Sean, and even Colin were present.

This tournament was originally held mainly to celebrate the birth of the new generation of heirs.

It is worth mentioning that Sylvie also survived, and according to Jinni, her recovery was going very well, with no symptoms like postpartum infection; it seems that allicin still played a certain role.

In fact, Aaron did not have much confidence at the time; one could only say that the other party was lucky this time.

……

Night.

A grand banquet was held in the castle.

A roasted golden suckling pig was placed in the center of the long table with an apple in its mouth, surrounded by various sumptuous meals.

Aaron held a glass of wine, somewhat displeased with the noisy atmosphere of the banquet.

One must know that the nobles of this time were very wild and open, and even the banquet was a good place to socialize.

Some men and women meeting for the first time could not wait, flirting heatedly, and even began to arrange secret trysts in the garden or servants' quarters...

All in all, it was a miasma of smoke and dust.

Well, there was no shortage of knights' daughters, or even knights' wives, who wanted to "hunt" Aaron and came over to fawn upon him, which made him feel quite annoyed.

"Haha, my child, you are still as shy as before, unable to adapt to this kind of scene."

Theodore walked over with a loud laugh, and the people around automatically stepped aside, clearly knowing that the Count wanted to have a heart-to-heart talk with his second son.

"You should learn more from Colin; he is very adaptable."

Starting with women can quickly bring the atmosphere of men's conversations closer.

However, Theodore using this opening made Aaron feel a sense of politeness and importance.

He smiled slightly: "Colin is a very good heir, um, if he were a little more humble... Father, do you have something to ask of me?"

This straightforward approach made Theodore frown, then he said: "You are already seventeen, it is time to consider marriage, um... according to the saying in Kajashi, a Count can ennoble lower-ranking nobles; perhaps you should also raise your title. Although it will not increase your fief, it sounds better."

In the Kajashi Kingdom, Barons and Viscounts and the like actually do not have the power to ennoble nobles, not even a single Knight.

This power belongs at least to a Count, so a Count is often regarded as a true ruler of a region and the threshold for being a great noble.

Of course, if a Baron or Viscount insists on ennobling someone and carving up their own territory, the official document will be approved if it is submitted.

If they have a subordinate Count, the one responsible for approval is the Count.

If not, then it is directly under the King, and the report will be sent directly to the King's desk.

Generally speaking, great nobles will not refuse, as this is the self-weakening of the small nobles.

Of course, in the Green Forest, the situation is somewhat different.

The land here is vast and sparsely populated; in fact, the fiefs of many knights are very large, to the point of making their peers in the kingdom jealous.

For example, Aaron; his territory could be further cultivated, and its area is comparable to a Baron's fief in the kingdom, just without as much population.

And the previous Theodore was the same; he preferred to call himself a lord rather than some Baron or noble.

So, Aaron knew very well that this was not what Theodore really wanted to say.

'I always feel that after ruling the Green Forest, Theodore has changed a bit, becoming more political?'

He complained inwardly and said: "If I could be ennobled by you, it would be my supreme honor, but I have not yet found a lady I truly admire..."

"That is a pity, but perhaps you could consider the 'Sheep Women' of the Kajashi Kingdom?" Theodore said.

The lords of the Kajashi Kingdom are cowardly and not good at fighting, often mocked by the Green Forest nobles as sheep-men, so their daughters are naturally sheep-women.

"A political marriage?"

Aaron smiled: "If Father wants to fully integrate into Kajashi, then this is a good way..."

"I am still considering it at the moment; Feili once suggested this to me... but I always feel something is wrong, that there is a trap."

Theodore said.

In fact, if it were the past, he would not need to discuss Aaron's marriage with his son; he would just decide it and then notify him.

But at this time, Aaron had another identity as his vassal, so he needed to negotiate instead.

But Aaron felt that this was also the other party's secondary purpose; while finding it amusing, he echoed a few words.

In the end, Theodore finally said seemingly casually: "I heard that your territory uses a brand-new farming method, and there is something called Chemical Fertilizer that can double the yield per mu? Um, you have been good at invention and creation since you were a child; the paper you made is already selling well in the kingdom and is being snatched up by wandering merchants..."

'So that's what it was all about?'

Aaron nodded inwardly, his expression unchanged: "It is just a small, insignificant improvement. If Father wants it, I can talk to your agricultural officer about it."

Theodore's expression suddenly became serious: "How could I covet the things of my son, my vassal?"

However, with Aaron's persuasion, his expression gradually softened.

……

Not long after, Aaron, who had returned to his room, chuckled: "Is this the commonality of feudal monarchs? Always liking to scrape all the good things into their own bowls?"

"However, I also obtained what I wanted."

During tonight's negotiation, he and Theodore reached a "political deal"—specifically, trading advanced farming techniques for absolute autonomy over his own marriage.

Theodore also hinted at the end that as long as he didn't marry a peasant girl in a way that would incite public outrage, he could do as he pleased, or even get married later.

This made Aaron heave a sigh of relief; he certainly didn't want to be forcibly arranged by Theodore like Colin was.

At this moment, gazing at the gap in the door, he suddenly smiled: "Tiya, come in!"