Chapter 256: It

"Gervas, who are they?"

Good grief! Mil and the others exclaimed in astonishment!

So all this time we've been standing here, this Flower of the Southern March has been treating us like air or wooden posts, is that it?

Only now do you think to ask about us?

We're all dressed in fine silk ceremonial robes—there's no way you could mistake us for servants.

"Catherine, these are all nobles from near Stormhold; they came specifically to visit and comfort me after hearing of Lord Parker's invasion of Stormhold!"

Upon learning they had come to visit Gervas, Catherine's demeanor immediately improved.

"It is a pleasure to meet you all! Thank you for coming to see Gervas!"

"Ah! Lady Catherine, please don't be so formal—we are honored to meet Lady Catherine, the Countess!"

"As for visiting Lord Gervas, as neighbors, it was only natural!"

Hearing Catherine greet them so warmly,

Mil and the lesser nobles were overwhelmed with surprise, hastily bowing in return, their expressions brimming with eager deference.

Catherine was puzzled—why were these nobles so visibly excited?

Of course, this was because she had barely interacted with outsiders during this time.

Otherwise, she would have known that this reaction from lesser nobles was no exception.

In fact, Violet Castle now received daily visitation requests, all of which she had refused.

She had even ordered her steward to decline them outright without bothering to inform her.

After all, when the Violet family fell into ruin, not a single other family—not one—extended a hand to help us, except Gervas.

"Come along, Catherine—you've arrived just in time. Lunch is ready. You've traveled far; you must be hungry!"

Gervas noticed Catherine's confusion and immediately invited her into the castle.

After all, the longer they stood there, the more her confusion would grow.

Upon hearing this, Catherine remembered the cuisine of Gervas's castle and found herself genuinely looking forward to it.

Like the grilled oysters, the soup of winged swan meat, the winged swan egg custard—paired with the chef's exquisite skill, these were dishes she could never taste elsewhere.

"Very well, Gervas!"

……

"Lord Ukadi, beyond this road lies Stormhold, and that mountain ahead is the very trigger of the border dispute between Lord Gervas and Lord Parker!"

"The battle between them also took place right here!"

"Kol, you said earlier that Lord Parker was chased all the way to your outpost by Lord Gervas and several knights, and that you protected him, preventing him from being captured—and ultimately escorted him back to his castle, correct?"

"Yes, Lord Ukadi. Lord Parker was being pursued by Lord Gervas and a few knights, looking utterly frantic and disheveled. Because of my duty and because I knew Lord Parker personally, I allowed him into the outpost."

"Soon after, Lord Gervas arrived at the outpost's perimeter, claiming Lord Parker had invaded Stormhold and ambushed him with fifty light cavalrymen, intending to kill him, and demanded I hand Parker over."

"That was when I learned Lord Parker and Lord Gervas were in conflict."

"But since the Kingdom's law states that only His Majesty and the Noble Council may convict nobles, I refused Lord Gervas's demand and suggested he file charges at Ironwolf City or Eagle City."

"Upon hearing this, Lord Gervas dared not attack the outpost and left. By the way, just before he departed, Lord Parker spotted two captured vassals and demanded Lord Gervas release them."

"After Lord Gervas left, I confirmed the area was secure, then escorted Lord Parker and his vassals back to Parker Castle."

"I personally saw Parker Castle's gates close before I departed."

Kol truthfully reported everything he knew to Lord Ukadi, who had come from Eagle City.

Lord Ukadi was a trusted aide of the Viceroy of the Southern March.

Thus, his presence here effectively represented the Viceroy himself.

To Kol, this man demanded even greater caution than the Ironwolf City civil administrator.

After all, the Viceroy of the Southern March held authority to oversee all military legions in the region.

Though he could not directly command them in battle, any legion commander who wished to avoid being targeted by the Viceroy's constant complaints had to show him proper respect.

And as someone at the lowest rung, Kol had to be especially careful.

After listening to his report, Lord Ukadi frowned slightly, gazing silently at the iron mine mountain ahead.

"Lord Ukadi, is something amiss?" Kol asked cautiously.

"Too convenient! Though Lord Gervas seems to harbor no suspicion, why did dark creatures attack Parker Castle immediately after his battle with Parker?"

"And judging by the number of dark creature corpses, if Parker's forces hadn't been bolstered by this battle, his castle would likely have been destroyed."

"Lord Ukadi, it is indeed suspicious, but… those dark creatures—no one can control them, can they?"

"Who can say for sure?" Ukadi replied ambiguously.

As the Viceroy's steward, he had heard rumors that some nobles deliberately lured dark creatures to ravage other lords' territories.

But the sole prerequisite for such a scheme was the ability to detect dark creatures in advance.

Dark creatures typically appeared suddenly at night, so their attacks were always unexpected—let alone being detected early and deliberately guided to another lord's land.

In the past, such incidents occurred only when dark creatures had swarmed en masse, allowing certain nobles to exploit the chaos.

But currently, the dark creatures near Stormhold and Parker's territory have not yet reached such a scale; it would take at least three to five months before they could threaten the border.

"Let's go. Take me to Lord Gervas's castle."

"Yes, Lord Ukadi!"

……

"This… this is winged swan meat soup?"

"Yes, noble guests. To honor you, the castle slaughtered three winged swans this morning!"

"Additionally, this is winged swan egg custard—five eggs were cooked this morning!"

Good grief! Mil and the others exclaimed in astonishment!

They had assumed that while Gervas outmatched them militarily, his lifestyle was still frugal.

But who knew… it was truly enough to make one weep with envy!

One winged swan egg costs a gold coin, and each person here has a large bowl of custard.

The servants even said more was available—five eggs were used this morning alone.

Five winged swan eggs—that's five gold coins!

And three whole winged swans!

Never mind their value—

just tell me: are winged swans even meant to be eaten?

Even among high nobles, winged swans are kept solely for egg production!

So Lord Gervas, living this way… you're truly wasteful.

And we… we feel heartbroken just watching!

Then there's the giant lobster, the raw fish slices, the charcoal-grilled oysters…

Why does Stormhold's ocean yield so much seafood?

Isn't the ocean supposed to be perilous?

As Mil and the others ate, their eyes grew moist.

Whether from being moved by the food's deliciousness,

or from the ache of their own poverty—

either way, this was how nobility was meant to live!

Our own noble lives? They were nothing but pig's existence!