Chapter 83: The Violet Vassal Army!

“Chief Steward!” The guards, seeing Chief Steward Lei De, quickly stepped aside.

Lei De nodded, but frowned as he studied the father and daughter. “You say you’re my distant relatives?”

Lei Meng felt a surge of joy—he hadn’t expected the man himself to be near the castle gate.

He immediately signaled to his daughter.

“Grandfather Lei De, I’m Lilya. This is the keepsake my mother left you—she said you’d recognize us the moment you saw it!”

Lilya pulled out an exquisite crystal hairpin.

The moment Lei De saw the hairpin, he froze—then, after a moment, he recognized it.

“So you’re Lilya! You’ve grown so much—come, come inside the castle with Grandfather!”

Thus, Lei Meng and Lilya were led into the castle and lodged in the servants’ quarters.

After instructing the servants to bring the father and daughter clean water and dried fruit, he dismissed all other servants.

Once done, Lei De’s bright smile vanished, replaced by a sharp gaze fixed on Lei Meng.

“My lord, we’ve prepared roughly two thousand gold coins, plus another two thousand gold coins’ worth of gold and silver vessels and jewelry!”

“All we ask is that you not harm our Viscount—these coins and treasures are yours!”

“But if our Viscount suffers even a scratch, I will put every single gold coin up as a bounty—until he is avenged!”

Lei Meng nodded. This viscount’s steward was indeed competent.

He had noticed something amiss but kept his silence; now, facing bandits, he showed no fear or subservience.

Instead, he projected enough deterrence to give the Viscount the best chance of safety.

But he was clearly mistaken!

“Chief Steward Lei De, I am not a kidnapper—I am the Knight-Lieutenant of Lord Gervas from Stormhold!”

Lei Meng pulled out the baron’s insignia Gervas had given him—a finely crafted copper badge issued by the Kingdom, impossible to counterfeit in any small workshop.

“Stormhold? Knight-Lieutenant?” Lei De blinked. He’d heard of Stormhold, but since the new lord took over, he knew nothing.

“Chief Steward Lei De, our lord received intelligence a few days ago that a gang with ties to us had pulled off a major operation within the Kingdom.”

“Further investigation revealed this operation was the kidnapping of the Violet Viscount!”

“As fellow nobles, our lord decided to send me to inform you.”

“But he warned that such a precise kidnapping suggests the bandits likely have an inside man—so for the Violet Viscount’s safety, I had to come disguised with my daughter.”

“This… Knight-Lieutenant, where is our Viscount now? Is she safe?!” Lei De surged forward, voice trembling.

Lei Meng wasted no time—he told Lei De the truth: the Scorpion Bandits were the culprits.

Upon hearing the name, the castle steward’s face paled slightly. “The Scorpion Bandits? It’s them? Those monsters have raided noble lands countless times before!”

“Chief Steward Lei De, your Violet Viscount is safe—for now. But if you don’t act quickly, that may change.”

“Our lord says those bastards plan to kill her to silence her—so don’t entertain any illusions. Delay means losing both her and your wealth.”

“Also, some members of your Violet family may no longer be trustworthy. So the rescue must be conducted in secret. When the time comes, Stormhold will provide guides—free of charge.”

“Thank you, Lord Gervas, for your aid—and thank you, my lord, for delivering this message. I’ll summon the Violet family’s vassals at once!”

After that, Lei Meng no longer needed to intervene.

The steward left the servants’ quarters with calm composure, then found plausible excuses to meet with three vassals.

A viscount may appoint at most two barons and three knights.

Though the Violet family was wealthy, they were merely border lords, so they had only one baron and two knights.

These three vassals shared the Violet family’s fate—prosper or fall together.

If they wished to keep their fiefs, they had no choice but to rescue the female viscount.

So betrayal was virtually impossible.

Night fell. Lei Meng was taken outside the castle and met the three vassals.

“Knight-Lieutenant Lei Meng, Baron Mien and the two knights have assembled a force of nine hundred men!”

“No members of the Viscount’s guard were included—this ensures the message won’t leak.”

“Also, I will not seek aid from Iron Wolf City until one day after the force departs—this prevents premature exposure.”

“Now, we beg you to lead us,” said Chief Steward Lei De.

…

“My lord, Knight-Lieutenant Lei Meng has returned—and he’s brought a force of over a thousand men!”

Two days later. Stormhold.

Knight Migen burst into the castle’s reception hall, face alight with excitement.

Gervas shot up from the sofa.

“Migen, are the knights and guards ready?”

“My lord, the knights have been ready these past two days, and the guard units have been alerted—they’ve maintained all weapons and armor in peak condition, ready to cleave enemies’ heads from their shoulders!”

“Good. Issue the order: as soon as the Violet vassals move out, our Stormhold Legion follows immediately—we will make the Scorpion Bandits pay in blood!”

“Yes, my lord! We will make the Scorpion Brotherhood pay in blood!”

After giving his orders, Gervas personally met the Violet family’s vassals.

Upon seeing Gervas in person, Baron Mien and the two knights breathed a collective sigh of relief.

Though Lei Meng had shown the baron’s insignia and claimed his origin, they’d still harbored suspicion—after all, a viscount had been kidnapped.

But now, Gervas had come from the castle—he could not be a bandit.

Otherwise, if the Violet family had been compromised, this Stormhold lord who delivered false intelligence would be just as guilty.

“My lord, we, all the Violet family’s vassals, shall forever remember your grace!”

“If we rescue the Viscount, we shall come in person to thank you!”

“Go now. May the God of Glory bless you. Success, Baron Mien!”

…

Thus, Gervas, Mien, and their party followed the guide dispatched by Gervas to the Scorpion Bandits’ stronghold.

Gazing at the towering cliffs, Mien and the others grew grim.

“For the Viscount’s sake, even if we sacrifice every life, it is worth it—if she dies, our fiefs will surely be reclaimed by the Kingdom!” Mien looked to the two knights.

“We understand, Baron Mien!”

“Then begin!”

DONG! DONG! DONG!

The alarm bell rang through the entire Scorpion Bandits’ camp.

No surprise attack—terrain made it impossible for these minor nobles to execute one.

The winding mountain path was visible from top to bottom.

The moment the Violet vassals launched their assault, the defending Scorpion Bandits immediately sensed it.