“Thank you, Guildmaster Arryn,” I said to the old man. “It is the least I could do for you, Adviser,” he replied.

“I am grateful for that,” I said and stepped into the boat, which began to take me to the other side.

I was going to leave tomorrow, but things have changed in the baronies, and I have to leave as soon as possible.

After the message, I left the establishment within a few minutes and went to Count Darrow. I didn’t stay for more than an hour before coming to the port where I met the old man.

I watched the moon in the sky and wished I could stay one more night in the city.

I pushed the melancholic thoughts and turned to Zela.

A few minutes later, the boat had reached the other side, and I stepped out of it before walking toward the carriage.

It would have been great if there had been a bridge on the river, but I didn’t even bring up that subject. The Count would never agree, and the issue is more complex than the cost it would incur.

It has security implications for it.

Still, having a bridge would have been nice, especially now with the goods coming from the Navr every day, in large quantities.

We are not just importing, but exporting as well, and it would only grow with time.

Having a bridge would have made everything more efficient.

I pushed those thoughts and looked at the goods carriage behind my own. It had the stuff I had brought from Arryn at a deep discount.

I could only afford a single carriage of the stuff and we needed over ten times what it had, but the bastard Count was not willing to spend even a single coin from his pocket.

I sighed and sat in my carriage; a moment later, it started to move toward the Nakar Baronies.

I took out the book from my bag and began to read it.

I have brought a lot of books with me. Most of them are related to hospitality, but there are other subjects as well.

I read for a few hours before reclining my seat to sleep. I had to get as much as sleep, I could. With how things are going, I don’t think I would get any sleep after I reach Castle Radcliff.

“Mister Silver, we have arrived,” said Jon, waking me up gently.

I opened my eyes and saw the carriage moving through the town and even now, people are working on things.

They are on the night shift; they will stop after dawn and other people will take their place.

I wonder how much the news that would be revealed today, will affect things.

Soon, the carriage entered the castle and stopped.

The guard opened the door, and I stepped out of it. Aside from Lola and two, Major Jarvis is also waiting, and he doesn’t look good.

“Have you slept?” I asked him. “A little,” he replied, and we walked inside.

We didn’t walk to my office but on the left wing of the keep.

Click!

Soon, we reached the thick iron door, guarded by four guards. They saluted before opening the door.

“Fuck!” I cursed as I saw the scene inside.

In front of me are carcasses of the monsters, in the freezing enchantments.

There are nine of them, different sizes and breeds. The smallest one is the size of my hand, while the biggest one is as big as me.

“Thanks to the scouts; we got the warning and were able to deal with them on time,” he said after seconds of silence.

“Any casualty?” I asked.

“No, but few suffered injuries and resting,” he replied.

A few minutes later, I walked out of the room and went to my office with Major Jarvis.

“It is the first time they have breached our territory, right?” I asked him. “Yes, but I don’t think it will be the last or their numbers would be so low,” he replied gravely.

“I wish I could bring more help,” I said with regret.

“I am already surprised you had been able to bring at least something,” he said, smiling mirthlessly, a smile I shared.

Everybody is aware of the Count’s nature, especially the people from Mirador Hold. Who have been constantly demanding from things, but barely get any.

“Well, we have to make do with things we have,” I said finally. “There is no other choice,” he replied.

A few minutes later, he left, and I turned to three. They filled me up with everything that had happened in the past two days.

I talked to them and noticed there was some friction between them, but I didn’t ask.

“Ask Captain Wright to come to my office,” I said as the three were leaving my office.

Click!

A few minutes later, the middle-aged bald man walked into the room.

“You have called me Adviser?” asked the man. “Yes, Captain. Please take a seat,” I said to him.

“So, what do you have for me?” I asked him directly.

A day before leaving, I asked Major Jarvis directly about the person who knows things in the castle.

There are always people like that everywhere.

He was surprised but gave me the name of this man. If anything happens, from minor gossip to disagreement, he will have knowledge of it.

“A few interesting things,” he replied, and I kept looking at him.

“A drunken brawl occurred between two guards yesterday; we had caught our first thief….” he begins to tell the list of things, some interesting, others interesting.

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Suddenly, he became a little hesitant.

“Nothing will go out of this room,” I said, seeing the hesitation.

“That Carlos had used some harsh words against your assistant,” he said. "What words? Tell me exactly what he said,” I asked, and he did after some hesitation.

A few minutes later, he left while I went back to work.

I am angry with what happened with Caena, but I am not going to deal with it; she will have to deal with her problems herself.

It will not be the first time something like this will happen. She will have to learn to deal with it, like Ina had done and like Andrea is learning to do.

People would always look down on her and use hurtful words and actions due to what they were. They will have to overcome these obstacles if they want to succeed in life.

A few hours passed, and the carriages started coming inside the castle.

“They have arrived, Master Silver,” informed Lola. I nodded and got up before walking out of the office.

Soon, I walked into the room full of nobles. Every baron or baroness had come here. I had asked them to be personally present in the meeting and not send a representative unless there was an emergency.

It seemed to have made some of them angry; some were also angry that I didn’t personally welcome them.

I have relegated that responsibility to three.

“Thank you for coming on such short notice, my lord and ladies,” I said to them, as I took the seat.

“I hope it is something important, Adviser,” said new Baron Lockridge, with displeasure written all over his face.

“It is my lord,” I replied, before turning to all sitting in front of me.

“I have called you all here to share grave news,” I said.

“We have been sensing the disturbance in the extreme magic region for a month; these disturbances were minor, but slowly they increased and became major,”

“At first, the monsters attacked bandits, hiding near the extreme magic region. It is the reason why we have been catching extraordinary numbers of bandits lately.”

“Monsters, my god!” interrupted Baron Moss, shaking.

I looked at him, and he controlled his expressions. I do not blame the man for interrupting; monsters are dangerous enough to put fear in anyone’s heart. Even Baron Harrods and Baron Lockridge’s expressions have become serious.

“If the disturbance had been related to the extreme magic region and surrounding areas, we wouldn’t have, but are moving further,”

“A small group of them have breached the boundary of the empire yesterday. Thankfully, we have dealt with them, but Major Jarvis and our scouts think this will not be the only attack from the monsters,”

“They might increase, with bigger numbers, posing a threat to the whole baronies,” I explained and saw their expressions turned grave.

Especially of the Baron Harrods and my sister.

If the monsters attack, their territories will be the first target. Even others have started to look at them with pity, especially those who had territories on the southern side.

“Is there really a chance of monsters attacking our territories?” asked Baron Harrods.

I looked at Major Jarvis.

“I couldn’t give a definite answer to you, my lord. The only thing I could say to you, and all is that be prepared.”

“The monsters attack hard and fast. If we are unprepared; they will tear through the baronies, destroying anything and everything, that will come in their path,” he replied.

“It is why we need a collective force; that would defend against any of their attacks.”

“Fort Radcliff is willing to provide everything we could, but our men are limited, and our resources are small.”

“So, we will need everyone to contribute to the safety of the baronies,” I said. Many nodded, but most remained stone-faced.

“Have you informed it to the Count Darrow?” asked Baron Lockridge.

“I have personally informed the Lord Count, and he gave all the help he could, and now wants us to contribute on our part,” I replied, and many people shook their heads.

The meeting lasted for two and a half hours and I informed them about everything we knew.

“It went better than I thought,” said Major Jarvis as we walked out conference room.

“Don’t be fooled about their pledges, Major. They are nobles, and most of them will only give tokens of contribution.”

“We could only depend upon those on the northern side. It is they who are most threatened, and we should focus on them, the most,” I said to the man.

He shook his head and sighed.

“At least we will get the help, from Blackwell,” he said, and I nodded.

Yes, there will be help from Blackwell. The monsters are as threatening to us as it is to them. More than us, seeing how much the Amberhold is betting on this trade route.

We will be leaving for Fort Renin in a few hours to discuss this threat.

I will try to get some resources from him.

I do not like it, but what choice do I have? Since the bastard Darrow flatly refused to spend any money on the defenses.