## Chapter 664 – 664. The Plum Blossom Swordsman Reincarnated Into A Baron’S Family
664. The Plum Blossom Swordsman Reincarnated into a Baron’s Family
Behind my carriage, Prince Aiden and the nobles had gathered. My loyal female knights were on guard around them. No one outside could see what I was doing.
There were a total of 18 nobles gathered before me. These nobles were either those who had borrowed money from me or those who had been caught in Duke Helbritt’s web of weaknesses. With Duke Helbritt’s death, they had hoped to live happy noble lives, cherishing their newfound freedom. But no way. As long as I had Duke Helbritt’s ledger and list, their master had changed to me.
“Oh! I didn’t know there were so many nobles following the Baron! This…! This is possible!”
Prince Aiden was thoughtlessly delighted at the sight of the gathered nobles. He was happy, not at all concerned about the heavy atmosphere. He knew that these nobles would be on his side.
“Your Highness.”
“Yes, Baron. What is it?”
“Please be quiet while I talk to them.”
“Hmm. If the Baron asks, I should listen…”
Aiden shut his mouth. He was fidgeting with his fingers and rolling his eyes, looking bored. When I gestured to Yuria beside me, she handed Aiden a bottle of alcohol.
“Th, thank you.”
He slowly savored the alcohol, watching the situation unfold.
I scanned the faces of the nobles and opened my mouth.
“Baron Barmarma.”
The rat-like man swallowed hard and stepped forward.
“Baron Barmarma, you are quite bold. How could you think of sticking by the Princess after engaging in smuggling? You must know that the current Chancellor of Rapelli is Princess Eileen…”
“B, Baron Prukerus! Let’s talk in a quiet place! Somewhere private?!”
Barmarma was startled. He didn’t want the other nobles to know about his smuggling. Someone among them could report or blackmail Barmarma. I let out a hollow laugh.
‘If I cared about that, I wouldn’t have gathered them all in the first place. They’re all the same.’
The ones who borrowed money from me were no different. They couldn’t repay my money. Yuria had already made sure of that. They were already my slaves, their necks tied with money and corruption.
“I am disappointed in Baron Barmarma and all of you. Don’t you know what kind of woman Princess Eileen is? She may be smiling at you now, but once she ascends the throne, her attitude will change completely, and she will start purging you. Yet, you are all laughing mindlessly behind her back.”
“That’s right! The Baron is right! That woman smiles like an angel but is a devil. If she becomes queen, it’s obvious. A purge will begin, and the country will be doomed!”
Aiden interjected. He cursed Eileen with all his might. After listening to all his curses, I said,
“Your Highness. Didn’t I ask you to be quiet?”
“Ahem. I got a little excited because Eileen’s name came up. My apologies.”
The prince started drinking again.
I looked at Barmarma, who was watching my every move, and then called out the names of the other nobles, mentioning all their wrongdoings. It was a warning that they couldn’t escape me. And the warning worked well.
‘Let’s skip the explosive necklaces. That’s too dangerous.’
If I put too much pressure on them, they might band together and betray me.
‘And explosive necklaces can be disarmed with the help of a master. If the nobles join forces or ask Princess Eileen for help, disarming the explosive necklaces would be a piece of cake.’
Yuria told me that Duke Helbritt hadn’t just used the whip on them. If I gave them the right carrots, they wouldn’t betray me.
“Everyone. Raise your heads. I may be disappointed in you, but I am not a monster who will devour you. Doesn’t everyone make mistakes?”
I winked at Yuria. She acted without me having to say anything. Sometimes, it felt like she could see right through my mind, which surprised me.
Yuria opened the back door of the carriage.
Inside the carriage were mountains of glittering gold coins and jewels, and masterfully crafted weapons and armor made by dwarves. This was just a fraction of my wealth. I had been secretly selling food and weapons before and after the war, making a tidy profit.
The nobles, including Prince Aiden, stared into the carriage with their mouths agape. They were so shocked that they wouldn’t have noticed if a bug had flown into their mouths.
“I have no intention of using you without compensation. If you follow my instructions and behave well… of course, I will pay you. You don’t trust me? You will now. Yuria, distribute.”
“Yes, Master.”
Yuria put gold coins and jewels into pouches and distributed them to the nobles. Of course, she also gave some to Prince Aiden. If I left him out, who knew what he might do.
About half of the mountain of wealth had been reduced.
The nobles looked at the heavy pouches in their hands and smiled. It was a disgusting smile, twisted with greed. I sighed at the sight of those smiles.
‘Why isn’t there a single woman?’
They were nobles with an average age of 40. If there had been one beautiful noblewoman, I might have felt a little better.
“Baron Prukerus! I will follow Baron Prukerus!”
“Baron, what do you need us to do?”
“Hahaha. Princess Eileen is smart, but she’s still a woman. The throne should be succeeded by Prince Aiden.”
“Your Highness, if you take the throne, please give me a position.”
The atmosphere had become amicable. The prince, who had been watching from the side, was dumbfounded, turning his head back and forth.
“Everyone. If anyone among you distinguishes themselves in this national assembly… I promise to reward them.”
“Distinguish ourselves… are you talking about war?”
“It’s a truce. The nobles who support Princess Eileen will try to target us from time to time. We must protect ourselves. And we must attack them politically. Also, if we can bring the neutral nobles to our side… I will reward you handsomely. I will give you armor and weapons made by dwarves.”
“Armor and weapons made by dwarves…”
The nobles swallowed hard. Armor and weapons made by dwarves were items that were a source of pride just to possess. They especially preferred armor. Even if a stray arrow flew on the battlefield, they could feel safe if they had dwarven armor.
The nobles exchanged glances and then nodded firmly.
“Just leave it to us!”
“First, what we need to do is assist Prince Aiden and correct the rumors that slander him. It might be a little difficult, but please do your best.”
“Of course, it’s our duty.”
It was then. A commotion arose among the female knights surrounding us. Someone had come looking for me.
“Move aside. I’ve come to see Baron Prukerus!”
“No, we cannot let anyone in.”
“Do you not know who I am? I am Duke Sunheights. How dare a mere knight block my way?”
“We are only following our lord’s orders.”
“Do you not know that your lord is just a baron? Your current attitude is not loyalty. Move aside before I become disappointed in Baron Prukerus.”
I clicked my tongue.
Duke Geborn Sunheights, a great noble from the south. He was a man with a poor reputation compared to his power. He often ignored nobles of lower rank than himself, and in his youth, he was an even bigger scoundrel than Prince Aiden.
Before things escalated, I raised my voice to the female knights.
“Let him through.”
“Yes, Master.”
The female knights moved aside, creating a path.
Duke Sunheights, dressed in flamboyant clothes, walked in confidently. He was a man in his fifties. His hair was white, but if you looked closely, it was awkward. It was a wig. Everyone knew that he had severe male pattern baldness. They just didn’t talk about his tyranny.
Duke Sunheights frowned immediately when he saw me leaning against the carriage.
“I heard you were rude… but to think you wouldn’t even greet me properly after seeing me. Are you relying on the backing of Prukerus Byung-gyeong?”
“It is Your Grace who is being rude. His Highness is here. Can’t you see him?”
Duke Sunheights slowly looked around. Prince Aiden was next to me. There was no need to look for him. He was openly ignoring Prince Aiden.
“My apologies, Your Highness. My vision is narrow, and I did not realize you were here.”
“Ahem. It can happen…”
Prince Aiden glanced back and forth between me and Sunheights.
“But Baron Prukerus, when are you planning to greet me? And who are those people around you? Their eyes are insolent. They look at me as if I were a noble from an enemy country.”
“I, I apologize, Your Grace.”
The nobles lowered their heads. No matter how much they hated it, Duke Sunheights’ power was real.
However, neither Yuria nor I bowed our heads to him. Duke Sunheights glared at me, displeased.
“What brings Your Grace to me?”
“…I heard that there was a noble who was rude to Princess Eileen.”
“It’s not rudeness. I was just having a brief conversation with Princess Eileen.”
“Conversation? Ignoring Princess Eileen to her face and taking the nobles away is a conversation?!”
“I can’t understand why you are getting so worked up about it. Did Princess Eileen complain to Your Grace?”
“Do not insult the Princess! I have only come to correct what is wrong!”
“There is nothing wrong.”
I let out a sigh as if to show him, and his face became even more grotesque. I didn’t know how Princess Eileen had won him over, but Duke Sunheights was already a fervent follower of the princess. No words would get through to that old man.
“An insult to Princess Eileen is no different than an insult to me. You have two choices. Go and find the Princess and apologize on your knees, or wage war against the Sunheights family.”
Duke Sunheights said with his eyes wide open. It was unreasonable. But his power made the unreasonable normal.
“B, Baron Prukerus. H, how about we just bow down here?”
Prince Aiden grabbed my shoulder, trembling.
Thwack!
“Cough!”
Prince Aiden was punched and flew backward, collapsing.
“Ah, I apologize, Your Highness. When a man grabs my arm, my fist reflexively flies out… It’s clearly Your Highness’s fault, but I will apologize as well.”
“Cough. I, I’m fine. Baron…”
I smiled at Sunheights, who was looking at me with a shocked expression.
“I understand Your Grace’s intentions. It seems I have no choice but to prepare for a territorial war. I have heard Your Grace’s declaration of war. When would be a good day? Right after the funeral is fine, or even a month from now is fine. Please choose the time and place that Your Grace desires.”
“……Are you out of your mind, Baron?”
“I am in my right mind. Please give me an answer quickly, Your Grace. Surely you didn’t just mention war as a joke. You are a Duke, after all, so you wouldn’t mention war carelessly. Since it has come to this, let’s bet everything, including our territories, titles, and assets. And of course, our lives. How about it? Ah, if you kneel and beg right now, I can make the war disappear.”
Duke Sunheights’ face turned bright red. He pointed at me with a trembling hand.
“Do you think I can’t wage war…! Fine! It’s war!”
“No!”
Princess Eileen appeared. She must have heard the news about Duke Sunheights and rushed over.
“Your Highness!”
“Territorial war is not allowed! A territorial war is absolutely not allowed! Have you both forgotten the situation of the kingdom?! A territorial war is absolutely not allowed!”
A territorial war could be the fuse for a civil war. As Princess Eileen, she had to stop it. And if she, as the representative of the royal family, did not allow it, a territorial war could not be established. Prince Aiden had no authority.
“Your Highness, it was Duke Sunheights who first suggested war. If he kneels and apologizes… no, I admit that’s too much. If he bows his head to me and apologizes, the war will be called off. I won’t bring this up again after that.”
“You…!”
“Duke Sunheights! I beg you! I beg you like this! Just once! Please bow down just once! A territorial war is out of the question in the current situation!”
Princess Eileen desperately tried to stop Duke Sunheights. She knew my power, or rather, Yuria’s power.
Princess Eileen even bowed her head to Duke Sunheights, and Duke Sunheights eventually bowed his head to me and apologized.
“…I’m sorry, Baron Prukerus. I was agitated and spoke rashly.”
“I understand. Your Grace’s temper is well-known.”
“……”
He was led away by Princess Eileen, glaring at me as if he wanted to kill me.
Just you wait.
That was exactly the expression he had.
