That's not how you use a witch!

Chapter 25 The Duke's Letter

Dozens of kilometers away, Frost territory.

The tall, sturdy, and heavily fortified city walls are the hallmark of Frostshire.

This is the most bustling commercial center and the most fortified fortress in the entire Western Region. It was built in imitation of the royal capital, with pentagonal walls and a tower offering a panoramic view at each corner.

Five powerful guardian witches are stationed there, and any attack from any direction will result in a combined attack from at least two witches.

Since its construction, it has experienced numerous battles, both large and small, and the witches who guard it have changed time and again, but it has always stood firm in the western border and has never been breached.

At this moment, in the Duke's mansion deep within the Frost territory, Duke Henry Frost of the West wore a rather solemn expression. The thick city walls and the powerful witch did not bring him much sense of security.

A few days ago, he received news that a rebellion had broken out in the North and that the allied forces were on the verge of collapse.

The rebels drove their routed troops westward, their intentions clear to everyone.

Frost immediately declared martial law—based on Henry's experience, his incompetent subordinates were unreliable, and many lords would surely abandon their territories and flee.

To his surprise, the defeated soldiers did not cause any trouble afterward.

According to the lords who came to seek refuge under the guise of "tourism," when they returned to their territories, they found everything was as before, and not a single coin was missing.

The rebels chasing behind didn't seem to make any further moves—according to reports from scouts at the front, they actually slowed down and even turned back some of their troops, giving the impression that they had no intention of leaving the North.

Henry was caught in a dilemma: preparing for war was one thing, but not preparing for war was another.

Caught between these two dilemmas, the almost transparent, peripheral territory of "Thorn Ridge" came into Henry's view.

Also coming into view was a letter personally sent by the young Thorn Lord—

Your Excellency, Grand Duke of the Western Frontier:

Our humble territory, Thorn Territory, is located in the remote western border region, bordering the desolate northern lands. We have always strictly adhered to the laws of the government and guarded our land...

Since the Northern army collapsed and the royal army suffered a crushing defeat, the remnants fled to the Western border, leaving devastation in their wake... As a lowly lord on the frontier, I rallied the mountain lords to fight side by side, guarding the strategic pass of Fulong, and after a bitter battle, finally subdued the rebels and quelled the unrest on the frontier...

I wish to spend the rest of my life guarding the western borders, serving as its eternal bulwark, awaiting your command.

The writing style is quite skillful. It only talks about the effect of maintaining public order, without a trace of boasting or arrogance. However, it clearly expresses another meaning between the lines: I have put in so much effort, shouldn't you, as the leader, show some appreciation?

"I bet five gold pounds that Vance, that old bastard, wrote it for him."

Henry chuckled and placed the letter on the table.

"Your Grace, I find the Thorn Lord's actions utterly disrespectful. Protecting the land and ensuring the people's safety is his duty; how can he make such a fuss about it? Where is the honor and dignity of the nobility?"

Henry's chief knight, Houston, nodded and said, "You should write back to him and tell him to give up those petty thoughts as soon as possible, and not to get involved in the disgraceful ways of some nobles at such a young age."

"A disgrace to the nobility?"

Henry glanced at Houston: "In your opinion, who is more deserving of this 'title' compared to some of those guys who flocked to Frost's territory before the rebels even arrived?"

Houston lowered his head: "This..."

"You're just assuming he's as slippery as Vance because of his connection with him. But according to my information, it was Ronan who stopped Vance from running away and forced him to fight back, which calmed the fleeing soldiers down. Throughout the whole incident, Ronan was the one in charge."

"Is that so... If that's the case, then he is indeed a very capable young lord."

While expressing his awe, Houston was also somewhat surprised, "But if that group of defeated soldiers really numbered nearly two thousand, dealing with them would definitely require a huge amount of money, wouldn't it? Not to mention anything else, just recruiting a sufficient number of mercenaries would not be a small matter."

"That's why he wrote to me, demanding an exorbitant reward from his superior."

Henry chuckled lightly, "He's putting a difficult problem on my shoulders. If I don't reward him, it would make me seem petty and disappoint a meritorious person."

Houston immediately clasped his hands in a respectful gesture: "You command the Western Frontier and are a duke personally appointed by His Majesty the Emperor. Your stature is far beyond that of a mere baron!"

Henry ignored his subordinates' flattery and pondered for a moment.

There are actually many suspicious points in this incident.

According to intelligence from spies in the North, the allied forces numbered over 30,000 when they were defeated by the rebels. Although they suffered losses along the way, it is said that they still had at least three or four thousand men when they reached the western border.

Ronan said that Thorn Territory only received less than two thousand defeated soldiers. Were the losses of the defeated soldiers that severe in the last stretch of the road? Or did this kid choose to conceal the truth in order to keep a low profile?

Even if there are indeed fewer than two thousand people, it is still a considerable number. Can a mere baron really afford the corresponding costs?

However, he had heard of the booming pig iron trade in the Thorn Territory and the Mountain Territory recently, and Ronan himself did not hide it, frankly mentioning in the letter that he had made a little money, which gave him the capital to quell the rebellion. Logically speaking, it was not entirely unreasonable.

Even if there are other doubts, they are nothing compared to the approaching rebel forces.

Everyone has their own cards to play, as long as the job is done!

"Send a messenger to draft a reply to Lord Thorn, saying that I will reward him with much-needed supplies and exempt Thorn Territory from taxes for the next year. Afterwards, I will hold a banquet in Frost Territory to celebrate, and I will invite all lords of the Westerlands who are viscounts or above to attend. Let him prepare."

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The Duke's letter was delivered by fast horse, and Ronan received a reply that evening.

"As expected of the adult, he actually succeeded!"

Bart clenched his fist in excitement as Ronan read the contents of the letter.

The Duke promised to reward the Thornlands with a batch of grain, cloth, and medicine, which would solve their immediate needs for the next month. Although these things could be bought by grinding for iron, who would complain about getting something for free?

Moreover, selling too much iron would easily arouse suspicion, while the Duke's rewards could be accepted openly and honestly.

Bart quickly devised a plan for how to use the supplies and reported on the next steps for deepening trade cooperation with the mountain territories and making big money together discreetly.

Ronan nodded in satisfaction.

As the saying goes, dragons beget dragons and phoenixes beget phoenixes. It seems that even if the descendants of merchants become knights, their business acumen is still ingrained in their bones.

Grant is such a weirdo, it's like he was switched at birth.

"Hodway, what do you think?"

Ronan then looked at the refined-looking young man standing a little further away.

Hodway is less a knight and more a civil servant—unlike Grant, who is still a rebellious young intellectual, Hodway is more mature and composed, with elegant speech, a mastery of aristocratic etiquette, and broad knowledge.

In his previous interactions with the visiting envoys, Ronan had consulted them on many things.

"I think that Duke probably guessed what you were thinking and agreed to the reward without saying a word. He must have had his own reasons."

Howard pondered, "Now that the rebels are pressing in, the Western Territory is still in disarray. In fact, the Duke is the one who is most anxious. His victory celebration for you is just a pretext; he really wants to use you to open up the situation and rally the other lords in the Western Territory to prepare for war."

Ronan nodded in agreement; that was also his view.

Frankly speaking, it's a double-edged sword: while attending high-class banquets as a baron is prestigious, it also increases the risk of attracting attention.

Just like a top student who is publicly praised by the teacher, it is inevitable to attract strange looks from the underachieving students. If these underachieving students are also better than you, then it is even worse.

Of course, if this "eugenics" is done well, the benefits are also great.

"The boss is treating us to a meal, I'm more than happy to go and see what's going on."

Ronan looked at the silent girl not far away, "Meidel, come with me then."

"it is good."

Upon hearing this, the girl immediately looked up, her eyes brightening.

After everyone else had left, Scarlett, in her pigeon form, returned through the window, bringing news of the Witch's Eye:

The leader agreed to Ronan's suggestion and will send two experienced witches to assist Madell in her advancement. They are already on their way and will arrive in three days!

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