Chapter 324: Change in Power

Chapter 324: Change in Power

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Urter spoke for a long time about what had happened in Violet City during Anfey's absence. One thing in particular perked Anfey's interest. Urter seemed very excited when talking about the military situation in the city. There was a law limiting the amount of soldiers a count could have at a thousand. However, Urter pointed out several times that a thousand guards were far from enough. He wanted to increase the defenses of Violet City and increase the number of guards to over ten thousand.

Anfey thought that this was Aroben's idea, but as the conversation went on, he realized that most of residents of the city agreed. Residents had lost faith in official armies and wanted to protect themselves. They thought that if they faced another invasion, a militia would be more effective.

Urter prepared a simple dinner feast to welcome Anfey and his friends back. After hearing of their return, Aroben made an appearance, despite warnings from his doctors. He was in even worse shape than the last time Anfey had seen him, but he looked happy and did not seem to mind his disability.

Aroben glanced at Urter several times during the feast, but Urter seemed very uncertain. Seeing this, Anfey laid down his fork and turned to Urter. "What's going on?" he asked. "Is something troubling you?"

"Not troubling me personally," Urter said with a sigh. "As you know, my lord, a lot of nobles here fled before the arrival of Shansa army. Now that the war's over, a lot of them are coming back."

"Are they giving you a hard time?"

"No, we keep things civilized, but..." Urter's voice trailed off and he sighed. "It's their attitude towards the commoners. Like Viscount David. When he left, he only took part of his fortune with him. After the Shansa army occupied the city, the brothers from the Deng family organized a militia to fight against the enemies. Unfortunately, they were not strong enough to fight against actual soldiers. They sought refuge in Viscount David's mansion. The Shansa soldiers decided to set fire to the mansion to kill them."

"What then?"

"The Viscount was very angry about the destruction of his home. He thought that it was destroyed due to the brothers' stupidity and defiance and demanded compensation from the family. But the only ones left from that family were the old and the young. He forced everyone in the family into slavery to repay him. This event has caused conflict..."

"Bastard," Blavi spat.

"It's true," Urter said, shaking his head. "But I can't do anything. The brothers' action caused the damage to the Viscount's belongings, but we cannot openly denounce their acts, either."

"Did the people not do anything?"

"They do not care," Urter said with a sigh. There wasn't anyone who was willing to act against their own noble class.

Aroben clearly relaxed after Urter told the story. He was waiting for Anfey to make a decision. Perhaps he was trying to test Anfey's ability.

"Christian, what do you think?" Anfey asked.

"Urter's right," Christian said. "This is too difficult. Nobles have the right to defend their belongings. If you do anything to Viscount David, you are risking offense to the entire noble class. They will team up against you."

"The all nobles are doing what Viscount David did too," Urter said. "They are trying to find scapegoats to take the blame for destruction of their property. They are supported by Marquis Djoser." Urter was trying to tell Anfey that the marquis was trying to team up with these nobles. Anfey had to make a fast decision, or else his position would be threatened.

"What's the nobility's attitude?" Christian asked. He knew very well how influential those nobles could be.

"They somehow know about the conflict between the marquis and Lord Anfey, so a lot of them have not declared a clear allegiance yet."

"Sneaky bastards," Blavi snorted and rolled his eyes.

"As long as you don't act out of line, the nobility will not side with the marquis," Aroben said. "Even though the title of marquis sounds important, the citymaster is the rightful lord of the city. They know this well."

"Let's not talk about this anymore tonight," Anfey said. "I'll take care of this later."

Urter frowned. "My lord..."

"Don't worry. I will take care of this. I am, after all, the rightful lord of this city," Anfey said. He stood up slowly and said, "I'm going to take a stroll. You guys should all go to bed."

"This city is heavily guarded right now," Urter said. "There may be trouble. I'll come with you."

"Alright," Anfey said, nodding.

"Don't be out too late," Suzanna said.

"I won't."

The hall was very warm, but it was still winter outside. Anfey shuddered in the cold wind and glanced up at the stars. If it had been some other man, maybe he would have neglected the nobility and fought for power. However, the three brothers from the Deng family were heroes. He would give their family justice. He was not a politician and disliked power struggles. He would not take the nobility's side.

"My lord," Urter called.

"How is the exploration of the labyrinth going?"

"Do you want to go look at it, my lord? The guards there are all soldiers from the patrols, so their loyalty shouldn't be a concern. None of them know much about what is under them."

"Alright," Anfey said.

"The labyrinth is full of magic arrays. I'm not a mage and I only have one way to solve the problem," Urter said.

"What is it?"

"Sending people down there. Those magic arrays are all very old and there can't be too much magic left in those crystals. I had about a thousand prisoners of war in my hand. I needed to do something with them."

"That is a way," Anfey said with a frown. "How many do you have left?"

"About six hundred."

"Did the rest die?"

Urter nodded.

"Did anyone notice?"

"It is inevitable, but I don't think they know how," Urter said. "I take care of moving the bodies myself. Only a few of my closest guards know about this."

"I hope you're not overworking yourself," Anfey said.

"It's nothing. I've had worse," Urter said with a smile. "My lord, get ready. The air down there is very bad."

"Did you find anything down there?"

"No. We already explored the entire first level, but I can't get down to the second."

"There's a second level?"

"Yes," Urter said. "None of us expected it. This is too interesting. I am certain that whatever we find down there, we will not be disappointed."

"It seems like we need help."

"My lord, we need mages. Mages will quicken this process by a lot. Alchemists will be even better."

"I will assign them to help you starting tomorrow," Anfey said. He suddenly stopped and frowned. "Are we going the right way?"

"We are," Urter said. "Follow me, my lord. I want to show you something."