Chapter 55: News of Death
"What? Harvey Sherwin is dead?"
Martin Kramer was halfway through his dinner at home when a messenger, sent in haste by Olivier Capino, urgently summoned him to the Capino estate. There, he received news that made him question his hearing.
"How could someone perfectly healthy just drop dead like that?" Martin Kramer's mind reeled.
Most of the other democratic faction elders had also gathered at the Capino estate. Jürgen Woller quickly recounted to Martin Kramer the broad daylight murder that had occurred recently.
When Jürgen Woller finished, Martin Kramer immediately asked, "Has Pand been captured?"
"No," Jürgen Woller replied, shaking his head. "The citizens in the street let him get away. The guards we sent to arrest him were also blocked by the crowd, so we couldn't catch him. They even threw away the murder weapon."
Martin Kramer gritted his teeth in frustration. "How are we supposed to explain this to the Viscount of Lanwan?"
"Why should we explain anything to the Viscount of Lanwan?" another democratic faction elder interjected, sounding disgruntled. "Harvey Sherwin was a knight, a swordsman. Yet he was killed by some unawakened kid who barely has a whisker on his chin. What does that tell you? This is clearly the Orlan Empire's problem!"
"Pand is just an ordinary citizen. How could he so easily kill a knight? And why would he kill Knight Sherwin? It strikes me as very odd…" another democratic faction elder added.
"What's so odd about it? Harvey Sherwin was running his mouth in the street, spouting all sorts of nonsense. Even I was angry when I heard it!"
"..."
"Enough, stop arguing," Olivier Capino, the leader of the democratic faction, raised his hand to silence the others. He then turned to his brother, Elder Lucas Capino, and asked, "How much longer until our citizen soldiers return?"
The citizen soldiers Olivier Capino was referring to weren't the ones captured by the Apo and the Saxini, but the two thousand currently serving on the front lines for the Aiya Alliance. These soldiers were originally scheduled for a year of service, but only six months had passed. However, Ambratu could no longer afford to wait. Upon learning of the annihilation of Antanas' forces, Olivier Capino had immediately dispatched messengers to request the alliance to release the two thousand citizen soldiers.
Lucas Capino replied with a hint of bitterness, "At the earliest, it will take half a month. And with the front lines so tense, the Feidi side might not even agree to release our citizen soldiers."
Hearing the Capino brothers' exchange, the faces of the elders present grew somber. Olivier Capino had reminded them that the most pressing issue wasn't the truth or explanations, but rather what they would use to defend themselves if the Viscount of Lanwan sent troops to attack Ambratu.
After wiping out the main force of Ambratu's citizen soldiers, the Saxini hadn't immediately launched an attack. Instead, they had only sent elders to question and demand compensation. This was clearly due to the sudden appearance of the Lanwan cavalry, which had made the Saxini cautious. At the time, the Ambratu elders had been relieved to have such a "friendly" neighbor.
But now, the cavalry of the Lanwan Viscountcy was about to become a major problem for Ambratu.
"Half a month," Martin Kramer muttered under his breath. "The cavalry from the Lanwan Viscountcy could be at our doorstep in half a day."
This statement further darkened the mood hanging over the elders.
Olivier Capino sighed helplessly. "Let's hurry and capture the murderer, and do our best to appease the Viscount of Lanwan's anger."
"Knight Harvey Sherwin also seems to be the illegitimate son of King Koxin. What if the Kingdom of Koxin demands an explanation?" Martin Kramer added.
Olivier Capino shot a look at the troublesome fellow and retorted, "How on earth are we supposed to deal with all of that?"
Martin Kramer shut his mouth, saying nothing further.
"Can we keep the news quiet and prevent the Viscount of Lanwan from finding out about Harvey Sherwin's death?" one elder proposed what he thought was a brilliant idea.
Jürgen Woller, however, shattered that elder's illusion with a shake of his head. "Harvey Sherwin's friend, Robin Mancini, has already disappeared. He's probably already taken the news back to the Lanwan Viscountcy."
Robin Mancini hadn't returned to the Lanwan Viscountcy. He was still hiding in the slums of Ambratu, but he had indeed sent news of Harvey Sherwin's death back using a messenger crow.
The principle of messenger crows in this world was similar to carrier pigeons in Charlotte's previous life both relied on the animals' strong homing instincts. Having experienced an information-driven society, Charlotte placed great importance on her communication needs. Among the craftsmen she brought from the Green Plains Duchy was a crow trainer skilled in raising messenger crows. After arriving in the Lanwan Viscountcy, the crow trainers began cultivating the crows' attachment to their new home.
"The messenger crows are finally ready for use!"
This was Charlotte's first thought upon receiving the news sent back by Robin Mancini.
At that moment, Charlotte happened to be inspecting the barracks of the Viscountcy's territorial guard.
The thirty knights sent by the Earl of Quirk Forest had arrived, along with over seventy squire knights.
Black Wolf, who had gone on a trip to the Canpei Mountains, had also returned, bringing with him thirty fierce wolf warriors he had recruited for Charlotte. However, compared to the knights from the Earl of Quirk Forest, these wolf warriors looked rather… pitiful. Most of them were dark-skinned and thin, dressed in tattered clothes, and armed with sticks tipped with sharp stones. Only a few possessed a short knife or dagger.
However, Charlotte wouldn't underestimate these wolf warriors based on their appearance. After all, they had always relied on these crude weapons to fight for their lives against the Orlan knights.
After quickly reading the message delivered by the crow, Charlotte's expression suddenly turned serious. Her eyes scanned the knights before her most of the knights belonging to the Lanwan Viscountcy were present and she announced, "I've received some unfortunate news. The ungrateful people of Ambratu have killed our comrade, Knight Harvey Sherwin!"
Her voice trembled slightly, filled with grief.
However, at that moment, the other knights present were almost scratching their heads in confusion.
Who is Harvey Sherwin?
This was the first thought that crossed the minds of Charlotte's old subordinates, such as Hermann Green and Jack Moore. They had had very little contact with Harvey Sherwin, at most having seen him a few times on the way to Lanwan. Hermann Green had never even met Harvey Sherwin.
Does the Viscount have a knight named Harvey Sherwin? I didn't even know! Hermann Green felt a pang of guilt for his negligence as the guard captain.
Erik Scamario, Ed Adkins, and the other local Lanwan knights had similar thoughts, though theirs were more along the lines of confusion and curiosity: Who is this Harvey Sherwin? Why is the Viscount so upset about his death?
Harvey Sherwin… Well, dead is dead.
This was the thought shared by Rayne Nazares and Jarrod Garcia.
Rayne Nazares was dissatisfied with Harvey Sherwin because, after arriving in Lanwan, the knight had spent all his time enjoying himself and completely neglected the duties the Duke and Duchess had entrusted him with: assisting the young Viscountess in governing the territory.
Jarrod Garcia's reason was even simpler…
A hidden traitor had lost his handler, and now he didn't even know who to sell Charlotte's secrets to.
Charlotte also noticed that the atmosphere in the room was a bit strange, but she was quick-witted and shameless. Without changing her expression, she added, "Knight Harvey Sherwin was the nephew of my mother, Duchess Rosemelfereld, and a descendant of the royal bloodline of the Kingdom of Koxin. We cannot stand idly by while he is murdered by the people of Ambratu!"
Finally, everyone understood: Oh, so he really was a nobleman. Only then did they begin to condemn the Ambratu people for their treachery and ingratitude.
Listening to the chorus of agreement, Charlotte nodded in satisfaction. Just as she was about to speak, a sudden wail interrupted her.
Everyone was startled by the abrupt cry and turned to look. They saw the white-haired Black Wolf kneeling on the ground, pounding the floor and weeping uncontrollably.
"What's wrong with you?" Charlotte asked, puzzled.
Black Wolf hurriedly wiped the tears and snot from his old face and then kowtowed as he explained, "The noble Viscount's relative has been murdered by the despicable people of Ambratu! This pains me, Black Wolf, more than the death of my own kin! I couldn't control my grief, so I cried out. Please forgive me, Viscountess, and all the noble knights."
The Orlan knights, being of lower nobility, had never seen such a display from Black Wolf. They couldn't help but look at him with disdain.
Charlotte, however, smiled and praised him. "Your loyalty is commendable."
"I am willing to lead the wolf warriors to storm Ambratu, slaughter its people, and offer their hearts as sacrifices to avenge the Viscount's kin!"
Black Wolf's words were filled with murderous intent, but his forehead remained pressed firmly to the ground, showing his reverence for Charlotte.
Charlotte shook her head. "That won't be necessary, Mr. Black Wolf. Your task of recruiting wolf warriors is also important. I do intend to confront the people of Ambratu, but the Lanwan Viscountcy has many loyal knights who have sworn fealty to me. I cannot burden you with all the work."
"Understood."
Black Wolf wiped his tears and hunched over as he stood to the side, his face showing no trace of disappointment or resentment at being refused.
Charlotte's gaze then fell on the captain of her territorial guard. "Knight Hermann Green, I entrust these thirty wolf warriors to you. I hope you can train and discipline them. Until they learn to abide by the rules of the Lanwan Viscountcy, do not let them leave the barracks."
"Your will be done."
Hermann Green responded without hesitation.
In truth, Hermann Green had been wary of the wolf warriors' arrival. He understood the tribal people better than Cecilia did and knew the cruel and violent nature of the wolf warriors. Now that Charlotte had entrusted him with the task of disciplining them, Hermann Green saw it as a favorable arrangement.
After giving these instructions, Charlotte spoke again in a solemn tone. "As I mentioned earlier, I intend to sternly question the people of Ambratu about why they murdered Knight Harvey Sherwin, demand the return of his body, and insist on the punishment of the murderer. Therefore, I plan to take a hundred knights from the territorial guard with me. This force will be led by…"
Charlotte's eyes swept over the crowd once more before finally settling on Erik Scamario. "Knight Erik Scamario."
"Yes!" Erik Scamario immediately knelt on one knee, unable to hide the excitement on his face. His previous efforts in the assassination mission had clearly paid off; this was his chance to be entrusted with an important task.
"You may choose which hundred knights to take with you," Charlotte added.
Erik Scamario's excitement subsided slightly as he bowed his head and said, "I will spare no effort."
This was likely the second test. Erik Scamario could guess what Charlotte wanted to see. The Viscountess certainly wouldn't want her subordinates scheming against each other when facing an external enemy. If Erik Scamario favored southern knights or deliberately excluded northern knights, there would be no further opportunities for him.
However, Erik Scamario had no intention of perpetuating the north-south divide. Charlotte's influence was clearly expanding, with outsiders continuously flowing into the Lanwan Viscountcy. But the local knights were limited in number. Continuing to emphasize the north-south divide would only weaken them further.
After making these arrangements, Charlotte said, "I will draft a diplomatic letter. Later, Knight Adkins will deliver it to Ambratu for me."
Just as Ed Adkins was about to step forward to accept the order, Charlotte pointed to the person beside her: Selene.
"Huh? Me?" Selene asked, pointing at herself.
"Does Selene not wish to become a knight?" Charlotte asked with a smile.
Selene was stunned for a moment before realizing what was about to happen. She stammered, "I… Of course I do…"
"Then kneel before me," Charlotte said as she drew the short sword from her waist.
Selene knelt before Charlotte and swore her fealty. Charlotte placed the short sword on Selene's shoulder, officially knighting her.
Watching this scene, Ed Adkins and the other northern knights were filled with joy. They believed that knighting Selene was Charlotte's way of reassuring the northern knights after entrusting the southern knight Erik Scamario with an important task.
However, after the knighting ceremony, as Charlotte sheathed her Viscount's short sword, she muttered something that left everyone puzzled. "Hmm, that makes it thirty-one to thirty…"
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