Kapitel 72: If The Boy Wants To Play Politics, I’ll Let Him.
"In the meeting with the Duke of Plantaria when my first character, Railius, was a child, I tested him as much as he tested me."
"I gambled on the information I was given, but I could not imagine how much our meeting would pay off."
"For he was one of the only people if only an NPC, that saw things the same way I did."
"He did not focus on his own prestige or place in history but on the prosperity of his family."
"Leading to alliances that last generations."
"Though I must admit it was a close call, for I nearly went too far."
Reginald Coulan, creator and head of House Aurellion in dynasties online.
…..
"AH HA HA HA HA!"
Duke Ancel burst out laughing when he finished the letter, unable to contain himself.
"Are you ok, your grace? What does it say to make you laugh so much?"
Alfgier asked while looking on with surprise at his lord's reaction, who even managed to read reports of defeat with a calm face and burst out laughing.
"This kid sure has a lot of balls to ask me for a meeting after being declared a traitor by the emperor! I wonder how his little football-sized head would look on a pike! Ho ho ho ho!"
The duke said, letting out a final laugh before his expression turned cold and severe, not letting his newfound good mood affect his judgement.
"Which bold kid?"
Alfgier asked, oblivious to the sender.
"Railius Aurellion, the new lord of House Aurellion."
Duke Ancel said casually, his mind being an enigma to the loyal grandmaster before him.
Duke Ancel Gallomour sat in a red leather-backed chair, his hair a fiery red, something that was a genetic trait of their house as every Gallomour had red hair, a feature they bought with them when House Gallomour escaped from the lands that are now the Trustberg republic nearly a thousand years ago.
A shaven face, sharp nose and turquoise eyes were particular features to note as wrinkles had begun to appear due to his tireless work to govern his duchy well.
Every noble house took great care to look after and know about their lineage. Some can even trace it back as far as 3,000 years ago, when the first recorded kingdoms and nations started to appear on the continent, chronicling the various exploits of famous house members.
Duke Ancel then gave the letter to his loyal bodyguard, allowing him to read it himself.
'To his grace, the great Duke Ancel Gallomour, the most intelligent of Nadron I Railius Aurellion, lord of House Aurellion, hope you are in good health and have received this from my trusty subordinate Leon Mantelon.'
'As I am sure you are aware, I have been falsely branded a traitor by your most hated enemy, the Emperor of Chavaria, who had ordered my noble house's destruction to cover up Prince Flavius' murder of Victarion who my father, Lucius Aurellion valiantly fought to the death to protect.'
'However, we in House Aurellion are benevolent and have no desire for vengeance, only for survival and ask for a meeting with your grace to discuss my noble house's escape and more.'
'Despite being enemies on opposing sides of the unification war, my father always admired you for your loyalty and integrity. I hope you will side with justice as you have in the past and help a poor child who only wants to live in peace.'
'If you wish to honour me with a meeting, please tell the time and place to my trusty messenger, who will get back to me within 2 days for a meeting in 5 days' time and if you don't I apologise as I will have to break through your border by force and fight to the death to survive.'
'As a gift of my sincerity, you can use this letter as proof of the Chavarian emperor's doing to help you in any future endeavours you may have.'
'Your ardent admirer, Railius Aurellion, Lord of House Aurellion.'
"It's rather eloquent, is it not."
Duke Ancel said after he saw that Alfgier had read the letter.
"It is. I'm surprised that this could come from a 10-year-old boy."
Alfgier said offhandedly, surprised that someone on the run would spend the time to send them a letter, especially when they could so easily betray House Aurellion to get a reward from the imperial court.
"Are you sure it is even from the little lord of Aurellion?"
Alfgier asked for both the man and letter was suspicious, as the letter was written far too well for an average 10-year-old to have written it, making the grandmaster believe that it was a trap set by their enemies to lure out and assassinate the duke.
"It's from him as the handwriting is only just passable and still a bit childish, not to mention that it has House Aurellion's seal. It appears they were not stupid enough to let it fall into the hands of outsiders. Did anyone else see the messenger?"
Duke Ancel asked for he knew that the number of people he could trust was few, as who knew which guards, servants, and nobles were spies for others because the only spies he could all but confirm were his Chavarian new vassals. But all of them were currently at their territories trying to settle them down and so wouldn't be in the capital city in the duke's court, giving him more free reign than he usually would have.
"Apart from the few elite guards guarding him now, no one has seen the messenger. It appears they sent a grandmaster as he got past both Nikolas and Marius without being detected."
Alfgier reported still uncomfortable with how far the grandmaster managed to get before being detected, as it represented a threat to their lord and a failure in their defence system.
"It must be that grandmaster who killed that imperial guard vice commander and noble master fighters and allowed the little lord to escape. At least this child is smart enough to send someone skilled enough only to be spotted by the most competent of my guards."
"After all, we're finished if anyone knows we were in contact with a known traitor and tells it to the emperor, for he has been looking for an excuse to deal with me for a while now, and we currently can't contend with his power."
Duke Ancel said, giving an affectionate smile to Alfgier, who stayed up with him every night to ensure his safety.
"Are you going to meet with him?"
Alfgier asked, surprised that his lord would entertain the possibility.
"Yes, the boy has intrigued me, and it's the most I can do to reward him for his boldness."
"Tell him to go to The Devil's Delight in our capital and put our most loyal men around it just in case we need to arrest the boy, as at least I can get a reward from the emperor for my trouble if nothing else."
"Also, make sure to tell everyone else that I am going out to inspect my capital and lands. I haven't done it in about half a year, so it's about the right time for it, for we can't have anyone finding out about this meeting."
"Do you understand?"
Duke Ancel said seriously, as he could not stress enough how vital secrecy was for this meeting to succeed; otherwise, he would be forced to kill Railius to prove his innocence.
"If the boy wants to play politics, I'll let him, though when I play, I don't make exceptions for anyone, not even women and children."
The duke finished with a slightly evil smile as a ruthless glint appeared in the eyes of the veteran noble as Alfgier bowed, acknowledging the order, and left to tell the Aurellion messenger about the meeting, trying to think what could be more important to the duke than the potential trust of the emperor and his reward.
….
5 days had passed as Railius entered through the wide imposing gates of the duke's capital city in the clothes of a merchant accompanied by Leon and 20 guards. The young player was grateful that the system once again fast-travelled him to the meeting to allow him to get through his dynasty history events in time. The small boy, still unable to ride, rode with Leon, whose protective embrace gave the young player a sense of security. While their tabards donating their loyalty to House Aurellion were absent, the customised armour and pauldrons were not, especially Leon's, which were in the shape of pelican heads, showing his loyalty to House Aurellion, but apart from this and their surprisingly good equipment, nothing made them any different from other mercenaries that usually served merchants and landless nobles as guards.
Looking around the great city, which was second only to the old royal capital of Nadron Railius, found that it was surprisingly well-organised, surprising the young player who once again saw that AI in this game was not to be underestimated as people walked across the streets with smiles in their faces and all sorts of produce both local and foreign could be found in its prosperous markets.
'Seems the wealth and power of the Dukes of Plantaria is so great for good reason.'
Railius thought to himself as he approached a well-kept inn, The Devil's Delight, where he was to meet with the duke for a talk and potential negotiations. The wood was freshly cleaned and sanded as the tavern was crowded by people in the midafternoon whose sun gave warmth to all beneath its fiery gaze.
Only a total of 5 people entered the inn as half their number dispersed into the streets, heading for an unknown objective as the rest found somewhere to sit outside enjoying weak alcohol or fruit juice so they could stay sober in case they were needed.
Knowing the significant risk that he had taken in coming personally into the capital of the duke who held thousands of soldiers in his hands, Railius had ordered on the instance of Leon and the other commanders of the Pelican Guards snuck 200 men into the capital while none had armour each were armed with a deadly sword that they were so skilled with and without the encumbrance of armour would move faster than usual quickly slaying anyone in their path.
In the event that Railius needed to make a quick exit, they were to take a gate and act as a rearguard to guard the small boys' escape. These men were put under the command of Vice Commander Myrdin, whose experience would help to prevent any preemptive attack and who was known for staying calm while Aldorus led the rest of the Pelican Guards to hide nearby the city, ready to charge forward and save their lord if needed.
Upon entering the well-kept tavern, a middle-aged man with striking red hair waved at them, easily recognising Railius as the only 10-year-old boy he did not know who could be accompanied by such veteran, well-armoured guards.
Sitting next to him was the man with blond hair that Leon recognised from the night he came to deliver the message, each with a flagon of beer or ale in front of them, having got to this important meeting first.
Scattered across other places in the tavern were the duke's elite guards disguised as everyday tavern goers, but an expert like Leon could easily see through the killing intent these men possessed even though they tried to hide it as best they could and well enough to fool the other tavern goers who did know that elite soldiers crowded the place as both parties had come to the meeting incognito. There was even the gleam of armour under the brown cloaks they wore that only the most discerning people would notice.
"I don't like this, my lord. I don't like this one bit."
Leon said quietly to his young lord, noticing just how outnumbered they were. It was nearly 5-1 in the tavern alone, not to mention the countless Plantarian guards that would be nearby, ready to kill them the moment the duke gave the order.
While the loyal Aurellion grandmaster was no politician and not the sharpest tool in the shed when it came to intrigues, he had seen more than enough schemes and tricks serving alongside his friend Lucius to know that killing them right now and giving their heads to the emperor would yield a great reward for this nobleman who sought to expand his power and influence in the empire.
It could not be lost on such an intelligent man just how much he could gain by slaying them here, which is why Leon was uncomfortable, but he trusted in Lucius' assessment of his son and went along with it.
Railius, however, seemed unbothered by these men. He fully well knew that the chances of them escaping were low if the duke turned on them, but he was confident in his negotiating skills to come to some arrangement with the duke who was loyal to Nadron.
"If all goes well, we will not need the steel we brought today as a precaution. I'm sure the duke himself does not want to lose his elite soldiers against our veterans who can best even the legendary imperial guard in single combat."
"Don't worry yourself, I've got this."
The young boy said optimistically, keeping his voice low like Leon's so that they could not be overheard, but unlike the grandmaster's voice, which was filled with tension, Railius' was relaxed and uncaring as if he could already see the result of the negotiations that would occur waving his hands and dismissing his loyal regent's concerns. Unfortunately, the alert ears of a grandmaster allowed one to hear much better, and as a result, their quiet conversation was heard by Alfgier, who immediately went to tell the cunning duke what was said between the two.
'Oh, it appears the kid is confident and relaxed.'
The duke thought, never once taking his piercing gaze off the boy trying to see into the unfathomable eccentric mind that would become a known feature of House Aurellion in the future. Many would sigh, from kings to peasants and even lowly slaves, will remark how weird and eccentric the house was, though none would underestimate the martial might it could bring to bear against its foes.
Trying not to attract too much attention, Leon ordered an orange juice for his young master and beer for himself. Thanks to ice magic, it was even possible to freeze fruits and vegetables. However, someone would have to constantly freeze whatever produce they were ferrying whenever it started to unfreeze, which cost a lot of mana and, as a result, a lot of money, so most things like fruits which become rotten fast are eaten only if they are grown locally or turned into alcohol.
They then went over to the table where the duke and his own loyal grandmaster bodyguard were waiting, with Railius casually sitting down and, putting his tiny feet up on the table and relaxing into his seat as an amused smile appeared on the duke's face, and the ageing man thought he was just as weird and eccentric as his father was though time would tell whether he would be just as competent. Despite Lucius going out on long military campaigns and spending more time with his mother, the son still inherited his father's odd personality, which even made the emperor and minister of war sigh at times.
"Your grace, why are you staring at me? Do you like small boys or something? What you do in the privacy of your own castle is your business! But do you have to stare at someone like that during a negotiation? Seriously!"
Railius said jokingly, wanting to keep the duke on edge during the negotiation while testing the duke at the same time, for while there is sometimes truth to rumours, nothing is more enlightening than seeing things for yourself.
'POOOFFFF!'
'BANG!'
"YOU DARE!"
Alfgier shouted as he spat out the ale he was drinking and smashed his hand on the table, causing it to crack due to the incredible strength he used in anger while standing up, prompting Leon to do the same. The spear he had laid against the table was in his hands in hands in an instant, ready to protect his young master the moment any threat came his way.
....
AUTORENGEDANKEN 
LaziestDragon
LaziestDragon Thank you for reading and for your continued support it means a lot to me.
I am going to try to increase the chapters to three a week one going out on Monday, one on Thursday and one on Saturday.
This is not an official announcement of change but a test and like before if it is sustainable for the next few weeks the change will be permanent.
With that out of the way once again there are 10 advanced chapters on Patreon for various tiers and ill see you on Monday hopefully.
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