Kingdombuilding: All My Inventions Are Novelty

Chapter 76: Here He Comes

Darrel glared at Lancelot with resentment.

Simon nodded and said to Lancelot. "Let’s go. There’s no need to continue this trial."

Darrel sneered at Simon. "Farewell, Your Highness." Then he turned to Lancelot and spoke. "Captain Lancelot, the mountains and rivers remain unchanged. We will meet again someday."

"Perhaps you won’t have that chance." Simon suddenly turned to Lancelot and declared. "The criminal Darrel is guilty of smuggling warhorses and colluding with reavers. His crimes are heinous and unforgivable. He is sentenced to immediate execution!"

"Prince Simon, how dare you!" Darrel panicked.

Simon slowly turned around. "Do you think I am more important to Prince Gerad, or are you?"

"You..." The cell door was opened by Lancelot, and Darrel’s eyes filled with terror.

He had assumed that Simon would not dare to offend Prince Gerad, which is why he had been so confident.

After all, Prince Gerad’s domain was only three hundred miles away from Brambleford. If Prince Gerad were to become enraged and send troops, Prince Simon would surely suffer.

Skirmishes between the borders of feudal lords’ territories were not uncommon.

But he never expected that Simon would act so unpredictably.

No matter what he thought now, it was too late. A flash of the blade, and the last thing he saw was the ground rolling away.

Lancelot sheathed his sword and clasped his hands. "Thank you, Your Highness."

"No need. You are my subordinate. If I allow others to humiliate you in front of me, where would my dignity be? However, my father is becoming more and more confused. Everyone knows that Prince Gerad is the wealthiest in the land. Now, with the emperor allowing him to recruit soldiers and buy horses, if he remains loyal, all is well. But if he becomes a wolf, I will be the one to suffer."

"Your Highness speaks wisely, but perhaps the emperor is using Prince Gerad to keep the other feudal lords in check," Lancelot said.

Mentioning this made Simon even more furious. In Alaric’s eyes, it seemed that as long as someone from the Ashbourne family was on the throne, it didn’t matter who it was, as long as it wasn’t a king of a different surname.

"Forget it. I don’t expect much support from my father. In his eyes, it would take me over twenty years to surpass Prince Gerad." Simon said as he walked out of the prison.

Lancelot followed and asked. "But now that Darrel has been killed, how will Your Highness explain this to Prince Gerad?"

The disdain in Darrel’s eyes had touched a nerve in Simon. Since arriving here, he, the Prince of Brambleford, had never been respected by the nobles of the Eldorian Empire.

He couldn’t control how others viewed him, but he refused to bow to Prince Gerad as Darrel had expected. That’s why he had killed him.

He wanted Prince Gerad to understand that he was not a lump of clay to be moulded as he pleased.

"Explain? I have nothing to explain. I merely executed a smuggler who was trafficking warhorses in Dunmere." Simon said.

Lancelot understood that Simon was planning to play dumb.

Before they could walk far, the prison warden ran up to Simon and spoke. "My Lord, we found this in Darrel’s undergarments."

"Undergarments?" Simon frowned. Undergarments were equivalent to modern-day underwear. It was disgusting that Darrel had hidden a letter there.

Disgusted, he tore open the envelope and read it. After a glance, his expression changed.

"What is it, Your Highness?" Lancelot asked.

Simon handed him the letter. After reading it, Lancelot’s face also turned pale...

Five days later, a massive fleet docked at the Dew River port.

The warships were connected by chains, their banners fluttering endlessly. The word ’Gerad’ was prominently displayed on the flags.

As the fleet stopped, five thousand soldiers in shining scale armour disembarked, escorting a luxurious purple and gold-edged sedan chair toward Brambleford City.

Inside the sedan chair lay the obese and bulky Prince Gerad, dressed in a green brocade robe.

As the third brother of Emperor Alaric of the Eldorian Empire, he had sided with Alaric during the struggle for the throne. As a reward, after ascending the throne, Alaric had generously compensated him.

In just twenty years, Prince Gerad’s domain had become one of the wealthiest in the Eldorian Empire.

Lying in the sedan chair, Prince Gerad gazed at Brambleford City through the curtain’s gap. freewёbnoνel.com

The purpose of his visit was naturally to address the matter of his merchant, Darrel. Since Emperor Alaric had tacitly approved his smuggling of warhorses, Darrel had been in charge of the operation.

In his secret discussions with Alaric, this matter had been strictly confidential to avoid alerting the other feudal lords.

But he never expected that Darrel would be captured by his nephew, Simon, at this time.

Originally, he didn’t need to come to Brambleford in person; a letter would have sufficed. However, Darrel had been carrying an important letter. If Simon had seen it, there would be real trouble.

Thinking of this, he lost all interest in the scenery and became deeply worried.

"By order of Prince Simon, only Prince Gerad and his personal guards are allowed to enter the city. All others are forbidden!"

At the city gate, the Brambleford guards were on high alert. Facing Prince Gerad and his five thousand soldiers, they remained stern. On the city wall, Lancelot’s sharp eyes were fixed on the fierce generals beside the sedan chair.

"How dare you! This is Prince Gerad’s carriage. Who dares to stop us?" From Prince Gerad’s entourage, a burly general with a red cape and dual hammers rode forward.

Lancelot shouted. "By Prince Simon’s military order, who dares to disobey!"

The general was furious and was about to charge toward the gate when Prince Gerad’s voice came from the sedan chair. "Jimmy, do not be rude. When visiting another feudal lord’s territory, it is customary not to bring troops into the city. Bring four personal guards and follow me into the city."

"Yes!" Jimmy glared at Lancelot on the city wall, selected four guards, and followed the sedan chair into Brambleford City.

Once inside the city, Jimmy said to Prince Gerad. "My Lord, Prince Simon is truly disrespectful. Not only are you his elder, but even as a guest, he should have come out to greet you."

Prince Gerad smiled bitterly. It seemed that Simon had seen the secret letter, which was why he was giving him this cold reception. Simon now held leverage over him.

Arriving at the prince’s castle, Prince Gerad, assisted by maids, stepped out of the sedan chair and walked heavily toward the mansion.

There, he saw Simon and the old steward of the castle, Roland, standing at the entrance.

"Uncle, you’ve come a long way. My apologies for not greeting you sooner." Simon said with a smile as he stepped forward.

Prince Gerad had brought five thousand soldiers with him, clearly intending to show off his strength.

If Simon had rushed to the city gate to welcome him, it would have been too humiliating. How would the people of his domain view him? He didn’t want to tarnish the glorious image he had built.

Moreover, now that he had leverage over Prince Gerad, he was confident that Prince Gerad would not make a fuss over such trivial matters.