Free Web NovelChapter 117: Chapter 115: The Countess’s Marriage
In truth, the military affairs of the entire Mold Fortress were managed by Valentino’s household servants.
Reading the battle report in his hand, Marquis Oscillate took an interested sip of his tea.
In his position, he had seen his fair share of prodigies. If the Robson of the past had merely caught his attention, the Robson of today had truly earned his notice.
The crucial point was that this Sir Robson was from a southern noble family. The Odogin Family belonged to the Land Faction of the Southern Nobles. Back in the day, Marquis Oscillate himself had risen onto the kingdom’s stage starting from the Land Faction; they were his political base.
That’s right. Wherever there are people, there are factions.
The term "Southern Nobles" was generally used at the kingdom level. Geographically, the Southern Nobles were internally divided into the Land Faction and the Ocean Faction. The Land Faction typically had close trade relations with the southern inland nations, while the Ocean Faction focused on the overseas Haven Kingdom, the Isidor Duchy, and others.
However, the internal conflicts among the Southern Nobles were not as intense as those of the Northern Nobles. For the past century, the inland and coastal factions of the Northern Nobles had fought each other to the death, a situation the Southern Nobles were happy to see, even using it to exploit numerous openings. It was only after Marquis Qiao’an appeared on the scene that he used his political skills to suppress them all.
But the divisions that had already been established were irreversible.
For example, the Fengman Clan, originally one of the leading families of the northern inland faction, had been won over by Marquis Oscillate, who even had his daughter become the matriarch of the Fengman Clan.
Since this new star of the battlefield hailed from his old power base, Marquis Oscillate was naturally happy to promote a promising young man.
"So? You didn’t come to me with this just to show off, did you?" Marquis Oscillate said, looking at his granddaughter, who was sipping tea across from him.
Seeing her intentions laid bare, Valentino put down her teacup without any embarrassment.
For one, while it was said that business was business, Marquis Oscillate was, after all, her grandfather.
For another, her subordinate was simply too impressive. There was nothing she could do about it.
’Who would have thought that the Little Knight she’d casually taken a chance on would be so capable?’ freeweɓnovēl.coɱ
As a Countess with real power, Valentino knew full well that to keep such a capable subordinate tied to her own ship, she had to provide ample rewards.
In the report Robson submitted, he stated that Qimo Fortress had also suffered heavy losses.
Anyone could see this was his way of asking for recognition. There was no reason to be annoyed by it. If you want capable people on your side, you have to meet their demands.
"Although Baron Robson has achieved great military merit, the entire Qimo Fortress is currently fraught with danger."
"Sigh. Grandfather, you might not know this, but according to Baron Robson’s report, Qimo Fortress has a seventy-percent casualty rate, and they ran out of Divine Water long ago..." Once she started on this topic, Valentino became quite effusive.
This so-called seventy-percent injury rate? A sprained ankle, a scraped hand, blisters on the feet... those all counted as injuries. After all, an injury is an injury, no matter how small.
In reality, Robson had shown some conscience when he sent the report and hadn’t specified a number. But Valentino, as the middleman, wanted to skim a little off the top.
"Alright, alright, I know. All of that is secondary," Marquis Oscillate said with a wave of his hand.
"For the things you’ve reported, go directly to Earl Wei Man in Sirich. He’ll deliver them.
"I recall there’s a batch of new reserves there, aren’t there? Weren’t there personnel casualties? Assign some to him. And when you go, help me deliver a letter to that Baron Robson," Marquis Oscillate said.
Sirich was a logistics and supply point east of the Siriel Defense Line. Blue Scale Port, which was behind Robson’s position, fell under the jurisdiction of Sirich City.
Viscount Luke was also staying in Sirich City.
This was perfect. Marquis Oscillate could use Robson’s case as an example to boost morale.
"None of that is important. But as for you... what do you think of this Baron Robson?" Marquis Oscillate continued to sip his tea, then looked up with a smile at Valentino.
"What about him?" Valentino didn’t quite understand for a moment.
"You and Robson. What do you say? He’s a rare talent," Marquis Oscillate said with a laugh.
The idea had popped into his head after he learned of Robson’s latest military achievements, combined with the fact that the Odogin Family was behind him.
From the current look of things, Robson was basically qualified. Although the Fengman Clan was an Earl Clan, in a society like the Frank Kingdom, a woman being more powerful than her husband was considered somewhat disgraceful.
Barring any surprises, she would normally have to find a match from within a Viscount Clan.
Robson’s current standing still had a bit of a gap, but if the match could be made, Marquis Oscillate wouldn’t mind lending a hand to raise Robson’s title to Viscount.
Although his merits weren’t quite enough for that, everything was negotiable.
If they were to choose, now might be the best opportunity. After all, given the current situation, Robson might even be able to attain the rank of Viscount on his own.
Trying to arrange a match then would be much more difficult. It wouldn’t be impossible, but getting someone like that to marry into her family would be highly unlikely.
The best outcome would be for both of them to jointly manage the clan, or even go a step further and establish a new family name.
There was nothing new under the sun. While such cases were rare, they were not unheard of.
They would just need to revise the family records, and a new clan would be born.
For instance, an ancestor of the current Frankish Royal Family was an imperial princess from the then-unfallen Elanshiri Empire who married down to a yet-to-rise Westland. The two sides came to an agreement and ultimately formed a new family.
If you were capable enough, like Westland, you could even found a new nation. The family lineage would start with you, and a new clan would be born.
After the Frank Kingdom was founded, the entire Frankish Royal Family essentially revolved around the Westland line.
Hearing the Marquis’s words, Valentino felt as if she’d been struck over the head, suddenly dazed.
She had never considered such things before. Valentino had always been among the Southern Nobles.
Due to the peaceful environment of the Southern Kingdom, the average lifespan of its nobles was the longest among all humans.
Correspondingly, they tended to marry late, waiting until they were twenty-four or twenty-five. Families there generally preferred to cultivate their children’s abilities to the fullest before sending them out to gain experience.
Valentino hadn’t realized until now that in the Frank Kingdom, she was already considered of late marriageable age. When she’d heard Marquis Oscillate mention it before, she had assumed he was joking.
"Well... perhaps..." Valentino’s face flushed red, and she stammered.
Honestly, from a practical standpoint, this choice would be greatly beneficial to everyone involved.
For Robson, it went without saying. Although he would be marrying into her family, given the patriarchal social norms of the Frank Kingdom, it was highly likely they would rule together as husband and wife.
With the Fengman Clan as his foundation and his own talent, his career would skyrocket.
As for Marquis Oscillate, although he had no personal dealings with Robson himself, he had heard of the Odogin Family.
While the Odogin Family wasn’t powerful, they were staunch supporters of the southern inland faction. When Robson’s father had sent him here, it was with the hope that his son would be looked after by his compatriots from the south.
And that had proven to be true. If nothing else, he hadn’t faced any contempt or deliberate difficulties on the Western Front.
His new kin would all be tied to Marquis Oscillate. With his wife being the Marquis’s own granddaughter, he would be perfectly positioned to be groomed as a trusted confidant.
By accomplishing this, Marquis Oscillate could further extend his political influence within the northern inland faction.
From the Fengman Clan’s perspective, it was also an enormous gain.
Of the three current battlefronts, the heaviest losses were all on the Eastern Front. If not for a natural defensive barrier separating the Eastern Front from the Fengman Clan’s territory, Valentino would have returned long ago.
The losses here were severe, with two Earl Clans even being wiped out. In the future, their lands would be carved up by the kingdom’s newly emerging nobles.
Robson could choose his new fiefdom there. The Fengman Clan’s territory wouldn’t be far from Robson’s, allowing them to fully support the development of his new lands.
At a glance, it was a win for all three parties.
But despite all that, Valentino’s head was still buzzing.
Reason told her the suggestion was absolutely worth considering, but emotionally, she was still a girl not yet twenty years old.
"It’s fine. Just think it over. There’s still plenty of time. We can consider any issues later," Marquis Oscillate said with a laugh, choosing not to press Valentino further.
