Chapter 93: Aftermath

Chapter 93: Chapter 93: Aftermath

As it turned out, Vili’s prediction was correct.

In the month that followed, Di Baen, Selvin, and their three Knight companions moved with lightning speed, driving the garrison from the neighboring Wata Duchy’s Long Eagle Town all the way back to its borders. The entire defensive line outside Long Eagle Town collapsed.

With this, Baron Kels’s worries about Diamond Town were finally put to rest. Trading one Snow Pattern Deer for a month of support from five Senior Knights was a bargain for both him and Count Lumbar.

After the five Knight powerhouses returned to the main battlefield, the situation stabilized, and Vili was recalled from the border to Diamond Town.

This time, a new position awaited Vili: Deputy Captain of the Diamond Town Personal Guard Bureau.

A position second only to Olay.

This short tour on the border had allowed Vili to accumulate significant capital.

Under Baron Kels’s deliberate spin, the story of Vili leading the Diamond Town Guard Team to bravely repel the forces of the Wata Duchy and win a glorious first victory spread to every corner of Diamond Town. Of course, any mention of the Senior Knights was discreetly omitted.

By now, the name Vili Ferren was on everyone’s lips in Diamond Town, and his humble origins were also widely known.

Baron Kels used this to cultivate the image of an ambitious young man from the countryside who, through sheer effort, had become a high-ranking official serving a nobleman. As a result, the youth of Diamond Town began to idolize Vili Ferren.

And with that, Baron Kels’s brainwashing campaign was a great success.

The captains of the Diamond Guard Team from the border were transferred back along with Vili, but the positions the Baron assigned them were quite telling. For example, Ricker was made the honorary deputy mayor of Diamond Town. The others received similar appointments: positions that looked prestigious but held no real authority.

Now, only Cres and Weibun remained at the border, commanding a Guard Team of fewer than three hundred men.

Anyone with eyes could see this was Baron Kels and Olay using strong-arm tactics to pave the way for Bamos’s succession.

"Captain, this is the list of the newest recruits for the Personal Guard Team. Please have a look."

Inside Vili’s private office at the Personal Guard Bureau, Sandoor handed him a document.

Sandoor and Dane had benefited from an early chance to prove themselves while Bamos’s core team was being assembled. Upon returning to Diamond Town, they were both made middle-level officials in the Personal Guard Bureau, serving as Vili’s deputies.

"Hmm..."

Vili grunted, gave the list a cursory glance, and set it on his desk.

Since Baron Kels had promoted him to Deputy Captain of the Personal Guard Team, Vili had noticed Olay spending less and less time at the Personal Guard Bureau. More and more responsibilities were being transferred into Vili’s hands.

It was a gradual transfer of authority, a process that would allow Vili to slowly build his own prestige within the Personal Guard Bureau.

But Vili wasn’t particularly enthusiastic about it.

Ever since witnessing Di Baen and Selvin in action, his desire to master the Frost Knight Breathing Technique had grown overwhelming. He wanted to ignore everything else and just focus on his training.

His time at the border had finally made Vili understand why commoners chose to live on their knees, despite the constant oppression of the nobility. ’It’s not that they don’t want to resist,’ he reflected. ’In the face of Extraordinary Power, mere numbers become fragile and meaningless. I even suspect that on the main battlefield of this war, the final outcome will be decided by an even higher tier of Extraordinary Power.’

"In the future, you and Dane can handle these small matters. No need to bother me with them."

Vili said to Sandoor.

Sandoor acknowledged the order and walked out. His head was held high, his back ramrod straight. His beard was freshly trimmed, and he carried himself with an imposing air.

Sandoor and Dane were now the new rising stars of Diamond Town, courted by many merchants and officials.

’What a hassle...’

Vili rubbed his temples. All these trivial matters were delaying him; his progress with the Frost Knight Breathing Technique had slowed considerably.

’According to my original plan, I should be at least eighty percent complete by now, but I’m only at seventy. It might only seem like a ten percent difference, but in the later stages of the breathing technique’s training, that gap is enormous.’

’It’s time I made a trip back to Fandou Village.’

Vili thought to himself as he listened to the cold wind howling outside.

This year, the harsh winter had arrived earlier than usual. It was only the beginning of the season, yet people were already bundled up in padded winter clothes. Past experience suggested this winter would be an especially hard one. The nobles and the wealthy could stay warm by their furnaces, but the commoners could only burn firewood. Their methods for staving off the cold were vastly inferior.

Combined with the winter food shortages, many of the poor might not survive its ravages.

The thought made Vili feel a sudden sense of relief. ’If it weren’t for me,’ he mused, ’the Ferren Family would probably be worrying about this very problem right now.’

Vili stood, picked up the quill on his desk, dipped it in ink, and began to write a letter to the Baron requesting a leave of absence.

Vili no longer had any difficulty with reading or writing.

’As for the reason... I’ll just be honest. I’ve hit a bottleneck in my Knight’s Breathing Technique training.’

’Vili was certain Baron Kels would approve. The Baron knew better than anyone that Diamond Town needed an Advanced Combat Power of the Knight Level far more than it needed a diligent official.’

Once the letter was written, Vili wrapped himself in his coat and left the office. Even with a formal request, he had to deliver it in person.

...

「Fandou Village.」

"Lord Village Chief is back!"

Vili had just ridden into Fandou Village when a group of seven- and eight-year-old children began to shout, their eyes filled with awe.

The name Vili Ferren had spread throughout all of Diamond Town, and that, of course, included Fandou Village.

Now, whenever the people of Fandou Village traveled, they would invariably mention that they were from Vili’s village. Every time they did, they were met with envious gazes.

As one of Diamond Town’s new rising stars, it was certain that Fandou Village, the village under Vili’s purview, would prosper. As the original inhabitants, they stood to reap all the benefits of its future growth.

"Lord Village Chief."

Even in the dead of winter, Old Yor insisted on making his patrols around Fandou Village. He would harshly reprimand anyone he found not taking their work seriously, or just lazing about.

When he heard Vili was back, he ignored his old bones and came running over at a trot.