Chapter 272 - 245: What Happened Back Then

Chapter 272: Chapter 245: What Happened Back Then

"The Church is involved in this, too?" Uncle Musa gently rapped the table, shocked by what Shire was suggesting. "You know, the Baron was a very devout man."

"I know. Father used to take us to the chapel often." Shire nodded slowly. "But for something as big as treason, I refuse to believe those Churches didn’t know. Their tentacles have reached every corner of this world. They always claim not to meddle in politics, but what political incident doesn’t have them pulling strings in the background?"

’Thinking back to what Sofia said about the Chosen One and the God War, Shire felt his clan was probably just cannon fodder in all of this.’

’After all, the last God War directly led to the Fran Kingdom replacing the previous nation and the Plantagenet Clan becoming the new Royal Family. Who knows what this God War will be like. Sofia did say, "The God War has already begun."’

"So those Churches have a hand in this too?" Musa frowned. "I never considered that. After the Baron was arrested, I wanted to tell you to seek sanctuary with the Night and Destiny Church, but by then, there was no news of you at all."

Shire pondered for a few seconds, then said, "I suspect I was already being watched by then. And now, it seems the Church can’t be trusted either."

"What exactly happened back then?" Uncle Musa leaned forward, his voice filled with concern.

"The moment I heard about what happened to my father, I immediately set out to return to Torch City," Shire said calmly, trying to search his memory. He had already gone over the experience several times. "That night, I found a very inconspicuous inn to stay at, for fear of being exposed."

"But when I woke up, I found myself lying at the edge of a forest, and I had turned into a goblin." He said, spreading his hands. "I don’t know what happened in between. I was in the forest, so I don’t even know the exact date. I have no memory at all of what happened during that time."

"What about Auberto? Wasn’t he with you then?" Musa immediately asked. Auberto was Shire’s personal guard, responsible for protecting the Baron’s son.

"I don’t know. Maybe he’s alive, maybe he’s dead." Shire sighed. "He’s still young, after all. If someone specifically set a trap for us, there’s no way we could have handled it with just the two of us."

"Sigh... If only I had been the one to accompany the Young Master to Black Lion City." Musa slammed his fist on the table, filled with self-recrimination. He was the one who had assigned Auberto.

"You don’t need to blame yourself. No one knew those people were plotting against our family," Shire quickly comforted him. "And looking at it now, it’s a good thing you didn’t come. If you had traveled with me, the Merlot Clan would have no hope for revenge left."

"Young Master, you mean..." Musa hesitated for a moment. "There’s something wrong with Count Valentine?"

"Yes." Shire nodded. "We were there to negotiate an iron ore deal. But we only paid a visit; we never saw Valentine himself. An administrative official told us he had taken men into the forest to clear out goblins, but he’s not the type of person to get his hands dirty. The next day, we received the message from my father, and then everything happened."

He gently tapped the tabletop. "I think that old fox Valentine was in the castle the whole time. He must have been involved in this from the very beginning."

"But why? Our clan has no grudge with Black Lion City, do we?" Musa frowned, unable to comprehend why Count Valentine would do such a thing.

"First, if someone bypasses a local lord to strike at another noble in their territory, it’s bound to cause displeasure. It’s an unwritten rule among the nobility," Shire said slowly. "This is a tacit understanding among lords everywhere—unless the aggressor also intends to plot against the local lord. And Count Valentine is just a Border Count. According to many, he’s so poor all he has is an iron mine and some lumber. Second, Valentine might actually have a small grudge against us."

"A grudge?" Uncle Musa was puzzled. "Our territory doesn’t even border his, and our ancestors never killed any of his. Young Master, don’t tell me you beat up Count Valentine’s son while you were studying in Plantagenet City?"

Shire smiled. ’He hadn’t beaten up Philip during his school days—mainly because the guy was so stupid Shire had never even seen him at the grammar school. But he had certainly given him a thorough beating by now.’

"It’s not that," Shire shook his head. "It has to do with money."

"About Gold Coins again?"

"Valentine wrote to my father several times, hoping to get a reduction on the taxes for his family’s cargo ships. He even went so far as to propose his son marry Vivian." The corner of Shire’s mouth twitched. "But Father believed that if he agreed to that old fox Valentine’s request, other nobles would follow suit and make similar demands, so he politely refused."

"Besides, Father would never have agreed to marry Vivian off to that pig-head Philip," Shire shrugged, "even if he was the son of a Count."

"And for that, he was depraved enough to join the plot against us?" Musa said in a menacing tone. He clenched and unclenched his fist several times, visibly suppressing his anger.

"I think that’s more or less it. You have to remember, my father was just a Baron, yet he directly rejected the proposal of a Count. If word of that got out, it would certainly make Valentine lose face," Shire scoffed. "And among nobles, gossip spreads very easily."

"Those bastards plotted against the Baron just like that," Uncle Musa said angrily. From his perspective, Torch City had done nothing wrong. "The Baron did nothing wrong."

"No, my father did one thing wrong." Shire held up a single finger. "He was too weak."

His finger tapped slowly on the table as he spoke calmly, "I once heard a saying: A commoner is innocent, but possessing great wealth is a crime. We were too weak, yet we occupied such a fine Deepwater Port. Every ambitious person wanted to seize it or at least get a piece of the pie."

"It’s not really a conspiracy. After all, for those nobles, their own interests are their primary motivation." Shire smiled. "If it wasn’t for their own interests, the Plantagenet Clan would never have participated in that great war, which ended with them successfully overthrowing the rule of the Sword and Rose Clan."

"That war from 500 years ago?" Musa said aloud.

"Yes, the Battle of Withering Flowers," Shire nodded. "The Rose withered, and the Plantagenet blossomed."

’He had studied grammar and read history. Although the books all said the Mad King of the Sword and Rose Clan had caused the nobles to be full of grievances, the Plantagenet Clan was no saint either.’