Chapter 656: Bakstabbed (2)

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The return of Marquess Carter Ascart stirred yet another commotion in Ascart City.

After many months, the middle-aged man who had governed the Ascart Fiefdom for decades now had finally returned to reunite with his family members. This was an injection of confidence in the people as it symbolized stability and harmony in the ruling house.

To the common populace, there was nothing more important than stability during tumultuous times. Carter’s return was most definitely welcomed by the people, though the fanfare around it paled in comparison to Roel’s.

To be clear, Carter was well-received by his people compared to the other nobles of the Saint Mesit Theocracy, but his decades of kind governance paled in comparison to what Roel had accomplished as proxy fief lord in the past few years.

On top of that, there was a distinct difference in the demographics of their supporters too.

The bulk of Roel’s supporters were youths, who were discontented with their current lives and desired more opportunities to prove themselves. In particular, he was ridiculously popular with the ladies.

In contrast, most of Carter’s supporters were the calmer middle-aged and elderly, who had already gotten used to their current way of life and prioritized stability over all things else.

Naturally, there was a huge difference in the atmosphere of their return.

Back when Roel entered the city, the streets were filled with deafening cheers that shook the earth. When it came to Carter’s turn, the noise level was toned down, but the sentiments of the people were still conveyed through the respectful gazes directed at his carriage.

The different contexts made it hard to determine which was superior to the other, but neither Roel nor Carter thought that this was important. Rather, their thoughts were preoccupied by another matter.

The lounge of Ascarts’ manor looked as resplendent as ever under the warm illumination of the candles. The maids stood dignified in two rows, ready to attend to the needs of their masters at a moment’s notice.

Seated at the edge of the dining table was a middle-aged man quietly sipping on red tea as he assessed his two children with his peripheral vision.

It was inadvisable for a commander to leave the frontlines even if there was a temporary ceasefire, but the thought of there being not a single person in their old residence made his heart shudder so much that he simply couldn’t not return.

Carter looked at the black-haired youth sitting upright in front of him and sighed softly in his heart. He felt that he had really erred in the latter’s upbringing.

He could still clearly remember how years ago, on this very same table, several talented women were fighting over his son. Back then, he thought to himself that his son was a born player, and he wondered if the latter would carry home his grandkids before reaching adulthood.

Years had passed since then… but nothing. There was nothing at all.

Carter reflected on the situation, and it soon dawned on him what had gone wrong.

Why is my son not doing anything at all?!

It would be unfair to say that Roel had been idling off when he had accumulated so many accomplishments within such a short period of time, but he was frustratingly conservative when it came to romantic relationships. At one point, he even worried whether his son had secretly become a monk behind his back!

Youth was the age that everyone’s hormones went haywire. It wouldn’t have been surprising if they went a little overboard in a moment of passion. Taking a step back, even if they were principled enough to hold themselves back as children, surely they would have done something now that they were all grown adults?

But no, Roel simply had to apply his noble etiquette to his relationships too. He made sure to keep an appropriate distance from others and adamantly refused to err.

If the Ascart House was a huge household with no lack of offspring, Carter would have been overjoyed by Roel’s self-restraint. After all, illegitimate children were often a huge source of problems for noble houses.

But now that the Ascart House was already down to the final two, Roel’s strict observance of principles was nothing but a huge annoyance to Carter.

You twat! If you’re a man, you should just do it! I know that I have warned you about your relationships before, but I have never told you to be abstinent!

There are so many good women around you. Why can’t you just pick one and go ahead with it? Even that child from Rosa will do! All I’m asking of you is to bear me a grandchild. Is that a lot to ask for?

Carter was practically screaming at the frustratingly composed black-haired youth in his heart, but he didn’t let his thoughts show on his face. It would tarnish his reputation if he said those words out loud.

…And honestly speaking, he didn’t have any right to criticize his son either.

As a widower who had been single for more than a decade now, Carter was more ascetic than his son was. How could he preach something that he hadn’t been practicing himself? That being said, the knowledge of that didn’t quell his frustration at all.

You’re making things hard for me by being so self-disciplined!

Carter sharply glared at Roel before sighing to himself. He turned his gaze to the silver-haired woman sitting beside his son, and his clenched heart slowly eased up.

He had known about Roel’s peculiar capability in getting involved with women of exceptional standing, and that had complicated things. Be it Nora or Charlotte, their pregnancy would be national affairs with huge repercussions, thus it would have to be carefully planned beforehand.

However, there was no such worry for Alicia Ascart.

With two members of the Ascart House potentially stepping onto the battlefield, there was no way she would be allowed on the frontlines out of stability concerns. Considering her intimate relationship with Roel, there was no better candidate than her at this juncture.

He glanced at Roel and Alicia once more before placing his teacup back onto the table. Then, he started enquiring about how they had been recently faring.

“Roel, I heard on my way back that you have defeated one of the Six Calamities. Good job on that. Your accomplishment has raised the morale of the frontline soldiers, especially those from our Theocracy. It must have been a tough battle. How is your body faring?”

“It was indeed a tough battle. I… sustained a bit of injury, but I have mostly recovered now.”

Roel hesitated for a brief moment before opting to downplay the situation, not wanting to add to his father’s worries.

Carter was skeptical at the answer, but he decided not to question it since Roel was safe and sound. Instead, he steered the conversation toward Rosa.

It was practically an instinct for soldiers fighting at the frontlines to be concerned about logistical operations. The biggest logistical provider for humankind’s united army was the Rosa Merchant Confederacy, which also had close military and economic ties with the Ascart Fiefdom.

Carter heaved a huge sigh of relief when he learned that Charlotte had recovered from her affliction and Rosa had returned to normalcy.

With a gleam in his eyes, Roel made use of this opportunity to toss out a bait.

“Father, Uncle Bruce has entrusted me pass on a letter to you. It’s probably a handwritten letter to thank us for our help and offer some compensation.”

“Lord Bruce is too kind. We’re close military allies. It’s only right for us to help each other,” Carter said with a smile.

He took the letter that Roel was offering to him and quickly browsed through it. Moments later, a rare shocked expression could be seen on his face.

The compensation offered by Rosa was simply too generous.

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Keeping a close eye on the changes in Carter’s expression, Roel was, once again, impressed by Rosa’s financial prowess. Bruce had really gone all out to lay the foundation for Charlotte’s visit after New Year’s Day, offering not just money but all sorts of special privileges too.

It’s super effective.

Carter was still feeling a little stifled about Roel’s injuries, but his indignation dissipated upon seeing what Rosa was offering them. Roel immediately exploited this chance to raise a request.

“Father, Charlotte hopes to pay us a visit after New Year’s Day to thank us for our help. Would you have time to meet her?”

“…I should. She has suffered in this ordeal, and there’s still the engagement between you two,” Carter replied with a nod.

He seemed to be extremely satisfied with Rosa’s compensation, considering how he had mentioned the engagement despite having never properly acknowledged it.

Roel’s heart was finally put at ease, having accomplished what he had promised Charlotte. Unfortunately, there was a third person in the room who wasn’t quite pleased with how things were turning out. When he finally noticed Alicia’s pout, he quickly changed the topic at hand.

“Father, Rosa has also managed to track down one of the Saints Convocation’s major bases and destroyed it.”

Roel proceeded to share Andrew’s findings and the discovery of their ancestors’ remnants. Upon hearing the story, Carter revealed a rare expression of animosity.

“So, their target has always been the awakeners of our house? If that’s the case, we can’t just leave things to Rosa. We’ll mobilize our soldiers too.”

How could Carter tolerate the evil cultists going after his family members when their lineage was already down to two people? With a livid face, he made the call to cooperate with Rosa to eradicate the Saints Convocation.

Roel wasn’t surprised by his decision at all. He waited for Carter to calm down before reporting on how he dealt with their ancestors’ remnants.

Carter was placated when he heard that that their disrespected ancestors had been laid to rest with the highest formalities, though his expression turned a little weird when he learned that three people had hosted the ancestral ritual. He spent a moment in thought before saying.

“You did well. Our ancestors should be able to rest in peace in our family tomb. We ought to express our gratitude toward Rosa for their help on this matter.”

“I’ll make preparations for that,” Roel replied with a nod.

“But just this much won’t be enough.”

“Ah?”

Roel blinked his eyes in confusion, failing to grasp what his father was getting at. Carter quietly stared at him for a few seconds before continuing on with a solemn voice.

“Roel, what do you think is the best way to console our ancestors?”

“The best way to console our ancestors… Is it by exacting vengeance for them by eradicating the Saints Convocation?”

“It goes without saying that we’ll have to do that, but exacting vengeance is far from enough.”

Carter shook his head with a sigh.

“The best way to console our ancestors is to pass on their will.”

“Pass on their will?”

“Our ancestors sacrificed themselves to ensure that a future existed for the later generations, and now, it’s your turn to do the same. We can’t do anything about the departure of our ancestors, but we can inherit their will and pass it down to future generations.”

“…”

Roel and Alicia’s cheeks twitched upon hearing those words, but Carter maintained his stoic expression and continued his preaching.

“It’s about time for you to fulfill your responsibility.”

“By responsibility, you’re referring to…”

“The Theocracy’s Holy War Commandments.”

I knew it.

Roel quietly sighed in his mind, unsurprised to hear Carter’s words. Beside him, Alicia raised her head to look at Carter with a faint gleam in her eyes.

“In the face of the war against the deviants, we, the Ascarts, as one of the Theocracy’s Four Eminent Noble Houses, have to lead the people by example. I have reminded you about this many times now. Now that Alicia has come of age too, the two of you should start considering having a child.”

“Father, I am aware of the Holy War Commandments, but this is too sudden. Neither Alicia nor I are ready for this.”

Ready? What do you need to be ready for? Any ordinary men should be ever-ready to brandish their weapon when it comes to that! It’s not as if your noble lessons didn’t cover that at all. Carter retorted in his mind.

He was tempted to refute Roel’s words right away, but he hesitated when his eyes fell upon Alicia, who was sitting quietly by the side.

As much as he was anxious to expand the family tree, he respected Alicia’s will on this matter. There was no problem with the two youths’ relationship, but it did seem rushed to ask a lady who had just barely reached adulthood to bear a child.

“Alicia, what’s your take on this matter?” asked Carter.

Roel smiled. He was relieved that he had spoken to Alicia on this matter in advance.

The burden of bearing a child mostly fell on the woman, which was why Carter turned a deaf ear to Roel’s protest. However, if Alicia expressed reluctance regarding the matter too, Carter would have no choice but to give up on his plan.

“…Lord Father, I don’t think that this is appropriate.”

“I see…”

Carter sighed upon hearing those words. But before he could retract his suggestion, Alicia embarrassedly added on.

“We should have two children at the very least…”

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