- Fantasy Lord: Start with Daily Intelligence
- FLDI Chapter 62
Chapter 62: The Calm Before the Storm
Ope Lawrence had begun putting his plans into action. Everything in his imagination seemed perfect, though he had no idea that what he was doing was utterly foolish. The Habs Trading Company could indeed hire a great knight for protection, but that was merely a hired guard, not a knight under his own command. There was a vast difference between the two.
Once the Lawrence domain lost its own great knight, the consequences were inevitable.
This was not the same as being a pioneering lord.
Pioneering lords, unless they controlled vast wealth and resources, typically wouldn’t face many issues. But a barony, with its large territories and rich resources, couldn’t be defended by a hired knight, especially after losing its own knights and great knight. Even with a hired protector, such a domain would be easy prey.
Of course, Ope didn’t realize this yet.
At that moment, he was fully absorbed in his excitement over soon taking control of the domain.
This was *his* domain.
A territory that would belong to him.
He had almost given up hope entirely, but now, he felt as though the Goddess of Life had blessed him.
An unexpected frontier war had left his father and brother unable to return.
And now, he had a chance.
Facing this opportunity, Ope could barely contain his glee. He even felt an urge to send a few gold coins to the lord of Eagle Territory out of gratitude.
Of course, that was just a thought.
Outwardly, he continued to maintain an air of anger and sorrow.
Quickly, he began taking control of the Lawrence domain.
Luckily for him, his father had taken most of the knights with him, so seizing control wasn’t difficult.
Once he had secured the domain, Ope led a few knights and a large amount of gold towards Loren City.
Although he was foolish in some respects, he knew well that the domain was currently in a weakened state. If word of that leaked, the territory would surely be destroyed.
After taking control of the domain, his next step was to quickly gather strength.
As he had mentioned earlier, he would go to Loren City to hire help from the Habs Trading Company.
Three days later…
Ope arrived in Loren City.
Without hesitation, he spent two thousand gold coins to hire one great knight and ten full-fledged knights from the Habs Trading Company.
Seven days later, Ope triumphantly returned to the domain with his newly hired forces.
With the addition of a great knight and ten knights, Ope was filled with confidence.
Immediately, he began notifying two neighboring baronial lords, using his father Pape Lawrence’s name.
At the same time, he sent a knight to Eagle Territory.
But the purpose was not to deliver ransom.
It was to leak information.
Two days later…
Thor in Eagle Territory received the knight sent by the fool Ope Lawrence.
“It seems your second son isn’t as clever as you, Baron Pape Lawrence,” Thor said with a chuckle, handing the letter to Baron Pape Lawrence, who had since recovered physically, though his life force had been suppressed.
This was something Thor had requested Neil Morton to handle, and Neil had readily agreed to do so.
Thus, when Ope’s envoy arrived, Thor brought the knight directly to Pape Lawrence.
Hearing Thor’s words, Baron Pape Lawrence’s heart sank. He knew exactly what kind of person his second son was, so he quickly took the letter.
After reading its contents…
“Bang!”
“Idiot!”
“Utter stupidity!”
Even someone as composed as Baron Pape Lawrence couldn’t help but flare up in anger.
But his anger quickly turned to sorrow.
He couldn’t believe it.
He never imagined that his youngest son would do something so reckless.
It was as though his son wanted him and his eldest son to die.
Lawrence… Lawrence was the future of their family, with even the potential to break through to become an earth knight someday.
And yet his second son had foolishly thrown all of that away.
Without him and Lawrence, the domain wouldn’t stand a chance.
In the Northern Province, all the lords were hungry wolves.
Without the strength to protect the domain, they were nothing more than lambs.
Any reasonable person would have at least tried to ransom them back. That was the only way to truly secure the domain.
“Lord Thor, this is a misunderstanding. My son is a fool. His actions do not reflect the will of the Lawrence domain. If you are willing, you could release Lawrence. I assure you that upon his return, he will offer you a satisfactory compensation,” Baron Pape Lawrence said, suppressing his anger and sorrow.
His emotions were running high, but he quickly pushed them down. His immediate concern was that Thor might be so enraged he would execute them all. If that happened, everything would truly be lost.
“Baron Pape, you know that’s impossible,” Thor replied with a light smile. “However, I’m not going to act rashly just because of one fool. For now, Baron Pape, you can continue to live comfortably in Eagle Territory.”
Thor shook his head slightly, still smiling.
Release Lawrence? That was a joke. Thor wasn’t that stupid.
But he had no intention of killing Baron Pape or Lawrence either.
First, there was no need for it.
Second, keeping them alive would serve a greater purpose.
Hearing Thor’s response, Pape’s expression turned bitter.
He could already foresee the chaos that would soon engulf his domain, but he was powerless to stop it.
He shot a deep, pained look at Thor before falling silent.
Meanwhile, Thor’s mind was racing.
The situation was unfolding just as the daily intelligence report had predicted.
Ope Lawrence truly wanted his father and brother dead.
And with that, it seemed highly likely that Ope would indeed unite other pioneering lords and nobles to launch an attack on Eagle Territory.
The winds of war were clearly gathering.
The coming days would be some of the hardest for Eagle Territory.
Thor would have to face the combined forces of several neighboring noble lords.
Although their individual strength wasn’t as great as the Lawrence domain, their combined power was not to be underestimated.
Of course, if he could overcome this challenge…
If he could defeat the allied noble forces, the rewards would be unprecedented.
Thor would become the undisputed ruler of the entire Maine River Valley.
No one would dare challenge his authority again.
If managed well, his influence could even extend across the entire valley.
His territory’s development would also reach new heights.
Thor’s eyes sparkled with thought, and his mind raced as he considered his next move.
Meanwhile, time continued to pass.
The knights sent by Ope, under his father’s name, had also reached the two neighboring noble lords.
When the letters arrived, both barons were left in stunned silence.
(End of Chapter)