CHAPTER 192: SUSPICIONS

CH192 Suspicions

***

Alex glanced at Jared. He had assumed the man had reported everything to his father and Lord Marshal Lawson. However, judging from their reactions during his debriefing, they had clearly been surprised by several of the details.

’I guess he’s not completely tactless,’ Alex mused.

"Thank you for your hard work, Young Master Alex," Lord Marshal Lawson said, after sparing a glance at Earl Drake, who remained silently seated.

"But it seems to me, Young Master, that you hold certain suspicions about who may have orchestrated this plot within the Dankrot Forest."

The Lord Marshal gave Alex a pointed look.

Alex felt suddenly put on the spot.

He sighed inwardly, then shook his head outwardly.

"I don’t believe it’s appropriate to voice those suspicions yet. After all, they are just that... suspicions," he said carefully.

"It doesn’t matter. You’re among your officers. Speak your mind, boy," Earl Drake said flatly.

Alex turned his eyes to his father.

After a brief, silent staring contest between father and son, Alex scratched his head in annoyance.

"Fine," he muttered through gritted teeth. "These are just my thoughts. I have no concrete proof. It’s all circumstantial at best."

He took a moment to gather his thoughts, then leaned forward at his seat and gestured towards the map laid out before them.

"Looking at the map of Dankrot Forest, and overlaying the locations where my platoon found the Goblin villages... factoring in the terrain, elevation, and beast population... if the Goblin settlements overgrow unchecked, they’ll trigger a beast tide that heads straight for the Dankrot Plains.

"And if the Goblins use that chaos to launch attacks—targeting the Plains to capture more ’breeding mules’—the situation on the Plains will spiral into full-blown disorder."

He paused, tapping a region on the map with his finger.

"Also, brainwashing the Goblins to see the forest as the launching pad for their delusional empire guarantees their focus remains here. They’ll stick to operating within Dankrot Forest and the surrounding plains—conveniently sparing nearby territories from the fallout."

He straightened and looked around the table, finally locking eyes with his father.

"From all this, we can infer three things about whoever’s responsible.

"First, their target is you, Father. Whether this is a personal vendetta or a calculated move against you in your capacity as Fury Patriarch, one thing’s clear: you, and by extension the Fury family, are the focus of this operation.

"If I had to guess, the most straightforward motive behind planting Goblin cells in the forest would be to tie down Fury forces under your command. Whether this is the main strike or just a smokescreen for a bigger assault doesn’t matter. The goal remains the same."

He let the weight of that hang before continuing.

"Second, we can safely deduce the masterminds are—let’s say—not allies. At best, they’re hostile towards you. At worst, they intend to cripple the your entire fiefdom. Either way, an attack on you is an attack on the Fury family."

"And finally..." Alex gestured at the forest border. "The third thing we can infer is that these orchestrators want the chaos contained within the Dankrot region. Every indication suggests they’ve taken great care to prevent it from spilling over into neighbouring regions... almost as if they have stakes or vested interests in these neighbouring regions."

Alex looked back to the map as he continued,

"If we were to piece all these deductions together, then the people most likely to be responsible for this are... the Kellerman family."

"Is that all you have? I expected something better," Earl Drake jeered.

’I told you all I had were barebones deductions, and now you want me to pull concrete proof out of my ass?’

Alex wanted to glare at him, but he kept himself in check.

Instead, he took a breath before continuing. "While it’s true the Kellermans aren’t the only ones who meet all the deductions I listed, among the healthy pile, they’re the only ones who could have placed the goblins within the Dankrot Forest."

He shook his head slowly. "Or rather I should say... there was no way the goblins could have been settled in the forest—in the manner they were placed—without either our knowledge or the knowledge of the Kellerman family. After all, both families have controlled entrances into the forest."

"Unless we’re saying we allowed the operation to happen, the only other likely party are the Kellermans."

"Even if they didn’t carry it out themselves... they are in the know," Alex finished, his tone filled with quiet certainty.

"It is the same..." someone muttered from the table.

Noticing the shift in atmosphere, Alex turned to Lord Marshal Lawson.

"We came up with a similar deduction as well," the man admitted.

"Then why did you ask me?" Alex asked, brow furrowed.

"Because it sounds more believable if someone else, without prior knowledge, reaches the same conclusion," Lord Marshal Lawson explained.

He added, "Especially since something happened recently that casts doubt on that deduction."

"What happened?" Alex’s frown deepened.

The Lord Marshal glanced toward Allen Holder, head of Earl Drake Fury’s Intel outfit.

The Saint-ranked Thief leaned forward and addressed Alex.

"Due to the rising tensions along the border, I had Black Mantle members spread out across the various major settlements within the Kellerman fief."

"To pick up signs of hostile movements or army deployments?" Alex guessed.

"Exactly." Allen Holder nodded. "There was a large troop deployment from the City of Werth. Initially, we believed it was the Kellermans rallying their forces... but hours later, the city was invaded and completely overrun by a Wildkin horde."

Alex’s eyes narrowed.

"So you think the Kellermans discovered the horde beforehand and pulled their most important personnel out in time? If it’s Werth, then the one stationed there, according to the Kellerman dossier, should be their young lord, Josiah Kellerman... right?"

"We believe so. It’ll ruin Josiah’s standing with the fief’s ordinary folk, but it’s no different from what any noble might do."

"After the invasion, the Kellermans hastily called on us for support to rid their lands of the Wildkin, before the creatures spread deeper into the Empire," Allen added.

Alex’s brow furrowed.

"And we don’t find that suspicious?"

"Th*e City of Werth is one of the largest cities under the Kellermans," Lord Marshal Lawson said. "It houses at least ten thousand families. It’s not a place they can afford to give up easily."

"That’s exactly why!" Alex’s hand nearly slammed the table.

He glanced around and saw sceptical faces from most of the officers.

Meanwhile, Earl Drake and Lord Marshal Lawson gave him a different look—one of understanding. But they said nothing.

It hit him then.

They were waiting.

No... they were asking him to convince the rest.

**