CHAPTER 71: MEETING I

He raised his hand and slammed it on the table with shattering force. His aura pressure turned more harsh and made the space around him tremble with red-like light.

"Fenris Vorrakyn! You shouldn’t have been killed. You should have resisted to the end so I can personally tear you apart with my own hands," Drenvar raged, his eyes blazing.

Vacuse watched him with mild amusement because he understood what Drenvar was feeling—the sting of betrayal that must have hooked him deeply.

Drenvar actually trusted Fenris Vorrakyn, unlike the others that he expected to betray him.

Skya cleared her throat, and the man sitting close to her shifted in his seat.

Gavyn Froshmmer looked around awkwardly.

Skya continued after some time, once Drevix calmed down. "Some of the warriors in the Wing Brigade were traitors, but they all seem to have been killed by counter-traitors.

"From what we were able to piece together, the cooperation between the Black Accord and traitors didn’t go as planned, and some kind of infighting happened.

"The Dragon Lord and Duke Frexon dealt with those inside. And... Lord Vacuse," something flickered in Skya’s eyes, "used the blood fog to distract those outside so that they could be dealt with.

"As of the moment, we’ve recorded over two hundred deaths, most of them from the Guards and warriors. But there was a deliberate target of those from the Vorrakyn family.

"And this brings us to one of the most important matters today—the deaths of the important people. All our major merchants are killed, including members of the Associations."

Gavyn Froshmmer spoke up then, this time his face was solemn. "It isn’t good at all.

"The Association has already been putting pressure on the Kragthar branch. The members of the Associations were already filled with unhappiness before this incident. The merchants are getting frustrated by the other Dukes.

"They raise high taxes on them for passing through their territory, and since Kragthar is the last stop here, it’s not really profitable for them.

"Our artisans are facing the same. Some of the materials needed are imported from other regions and need to pass through other territory to reach here. The tax on them is simply too much, and sometimes, their materials vanish.

"The same could be said about the farmers. Most of their products get spoilt each year since most territories won’t take it. But with what happened now...

"I’m afraid, Dragon Lord, that many of them might start leaving your territory, and the other Dukes are ready to accept them." Gavyn Froshmmer finished, and the room fell into silence.

Vacuse watched as a vein throbbed on Drenvar’s face.

Vacuse himself wasn’t feeling much better. The House he wanted to build was hit with a stroke that cut it down to smaller sizes in just one night.

And it happened so unexpectedly.

Skya cleared her throat. "Duke Frexon was invited here so we could at least negotiate some of the routes with him, since he stood between us and the other Dukes."

In the past, the territory of the Red Leaves was used by the Vorrakyn as a second defensive shield against invaders coming to the West from the other region.

The remaining two Dukes were at the borders.

But things had long changed.

Drenvar waved his hand. His face was getting more composed. "Alright. Now, we talked about the causes—the Vassals and the Black Accord. Every traitor would be put together with the Vassals.

"We were able to keep things from getting worse, but let’s talk about the effects."

Skya nodded. She seemed to have taken the position of spokesman for the duration of the meeting. "Right now, things have been stabilized. Because the attack was concentrated on the castle, there weren’t many casualties among the people.

"But things will hit much harder later. With the trouble from the Association, goods and food prices are bound to skyrocket. A lot of our artisans and merchants will leave, and our farmers will lose trust in us." She finished with a gloomy voice.

Vacuse remembered what Lyra said years ago about how the Vorrakyn focused more on military strength. But the mess the Black Accord caused won’t be easily taken care of, most especially by brute force.

In short, Kragthar is now like a bubble filled with pressure. They need somewhere to release it or it will explode.

"We can write to the Capital and request for the Gold Accord," Skya said, but her voice was doubtful.

There was a time when the Black Accord cast deep terror over the populace of the Empire. The Emperor responded by creating a strike force—the Gold Accord.

Vacuse shook his head and spoke for the first time. "We do not want the Emperor’s men in this place. We all know that he has been looking for a way to interfere in the Western Region. And that means he would be appointing a new Grand Duke."

Drenvar stiffened, and the light in his eyes blazed even brighter. "He speaks the truth. I’ve been trying to get an audience with him for years, but it seems the Vorrakyn’s prestige isn’t what it once seemed.

"What do you think we should do, Vacuse?"

There was real tiredness in Drenvar’s tone, and Vacuse suspected it came from the fact that Fenris betrayed him. The room went silent as everyone turned to him.

Vacuse frowned. "First thing is to stabilize things entirely in this place. Call a meeting of the deceased families and put the Vassals before them.

"Strip the Vassals of their rights and power. Then from some of the top merchants and farmers, from the most influential families among them, choose new Vassals. With that, you tie them to Kragthar.

"Everyone wants power. Nobility isn’t something that can be bought with the money they have. Appoint only two Vassals for now, with the promise of choosing more later. You should hint that it would come from them, and that would keep them trying to please you."

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