Chapter 49: The Complex Situation of the Kingdom

"Do you need something from me?"

Judging by Jace’s serious expression, it was likely a matter of business. Issac nodded and stood up.

"Shall we go to my room?"

"Alright."

Jace laid his raincoat aside and followed Issac directly into his room.

Although Yarrow and the others were curious, they had no intention of eavesdropping; if Jace had wanted to share it with all of them, he wouldn't have retreated to a private room.

Issac's room was on the eastern side of the villa's ground floor. Besides a simple bed and wardrobe, the room featured numerous longswords and suits of armor of various designs, neatly displayed on a rack nearby.

Noticing Issac’s gaze wandering over the weapons and armor, Issac explained:

"It's just a little hobby of mine. I like collecting these. Some were forged by master dwarves, while others I commissioned people to purchase from foreign lands."

Issac nodded, having made his assessment: it was an immensely expensive hobby. He finally caught a glimpse of Issac acting like a proper scion of a wealthy and powerful family.

"Anyway, what did you need me for? You looked so solemn."

Changing the subject, Issac pulled over two chairs and gestured for Issac to sit down.

"You know how it is. I rarely interact with other nobles, so if I want to ask about certain things, I have no choice but to turn to you."

Issac spoke slowly, having realized beforehand that Jace was the right person for this.

As the youngest son of Duke Heard, one of the most prominent noble families in the Kingdom of Fès, Jace naturally possessed a broad understanding of the kingdom's uppermost echelons.

Through their interactions as adventuring party teammates, Issac believed that the future commander of the Golden Lion Knights was someone he could trust.

"What is it that you want to know?"

Jace was somewhat curious. What kind of matter could possibly be unresolvable through other channels, requiring one to ask another noble directly?

"Well, it's like this. Do you know of anyone among the kingdom's nobility who, hypothetically or potentially, might wish to instigate a foreign war?"

Weighing his words carefully, Issac spoke slowly to Jace.

Jace was greatly startled upon hearing this. Even the normally composed youngest son of the Duke nearly broke his facade.

"Do you know what you are saying?"

With his expression unchanged, Issac raised his head to gaze intently at Jace. "I am very certain of what I am saying. Can you tell me?"

Jace raised his right hand to massage his temples, a headache coming on. He truly had not expected Issac to ask such a sensitive question.

To be honest, through their recent interactions and understanding, he felt Issac was a person well worth befriending. Most of the rumors he had previously heard concerning Viscount Caine were likely impractical and fabricated.

He was a low-key, composed genius!

Since Issac had asked him for a favor, Jace was naturally willing to provide whatever help lay within his power.

This was the tradition of the Heard family.

Make fewer enemies, make more friends.

But help couldn't be given blindly like this!

If such words were spoken carelessly, it could bring massive trouble upon the Heard family.

And yet... Issac didn't seem like the kind of person to act so recklessly.

Jace raised his head to meet Issac’s resolute gaze, pondered for a moment, and asked:

"May I know why you are asking this?"

Issac nodded and directly delivered the explanation he had prepared in advance:

"To be honest with you, I received information from elsewhere that someone might be attempting to provoke a war between the kingdom and another nation. Therefore, I want to know who in the kingdom might lean toward such tendencies."

"Such a thing exists?"

It wasn't that Jace didn't believe Issac; rather, the continent had been at peace for a very long time. Under the mediation of the churches of the gods, any disputes or conflicts between kingdoms were preemptively resolved through arbitration. Large-scale wars of aggression had not erupted for ages.

The most recent minor clash had occurred several years ago—a thousand-man troop standoff on the border between the Kingdom of Fès and the western Kingdom of Norton.

However, Issac knew that after so many years, despite the mediation of the gods' churches, accumulated grievances and each kingdom's demands for development resembled an ever-expanding powder keg, lacking only a final spark to detonate it.

As for Jace, he was indeed aware of some nobles' discontent—those who felt their development had stagnated for years and urgently needed a new window for elevation.

Previously, Jace hadn't taken such rumors seriously. After all, the noble lords complained about all sorts of things—how the latest opera lacked originality, or how their children weren't as exceptional as themselves.

Yet today, when Issac brought up the possibility of war, it was something Jace had never considered, forcing him to re-evaluate the true probability of a war breaking out.

With an absolute tone of certainty, Issac said:

"The actual situation is precisely this. The intelligence I obtained is true and reliable, but I cannot reveal the source to you. You understand why."

Jace nodded. This likely involved the foundation and resources of the Caine family, so naturally, it couldn't be divulged to him completely.

At this thought, Jace could no longer sit still. He stood up and paced back and forth across the room, his mind racing as he rapidly weighed the possibilities.

After a moment, assuming Jace still hadn't made up his mind, Issac prepared to add fuel to the fire.

Right then, Jace stopped pacing. Standing with his back to Issac before the window, he seemed to be admiring the July thunderstorm outside.

Facing the window, Jace spoke as if talking to himself, though his words carried clearly into Issac's ears.

"Duke Ram of the Eastern Territory has always claimed that the kingdom ought to have its own direct outlet to the sea, and should not allow those Beticans to siphon off vast amounts of the kingdom's gold for nothing."

"Minister of Finance Bradford Gitt has stated that tax revenue growth can no longer keep pace with the kingdom's various expenditures, and a new source of revenue must be found."

"The number of court nobles in the kingdom continues to grow, and the burden on the royal family grows heavier by the day. At the same time, the court nobles' desire and demand for their own fiefs are becoming increasingly intense."

...

Good heavens, Jace knew quite a lot indeed.

Issac listened closely, committing the details to memory. Among these individuals might well lurk the mastermind behind the scenes.

Turning his head, Jace looked seriously at Issac and said:

"You must keep these matters to yourself. You know how much trouble it would cause if word got out."

Issac was well aware that shooting his mouth off before things were clarified would only invite trouble for his own house and alert the shadowy puppet master.

"I know. Thank you, Jace."

Jace thought for a moment, choosing his words carefully:

"You must handle this matter with caution. If you acquire any further information, you can come to me."

In Jace's view, for Issac—someone on the periphery of the high noble circles—to obtain such critical intelligence meant that the hidden forces at his disposal were far from simple. He was well worth cultivating a deeper friendship with.

Moreover, Jace had just realized that when these previously disregarded pieces of intelligence were strung together, the dark clouds of war seemed to be enveloping the entire Kingdom of Fès, and perhaps the entire continent.

It appeared he needed to make a trip home and discuss this matter with his father.

After all, as the King's confidant, his father would surely know far more than he did.

Issac nodded. Jace's words amounted to a promise of limited assistance with this matter, which already came as an unexpected bonus.

After all, Jace was not a transmigrator; he couldn't be as dead-certain as Issac that a future war was inevitable.

"I will keep an eye on the matter you mentioned. If there are any new developments, I will notify you."

"Alright, then I'll be heading back!"

Issac put on his raincoat, waved goodbye to Yarrow and the others, and stepped out into the curtain of rain.