The witch thought I am a Demon God-Chapter 540 - 315: Searching for a Reason to Declare War_1
On the second day, Ivita instructed Captain Sam to lead three two-mast ships to the Volcano Island in the Unbounded Sea, in search of two knights from the Persopolis family and the ranger Seville. He made the excuse that he would wait for these three to arrive before carrying out the enfeoffment, causing his subordinates to wait for several days.
Meanwhile, these few days were causing Old Baron Anto immense distress. That morning, he had handed in a preliminary investigation sheet in Ivita’s study, which detailed potential threats from some landowners to Ivita’s rule, as well as their underlying misconduct. Using these as justification, Ivita would be able to strip them of their territories.
This would allow Ivita to seize direct control of these newly acquired lands.
Unfortunately, Old Baron Anto was made to bear the brunt of this strategy. He was met with countless criticisms and pleas for mercy from many old friends who showed up at his door, hoping that he could find it in his heart to help them. However, Anto knew full well that any favoritism on his part could give Ivita grounds to oust him, an elderly, cunning, and highly influential lord.
Ivita assigning him this job was a strategy in itself.
If he did poorly, Ivita could use it as an excuse to get rid of him, an old figurehead. If he did too well, he would effectively be scapegoating himself for Ivita’s territorial purges, bearing all the hatred from the region while the benefits all go to Ivita.
Anto was left with a choice between his own downfall and angering others, making himself a solitary official.
He chose to anger others and walk the lonely path of a solitary official.
After reading through the form submitted by Old Baron Anto, Ivita nodded his head. "You’re doing well, it seems you understand the situation. I have taken note and accept you."
"Keep up the good work."
"Sit."
A smile surfaced on Old Baron Anto’s face. This signified that he had been accepted as one of Ivita’s trusted aides. This also proved that Ivita’s administrative abilities far exceeded that of the Valji family, who had a pirate origin.
He found a seat and sat down. "Thank you Lord, I’ve spent my whole life in these territories, half my body’s already in the ground, and really, there’s no other place I could go, so I swear to be loyal to you."
Ivita mentioned casually, "I noticed Baron Yinshan seeming somewhat discontented with me at the meeting. You didn’t investigate him, did you?"
Old Baron Anto stroked his beard and said to Ivita, "Lord Ivita, Baron Yinshan is rather naive and was instigated by others. In fact, he is quite a loyal lord to you."
"As they say, it’s the quiet dogs that bite. He’s just all bark and no bite, he won’t really act on his threats. You can order him around, he wouldn’t resist."
Ivita nodded. "I see, I trust your judgment. There’s one more thing."
"Yes sir..." Old Baron Anto sat in his chair, leaning forward attentively, completely embracing his role as Ivita’s trusted aide. He has earned the hatred of all the landlords in his territory, without Ivita’s backing he would be in danger. Perhaps one day, he would be beaten up outside his doorstep.
Historically, anyone in charge of scrutiny has always been hated by others.
Ivita gave him a look. "Baron, I don’t approve of anyone disrespecting my subjects. Please do not equate Baron Yinshan to a dog, it makes me uncomfortable."
"Could we not? I believe mutual respect is a precondition to us cohabitating harmoniously."
Old Baron Anto’s smile faded. He rose to his feet and gave Ivita a deep bow according to noble custom. He was surprised that Ivita understood the ancient mannerisms that the nobility had forgotten for such a long time.
But now, he saw in Ivita a real noble, even the poise befitting a king.
"I apologize for my rudeness in your presence." Old Baron Anto now had a newfound respect for Ivita, and said, "I welcome you again as our overlord, we are thrilled to have you rule over us."
Ivita nodded. "There’s one more thing, you’re familiar with the neighboring territories, which one do you think we should annex?"
Annex?
Old Baron Anto was not fond of war, but given his position as a Knight Lord, he hesitated before answering, "The surrounding Viscount territories don’t have many strong armies, but they do have families as large as the Valji family behind them."
"These smuggling families are likely prepared to defend against you. Initiating a war at this point may lead to a large loss on your part, even if we were to win."
Ivita understood what he meant, "I see."
"You may leave."
Old Baron Anto took his leave immediately, showing Ivita the utmost respect as he exited the study.
In the study, Ivita sat down with his legs crossed on the wooden stool, working away on a blank piece of paper, strategizing.
He was determined to obtain an Earl’s territory.
It was significantly harder to gain an Earl’s territory in more stable regions compared to here, where he could freely declare war if he had to. The only question was if he could win said war.
If he declared war on a neighbor now, he would likely face a united front and be completely blockaded.
Ivita muttered with a troubled look, "I need to think of a solution, it would be best if someone took the initiative to declare war on me."
"In the afternoon, I should go check on my two students and the local thousand-man army."
...
That afternoon, at the Viscount Kongs estate, Ivita watched as Juno Fowall successfully used a summoning spell to call forth a Small Water Elemental. The Small Water Elemental, about the size of a sneaker, appeared adorably naive, moving around like a slowly shifting small water ball.
Juno Fowall turned to Ivita, expectantly seeking his validation, "Professor, how did I do on my magic?"
Ivita pondered for a moment. "Not bad."
"I didn’t expect you to be able to summon a Small Water Elemental in such a short period of time."
"You’re something of a magic prodigy... I suppose... I don’t have a good gauge of a normal person’s learning pace for magic..."
So he had no concept. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶
Juno jumped for joy upon hearing the praise. "Thanks, professor~" She admired Ivita more and more, especially after witnessing Ivita’s defeat of the Valji Family, which was larger than the Fowall Family.
The Hearthstone Witch, seeing Ivita calling his student a magic prodigy, was close to bursting into laughter. Who exactly was the prodigy here? The one who, in only half a year, became a second-level Wizard with six magic sources.
This was absolutely shocking.
The Hearthstone Witch looked at Juno with contempt. "Boasting about using a protection potion and a magic potion to achieve such results is nothing to be proud of."
Juno flushed and pointed at Alabi. "Lord Hearthstone Witch, she can’t even summon a Small Water Elemental!"
Juno was increasingly irritated with the Hearthstone Witch. She wanted to gain Ivita’s attention, but the Hearthstone Witch openly demeaned her. Of course, Juno was not foolish enough to reveal her discontent towards the Wizard Level 4 Hearthstone Witch, so she quickly shifted the focus to Alabi.
