I'm not a lord

Chapter 186 Lynn Does Not Need the King's Approval

Now, the mayor of Sanhe City, Jürgen, must make a choice.

But did he even have a choice?

Given his close relationship with the Duke of the Marsh, and the fact that the Earl of Blackwood's three hundred cavalrymen were stationed outside the city's west gate, he had no choice but to go down this path to the bitter end.

That is to stand firmly on the side of the Duke of the Marsh.

The Earl of Brun, representing the royal family, was not at all surprised by the mayor's statement.

Before arriving in Three Rivers, he had already foreseen Jürgen's attitude and never dared to hope that the city would turn its back on the Duke of the Marsh and side with the royal family.

With King Maurice publicly stripping the Duke of the Marshland of his title and lands, the entire North will inevitably be divided into two distinct factions.

That is, the Moorland Dukes faction and the anti-moorland Dukes faction.

Of course, the current situation is that the Marsh Duke's faction has an absolute advantage, and even most of the autonomous cities in the Crown Territory have sided with him.

At least that's what it seems.

Earl Brun held his glass, swirling it as he rhythmically swayed his head slightly. "Mayor," he said, "I regret your choice, and I hope you won't regret it in the future."

Regardless of the current situation, Count Brune had full confidence in King Maurice.

He was the fourth son of a local earl, without the right to inherit the throne, and during his time away from home, he forged a deep friendship with Maurice, an illegitimate son of the royal family.

When Maurice was crowned king, he immediately promoted Brun to Earl of the Court, specifically in charge of the royal family's diplomatic affairs.

These court counts had no actual land and lived off the king's salary and rewards, so they were naturally extremely loyal to the king.

Moreover, the Earl of Brun's confidence in the King was not entirely unfounded.

Just over two weeks ago, when he left Amber Harbor, he could see that all the citizens of the city had been mobilized, and men, women, young and old alike had spontaneously joined the ranks of those guarding the capital.

Even eleven or twelve-year-old girls volunteered to help repair the city wall.

In Count Brune's view, with the king's unwavering faith, the citizens' unity, and the addition of over a thousand elite mercenaries from the South, defending Amber Harbor would be no problem at all.

That was, after all, a city founded by the first King of the North, with the highest and thickest walls in the North, and enough food to last a year. It was an invincible city that could never be conquered.

Once the king holds Amber Harbor and defeats the Duke of the Marsh, he can coordinate with Earl Lynn of the White River and Duke Herman of the Valley to launch a full-scale counterattack.

At that time, King Maurice will naturally be victorious and restore the glory of the Urenius family.

Earl Brun could also share in the honor, and might even receive a sizable fiefdom, becoming a true earl.

For example, the royal vassal Lord Coldwind, who pledged allegiance to the Duke of the Marsh, would have his lands confiscated and distributed by King Maurice to his close advisors and loyal subjects.

Under Count Brune's persistent questioning, Jürgen became even more sober, and calmly replied:
“Mr. Brun, I am over forty years old and have never tasted regret, neither in the past nor in the future.”

"Hmph." Earl Brun took a sip of the wine, shook his head and hummed softly.

Jürgen ignored Count Brun and instead turned to chat with other councilors about the Duke of the Marsh's great victory outside Cologne.

According to Jürgen, the city of Sanhe will only suffer a little in the short term, but as long as they grit their teeth, they can get through it.

Once the Duke of the Marshland conquers Amber Harbor and is crowned king, Three Rivers will finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Both sides have reasons why they absolutely cannot lose, and both believe they are on the absolutely correct path.

However, the two sides did not completely break off relations.

The Earl of Brun's delegation included several wealthy merchants from Amber Harbor, and they should have received a high level of hospitality in Three Rivers.

Despite the war, the two cities will still be doing business together in the future.

Even if the Duke of the Swampland were to carry out a massacre in Amber Harbor after the city falls, he wouldn't be able to kill the top few wealthy merchants.

After all, these wealthy merchants have several large autonomous cities in the Southern Territory behind them. Killing the wrong person could result in a national-level trade embargo and blockade.

Moreover, the wealthy merchants have plenty of ships; if the situation turns unfavorable, they can simply flee to the southern border.

The following day, Earl Brun sent a ship to White River Territory to inform them in advance, while he himself led the delegation to rest in the city.

The accompanying wealthy merchants then discussed future cooperation with local businessmen.

A day later, Earl Brun led the main members of his delegation away from Three Rivers, sailing up the White River directly towards White River Territory. The Earl was eager to enjoy a drink with Lynn.

To put it bluntly, the mission came for the sake of the White River Territory.

For a king who is alone and powerless, the enemy of his enemy is his ally.

Moreover, Lynn was a loyal subject who instigated a rebellion in the Marsh Duchy, and immediately requested the king to grant him a title after the rebellion was successful.

There is a loyal and devoted man in the Northwest!

As for Lynn's original identity, it doesn't matter at all.

If the king were to bestow upon him a title, wouldn't he be a prestigious royal earl and royal executive officer?
Count Brune had expected to receive the warmest welcome in White River Territory.

And that seems to be the case.

On the dock, two hundred elite soldiers, fully armed and in perfect formation, demonstrated the Baihe Territory's abundant martial spirit to the delegation.

The road to the castle was so smooth and level that there was no bumpy ride.

The newly crowned Earl of White River, Lynn, personally greeted the delegation at the dock and rode alongside Earl Brun.

The two chatted and laughed all the way.

Earl Brunn was deeply impressed by Lynn's extensive vocabulary and precise expression skills.

In an era where everyone has graduated from prenatal education, people who can speak clearly are rare.

Those who can speak wittily are extremely rare, and at the very least, they must have an educational background equivalent to that of a monastery graduate.

Earl Brun couldn't help but marvel:

Who said Lynn was a bandit? Lynn is amazing! Have you ever seen a bandit whose rhetoric is comparable to that of a court secretary?
If anyone says Lynn is a vulgar bandit leader, I'll whip his mouth until it's rotten!
But when Earl Brun entered the castle in River Marsh County, his opinion of Lynn took a sharp turn for the worse.

In the official hall on the second floor of the castle, Earl Brun solemnly read out the decree of King Maurice, officially bestowing upon Earl Lynn White River the noble title of Royal Northern Envoy.

This was still considered normal, and everyone present, including Lynn, wore solemn expressions.

After reading the decree, Earl Brun carefully took the charter and letter of appointment from the wooden box, preparing to grant these two valuable documents, along with the privileges they contained, to Lynn.

Before Count Brun could speak, Lynn suddenly stepped forward, snatched the document with one hand, glanced at it, and then casually handed it to Hugh, the second son who was serving nearby.

It was as if they were not a charter of a count's estate and a letter of appointment as a royal executive officer, but rather two ordinary pieces of parchment.

Earl Brun was stunned, his hands frozen in mid-air.

Is this right?
Isn't this right?

According to the usual etiquette of the North, the recipient of the title should at least kneel on one knee to show respect to the king and loudly pledge allegiance.

What kind of business is it to just rob someone outright?

They're even more bandit-like than bandits!

In Earl Brun's eyes, Lynn's actions were arrogant and rude, not only humiliating him as an envoy, but also completely disregarding the majesty of King Maurice.

The deputy envoy holding the wooden box was equally astonished and stood frozen in place.

But the investiture ceremony had already begun, and Earl Brun couldn't just turn around and leave to go home.

Moreover, he knew that the king needed Lynn's loyalty.

Therefore, he could only tolerate Lynn's rude behavior and grit his teeth to continue the conferment ceremony.

Brune turned to his deputy and whispered a few words, ordering him to bring up the prepared silver scepter.

Perhaps Lynn simply doesn't understand etiquette?

After all, he was just a crude bandit leader!
When presenting Lynn with the scepter, Bren suppressed his displeasure and solemnly reminded him, "Earl of White River, I think you should be more dignified and kneel on one knee to swear allegiance to the King."

“Your Excellency Brune, it is not that I need the King’s approval, but that the King needs me to demonstrate his authority.”

Lynn showed no respect for Bren, forcefully pulling the scepter from his hand as he spoke, and then weighing it in his hand.

(End of this chapter)