The story of the black silk female knight

"Couldn't you ask Sister Friggia to think of a way to make the sword lighter? For example, by choosing some lighter metals or making the blade hollow?"

"That's even more impossible."

Tia shook her head:

“A hollow blade will greatly reduce the strength of the sword itself, making it easy to break. In order to perfectly integrate the characteristics of the Netherworld Ghost Clan’s spinal cord into the sword, it is necessary to use metals with good magic conductivity. None of these metals are light. If it is made according to your design, Your Highness will definitely not be able to lift it.”

"This... sigh."

Valensa was still unwilling to give up, but she knew that she had to prioritize ensuring the sword's performance and that Princess Hu could use it smoothly.

Therefore, she could only settle for second best, hoping that the hilt could retain the design of Frostmourne, but only make the blade thinner and shorter to reduce the weight.

The request was feasible, and Tia readily agreed, saying that she would discuss it with the Great Witch Friggia when she got back, and then left with the small bottle of Fran's blood.

Valensa stayed with Melina to recuperate.

After a long time, Valensa enjoyed two more days of the decadent life of a young lady.

Whether it's eating, dressing, bathing, or sleeping, Melina will personally take care of her, making her feel comfortable every time so she doesn't want to lift a finger.

At the same time, various foods with yin-nourishing and qi-tonifying effects were continuously bought back, and Melina personally made them into various delicacies and fed them to Valensa.

Of course, people in this world don't know what nourishing yin and replenishing qi means, but it's not uncommon for excessive indulgence to lead to physical depletion among nobles. Knowing how to regulate the body of one's master under such circumstances is a required course for the maids of high-ranking nobles.

After two days of recuperation and rest, Valensa has recovered very well and has returned to being the energetic female knight. Even if she were to be ambushed by the Great Witch again, she would be able to fight a fierce battle.

It's time to go back to Giran Town and check on the progress of Frostmourne's forging.

Just as Valensa was saying goodbye to Melina and preparing to leave, someone who was somewhat unexpected yet also somewhat expected came to visit.

Valencia's cousin, Bill Bader, who shares the same name as the strategist, is currently the leader of the younger generation in the Bader family.

Although there had been some unpleasant incidents, Valensa's impression of her cousin was actually not bad; at least he was much better than those old guys who only relied on their seniority to act arrogantly.

In stark contrast to Valensa, the eldest daughter who lacked a sense of family responsibility, Bill Bader was a man with a strong sense of family responsibility. From a young age, he aspired to work hard to serve his family. Later, when the Bader family faced a major crisis, he tirelessly worked to save the family.

Many talented individuals who left the Badr family disheartened after being ostracized were secretly persuaded to return by Bill Badr. Many enthusiastic young people in the family also supported him. Bill Badr has always been one of the strong contenders for the new head of the family after Valensa ran away.

Unfortunately, in France, where tradition and etiquette are highly valued, Bill Bader's seniority put him at a significant disadvantage in the competition.

He can be quite aggressive at times, but he still has his bottom line. He doesn't resort to underhanded tactics, which makes him quite helpless in the face of the seniority of the older generation. He has been suppressed and ostracized severely. On the surface, he is one of the more powerful contenders for the position of family head, but in reality, he has little chance of winning.

If that were all, it wouldn't be so bad. After all, Bill Bader is young, and he's confident he can outlast those short-sighted and greedy old guys and eventually take over the family business, ensuring its continued existence.

However, as Valencia's fame grew, those old men who were unwilling to give up their interests actually wanted to divide and dissolve the family, which Bill Bader could not tolerate. However, he didn't have any good solutions, which led to today's visit.

While recuperating with Melina, Valensa's body moved very little, but her mind was constantly thinking about these things, and she had almost figured them all out.

So when faced with Bill Bader's visit, Valensa looked surprised, but she wasn't really.

She led her cousin to a small hall and dismissed everyone else, leaving only Melina to serve tea and water. Then, with a light smile, she said to Bill Bader:

"Who tipped you off, cousin? Aunt Suli? Or someone else? You sent Aunt Suli and the others here, not just to give them a good place to stay, but also to find out when they can come and find me, right? After all, I'm quite busy and often travel around. And you must have wanted to have a good talk with me for a while, right?"

"Truly a legendary figure who has achieved remarkable feats at such a young age, my little tricks are no match for you, Miss."

Bill Bader nodded, admitting he readily agreed, and then took the initiative to take responsibility:

"As for Suri and the others tipping me off... it was all at my behest. I hope that Miss will not blame them or send them away."

"Of course not... Aunt Suli and the others took care of me when I was a child. Now that they have nowhere to live, and I happen to be able to help them, it is only right that I take them in."

Valensa smiled and shook her head:

"And if I'm not mistaken, Aunt Suli and the others should have similar thoughts to yours, right?"

"That's...that's true. As expected, nothing can be hidden from you, Miss."

Bill Bader hesitated for less than half a second before nodding in agreement again.

"Alright, stop praising me. These are just very basic reasoning and analysis; they're not anything special."

Valensa waved her hand, then took the cup Melina offered and took a sip of tea, saying:

"Cousin, you should know me to some extent. I'm not good at and I really dislike that kind of back-and-forth, probing negotiation... So you'd better just say what you're thinking. If it's okay, it's okay; if it's not okay, it's not okay. I don't like wasting time and energy on pointless arguments."

"...Perhaps it is this decisiveness that allows you to act so swiftly, Miss, and seize every fleeting opportunity to achieve legendary status."

Bill Bader, after praising Valencia a couple more times, suddenly became serious, stood up abruptly from his chair, and knelt before her in a knightly salute, swearing allegiance.

"There is only one thing I want to say—the Badr family is not only in dire straits, but is on the verge of falling apart at any moment. The only one who has the ability to save the family right now is you, Miss."

I hope the young lady can return, quell the internal strife, unite the people, and save the Baldr family. For this, I am willing to offer everything and serve the young lady at her beck and call.

"That's true..."

Valensa was not surprised at all, and sighed with a wry smile.

“I know that you have your own pursuits, but the Badr family has been passed down for hundreds of years. If it is to be ruined by a group of senile old people, can you really remain indifferent?”

Bill Bader pleaded again:

"I hope Miss will consider this carefully."

"I've actually thought about it carefully these past two days."

Valensa took another sip of tea and sighed softly:

“Cousin, you’re right. I do have the ability to save the Badr family. With my current personal strength and connections, I could take control of the family in six months at most, but I can’t do that.”

"why?"

Bill Bader looked up, puzzled, his eyes filled with anger and a hint of grievance.

"...Don't you really understand, cousin? Even I, who's never been good at politics and power struggles, can figure this out."

Valensa gave Bill Bader a deep look:

"First of all, I publicly declared five years ago that I was giving up my family inheritance rights. Going back now would undoubtedly be breaking my promise... Do you want to ruin my reputation and make me a person who has broken his word?"

"Young Miss, you only gave up your right to inherit the family headship, but you didn't say you wouldn't return to the family, did you?"

Bill Bader retorted loudly:

"Moreover, anyone with eyes can see the current situation of the Badr family. At this time, it is perfectly reasonable for you, Miss, to make a strong comeback and regain control of the family. No one will say anything about it."

If you, young lady, are truly so concerned about your reputation, then you can shift all the blame onto me… just say that I led people to threaten suicide to force you to become the head of the family, is that alright?”

"...I know you're in a bit of a hurry, cousin, but please don't rush, let me finish what I have to say."

Valensa waved her hand with a wry smile, and seeing that her cousin had regained some composure, she continued:

"My reputation is actually a minor issue, but even if I don't care about my reputation, there's another problem, which is the most crucial one, that I just can't solve."

Afterwards, Valensa didn't hide anything and told the royal family and other nobles that if she really regained control of the Badr family, it would inevitably cause unease and suspicion.

The only way to solve this problem is for Valensa and Tia to break up, but that's even less likely.

Even Bill Bader, who really wanted Valencia to return and inherit the position of family head, didn't dare to advise Valencia to break up with Tia.

He was, after all, a lighthouse-level swordsman, and he still had a sense of danger... He felt that if he really dared to say that, Valencia would beat him half to death and throw him out of the house.

So after hearing this analysis, Bill Bader simply knelt on the ground in dejection, his face full of helplessness and sorrow.

"Is the Badr family really going to be finished like this?"

The room fell silent for a moment, except for the occasional sound of Valensa sipping her tea; no one spoke.

After about 10 minutes of silence, Bill Bader sighed heavily again, stood up helplessly, and walked towards the door to leave.

"and many more."

Only then did Valensa speak, calling out to Bill Bader, her voice tinged with amusement:

“If my cousin really wants to save the Badr family, there is a way... as long as you have good enough acting skills.”

"Acting?"

Bill Bader quickly returned, his eyes full of confusion:

"What does this mean, young lady?"

"It means what you heard."

Valensa leisurely sipped her tea again:

"I have a plan that might save the Badr family, but I need your cooperation, cousin... I wonder if you're confident in your acting skills?"

"This……"

Bill Bader hesitated for a long time before nodding with a wry smile:

"To be honest, I'm not very confident in my acting skills, but I'm confident in the solution you came up with, Miss... Please give me your guidance, Miss."

"I see... Hmm, that works too. I'll give it a try, what if it works?"

Valensa thought for a moment and then asked:

"Cousin, please tell me in detail about the situation of those old guys in the family."

"Yes, Miss, the situation is like this..."

Bill Bader answered very fluently this time, clearly having been prepared for the question.

Valensa listened patiently, occasionally interjecting with a question or two.

Soon, through Bill Bader's explanation, Valensa gained a general understanding of the current factions within the Bader family.

In short, besides the ambitious young faction led by Bill Bader, there are four other major internal forces within the Bader family that are frantically draining the family's resources and dividing up its wealth.

Three of these four factions are led by Valensa's uncles, and the other is led by her grandfather.

Although these people also shared the surname Bader, they were relatives of Valensa from many generations away. Valensa could only vaguely recognize them. Her deepest impression of them was that every time they saw Valensa, they would try to introduce her to boys of the same age as playmates.

After all, Valencia was the eldest daughter of the family. Even if she didn't inherit the family business in the end, having someone from her family become her husband could increase her influence and power, allowing her to seek more benefits.

The ancestors of the Baldr family established the family to conceal their identity as inner paladins under the guise of a great noble. However, over the centuries, these collateral branches of the family have not learned the responsibilities and honors of nobility, but have instead mastered all sorts of dirty tricks for power struggles and a lack of talent despite their ambitions.

When the head of the family held absolute power, things were fine, but now that the head of the family is in trouble, the collateral branches have immediately become a chaotic mess.

These ambitious but incompetent collateral relatives dared to vie for the position of family head and to divide the family wealth, so naturally they were not just relying on themselves. Each of them had other nobles supporting them, and those nobles were allies who had previously had good relations with the Badr family.

On the contrary, Bill Bader's side was fighting alone. Bill Bader had tried to ask for outside help, but was politely refused each time.

Valensa wasn't surprised by this... Those ambitious but incompetent old fogies from the collateral branches were easy to control, but Bill Bader was quite capable and responsible, not a qualified puppet, so naturally no one was willing to invest in or support him.

After gaining a general understanding of the family's current situation through Bill Bader's explanation, Valensa quickly compared the information with the methods she had previously considered and made a decision.

Her initial assumptions were largely correct, and the plan could be used directly.

"Cousin, listen to me..."

After a moment's thought, Valensa told Bill Bader what she was thinking:

"After you leave here, you should pretend to be very angry and disappointed."

Afterwards, don't rush back to your lodgings. Go to a tavern frequented by nobles, order plenty of wine, and get him completely drunk... Of course, you should pretend to be drunk.

"After you get drunk, just yell at me in the bar, yell and rant! Say I have no sense of family responsibility, that I'm a weakling who shirks his responsibilities, and so on... Anyway, cousin, you've probably thought of these things before, so just say them all this time."

"what?"

Bill Bader paused for a moment, then nervously waved his hands:

"Young Miss, you've misunderstood me... I didn't, I didn't..."

"Alright, alright, cousin, you don't need to explain. I'm not blaming you, am I?"

Valensa interrupted Bill Bader with a smile:

“I admit to myself that I have little sense of responsibility towards the family. How could someone as responsible as you not have secretly cursed me in your heart? I’m not blaming you for these things, and I don’t care about them at all… You should listen to my plan first.”

"...Yes, Miss is very magnanimous; I was foolish."

Bill Bader quickly stopped talking and gestured for Valensa to continue.

Valensa continued:

"Next, cousin, you can do whatever you want. Basically, express your dissatisfaction with me in public in various situations, and find an opportunity to complain that Melina is wasting her talents by my side."

Once these things have spread... cousin, you'll put on another show for me.

I'll have Melina go out on her own, and you'll lead a group to intercept her, pretending to forcibly take her back to the family. Then I'll arrive in time and give you a good beating, to show you that I'm completely breaking ties with you and we're irreconcilable enemies.

After that, if I'm not mistaken, some forces will take the initiative to contact you, cousin, and offer you various forms of support to help you protect the family from those senile old fools.

Preserving the Badr family intact is unlikely; even if I went back myself, I couldn't do it. But retaining about 70% of the family's core strength should be no problem. What do you think, cousin?