King
Chapter 199 - 199 124 The Other Side of Nobility_3

199: Chapter 124, The Other Side of Nobility_3 199: Chapter 124, The Other Side of Nobility_3 If the interception fails, everyone should be able to accept that a stream of locusts will flow into the two counties in the south.

You should refrain from acting until after consulting with my uncle.

As a magician, I will respond to the kingdom’s call and participate in the fight against the locust plague.

Steward, I am entrusting you with the affairs of our territory in the meantime.

Stability is the priority; all other minor issues can be shelved for now.”

Baron Caryo hesitated slightly before responding.

It was clear that he was torn.

From the standpoint of the Dalton family, intercepting the locusts outside the Southeastern Province would undoubtedly be the best choice.

If the locust plague breaks out, the Dalton family, who owns the most land, would suffer the most losses.

Under the noble system, lands are owned by the noble lords, and there’s no possible way to take advantage of the situation by merging lands.

Not to mention that all losses would belong to them, as the head of the Southeastern Province, the Dalton family also has the obligation to assist the smaller families.

Exactly how much they would help is unclear, but they certainly can’t just idly watch.

They would be obliged to help substantially.

It’s not a big deal if a few serfs die of starvation, but if a noble lord were to starve to death, that would be a scandalous news to the whole country.

However, from his perspective, Baron Caryo did hope the locust plague would escalate.

It gave him the opportunity to emerge as a hero.

Accepting his relief grain would not only end the lordship dispute, but would also allow him to portray himself in a noble way and achieve fame and fortune.

…

In Bera City, the administrative center of the Southeastern Province, Hudson did not have the mood to appreciate this grand city during his first visit.

As a “magician”, Hudson was also summoned by the Governor’s Mansion.

Accurately, the Governor’s Mansion wanted to summon his bear.

This could be seen from the treatment he had received.

Despite only being a small mage, Hudson was treated at the level of a Sorcerer.

The exceptionally high treatment made Hudson very uneasy.

This assessment of Belsden’s strength didn’t add up since there were hardly any previous references.

The lazy Earth Bear Tribe would evaluate solely based on the size of the bear, overlooking any exceptions.

Without a reference point, and appropriate assessment standards, determining the strength of a young bear remained a mystery.

Originally, he thought of creating a vague image and let the outside world guess.

He never thought he would run into this situation, compelling Belsden to step into the limelight.

He sighed quietly and peacefully accepted the provided treatment.

If Belsden’s strength was less than a Sorcerer’s, it would only prove that the officials from the Governor’s Mansion were incompetent and had nothing to do with Master Hudson.

With power comes obligation.

Upon accepting this summons, my military tasks for the next three years will be considered completed.

This is just a theory.

In an emergency situation, no matter if I have military tasks or not, I must respond to the summons.

Like in this locust situation, it is considered a mandatory military task.

All magicians in the Southeastern Province have been summoned by the Governor’s Mansion.

Some knights with a magical beast as mounts were also included within the scope of the summons.

On the other hand, regular knights were excluded due to their limited damage inflicted on locusts.

Over one hundred and fifty magicians with more than twenty knights have all gathered together.

It seems like we are preparing for war that no one would believe otherwise.

All the faces are unfamiliar.

On the rare occasion that I recognize a few, they do not know me.

Without interest in finding familiar faces among the crowd, Hudson chose to sit in a corner, separated from the banquet, and enjoyed his meal alone.

He had no choice.

It’s not that he didn’t want to integrate.

The group of mages tend to exclude outsiders, and as a novice, it’s difficult for him to join the conversation.

Knights are relatively easier to get along with, but that’s just relatively.

Among the knights present, Hudson was the only weakling.

The rest at least started as Great Knights; they couldn’t be weaker.

Knights who lacked strength would turn into “fecal matter” during the process of acquiring their Magical Beast mounts.

Even if these guys aren’t cultivation fanatics, they’re pretty much cultivation freaks.

The topics they discussed were mostly about cultivation, and Hudson couldn’t contribute.

The expected noble ladies and matrons were absent from this banquet.

There were a few Lady Magicians now and then, but Hudson couldn’t approach them.

There are some benefits to being insignificant.

As long as you have a thick skin, you can eat and drink without restraint.

Unfortunately, this was not the place for paying lip service to the so-called aristocratic etiquette.

The strong characters present were all rough and ready, acting as they pleased.

Take for example the burly knight sitting across from Hudson.

Whilst discussing how to kill the Insect King with his companions, he was gnawing at a Magical Beast lamb leg.

Although the others present were a bit more well-presented, overall, they weren’t much better.

Picking up their cups, they often gulped down their drinks.

Habits are the rules here.

As strongmen, they no longer needed to pay attention to worldly judgments.

Conversely, those polite, handsome, and well-mannered fellows were at the bottom of the food chain in the banquet.

They did not despise others for their eating habits but instead continually complimented them on it.

The hierarchy was apparent to everyone.

No wonder, these banquets aren’t for the ladies to attend.

What they saw here was far from their idea of a noble’s life.

However, precisely these individuals, who disregard their images, stand at the top of the food chain in the Southeastern Province.

Maybe many of them are not famous and seldom appear in public, but they’re definitely the backbone of a clan.

As everyone did not care about their image, Hudson also tagged along.

Although his title of a strongman was dubious, he did not make a fool of himself.

Being able to attend this banquet was a symbol of status and strength itself.

The younger generation was advised countless times by their parents to behave modestly.

If they were too arrogant and offended any strong character with strange quirks, they wouldn’t even know how they died.

Hudson was quietly eating and eavesdropping on everyone’s conversation.

However, when Belsden yawned, Hudson inadvertently became the center of the banquet.

The bear cub, realizing he had caused trouble, sheepishly looked at Hudson and then started helping himself to the feast.

He directly poured the platter into his mouth, frustrating Hudson to the point he wished to kick the cub out.

It was utterly humiliating, made it seem as if he, the master, never let the bear eat its fill.

Although the cub’s usual meals didn’t reach this standard, they were plentiful.

He never let the bear starve!

As if on cue, the atmosphere at the banquet suddenly went downhill.

Various magical beasts jumped out and joined in the banquet.

Seeing this, Hudson, who was prepared for social suicide, instantly calmed down.

As long as his bear wasn’t the only one creating a ruckus, he was fine.

Since everyone’s magical beasts had jumped in, it seemed like this was the norm for the banquet.

Looking at the embarrassed faces of the guests, Hudson sighed in relief.

Apparently, he wasn’t the only one who couldn’t control his magical beast.

Maybe these folks had promised their beasts a lot to keep them quiet during the banquet.

But the allure of the food was too strong, and his bear provided the bad lead.

Stopping them wasn’t realistic.

Everyone had signed an equal contract with their magical beast, requiring both sides to respect each other.

Perhaps, to make the magical beasts agree to become pets, many people had secretly promised additional perks.

After all, magical beasts are intelligent.

Without significant benefits, it would be hard to get them to agree to sign the contract.

“Earth Bear!”