22 Chapter 22: Painting II

Herman raised his eyebrow after hearing Herbert's words.

"It's exactly as you think it is, this Transcendent is an outsider that hasn't been nurtured by the Royal family. However, it just so happens that this person is meddlesome and seems to have a huge sense of justice."

"Why don't we pull him to our-"

"This person will fall in love and be pulled around by the ninth princess."

Herman frowned. He didn't know where Herbert got this information from, but if this were to be true then this would not only ruin their Plan A, but also their Plan B. Plan A was to have Herbert marry the princess and have him succeed the throne while Plan B was to start a coup and take over the kingdom from there.

"Do you expect me to believe such a ridiculous-"

"He calls himself the successor of the Sword Saint."

Herman felt a headache brewing. Things had gotten a lot more troublesome than he had expected. No sane man would claim themself to be the successor to the Sword Saint not unless they can face the condemnation of the church all on their own. In other words, this Transcendent would either be a lunatic with a death wish or a strong and capable man. Immediately, his brain started thinking of ways to fix the plan but he lacked a lot of information so he could only look at Herbert for answers right now.

Seeing his father being so worried about the current situation, Herbert couldn't help but feel glad that he did some simulations in his head first before actually talking with his father. This helped him set the pace and direction for their conversation which meant that he had a high degree of initiative with him, and he had to make use of it, otherwise, he would be wasting the opportunity as a person from Ravenmoon.

"At the moment, this fellow has yet to break through from the Awakened stage, but he doesn't have anything to tie him down so it is difficult to control him. He also has the same techniques as the Sword Saint which makes him elusive and hard to catch. However, with great certainty, I can say that he will definitely appear as a Transcendent once we lay our hands on the throne."

Normally speaking, Herman should have already heard of at least something about the successor of the sword saint if he were this much of a threat to his current plans. This is why as the current head of the Ravenmoon, he found it hard to believe that he did not receive this kind of information.

"Where is this person now?"

Herbert understood what his father wanted to do, if they couldn't make the other party join them, then they would have to contain or kill them.

"He should currently be near the southern area of the kingdom and is busy making friends with the young master from the Oakshields."

"I see. So, which of the two brothers did he decide to befriend is it Jesse or James?"

Herbert shook his head.

"Neither of them, it's their cousin. The one they call the failure of the Oakshields, Ash Oakshield."

Herman felt intrigued; he didn't know why a person of such a status would choose to befriend him over the two brothers. However, he knew that information like this should be helpful if Herbert brought it up.

"Ash had a late natural awakening and will be taught personally by this Sword Saint."

One after another, Herbert kept on dropping bombs of information that Herman wasn't aware of. Herbert knew that they should never underestimate the protagonist because according to novel logic, that is what bad guys do, and in this novel, bad guys never win.

"From there, the Sword Saint will help Ash in grabbing the position of successor and that will be where he would be acquainted with the other nobles of the kingdom. With the relationship between the Lionstone royal family and the Oakshields, it is almost certain that the Sword Saint will remain an enemy to us.

Due to their geography, the Ravenmoons did not have a good relationship with the ducal household of Oakshields. They see each other as rivals and often find themselves in conflict due to matters of trade between the northern and the southern regions of the kingdom. In terms of their political alignment, they are also at loggerheads with each other as they both supported different factions.

"What's the good news?"

"I have another plan. And she is the key."

After saying so, Herbert grabbed Ingrid by the waist and dragged her closer to him. At the sight of their actions, Herman narrowed his eyes and took a thorough look at the woman beside Herbert.

Originally, he was quite puzzled at the relationship between the two of them. However, after having the conversation with Herbert just now, he realized that Ingrid did not seem to mind overhearing their plans to take over the throne. In fact, she seemed like she already knew of this matter and is keen on supporting Herbert with his plans.

"So, what brings you here, lass of the Rozenblood?"

"It's simple. I am here because Herbert promised me the Rozenblood Duchy."

After hearing her words, Herman sent a fierce gaze at Herbert who was once again feeling annoyed with Ingrid and her loud mouth. Just as Herbert was about to explain, Herman sighed before smirking.

"I see. I understand it now."

Herman smiled and his expression became gentle as if he had just been enlightened.

"You can explain the details to me later. For now, why don't we have supper?"

Herbert was amused. He did not know what his father understood from Ingrid's words, but it seems like he wasn't in a bad mood so he could only let the matter temporarily go to rest. It was already good enough that he wasn't scolded by his father for failing his mission.

On the other hand, Ingrid who had been paying attention to their conversation understood that she had said some words that could easily lead others to a misunderstanding. After all, she is currently posing as Herbert's lover. What else could it mean to have promised one's lover a territory at this point in time other than having a merger between the two ducal households?

Originally, Herbert should have been able to quickly catch on to this, but he was nervous and was thinking about things from another perspective. This was also the reason why he was unable to see Ingrid's mischievous grin as she looked at him and saw his face that screamed relief.

Once they had finished having the meal in a good atmosphere, Herman called out Herbert alone, and together with his trusted advisers and generals, they began to listen to Herbert's proposal for their new plan.

"This is quite an interesting and bold idea coming from you, young master. It appears that lurking around the capital and mingling with those old foxes had done wonders for you. If everything goes well, we might be able to even get to scam the entire kingdom in one go."