Chapter 23: Painting III

"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."

"Indeed, this is especially so for your plans to take over the eastern and southern regions. Not only will we be taking over their land, but we will also be able to take get the enemy to fund our war against them. However, this would also mean that the timing should be accurate because once the others find out too early, the entire thing would fall apart."

"I know that this sounds nice and all, but can we trust those people that you've just brought? Wouldn't it be easier and safer to just let our men do it?"

"They can't. They need to have the same ability as the one that I've brought with me."

"Would you care to elaborate?"

"They have the lineage of the Antzmind family."

The men looked at Herbert confused, as far as they knew the ability that can be unlocked with the Antzmind bloodline was related to telepathy and telekinesis.

"His kid is going to naturally awaken within two or three years. What he will awaken is a mutation of the Antzmind bloodline, and his mutated ability is fairly simple, others will immediately think better of him. In other words, he can instantly gain a good impression from strangers with just the first glance."

The men around him had their eyes wide open. The things that they were hearing sounded incredibly farfetched. From their point of view, Herbert was not just predicting the future, he was dictating it with such conviction that it made them feel strange.

Nevertheless, they still decided to follow through with what Herbert proposed as his plan as they still saw the merit in trying it out rather than suspecting every single detail.

"Gentlemen, from here, I can already say that I have established my point well enough. You can also see its feasibility, however, this plan hinges on being able to quickly secure the Rozenblood duchy as soon as possible."

The people in the room looked at each other and nodded their heads. The main crux of Herbert's plan relies heavily on the geographic and political leverage that the Ravenmoon duchy will acquire once they help Ingrid take over the Rozenblood Dukedom.

After a few days of preparation, Herbert finally received a go for his proposal which was to start the infiltration of the western region to support Ingrid to become the successor and the beginning of mercantile activity which would later turn into a scam in the Eastern Region and Southern Regions in one go. Their grand scheme needed money, men, and trust, and the current status of the Ravenmoons could perfectly accommodate Herbert's needs.

To achieve his goals, Clive and his family were placed somewhere nearer with knights and tutors teaching Clive and his son methodical education about noble etiquette and the tools that they need to become believable merchants. Based on their results, they seem to be doing well and are happy with their current lifestyle. He even saw Collins working extra hard and mention that he was doing so because he wanted to repay Herbert's kindness.

On the other hand, the other villain that he had abducted was being re-educated after being interrogated. He was a person with a lot of connections, his value lays on him being a local snake which would help the integration and infiltration of Ravenmoon spies on the western region of the kingdom.

The stark difference in how he treated the different villains in the story wasn't something that Herbert minded. He wasn't a saint who thinks that he can save everyone and is willing to do so free of charge. He already has a lot on his plate, and he didn't want to take on any unnecessary burdens. The tax collector was just a minor character whose only boon is his knowledge and connections.

Being busy had become a normal routine for Herbert and he didn't have much time to talk with Ingrid, but he had already informed her of his plans to help her retake the Rozenblood Duchy within a year or two at most. She had already understood that Herbert was going all out for his side of the deal, so she could only patiently wait until it is finally her turn. For now, she was undergoing training of improving her skills as an awakened with the advisers from the Ravenmoon family who did not shy away from giving her the right amount of knowledge to help her become stronger. She was also instructed by Herbert to show off only her abilities as a Rozenblood and to keep her Larksong bloodline during her training which she obediently followed.

When a week had passed since Herbert had returned to his home, he found himself wandering around the mansion. He had already done most of the initial preparatory work so he suddenly had a lot of time on his hands. He never thought that he would be feeling the strong urge of wanting a phone in his hand as he currently does now. Eventually, he somehow managed to arrive at a peculiar spot, his feet had led him to his room. The room that was in front of him was not that of Herbert's, instead, it was his original room as Albert's.

After taking a deep breath, he took a step closer and opened the door. The floor had been covered by a thin layer of dust, with everything in place exactly as where he had left them. It felt nostalgic and somehow gave him pain.

This time, he didn't know if it was his conscious action or not, but he started removing his gloves. Upon reaching one corner of his room, he started taking out stuff from a wooden drawer. There were a couple of art materials that had not been used for a long time.

As time passed, Herbert who was busy reminiscing had long finished his setup in preparation to paint. Back on Earth, he had studied fine arts and he found it amusing that Albert's painting hobby in the novel was also the same as his. His canvas was positioned in front of the window side as he found the room quite stuffy. Looking at the view from where he sat, Herbert had the strong urge to sketch and paint, which he did not contain as his hands immediately started getting busy.

Because he was busy doing the sketch work, he saw Ingrid who was training to control her powers as an awakened near the garden. She had been working on reducing the time that is needed to activate and deactivate her abilities which needed a lot of practice to get used to. Her forehead was covered in sweat yet she still had a focused expression on her face.

Finding himself an easy target, Herbert decided on the subject of his painting and spent the day of his first break in a long while, painting.

Due to him being so absorbed in his work, he didn't notice that Ingrid had already left her previous station. He also didn't notice that Ingrid had spotted him and had already made her way to see him.

As he poured out his heart and soul into painting, he found himself being soothed. He thought that it was a good way to destress and vent his emotions. Being thrown into a fantasy world where he knows that he would soon die was mentally taking a toll on him.

With each stroke of his brush, he felt his arms getting lighter, it was as if the world around him did not matter. Time continued to pass and eventually, Herbert felt that it was about time for him to leave. He hadn't finished his painting yet, but he had already felt much better after doing something that he likes.

As he put down his brush, he was surprised to feel a presence behind him. If it weren't for the fact that he did not feel any ill intent coming from the person behind him, he might have instinctively reached out and activated his abilities.

Without even turning a glimpse behind him, Herbert knew who it was that was standing there. He knew it based on the distinct scent that made him recall her annoying mouth.

"This is not a show, you know?"