Chapter 21: Little Red Riding Hood’s Aunt

He wanted Little Red Riding Hood to find her relatives. Naturally, he had his reasons.

Little Red Riding Hood—no, she should be called Britney.

Britney was the daughter of Baron Oswede, and now, she was the only legitimate heir to Baron Oswede. According to the kingdom's laws, Baron Oswede's lands and title should be inherited by her.

However, Britney had been missing for three years, and now no one could verify her identity. Simply relying on words alone, it would be difficult for the kingdom to recognize her status and rights. But, if other nobles close to Baron Oswede could confirm her identity, Britney would naturally become the first heir to Baron Oswede.

In that case, she would rightfully inherit the baronial title and lands.

In other words, as long as her identity could be confirmed, even the king couldn't refuse a noble their rightful inheritance of lands and titles.

In Western countries, there was no concept of "a ruler's will is absolute." If a kingdom's monarch treated a noble unfairly, the noble had the right to wage war against the monarch to reclaim what was rightfully theirs.

Rather than a relationship between a ruler and a subject, it was more of a contractual relationship. The monarch granted lands and titles, and in return, the noble was required to fight for the monarch in times of war.

Of course, paying taxes was also an obligation of the lords. Aside from that, nobles didn't owe the monarch anything. In fact, within their own territories, a noble's power often exceeded that of the monarch. The commoners within the noble's lands were their subjects, not the monarch's.

"My subjects' subjects are not my subjects."

It sounds a bit convoluted, but that's the reality.

To establish himself in this world, gaining a noble title was the best way to open doors.

If Britney could inherit Baron Oswede's title, all he had to do was marry her, and he would rightfully become a baron's husband.

Don't underestimate this status. In a world so defined by hierarchy, lineage and background determined everything. Having a good background, even if you were poor, would make you a guest among most nobles. You could even rally support in times of war, with countless nobles following you.

On the other hand, if your ancestors didn't have any prominent lineage or background, even if you were as rich as a kingdom, you would still be considered a commoner. No matter how hard you worked your entire life, in the eyes of the nobles, you would still be someone from the lower class—a vulgar upstart reeking of wealth, unable to enter the true aristocratic circles.

It might sound ridiculous, but it's like in ancient times when people introduced themselves by their family name. Even if you had mountains of gold, in the Han dynasty, it couldn't compare to being part of the noble Yuan family from Runan. In the Tang dynasty, it couldn't hold a candle to being part of the aristocratic Five Great Clans.

The same applies here. Bloodlines and status are merely stepping stones, but without this stone, you can't even get through the door.

If one were to follow the conventional path to become a noble, you'd have to start as a knight. First, you would have to serve under a noble lord as a squire, learning the rules and etiquette among knights. After at least three to five years, you could be promoted to the lowest rank of knight.

To rise from being a knight to a noble was even more challenging. Even with great luck and ability, it would take several years, even decades.

He didn't have time to waste on such trivial matters.

But, on the other hand, since this world had connections to fairy tales, if he wanted to interact with those fairy tale characters, he would need the proper status. Whether it's Snow White or Cinderella, without the right status, he wouldn't even have the chance to approach them.

Therefore, having a good background was essential.

And Little Red Riding Hood was his chosen shortcut.

As long as he trained her well, in this world where she had no one to rely on, a newly adult girl had only him to depend on.

After putting Little Red Riding Hood back into his personal space, Rod began gathering information about Baron Oswede.

"You mean Baron Oswede? Didn't he die three years ago?"

"Does he have any relatives? I heard he had a sister who married a count from the neighboring kingdom."

After some inquiries, Rod finally got the information he was looking for from a merchant.

"A countess aunt."

Although the count was from a neighboring kingdom, a count was still a count. His words carried some weight.

If this countess, Little Red Riding Hood's aunt, could come forward to verify Little Red Riding Hood's identity, the matter would basically be settled.

However, crossing into another kingdom wasn't something that could be done quickly.

Rod shook his head.

First, he would explore this path. If it turned out to be impractical, he had a second plan.

He could find a suitable noble, imprison them, and brainwash them with potions to turn them into his puppet.

The result would be the same, though it would take a bit more time.

After all, brainwashing with potions wasn't something that could be done instantly. If the target's resistance was strong, there was a risk of failure. Worse, he could end up creating an idiot through brainwashing, wasting time and effort.

This would only be a last resort.