Chapter 494: Chapter 467: Extreme Paranoia

As Gushan changed the subject, Garrett took the opportunity to back down. He didn’t proceed with his planned punishment for Ronin and Ridder.

At that moment, he finally saw clearly that Ronin’s respect for the Royal Family was only superficial.

But then again, in the Extraordinary World, once one’s Power reached a certain level, the circle of nobility could hardly restrain the strong.

Take Bellora, for example. The Great Mage hadn’t paid the Royal Family any mind for many years. In fact, it was His Majesty Bruno who periodically sent people to Amethyst County to pay his respects to her.

After a brief discussion, Ronin and Ridder returned to West Wind Hill.

"My lord, Commander, you’re back!"

Oduro came forward to greet them. ’He had been worried sick, afraid that before the war with the Empire even began, he would have to lead his troops to attack Red Pine Castle.’

Seeing the two of them return safely, the weight on his chest finally lifted.

"Oduro, go have the kitchen prepare a meal. Unlike Carlos, I can’t just swallow Energy all day to stave off hunger."

"Yes, my lord!"

Ronin and Ridder walked into the main hall.

"My lord, the Crown Prince seems to hold a grudge against you."

Ridder’s expression was worried. "I’m afraid he might move against you or your territory."

"Perhaps."

Ronin, however, wasn’t too concerned. "But as long as His Majesty Bruno is still around, no matter how tense things get between Garrett and me, it won’t escalate to a full-blown war."

Dealing with Ronin wasn’t in Bruno’s best interest.

Besides, if the Royal Family truly went all out against him, it would undoubtedly create an opportunity for Ference and his supporters.

Weakening the Wushan Clan would only strengthen Ference, who coveted the throne. In the end, it would be a thankless and self-defeating effort.

Ridder continued to voice his concerns:

"Right now, Garrett is no match for you, nor can he represent the Royal Family in a move against you. But once he inherits the throne, it’s hard to say what will happen."

"That’s a long time from now."

Ronin gestured for Ridder to sit as well.

"Our King is a Silver Knight. He’s not even sixty yet, so he’ll live for at least another twenty or thirty years. Who knows what the situation will be in two or three decades?"

Ridder couldn’t help but nod at that.

He had personally witnessed Ronin grow to his current heights in less than four years. He couldn’t even imagine what level Ronin would reach in another twenty or thirty years.

Moreover, he believed that in two or three decades, Wubei Territory and Moonlight Valley would have developed beautifully, and their overall combat strength would surely be immense.

"My lord, in the future, when you are not present, how should I handle the Crown Prince’s orders?"

Ridder was in a difficult position, mainly because he was worried about causing trouble for Ronin.

"Just use your judgment. As long as his orders don’t target us, act normally. As for worrying about offending Garrett... there’s no need to think too much about that. Given his personality, it’s highly unlikely he’ll ever forgive us anyway."

"Alright..."

’Ridder could only hope that this experience would make Garrett restrain himself.’

Ronin walked over to the table, smoothed out the map on it, and said, "After you left today, I went to investigate Watchtower Castle. I found that not only are they reinforcing their troops, but the new units are exceptionally well-manned and equipped."

He described his findings to Ridder.

"If I simply wanted to occupy Watchtower Castle, it wouldn’t be difficult. But what I’m thinking about now is how to annex as much of this force as possible, rather than just slaughtering them."

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Ronin explained his idea to Ridder.

"Think about it. What would be the most suitable way for us to proceed?"

Ridder fell into thought. After a long moment, he spoke slowly.

"Before the Tricia Kingdom shows any signs of defeat, the possibility of them surrendering willingly is very low. If you want to annex them, crushing them on the main battlefield is an unavoidable step."

He paused, then his tone shifted. "However, since you want to absorb them, we can show our hand early. We can demonstrate your power to exert immense psychological pressure, letting them know the consequences of not surrendering."

Ronin nodded in agreement. This two-pronged approach would disrupt their morale and weaken their will to resist, even if they ultimately refused to surrender.

"Alright then. Starting tomorrow, I’ll have Carlos fly a couple of laps over Watchtower Castle every day. Then, I’ll go have a talk with them."

「Red Pine Castle, Garrett’s bedroom.」

He was panting heavily, his eyes bloodshot with rage.

The pain in his arm was a constant stimulus, forcing him to replay the day’s events over and over. Ronin’s arrogant face, utterly devoid of respect, seemed to be seared into his vision, refusing to fade.

Aside from their first meeting at the Golden Feather Palace where he’d had the upper hand, every encounter since—in Shore City, in Moonlight City, at the wedding, and today at Red Pine Castle, four times in total—had ended with him at a disadvantage.

’Garrett was even beginning to suspect that Ronin hadn’t conceded defeat that first time out of fear of his strength, but had done it on purpose.’

At this thought, his emotions fluctuated violently, and even his breathing became erratic.

Garrett was a Silver Moon Peak Knight, after all, with near-perfect control over his body. That he would still react this way could only mean one thing: his mental fortitude was pitifully weak.

"Ronin, the Giant Dragon, Ridder, Lurans, Melonika, Sophia, Macken, Elron!"

"The Wushan Clan has amassed so many High Tier Transcendents without anyone noticing, and Ronin never revealed a thing. What is he planning?!"

The more Garrett analyzed the situation, the more he worried about this newly risen Marquis.

"Not only that, but he has a good relationship with the Great Mage Bellora and with Duke Valgis!"

This was all public knowledge, so of course Garrett and the Royal Family were aware of it.

In the past, he had worried about the Ference Duchy, the Villa Duchy, and Screaming Island forming an alliance to weaken the Royal Family’s status and power.

But now, compared to those three, the Wushan Clan worried him far more.

The key was that Ronin was growing too fast. If he was left unchecked, in a few more years, Garrett couldn’t imagine how powerful and large his faction would become.

"Proud Sun Level... I can still deal with that!"

"While he hasn’t fully risen, we still have a chance to join forces and eliminate him!"

At this moment, Garrett was like a man at a crossroads. He didn’t choose the wide, open road, nor even the narrow, winding path. Instead, he chose to throw his body into a forest of thorns.

"But Father will never allow me to do this!"

Wasn’t Bruno worried about Ronin?

Of course he was. But he knew that confronting Ronin would inevitably lead to a brutal civil war.

In contrast, he was more inclined to play the family card to maintain his relationship with Ronin. After all, Ronin was his son-in-law. Surely he wouldn’t commit open treason, let alone kill his own father-in-law, right?

Furthermore, once a Transcendent’s Power became sufficiently high, they tended to lose interest in worldly power.

Just like the Great Mage Bellora, who was content with a territory outside the Kingdom’s jurisdiction and had no desire to expand her domain.

Bruno had considered this as well. He even felt that if they could truly reunify the entire continent and establish an Empire, what would be the harm in carving out a Duchy, or even a Kingdom, for Ronin on the map of that new Empire?

"Father’s thinking is too naive! He not only fails to understand how dangerous Ronin is, but he will also stand in my way."

Garrett’s thoughts grew more and more extreme until, finally, the face of his uncle, Ference, appeared in his mind’s eye.

At that moment, Ference seemed to transform into a Demon, beckoning to him with open arms.

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