"Border Earl… what exactly is Her Highness planning?"
At this moment, all the nobles had only one thought in mind—they couldn't quite fathom the purpose behind Her Highness's decision.
However, Baron Ruize's pupils shrank slightly. A sudden realization struck him: The southeastern border of Aspiration City... doesn't that extend directly toward Marina City?
Could it be that Her Highness intends to make a move against Marina City?
As the commander of the knight order, he faintly felt he had grasped something important.
"Your Highness, are you certain you want to grant the title of Border Earl to a commoner?" one of the other earls suddenly spoke.
His ancestors had achieved great military merits to earn the title of Earl, which was then passed down to him. Now, Her Highness was directly granting such a noble title to a commoner?
Moreover, though "Border Earl" was technically an earl, in terms of noble hierarchy, it was practically equivalent to a marquis—it was one of the highest earl titles.
Additionally, the southeastern border of Aspiration City was a vast territory. Granting it as a fief would be no small matter.
"Yes, this is my decision."
Mira gently replied as she looked at the earl before her.
Before he could raise further objections, Knight Kevin suddenly placed two sets of beast gear on the long noble table in front of them.
The earl opened his mouth, not understanding Kevin's intent.
"These are... beast gear from Marina City!"
Before the earl could ask, Baron Ruize spoke up, immediately recognizing their origin.
At the same time, he felt his earlier speculation had just been confirmed.
'Why would beast armor from Marina City be in Kevin's possession?'
The knight commander frowned, his mind spinning with new possibilities.
"That's right—these armors came from Marina City."
"And we found them outside the Abyssal Caven. They were worn by a Staraptor and a Sneasel."
"When we discovered the corpses of these two beasts, they hadn't been dead for long."
Kevin's words instantly changed the expressions of the nobles present. They looked at each other in stunned silence.
If what Kevin said was true, then the mutation of the Abyssal Rift Cave might have something to do with Marina City?!
If so, the implications were enormous.
First of all—why would Marina City trigger the gray mist in the Abyssal Caverns and unleash a tide of monsters?
The answer was obvious: it was a deliberate attempt to destroy Aspiration City. If this was true, it was tantamount to a declaration of war!
"No matter whether Marina City was behind all of this or not..."
"I suspect that final wave of monster accumulation had something to do with them."
Now that the nobles had a general understanding, Kevin voiced his own suspicions, further solidifying their fears.
"Damn Marina City! They actually dared to make a move against us!"
The nobles, now fully convinced, acknowledged Marina City's clear motive: as a poor region, they were clearly coveting Aspiration City's fertile lands.
Wait a second—Southeastern Border Earl…
Suddenly, the nobles collectively realized something.
Marina City was located at Aspiration City's southeastern border.
Now that Her Highness had granted the title of Border Earl, it was obvious—she intended for Avern to serve as the first line of defense!
They recalled how Avern had previously defeated a knight regiment and even captured their noble heirs. Clearly, he possessed real strength.
Now, the Lady was recognizing that strength by making him the Border Earl—tasking him with standing against Marina City's aggression.
"I see… I was wondering why the title of Border Earl was granted so easily," one noble murmured.
If Avern managed to repel Marina City's invasion, he would have earned his noble title through merit.
But if he failed and lost his territory, he would lose his title as well.
At that point, Aspiration City could mobilize troops; and after Marina City suffered losses battling Avern, Aspiration's forces could win easily.
Gradually, as Kevin presented the beast gear, the nobles felt as though they had uncovered a hidden truth. The objections slowly faded away.
"Even if we don't know exactly what Marina City is planning, we must be cautious."
"If our knights had suffered heavier losses in the monster wave, Marina City surely wouldn't have let the opportunity slip."
Kevin looked around the room, feeling that these nobles were too complacent. They had no idea how dangerous the front lines truly were.
Instead of spending their energy on jealousy, they'd do better to earn merits on the battlefield.
Well, they had tried to gain merits—just not at the frontlines. They had taken underhanded paths, and unfortunately for them, ran into Avern.
Upon hearing Kevin's words, the nobles all nodded in agreement.
Some of them even began to feel that letting Avern take the front line wasn't such a bad idea—it gave them a break.
"Then let's finalize this matter," Mira declared.
This time, the nobles raised no further objections.
The threat from Marina City had made them more accepting of the situation.
"Your Highness, I have no objections to this."
"But I do believe that for the sake of unity among the nobility, it would be best if Your Highness could personally ask Avern to release our children."
At that moment, Baron Ruize finally spoke.
First, he acknowledged Avern's noble status. Then, using noble unity as justification, he made his request—sparking a gleam in the eyes of other nobles.
"That's right. With Marina City threatening us, all nobles of Aspiration City must stand united!"
The nobles chimed in.
Upon hearing this, Mira sighed softly but also felt a sense of relief.
She had achieved most of her objectives.
And truthfully, the nobles' request wasn't too excessive—it was part of a necessary compromise.
"Very well. I will personally negotiate with Avern on this matter," Mira nodded, agreeing to their request.
The nobles collectively let out a sigh of relief.
Although it didn't all go exactly as planned, their goals had more or less been achieved.
Afterward, the council continued discussing various follow-up issues, including the resettlement of displaced citizens—handling the aftermath remained a significant task.
"Your Highness… have you truly thought this through?"
"Fruitvale Village is already quite powerful now…"
After all the nobles left, the chief knight asked hesitantly.
The authority granted to a Border Earl was indeed substantial.
"It's alright. I can sense goodness in him…" Mira placed a hand over her heart and smiled. "And that is enough."
Upon hearing this, Kevin immediately knelt and offered a knight's salute.
"May the radiance of Azelf guide you…"
Even the god of goodness possesses the power to discern good from evil.
(End of Chapter)