Re: Tales of the Rune-Tech Sage

Chapter 121: To The Victor, All The Spoils

CH121 To The Victor, All The Spoils

***

Elsewhere, within Earl Drake’s office in Ashen Castle...

Unlike during Alex’s previous visit, the magical COMET table was currently deactivated, looking no different than any stone slab table.

The room had also been subtly rearranged—no longer resembling a war command and control room, but a proper meeting office, complete with plush seating and stately furnishings.

Earl Drake sat behind his desk, while Countess Megan reclined comfortably across from him.

”I brought the girl to several battlefields, just as you asked,” Megan said, casually. ”Also took the liberty of dropping her off with Alex. I heard about the assassination attempt.”

”I’ll have your payment sent to Highburn Castle three days from now... after the duel,” Earl Drake replied evenly.

”You’re really going to allow the duel to go forward?” Countess Megan asked, raising a brow.

”Why not? The boys want to settle it the Fury way—then let them.”

”If someone didn’t know better, they might question whether they’re truly your sons,” she said, her tone sharpening. ”You do realise there’s a high possibility one of them won’t walk away from that duel?”

”That’s nothing new,” the Earl said flatly. ”Among my siblings, only Gordon and I survived. This is our nature. It is the Fury way. I’m sure you understand that.”

Countess Megan’s eyes narrowed slightly.

”I thought you, of all people, would try to end this cycle,” she said. ”Wasn’t it you who told us, ’We must change’? That was the slogan you fed us to convince the rest of us to point our blades outward instead of inward.”

Earl Drake didn’t answer immediately. His gaze didn’t falter. After a moment, he folded his hands on his lap and replied quietly:

”If you’re that worried about him, you could always take my offer. It would get the old fogeys off both your backs.”

”This and that are two different matters,” Countess Megan said. ”He’s like a little brother to me—nothing more. Besides, running from pressure simply because it’s annoying isn’t my style.”

The Earl chuckled lowly. ”I assure you, the boy is no longer the little brother you once knew... Far, far from it.”

”It’s still not enough,” she said, shaking her head gently. ”My answer remains the same.”

Her tone shifted into something more businesslike—detached, firm.

”My time is only for those who can meet my price. If someone thinks they can woo me through courtship, then I don’t mind dating—If they can make it worth my while. A squad of Magic Armours for two dates. If they succeed, I won’t ask for anything else—I’ll marry them.”

She continued, unflinching:

”If they’re not that confident, they can pay outright. A platoon of Magic Armours for a kiss, as passionate as the platoon is strong. A company of Magic Armours if they want a child with me.

”And if they want marriage, children, and my loyalty, then I expect a battalion of Magic Armours, at least.”

Drake raised an eyebrow, and Megan added coolly:

”Don’t worry, I’m not greedy. I’ll accept any kind of Magic Armour—as long as it’s not below Tier II.”

Earl Drake looked at the woman before him with amusement.

Even the cheapest Tier II Magic Armour was valued at fifty thousand gold coins. A squad of them? That was three hundred thousand.

In other words, Countess Megan demanded three hundred thousand gold coins just for a simple couple of dates... and that was the bare minimum.

For outright marriage, she was asking for upwards of fifty million gold coins.

Even for Earl Drake, this was a steep amount—not to mention for any hopeful, eligible bachelor Countess Megan might deem worthy of consideration.

But the thing was... Countess Megan wasn’t overvaluing herself in the slightest. To extent, it was the opposite.

This was a woman who commanded one of the strongest armies, not just within the Fury Family, but in the entire Virellian Empire.

In fact, she was widely considered the most capable war general among her peers.

Her territory generated about five million gold coins annually. While that might sound modest, especially compared to Drake’s, it was actually a very respectable income for a County. And with her expanding territory within the Empire through conquest and interests in planar exploration & resource exploitation, that figure was only bound to increase.

It was entirely possible that in a few short years, Megan herself could easily afford the very price she asked for in marriage—and she wouldn’t even flinch doing it.

”Well, far be it from me to meddle in the affairs of the younger generation,” Earl Drake said with a faint smile.

”As for your concerns about the boy... all I can say is this: if he wants to sit on my seat, this is the sort of challenge he must overcome. Bloodshed is unavoidable.

”And that mantra of mine you referenced... it’s only meant to prevent petty competition within the family. But when things go beyond rivalry—into true malice and war... then we settle it the way we’ve always done. Life or death.”

Countess Megan said nothing more. She understood.

Earl Drake, satisfied, smoothly shifted the conversation to another matter entirely.

An hour later, Countess Megan left his office.

Watching her retreating back, a small smile tugged at the Earl’s lips.

’One rebellious lass you’ve fallen for, boy... I wonder... will you be crushed by her, or will you somehow subdue her? Either way, it’ll be quite the show to watch.’

Then, a second thought crossed his mind. He chuckled and shook his head.

’I’m getting ahead of myself. First, he needs to survive the duel...’

’That alone will be even more interesting.’

Rising to his feet, Earl Drake walked over to the tall ceiling-high window in his office. His gaze stretched from the Ashen Castle outward, beyond the lands of his fiefdom and into the far-off horizon.

A land that even the darkness of night could not hide from his piercing eyes.

’Everything is in place...’

’To the victor, all the spoils.’

**