Giant Dragon Lord: Starting from Daily Intelligence

Chapter 174: Chapter 168: Kevin’s Ambition

”Kevin, the third son? That tag-along?”

Ed frowned.

’The weak-willed third son from the farmer’s story, the one with no mind of his own who just trailed after his older brother... he has the nerve to visit a besieging army all by himself?’

It just didn’t make sense.

An intrigued smile played on Raylo’s lips.

”Let him approach.”

He sat back down by the bonfire. Beside him, Baofeng seemed to sense its master’s intent and slowly opened its eyes. Its vertical pupils, like two drawn swords, locked onto the lone figure approaching in the distance.

A moment later, Kevin Donne stepped into the firelight.

He looked to be in his early twenties, with a slender build. He wore a well-tailored, dark blue set of aristocratic clothing, his golden hair combed immaculately.

His face showed none of the cowardice the farmer had described, nor any fear at the sight of the besieging army. Instead, he possessed an unhurried, calm composure.

His gaze swept over the fully armored Knights, over the Storm Griffin King that radiated a powerful aura, and finally landed on Raylo’s face.

He wasn’t the least bit afraid. Instead, he bowed slightly, performing an impeccable nobleman’s bow.

”My respects, Lord Raylo the Conqueror.”

Kevin’s voice was steady and clear.

”My brother’s disrespect and lack of foresight have forced you and your army to camp by this cold lake. I apologize on behalf of the Donne Family.”

With his first words, he had already drawn a clear line between himself and his brother.

Raylo sized him up with keen interest, not speaking right away.

Beside him, Ed and the others looked on with wary expressions, their hands unconsciously drifting to their sword hilts.

’This Kevin is nothing like the person described in our intel.’

’He doesn’t seem like a tag-along. He’s more like a venomous snake lying in wait.’

”Kevin Donne.”

Raylo finally spoke, his voice low.

”I hear you don’t have much of a say in your family.”

A self-deprecating smile touched Kevin’s face, and he nodded frankly.

”That’s right. In their eyes, I’m just an insignificant dependent. A poor wretch who only gets the leftovers after they’ve finished carving up the inheritance.”

”After all, in a family on the verge of collapse, only the dead and the useless are truly safe.”

He spread his hands.

”And it proved to be an effective strategy. At least it allowed me to walk out of the castle unharmed for this conversation with you.”

His words made Raylo regard him in a new, higher light.

’A man who knows how to feign weakness to his enemies and seize an opportunity at the crucial moment is no fool.’

”Why have you come to me?”

Raylo cut straight to the point.

Kevin’s gaze sharpened. He no longer concealed his ambition, like a young wolf finally baring its fangs.

”For a deal, Lord Raylo. A deal of great benefit to us both.”

”I’m listening.”

”My eldest brother, Brian, is foolish and arrogant. He thinks he can control everything with his three hundred Knights. My sister, Ailia, is proud and paranoid, holed up in her Mage Tower thinking Magic can solve all her problems. And my second brother, Dennis, is greedy and short-sighted. The Mercenaries he hired are just a pack of hyenas drawn to the smell of blood.”

Kevin’s tone was filled with disdain.

”The three of them are in a stalemate; no one can make a move against the others. It’s a pathetic balance, one that could be shattered with a single poke.”

He took a step forward, his eyes burning as he stared at Raylo.

”And you, Lord Raylo—you and your army are that finger.”

”No. An Iron Fist.”

The atmosphere by the bonfire instantly grew heavy.

”If I help you break the balance, what do I get?”

Raylo remained perfectly composed, waiting for the audacious young man to state his terms.

”Everything in Silver Mist Castle.”

Kevin answered without hesitation.

”Except for the land itself and the title of Viscount.”

He took a deep breath and began to lay out his bargaining chips.

”The centuries of wealth accumulated by the Donne Family—the treasury holds at least a hundred thousand Gold Coins and countless jewels and artworks; all the Magic Scriptures, Alchemy Materials, and Experimental Notes in my sister’s Mage Tower; all the Fine Armor and Weapons in the castle’s armory; and...”

Kevin paused, then laid out his most tempting offer.

”...people. Every Mage in the castle, including my sister Ailia—they will all be yours. You can take half of Brian’s most elite Knights. These men will swear fealty to you. And all you need to do in return is help me remove a few obstacles in my path to succession.”

Ed sucked in a sharp breath.

’This Kevin... what an outrageous offer, and what a ruthless heart!’

’He’s trading his family’s flesh and blood, its very foundation, for a legitimate claim to his inheritance.’

Raylo fell silent.

He looked at the young man before him as if he were assessing the value of a commodity.

The terms Kevin offered aligned almost perfectly with all of his own goals for this campaign.

Wealth, knowledge of Magic, and talented individuals...

These were all things his rapidly expanding territory desperately needed.

”It would be most beneficial to you if your brother and sister were dead.”

Raylo said slowly.

”Why not use my hand to eliminate them all?”

Kevin met Raylo’s gaze unflinchingly.

”Because wiping them all out would provoke panic and hostility from all the other nobles in the land. By leaving them alive, I can publicly claim that I was forced to compromise in order to ’save’ the territory from your hands. The image of a tragic lord who sacrificed his own family for his people is much better than that of a kinslaying tyrant.”

’Clear, meticulous logic. He’s even considered the political fallout.’

Raylo smiled.

He rose to his feet, looking down at Kevin.

”You’re smart, and you’re ruthless enough. I like making deals with people like you.”

He extended his hand.

”Then it’s a pleasure doing business with you, the future Viscount Donne.”

Kevin gripped Raylo’s hand tightly, a rapturous light shining in his eyes.

”A pleasure, Lord Raylo.”

”Tell me the plan.”

”Tonight at midnight, I’ll have my men sabotage the Mage Tower’s Energy Nodes, which will disable the castle’s Magic Shield for at least ten minutes. Simultaneously, I will have my confidants open the small gate on the castle’s west side.”

Kevin didn’t speak quickly, but each word landed with the weight of a stone.

”Your strike team can march straight in and strike at their very heart. My brother and sister are so busy being suspicious of each other that they’ve deployed their best forces near the main gate and the Mage Tower. The defenses on the west side are practically nonexistent.”

”And why should I trust you?”

Raylo asked, his tone flat, but it carried an invisible pressure.

Kevin released his hand and smiled confidently.

”You don’t need to trust me, Lord Raylo. You only need to trust the most primal of human desires—greed.”