Epic Of The Demonic Sage

"While it is true that it's easier to take the control away from him, we will still be doing more work than necessary in taking control of the barony as he hasn't been able to do it before." Lucius said.

"…That's right." Kiana realized. "Then it's either Smith or Tarka then. But the Smith barony has been around for so long, that its people no doubt will still hold reverence for it."

"Well, it's been around in its existence for a hundred years or so." Lucius said as he held the report. "And while there is a chance that they're well-loved by its people, there's also a good chance that theymight not."

"I don't quite remember the reason why it's been able to last so long." Kiana muttered.

"Lasting this long is impressive, but they're not as great as they once were before. The first baron of Smithy had an epic ranked gift, but unfortunately, his heirs did not inherit it and soon they fell in rank and that explains the situation they're in today."

Lucius didn't think a barony would fall that much if the first baron's heirs were capable leaders, as long as they could take advantage of dependable subordinates and the like.

However, Lucius could see why it was easy to fall into the trap of thinking that being giftless meant that you were incapable of doing great things.

It was something that many individuals fell into. Something that Lucius didn't have the time to feel when he was born in the Great Barrom Clan.

"It's a shame." Kiana quietly said. And her expression actually reflected the thoughts that were currently on her mind right now.

The Inanis Family could as well have been very close to experiencing the same weakening of the Smith Family due to the fact that Asher didn't have any gifts.

Of course, the Count and Countess would have done everything to prevent it and so would have Kiana—dedicating her life to her cousin.

And yet if the circumstances were different, who knew what could have happened to them? Kiana tried not to think of it, but those thoughts still clung to her at the moment.

"We will not be going with Smith Barony." Lucius' voice snapped Kiana's train of thoughts.

"How come?" Kiana asked, surprised.

"They also have a lack of soldiers and while they do have supplies and resources, that's not what we're after." Lucius said. "Instead, I would like you to put your attention to Tarka Barony."

"I'm not familiar with it." Kiana admitted. "But it's different from the other two. Otherwise you wouldn't have your eyes on it."

"Right, the Tarka Barony is the only barony from out of the three that does not originally belong to the Grantz Kingdom. Instead, they were part of the Kingdom of Gisir alongside their land, but they were absorbed by Grantz Kingdom when the Tarka family submitted to the rule."

"That's…" Kiana blinked.

"Not only that, but the Tarka Barony is right at the border and is in quite a strategic spot. They have a narrow access route through the bordering mountains if you check the map." Lucius handed the report to her.

Kiana checked the reports, and it was clear that Asher took his time in checking everything. While it was easy to simply focus on the number of soldiers and the resources available within the lands of the barons… he had taken a step further.

Asher actually looked into the geographic sites, even if they weren't explicitly highlighted in the reports of Leif's men.

"We will be going with the Tarka barony for ours to take. They have a great strategic importance that will be useful if the time comes in the future, near or far… but it is also quite suspicious to have the Tarka barony submit to Grantz Kingdom, don't you think?" Lucius said. "It's better to check now than let them have free reign."

Kiana stared at Asher for a moment and her initial worries that came upon being reminded of the previous similarities between the Smith barony and the Inanis family vanished immediately.

It was clear to Kiana that Asher was blessed with a gift that was grander than the likes that anyone has ever seen before.

She had also seen how Asher persevered through his injuries after the war with Gisir and then changed into such a remarkable man in such a short amount of time.

To even compare the Smith barony's situation to theirs was something unthinkable at this point. Kiana knew that Asher was destined for great things, and he would obtain them for himself and the Inanis Family if not.

Right now, Asher had seen something about the Tarka barony that the late Viscount Drew probably didn't even suspect at all.

"You're right." Kiana nodded as she lifted her gaze up from the reports. She focused on the details before her as her brows furrowed together in understanding. "They are suspicious… who knows what else they must have hidden?"

"It's something that we clearly must investigate further." Lucius said.

"But it's not really something we could do right now." Kiana sighed. "Even if they had weakened, sending people is still not possible as a result of the war."

"Don't worry." Lucius told her. "I have the intention of sending Arius, Carlyle and Cohen once they are able to return, but I can still gather information on the open from other nobles."

"The upcoming banquet for the Inanis's win against the Drew will surely be an opportune time for that." Kiana realized.  "And the information that the nobles can provide will always be a bit different from what we can learn from investigation. Some of them have surely interacted with the Tarka family before the Viscount Drew split up with Grantz Kingdom."

"Indeed, but speaking about investigation has made me think of another idea." Lucius said. "Or rather, has reminded me of someone who once performed investigations."

"Who?" Kiana raised a brow, then thought about Asher's statement. "Are you referring to that spy?"

"Yes," Lucius said.

"But she's dead."

"And yet she did left us with something." Lucius said. "I'll be heading to the laboratory."