VRMMORPG: Dragomancer Reborn

Chapter 257 Futility Of Nobles

Arthur didn't even need to read the rest of the man's stats. Just the ones being shown were more than enough for him to be wary.

'This is the Baron?' Arthur gazed at the man, keeping calm.

He didn't wish to show sudden shock or anything strange, as the old man could get suspicious. 

'Since his level is not visible, he's definitely over a hundred levels above me… Plus his class, a Sword Master.' Arthur analyzed.

Sword Master was the class upgrade Swordsmen could take upon reaching level 100. It was a class that was a pure damage dealer and focused on Strength, Agility and Dexterity. One would gain stats in all three parameters when leveling up.

Of course, a Swordsman only had to focus on Strength and Agility.

This made Sword Masters quite strong and fast. Especially those like Baron Selvig who were at least level 130 or above would be able to draw a blade and cut off one's head without the other person even having the time to blink.

One saving grace for Arthur though was the fact that the Baron had no weapon with him. As such, even if they ended up in a conflict which they shouldn't have, Arthur would still have some time to react and retreat.

"Excuse me?" The old man spoke again, seeing that Arthur hadn't replied in five seconds.

"Ah, pardon me. I am Adventurer Arzhur, here to meet Guard Captain Fredric of Roran Town." Arthur quickly replied.

The Baron raised his brows, hearing his reason. 

"I have a letter, sir." Arthur added, taking it out.

~whoosh~

And before Arthur could even react, the letter was snatched from his hand.

Arthur's eyes widened at the sheer speed of the old man. 

'No wonder he's walking out here alone without guards. If he's being attacked, it's the attackers who need to worry.' Arthur thought seeing the old man's capabilities.

"Hmm…" The old man gazed at the letter while faint mana fluctuations could be felt from it.

Arthur understood that he was using an appraisal skill to verify the authenticity of the letter. A couple of seconds later, the man lifted his gaze from the letter and looks at Arthur.

"Come with me." The Baron said in a firm tone.

"Yes sir!" Arthur couldn't help but reply respectfully.

The Baron had an aura that demanded natural respect from others without him even asking for it. 

Arthur followed after the man, and entered the mansion. The garden inside was full of flowers and trees, with half of the trees being apple trees that were blossoming. The sweet fragrance from the white blossoms could be felt and calmed one's mind as they walked through the garden.

After a short walk, Arthur reached the door of the mansion and saw its simple yet elegant interior. 

"Welcome back, Baron." A servant greeted the old man and bowed his head slightly.

"Call over our guest." Baron Selvig ordered.

"At once," The Servant said and quickly left.

"Follow." The Baron said once more, prompting Arthur to go with him.

The old man brought him to his study on the next floor, which was full of books and other documents along with a lot of peculiar decorations. But the most striking thing was two sets of armor that were set up on stands.

One of the armor was a light armor that was a mix of leather and metal fittings while the second was a full knight's armor.

"Full Plate Armor of a Lieutenant of the Royal Army?" Arthur quickly recognized the second one.

"Oh? You can tell?" The Old man said with a hint of surprise.

"Yes… The coat of arms and the positioning. That is for a lieutenant, isn't it?" Arthur answered.

"You're correct." The Baron seemed a bit impressed. 

~knock~knock~knock~

Just as they had talked, a knock was heard at the door.

"Come in," The Baron permitted.

~Creak~

The door opened and in walked none other than Guard Captain Fredric. The man was surprisingly dressed in a noble's clothes, albeit the simpler ones. 

"Arzhur!" Fredric saw him. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Guild Master Caleb sent a letter," Arthur replied which prompted the Baron to hand it out.

The Guard Captain pursed his lips and took the letter, which made Arthur think that something might be wrong.

"Is it as you predicted?" The Baron questioned.

"I hope it is not," Fredric said and cracked the seal, opening the letter.

He read it quickly and narrowed his eyes.

~phew~

He let out a breath of relief and visibly calmed down.

"It is the complete opposite of that." Guard Captain Fredric said making the tension in the air fall.

"Nothing about those cultists?" Baron Selvig asked, making Arthur glance at him with a raised brow.

"No… rather is about the condition of the town. Our supplies are almost overflowing and they'll be sending shipments to the city soon. There have also been no more attacks, and none of the mutated beasts have been spotted either." Guard Captain Fredric replied.

"That's good… Guess that lessens the trouble for us. We already have enough to deal with here." Baron Selvig stated.

"Is there something wrong?" Arthur asked, picking up the hints from their conversation.

~Sigh~

Hearing that, Fredric let out a sigh.

"It's all politics." The guard captain shook his head.

"Useless pieces of trash Nobles, they haven't fought one day in the real world and they think they know better than us." Baron Selvig said with a scowl.

Arthur was surprised to see the Baron scolding other nobles like this. 

"Did things not go as planned with reporting about the cult?" Arthur asked feeling concerned.

"We did manage to report it… but they didn't take it as seriously as I had thought." Fredric replied. "Some of the nobles are willing to send soldiers to investigate it, but they do not wish to do it immediately," Fredric answered.

"How's that possible? Shouldn't they be concerned about an evil deity's cult appearing?" Arthur asked as this wasn't what had happened in his last life.

Back then, the nobles were very frantic in reacting and had sent out thousands of soldiers to hunt the cultists down. But then Arthur realized something.

'When that had happened, Roran Town had already been attacked… Guess they were a lot more scared due to that. But this time everything is safe so they are complacent.' Arthur realized.

"They would be more concerned, if not for another thing that is troubling them," Fredric said feeling frustrated.

"And what's that?" Arthur questioned.

"Money of course." Baron Selvig said with a frown. "Those bastards are more worried about one of their precious trade routes being blocked. They have like six more! Just one won't do much." Baron Selvig answered making Arthur confused.

"Which trade route is that?" Arthur asked as a few ideas appeared in his mind.

"A few weeks ago, the Trade Route that passed through the Oxal Mountains was frozen solid. The ice appeared out of nowhere and turned that part of the area into a solid ice mountain. The trees, ground, and rocks around it are all frozen solid into one chunk." Fredric explained.

Hearing that, Arthur's calm expression wavered for a moment. 

"So they won't act unless that thing is solved?" Arthur asked.

"Yes. They have sent their soldiers to 'mine' out the ice instead." Fredric replied feeling disappointed.

"That is… ridiculous. Are the churches not aware of this?" Arthur asked next. "I'm sure none of them would like the return of Iltan." He added.

"We've talked to the churches too. They are willing to assist, but they cannot exactly go that far without exact details. Their knights are oath-bound to protect the church and its people first. They aren't soldiers who will go out to do missions unless it is a divine decree." Fredric stated with frustration.

Arthur pursed his lips, knowing that these were common church tenets for their knights and couldn't be bent easily. Unless they had confirmed the location of Iltan's followers, they wouldn't risk leaving the church.

As such, it came upon the nobles to act first.

Both Baron Selvig and Fredric knew it wasn't the fault of the churches but rather the nobles who were delaying it all.

Arthur stroked his chin and thought for a minute before speaking.

"I think I'll be able to help." He spoke up.

"How so?" the guard captain asked.

Since Arthur had already helped them several times before, he had trust in him. But the Baron wasn't the same.

"Would he even be able to do much?" The Baron asked. 

"You can check it yourself, Baron. Arzhur is strong enough. He's already stronger than the last time I saw him." Fredric replied.

"Hmm, let me take a look," Baron said and gazed into Arthur's eyes.

Arthur felt the skill being used on him and didn't resist.

"He's certainly strong… stronger than the usual soldiers too." The old man said, his expression a bit intrigued. "Very well, he will do."