Chapter 27: Ransom

Two days later, in the border area of the Cleveland Barony, a meeting was held between the two parties.

On the grass, a wooden table was set up, with Velin and Brandon's wife sitting on either side. Brandon's eldest son, Rebul, stood behind his mother, while the other guards stood several meters away, keeping a wary eye on each other.

The middle-aged noblewoman sat gracefully in her chair, her every gesture exuding elegance. Despite some wrinkles on her face, glimpses of her youthful beauty were still evident.

In contrast, Velin was far less formal, opting for comfort over decorum.

"Your Excellency, may I ask what your terms are?"

Her voice was melodious, causing Velin to glance at her more than once.

"Five hundred female serfs, three thousand gold coins, one hundred twenty thousand pounds of grain, and twenty draft oxen. I can release Sir Brandon. As for the other captured knights and soldiers, they will require a separate price."

The middle-aged noblewoman looked at the young man demanding such a high ransom, struggling to suppress her inner anger.

Beside her, Rebul displayed no such restraint. Anger overtook his expression as he shouted, "Why don't you just take it?"

Velin smiled slightly and replied, "Take? Isn't that what I'm doing right now?"

"You..."

"Rebul, be quiet," the middle-aged noblewoman snapped as she turned to him.

Upon hearing his mother's reprimand, the young man immediately fell silent, lowering his head and daring not to speak further.

Seeing her son calm down, the noblewoman regained her composure and said softly, "Your Excellency, your demands are excessive."

"No, I believe this is the value of Sir Brandon. Do you think so little of your husband? Or perhaps you..."

"That's not the issue at hand; we're discussing the ransom." The noblewoman quickly shifted out of the verbal trap Velin had set.

"Very well, then let’s discuss the ransom." Velin leaned back in his chair, speaking casually. "Madam, you surely do not wish to lose your husband and become a widow."

"What do you mean by that?"

"It's simple; the wilderness is fraught with dangers. Look at me; I must bring so many guards when I travel, let alone an unarmed Sir Brandon."

"Your Excellency, if that is the case, then there is no need to continue this negotiation." The noblewoman rose, looking down at Velin. "If anything were to happen to Brandon, the Cleveland Barony would have a reckoning with you."

"Is that so?"

Velin remained seated, smiling at the noblewoman.

"Let us hope that in half a month, it will still be you negotiating with me, beautiful lady."

"You..."

Seeing the young man's smile, the reserved noblewoman felt frustrated, as though he had her completely figured out.

After struggling for a moment, the noblewoman sat back down.

She realized that her weakness had been grasped by the young man. If this dragged on, within a month, the lordship of the Cleveland Barony would change hands.

After over twenty minutes of continuous argument, the noblewoman ultimately compromised.

Rebul glared at Velin, fury bubbling within him, but out of respect for his mother’s authority, he swallowed his anger.

Five hundred female serfs, three thousand gold coins, one hundred thousand pounds of grain, and twenty draft oxen were set as the ransom for Brandon.

For each knight, the ransom demanded twenty serfs and two draft oxen.

For each soldier, the ransom required five serfs and one hundred pounds of grain.

In total, the Cleveland Barony would pay one thousand one hundred serfs, three thousand gold coins, one hundred ten thousand pounds of grain, and thirty-eight draft oxen to the Lake of Prayer.

Finally, the noblewoman picked up a pen and, filled with intense shame, signed her name to the contract.

This time, the Cleveland Barony suffered a significant loss, with a total of one-fifteenth of their wealth gone; this was property that her husband and father-in-law had built over eighty years.

"Very well, madam. In three days, here at this location, you will see your husband, Sir Brandon."

Velin collected the contract and left with his entourage.

Watching the "enemy" depart, Rebul could not help but voice his discontent, "Mother, this is a betrayal of father. He will not allow you to do this."

"You."

Rebul saw his mother raise her hand and simply closed his eyes, not flinching.

The noblewoman, seeing this, slowly lowered her raised hand.

After an unknown amount of time, Rebul opened his eyes, watching his departing mother, and then turned to glare at Velin's retreating figure before mounting his horse to follow the group.

On the return journey, Baird rode up excitedly, saying, "My lord, we have made a significant profit this time. With so much, the progress on the castle’s construction will accelerate greatly."

"That may be true, but before there is genuine stability, we still have a battle to fight," Velin replied, gazing at the silent wilderness.

"My lord, are you referring to... Brandon?"

Upon hearing this, Velin glanced at Baird again and responded, "You're half right; we also need to consider the surrounding territories. If we can subdue them this time, the upcoming excavation of the silver mine will proceed much more smoothly."

"Why is that?" Baird asked, scratching his head in confusion.

"What if we poisoned Brandon during the exchange, so he dies a few days after returning? I know of a poison that could achieve that."

Without hesitation, Velin firmly rejected the idea, "No, such despicable tactics would easily make us targets in the Cadro Province and even the entire kingdom."

"My lord, if that's not feasible, how do we deal with the coalition of the surrounding territories, given our military strength?"

"Don't worry; I have plans."

Velin reassured Baird, telling him to calm down and follow orders.

Upon returning to camp, Velin wrote a letter and handed it to a knight, instructing him to deliver it to his cousin Brian, over two hundred kilometers away in the Ridge territory.

A few days later, at the border of the Cleveland Barony, the exchange of ransom and personnel went smoothly, with no conflicts arising between the two sides.

Upon returning to the castle, Brandon summoned several nearby nobles to discuss significant matters.

Meanwhile, Velin, accompanied by over a thousand men and various supplies, returned to the Lake of Prayer to plan the territory's development anew and prepare for the upcoming battle.

First, he selected two hundred strong men from the captured and traded serfs and handed them to a knight at the Lake of Prayer for training, hoping they could be useful in a few days.

Additionally, he allocated three hundred individuals to the half-elf girl, Eunice, to address the shortage of labor for castle construction.

Finally, the remaining individuals were assigned to another knight stationed at the Lake of Prayer to manage farmland, river maintenance, and timber cutting.

The next morning, as Velin awoke, Orlando excitedly rushed in to deliver good news.

"My lord, the task you assigned to the craftsmen has been completed."

Velin, still bleary-eyed, instantly perked up, exclaiming, "Quick, take me there!"