150: Chapter 91 Farolis’s Opportunity_2 150: Chapter 91 Farolis’s Opportunity_2 “…What did you say?!” Even with Baron Eriv’s composure, he couldn’t help but blurt out in shock.
Knight Balfe by his side widened his eyes suddenly, as if what he heard was a wild tale.
Baron Eriv quickly composed himself, leaned forward in his seat, and frowned, “How could that be?”
If it hadn’t been for the young man who had entered the Nightmare Forest and returned safely, Baron Eriv would have had anyone who spoke such nonsense thrown out of the camp long ago.
No one understood better than he did how dangerous the Cursed Land that had consumed the obsessions of generations of the Master of Thorns was.
Leon nodded, then proceeded to recount his altered narrative of his escape back to Orland.
“…In order to escape the pursuers quickly, I lost my way and mistakenly entered the are of the Nightmare Forest once more from the other side of Kantadar North…”
Of course, in Leon’s brief report, he made no mention of Miss Mage, nor the secret Mage Tower hidden by Lora’s magic.
He didn’t even say that he had once again entered the Cursed Domain.
He simply claimed to have fought his way through the Undead Monsters he unexpectedly encountered in the forest while being chased by enemies.
Only when he unknowingly passed through the woods and arrived at the villages and settlements inside Kosos County and asked for directions did he “suddenly realize” that he had safely crossed the Nightmare Forest during his bewildered journey.
This explanation was, of course, to avoid mentioning anything about Miss Lora and the Spirit-like Field.
Leon had already learned his lesson from being too honest in the past, and now he also had a relative understanding of geography, enabling him to tell a convincing lie to avoid unnecessary trouble.
However, Leon did not hide the existence of that ancient fortress town under the Mage Tower.
Instead, he truthfully told the Baron that, during his escape, he had discovered a “mysterious” and deserted fort town in a river valley within a forest.
…It wasn’t that he didn’t want to keep that town, capable of housing a thousand, to himself.
But after discussing it repeatedly with Azeryan, he had given up on this tempting idea.
With the power and resources they currently possessed, it was utterly unrealistic to think of occupying the empty town.
Leon had neither the financial strength to develop the empty town nor the subjects to populate it.
And such a fortress town—with advanced and complete facilities, the capacity to hold nearly a thousand residents inside, and extensive development land outside—was undoubtedly attractive to any Lord.
Now that the curse had dissipated, it meant that an area nearly half the size of a county had suddenly appeared, land that belonged to neither the North nor South Kingdom, an unclaimed territory.
When the Lords of Kantadar and other Orland Lords of Kosos County learned that the Nightmare Forest was no longer dangerous and started to develop new territories and discover that empty town…Leon knew that he alone could not protect the town from being snatched away by other greedy nobles.
So, rather than benefit a stranger, it was better to openly inform the Sealing Lord about the town’s existence now, in exchange for tangible rewards.
Keeping this prize in the hands of his own camp, letting the Farolis Family invest in its development, was far better than having it snatched away by outsiders.
Moreover, intelligence about the Nightmare Forest and an ancient fortress town with advanced facilities…
Receiving this gift, with Baron Eriv’s generous nature, Leon was not worried about the lack of a rich reward.
As for the secret of the Mage Tower, that was his only concern.
But recalling the magical spells activated by Lora before he left, Leon wasn’t too worried that ordinary people would be able to discover the presence of a hidden Mage Tower in the town.
After Leon had carefully finished recounting his fabricated experiences.
Baron Eriv rose from his chair, quickly stepped in front of the youth, and rested his hand on his shoulder plate.
“Have you told anyone else about this matter?
Who else knows the curse in that forest has dissipated?” the Master of Thorns asked seriously.
“At the moment, other than me, Azeryan, Lokhak, only you, and Lord Balfe know of this matter,” Leon answered, half-truthfully.
Kovis outside and Miss Lora from the Mage Tower were also aware, but there was no need to specifically inform Baron Eriv about this.
“To be honest, I find it hard to believe what you’ve told me, not that I doubt your honesty, but this matter is of great import.
I must send people to accompany you back to the Nightmare Forest to verify the truth,” Baron Eriv quickly calculated the next steps, speaking to Leon in a solemn voice.
He knew what it would mean for the surrounding areas if the Nightmare Forest was no longer a natural barrier bisecting the southern part of Kosos County.
His mind raced with a series of astonishing impacts and chain reactions that made the Master of Thorns’ heart beat faster with excitement.
If it were true, this could be an opportunity…an opportunity for the Farolis Family to rise!
“Regardless of whether your deduction about the dissipation of the curse in the forest is true or not, Leon, the fact that you did not seek out others and instead informed me of this news first…” Baron Eriv took a deep breath, patted the youth’s shoulder plate, and sighed, “I shall not fail to reward you in the future.”
The Baron could sense from the emphasis the young man placed on the significance of the mysterious deserted town that the latter was not a naive fool.
The youth must surely understand the unimaginable value contained in this intelligence, but the Baron believed that the small estate he had originally granted the boy was simply incomparable to this value.