Gamer Reborn

Chapter 442

Tom P.O.V.

Watching Ajax kneel in front of the king as he accepted his title as Duke had me feeling a mixture of feelings. The clothes he was wearing now were worth more than our entire house back in the village. He was always so driven and he pulled us all along with him.

For the past few years I had unconsciously been building up resentment for him, with every meeting where I was dismissed and every duty I picked up for our family while he trained and studied I had been growing more and more annoyed. But that all ended last night.

“We can’t operate like a normal noble family.” He had said. “I don’t have the training, Skills, or the time to act like a normal head of the House and that will remain so until I step down and let someone prepared take the position in the same way the other Houses of Gryndor operate.”

It was only then that I realized that Ajax wasn’t going to become a normal head of House Hearthbound. He was fully going to let us handle our duties as we saw fit and he would only support us while providing a general direction we should strive for.

I took a good look at the sea of nobles around me, a few of them had dismissed me out of hand thinking they just needed to wait to talk to Ajax but they would soon find out that I am as high as it goes.

“Rise Duke Hearthbound.” the kings said as he offered Ajax his hand.

The room exploded into cheers as Ajax took the king's hand and rose to his full height, a good head taller than the king, not everyone was happy with the turn of events but they all wore happy smiles as they applauded and cheered. A few years ago I wouldn’t have been able to see through that, now I had [Social Understanding] and [Read Intention], both of them were only uncommon but they worked well with each other.

“Thank you, Your Majesty.” Ajax’s voice resounded throughout the court, unlike the king's; however his was propagated by his stats and not a social skill so the nobles closest to him had probably felt like he was shouting. “Your family will always be welcome at my estate near Lessis.”

“Duke Hearthbound’s promotion is not the only announcement I have today.” the king said as Ajax stepped away from the throne and made his way back to me.

The room quickly fell quiet as they all awaited the king’s announcement. I pushed my skills as hard as I could but I could read nothing from the king other than a slight sense of amusement as he dragged out the silence while watching the nobles.

“This will be my last act as king before I pass the crown to my son.” The tension in the room grew tenfold. It was common for a king’s final act to be something unpopular that the nobles would be forced to swallow. “In a decade from now Gryndor will resume its expansion into the Wild Lands.”

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The silence only lasted for long enough to ensure the king had nothing else to say before the whole room broke out into whispers.

“Do you know anything about this?” I asked Ajax as he joined me.

“I found out this morning.” Ajax said. “With me becoming a landed Duke there are now two landed barons and a landed Viscount who no longer have lands to rule, the king is looking to expand and provide new lands for replacement families. It will also give me a public reason to head into the Wild Lands that will appease the nobles as I scout the territory for expansion.”

We all already knew that Ajax would spend two or maybe three years at most consolidating his gains as setting up his duchy before he would head out to explore the Wild Lands in search of a Bond.

The king’s move was also very inspired. Rumors of war with the beastkin’s had started to circulate as a few spies had finally started to infiltrate the desert kingdom once again, by naming an expansion ten years down the line as his final act he could actively begin the process of having his son take over as king while keeping the ability to return to the throne in case of a war. Nôv(el)B\\jnn

The king’s announcement caused a big wave of excitement and would change the plans of numerous Houses but it was nothing they would act on at the moment. As the excitement of the last announcement faded and the king sat down on his throne many of the nobles turned and started to approach Ajax. If anything I was thankful that all of the Archdukes were in attendance as they drew a lot of attention so we weren't swarmed.

“Duke, a pleasure to finally meet you.” Viscount Cecil said as he approached with an arm extended for a handshake.

Viscount Cecil wasn’t the only one to approach Ajax and it was clear from the way Ajax handled himself in meeting the Viscount that his time outside of Gryndor had helped with his political training. Something that nobody missed however was that Ajax was fully taking his cues from me in how he regarded each noble.

All of those who had dismissed me in the past had found themselves quickly dismissed in turn. Today was a day of celebration and it was to be spent with those who had treated our family well even when we were a brand new Baron House.

“Your Grace.” Knight Bonehammer greeted Ajax before he turned to me. “Lord Hearthbound.”

Knight Bonehammer was an old man, not so much in age as in body. At a little over three hundred years old he was barely past his prime for a noble. Knight Bonehammer hadn’t been born a noble however he had gained his Knighthood at the end of the last war.

The man had been very talented for a commoner, he had no skill with magic but he had trained hard and joined the army at an early age. He had had a family and lived the life of a normal soldier, when the war came his talent and luck had shone through, he had survived numerous battles, so many that he was still in his prime by the time his wife passed, the couple had no kids as there had never been a good time to have them.

After being granted the title of Knight the man remarried, with peace settling in he instead focused on raising a family and then began the search for a noble family to pledge his services.

“Knight Bonehammer.” I greeted the man with a smile and a firm handshake, I would have also given him a hug but it wouldn’t have been appropriate anymore with Ajax’s new standing as a Duke. “How is your family?”

Both of Knight Bonehammer’s sons were older than I was but they had become great friends. Being raised as semi-nobles and with their father sparing no expense they had shown the same talent that had gotten their father to knighthood on top of all the advantages a noble would usually have.At the age of fifty the boys still looked on the younger side and with their levels being at sixty five they were well on their way to becoming elite soldiers.

“The boys are doing great, though Grace and myself are moving slower and need a hand every now and then.” he answered, a glimmer of joy in his eyes as he noticed he wasn’t dismissed like many nobles of much higher station were.

Despite Grace being more than a hundred years younger than her husband she didn’t have his level of Vitality, both of them were getting old. It was dad who had first met Knight Bonehammer and introduced us and I knew he had been getting out measure on whether we were a good House to pledge to, he had all but decided over the eight months we had known each other but held off until he met Ajax.

“A pleasure to meet you, Knight Bonehammer.” Ajax greeted the man.

“Why don’t you come by tomorrow night.” I invited the man, Hatchet and Luna were already coming and I knew a few of Ajax’s friends would be by as well, as much as I wanted to give both of them a chance to take each others measure the open court wasn’t the place to do it.