Chapter 808 - The Falcon’s Beacon (III) (2/2)

Lize felt rather shy while Anne joyously accepted his compliments. After beating about the bush, Don finally got into the main subject.

“… May I know what matters you have on hand to come all the way to the Eastern Plains?”

“It’s for some private matters, that’s all.”

Rhode gave a perfunctory response, to which Don’s passionate smile stiffened for a few moments. Then, he nodded.

“I see. Alright then, please let me know if you need any help. We will do our best as long as we can be of help to you.”

Don shifted his gaze to Gaya.

“Gaya, we’re about to start a meeting for the upcoming battle. Many have joined the alliance while you were away. I think there are some adjustments to be made.”

“I got it.”

Gaya nodded slightly and looked at Rhode.

“Alright then, Mr. Rhode. Please follow Bryan to my residence for now. I will handle your problems after I’m done.”

Gaya turned around and left the place. Thereafter, Rhode’s group followed Bryan to a small manor located in the uphill corner of the camp. This camp was originally a town by the foot of the hill. After escorting Rhode’s group into the manor, Bryan took his leave and got a maid to receive them instead. Even though this wasn’t too polite of him, it was a great opportunity for Rhode to clear the doubts in his head.

“About Madam Gaya?”

Sovann gazed in astonishment. Rhode nodded slightly and put away the cup of tea in his hand.

“That’s right, I feel that Miss Gaya isn’t… really popular in the Eastern Plains. What’s going on? I guess you must have heard of something regarding this.”

Rhode had already felt rather strange when they first met Don. Logically speaking, even though Gaya wasn’t an overlord of a territory, she should almost be on equal footing with the 12 elders of the Elder Regime with her identity and strength. On the other hand, Don was merely in the Peak Master Stage, so what gave him the rights to behave this rudely? It also wasn’t right to say that they were childhood friends because the murderous intent from Gaya was obvious. However, why wasn’t the man afraid?

Not only that, but Rhode also discovered that Gaya’s situation in the Eastern Plains seemed to be in a rough spot and this was apparent from the state of this manor. Logically speaking, she should be viewed as a core figure within the camp as the commander, unlike now where she was only called upon for a meeting and living in this remote place. They wouldn’t be able to find her in times of emergency, wouldn’t they…?

Gaya had always been a mysterious figure and was a target to the players’ research. Now that Rhode had the chance to uncover some truth, he wouldn’t let this chance slip. He believed that Sovann would have additional information about her that the players couldn’t discover.

“… I’ve indeed heard some rumors.”

Sovann revealed a difficult expression. Just as Rhode expected, Sovann did know something about Gaya, which wasn’t convenient for them to talk about in public. But now, since it was Rhode who asked, he didn’t have any reason to hide the truth.

“Miss Gaya is smart and has an innate talent. She was the heir of one of the 12 elders when she was a little girl. She possessed skills of her father’s potential and musical talent in playing the harp from her mother. Back then, everyone believed that Miss Gaya would join the prestigious Elder Regime in future and become one of the leaders…”

“She was the heir?”

Rhode emphasized while Sovann nodded firmly.

“Yes… Something happened in her family thereafter. I’m not too sure about the specific situation, but according to the rumors it seems that their family was too powerful and reputable, so they came up with thoughts of leaving the Munn Kingdom…”

“Oh?”

This piqued Rhode’s curiosity. The Eastern Plains was a mysterious place for the players and there were so many rumors that they couldn’t possibly hear them all. But even so, Rhode knew that the Eastern Plains had always been a King’s Party’s supporter. However, he didn’t expect them to have the intention of breaking away from the Munn Kingdom.

“This… is just a rumor that I’ve heard because many people were spreading this back then. However, most of them didn’t think that it was possible until later on when there was news about her family attempting to assassinate Her Royal Highness Lydia. Everyone was stunned and… Of course they failed and were basically put to an end. Rumor has it that Gaya wasn’t even 6 years old when that happened. She survived as Her Royal Highness Lydia brought her out of the Eastern Plains. In the end, the Elder Regime re-elected the candidates to replace the family, which is why no one talked about this matter since it isn’t something honorable.”

I see.

Rhode finally understood the situation. He knew that the people of the Eastern Plains had always been proud of their loyalty to the Munn Kingdom. Now that there was a traitor amongst them who had tried to assassinate the duchess, this was a great hit to their pride. Gaya was the only survivor and heir of that family, so she naturally suffered the sins for her elders. Besides, she was taken away by Lydia from a very young age, so this perhaps made her the same as himself—outsiders.

Rhode let out a sigh. He didn’t have much to comment about Gaya’s plight. Moreover, based on his understanding about her, he knew that she didn’t need any sympathy.

It was already dusk when the meeting ended and Gaya brought a piece of news after returning to the manor.

“Tomorrow morning, we shall be launching an all-out attack on the Falcon Peak. If you have any personal matters to attend to, feel free to do so.”