Come to another world and become a lord

Chapter 192 Territory Ownership Issue

A few days later, in the meeting hall of Black Crow Castle, a meeting about post-war distribution was being held. Ford was defeated, but the real trouble came after the victory. As the only legitimate ruler of this territory, the Walter family were all vampires, which was naturally impossible to be recognized. Now this land has become a no-man's land again, and what will follow is bound to be a fierce battle between the two sides.

Carl sat on a chair on the left, looking somewhat relaxed. He looked around at the people around him: King Philip sat in the middle seat, looking solemn. Although he had the highest authority as a king, this victory was not achieved by his army. His delay and procrastination made him lose a lot of voice. Earl Campbell sat opposite him, still as usual, with a stern face and no words. He also made great efforts, but due to his status as an earl, he was mostly just waiting for others to share the cake, and did not have the right to decide. He was the same in this regard. So the main contradictions next were actually concentrated on the Grand Master Aiden representing the Holy See, and His Majesty.

Sure enough, not long after the start, Aiden took out a parchment letter, unfolded it and announced loudly:

"This land was once enslaved by vampires, and dark forces were entrenched here. Now that it has been liberated, there is no guarantee that there will not be remnant forces lurking here. Therefore, according to the will of His Holiness the Pope, this territory will be established as a bishopric!"

After he finished speaking, he shook the Pope's order in his hand and unfolded the text for everyone to see. It clearly stated that the Holy See required that this territory be established as an episcopal order and directly managed by the local bishop to prevent the resurgence of dark forces.

As soon as Aiden finished speaking, Philip's face immediately darkened. He slammed the table, his voice full of dissatisfaction:

"The bishopric? Lord Aiden, have you forgotten that this territory is still part of my kingdom?"

"Of course I understand. Your Majesty, you can rest assured that even the diocese will fulfill its vassal obligations to you and will not pay any less taxes." Aiden replied.

"The division of territories is the right of the king. Now the Church wants to intervene in this matter. You are interfering in the internal affairs of my kingdom!"

"Your Majesty, this is not an interference in your internal affairs. It's just that the harm caused by vampires is very serious. The church will not feel at ease if someone else comes. What's more, this scourge is also in your Majesty's territory. Dare you say that your Majesty has no responsibility at all?" Although Aiden still used honorifics when speaking, his tone was particularly tough.

Carl watched all this quietly. Philip's face was extremely unhappy at this time. The Holy See had a huge influence in the fields of religion and morality, and even involved in the ordinary judicial trials of the kingdom. All this made his Majesty the King dissatisfied, but fortunately they had not yet touched the noble class, and the two sides lived in harmony. But now the Holy See has begun to touch the issue of territorial ownership. This has exceeded the bottom line of the king's tolerance.

"No matter what you say, this is the kingdom's territory, it's my territory! The duty of your Vatican is to chant scriptures and pray, not to steal people's land!" Philip yelled.

"Hmph, your land? It's been occupied by vampires for so many years, and it's still your land? Do you want to admit that vampires are also your subjects?" Aiden's words became stern and he no longer used honorifics.

After hearing this, Philip was choked for a moment. He frowned, thought for a while and continued:

"No matter what, it is still kingdom land in legal terms, and the Vatican cannot deny that."

"We don't deny it~" Aiden said sternly, "But your territory was in trouble and was taken away by vampires. The Church sent troops and made efforts to help you regain the lost territory. Now we just want the right to appoint personnel, which is not too much~"

"Ha~ How dare you say that~" Philip suddenly laughed, "Did you capture Black Crow Castle? All your men died in the forest!"

Aiden's face darkened for a moment, and then he whispered:

"Your Majesty, I admit that due to my improper command, the Crusaders suffered heavy losses, but my brothers resisted the monsters and fought bloody battles until the last moment. They were all great and lived up to their mission. On the other hand, what was Your Majesty doing at that time? When we were fighting Ford, at least my people were there. Where was Your Majesty at that time?"

"Well...well, I also encountered an enemy that looked like a vampire, and our troops were stuck..." Philip was choked again, and he coughed twice to cover up his embarrassment.

The two of them were once again in a tense situation, and the atmosphere in the meeting hall became even more tense. Karl was watching the two of them, and to be honest, he liked to see Philip get humiliated.

Aiden frowned slightly, and seeing that Philip had been forced into a corner of speech, he suddenly slowed down his tone:

"Since it is difficult for us to reach a consensus and Your Majesty is strongly opposed to the establishment of a diocese, why not come up with a compromise plan."

"Compromise, what do you mean?" Philip asked with a frown.

But I heard Aiden say again:

"Why not decide who owns this territory based on merit on the battlefield? That way, none of us will have to argue about who should govern and who should enjoy the fiefdom. Let objective facts speak for themselves. I don't think I need to say more about who really made the greatest contribution in this battle."

There was silence in the hall, and everyone's eyes suddenly turned to Carl. Carl was also surprised. He was originally a spectator watching the show, but as he was watching, the melon actually fell into his own hands.

Indeed, he was the main force in the final battle with Ford, but this was a political negotiation, and in terms of political capital alone, neither he nor Campbell had much of a say. This was originally a dispute between the Holy See and the King, but the result unexpectedly pushed him to the forefront.

Aiden paused, then said slowly:

"It was Carl and his men who defeated Ford at the critical moment. Everyone agrees on this."

Seeing everyone nod, he continued:

"He was also the first to fight against vampires. He is very experienced in dealing with vampires and has defeated them repeatedly in his own territory."

"That's true," said Philip.

Aiden nodded and said:

"The Pope wants to establish a bishopric simply because he is afraid of the resurgence of vampires. He is not at ease leaving it to someone else. But if there is a particularly suitable successor who can make the Holy See feel at ease, I believe that His Holiness will not force it."

"You want me to make Karl... the new Earl of Walter?"

But Aiden nodded calmly:

"He is the only one among your vassals that the Church can trust."

Philip's eyes widened for a moment. He looked at Aiden and then at Karl. He was not a fool. Although the boy in front of him was only a viscount in name, he had already seized the Morgan Territory and actually controlled the Duolunso Territory. Now he was officially made the Earl of Walter? Three of the five territories in the North were given to him like this? It would be better to just make him the Duke of the North. Why bother with so much trouble!

But he didn't dare to say it clearly, so he could only stammer:

"Well... my nephew was promoted to Viscount not long after being conferred the title of Baron. Now it's only been over a year, and he was conferred the title of Earl so soon. What will others think~"

"If this doesn't work, then the Holy See can only insist on setting up dioceses," Aiden replied.

Philip once again looked embarrassed. He thought carefully for a long time and glared at Carl again. Carl had no choice but to spread his hands helplessly.

Finally the king sighed and said:

"Give me a few days, let me think about it, let me think about it..."