Chapter 402: Information I
Timmons nodded. "The eldest of the four is Hartmu Tachibana, a Knight of the Dark Order with blood manipulation; his aspect in blood seems to lean towards explosion. He's 37 and already a father of two children. And at the moment, his faction among the four heirs is the strongest."
"The second is Cassian Tachibana, a Dark Order knight with an aspect leaning towards necromancy or bone manipulation. He's 34 and, of the three heirs, he appears to be the one that doesn't care for the position at all, but in truth, he has already absorbed a lot of the Errant Knights and small organizations."
"Seraphine Tachibana is third, from the Elemental Order, with the aspect of Magma, making her a very formidable Knight. At 30, she's hailed as a prodigy for becoming a Master Knight at such an age, because she was even faster than her elders! Of her political influence, her hold is in the Tachibana army."
"Then we have the last. The true genius of the family. Vossberg Tachibana, 28, from the Elemental Order with the aspected Essence of Sound and Vibration. He's a true genius because, in terms of raw power, he's the absolute strongest of the four, with strength often compared to young masters of High Clans. It could be said that the Tachibana Clan leader already put some favor in him, and that was why he was initially put in charge of the Matsumoto issues. That Oskar is part of his faction."
Vale remained silent for a while after Timmons stopped speaking. Then he commented in a solemn voice. "The future of the Tachibana Clan is indeed filled with prosperity with this kind of heirs. No wonder they began to aim so high. But I can't help but wonder, why doesn't the Clan leader take his heirs to his war? Won't that be an opportunity for them to showcase their capabilities?"
"That should indeed be the case, but our intelligence gathered that he might be wary of assassinations. With the war just starting for the claiming of the Rift, it appears he did not want to risk anything. At the same time, he needed people with enough authority to hold their base back at home."
Vale raised his brows. "It seems the Clan leader is a very cautious person. He's not willing to risk anything at all."
"That is the truth."
"Then do you know why he put Vossberg in charge of the situation in the Hinterlands?"
"Well, technically, he was only put in charge of the Matsumoto Clan. The four heirs are still in charge of everything, as per what their father commanded. Together with some Elders, of course."
Vale could already see a picture forming. Without even knowing the political situation of the Tachibana Clan, he had made a plan that wasn't too hurried or forceful. By not killing Oskar, he gave them justified reasons, and now, Vale knew the other heirs would use the situation against Vossberg and want to use Vale as a weapon against each other!
He found that faintly amusing. His real action was to draw out High Clans that might want to support him, but now he was sure the heirs would be salivating over how to use him.
'....I wonder how Vossberg will react to this. Will he send a stronger warrior? Or will he come down himself to deal with things? I've just made things difficult for him...'
Vale would still count that as a win because he knew the more attention that was thrown around, the easier it was for others to take notice and act.
"This is indeed good information, Timmons."
Timmons looked at him hopefully, his face asking about the deal. But Vale wasn't done. "But we still have a lot to talk about. Come, Timmons, tell me why the Athrimir Clan was feared and hated by all the other Clans here. I want to know why we're hated and the attitude of the High Clans towards the Hinterlands."
Timmons blinked as if he wasn't expecting that; his eyes widened in an unspoken question.
Vale shrugged. "The circumstances surrounding my climbing to the seat of Clan leader are quite...special. I do not have access to some information."
Even the family records held no such thing and, to be honest, Vale also found it suspicious that his Clan was that wealthy. Not to talk of the resources of the Rift and ruins, the numbers just didn't match up! And after what Kaelthorn hinted at, his suspicions had only grown, and that's why he directly asked the question.
Timmons began slowly. "The Hinterlands are quite special. The Hinterlands were once a High Clan of great status, but that was a long, long time ago during the time of the Emperor and, after that, with the Knight Assembly. But something happened, and other Clans and powers rose up to destroy them. And, yes, we do not know the reason. Things seem to have been intentionally erased to cover this up."
"Surprisingly, none of the other powers absorbed the destroyed Hinterlands. Instead, they allowed fractured Clans to settle in, fight, and war against each other until things evolved as they are. From the information we gathered, we can only draw the conclusion that other powers had been secretly watching the Hinterlands for a long time! They even went as far as to agree—that's the High Clans—they agreed to appoint one High Clan every fifty years to be in charge of it."
"Until now, of course, where the Akakawa Clan is looking to break it. Since whatever they are looking for, or searching for, has not been found even till now."
Vale was deep in thought after that as his mind flashed with connections that others couldn't easily see. He also saw Tiber looking at him.
Could what they were looking for relate to the Forbidden Mark? The Crimson Lord? It wouldn't be a far-fetched idea; after all, with the Old Man's apparent help, didn't he find the inheritance of the Crimson Lord here?
'....could it even be this same inheritance that I'm holding?...'