Chapter 105: Rikutus’ Red-tailed Hawk
"Rikutus’ Red-tailed Hawk"
"Vice Count Valentine Thorn."
"Such a problematic person that even I must be careful around."
"He is an enigma. Some respect him; some loathe him."
"But no one should underestimate his capabilities."
Count Nidor Parge of Brineyard, a count in the Duchy of Detarnor.
....
While Darius was leading Sigismond’s Security Solutions to escort Ralston and his merchant caravan to the royal capital of the Kingdom of Nathia Narthonia, a completely different set of events was happening in the Aurellion refugee camp they had left behind.
Vice Count Valentine Thorn was riding towards the refugee camp his liege lord wanted him to investigate a loyal vassal of the duke known widely throughout the Duchy of Detarnor as ’Rikutus Red-tailed Hawk.’ Count Valentine is a very perceptive person and many times has pointed things out that the intelligent duke misses because even if you hate him and curse his greed and corruption, you cannot say that Duke Ridorfin is stupid or incompetent.
A man of 30, he took over from his father as Vice Count of Sherset 2 years ago. He made the duke worry initially when he seemed to clean up his territory of any bandits and corrupt officials, as many nobles who did that previously would usually be at odds with him, even hanging his father’s old chief retainer alongside his family when he found out that he had been taking money from him since the beginning of his father’s reign which also happened to be one of Ridorfin’s showing his capability and ruthlessness that he brings to his job under the duke.
When the Duke asked for his release, he was met with a rebuttal from the new vice count, who presented all the evidence to the duke before executing him, stating that he was a corrupt man who oppressed the people and that he deserved his fate unable to refute the vice count Duke Ridorfin could only watch his spy hang around the gates for a few days before being buried.
But shortly after purging his territory of corruption, for some reason, he began to do what was seen as the duke’s dirty work, as whenever the duke arrested someone of power, this Vice Count always led his knights to capture them. The man seemed willing to do Ridorfin’s dirty work, finding all the evidence the duke needed to move against them and punish them for any misdeeds that they had committed.