Chapter 301: Gentle Counsel (Part 2)
"Son, you're still too young. The conflict between our two families has lasted for a century. If we offer a truce to the an Craite Family now, wouldn't the warriors who bled and died for the Drummond Family have sacrificed for nothing?"
"We can remember their brave deeds with poems, we can erect stone monuments to carve their achievements, we have many ways to commemorate and remember them, but they are gone in the end. Father, must we, the living, continue to give up our lives because of the hatred of the dead?"
"You... sigh!"
"One-Eyed" Lugos was so angry he sobered up.
If it weren't for the fact that his beloved son was sitting below him, he would have thrown the wine cup in his hand at his face.
But from the corner of his eye, "One-Eyed" Lugos suddenly saw the witcher sitting next to his son. He had a change of heart and said, "Master Lynn, what do you think?"
"Me?" Lynn hadn't expected to be involved. "Lord Lugos, what do you want me to say?"
"One-Eyed" Lugos said without thinking, "Of course, I want your honest opinion, Master."
"Are you sure?"
After receiving a definite "yes" from "One-Eyed" Lugos, Lynn pondered for a moment and decided to speak his mind.
The Skelligers' way of thinking was different from the Nilfgaardians'.
What Skelligers hated the most was two-faced behavior.
They hated fence-sitters even more.
If you didn't state your position clearly and then changed your mind later, you would be rejected by all Islanders.
It was the same in The Witcher 3. If Geralt chose to help the an Craite Family, and the an Craite heir became the King of Skellige, "Madman" Lugos of the Drummond Family would refuse to kneel to the an Craite heir because of the long-standing feud.
Having a generational feud was understandable, of course. For example, in Lynn's home world, Japan and Korea also had a long-standing feud. Korea's relationship with Japan since the "Proto-Three Kingdoms period" was one of "different lands, irreconcilable hatred."
The thing was, "Madman" Lugos could have pretended to submit, waited for the an Craite Family to fight to the death with the Nilfgaardians on the front lines, then stabbed them in the back and divided the an Craite territory with the Nilfgaardians, just as King Henselt of Kaedwen did during the Second Northern War...
But "Madman" Lugos chose not to do so. Instead, he revealed his cards in front of Mousesack and Geralt, who represented the an Craite Family, stating that he would not pledge allegiance to them, and was ultimately killed by Geralt's sword.
That's what Skelligers were like.
Perhaps such actions would be seen as "foolish," "rigid," and "inflexible" by Continentals.
But if you wanted to earn the respect of the Skelligers and befriend them, you had to adapt to their rules to integrate into their society.
On a side note, on the way back, Lynn also figured out a question that had been bothering him:
Why was "Madman" Lugos, the one he had met, a reasonable and considerate lord, but in The Witcher 3, "Madman" Lugos was exactly as his nickname suggested—senseless and unwilling to consider the bigger picture?
Perhaps it was because of this expedition.
In the original plot, without Lynn's involvement, "Madman" Lugos and his group might have been completely wiped out as soon as they entered the courtyard. Even if "Madman" Lugos had managed to escape, the trauma from the haunted castle would have been indelible, causing his personality to change drastically.
But in this timeline, with Lynn's involvement, "Madman" Lugos was not possessed by evil, and the ending was naturally a happy one for everyone.
...
Getting back to the main topic.
In fact, one of Lynn's original goals for coming to the Skellige Isles was to win over the various families of the Isles and improve his relationship with them.
Naturally, he couldn't use the two-faced way of speaking that the Islanders detested.
So he thought for a moment and spoke his true thoughts.
"Although I am an outsider, not a member of the Drummond Family, or even a Skelliger, in my homeland, there is a saying, which, when translated into the Common Tongue, means:
"The parties involved in a matter, because they consider too much about the gains and losses, often have an incomplete understanding and see things less clearly than an outsider."
This saying was, of course, correct.
Both father and son nodded.
"Both your ideas are correct, and your intentions are good, all for the sake of the Drummond Family. However, there is one thing I must point out: while the family's interests are important, the unity of the Isles cannot be ignored."
"The ancestors of the various families of the Isles were all sons of the mythical hero Hemdall. In other words, you are all brothers."
"In a family, it's understandable for brothers to have arguments, conflicts, and sometimes even resort to physical confrontation. This is human nature."
"But brothers are brothers after all. The biggest conflicts are still internal. Moreover, at certain times, a certain degree of compromise and concession is actually necessary."
"One-Eyed" Lugos heard the witcher's stance, siding with his son.
"Master Lynn, are you saying..."
"I agree with young Lugos. Reconciling with the an Craite Family is what will maximize the Drummond Family's interests. What's more, on Ard Skellig, the Drummond Family are the outsiders."
All the vassals looked at Lynn in shock, who dared to "speak so brazenly," and then turned to "One-Eyed" Lugos.
"One-Eyed" Lugos said nothing, but the vassals who knew their lord understood that if he had cursed out loud, it would have been fine. On the contrary, his silence meant that...
Bjorn tried to speak up for Lynn, but was held back firmly by Floki.
"Madman" Lugos sensed that the atmosphere was wrong and said, bracing himself.
"Father, Master Lynn absolutely didn't mean to be disrespectful to you. He's a Continental and doesn't understand the Isles or the Drummond Family, so you..."
"One-Eyed" Lugos raised his hand, stopping his son from speaking further.
He suddenly stood up from his seat, walked down the steps, and came before the witcher.
He lightly patted the witcher's shoulder three times.
The latter was taken aback, and then looked at the Drummond patriarch's eyes, which seemed to be conveying a certain message to him.
Afterward, "One-Eyed" Lugos returned to his seat.
"The matter of reconciling with the an Craite Family is complex and a historical issue. It cannot be resolved with just a few words or in a single day."
He glanced at his son. For some reason, "Madman" Lugos felt that his father's last sentence was meant specifically for him.
"Madman" Lugos guiltily looked away, not daring to meet his father's gaze.
"One-Eyed" Lugos didn't continue looking at his son. Instead, he said to the vassals who were watching him expectantly, "This matter is too important and too sensitive. We will discuss it later."
"Everyone, no matter what, Master Lynn is a hero of the Drummond Family, allowing the Drummonds to open up the land in the southeast of Ard Skellig."
"After all, Master Lynn is from the Continent, so his perspective on things is different from ours. His remarks may have been inappropriate, but they are forgivable."
"But we, the Drummond Family, are not petty people. We can't hold a grudge just because someone said something we didn't like."
"The unpleasant atmosphere ends here today, everyone. Drink! Dance! I don't want it to be said that we, the Drummond Family, are barbarians who don't know how to treat our guests."
(End of this chapter)
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