Chapter 11 - The desperate scheme

With the first, and most dangerous, wave finished the situation calmed down. At least it seemed that way. People again started to move towards the village. And some of the villagers returned to their homes.

With the lords and lady though, the situation started to heat up. If the rogue dungeon would have destroyed the lands William would either have been attacked. Or he would have had to marry his lands of.

Though now that the wave was defeated. And no real damage occurred, the interest started to spike. A rogue dungeon was still a dungeon. And if controlled will become a great asset to the person owning it.

This rising interest and his high debt, due to needing money to build the gatehouse, resulted in him getting some certain invitations. He was a man in my prime, looked quite good, and had a promising position, so a lot of fathers and mothers wanted to marry their daughters to William.

The lord was not against marriage outright but wanted to get the most out of it. Right now was also a very good time. He currently found himself in a promising but unstable position and needed a family to serve as his foundation.

He went through the messages he had received and welcomed the daughters that were sent to him. Having a look at whom they may marry and so he could get to know them better.

Various ladies of many powerful and not so prominent houses greeted him. He spends his free time with them, searching for a wive how would not only have a powerful house but would be able to help him otherwise.

During his different “Dates” he observed the construction of the permanent fort around the entrance. And he got an alarming message, the capital was requesting men. They were having problems in the different larger cities. The large cliff between nobles and slaves, even more, distinct in cities, was making problems.

Out in the countryside the slaves were treated better. The peasants owning them knew what it meant to be poor and the cliff between the two wasn’t as large. But in cities where the majority of the richest nobles lived the difference was enormous. This lead to small demonstrations which slowly developed into a slave rebellion.

Williams needs to find a wive got even more urgent. The troops were desperately needed to man the fort and protect against any future outbreaks. The first one was just the dungeon testing the waters.

Now that the capital wanted a large number of men to help against the rebellion the fort was not in an optimal position.

With no more time to search for an optimal wive he had to choose one not fully to his liking. It was the young daughter of a high noble family. Your typical highborn lady.

Frilly outfits, arrogant personality, removed from the world around her, and absolutely pampered. Not something William would have wanted to marry at any rate, but her family proposal was just too good.

They would provide him with enough money to pay back any debts he had and supply the necessary troops to man the fort. Furthermore, they would continue to support him as long as he produced a good number of heirs.

It was clear that his family was just using him to get close access to the dungeon. At every corner, they were trying to introduce their own people into the village.

The men on the fort were nearly all from his new family. Adventurers from the guild were switched with ones loyal to the new family. Merchants and masters of different professions changed owners.

It was a precarious game to play. William surely had won the “support” of a powerful family. But he risked losing his leading position if he played a wrong turn.

Though on the positive side, the other nobles let the matter of marriages and threats fall. The village was save for the foreseeable future, he had to only work his way out of this situation.

First, though he would start be going undercover, so to say. He would still be fully visible and live like the family expected him to. Behind their back, the real things would happen.

The marriage to the noble family's daughter happened faster than someone could blink. Only 1 day after his proposal to her they were married. The daughter too knew her part in this scheme and was quick to try and seduce him. Trying to get him into bed, straight after the wedding night.

William was accustomed to this, his many years as a slave for noble widow ladies helped him in this regard. He either finished her of other ways, would hold off on impregnating her, went on late-night work shifts, or put her to sleep.

The moment his wife would bear an heir it was over. The connection would be solidified and he would die a “tragic” death. William though had something else planned.

He slowly worked his way up in the family. Got on the good side of some of its members, through corruption and blackmailing. He exchanged some of the men working for the family with his own.

Meanwhile, the fort around the dungeon was under lockdown. The family was using it privately to strengthen their own army and further their cultivation. Occasionally monster outbreaks would ravage the gatehouse, though the powerful family could take the attacks, for now.

Over the coming month and a half, a lot of things happened. The village of 2500 grew to a small town of 5 to 6 thousand. Though the peasants' happiness declined along with the number growing. Especially this unhappiness was something William used to his advantage.

Two months after the families overtake of the village and dungeon his plan was finally set in place. Every last piece was where he wanted it to be.

His wife was still not pregnant, to the dissatisfaction of the family heads. A significant portion of the people the family send to control his village was under his command. And the villagers were close to a full-out rebellion.

William said the command and his last piece fell into place!!!