Consumption And The Third Great Calamity

Now that Ren was thinking clearly, he could see it. His father had been preparing all along. Preparing for a war.

If the man had made overt preparation, it would've raised questions among the nobles of Albion and could end with him being summoned to the capital, to defend his actions before the king.

But his father was smart. He was preparing in ways that wouldn't raise any suspicion. He'd had the castle defenses charged discreetly, the pillars on the roof fed with blood.

He'd had Ren make sure the defenses around the village and castle were up to par. 

There was an increase in the number of squires recruited and they were still being trained at the castle, staying longer than normal squires.

Not just that, but his father had also been buying up more food than usual, storing them up.

Taken separately, there was nothing unusual about Lord Ross' actions. But taken together, Ren could sense what his father had in mind.