Chapter 194: Wait Here First (2)
Count Cabaldy, meeting Ghislaine’s eyes, couldn’t hide his confusion.
It wasn’t the gaze of a victor. Instead, it was filled with an unknown hatred and rage.
It made no sense to him.
He had no grievances with this brat, only plans to build them in the future.
Count Cabaldy blinked rapidly and asked,
“You… didn’t just invade here out of simple greed, did you? What’s your purpose in targeting me?”
“Well, I have plenty of purposes. One of them is to kill you right here.”
“Cough, cough, you think you can kill me? Do you think that you and your father will be safe afterward? Your family and territory will be wiped out without a trace!”
“You’re pretty confident, aren’t you?”
“Yeah, so back off now. Don’t you know who’s behind me? The Crown Prince Faction won’t protect you!”
Count Cabaldy continued, wearing a big smirk.
“I recognize your skill and cunning. But it seems you’re still too young to understand politics. The Duke Faction will never sit idly by. If you kill me, it’ll be impossible to clean up the mess.”
“….”
“This is your last chance. If you spare me, I promise to give you half of the iron ore production for the next 20 years in the surrender negotiations.”
Ghislaine listened silently to Count Cabaldy’s desperate persuasion.
Count Cabaldy was convinced that Ghislaine would accept this proposal.
Though he had lost the war, he was a member of the Duke Faction and a highly respected noble in the North.
If Baron Penris gobbled this place up, it would have to be a disaster. Other nobles, especially the Duke Faction, wouldn’t just sit by.
Even the dumbest fool could think of this much.
“Sparing my life would benefit you more than killing me. Even if factions are against each other, killing a surrendering noble won’t do any good. It’s half! Half of the iron ore production!”
If Ghislaine were an ordinary noble and this war a simple conflict, he would have accepted this condition.
He would reduce political burdens and gain tremendous profits. The fame of having defeated a Northern powerhouse would be a bonus.
But Ghislaine hadn’t invaded here with that intention.
“Why? Do you think it doesn’t matter since a civil war will happen soon anyway?”
“What, what?”
Count Cabaldy panicked. It was a secret that they were preparing for rebellion in the Duke Faction that couldn’t be openly said.
The fact that a rebellion was being prepared was a secret that couldn’t be openly acknowledged.
With the confrontation against the Crown Prince Faction intensifying, they could probably guess to some extent, but admitting it willingly was out of the question.
“What dangerous words are you spouting now? The factional conflict is just a power struggle……”
“Don’t mess with me, Count Cabaldy. Do you really think I’m that clueless?”
“What are you talking about…….”
“Count Desmond, who claims to be neutral, is swallowing up the northern territories one by one under the Duke Faction’s orders.”
“Wh-What…….”
Count Cabaldy’s face turned pale with shock. How can this fool be so certain about something that even the Crown Prince Faction isn’t sure of?
Ghislaine’s words didn’t stop there.
“Do you think this is mere speculation? Should I say more? How about the fact that the Tower of the Bloody Flame is the Duke Faction’s hidden weapon? I hear it was cultivated to stab the Crown Prince Faction in the back at the right moment.”
“You, you……”
“What about the plan to incite a rebellion from within Raybold? You were also supplying iron ore to Amelia and arming her, weren’t you?”
“Uh, uh…….”
“More than half of the northern lords have unknowingly fallen under Count Desmond’s influence. All their retainers have taken his money and are compromised.”
“Y-You, who the hell are you? How… how do you know all this?”
Count Cabaldy felt chills run down his spine.
This was no guesswork. This guy was fully aware of all the schemes Count Desmond had been pulling for years.
Ghislaine glared at Count Cabaldy with a terrifying gaze and continued speaking.
“Surrender negotiations? 20 years? Do you think I wouldn’t know that you were planning to strike Count Desmond and Perdium? That you intended to cut off the supply of iron ore, trample us, and turn us all into slaves?”
After seeing Ghislaine’s eyes, Count Cabaldy’s head started to spin.
Only now did he understand why his opponent looked at him with such eyes.
No one would forgive a person trying to kill them.
‘But how did he find out? Is there a traitor among us? Whatever the case, this is dangerous. He’s a dangerous man. I must kill him. I have to kill him at all costs.’
Baron Penris knew all the plans that the Crown Prince Faction hadn’t grasped yet. Their schemes were all being leaked.
He had to somehow inform the Duke Faction of this fact. If they weren’t careful, they could end up playing right into the enemy’s hands.
‘Wait a second? If I play my cards right, I could…….’
Count Cabaldy, briefly lost in confusion, soon had a glint in his eyes.
So what if their plan was discovered?
Their power was the strongest in the kingdom. They could crush any petty scheming with sheer force.
Being somewhat politically savvy, he instantly wore a servile grin and said.
“Ah, truly a clever lad you are. You’re right. I don’t know how you found out, but given the situation, I’ll give you one last chance.”
“A chance?”
“I see your show of strength as a means to demonstrate your ability. If you’re that smart, you should understand the power of the Duke Faction…… no, you don’t even need to get into that. You know the power of Count Desmond well, don’t you?”
Ghislaine smiled silently. Who in the north didn’t know the power of Count Desmond?
Seeing that smile, Count Cabaldy grew even more confident and continued his talk.
Count Cabaldy spoke with increased confidence.
“I’ll tell Duke about your excellence personally. Step into the shadow of the Duke faction. Then you and your father will be safe and enjoy eternal wealth. What do you say? Joining us?”
Count Cabaldy believed that Ghislaine wouldn’t refuse this offer.
Knowing their secret plan means acknowledging the strength on this side as well.
If he truly wanted to live, he needed to grasp their hands. It was the only way.
Ghislaine straightened up, leaving Count Cabaldy’s hair alone. Naturally, Count Cabaldy had to look up at Ghislaine.
He didn’t quite like this position, but it was time to soothe this kid.
Ghislaine nodded and continued speaking.
“Yeah, I know very well how powerful and impressive Count Desmond is in the North. There’s no need to involve the Duke faction.”
“Hehe, smart lad, aren’t you? I’ll overlook today’s rudeness. From now on, we’ll join forces to dominate the North. Now, untie me and help me up.”
Count Cabaldy smiled. No matter how capable he was, a kid was still a kid.
This guy would get tossed aside after getting the runaround. But he survived. He could repay today’s humiliation when the chance arose.
Looking down at Count Cabaldy, Ghislaine spoke in a cold voice.
“But I’m not interested in joining hands with you.”
“What?”
“Why go through the hassle when we can just kill everyone?”
“What are you saying…?”
Swish!
Before Count Cabaldy could finish, Ghislaine’s sword moved like lightning.
Even as his head flew away, Count Cabaldy’s face was filled with shock and confusion.
Before his consciousness faded completely, Ghislaine’s final words reached his ears.
“Just wait over there. Count Desmond will be sent shortly.”
*
Boom!
Count Desmond, Harold, smashed the armrest of a chair with his fist.
His expression was frozen, as if he was suppressing his rage.
Under the suffocating heavy atmosphere, none of the retainers gathered in the hall dared to speak.
After a brief silence, Harold turned to his deputy and asked.
“Repeat it.”
“Baron Penris… has ambushed Count Cabaldy and is currently besieging him. Baron Penris has an army of 3,000…”
The deputy reported the detailed situation once again.
Listening to the report with a terrifying expression, Harold soon closed his eyes.
He didn’t mock or belittle Ghislaine as usual. He simply suppressed his rage as much as possible and quietly reflected on what had happened.
He was furious enough to want to smash everything, but he had to conserve his energy for now.
‘Have I misjudged?’
There were more important and urgent matters, so he had let it slide. It was annoying, but he thought it was someone he could sweep away at any time.
Now thinking back on it, perhaps he couldn’t accept his own failure and just dismissed the other as lucky.
In fact, objectively speaking, nothing that guy did was ordinary.
He had developed the Forest of Monsters, won the Perdium battle, created cosmetics, gained support from the Crown Prince Faction, and even bought food in bulk as if he had foreseen a drought.
Perdium has emerged victorious in the workshop battle, developed cosmetics, and even secured support from the Crown Prince Faction, all while purchasing food in bulk as if foreseeing a drought.
While Harold shifted his attention elsewhere, that guy quietly amassed his gains and grew to a frightening degree.
“It’s my mistake. No need to blame anyone.”
Hearing Raoul’s evaluation, I should have thought more seriously about it. I should have eliminated that guy, risk or not.
In fact, I still firmly believe that his success relies more on luck than skill. After all, predicting the weather is impossible for anyone.
He just happened to cash in on the immigrant plan and make a big success out of it.
“But he’s not just lucky.”
Now I have to acknowledge it. Luck goes to those with skill.
That guy didn’t let his luck slip away; he struck Count Cabaldy with impeccable timing. That judgment and decisiveness definitely aren’t mere luck.
Harold’s mind cooled down.
“A wolf that gnaws at the opponent’s weaknesses.”
Count Cabaldy certainly has powerful armed forces.
However, in this starving situation, he wouldn’t be confident enough to go out and fight. Losing just once would mean the end.
He was probably holed up in the castle, waiting for support.
“Count Cabaldy can’t endure a siege.”
Count Cabaldy’s territory has never been great at securing food supplies. There wouldn’t be enough stock to last through a war.
By now, he should have long sent a substantial amount of food support. But after selling all his reserves to Ghislaine, he was too busy trying to stabilize his own situation.
He needed to sort things out here before helping anywhere else.
And that brief gap was exactly where Ghislaine inserted himself.
“Yeah, that was because of that guy.”
Things began to unravel because of some rookie. What started as a small hitch had now spiraled into an utterly convoluted situation.
I had misjudged the importance of this matter.
“I’ve been complacent. Both I and the Duke Faction.”
While Raoul held Ghislaine in high regard, he didn’t consider it more important than Amelia’s matters.
Everyone underestimated that guy, and in the end, it returned as a significant burden.
“That guy has the Crown Prince Faction behind him. I must stamp him out completely before he grows any stronger.”
I needed to reorganize the messy power dynamics in the North. Thus, Harold unilaterally decided to change the priorities of the task.
Regardless of the Duke Faction’s orders.
There was no need to report back. Taking the time to report and then discuss would take far too long.
He looked at his deputy in front of him and asked again.
“Earlier, Amelia… said that if she had permission, she’d prepare and carry out the rebellion herself, right?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Tell her to go ahead. I’ll grant her the decision-making authority, so if she needs anything, she should request it.”
“Huh? My lord, that was an order from the Duke Faction to prioritize that matter, wasn’t it? Entrusting that authority to them is…”
Harold cut off his deputy’s words and continued in a flat voice.
“From now on, our primary goal is the destruction of Penris and Perdium.”
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