272 – Has That Guy Already Moved? (2)
“Wowww!”
“Another victory!”
“The enemies are retreating!”
The soldiers of Valua cheered loudly as they watched Amelia’s troops pull back.
Several months had already passed since the war began. They were holding off Amelia’s 5,000 soldiers with only 1,000 of their own.
These were renowned elite soldiers of Valua. Their morale skyrocketed with each victory.
“Hahaha! All that noise about the Raybold Army was just hype, wasn’t it?”
“A woman commander in the North! Those under her should just cut off their own…!”
“Have they already done that? Look at how they’re fighting like a bunch of kids! Did they come just to play? Hahaha!”
As they mocked the retreating Raybold Army, they were completely convinced they would not lose.
Sure, the enemy had the numbers, but they were merely led by a newly appointed lord with zero battle experience.
Yet, the lord of Valua, Baron Valua, did not share in the soldiers’ cheerful demeanor.
“What’s going on? Why are they attacking so passively? Aren’t they here to defeat me and kill Prince Davin?”
At first, Baron Valua had underestimated Amelia. Their solid defenses made it seem too easy.
But as the battle dragged on, the intent became clearer. Amelia was deliberately attacking passively, dragging things out.
The evidence? The number of Raybold’s forces up ahead was still nearly the same as at the start. It meant they had barely taken any damage.
“What on earth is her game? What’s she aiming for?”
The enemy force was more than five times larger. If they pushed with determination, there was no guarantee they could hold them back.
Yet, they were just playing around, which raised a lot of questions.
“We have plenty of food. We can hold out longer. I don’t understand why Count Penris is helping us.”
The Lord of Penris had sent Davin along with a large supply of food. Thanks to that, there was no worry about provisions.
Though he claimed it was out of friendship, the quantity he provided was so large it was rare in these days. Baron Valua wasn’t naive enough to believe that someone would give such valuable aid without expecting something in return.
“What benefit does he get from helping us?”
As he pondered, Baron Valua pulled out a crumpled letter from his pocket.
It was the letter he received along with the food from Ghislaine.
[No matter what happens, never go out of the fortress to fight. It may seem like an opportunity, but it is not.]
He still couldn’t make sense of it. They had stayed inside the fortress, just defending, so what opportunity could possibly arise? And if it’s not an opportunity, then what is it?
No matter how he thought about it, it sounded like nonsense, but he couldn’t ignore it either.
“Count Penris is a rising star in the North. Count Cabaldy was someone who was easily defeated.”
The unbelievable feats that Ghislaine had displayed had already spread far and wide.
Baron Valua had never seen Ghislaine in person, so he couldn’t easily determine if he truly had foresight or if he was just saying impressive things to look cool.
It wasn’t just Baron Valua who was lost in thought. Discontent was brewing amidst Amelia’s troops as well.
“My lady! No, countess! Ah, let’s just charge! I’ll smash their heads in! Why are we dragging this out against those guys?”
Ulkan, with his temper flaring, shouted while gripping his club tightly. He couldn’t endure the mockery from Valua’s troops any longer.
He wanted to ride out alone and wipe them all out right now.
Amelia waved her hand dismissively, her expression unchanged.
“Quiet down. It’s noisy, it’s hurting my ears.”
Meow!
Bastet also waved her paws in the air as if to silence him.
“Ao!”
Ulkan couldn’t hide his frustration. He had no idea why Amelia’s attitude had suddenly changed.
Amelia’s change in attitude left everyone puzzled.
She had claimed she would quickly attack Baron Valua’s castle, but during the operation, she suddenly heard a piece of news and changed her strategy.
― Count Desmond has issued a summoning order.
Since then, they had just been wasting time, as if they were out for a picnic.
While food was sufficient for them to hold out, others were anxious because they had no idea about her intentions.
Her followers had repeatedly suggested a collective push, but Amelia rejected every proposal. Then one day, she gave a new order.
“Pull the army back a little and dig traps everywhere.”
In the middle of a siege, she ordered to retreat and dig traps. No one could understand the intent behind such an order.
Eventually, Bernap, who had drawn everyone’s ire, reluctantly stepped up. It was better for one person to take the heat, and since he was used to Amelia’s scolding, he volunteered to represent them.
“Um… Young Lady? Weren’t we in the middle of a siege? I don’t think Baron Valua will come out of the castle. Besides, there’s no one to help from that side. The only possible ally is Count Penris, but he must know that Count Desmond is gathering his forces, right? No matter what, he won’t show up.”
Meow!
Bastet let out a fierce reprimand at Bernap. It was clear he had the audacity to question the Young Lady’s orders.
‘Ugh, why does that cat follow me to the battlefield and cause a racket?’
Seeing Bernap trembling with anger, Amelia casually remarked, “We’ve dragged this out too long.”
“Huh?”
“Soon, those who look down on us will start showing up. Since they’re coming out anyway, shouldn’t we make the most of it? When the time comes, Baron Valua will leap out of the castle, and we can take him out then.”
As always, she was thinking several moves ahead, leaving Bernap baffled by her explanation.
Only Conrad, known for his decent intelligence, nodded and pretended to understand.
Seeing that, Ulkan and Caleb, who had been observing, also awkwardly nodded along. Bernap, caught up in the atmosphere, pretended to understand as well.
Amelia smirked at their reactions and asked Conrad.
“What about Desmond?”
“He has sent another summoning order. For now, the order is to deal with Baron Valua later. He plans to take out Count Penris first.”
At that, Amelia frowned for a moment.
“Why the sudden shift? Is this the Duke’s intent? Are they planning to start a civil war in the North? With the Kingdom Army watching just around the corner?”
“I’m not sure. There are no signs yet of the Duke preparing for a civil war.”
Amelia had access to more detailed information about Count Desmond than the Crown Prince Faction. After all, they were on the same side and acted accordingly.
However, she wasn’t clear about the Duke’s intentions. For now, Desmond had been overseeing the North and communicating with the Duke.
After a moment of contemplation, Amelia continued, “For now, let’s buy ourselves a little more time. Excuses will keep popping up.”
Conrad, who had lowered his head, cautiously asked, “Are they really trying to start a civil war in the North?”
“It’s not impossible. After all, things got tangled up because of that jerk Ghislaine. But it’s strange. Why start in the North first?”
The Kingdom Army was monitoring Count Desmond. If it were a simultaneous move, it would be different, but there was no need to initiate things here to raise the Crown Prince Faction’s awareness.
Harold was a cautious man. He always aimed to execute the Duke’s orders accurately.
For someone like him to take action meant a command from the Duke had been issued. There was no way he’d move on his own without a good reason.
There was too little information to properly understand the current situation. While she continued to ponder, Conrad spoke up.
“Count Penris won’t be able to handle Desmond. There are rumors that he is currently gathering troops on a large scale, but the difference in overall strength is too vast.”
“But the gap in power is too great.”
“Well, still, thanks to that guy, our situation isn’t looking too bad.”
Although she didn’t know the exact details, it was a good thing for Amelia that Count Desmond was attacking Penris.
The more Ghislaine struggled, the more damage Count Desmond would suffer.
She was skilled at adapting her plans to the current situation. And right now, she intended to use the situation to her maximum benefit.
No matter who wins, the losing side would be the one to suffer, so if they got blindsided in their already tattered state, it would hurt a lot.
Amelia continued with a cruel smile.
“While those two fight, we can just take out the small fries and wait.”
It was a situation she truly enjoyed.
*
“Yaaaah!”
The Penris Territory was filled with soldiers’ shouts every day.
Everyone gathered here to defend the territory, and morale was high.
Coincidentally, the Plunder King and his forty bandits disappeared as soon as the troop recruitment was complete. The general opinion was that they fled because the soldiers had become too numerous.
Ghislaine smiled in satisfaction as she watched the soldiers training.
“Good! Amazing! Much better than the knights, right?”
The training she and Gillian put the soldiers through was no easy task for commoners. But the soldiers gritted their teeth and persevered.
It was because they had the determination that they alone must defend this territory.
Ghislaine loved this spirit. Each soldier might seem insignificant, but together, they formed a powerful force.
Although the training was tough, the soldiers had no regrets about volunteering.
“Wow, I heard it in words, but actually getting paid is no joke!”
“The food doesn’t even compare. They serve the best meat and bread, you know?”
“Look at this armor. Don’t I look like a knight?”
Receiving benefits and treatment that were incomparable to the other territory residents made it easier for them to endure.
Especially, the calm silver armor had become a symbol of the territory forces.
Thanks to the territory’s high productivity, every soldier was equipped with armament comparable to that of knights from other territories.
It’s expensive equipment that knights wouldn’t even get a chance to see. Naturally, such good benefits and treatment boosted their pride even more.
As the soldiers showed enthusiasm, the knights, who had reluctantly become knights with a lack of will, caught the brunt of it.
“Why aren’t you training harder?!”
With Ghislaine’s sudden interruption during training, the knights tasted despair once again. The lord of the fortress frequently showed up and threw punches first.
“Aaaah! Lord! Why are you suddenly causing a ruckus again?”
“We’re training hard too! Plus, we’re helping educate the soldiers!”
“Don’t you see the blood I’ve spilled? I’m dying of exhaustion!”
Everyone claimed to be working hard, but in fact, they had become more complacent than before.
Part of it was because they felt superior training the soldiers, but the main reason was undoubtedly the new armor they received.
Once they got armament that far exceeded their own abilities, they naturally became more laid-back.
“Wow, wearing this feels like I’ve truly become a high-ranking knight!”
“If I wear this, won’t I avoid death?”
“I feel like I could beat a knight easily. I could wipe out a thousand soldiers by myself!”
With those kinds of thoughts in their heads, their individual training was inevitably affected.
And Ghislaine, who was well aware of this, never let up on the knights for a single day.
“If you’re just relying on the armor, you’ll end up dead! You won’t be able to use it properly due to a lack of mana!”
That armor required the user’s mana to activate its capabilities. But half-hearted knights would never manage it properly.
It was clear they would exhaust themselves quickly, and if they didn’t train hard, they’d be looking at a countdown to their demise.
So, she had no choice but to be tougher on them.
“Those who don’t work hard will be sent to the Shadow Mountain Range, so remember that!”
“Okay, okay! Just stop tormenting us!”
“Quiet! Stop bothering me!”
In contrast to the voluntarily hardworking soldiers, the knights were reluctantly training as best as they could.
Claude and the retainers were also focused on preparing for war. They checked daily for anything they might have missed and prepared for unavoidable circumstances.
While the lord always guaranteed victory, ordinary people had to consider how to handle potential defeat.
Everyone assumed that if a civil war broke out, Desmond would undoubtedly strike here first. The grudges built up over time weren’t something to take lightly.
Claude, with a serious expression, looked at the map and said to Wendy, “Do you want to run away with me?”
“Excuse me?”
“I don’t have the confidence to escape to my hometown alone. You’re good at fighting, right? Protect me a little. I could die just meeting a robber on my way back alone.”
Seeing Claude suddenly whining with a tearful face, Wendy looked at him with disdain.
But Claude shouted back as if it didn’t matter anymore, “When the civil war starts, Count Desmond and the Duke Faction nobles will all gather here! Then even the lord won’t be able to win!”
“…Stop whining already.”
“Ah, I don’t know! How can we win against the Duke Faction? Especially Count Desmond! I must have been momentarily insane to think we could win!”
He had forgotten how much grudge the territory held. He should have run away long ago.
The retainers knew well that their lord was skilled in battle and had been thriving so far.
However, Desmond was on a completely different level than any enemy they had faced. After all, this was a territory renowned as the strongest in the North. Not only were the numbers a problem, but the level of knights and soldiers was notoriously high as well.
So, while preparing for war, the retainers couldn’t help but feel a twinge of anxiety.
‘This time, it seems like it will be tough for the lord too. Even though we’re preparing and anticipating, Desmond is just too strong. Can we really win when the civil war starts?’
Most were having similar thoughts. They had become so enamored with the progress of their territory that they hadn’t taken the danger seriously, but thinking that war was just around the corner raised their worries anew.
Claude had attempted to flee several times but was caught every time by Wendy.
She pushed Claude along and said, “Hurry up and prepare properly. Let’s think about how to run away after we lose. After all, a civil war doesn’t mean we’re fighting alone. The Kingdom Army will help us.”
“But if we lose, my head will be on the line!”
“That’s why we need to prepare so we don’t lose.”
Wendy didn’t bat an eye at Claude’s pleas.
He was officially the chief officer and a slave of the territory. Second only to the lord but, in a different sense, lower than anyone else, Claude had no choice but to prepare for war with tears in his eyes.
While everyone was preoccupied with training and preparing for war, suddenly envoys from the northern lords all came to see Ghislaine at once.
They forced their way in to meet Ghislaine. After exchanging polite greetings, the envoys quickly got to the point.
“We come from the Jinbar Territory. I am here to convey a good proposal to Count Desmond on behalf of us all.”
“What is it?”
Noticing Ghislaine’s indifferent expression, the envoy clenched his fist. It was a well-known fact that this brat of a lord had zero courtesy.
Though annoyed, the envoy held back since they were there for a purpose. In truth, there wasn’t much they could do even if they were angry.
“Are you considering expanding your territory? We’re here to help.”
Though they were small territories without much power, the envoys came from six different domains. If they combined forces, they would pose a significant military threat.
Hearing the proposal to expand the territory, Ghislaine showed interest and asked, “Since you all came together, it seems like the discussion has already been settled… Where are we planning to strike?”
Taking a deep breath, the envoy grinned meaningfully and said, “We’re proposing to strike Raybold. The usurper, Amelia, defied the customs of the North and brazenly rebelled, driving out her father and brothers.”
Ghislaine looked at the envoys with a smirk plastered across her face.
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