281 – It’s our turn to help. (1)
“Bring Count Proud right now!”
Prior to Desmond’s army attacking Stonehaven Fortress, Marquis Branford unleashed a storm of fury upon hearing the news that the 2nd Corps had been wiped out.
No one expected Count Desmond to move so suddenly.
Everyone was braced for some sort of civil war when they heard he was gathering troops.
But no one could have imagined that he would foolishly raise an army alone and completely annihilate the Kingdom Army without any notice.
Count Proud, who had been staying in the capital as the mouthpiece of the Duke Faction, was practically dragged before Marquis Branford.
“H-His Grace the Marquis. I hope you’ve been well…….”
“Count! Attacking Penris without any justification! Is this the Duke’s intention?”
“W-Well, Count Desmond has nothing to do with us…….”
“Are you trying to play word games in front of me?”
As the murderous glare of Marquis Branford bore down on him, Count Proud lowered his head.
Count Desmond had maintained a stance of neutrality, but now, everyone knew he was aligned with the Duke Faction.
No one was a fool; they had already caught on during the Cabaldy War.
Realizing he could no longer deny it, Count Proud stammered as he spoke.
“We-We don’t know what’s happening either. This is really Baron Joseph’s……. No, it’s not the Duke Faction’s intention.”
The Duke Faction was indeed preparing for a civil war, but it was really a last resort.
Raoul wanted to seize the Kingdom with minimal damage. That’s why he was coaxing and threatening the local lords, despite how time-consuming and bothersome it was.
The plan was to create a suitable justification to eliminate the lords who wouldn’t yield and then easily take over the Kingdom.
That was the Duke Faction’s basic strategy. Until that Ghislaine appeared and shook things up.
“But for Count Desmond to move so independently…….”
Raoul was extremely angry. He despised when the board he set up was shaken.
Now to Raoul, Count Desmond was no longer an ally; he had become a pawn that could be discarded at will.
“I swear… we won’t involve ourselves in this matter. We will not cooperate against Count Penris.”
Seeing Count Proud take a step back, Marquis Branford continued.
“Are you pretending not to know, even though it’s an issue of the same faction? Are you not taking responsibility?”
“Weren’t we uninvolved in Count Penris’s matters previously? Wouldn’t it be better if you also stepped back…?”
That was meant to frame it as a personal matter, just like before.
Marquis Branford twitched his lips. Count Proud was sweating bullets, trying to gauge his mood.
“After all, Penris is done for. We can’t defeat Count Desmond. It doesn’t matter if the Crown Prince Faction gets involved.”
A mere 30,000 troops. It was evident that Count Penris wouldn’t last and would soon be executed. Even if the Crown Prince Faction tried to suppress Desmond afterward, they’d undoubtedly suffer heavy losses.
Count Desmond was extremely capable. His followers were no pushovers either. The Crown Prince Faction might end up breaking apart and drag things into a protracted battle.
“If that happens, it’s beneficial for us. We can start the civil war at the right time. It’s not that we’re dragging things out because we’re weak.”
The Duke Faction was powerful. With just a thought, they could flip the Kingdom upside down.
Yet, they refrained from starting a civil war because Raoul, the brains of the Duke Faction, was obsessively trying to minimize damage.
As if he had other plans for power after taking the Kingdom.
Regardless of the reasons, Count Proud thought that it was thanks to Raoul’s stance that the Crown Prince Faction was still alive.
Marquis Branford, staring intently at Count Proud, slapped his forehead and chuckled.
“You really complicate things, don’t you? It’s a foregone conclusion that Penris will fall, so we might as well let Desmond poke at us. If we retaliate, we drain our strength in battle; if we back off, we let Penris fall safely. Either way works for you, right?”
Count Proud remained silent and bowed his head. After all, Marquis Branford wasn’t expecting an answer.
The Duke Faction had clearly distanced itself from this matter. In such a situation, the Crown Prince Faction had no course of action other than to fight Desmond after Penris fell.
In that situation, there was nothing the Crown Prince Faction could do—except fight Desmond after Penris fell.
Marquis Branford wore a chilling smile at the leisurely sight of Count Proud.
“I can no longer tolerate your tricks.”
“It’s a misunderstanding. We don’t want war, so we don’t interfere, Your Grace.”
“Right, that’s what you say. I’m tired of your wordplay, Toleo.”
Marquis Branford called the Knight Commander who stood nearby. Toleo bowed his head, wearing an expression that said it was about time.
“Yes, Your Grace.”
“Take that guy and throw him in prison, and arrest all the nobles from the Duke Faction in the capital.”
“As you command.”
As Toleo raised his hand, the knights around immediately grabbed Count Proud’s arms. The guard knights accompanying Count Proud were swiftly subdued as well.
Surprised by the sudden turn of events, Count Proud shouted.
“Wha? Wha? Y-Your Grace! What’s going on here? I’m in charge of diplomacy for the Duke’s house! According to custom, my safety must be guaranteed…”
“If Count Penris is defeated, I will cut off your heads along with those of the Duke Faction and send them to the Duke.”
“What? What?”
Count Proud blinked in disbelief. Did this mean he would start a civil war over some rookie from the North?
But that wasn’t all. Even more unbelievable statements were coming from the marquis’s mouth.
“Butler.”
“Your command, sir.”
“Tell the 3rd Legion stationed closest to the North to send immediate support to Count Penris.”
“Understood.”
“Which territory under the Duke Faction has the weakest influence right now?”
“The quickest to take would be the Baron Harrington’s territory in the North and Baron Colind’s territory in the East.”
“Good. As soon as Count Penris is defeated, relay orders to Marquis Macquarie to seize those two territories. Desmond will organize his own army to come.”
“…Understood.”
Despite the abrupt orders, no retainers dared to speak against the marquis.
When the marquis gave orders, they had to be followed. No one could defy the marquis’s authority.
That was how the House of Marquis Branford operated.
Count Proud, looking as if he might lose his mind, cried out.
“Your Grace! To wage war without justification! This isn’t right! Are you truly going to start a civil war? We have nothing to do with Count Desmond!”
Even witnessing the marquis make such a decision, Count Proud couldn’t believe it.
No matter how much he favored Count Penris, it was insane to stake the fate of the royal family and the Crown Prince Faction for such a reason!
It seemed as though Count Penris, Count Desmond, and Marquis Branford had all gone mad.
Marquis Branford glared at Count Proud and growled.
“How long do you think I’ll be dragged around by your tricks and word games? No need for lengthy talks. If you want to live, you’ll pray that Count Penris wins. Take him away!”
“Your Grace! Your Grace!”
Count Proud was dragged away, screaming desperately.
An oppressive silence descended over the battlefield. The retainers were crushed under the weight of Marquis Branford’s fury, hardly able to breathe.
After a long while, the butler finally spoke.
“Marquis… Are you truly okay with this?”
The one who had tried the hardest to avoid a civil war had been Marquis Branford himself. He understood the true power of the Duke’s house.
The defensive strategy of the Crown Prince Faction and the Duke Faction’s passive stance had maintained the current power dynamics.
Until that Ghislaine guy appeared and stirred the pot, leading to Desmond’s eventual movement.
Marquis Branford sighed and closed his eyes.
“It seems this fate was sealed from the moment I accepted Count Penris… or rather, Ghislaine Perdium.”
He knew he was exceptional, but he had grown far too quickly—there was no way around it; eventually, he would have to clash with Count Desmond.
Desmond would surely understand that if he didn’t stamp out that sprout before it grew bigger, he would be in danger himself.
Marquis Branford had tried to protect Ghislaine, even bringing the kingdom’s army to support him until he grew stronger, but he never imagined his opponent would act so recklessly.
The butler replied with a slightly somber expression.
“The 3rd Legion will not arrive in time. The fastest route is through the lands of the Duke Faction, so they’ll have to turn back.”
“We must return to the land.”
News just came in that the 2nd Corps has been obliterated. They might already be engaged in a siege war.
The 3rd Corps was stationed even further south than the former 2nd Corps. Given that the roads are still incomplete, it would take at least a month to reach the Penris Territory, even if they set off immediately upon receiving orders.
The impoverished Crown Prince Faction lords in the North aren’t much help. Sending over their small, poorly trained troops would only bring about greater losses.
Marquis Branford nodded as if he understood.
“Ghislaine can’t defeat Count Desmond right now. In the end, he’ll be the one to lose.”
“If he withdraws, he’ll at least save his life, since Marquis Perdium is still intact.”
“Right, but we must spit out the Cabaldy region. Perhaps even Penris.”
That would render Ghislaine’s support meaningless. With all his resources and techniques stripped away, how long would it take for him to recover from that poverty?
It might even be impossible forever, as Count Desmond would be standing in his way.
And the downfall of Perdium is just a matter of time. Count Desmond wouldn’t leave anything behind.
“Ghislaine’s fate is sealed here anyway. But we must fight Count Desmond. The Duke Faction will likely watch us leisurely, waiting for us to weaken.”
“My lord…”
“Civil war will happen someday. Rather than wait for that, we should strike first. Otherwise, we’ll end up like now, slowly being devoured until we’re all dead without having the chance to put up a fight.”
With those words, Marquis Branford closed his eyes.
His decision would lead the royal family and the Crown Prince Faction nobles into war preparations. He wanted to avoid a civil war at all costs, but it had come to the point where he would have to start it with his own hands.
There was only one way to avoid a civil war and gather more power.
That would be for Ghislaine to win.
‘That won’t happen.’
No matter how formidable he was, that was impossible. Marquis Branford shook his head and dismissed any lingering hopes.
Realistically, deploying more Kingdom Army troops for protection was pointless. If a civil war broke out, similar events could occur again.
If Ghislaine were stronger now, the civil war would have already started somewhere else.
Thus, Clifton, the commander of the 3rd Corps, quickly received orders from Marquis Branford.
“The objective is the rescue and support of Count Penris. If it is determined that Count Desmond has won and Count Penris is dead before the 3rd Corps arrives, attack Baron Harrington’s territory of the Duke Faction. Hmm, it won’t be easy.”
Nodding several times, he immediately called for his deputy.
“Prepare to depart as quickly as possible. We’re going to help Count Penris.”
The 3rd Corps of the Kingdom Army began to move towards Penris as per Marquis Branford’s orders.
*
It wasn’t just the Crown Prince Faction that was thrown into chaos by Count Desmond’s attack.
Ghislaine’s father, Zvalter Perdium, now a marquis, was also left speechless upon hearing the news.
“Count Desmond… has invaded Penris? And even annihilated the 2nd Corps?”
“Yes! He has already entered the Penris Territory!”
“What, this…?”
Shocked news caused Zvalter to momentarily lose his balance and stagger.
He had always expected that war would break out someday. After all, Count Desmond was behind the Perdium siege war.
However, after joining the Crown Prince Faction, he had somewhat set that worry aside.
He had believed that even if a civil war broke out, the Duke Faction and the Crown Prince Faction would face each other, with Ghislaine and himself participating as one of the forces.
“To think I’d have to confront Count Desmond alone… I never thought he would attack the Kingdom Army…”
Zvalter murmured in disbelief. While he had considered the possibility, he never expected the attack to come so suddenly.
“Brother! Snap out of it!”
Zvalter, lost in thought, felt his heart sink at Randolf’s shout and jolted back to reality.
He couldn’t just sit still now. The news reaching Perdium meant that a battle had already begun.
“Y-yes. I need to hurry and help Ghislaine… Wait, what about the fortress? Should we leave watchmen behind at the fortress…?”
Even the seasoned veteran was quite shocked by Count Desmond’s sudden invasion.
Desmond was known as the strongest territory in the North. They say he has raised a great army of thirty thousand. Zvalter truly felt that his son could die this time.
“Defeat. They say a massive army of 30,000 was raised there. This time, I really thought my son could die.”
“No, he might already be dead. As that thought crossed his mind, Zvalter felt his mind go blank once more.”
“Then we need to reorganize the troops… We must prepare Perdium as well…”
Randolf shouted, grabbing Zvalter’s flailing arms.
“Brother! Get a hold of yourself! We need to move the entire army to help the Grand Duke!”
“Right, so we need to decide how many troops to leave at the fortress…”
“What does that matter! We’re in a ceasefire anyway!”
“I can’t trust those bastards. So we need to leave surveillance troops…”
As Zvalter grappled with the burden of responsibility and worry for his son, he couldn’t make a quick decision.
During the last Cabaldy war, they had left some troops at the fortress and moved out.
Back then, there was time to either assist Ghislaine during the attack or persuade them to retreat.
But now, the situation was completely different. Ghislaine must hold back Count Desmond’s vast army. Even a single trainee soldier would be valuable now.
“Brother! It doesn’t matter if the Grand Duke isn’t here; it’s all useless!”
“What?”
“This fortress! The supplies! The Mana Circulation Method! The Barbarians! The advancement of our Perdium! None of it would have been possible without the Grand Duke!”
“……”
Randolf continued shaking Zvalter’s arm and shouted again.
“So even if this place is occupied! Even if the North is ablaze! As long as the Grand Duke is alive, we can reclaim everything! Let’s go! It’s a ceasefire, so let’s trust those bastards and abandon this place!”
“Leave this… here?”
For Zvalter, who had lived his life defending the fortress, being told to abandon it felt like abandoning his sense of duty.
Especially, he couldn’t trust Woroka, the leader of the Barbarians. That scheming bastard had only agreed out of fear of Ghislaine’s strength.
Having already obtained some supplies, if they left now, that guy might rush again to seize the fortress.
What if news of Ghislaine’s death reached them? Woroka would undoubtedly become more brazen. He would lose both his son and the fortress.
If that happened, not only would reclaiming the fortress be difficult, but the Barbarians’ raids would become even worse. The North would plunge back into chaos.
Yet, Randolf spoke nonchalantly.
“The Grand Duke is about to die! Your son is going to die! How long are you going to live only for others! If you’ve lived your whole life like that, it’s time! Take care of your family too! Don’t you feel sorry for your late sister-in-law?”
“You…”
“If Penris is occupied, do you think we will be safe? Do you think Count Desmond will spare us?! Elena will die too! Damn it! Brother! Why did you suddenly become an idiot! Get a hold of yourself!”
Hearing Randolf’s words was like splashing cold water on Zvalter’s face.
He realized that it was true. Holding the fortress wouldn’t matter if Penris fell. After all, Count Desmond had aimed to destroy Perdium.
If they stayed like this, both Penris and Perdium would be doomed. The situation was dire enough that there was no room to consider anything else.
With his mind cleared, Zvalter pushed Randolf away and spoke.
“……Alright. Let’s save Ghislaine first.”
Zvalter gave himself a hard slap on the cheeks and yelled.
“All troops will move to Penris without exception! Send a messenger to inform Baron Homern to prepare as well!”
All the troops at the fortress were gathered without leaving a single one behind. They had already heard the news that Desmond was invading Penris.
The strongest territory in the North, a 30,000 strong army. Even upon hearing such staggering news, they were not afraid at all. Instead, their fighting spirit began to ignite even more.
The reason they felt this way was simple.
Skoban, who had come to deliver supplies and had been pressed into helping, drew his sword and shouted aloud.
“The Grand Duke is in danger!”
Other knights and soldiers raised their weapons in unison. To them, Ghislaine was now the hero and benefactor of Perdium. They could not allow him to die like this.
They all shouted together.
“This time, we’re going to help the Grand Duke!”
“Waaaaaah!”
With a loud cheer, the Perdium Army began to march towards Penris.
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