“Nice to meet you for the first time, I am Mansfeldt Ernst.”
“Pleasure to meet you, Lord Mansfeldt. I am Christian Brown.”
The two, standing before each other while tens of thousands of soldiers were poised behind them, greeted in this peculiar situation.
Having traveled a considerable distance to reach this place, Mansfeldt began to closely observe the woman in front of him.
Christian of Halberstadt.
Seeing her for the first time in the northern region of the Palatinate, Mansfeldt couldn’t help but show a slightly convoluted expression.
‘Is that woman Christian? The very one who maneuvered Duke Brown to hire me, and at the same time a person who has amassed a notorious reputation over the past few weeks that even I was taken aback by.’
Mansfeldt had heard rumors that the younger sister of the Brown lord was rather off her rocker.
In fact, the way she smiled with a strangely unsettling air about her while fidgeting with her steel prosthetic arm made it clear that she was far from a normal person.
However, in all honesty, what Mansfeldt felt looking at the woman in front of him was not simple disdain or rejection.
Certainly, the series of actions she undertook to get here—extorting money and soldiers from passing lords and ruthlessly destroying those who refused to comply, whether they were church or heretics—could not be deemed actions of a sane individual, even in a war situation.
But… that perspective was merely from the common folk’s viewpoint.
Unlike others, Mansfeldt, who led a sizable mercenary organization, found a certain value in Christian’s radical methods, even if they were a bit extreme.
After all, wasn’t it a common occurrence for him and his mercenaries to pillage surrounding areas to sustain themselves whenever they found themselves strapped for cash and food?
The only slight difference was that, while Mansfeldt had to stay under the radar of lords due to contracts, he would only refrain from such acts unless absolutely necessary.
So, as he looked at the woman who exuded a subtle madness similar to his own, a warm smile began to form on Mansfeldt’s face.
“Well then, since we’ve both traveled a long way, how about we head into the camp and rest while discussing matters?”
“Yes, that sounds good, Lord Mansfeldt.”
After letting the armies rest for a moment, the two entered the camp to discuss the upcoming tasks.
*
In the very center of the combined forces of Mansfeldt and Christian was the command tent.
There, the two began their conversation while facing each other.
“So, what you mean is, you’ll pay a third of the remaining amount right now, and the other two thirds once the job is completely finished?”
“Correct. I’ve managed to gather quite a bit of cash on my way here, so I’ll pay you the one-third right after this meeting ends.”
Christian, splitting the deposit once more and saying she’d pay part of it on the spot.
Mansfeldt didn’t struggle to understand the implications behind that as he slowly nodded his head.
‘Indeed… I knew she wasn’t going to be easy to deal with since the moment she suggested paying only part of the advance. This woman’s not one to be trifled with.’
Continuously pushing back the final payment while paying small amounts here and there to quell any dissatisfaction was not purely due to being short on funds; rather, it was a calculated maneuver to minimize the chance of betrayal right up to the last moment.
If things continued in this manner, Mansfeldt would be unable to betray her even for the sake of collecting the total deposit until the battle concluded, a simple but quite clever trick.
As he observed Christian’s meticulous nature, Mansfeldt realized once again that this woman was not merely mad but also thoroughly calculating.
‘Of course, that doesn’t give me a reason to reject this contract. Mainly because stationed in the vicinity with a large army is General Spinola, who is keeping a keen eye on our moves. In a situation like this, I could only align myself with this woman as she wishes.’
Having come to that conclusion, Mansfeldt wore a smile at the corners of his lips and posed a question to his employer.
“Understood. Then I shall proceed accordingly. What must I do now? From the looks of it, you don’t plan to return to Brown just yet…”
Given that Christian had led the army here herself through pillaging, it was unlikely that her intentions were simply to defend the Brown region.
Recollecting that fact, Mansfeldt inquired of Christian, who responded with a slight chuckle.
“Hohoho, of course, what I seek is not a flimsy goal such as the defense of the Brown region. Employing someone like Lord Mansfeldt for such a task would indeed be foolish. What I… to be precise, what Duke Carlos Brown wishes is the restoration of the Palatinate.”
“..Restoration of the Palatinate?”
Mansfeldt began to feel a tinge of bewilderment along with a hint of rejection at the unexpectedly grand objective.
The Palatinate, currently under complete occupation by Spinola.
To reclaim it, they would obviously have to fight and defeat Spinola’s army, a scenario that Mansfeldt was not particularly keen on picturing.
Even with Christian’s reinforcements, General Spinola and his troops were a troublesome adversary.
Engaging in a full-scale battle with him was not what Mansfeldt desired, and already his mind began to concoct ways to stall or maneuver around the situation.
However…
As if she were already aware of Mansfeldt’s thoughts, Christian maintained her icy smile while continuing to speak.
“Of course, the restoration I speak of isn’t the sort that you might be imagining. To face General Spinola’s fully swelled army head-on would be the height of folly.”
“What do you mean…?”
“The restoration I refer to is a method by which we can inflict significant damage upon the enemies of our lord while shedding as little of our blood as possible.”
Christian’s dark eyes sparkled with a deep madness.
Hearing her words, Mansfeldt felt a fleeting sense of rejection dissipate within him as he leaned in to listen, and a thick smile began to automatically bloom from his lips.
“If that’s your kind of ‘restoration,’ then it’s certainly not a bad proposal. We have strength and a suitable pretext at hand. It might be the optimal choice in this situation.”
“Indeed. Then, let’s prepare for action at once.”
“Understood. For today and tomorrow, we will rest, and then on the morning of the day after tomorrow, we shall set out immediately.”
With that, Mansfeldt and Christian made their plans for the future.
At that moment, the previous sense of rejection from Mansfeldt had completely vanished.
He was well aware of the military advantage they held.
His expression held a thick sense of anticipation.
Currently, with Christian, Mansfeldt’s forces were stronger than the Emperor’s Army, so even General Spinola couldn’t touch them at this moment.
Thus, right now, the army of Mansfeldt and Christian stood as the most formidable apex predator in the Palatinate.
If they moved their forces in this state, even Spinola would have no choice but to tread carefully.
And… utilizing that fact, the two finished devising their plans for what lay ahead.
The banner they raised was under the grand pretext of ‘Restoration of the Palatinate.’
Beneath that lofty reason, they executed the just judgment as a righteous army.
Mansfeldt and Christian marched forth with the insignia emblazoned with the phrase ‘Friends of God, Enemies of the Clergy.’
In their noble endeavor to punish the wicked church, their blades aimed not at the army of Spinola that occupied the Palatinate but rather at the ‘Forces of Evil’—the small towns of the Palatinate that had succumbed to the Emperor and the Church.
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