Episode 218
* * *
‘It’s 3 to 7.’
As it turned out, more people than Dale had originally estimated turned out to support Charlotte Lancaster. A .300 voter turnout was not bad at all.
The lords who remained in the Great Hall supported Charlotte Lancaster and held onto Saxony’s lifeline.
But in the end, they are bats who will betray Dale and join the other side at any time if the situation turns against them. Nevertheless, bats have their own uses.
It was Dale who occupied the castle of the Duke of Lancaster, and Leigh Lancaster gathered his forces in the Viscounty where the former Duke’s younger brother, John Lancaster, was located.
After that, they declared Charlotte Lancaster, who was occupying the Duchy of Lancaster, a usurper and began to appeal for their legitimacy throughout the duchy.
It’s an information war that takes place before direct combat. And in that regard, Dale had a very trustworthy ally.
The masters of intrigue and lies, the Blue Tower.
“Thank you for taking such a difficult step, Mistress Titania.”
“It is a pleasure to see you again, Shadow Lord.”
The real mastermind behind the Marquess of York, and also one of the sorceresses of the Blue Tower. Titania was there with the daughters of York who inherited the succubus blood.
“I think you already have a rough idea of the situation.”
“Haha, I always listen to the whispers that come with the wind.”
Mistress Titania smiled, and Dale nodded silently.
“This is not a war that can be won simply by defeating the enemy general. What is important is the legitimacy with which my wife Charlotte can sit on the throne of the Duke of Lancaster, and at the same time, the heart of heaven.”
Dale said.
“To obtain that Heavenly Heart, you will need the power of the Blue Tower.”
“It is the will of heaven.”
As she said that, Titania asked back happily.
“What power does our Blue Tower have that makes you think you can win the heart of Heaven?”
“Because what always fan the flames of the heavenly heart is lies, deception, and the whispers of dark spirits. The heart of heaven is shaken like a reed by even a single piece of false information. So, isn’t that what you, the Blue Tower, are best at?”
“Oh, you are truly intelligent.”
Mistress Titania burst into laughter again, seemingly in amusement.
“Fortunately, you have nothing to worry about, Shadow Lord. We are already spreading the Blue Whispers.”
“… … Did you know from the beginning that I would turn out like this?”
“It is the virtue of a loyal subject to understand his lord’s intentions.”
“I don’t like it when people try to fathom my intentions too deeply, even if it’s an act of sincerity.”
The Shadow Lord answered coldly. At least there is no doubt that the Blue Tower is loyal and active for Dale. However, they still never reveal their intentions easily.
In a sense, it would not be an exaggeration to say that they were the greatest spy organization on the continent, and as such, there are few things as difficult to trust as their loyalty.
“Excuse me, Shadow Lord. But please, do not doubt our blue loyalty to the Shadow.”
Titania bowed her head politely again.
At the same time, blue butterflies flew up, flapping their wings all at once.
* * *
It was Charlotte Lancaster who claimed the rightful succession and took possession of the Duchy of Lancaster, and behind her was the ‘Black Prince’ of Saxony.
And with the death of Michael Lancaster, and the rumor that the ‘Black Prince’ had been active on the York side in the Wars of the Roses, it was clear as day that the eyes of the castle were not kind to Dale.
That too is a stroke of genius.
The vassals and servants of the castle, and above all the Knights of the Rosicrucian Order, of which the Duke of Lancaster was proud, were like this.
In particular, the knights who had directly witnessed the ‘Black Prince’ on the battlefield and witnessed their lord Michael’s fall went to John Lancaster’s territory early and swore a new oath of service to Ray and Linne Lancaster.
However, some Rosicrucian knights willingly accepted the ‘will of the Duke of Lancaster’ and volunteered to remain at the castle.
After Charlotte entered the Duchy of Lancaster, the knights remembered the two of them as priest and daughter.
Charlotte mingled freely with the Knights of the Rosicrucian Order, and proved herself to be a disciple worthy of the sword of the Duke of Lancaster. Furthermore, when the Duke of Lancaster said that ‘Charlotte would be the successor of Lancaster’, Charlotte decided to stay by his side, if only to fulfill her master’s oath.
They gladly accepted Charlotte Lancaster as their new mistress.
The top floor of the Duke of Lancaster’s Castle.
Right there, Charlotte Lancaster and Dale laid out a map of the entire territory, gathering together all the knights, vassals, and collateral heads who had supported Charlotte to the end.
At the same time, the masters of undercover operations, the Grave Walkers, who were thoroughly moving for Dale, were no exception.
The Black Aurelia, along with Master Baro of the Sword, and the Mountain Assassins were also there as the ‘Shadow Lord’s’ lackeys. Although their identities were completely hidden by their hoods, it was impossible to know their identities.
“The surest way to secure the Lancaster throne is to subdue John Lancaster and obtain his surrender.”
Dale of Saxony opened his mouth.
“But behind him is the Red Tower, and as proof, the Red Successor, ‘Ray Yuris’, is using the Lancaster name there.”
“Red Tower… … .”
“What the Empire wants is to get the Archduke of Lancaster back into their hands. That is why the Red Tower, which enforces the spirit of the Empire’s times, is moving.”
Dale continued.
“So even if we subdue Viscount John Lancaster, we are ultimately only cutting out a puppet. To secure victory, we must ultimately defeat the red enforcer… ‘Ray Lancaster’.”
“Then why don’t you go out and take down Ray Lancaster right away?”
Master Baro asked back. Dale answered as if he had expected that.
“Ray Lancaster won’t be moved easily. He knows that he doesn’t necessarily need to fight with his strength to win this war. More than anything, he’s afraid of confronting me with his strength.”
Dale said.
Just a moment ago, I remembered the sight of Ray Lancaster braced himself before the Shadow Lord.
“You can’t just charge straight into the heart of your enemy. But that doesn’t mean… … you don’t need to take up your sword at all.”
“Then what are you going to do?”
“Didn’t I tell you? I will turn back the ‘mind of all Lancasters’ who deny the legitimacy of my wife, Charlotte Lancaster.”
“Oh, that was easy.”
Master Baro burst into laughter as he understood what was being said.
* * *
“Ah, I saw it right there! Prince Richard, brutally assassinated by the ruthless Bloody Duke! And the sight of the Archduke of Lancaster, grieving over his son’s death and willingly taking up the sword!”
The man raised his voice as if he was singing. And every time he raised his voice, people passing by on the street gathered in twos and threes and began to listen to his story.
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“The greatest swords and magic on the continent clashed, and a battle ensued that lasted for a week, day and night, causing the sky to rumble and the earth to tremble!”
The man was a storyteller, a so-called vaudeville man. But he had never set foot on Saxon soil and knew nothing of what happened there.
Nevertheless, the man raised his voice vividly as if he were a witness to the scene, and began to enliven the story like an actor.
“But alas, the Bloody Duke’s vile ambush magic blasted towards the Duke of Lancaster… … Ahem.”
The storyteller’s job is to sell the story. Every time he paused at the climax, people would take out coins and put them in the basket.
“Alas, what was a fierce battle with no room for retreat was turned into a vicious ambush!”
People who heard the story began to scream and cry here and there.
“And now, the bloody, heartless son of the Duke of Blood is trying to devour all of Lancaster! But the poor adopted daughter of the Duke of Lancaster, Charlotte Lancaster, has not given up yet!”
It was a business landscape of storytellers everywhere. And the Blue Tower understood the power of storytelling better than anything else.
So when the storyteller finished telling the story of the Duke of Lancaster’s battles, his ‘consciousness’ finally returned amidst the thunderous applause.
The startled storyteller looked around and saw that the basket at his feet was full of coins. The storyteller’s confusion did not last long when he saw the coins.
Before he knew it, he was on his way to his next mission as a blue spy.
To build up the heavenly heart that hates Ray Lancaster and sympathizes with Charlotte Lancaster, as well as the evil deeds of the Red Tower and the Bloody Ball.
* * *
Changing the hearts of the people was a story of the Blue House, but the hearts of the nobles were not something that could be changed by a single story.
It was late at night, in the bedroom of a nobleman who supported John Lancaster and Ray Lancaster.
“Haha, from now on you will have to think very carefully before you answer.”
Master Salgeom Baroga spoke. The blade in his hand emitted a chilling light, and the nobleman’s expression turned pale.
It is not that difficult to win the heart of a nobleman. All you need is a sincere conversation in the middle of the night in his bedroom.
“Well, I promise I will gladly stand up for Charlotte Lancaster!”
“Yes, I will remember your loyalty to the Lancaster heir very well.”
He is wearing a hood, so his identity cannot be known. However, even the strictest security guards who are supposed to protect the mansion could not stop the man from intruding. If he wanted to, it would not be a big deal to turn this mansion into a sea of blood.
“Please know that your life is not yours alone.”
Master Baro whispered, glancing over to the nobleman’s side. There was his wife, trembling in fear, and in another room his precious children were sleeping.
So he didn’t have much room to make decisions.
* * *
The will of heaven is like a reed. And those on John and Ray Lancaster’s side were no exception in secretly moving the will of the nobles apart from the will of the people.
And when their assassin came to the bedroom of a nobleman who supported Charlotte, wanting to have a frank conversation.
“Oh my, this guy is really something. Where did you come from so cautiously at this late hour?”
It was not the nobles who should have been in a deep sleep who welcomed uninvited guests.
Because they were the loyal servants of the Shadow Lord, the masters of undercover operations, the “Grave Walkers”.
The invisible war has already begun. And the Shadow Lord has already, smoothly, taken the first high ground in that war.
