Episode 184: From now on, we’re moving forward at full speed. (1)
Kane, who was dragged in almost tied up, experienced hellish training for the past few days.
Because Jiselle was so excited that she rolled it.
It was no use resisting. There was nothing he could do in the face of justified and massive violence.
Even if they were training together, Claude couldn’t hide his worry at the prospect of them being dragged into battle.
It was extremely dangerous to drag away the successor of a fiefdom as a common soldier.
But Jiselle cut it off as if it was no big deal.
“The sin of not paying back my money is very serious. If you don’t receive it properly, you’ll be a fool. If you don’t have money, you have to pay it back with something else.”
“If I die in war, it will be quite a headache.”
“It’s okay, he won’t die easily.”
“Why? Do you have some kind of hidden ability?”
“You’re a very lucky guy who dared to steal my money and still be alive. There’s no way a guy like that would die in a war like this. That makes no sense.”
“… … Ah, yes.”
Claude clicked his tongue a few times and gave up trying to stop him. As expected, he couldn’t understand the lord’s way of thinking.
“Then… … . If you’re going to do it, make sure you destroy it. It has to be so shocking that everyone will be shocked.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll definitely wipe it out. That’s my specialty. You know my win rate is 100%, right?”
“Yes, one win out of the first match. I hope it’s two wins out of the second match. I really hope that crazy strategy works. Please take care.”
Claude was horrified when he first heard of Giselle’s plan during the strategy meeting. However, it was clear that if it could be done, it would be the way to win with the least amount of damage.
So the operation was kept a secret, because it was a method that could only be used in this war.
‘If the operation fails… … the lord will definitely die. Should I stop him now? It’s too dangerous.’
Claude closed his eyes and fell into thought.
It’s past the time to stop it. It wasn’t possible to stop it when I was preparing, and now that I’ve finished preparing to go on a mission, it’s even more impossible.
All we can do is leave the results to heaven and hope for victory.
Unlike Claude, who was worried, Giselle nodded with satisfaction as she looked over the articles one by one.
Even though they are going to war, no one seems afraid or nervous.
Rather, everyone seemed to be brimming with confidence, perhaps thanks to the hellish training they had endured.
It wasn’t a wrong statement. In reality, they had very angry expressions on their faces, looking for a place to vent their anger, but it’s true that they weren’t afraid.
Jiselle loved that look so much.
‘Very good. It’ll be even better once this war is over and we change our equipment.
‘The knights were currently wearing under-armor made from the hide of Blood Phyton under their armor.
Even just this much would not be an easy death for an average soldier.
It was clear that if I changed the rest of the weapons as I had planned, they would become more powerful.
As each unit prepared to depart, Gillian approached and bowed his head.
“Ready to go.”
“Okay, let’s get started now… … .”
As we were about to leave after a simple ceremony, there was a commotion in one corner and a group of people came running.
It was the dwarves and wizards.
Galvarik shouted with an expression on his face like he was about to cry.
“My lord! You want us to go to war too! What are you talking about all of a sudden! We did everything you said! We made everything! We decided not to do a raid!”
Alpoy, who was next to him, cried openly and shouted.
“We did everything we were told to do! We don’t want to go to war! Why can’t we just stay home?”
Jiselle chuckled as she watched them wailing.
“No. You guys are absolutely necessary for this operation. Don’t worry, I won’t send you to the assault team.”
Galvarik spoke in a pleading tone.
“I told you I’d give you a vacation after this urgent matter is over! We’re on vacation now! You liar!”
“What are you talking about? You haven’t set a date yet?”
“… … .”
“Don’t worry, I won’t lie. You can only get a vacation after the war is over. No matter what, you have to follow the procedures.”
Galvarik was speechless. Come to think of it, he hadn’t set a vacation date because he was in such a hurry to get away.
They just vaguely thought that it would be okay once the urgent matter was over. They admit to some extent that it was their mistake to not set a definite date.
But when the lord, who was the most reckless human in Fenris, no, in all of Rutania, started talking about things like ‘procedures’, my blood pressure went up and I thought I was going to die.
“Ughhhhh! Strike! Strike! No! No! Guarantee our rights!”
“Our wizards will never go there either! Slaves have human rights too!”
The dwarves and wizards caused a ruckus, but Giselle cleared them all away with a nod.
“Take it and go.”
“Uwaaaah! I don’t like it!”
They were taken to Gillian and placed behind Kane, who was preparing to die.
When everything was finally ready, Gillian and Kaor joined Giselle on either side.
And behind her sat Belinda, the only one wearing a black robe.
Jiselle looked around at them and slowly opened her mouth.
“It’s time to leave now.”
Fergus, who was standing next to Claude, held Giselle’s hand tightly and said.
“Your Majesty, you must take good care of yourself. Is it really okay for me not to go?”
Looking at Fergus’ worried face, Giselle smiled awkwardly and said.
“It’s okay, so please stay home and rest well. If you follow me, it will put a strain on your heart.”
Before Fergus could respond, Kaor intervened.
“Hey, Supreme Master. You don’t have to worry. I’m so much stronger now.”
I know he’s pretty strong, but I can’t seem to trust him for some reason. Still, Fergus said with a kind smile.
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“Yes, yes. I will trust only you. Please take good care of our young master.”
“Ugh, just trust me.”
Kaor, who learned new mana training methods and swordsmanship from Jiselle, looked very confident.
Belinda clicked her tongue a few times after seeing Kaor like that, then touched Fergus’ clothes and said.
“Sir, please eat on time. Take your medicine. Don’t worry too much. You know how good I am.”
“Well, well. I know my butler’s skills very well. Butler, you too, take care of yourself.”
Fergus left several messages for Gillian and the others to return safely.
Only after Fergus, who was particularly worried, was seen off did the knights, led by Giselle, begin to move.
When the news came that the lord would personally go on an expedition, the people of Yeongji also gathered like clouds.
Their faces were all filled with worry.
I didn’t understand why they suddenly started a war when the territory was getting better and better.
Moreover, the lord himself was going on an expedition? If something happened to the lord, his current happiness would disappear.
“What should I do? Are you sure you’re okay?”
“If we had known this would happen, we should have volunteered to be soldiers.”
“The lord said he would recruit people once construction was finished. But who would have thought that war would break out already?”
The crowd began to murmur louder and louder.
It was a completely different situation from when the lord of this place went to attack Perdium.
At that time, I didn’t care whether the lord died or not. No, I thought it would be better if he went and died.
That’s why I just watched the army go off to war with eyes like a dead fish.
But the current lord is different. He was the people’s hope and the pillar that took responsibility for everyone.
At that moment, some people, whose emotions were agitated, shouted.
“Your Majesty! Please return safely!”
“Knights and soldiers, please take care of yourselves!”
“Goddess, bless Fenris!”
The shouts that started from a few people soon became a roar that filled the territory.
It was the concern and encouragement of people full of sincerity. The knights and soldiers who were receiving this for the first time were a little embarrassed, but soon they straightened up and felt proud.
Jiselle also smiled and waved at the people.
“Wow! You must win!”
Giselle, who came out of the castle to the enthusiastic cheers of the people, said while grabbing the reins.
“All forces, advance at full speed from now on. We must strike before the enemy can properly prepare.”
“All right!”
The knights and soldiers, whose morale had risen, answered vigorously.
Heeeeeeling!
As a signal, the horse Giselle was riding began to neigh.
The Fenris army rushed like the wind towards the Cavaldi County.
* * *
Count Cavaldi had also heard rumors of food stockpiling in Fenris long ago.
It would be a lie to say that he wasn’t taken in by the rumor, as his own territory was in dire straits due to food shortages.
Count Cavaldi began to discuss the current situation with his vassals with a serious expression.
“What did Count Desmond say?”
“Please wait a little longer. It seems that internal management is not easy at the moment.”
“Where is the Duke?”
“He said he would send food as soon as possible. Just wait a little longer… … .”
“until when!”
Count Cavaldi shouted and slammed his chair down.
Even now, they were gathering up all the food that the people of Yeongji had hidden and feeding it to the soldiers. It was difficult to hold out any longer.
The Cavaldi fiefdoms are already full of discontent due to the extreme forced labor they endure in the iron mines.
Count Cavaldi used his army and force to suppress such people so that they would not rise up.
But now even the army was starving, so it was dangerous to continue like this.
In a situation where it was not known when a riot would break out, there was really no way to deal with it if even the military turned its back on them.
“I heard there’s a lot of food in Fenris. Is there no way to attack there?”
The vassals shook their heads in horror at Count Cavaldi’s words.
“There is no food to fight a war right now. The supply itself is impossible. The soldiers are also starving, so their morale is very low.”
“Didn’t the Duke warn you not to act rashly?”
“If we move now, we will be giving the pro-Prince faction an excuse. Right now, it is more important to handle the situation.”
Count Cavaldi just bit his lip.
The words of the vassals were absolutely correct. If they moved now, it would be tantamount to both the prince’s faction and the duke’s faction dying together.
If you fight, you will win, but even if you win, it will only be a victory with wounds. There is no guarantee that the other lords will respond.
Count Cavaldi was forced to suggest another plan.
“Give me the iron and get food from Fenris.”
His decision drew concerns from his followers.
“Baron Fenris is a royalist. If we provide him with iron, the Duke’s family will not look upon him favorably.”
“The Duke and Earl of Desmond have promised support, so please wait a little longer… … .”
Count Cavaldi gritted his teeth at the negative reaction.
“Who are you vassals? Even our military rations are running low. How long are you telling me to wait? If you don’t want to deal, should I confiscate all your assets?”
The vassals simultaneously shut their mouths in response to Count Cavaldi’s anger.
As the County of Cavaldi was the largest iron producing area in the North, the Count of Cavaldi’s position within the Duke’s faction was not bad.
However, Desmond, who was supposed to provide food support, suddenly cut off support.
This was because he had already sold all of his overflowing surplus to Giselle, and all he could do was hold out, but Cavaldi, who was unaware of this, could not help but think of him as abandoned.
We also asked the Duke for support, but because so many places were damaged, it was pushed down the priority list.
Count Cavaldi, who was quick-witted, quickly figured out what was going on. He had a fairly good political sense.
“Think about it carefully. No matter how much we fly and crawl, we’re just northern country bumpkins to the Duke’s point of view. The iron mine isn’t only in our territory.”
Those who heard those words could not refute them.
Although the County of Cavaldi was not a place to be ignored, there were many places more important to the Duke than the Cavaldi estates.
The Duke’s side wouldn’t help, so we couldn’t just starve to keep our loyalty.
Count Cavaldi is also one of the most notorious lords in the North for his wickedness.
Although they are safer than other lords due to their strong armed forces, they are much more dangerous if someone incites their soldiers to revolt.
“Anyway, we’re the ones supporting Desmond from behind. He might be upset if we make a deal with him, but he can’t kick us out just because we made a few deals.”
When Desmond was trying to persuade the northern lords, the first place he reached out to was the County of Cavaldi.
That’s because this place was strategically important.
Count Cavaldi, who knew how to use the cards he held well, quickly saw the trend and joined the Duke’s family.
He, who had a good grasp of the complex political landscape, judged that this time the Duke and Earl of Desmond would have no choice. He was also confident that he could keep a line that they could tolerate.
“Baron Fenris is going to die anyway. Giving him some iron ore now won’t change anything. His military is weak, so there won’t be a problem.”
The attendees all nodded as if they understood the point.
Come to think of it, Baron Fenris’s fate was already decided. So it didn’t seem like it would be a big deal to give him some iron and get some food.
Even if they are from different factions, there are countless cases where they trade with each other if they need something. Unless they are enemies, they don’t pretend not to know each other at all.
Iron was simply a strategic resource, so the workshops controlled it sensitively.
A servant asked cautiously.
“But Baron Fenris is in a favorable position, so wouldn’t he be willing to cut the price too low? We’ve been practically blocking the supply of iron to that side.”
“Promise me that you will loosen up the supply of iron a little in the future. But if he acts presumptuously, threaten to cut off the supply altogether. He will have no choice but to do it with us.”
“Okay, I see. If you push and pull a little, you’ll eventually have no choice but to accept our offer.”
“Yes, if he has any sense, he will try to show off to us through this opportunity. If he wants to get the iron at a fair price in the future.”
Count Cavaldi and his retainers were confident that Giselle would never be able to refuse their offer.
The production and distribution of iron in the northern regions is largely controlled by the Counts of Cavaldi, so Fenris would not have had an easy time obtaining iron.
Food prices are skyrocketing right now, but once the situation is resolved, iron prices will become more expensive.
It means that if you use food as an excuse to make trouble, things will get more difficult later.
“Let’s go at once. If we get to Count Desmond’s ears, we’ll get tired.”
When the vassals nodded and were about to retreat at Count Cavaldi’s command,
The gate of the palace burst open, and a knight rushed in, shouting urgently.
“The enemy has invaded!”
Count Cavaldi and his vassals blinked in shock at the absurd news.
There was no declaration of war, no sign of war. There was no communication from the border fortresses. So what kind of enemy was invading out of nowhere?
The only thing I’m worried about is a rebellion.
Count Cavaldi asked, his expression hardening like a statue.
“What are you talking about? Tell me clearly. Are you saying that there was a rebellion?”
The knight swallowed hard and spoke with an expression that said that even he could not believe it.
“Gisel Ferdium… … No, Baron Fenris’s army is encamped in front of our castle.”
