Episode 185: From now on, we’re moving forward at full speed. (2)
Count Cavaldi wondered for a moment whether his ears were deceiving him.
I was just about to decide to trade food with him, and then he came rushing in?
It was so hard to believe that I had no choice but to ask again.
“Baron Fenris? Why him?”
“… … I don’t know.”
“Why him! How dare he! He brought an army into my territory!”
The emotion that followed the embarrassment was unbearable anger.
He is a northern powerhouse who will soon ascend to the throne of the Great Lord.
Based on their abundant iron production and advanced smelting technology, they operate a powerful armed force.
There, he has the Duke of Delphine, the most powerful man in the kingdom, behind him.
That’s why they brought an army to target Count Cavaldi. That bastard Ferdium, who was just guarding the border, and he wasn’t even a count!
“What on earth were you doing at the border fortress? You couldn’t even send a single word until the enemy arrived here!”
Count Cavaldi couldn’t control his anger and shouted.
Living with the complacent mindset that no one would dare attack Cavaldi, the number of troops staying in the fortress was limited to a few guards. If the enemy had planned a surprise attack, they would not have been able to handle it.
So it was not at all surprising that the fortress had been taken, but the vassals knew it all but could not tell the truth.
“I have to see that insolent bastard’s face with my own eyes!”
Count Cavaldi got up and went out.
The bewildered attendants followed and said.
“It’s a good thing. Baron Fenris was the one who started the fight, so he has ample justification.”
“You don’t even need to worry about supplies. Just lead the army out and push them back.”
“The heavens are helping us. The princely faction and the dukedom cannot blame us.”
Count Cavaldi also nodded while listening to his vassals’ words.
“I don’t know why you came, but let’s sweep them away right now and occupy Fenris. What is the maximum number of troops available in the territory right now?”
“There are 42 knights, and if we gather all the armed men, there are 1,800. If we call up conscripts from all over the country, we can gather more than 3,000, but it will take too long, so we will have to compete only with the armed men.”
“That should be enough.”
“Yes. It is a small barony, notoriously poor. Even if we were to gather soldiers, they would not number more than 500.”
The knight who heard the conversation between Count Cavaldi and his vassals was embarrassed and tried to say something, but his existence had long since been erased from people’s minds.
Count Cavaldi nodded in satisfaction and continued walking.
The thought of wiping out the enemy with overwhelming force and taking Fenris made me feel a little better.
“It will be easier to secure food than I thought.”
Even if they had come for other reasons than to fight in the war, I would never have forgiven them.
What fool would miss such a golden opportunity?
However, as soon as they went out in a good mood, they were embarrassed and stopped walking when they saw the situation outside the castle.
Count Cavaldi muttered with an expression of disbelief.
“What, what is that… … . That force.”
There were many. At first glance, it looked like there were about 3,000 troops lined up.
They weren’t soldiers from anywhere else. The flags waving everywhere were definitely from Fenris.
I was confident that I would be overwhelmed, but instead, I ended up being overwhelmed by the enemy’s forces.
“What is that! Why does that little brat have so many troops?”
“… … .”
No one opened their mouths even at Count Cavaldi’s shout.
It was an extremely large force for a single barony to mobilize.
“Didn’t you say that you accepted immigrants? Didn’t you bring a bunch of conscripts?”
“Look, look! Most of them are infantry! They must be conscripts. They must be in bad shape.”
“But there seem to be over 300 cavalrymen. Is that okay?”
Those who lacked information could only guess based on what was in front of them.
Count Cavaldi rolled his head and bit his fingernails.
‘What happened? The Duke’s family clearly told him to protect himself. If the Prince’s faction had intervened, they wouldn’t have said that. Or was there some kind of negotiation between the two parties?’
There had been no proper declaration of war, and there had been no official conflict with the Ferdium side. So he couldn’t understand why he had been attacked.
‘That kid can’t command that kind of force. Did the royalist faction provide support?’
The information that Jiselle traded with other territories for food and soldiers has not yet been properly spread.
The reason Jiselle moved quickly under a time limit was to move before the rumor spread.
The difference between those who prepared everything from the beginning and those who did not could not be this big.
As Count Cavaldi was biting his fingernails and sweating profusely, two men from the opposing camp approached leisurely on horseback.
It was Giselle and Gillian.
They stopped a little way from the castle. Giselle, who had taken a moment to catch her breath, shouted loudly at Count Cavaldi.
“Hey! Count Desmond, warm!”
The words of Giselle, imbued with mana, were clearly heard by those who had climbed up the walls.
A spark flew from Count Cavaldi’s eyes when he heard Giselle’s provocation.
“That kid! How dare you!”
Not only was the vulgar speech a problem, but the content of the speech itself was also difficult to listen to.
He and Earl Desmond are nobles of the same rank. However, Earl Desmond secretly treats him like a subordinate.
No matter how much you package it as a favor, you can’t help but feel its dirty insides.
Look at this now. They had been stealing a lot of iron, but when the situation became difficult, they immediately stopped providing food aid.
Giselle’s words stimulated the inferiority complex that was growing within Count Cavaldi.
He didn’t have time to wonder how that bastard knew about his relationship with Count Desmond, who professed neutrality.
My mind was so heated that I couldn’t even think about it.
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“Now! Open the gates right now! I will lead the army out myself and cut off that bastard’s head!”
The servants nearby were startled and tried to stop him.
“No! If we confront them head-on, we will suffer great losses! There are too many enemy troops! Hey, first, let me hear why you came. There may be some misunderstanding.”
“This, this is it!”
Count Cavaldi bit his lip. There was nothing wrong with what his vassal said. Even if they fought, they had something to say to the dukedom because they knew why they had come.
The words Count Cavaldi spat out, biting his lip, were relayed loudly by the knight next to him.
“Baron Fenris! Why on earth did you bring troops here? Why did you suddenly bring troops here? Have you lost your honor as a noble after living in poverty? If you really want to go to war, then go back and prepare a proper excuse and formally declare war before you come back!”
In short, he meant that he didn’t want to fight right now, so he told me to come back later. Then, wouldn’t he be able to prepare for anything in the meantime?
“If you attack our territory without reason, the Duke will never stay still. If you want to avoid destruction, retreat immediately!”
I also tried to scare them by slightly selling the Duke’s name.
Jiselle snickered as she heard the knight shouting from the castle walls.
“A declaration of war… … . Yes, I can do that much.”
As Giselle held out her hand, Gillian handed her a bow and arrows.
There was a letter tied to the arrow.
Even though they invaded by surprise, they needed at least some justification to prevent the royalist faction and the duke’s family from openly intervening.
Now all I have to do is convey this appropriately. Creak. Jiselle pulled back the bow’s string sharply.
Count Cavaldi’s knights had already started moving when Giselle received her bow.
They surrounded the count tightly and raised their shields.
In an instant, Giselle changed direction and shot her arrow at the knight who was delivering the message from the castle wall.
Paaak!
“Ugh!”
The knight, whose chest was pierced by a sudden attack, fell to his knees, spitting out blood.
The arrow was only half-pierced. This was because Giselle had adjusted her strength to make it so.
Although few people would recognize it.
Jiselle saw people running towards the fallen knight and laughed, throwing her bow back.
“This is my way of declaring war.”
* * *
The pro-Prince nobles in the capital met every day to discuss how to resolve the situation.
This was because most people, except the Marquis of Branford and the Earl of Aylesburg, had not been able to gather enough food.
There was not much stockpiled, but even that was being consumed quickly, so there was continued concern.
“How on earth do I do this!”
“The situation is one where people are dying in droves!”
“The climate crisis is real!”
There was a lot of noise, but no one was able to come up with a viable alternative.
The drought’s damage was so severe that it affected the entire kingdom.
“Stop! What has already happened can’t be helped!”
The nobles who had been chattering ceaselessly all fell silent at the Marquis of Branford’s shout.
Now, they all had no choice but to watch the Marquis of Branford’s face.
As rumors spread that the Marquis of Branford had stored up a huge amount of food, there was an implicit understanding that if you looked good to him, you would get some.
Of course, Earl Ailsver, who had stockpiled food as soon as he heard Giselle’s warning, maintained a relatively relaxed attitude.
He thought to himself, sighing deeply.
‘Oh my, if it weren’t for my wife, I would have been in big trouble. From now on, I have to do whatever my wife says.’
Meriel ignored her husband’s objections and bought a huge amount of food.
Thanks to this, the Earl of Aylesbury, who was considered to be inferior to the representatives of other factions within the royalist faction, has now gained authority second only to the Marquis of Branford.
The Marquis of Branford slowly opened his mouth, looking around at his quiet surroundings.
“It’s a shame, but if you think about it, it could have been a good thing for us.”
Marquis Maurice Macquarie, Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Army, frowned.
“Ahem, why? Everyone is starving and the situation is dire. What good is that?”
“Because the nobles who follow the Duke are also starving.”
“… … ?”
“Think about it. Why have we been keeping the Duke in check? It was because we were worried that the Duke would start a civil war. But in the current situation, even the Duke cannot start a civil war. You have to handle the situation as well.”
“Umm… … .”
“If we hadn’t stockpiled food on our side, the Duke would have moved even if it meant suffering losses. Don’t you think so?”
The nobles had no objection to those words.
As the Marquis of Branford said, if there had been a food shortage on the royal side, the dukedom would certainly have seized the opportunity to start a civil war.
However, since the Marquis of Branford, the royal family, and the Earl of Aylesburg had stored up a large amount of food, it became difficult for the Duke to make any hasty moves.
Rather than moving now and causing great damage to both sides, it would be better to choose the same side as quickly as possible.
It was just as Jiselle had intended. Unlike in her previous life, the Duke’s movements were temporarily restrained.
For the pro-Prince faction, which was in a defensive position, the current situation was much better.
What they wanted was a permanent peace, not a definitive conclusion.
The Marquis of Branford continued speaking to the nobles who nodded as if they understood.
“Of course, this situation won’t last forever. It depends on which side takes care of the situation first. The operatives will definitely try to quickly take care of the situation and put pressure on us again.”
The nobles’ eyes were filled with anticipation.
The statement that it would be advantageous for either side to resolve the situation first also meant that the Marquis of Branford would help the pro-Prince nobles to resolve the situation quickly.
As expected, the Marquis of Branford did not disappoint the nobles’ expectations.
“I will provide you with not only the royal reserves, but also some of the food that the Earl of Ailsburg and I have stored up. It may not be enough, but it should be enough to get you through somehow.”
“Oh!”
“Thank you so much for your kind words!”
“I had no doubt that the Marquis and the Count would make a great decision.”
Everyone had a relieved expression on their face.
Because food was the most important resource for maintaining an army.
No one thought of distributing the food aid to the people.
The nobles had little interest in the lives of the common people. They were only concerned with maintaining their own power.
Looking at the relieved nobles, the Marquis of Branford said with a hint of regret.
“So, why didn’t you prepare food in advance like Baron Fenris said?”
“Ugh… … .”
Everyone was speechless at those words.
Honestly, who would believe such a thing? It was strange that Marquis Branford and Meriel believed it and prepared for it.
The nobles, while on the subject, pointed out a point they simply could not understand.
“But how on earth did Baron Fenris know that?”
“There are even rumors that you use some kind of astrology to read the stars.”
“There’s no way I could have had that kind of talent. I just happened to get lucky with one of the random words I blurted out.”
The one who showed the most displeasure was, of course, Marquis Maurice Macquarie.
He was very fond of fortune telling and superstitions, so when he heard that Giselle had predicted the weather, he was convinced that she had done some strange witchcraft.
“Ahem! That guy is definitely a warlock or has a witch by his side! We should catch him right now and weigh him on a scale to see if he weighs the same as a duck! If he’s learned warlock magic, he should weigh the same as a duck!”
“… … .”
It seemed as if he had no idea that the person saying those words sounded more like a warlock.
The Marquis of Branford shook his head. There was no way to communicate with that ignorant man anyway.
He is only able to maintain his position because he is known to be from a prestigious family and to have considerable knowledge of military science.
But the Marquis of Branford agreed with one thing he said. He doubted what powers Giselle possessed. It was hard to believe that she had simply predicted a drought because of the hot weather.
‘I guess we’ll figure that out slowly. Anyway, thanks to that guy and Rosalind, we’ll be able to get through this crisis.’
Thanks to the two of them, the worst was avoided. Marquis Branford looked around at the still sallow nobles and felt secretly satisfied.
‘Hmm… … I think I should consider bringing it into our house this time. I think it would go well with Rosalind.’
I thought Giselle would be horrified if she heard this, but even Rosaline, who knew the Marquis well, couldn’t take a peek into his head.
The Marquis of Branford repeatedly tried to bring the flow of thought back to its proper place and gave a stern warning to the nobles.
“I’m saying this out of concern, but for the time being, please be careful not to get into trouble with the nobles of the Duke’s faction. It would be best to avoid anything that might hurt your pride.”
The nobles all nodded, understanding what he meant.
“If we start arguing in a situation like this, it will only lead to us talking about killing each other.”
“I will definitely pass this on to others.”
“Would there really be anyone who would pick a fight so thoughtlessly? If a war breaks out, we should all die together.”
“Of course, there’s no one on our side that stupid. Hahahaha!”
Everyone laughed in a friendly atmosphere.
They simply hoped that this situation would pass quietly. They also harbored the hope that if they could successfully overcome this crisis, they would be able to stand on equal footing with the Duke.
Breaking the good atmosphere, one of the Marquis’s knights burst into the conference room in a panic.
Just as the Marquis of Branford frowned and was about to say something, the knight’s mouth opened.
“Baron Fenris has started a war!”
The smiles disappeared from the faces of all the nobles present at the report that was close to a scream.
