Chapter 492
Chapter 492: There is Something You Must Do. (1)
“Grrkk… What sound is that…?”
Even amidst the suffocating atmosphere, the envoy felt that something was off.
He had heard whispers about Count Penris’s nasty temperament and accepted it as a matter of pride from someone leading the strongest army in the kingdom.
However, he never expected to hear such harsh words aimed at the king. Considering how diligently he fought against the Duke Faction, he assumed this individual had some loyalty.
He thought he was merely a rough-around-the-edges type, but that was a solid delusion.
A traitor. This person was ready to start a rebellion at any moment.
Ghislaine was toying with the envoy’s neck.
“Oh dear, I think I got a bit carried away. That’s why I told you to hurry up and speak. I’m rather impatient. But then again, you must not have done anything wrong. You just delivered a message, didn’t you? Right?”
“Cough! Y-yes! I only came to deliver His Majesty’s orders. P-please spare me.”
The envoy begged on the ground in fear of Ghislaine, who was holding an axe.
“Alright, I understand. So you’re saying Marquis Branford and the other nobles are safe?”
“Yes, yes! For now, the nobles suppressed by Marquis Branford are the only ones following His Majesty. Even His Majesty can’t touch them due to the pressure.”
“When do you plan to replace the commanders of the Kingdom Army that are retreating?”
“I sent the royal knight order, so the commander must have already been replaced during the move.”
“I see.”
Ghislaine understood the situation. Marquis Branford and his followers should be safe for now.
It wasn’t just the Kingdom Army; many of the local lords and nobles were aligned with Marquis Branford as well.
It would probably take a few years for Berhem to stabilize the political landscape and strengthen the royal power. Killing Marquis Branford would only be possible after that.
And since the Marquis was aware of this, he would have retreated willingly.
With a cold gaze, Ghislaine looked at the envoy.
“I have more questions.”
“Ask anything.”
The envoy responded quickly without hesitation. He was quick to learn, even if he didn’t realize it. Ghislaine looked at him with satisfaction.
“The mage who treated the king—is he a priest of the Salvation Society?”
“T-that’s what rumors say. However, no one knows his true identity. But who else could perform such feats besides a priest of the Salvation Society? And why would His Majesty suddenly want to negotiate with the Duke Faction?”
“Right, that’s true.”
Ghislaine nodded. If he were a high priest of the Salvation Society, it would make sense for him to wield such magic.
The Magic Circle of the Rift and the Holy Knights were examples. Even Melchior, with his shattered mana core, could do such things.
They had the skill to conduct peculiar rituals using human life force as offerings.
It was evident the king sought their aid in a desperate attempt to survive.
And the reason they obliged him was…
‘Simply because the current situation is unfavorable for them?’
They could strike against Marquis Branford and the Northern Army alongside the Kingdom Army. It sounded plausible enough.
However, that wasn’t strong enough. There were still suspicious elements remaining.
‘These are the ones who had persistently targeted the royal family. But they treated the king instead of killing him?’
Ghislaine pressed his fingertips against his temples, frowning. There had to be another reason.
Their goal was not territorial conquest but the capital and the royal family, but it seemed it wasn’t the king’s life they were after. If that were the case, they would have killed him on approach.
So, there was only one remaining assumption.
‘They must seek something from the royal family.’
Whether from the king or another member of the royal family, the Duke Faction and the Salvation Society likely desired something they held.
The king teaming up with the Duke to attack him was merely a side factor.
Ghislaine brought the axe closer to the envoy’s neck.
“One more question.”
The envoy panicked as the axe touched him.
“Y-yes, ask away.”
“You mentioned that the rumor has already spread that the mage is a priest of the Salvation Society. Even if it’s just a rumor, that means the royal family has allied with the Salvation Society, doesn’t it?”
“Y-yes, that’s correct. In fact, many in the capital are feeling very uneasy about it.”
“Are the bishops of the Church just keeping quiet? They’ll oppose the ceasefire negotiations, won’t they?”
“Everyone is just watching carefully. To be honest, it seems like they are getting ready to flee.”
Ghislaine chuckled. He understood the bishops’ mindset perfectly. Out of fear, they wouldn’t be able to oppose openly.
If that mage truly was a priest of the Salvation Society, it wouldn’t be surprising if the priests of the four major churches found themselves in mortal danger.
Given that a change in power had occurred, it was true they could no longer openly oppose ceasefire negotiations. The king had initially justified it by citing the suffering of the common people.
Ghislaine asked the most crucial and curious question.
“Whether he’s a priest of the Salvation Society or not, what has the king promised him in return?”
“As I conveyed earlier, it’s about stopping the war. The Duke’s forces have all been defeated, haven’t they?”
“Was there nothing else mentioned?”
“N-no, there weren’t any other terms.”
“Come on, there has to be something. Even a rumor would do, just think.”
At those words, the envoy looked around as if pondering something. As the cold axe pressed harder against his neck, he quickly responded.
“W-wait! I’m… thinking something over!”
“Sure, just say whatever comes to mind. Unless you want to die.”
Given Ghislaine’s chilling words, the envoy began to rattle off anything that came to mind.
“Uh, well, I’m not sure, but during the feast, the king got a bit drunk and said something to the mage. That quickly spread among the nobles.”
Ghislaine’s eyes gleamed.
“Right, what did he say?”
“He wants to have that ‘thing’ quickly.”
“What is that ‘thing’?”
“I-I don’t know. He said that and they both laughed it off. It seems the nobles just thought they’d receive some sort of present. That’s all there is to it. I haven’t heard anything more.”
After a moment of thought, Ghislaine smirked.
‘So it’s true.’
The king and the Salvation Society decided to exchange something. That must be the real condition of the negotiation.
Now, all that remained was to figure out what that was.
Ghislaine lowered the axe.
“I’ll spare you, so now you deliver my message.”
“Y-yes! Just tell me anything.”
“The Northern Army will not be disbanded.”
“Y-yes!”
“And I will continue to hold the position of commander of the Northern Army.”
“Y-yes!”
The envoy nodded vigorously.
It was evident the king would storm with fury upon receiving this news, but it couldn’t be helped. Delaying this would only lead to his demise.
“And I have no intention of negotiating a ceasefire with the Duke Faction, so relay that too.”
“Ah, understood. I’ll make sure to convey that.”
“Alright, off you go. Before you leave, I’ll heal you.”
At Ghislaine’s gesture, Piote rushed over to heal the envoy. As soon as his shoulder healed, the envoy fled the Northern Army camp like he was escaping.
After the envoy left, Ghislaine sat down and fell into thought.
His retainers all wore dark expressions. Internal conflict was brewing right before an important battle.
If care was not taken, they might end up fighting the Kingdom Army that had just been reformed. No, since Ghislaine had refused the disbandment of the Northern Army, conflict with the Kingdom Army was practically guaranteed.
Ghislaine’s political base relied heavily on Marquis Branford. It was because of his total support that he could suppress noble discontent and proceed.
However, now that Marquis Branford had fallen from grace, that support was gone. Nonetheless…
After a moment’s hesitation, Claude spoke up.
“W-what will you do… to save those individuals in the capital?”
After pondering briefly, Ghislaine shook his head.
“No, there’s no need for that.”
“Why’s that?”
“One traitor is enough. There’s no need to go all together. And when would we rescue all those nobles?”
Ghislaine chuckled. Even if he went to rescue them, Marquis Branford would undoubtedly refuse.
He could have killed the king but chose to withdraw instead. So, there was no need to complicate things by trying to rescue him.
“It’s just about taking out the king.”
He could simply conquer the capital. Why complicate things with useless military movements? If he got too entangled, those nobles could become hostages.
At Ghislaine’s casual remark, the expressions of his companions darkened.
Looking at the situation, it seemed that becoming a traitor was a foregone conclusion.
Ghislaine planted a flag on a portion of the map. It was the capital, Cardenia.
“We will seize the capital. The royal family, which Marquis Branford tried to protect, is now finished.”
“…”
Everyone nodded with stiff expressions. After all, the king, who had allied with the Duke Faction, wouldn’t let them be.
The moment had come to truly overturn the kingdom. Ghislaine had never imagined this day would arrive.
Ghislaine smiled slyly and continued.
“While we could strike at any moment… let’s wait a little before we do.”
Claude tilted his head.
“If we’re going to strike, now’s the best time. The Kingdom Army is in retreat, and they probably haven’t assessed the situation properly.”
“I know, but if we’re going to do it, we need to be thorough. After all, even if it’s nominal, the king is still the king. With Marquis Branford retired, this kingdom needs a new focal point.”
Once the royal house crumbled, Marquis Branford would never return to politics. He could no longer assume the role of a central figure.
Ghislaine also needed to understand what the king and the Salvation Society desired from one another. Only then could he get to the truth of this war.
This was the moment for that opportunity. The capital could be taken at any time.
Claude immediately grasped the situation.
“I see. I understand your point. We need a new center to lead the kingdom. That’s not a problem for us, but it wouldn’t be the case for the people and other nobles.”
The rest understood the implication as well. Kaor and Alfoy didn’t pick up on it completely, but they nodded nonetheless.
Everyone was unconcerned whether the Kingdom Army was getting organized. They had confidence in the combat strength of the Northern Army.
Ghislaine quickly issued orders.
“Relay the news to the allied forces immediately. Inform them that the king has allied with the Salvation Society. Tell them to move the army to the western and northern boundaries and maintain a defensive posture. From now on, they must follow my orders exclusively.”
“Understood.”
It wasn’t difficult to bring the allied forces on board. They had originally come here to fight against the Salvation Society. Ghislaine was the one who initiated the negotiations.
Now that Marquis Branford had fallen, they would actively cooperate with Ghislaine’s demands.
“Tell Lowell to deploy spies into the capital immediately. We’ll keep a close watch on their every move from now on.”
“Understood.”
After forming a solid alliance with Marquis Branford, they had only deployed individuals to gather rumors in the capital.
Marquis Branford had done the same. He had sent informants to the Territory of Penris but kept it at a reasonable level.
As they were in a partnership, there was no need to create any embarrassing situations for each other.
But that was no longer the case. Numerous spies would now be gathering information about Ghislaine from all directions. Ghislaine’s spies would be operating with great fervor as well.
Ghislaine looked at everyone and continued speaking.
“Soon, I will sneak into the capital alone. There’s something I need to confirm.”
“Are you planning to conquer it alone?”
Claude asked in disbelief.
The capital was akin to a den of demons. If he were discovered while sneaking in, all the forces in the capital would target Ghislaine.
No matter how strong Ghislaine was, facing them alone would be reckless.
Others, including Belinda, tried to dissuade him. Yet, Ghislaine spoke before they could.
“I’m not going right away. I’ll explain everything in detail before I leave, but for now, there are other urgent matters at hand.”
Everyone showed worried expressions at Ghislaine’s words. They didn’t know what he planned, but it likely wouldn’t be anything ordinary.
“First, let’s return to the North. We need to prepare quickly as things will become busier ahead.”
The Northern Army quickly packed and moved out. With the royal family now foes, their current position could be surrounded by enemies on both sides.
The political situation had become chaotically uncontrollable. It was because of Marquis Branford’s departure.
However, Ghislaine could vaguely fathom why he had stepped down willingly.
‘The king made a foolish decision.’
He fiddled with his sword sheath, his expression sharp.
Many nobles, including Marquis Branford and Maurice, had supported him. That had allowed him to grow faster than planned.
Now he had the power to topple the kingdom at any moment. Yet, he had maintained the minimum procedures due to his relationship with them.
In a way, Marquis Branford was akin to a shackle keeping Ghislaine restrained.
But now, even that restraint was gone.
‘Since I’ve allied with the Duke Faction, I cannot let him live.’
It was unfortunate for Marquis Branford, but the royal family was finished. As they had become his enemies, he had no intention of showing them mercy regardless of the reason.
‘Nothing will change.’
In his previous life, he had fought the entire kingdom alone.
While it was too early to say he was stronger than before, the Duke Faction had weakened considerably while battling against him. It was a fight worth having.
Now, he had no thoughts of backing down. Even the kingdom army he fought alongside would be swept away if they stood in his path.
‘Let’s see it through to the end. One of us must die.’
A smirk crept onto Ghislaine’s face.
Now, he could destroy those who got in his way without a second thought. He felt a sense of lightness, almost as if he were liberated.
