Chapter 272
Chapter 272 – Has that guy already started moving? (2)
“Wow!”
“We won again!”
“The enemies are retreating!”
The soldiers of Valua shouted loudly as they saw Amelia’s troops pulling back.
It had already been several months since the war began. They were holding off Amelia’s 5,000-strong army with only 1,000 troops.
Valua’s soldiers were renowned for being elite. Their morale was high thanks to their string of victories.
“Hahaha! All that hype about the Raybold Army and they’re nothing special!”
“A woman commander in the north! All those underlings should just castrate themselves!”
“Maybe they already have! That’s why they’re fighting so passively like little girls! Did they come here for a playground? Hahahaha!”
As they watched the retreating Raybold Army, everyone jeered confidently. They were sure they wouldn’t lose.
The enemy might be numerous, but they were just a newly appointed lord with no experience in war— a woman at that.
However, Baron Valua, the lord of this territory, didn’t share their cheerful expression.
“What’s going on? Why are they attacking so hesitantly? Did they come to subdue me and kill Prince Davin?”
Initially, Baron Valua had underestimated Amelia. They had easily blocked the enemy’s attacks, after all.
But the longer they fought, the clearer their intentions became. Amelia was deliberately dragging out the conflict with a passive approach.
The evidence? The number of Raybold soldiers in front of them hadn’t changed much from the beginning. They had taken almost no losses.
“What on earth are they planning? What are they after?”
The scale of the enemy troops surpassed theirs by more than five times. If the enemy pressed forward, there was no guarantee they could stop them.
Yet, for some reason, they were just poking at them playfully, raising suspicions.
“We have enough supplies. We can last longer. I don’t know why Count Penris is helping us.”
Lord Penris sent along a large quantity of supplies when he dispatched Davin. Thus, they had no worries about food.
He claimed it was because they were friends, but the sheer amount was hard to swallow during these times. Baron Valua was no fool to believe someone would give such valuable help without a cost.
“What benefit is there for him in helping us?”
While deep in thought, Baron Valua pulled a crumpled letter from his pocket.
It was a letter received together with supplies for Ghislaine.
[No matter what happens, do not go outside the fortress to fight. Even if it seems like an opportunity has arisen, it is not an opportunity.]
He still couldn’t make sense of it. They had been holed up in the fortress all this time, just holding their ground. What opportunity was he talking about? And how could it not be an opportunity?
No matter how he thought about it, it sounded like nonsense, yet he couldn’t afford to ignore it.
“The Count of Penris is a rising star in the north. He’s also someone who easily defeated Count Cabaldy.”
The ridiculous feats that Ghislaine had performed had already spread like wildfire.
Baron Valua, having never seen Ghislaine directly, couldn’t easily judge if he truly had foresight or if he was just spouting nonsense to look cool.
He wasn’t the only one troubled. In Amelia’s camp, frustration was beginning to boil over.
“Lady! No, Countess! Ugh, let’s just charge! I’ll smash their heads! Why waste time with those guys!”
Ulkhan, known for his foul temper, tightly gripped his club as he shouted. He couldn’t stand the jabs from Valua’s army.
At this moment, he wanted to scale the castle and kill everyone.
Amelia shook her head with a disinterested expression at Ulkhan’s fervor.
“Be quiet. It’s noisy, and it’s hurting my ears.”
Nyaa!
Bastet waved her paw in the air as if to say be quiet.
“Argh!”
Ulkhan didn’t hide his frustration. He couldn’t understand Amelia’s sudden change in demeanor.
She had been quick to attack Valua castle, but during the expedition, she had suddenly received news that made her change her strategy.
– Count Desmond has issued a call to arms.
Since then, they had been just passing time as if on a picnic.
They had enough supplies to withstand, but others didn’t know her intentions, and it was bound to frustrate them.
Her followers insisted on charging forward repeatedly, but Amelia turned them down each time. Then one day, she issued a new order.
“Withdraw the troops a bit more and dig traps in various places.”
During a siege, ordering a retreat and digging traps was a command that no one could understand.
Eventually, Bernap, who had drawn everyone’s glare, had no choice but to step forward. Better for one person to get scolded than everyone else, so he stepped up for the sake of the others.
“Uh… um, Lady? Aren’t we in the middle of a siege? It doesn’t look like Baron Valua will come out of the fortress. Besides, there isn’t anyone to assist from the other side. The only one who might help is Count Penris, but he’s aware that Count Desmond is gathering troops, right? No matter how he is, he won’t step in.”
Nyaa!
Bastet roared at Bernap as if to say how dare he question the Lady’s orders.
“Ha, why does that cat have to come to the battlefield and annoy me?”
Seeing Bernap tremble with anger, Amelia casually commented as if it were nothing.
“We’ve dragged our feet too long.”
“What?”
“Soon, those who look down on us will appear. Since they’re coming out, shouldn’t we maximize our gains? When the time comes, Baron Valua will pop out of the fortress, and we can kill him then.”
She was always several steps ahead in her planning. Thus, Bernap couldn’t grasp her reasoning.
Only Conrad, who was known for his intelligence, nodded as though he understood.
At that, Ulkhan and Caleb unintentionally nodded along. Bernap, swept up by the atmosphere, pretended to comprehend by nodding as well.
Amelia smirked at their antics and asked Conrad,
“What’s the news from Desmond?”
“He has sent another call to arms. For now, he ordered to deal with Baron Valua later. He plans to strike Count Penris first.”
At this news, Amelia frowned briefly.
“Why the sudden change? Is that the Duke faction’s intention? Are they planning to start a civil war in the north while the Kingdom Army is watching right in front of them?”
“I don’t know. There hasn’t been any indication from the Duke faction that they are preparing for a civil war.”
Amelia was able to glean more information about Count Desmond than the Crown Prince faction. After all, they were moving as part of the same side.
But she didn’t know the exact intentions of the Duke faction. For now, Count Desmond was still in charge of the north and communicating with the Duke faction.
After a moment of contemplation, Amelia continued.
“For now, let’s stretch this out a little longer. Excuses will keep coming.”
Conrad, who had bowed his head once, cautiously asked.
“Are they really planning to start a civil war in the north?”
“There’s a possibility. Anyway, it’s a mess because of that Ghislaine bastard. But that’s strange. Why start in the north?”
The Kingdom Army was keeping an eye on Count Desmond. If it were to begin simultaneously, it could make sense, but there was no need to start here first and raise the Crown Prince faction’s alertness.
Harold was cautious. He always aimed to execute the Duke faction’s commands precisely.
If someone like him was moving, it indicated that the Duke faction had issued some sort of order. There’s no way he would move without a reason.
There was too little information to grasp the current situation properly. As she continued to ponder, Conrad spoke.
“Count Penris won’t be able to handle Desmond. There are rumors that they’re gathering troops on a large scale, but the difference in strength is too vast.”
“Well, thanks to that guy, our situation hasn’t turned out too badly.”
While she wasn’t sure of the exact circumstances, the fact that Count Desmond was going after Penris was good news for Amelia.
The more Ghislaine struggled, the more damage Count Desmond would incur.
She was used to moving according to the situation. And even now, she was thinking about how to make the most profit from the situation.
Whether Penris or Desmond wins, the losing side would inevitably suffer. Once they’re worn down, a sudden blow to the head would hurt like hell.
With a cruel smile, Amelia continued,
“While those two fight, we can wipe out the trifles and wait.”
It was the exact situation she wanted.
*
“Yay!”
The Territory of Penris was filled daily with the shouts of soldiers.
Since everyone was volunteers who gathered to protect their territory, their morale was high.
Coincidentally, the Plunder King and his 40 thieves vanished after their troop recruitment ended. The general consensus was that they had fled due to the sudden surge in soldiers.
As Ghislaine observed the soldiers training, she smiled with satisfaction.
“Great! Awesome! Aren’t they much better than the knights?”
Her training with Gillian was intense enough to challenge the common folk. But the soldiers were gritting their teeth and holding on.
It was because they believed that no one else could protect this territory but themselves.
Ghislaine absolutely loved that determination. Each individual might be weak, but together, their resolve became a powerful strength.
Though training was tough, the soldiers had no regrets about their enlistment.
“Wow, I heard about it, but actually getting paid is no joke!”
“The food is so much better, too. We’re getting the best meat and bread!”
“Look at this armor. Don’t I look like a knight?”
Receiving benefits and treatment that far surpassed the ordinary residents allowed them to endure more easily.
Especially the calm silver armor had become a symbol of their territorial army.
Thanks to the region’s high productivity, every soldier was now equipped with gear comparable to knights from other territories.
Such expensive equipment was normally unattainable without being a knight. It was no wonder that these perks and treatment significantly boosted their pride.
As soldiers showed their enthusiasm, the slackers, who had become knights by force, felt the pressure.
“Why aren’t you training harder?”
Thanks to Ghislaine suddenly barging in mid-training, the knights found themselves in a whole heap of trouble. The ever-impudent lord often showed up to throw punches.
“Argh! My lady! Why are you acting up again?”
“We’re training hard too! And we’re involved in educating the soldiers!”
“Can’t you see the blood I’ve spat? I’m exhausted!”
Everyone was making a fuss about working hard, yet the truth was they had become more lax than before.
The reason was partly due to the superiority they felt from training the soldiers, but the biggest reason was undoubtedly the new armor they had received.
When they obtained equipment that vastly outclassed their own skills, they naturally felt more at ease.
“Wow, wearing this feels like I’ve really become a high-ranking knight!”
“I mean, with this on, how could I die?”
“I could probably beat any knight! I could take out a thousand soldiers by myself!”
Thinking like this had to impact their personal training as well.
And Ghislaine, fully aware of this, wouldn’t let her knights be lazy for a single day.
“If you just rely on your armor, you’ll die for sure! You won’t even be able to use your abilities properly due to lack of mana!”
The armor required the user’s mana to activate its powers. But these half-baked knights shouldn’t be expected to wield it correctly.
It was clear they wouldn’t be able to use it much before tiring out and if they didn’t train hard, their lifespans would be counted in days.
So she had to push them even harder.
“I’ll send anyone who doesn’t work hard to the Shadow Mountain Range!”
“Okay! Please stop tormenting me!”
While it was in stark contrast to the willing-to-push soldiers, the knights gave it their all, even if reluctantly.
Claude and the retainers were busy preparing for war. They checked daily to ensure nothing was overlooked and to prepare for any unforeseen circumstances.
While the lord always guarantees victory, ordinary folks had to also consider what to do if they lose.
They all assumed that when civil war broke out, Count Desmond would undoubtedly strike this place first. The grudges built up over time were significant.
Claude, looking earnestly at the map, turned to Wendy and said,
“Want to run away with me?”
“Excuse me?”
“I just don’t have the confidence to run away by myself. You’re good at fighting. Just protect me. I’d die if I ran into any robbers alone.”
Seeing Claude suddenly making a pitiful face, Wendy looked at him with disdain.
But Claude shouted as if it didn’t matter anymore,
“When the civil war breaks out, all of Count Desmond and the Duke faction nobles will gather here! Then, even my lady won’t be able to win!”
“…Just stop whining.”
“Ah, I don’t know! How do we win against the Duke faction? Particularly against Count Desmond! I must have briefly lost my mind! To think I thought we could win!”
He had forgotten that it was a territory filled with grudges. He should have already fled.
Everyone knew the lord was good at fighting and had been winning up until now.
But Count Desmond was in a league entirely different from the opponents they had faced so far. After all, he was the strongest in the north. The numbers were an issue, but the caliber of the knights and soldiers was highly renowned too.
So while they prepared for war, the retainers couldn’t help but feel nervous.
‘This time, it seems even my lady will have a hard time. She’s prepared and predicted it, but Desmond is just too strong. If the civil war starts, will we even win?’
Most felt similarly. They had become complacent, enamored with the development of the territory and failed to take the brewing danger seriously; but now that war was imminent, anxiety surged anew.
In fact, Claude had attempted to flee several times but was caught each time by Wendy.
She shoved Claude’s back and said,
“Just focus on preparing. We’ll think about escaping after we lose. After all, the civil war isn’t just us fighting alone. The Kingdom Army will help.”
“Even so, if we lose, our heads will roll immediately!”
“That’s why we have to prepare, so we don’t lose.”
Even with Claude’s pleading, Wendy didn’t blink an eye.
He was officially the chief officer and the territory’s slave. He stood second only to the lord but was strangely in a lower position than everyone else. With tears in his eyes, Claude could only prepare for war.
While everyone was so absorbed in training and preparing for war, suddenly envoys from the northern lords came to see Ghislaine all at once.
They cornered her, insisting on their discussions with her. After making polite greetings, the envoys quickly got to the point.
“I’m from the Jimbar territory. I’m here to convey a favorable proposal on behalf of the Count.”
“What’s it about?”
The envoy clenched his fist upon seeing Ghislaine’s indifferent expression. It was a well-known fact that this young lord had no manners whatsoever.
Though he was irritated, he had come because of the potential gains, so he decided to hold it in for now. Well, even without holding it in, there wasn’t much he could do.
“Are you considering expanding your territory? We’d like to help.”
While they were small territories without significant power, they were envoys from six territories. If they united their strength, they could present formidable forces.
At the mention of expanding territories, curiosity flickered in Ghislaine’s eyes.
“Seeing that you all came here together, it seems like the conversation is already settled… Where do you intend to hit?”
Taking a deep breath, the envoy, with a significant smile, replied.
“Specifically, Raybold. We propose to attack Amelia, the usurper who dared to incite rebellion, breaking the northern customs and forcibly ousting her father and brothers.”
Ghislaine looked at the envoys with a face full of mockery.
