Chapter 367
Chapter 367: Who’s Bullying Who? (4)
Marquis Branford rubbed his forehead. He had no idea where to even begin untangling this mess.
Marquis Roderick had been scheming for a surprise attack, only to find himself on the receiving end.
“What an idiot…”
That greedy fool had caused quite the incident. And Ghislaine accepted the fight as if he had been waiting for it.
‘Well, Ghislaine is just as greedy.’
In his relentless pursuit of what he wanted, he was remarkably similar to Marquis Roderick.
However, his greed wasn’t necessarily for personal gain. Upon closer inspection, it turned out he spent all the acquired profits on his territory. That’s why Penris developed at such an astonishing rate.
It was a different type of greed. Thus, Marquis Branford still couldn’t grasp what kind of person Ghislaine truly was.
After pondering for a while, he spoke to the nobles of the Crown Prince Faction.
“Keep the troops on standby, ready to start a war at any time.”
Everyone leaned back in their chairs and sighed, as they understood why Marquis Branford would say such a thing.
If Marquis Roderick issued a mobilization order, an enormous army would assemble. In such a case, Count Penris wouldn’t sit idly by.
Like it or not, the two were accelerating their civil war.
To respond to a war that could erupt at any moment, they needed to prepare for departure from now.
“I’ll do my best to prevent it from escalating into full-scale war. However, the Duke has lost the Tower of the Bloody Flame, so I have no idea what he might do. We must prepare for an ambush.”
Everyone nodded. It wasn’t long ago that they celebrated Count Penris becoming a Master, and now they found themselves tangled in war.
It should have been a situation that could be resolved amicably, yet it had somehow spiraled to this point.
The Crown Prince faction nobles weren’t the only ones surprised by the current situation.
“Seriously? That Ghislaine is a Master? And now he’s fighting with Marquis Roderick?”
Amelia also looked dumbfounded upon hearing the news.
While she had hoped for the two to fight, she heard Ghislaine had already killed Delmood. Instead of waiting for a fight, he was already going at it.
At least part of her plan was successful, but it was irksome how things were deviating from her intent.
“Ha… I never expected that guy to actually be a Master.”
Amelia still wore a look of disbelief. She knew Ghislaine’s past better than anyone else.
She never thought he was hiding his power, as she had seen his true self too many times while they were engaged.
‘He definitely wasn’t hiding any strength.’
She remembered how he used to blush and twist his body at the mere sight of her. It was far too pathetic to be considered hiding power.
The reasons she scorned and ignored him were all very real.
‘Now that I think about it… I don’t see even a trace of that same person anymore.’
Compared to his current self, she doubted he was even the same person.
There had to be someone backing him. Someone who had helped him suddenly become a Master and provided him with information.
If it wasn’t a person, he must have acquired a treasure with similar powers.
‘I must find that out.’
Amelia bit her lip. That troublemaker had become a Master after a few years and gained mysterious knowledge.
Regardless of whether it was a person or an object, if she could identify and obtain it, her ambitions would come to fruition much quicker.
Ghislaine starting to fight with Marquis Roderick was also quite a fresh shock to her.
‘He’s seriously lost his mind over fights. He’s running around without a second’s break…’
Marquis Roderick was a much stronger lord than Count Desmond. Plus, he was a high-ranking noble, a pillar of the Duke Faction.
The fact that he dared to stir up trouble directly in the West was a clear sign of his insanity.
At that moment, a tremendous impulse surged in her mind.
‘If I strike Ghislaine now…’
Though Penris was strong, Ghislaine, the core of it all, was currently absent.
If she poured all her power and charged in like a storm, she had confidence in immediately conquering Penris.
‘No, no. I must hold back.’
Just as Ghislaine viewed Amelia as a variable, she also saw him as her greatest variable.
If she seized Penris, the Crown Prince faction would lose the North. They would then find it easier to lose the civil war.
If she were loyal to the Duke Faction, she wouldn’t let this opportunity slip away, but for Amelia, the Duke Faction was also a future enemy. She had no thoughts of doing favors for them.
The Duke Faction and Crown Prince Faction should weaken each other until they meet their own demise.
For her, Ghislaine was someone she should reprimand, not a target. She had to set aside personal feelings for her grand ambitions.
Suppressing her disappointing feelings, she spoke to Conrad.
“Ugh… Send people to the West and keep monitoring the situation. Utilize the merchant groups actively.”
“Understood.”
“And what about the deputy coming here?”
“Ulkhan has handled it and sent word that he has asked everyone.”
“Good. Is the army and supplies ready?”
“Everything is completed. We can depart anytime.”
With a satisfied expression, Amelia nodded and continued.
“I will inform you immediately when civil war breaks out, so prepare your movement plans accordingly. We must act faster than anyone.”
“Understood.”
Amelia rested her chin on one hand and closed her eyes. Now that Ghislaine and Marquis Roderick were at odds, the time for civil war would come even sooner.
If Ghislaine was with the Crown Prince Faction, she could be the one leading the Duke Faction. And neither would be willing to listen to each other.
‘This war will not unfold as you wish.’
Everything would go according to her plan. With her eyes closed, she wore a joyful smile.
*
Marquis Roderick blinked in disbelief as he received reports from his retainers.
“A raid on the merchant group… failed? A thousand men couldn’t take out one cosmetics merchant group?”
“Yes, they were all wiped out. There are reports saying Count Penris came personally.”
“That guy… he came to the West with only a few hundred men, bold enough to think he could face me…”
Marquis Roderick chewed on his lips as he glared at his unfortunate retainer.
Opinions about Count Penris’s strength were still divided.
However, judging by the fact that a thousand men had perished, it seemed quite likely he had some strength.
Rumors of him being a Mage were also spreading.
That was understandable. A renowned figure might not be stopped by just a thousand.
But what followed was the real problem.
“And now, my vassals’ territories are being attacked by him?”
“Yes, currently three locations are under attack and have been plundered. Reports also state that mercenaries have suddenly appeared everywhere, transferring the looted goods to Penris. And… we’ve just received news that another location was attacked.”
“Ugh, ugh… Aaaah!”
Bang!
Marquis Roderick shouted, smashing the armrest of his chair.
“How dare he! How dare that brat do this to me!”
It was humiliating. He had picked a fight under the pretense of avenging his child, only to end up getting beaten.
Amidst this, pleas for help began pouring in from everywhere, stating that they were being plundered by him.
“Ugh… I can’t believe that brat has the audacity to run around messing things up.”
Marquis Roderick’s territory was vast, and the West was even larger. But all the forces meant to protect that land concentrated on his house.
Many lords in the West were vassals of Marquis Roderick. The private forces they held ranged from 500 to about a thousand men. At most, they might have a little over three thousand.
This was the strategy that the House of Roderick had employed for generations.
Dividing the territory into smaller pieces and giving it to many vassals prevented anyone from becoming too strong. Instead, if they needed forces, the marquis would lend support.
Through that method, the House of Roderick had managed to reign as the dominant power in the West.
However, this time, that strategy had become a weakness. Their vassals lacked power to capture Ghislaine.
The Marquis shouted with rage.
“Gather the army immediately! Track down that brat and kill him! Ensure he cannot attack the vassals any longer! Tell all the neighboring territories to mobilize and encircle him!”
While that was an effective method of controlling the internal situation, he had divided his forces too much and became vulnerable to external invasion.
He knew this problem, yet he never imagined that anyone would dare to attack here. The power of his house had been far too strong.
In any case, he couldn’t just leave his vassals be. Each one that disappeared would weaken the power of the marquis.
Even though they were weak individually, if they all banded together, they could be a force of thousands.
That was, after all, the true strength of the lord who dominated the West.
As the furious Marquis Roderick lashed out, his retainers spoke up.
“Since the rumors say Count Penris has come personally, we must expect some level of damage. However, we have a way to catch him.”
“A way? What kind of way?”
As expected from a prestigious house, there were excellent retainers in the House of Roderick. They had already formulated countermeasures upon hearing the news.
“He hasn’t properly assembled an army from Penris. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to defeat us in full-scale combat. Therefore, Count Penris is resorting to plunder rather than occupation. If we can corner him into one place and trap him, we can take him down.”
Marquis Roderick showed interest and leaned in to listen.
“What do you have in mind? Tell me.”
The commander of the Marquis’s knights, Tenant, unfolded a map and began explaining.
“Based on discussions with the staff, if Count Penris continues his plunder, he will eventually have to strike here.”
He pointed to Baron Deiker’s territory, amongst the vassals, which had a considerable troop count.
While it didn’t have many knights, it boasted a powerful force of three thousand.
It was a key position, housing more troops than other territories.
“We must breach this location to open the way to the other vassals. Otherwise, he will have to engage us by taking a long detour or approaching the marquis’s territory.”
Baron Deiker’s territory had also become a fortress role for the West. To attack the West, they needed to break through here or take a long course around.
“I have already sent official documents to each territory. The lords will gather troops and set up a defense around Baron Deiker’s territory.”
“And? We still need to capture and kill that guy, right?”
“I have also sent a messenger to Baron Deiker. He should hold out with minimal supplies.”
“Oh…”
Marquis Roderick nodded, seemingly grasping the operation.
“Once that guy goes in there, he will starve to death, right?”
“Correct. Even if he manages to occupy it, without supplies, he’ll become unable to hold out much longer. We can wait for him to weaken from hunger and then strike while he’s vulnerable.”
“How long will it take?”
“If Count Penris succeeds in the occupation, I believe a week of siege will suffice. If we want to be cautious, we can wait a month. Either way, he will not be able to hold out and will burst out.”
A week without food wouldn’t kill him, but after a week, he would be weakened enough to struggle in a fight.
“How many troops will we need?”
“Given Count Penris’s renown, I believe we will need about 10,000.”
“Is there no way to hold him back with only Baron Deiker’s troop?”
“Given the lack of knights, that would be difficult.”
According to the information gathered, Count Penris didn’t bring any siege equipment. Instead, he had stealthily crossed the walls at night and carried out massacres.
Also, reports indicated that mercenaries followed behind to transport the spoils.
The retainers speculated that Count Penris had brought a considerable number of knights along.
No matter how few the vassals’ troops might be, it would still be impossible for them to secretly cross over the walls and carry out massacres without a sufficient number of knights.
“How many knights did they bring?”
“It seems at least 50 have arrived. The rest are likely elite soldiers as well. They probably brought in only the best to carry out the plunder.”
In reality, Ghislaine had brought all 400 men as knights, but no one could have guessed he had brought that many knights. Even saying 50 was likely a conservative estimate.
There were rumors that there were quite a few knights in the Penris territory, but it was also rumored that they were all at the beginner level.
Most lords hardly believed the rumors claiming there were many knights.
Marquis Roderick had another question.
“What if we assist Baron Deiker in battle? If we strip them of their supplies, it will be tough for them to hold out.”
“Based on our troop strength, it’s clear they would flee. Even if we abandon Baron Deiker, we must trap them inside. Immediately after the fortress is occupied, we intend to launch a siege.”
Tenant was casually suggesting to use his own allies as bait. It was clear everyone would perish.
Still, Marquis Roderick nodded several times, appearing indifferent. He didn’t seem to take it seriously.
It was truly a remarkable notion; it was said that like master, like servant.
Having heard the entire explanation, Marquis Roderick readily approved the plan.
“I will provide 5,000. Gather troops from the surrounding vassals to fill in the remaining 5,000. This time, we must catch and kill him for sure.”
“Understood.”
“Who will be in command? It wouldn’t be appropriate for you to go personally.”
Tenant was an important figure in the Marquis’s house. He didn’t want to send him into such a mundane war.
If by chance, he were to clash with the rumored Master of Penris and sustain injuries, it would be a significant loss.
“I’ll send the knight Howard. He is excellent in both swordsmanship and military capability, so he is trustworthy.”
“Alright, let’s do that.”
Finally, Marquis Roderick nodded with a satisfied expression.
No matter how strong Count Penris was, turning the tides with just a small troop on his part would be impossible.
He couldn’t possibly face an army of 10,000 after starving for a week. Even if he truly had become a Master, it would be difficult for him to kill 10,000 people, regardless of including knights.
Of course, the plan wasn’t to kill him quickly. He intended to tighten the noose slowly and torment him, but that guy had dared to provoke him.
Simply killing such a person would be far too light a punishment.
“Count Penris should be captured alive if possible. Break his core to prevent him from using mana or just sever his limbs or something.”
Marquis Roderick wore a cruel grin mixed with fury. There was no way he would let that brat from the North who dared challenge him go easily.
He was determined to capture him, allowing him to suffer without the option of dying.
