Chapter 400
Chapter 400: Swear Loyalty if You Want to Live (2)
Everyone in the castle was hiding inside their homes.
Living under the cruel Marquis Roderick, they all feared the nobles. They were terrified that the invading army would plunder them.
Despite being known for living well in the west, the standard of living for the territory residents was no different from other domains.
Unconcerned about the reactions of the residents, Ghislaine made her way directly to the Lord’s Castle.
She plopped down into the chair of Marquis Roderick.
“This chair is a bit large. Anyway, Walter, I have a new order for you.”
“Just say the word!”
Walter replied loudly. He had been dragged all the way here under the pretext of being a temporary commander. Since it had come to this, he thought he should get on Ghislaine’s good side to secure an easier life going forward.
Ghislaine looked at him and said, “Exclude the injured, and first, gather 3,000 troops. I’ll leave it to you.”
“Me? Are you talking about me?”
“Yes, eat well and rest today. Tomorrow, go to the place I designate.”
“Ah, understood. Where should I go?”
“Go to Count Selburk’s territory, which is close by.”
Count Selburk is a vassal of Marquis Roderick. Although he also had many troops and food requisitioned, his situation was somewhat better than that of other western territories.
Due to the location of his fief, he hadn’t been plundered by Ghislaine, and he had enough strength to fend off bandits to some extent.
Besides, he disliked Marquis Roderick and hadn’t participated in this war.
“Go and tell him my message: He must come here immediately and swear loyalty before everyone. If he refuses, let him know I’ll lead the army to burn down the castle and leave no one alive.”
“Ah, understood! But what if he refuses?”
If he was only going to deliver that message, it would be easy to send a messenger. Yet, he had been entrusted with 3,000 troops. This implied there was more to do.
“Surround the castle and ensure no one escapes. If we wait, I will go and personally seize the castle.”
“Understood!”
Walter shouted confidently. He had been scared when facing the enemy, but now that he considered them allies, boundless confidence surged within him.
Just receiving orders made him feel at ease. The reputation of being the strongest in the north was not just for show.
Linderstein was piled high with food. It was the result of exploiting the territory residents and scraping together resources from the vassals for war.
Ghislaine generously distributed that food to the soldiers.
“Everyone, eat well and rest. You’ll need your energy for the busy days ahead.”
The soldiers were startled by the sudden bounty they received and made a fuss.
“Wow! Meat!”
“Are they really giving us this much?”
“Isn’t surrendering sweeter now?”
The soldiers were just happy to be alive. As food that was hard to come by for soldiers suddenly flowed in, they were filled with joy to the brim.
They gorged themselves until they felt like bursting.
“Wow, it seems Penris really treats its soldiers well.”
“That’s why they fight so hard.”
“Did you see how I almost peed myself when we were running here?”
Although they had received their weapons back, they had no intention of rebelling. They had never felt any loyalty towards the House of Marquis Roderick, so naturally, it made sense for them to serve a better master.
Some might scoff at their quick change of heart, but in the end, one’s life is the most precious thing.
Walter selected 3,000 relatively unscathed soldiers from those who had feasted and rested for a day.
They marched proudly under the Penris flag toward Count Selburk’s territory.
Ghislaine organized the remaining soldiers and had the injured rest before giving a new order.
“Now, let’s distribute the remaining food.”
This was the place responsible for supplying a whopping 100,000 rations. The stockpile was colossal.
Ghislaine planned to leave only the minimum amount needed for troop maintenance and distribute the rest.
According to Ghislaine’s orders, a tremendous amount of food began flowing to the territory residents.
“Wow! You’re giving all this to us?”
“Isn’t it going to be taken away?”
“I was about to die because of that war tax!”
The territory residents, who had feared the Penris army, received the food with joy.
They had heard rumors that the People of Penris were living well, but few truly believed it. The distance had made it difficult to verify.
But witnessing the act of distributing food and stabilizing the people’s hearts made them believe just a little.
In reality, Ghislaine had no real interest in public sentiment; she intended to distribute it all anyway.
“Long live Penris!”
“We’re part of Penris now!”
“Welcome!”
The public sentiment shifted entirely just from a little food distribution. That shows how severe Marquis Roderick’s tyranny had been.
Now and always, the priority for territory residents is having enough to eat. Regardless of who the master was, that was what mattered most.
Marquis Roderick might reclaim this place someday, but how could he take back the food already eaten?
Just like that, the people’s sentiment swiftly tilted in favor of Penris. Ghislaine had made quite the display out of others’ resources.
“We need to distribute food in other areas too.”
Currently, many territories in the west were devastated, and bandits were rampant. Due to the war, food was scarce, and law and order couldn’t be maintained properly.
The western residents were likely blaming not just Marquis Roderick but also Penris.
Other territories needed stabilization quickly, but Ghislaine could not oversee them all herself at that moment.
Count Selburk, who had been chosen to handle that task in her stead, was deep in thought.
“Swear loyalty…?”
At Count Selburk’s words, his retainers were in an uproar.
“My Lord! That’s humiliation!”
“Indeed! How could we kneel on our own accord?”
“Isn’t Count Penris going too far? This disregards noble honor!”
Count Selburk looked at his flustered retainers with pity. They were all angry but had no alternatives to propose.
“So what do you suggest? Should we fight against the strongest army from the north?”
“If we can just hold out until Marquis Roderick wins…”
“Linderstein fell in a single day! How can we endure? The castle is already surrounded! Right now we have no assurance we can defeat even 3,000 of them!”
“…”
At those words, the retainers fell silent. Truth be told, they were only venting out of pride; deep down, they knew they couldn’t defeat Penris.
In the silence, one retainer cautiously spoke.
“Publicly swearing loyalty means severing all ties with Marquis Roderick. If we yield to Penris and Marquis Roderick wins, we’ll be dead men.”
Count Selburk closed his eyes.
What if he swore loyalty to Count Penris to save his skin?
If Marquis Roderick won the war, he would absolutely not spare him.
But what if he refused the current proposal?
Today, he would lose his life, and the territory would be trampled. Count Penris was notorious for showing no mercy to those who turned against him.
Many territories have already demonstrated that outcome.
Either way, he was going to die. Thus, he should bet on the option with the better chance of survival.
After contemplating for a while, Count Selburk sighed and said,
“Let’s go to Linderstein. I will meet Count Penris directly.”
“My Lord, what if Count Penris has schemed to capture you easily…?”
At that, Count Selburk chuckled.
“Get a grip. If he sets his mind to it, killing someone like me would be easier than eating cold soup.”
Most of the troops had been requisitioned by Marquis Roderick. Even if Count Penris came alone, he couldn’t save himself.
If he could run far away, he might survive this crisis, but with the castle surrounded by 3,000 troops, that was impossible.
Count Penris left no room for escape. He truly wasn’t an ordinary opponent.
Count Selburk immediately went to find Ghislaine. As soon as he met her, she got straight to the point.
“Surrender and swear loyalty to me, Count Selburk. I will treat you well.”
“If I swear loyalty to you here, people will label me a dishonorable man.”
To that, Ghislaine chuckled, and her tone shifted.
“Was supporting the greedy Marquis Roderick’s tyranny such an honorable thing? Even if you weren’t close by, you bear some responsibility. You provided troops for this war after all.”
“…”
“Either way, if you don’t choose, you’re going to die. Dying dishonorably is essentially the same either way. Do you think if I spare you here, Marquis Roderick will let you go? You are already a dead man.”
“How do you know…?”
Count Selburk gasped and raised his head in surprise.
In reality, Count Selburk and Marquis Roderick had never had a good relationship. Count Selburk’s rigid nature had often opposed Marquis Roderick’s policies.
His survival until now was due to being part of a long-established family in the west, earning him considerable respect and power.
However, unable to abandon his vassal duties, he had sent most of his troops to this war. After the war ended, Marquis Roderick wouldn’t return those troops willingly.
“He will surely attempt to kill me by any excuse.”
He had anticipated such a situation. Perhaps this was a chance for a new life.
If only he could part with a bit of his pride and honor.
Ghislaine understood that as well and it was one of the reasons she had chosen Count Selburk.
She didn’t even need to utilize the information from her previous life. It was common knowledge that Marquis Roderick disliked Count Selburk throughout the west.
“Didn’t he die after the civil war?”
In his previous life, Count Selburk had endured countless humiliations at the hands of Marquis Roderick after the civil war and ultimately died miserably in a state of defamation.
In this life, Marquis Roderick was destined to be dealt with by Ghislaine, so he wouldn’t have to suffer under him.
To Ghislaine, just saving him from such a tragic death was enough kindness. She would kill him if he refused the offer.
It might get a little troublesome, but a necessary figure could be found elsewhere.
Ghislaine spoke firmly, as if this were his last chance.
“If you want to live, swear loyalty. It is your only path to survival.”
Faced with Ghislaine’s fierce aura, Count Selburk swallowed hard. The person before him was absolutely beyond what he could handle.
After contemplating for a long time, he finally lowered his head.
“I will change my flag.”
To change his flag meant he would enter under someone else’s command and shift his loyalty.
Count Selburk felt a bit of his pride hurt, but he tried to think positively. The opponent was of a higher status, even if younger. He was a great lord of the north and commander of the northern army.
After all, that bastard Marquis Roderick was also younger than him.
Ghislaine smiled widely at the expected response. The fierceness that had been present vanished, and her tone returned to politeness.
“You thought well. You won’t regret your choice now.”
Due to the opponent’s high status, Ghislaine treated Count Selburk with a degree of respect. After all, he was a high-ranking noble in the kingdom with a long history.
In front of many witnesses, Count Selburk’s loyalty oath was made. Now, he had to hope that Penris would win the war.
Once the loyalty oath was concluded, Count Selburk asked,
“What should I do now?”
“I plan to make all territories in the west occupied by us direct territories of Penris. After the war, I will send administrators, so please manage them for the time being.”
“I have very few remaining troops. I can’t take all of those places…”
“I will assign you the 15,000 prisoners acquired this time. With those troops, it shouldn’t be difficult. And distribute the food here generously under the name of Penris.”
Hearing that, Count Selburk was slightly surprised. With a force of 15,000, he could conquer Linderstein and the surrounding western region, and that would be enough to be called a great lord.
Moreover, there was an overwhelming surplus of food.
“Are you sure you can trust me who just joined you with all this? I could betray you.”
At that, Ghislaine grinned.
“If you want to throw yourself at me, you’re welcome to try anytime.”
A short sentence, but it felt full of boundless confidence. Count Selburk could only smile in return.
He had just crushed an enemy defense of 20,000 and conquered Linderstein. What could 15,000 soldiers possibly do against him?
No, even before they attacked, the soldiers who had already been battered would flee first.
“I understand. I will do my utmost to stabilize the west.”
“Oh, and tell the bandits to surrender in my name. They’re all guys who’ve faced me, so they’ll probably surrender without much fuss.”
Just seeing the Penris flag would make them run. So Count Selburk would be able to absorb them without any trouble.
Count Selburk had to hope for Penris’ victory to survive, but he still had to prepare for the possibility of Penris losing.
Thus, he needed to stabilize the surrounding areas quickly and prepare for war.
With that, Ghislaine easily resolved the crucial issue of stabilizing the occupied lands using other people’s forces.
“Now, let’s head back and deal with the remaining ones.”
Once again, the Penris Mobile Army moved toward the north.
*
While Ghislaine was rampaging through the west and occupying Linderstein, the main force of Roderick’s army also arrived at Penris.
The main force of Roderick’s army was filled with knights, mages, excellent weaponry, and countless elite troops.
This was an entirely different level of power compared to the separated second army simply aimed at assisting the Crown Prince faction.
This large army took position to seize Penris’ forward fortress.
In the fortress, the remaining troops of Penris and its generals had all gathered.
Clank! Clank! Clank!
The sound of knights moving and armor clattering rang out from all around.
Leading them, Ghislaine climbed to the castle wall. Other commanders, including Vanessa, also ascended the walls.
However, none stood in the center of the command post. Not Ghislaine, nor Vanessa the head of the magic laboratory, nor Belinda the butler.
Even spies like Lowell, Alfoy, Priest Piote, Dwarf Galbarik, Elf Lumina and Ascon, and Commander Cain, who held respectable names in the territory, did the same.
As they waited off to one side for someone, someone appeared, yawning.
“Ugh, are they finally here? Seriously, it’s such a drag. Why do they have to come fighting like this? Some guys just won’t wake up until they’re hit!”
The individual who appeared with a genuinely annoyed expression waddled over and plopped down into the highest chair in the command post.
He was none other than the current commander of the Penris defending forces and the steward of the territory.
Known as the Lord of Bribes of the North—Claude.
