Chapter 454
Chapter 454: Speak Honestly (2)
The Eastern region had just managed to halt the expansion of the rift and was catching its breath. They couldn’t stop the Duke Faction’s army that was advancing like a tidal wave.
Upon hearing the news, the Crown Prince Faction was naturally thrown into chaos. They hadn’t anticipated the Duke Faction to mobilize so suddenly.
Bang!
The Supreme Commander of the Kingdom Army, Maurice, slammed the table and shouted.
“Seriously! How did they march directly into the East? We had blocked the Southern borders completely!”
His staff members responded with troubled expressions.
“The 4th Legion that was blocking the pass was annihilated in an instant. It seems the Duke’s army is stronger than we thought.”
“Damn it! How many are they?”
“Approximately 50,000, it seems.”
“Ugh… The main force is surely in the South. Does that mean they have that much strength left?”
At those words, the staff couldn’t respond properly. In fact, they still hadn’t accurately assessed the Duke’s military strength. Ever since the South had fallen completely under the Duke’s control, they hadn’t even been able to send spies.
After mulling over it, Maurice asked, “Can the Eastern Army hold them off?”
“They haven’t even gathered a proper force to be called the Eastern Army. The lords are all doing their own thing and are being defeated in isolation.”
“Useless fools! I told them to unite quickly!”
The Eastern Army commander had been appointed long ago. However, the lords were moving passively, wanting to stabilize their own territories first.
The Duke didn’t miss that opportunity and made his move at the most opportune time.
“Damn, they’re so inactive that I thought they’d just keep the pressure on.”
The Duke knew that fighting amongst themselves would be pointless. So, they probably just intended to drag out time in the tension of a balanced power. They had planned to strike all at once with overwhelming troops when the Allied Forces arrived.
“Well, they’re not stupid either. There’s no way they would wait until the Allied Forces gathered.”
Maurice fell into deep thought while looking at the map.
He was the Supreme Commander of the Kingdom Army. While the political situation was led by Marquis Branford, it was his responsibility to make decisions regarding the war.
“Without the Southern Kingdom Army, their main force will surely move together. However, if we maintain the current state, the East will be trampled…”
Even if the East wasn’t as important as the Central region, it couldn’t be discarded. They could advance toward the capital through that route.
“Ugh… What should I do?”
While he was pondering, a messenger from the Northern Army arrived.
“I bring a message from Count Penris.”
“From my nephew?”
Maurice put on a delighted expression. A clever nephew would surely provide a solution.
“Right, what did he say? Is he planning to mobilize the Northern Army again?”
“No. He said to send half of the Kingdom Army to halt the advancing Delphine Army.”
“What? Send half of the Kingdom Army?”
“The Allied Forces that arrived first have already departed for the East. They should arrive before the East is fully occupied. While they buy time, the Kingdom Army will be able to strike the Delphine Army.”
“But sending half will weaken the Southern front. Are you sure that’s okay? There will be holes everywhere.”
“The Northern Army also intends to go to the Southern front. They said they would fill in the shortage of the 20,000 troops that were replenished from the West.”
“Hmm…”
Maurice fell into thought again. He had expected the Northern Army to come, but hadn’t considered that the Kingdom Army would be reduced.
The Duke wouldn’t attack just one location. They would surely move simultaneously through multiple routes. Even if the Northern Army successfully defended the South, other areas could be breached.
“Things have been uneasy with those assassins as well.”
Recently, assassins had rampaged in several territories, killing a considerable number of lower-ranking officers and administrators.
Of course, those assassins couldn’t escape and were all captured and killed. The high-ranking nobles weren’t even scratched.
It didn’t affect the overall situation, but the rumors were the problem.
“Were they aiming for this?”
With rumors of the assassination incidents spreading, the atmosphere had become a little uneasy. And in that turmoil, the sudden invasion could only create some synergy.
But that was it. Other than some soldiers being a little tense, it didn’t have much effect.
Maurice tilted his head, puzzled.
“The effort put in is too weak in effect… Why is that?”
It was better not to engage in assassination at all. It only heightened caution.
It would have been more impactful to launch a sudden ambush and wipe out a lord’s forces.
“I really can’t understand. Did they just throw a dart and hope it would hit something?”
It was natural for Maurice not to understand. They were merely creating an atmosphere to entrap Ghislaine.
After pondering for a while, Maurice finally spoke.
“Call for the old woman. I need to ask the heavens about my fate.”
At those words, the expressions of his staff darkened.
“Oh no, here we go again.”
“Ah, does he really have to do that?”
“It’s no use trying to dissuade him…”
Soon, an elderly woman with a hunch entered. Maurice greeted her with great joy.
“Oh! Old woman! I have something important today, and I need to divine my fate.”
“Hehe, I knew you’d call for me soon.”
“Ah, you truly are amazing. Speaking of which, earlier you said someone I dislike would bring me great benefit, right? That turned out to be true! That fellow has now become my nephew.”
“Hohoho, I’m glad it has resolved well.”
“Now, I need you to be as insightful today as well.”
“Of course, of course! So, what is it today? I will reveal anything!”
The old woman was a shaman. She had stayed with the house of Marquis for so long, giving Maurice various advice.
Maurice enjoyed superstition. He had clung to the idea that Ghislaine was a witch, which was part of it.
Thus, he also trusted the old woman a lot, believing she could predict the future well.
Naturally, the priests of the Four Great Orders also knew this. However, they merely pretended not to notice, thinking it was just a hobby of the Supreme Commander.
With a serious expression, Maurice said, “There’s a war going on now, and it’s a difficult situation. One side is getting crushed. But my nephew said to move the other army. Is that acceptable?”
“Hehe, let me take a look.”
The old woman rummaged through her bag and took out animal bones. Then she drew a strange picture on the floor with red dye and tossed the bones down.
“Hohoho!”
With some strange exclamations, she tossed the bones a few times and examined them closely, muttering.
“Hmm… This is…”
“Why? What? Is it bad? Should we not move?”
“No, moving is indeed correct. However…”
“However what?”
“It seems your nephew’s family will be in a bit of danger.”
“What do you mean? Moving the army puts my nephew’s family at risk?”
“That’s how the divination came out. I looked at your nephew while checking his fate, too.”
“Hmm? Really? Well, I’ll heed what you say then and move the army. Convey the message to my nephew too.”
“Hehe, will you be going personally, Marquis?”
“Of course. As the Supreme Commander, I must go. Oh, and old woman, prepare yourself because you’ll be going with me too. We’ll get the finest wagon ready for a comfortable journey. You need to read my fortune before the battle, right? Are you in good health?”
“Hehe, I’m fine. I understand.”
As the old woman left, Maurice turned a solemn expression to the Northern Army messenger.
“Tell the Northern Army Commander that I have decided to mobilize my Kingdom Army. Also, inform him of the omen of danger to his family and to be cautious. With assassins running about lately, it wouldn’t hurt to be careful.”
“… Yes.”
The messenger, who had been watching the entire process, wore a bewildered expression. It was hard to believe that the Supreme Commander of the Kingdom Army was taking the words of a fortune teller seriously to move the army.
It truly hit him that a serious crisis was upon the kingdom.
“All right! Let’s move quickly! It’s time to smash the heads of those Duke Faction scum!”
With a loud shout, Maurice departed, and a few of the staff approached the messenger, pleading.
“Please understand. The Marquis isn’t normally like this.”
“He lost his last remaining relative long ago and has been relying on this superstition because he couldn’t find them.”
“It’s only because that old woman said he might find them someday that he keeps her around.”
“Yeah, he even said he’d leave a territory for his child once he finds them. He might give them a Count title too. That’s just what parenthood is like.”
“So, let’s not spread this around. Got it? Nothing good comes from these kinds of rumors, okay? Huh? What branch of the Northern Army are you with? I’ve seen your face. Huh?”
The staff explained endlessly while half-warned and half-threatening the messenger to make him understand.
It was a well-known fact among the high-ranking nobles, but having it spread widely would bring no good.
The messenger nodded sullenly.
“… I won’t spread the rumors.”
“Okay, okay. Let’s pretend today’s events didn’t happen. Be sure to inform the Northern Army Commander well.”
“… Understood.”
The messenger contained the absurd scene in his heart and returned to the camp.
Upon returning, he immediately reported to Ghislaine.
“They’re planning to move half of the Kingdom Army directly to the East.”
Ghislaine nodded. She thought it would go as she wished. Even if Maurice opposed, Marquis Branford would mobilize.
“Yeah, since the Allied Forces are moving too, they’ll likely arrive around the same time. Was there anything else?”
“Well, about that…”
The messenger hesitated a bit. He wasn’t sure if it was okay to share this news. But as a messenger, he couldn’t omit anything in his report.
“Why? Speak comfortably.”
Encouraged by Ghislaine’s words, the messenger spoke confidently.
“The Supreme Commander said to be cautious as your family might be in danger.”
“Hmm? Family? What do you mean by that?”
“That’s because assassins have been rampaging lately…”
As the messenger fumbled his words, Ghislaine narrowed her eyes and said, “Just speak plainly, honestly.”
“… Yes.”
The messenger spoke exactly as he saw it. He couldn’t find a way to explain the reason for his words with vagueness.
And upon hearing it, Ghislaine was plunged into shock.
‘I didn’t expect it to be that serious.’
She knew he liked superstition, but had no idea he took it so seriously.
If the fortune teller had said anything else, Maurice would have been incredibly stubborn. Just the thought of it made her dizzy.
“… Okay, good job.”
After the messenger left, Ghislaine fell into thought. It wasn’t about worrying over Maurice.
The news of the danger to her family triggered memories of the rampaging assassins.
‘There’s no way they would do something useless…’
Penris and Perdium had taken solid precautions against assassinations. Unless a superhuman were to appear, it would be impossible to kill someone.
The assassin group raised by Belinda had been meticulously placed around family and key figures. That’s why they hadn’t joined the Northern Army.
‘Could it be… some other ploy?’
They were spreading news of the assassinations too openly. Recently, there were reports of assassins active in several Northern territories. It almost felt like a signal that they were headed toward Perdium.
However, they must also know that targeting Ghislaine’s family would only kindle more anger and wouldn’t significantly alter the situation.
‘So this is…’
This was a reminder for her. They were luring her. It meant they would attempt to kill her family, urging her to return quickly.
‘If I leave my position…’
In the meantime, the bulk of the Duke’s forces would march toward the capital.
‘I grasp their intent.’
It was undoubtedly a scheme by the Duke to separate her from the Northern Army.
Yet, she still couldn’t figure out what their true intention was. Even if they were truly thinking of making an assassination attempt, how could they predict when Ghislaine would leave her post to set the date for the advance?
‘What could they be plotting…?’
The answer arrived a few days later. Ghislaine received a letter.
[I will kill you. Make sure to wait in Perdium. If you wish to protect your family, you must move immediately.]
Beneath the plain words was drawn a black crescent moon, signed by “Melkir.”
Now it was openly declaring an intention to kill her family. At this point, it was akin to begging her to come.
Considering the Duke’s need to separate her from the Northern Army, it seemed far more likely that this was a genuine scheme rather than a feigned one.
“But what is this?”
While the threats were indeed there, the drawing and the name “Melkir” invoked her curiosity. It was something she had never encountered even in her past life.
Ghislaine called all her close associates. She wondered if anyone might know who had sent the letter.
The sudden summons puzzled everyone. Only two individuals were thinking other thoughts.
“Damn it, a strong one has come in again. Just you wait, I’ll definitely surpass you one day.”
Recovered from his injuries, Kaor gritted his teeth while glaring at the advancing Ereness. He was annoyed at being pushed back in the ranking of strength from Penris.
Conversely, Alfoy flattened himself to the ground as soon as he sensed the difference in strength. Revenge didn’t even cross his mind. He merely daydreamed as usual.
“Ah, I wish I could be a Count or a Lord. I want to stop being a slave.”
It was always his consistent mindset.
Seeing the two of them, who were so transparent in their thoughts, Ghislaine clicked her tongue and showed the letter to her associates.
However, even seasoned mercenary Gillian, who had gathered much knowledge; Vanessa, who had been at the Mage Tower; Alfoy from the West; and Ereness, who had lived for a long time, couldn’t uncover its identity.
Only one person.
“Y-Young Master! This is…”
Only Belinda’s eyes widened upon seeing it.
“Hmm? What is it? Does Belinda know what this is?”
“Young Master! We have to return to the territory quickly!”
“Honestly, I was thinking of going. But why are you so anxious?”
“The one threatening to kill you… he’s the type to kill everyone precious around his target before going for the main one! We need to hurry back to Perdium! This isn’t a joke!”
Belinda exclaimed in great excitement. The glint in her eyes even bore a trace of fear.
“Wait, calm down. Who is this Melkir? How does Belinda know about him? You have to explain for me to understand.”
At those words, Belinda looked around. There were too many listeners for her to reveal her identity, but it was too urgent to argue about sending them out. It was that dire a situation.
Taking a deep breath, she spoke with a tone of determination.
“Everyone, listen well. I’m going to reveal the secret I’ve been hiding until now.”
At those words, everyone held their breath. They had been curious about her identity for quite a while.
After all, why was she so strong when she was merely the Head Maid of Perdium and Ghislaine’s tutor?
They were also curious about why she could use techniques likely suited for an assassin. Everyone suspected she had some hidden assassin background.
As all gazes focused on her, Belinda spoke with slightly sorrowful eyes.
“Don’t be surprised, everyone. The truth is… I am from an assassin’s guild.”
It was so obvious that nobody was surprised.
