Chapter 528
Chapter 528: I Know Everything. (1)
Kingdom of Atrode.
This place, one of the strongest nations on the continent, was the center of the Salvation Society.
The Duke of Leinster, the king’s brother and the real power of the kingdom, offered shelter to the Salvation Society as a devout believer.
Gathros had been the court scholar in charge of Duke Leinster since he was a prince. He spent a long time coaxing the Duke and instilling the ideals of the Salvation Society in him.
Through secretive efforts, he helped elevate the previously overlooked Duke Leinster to the kingdom’s top power.
So it was only natural that Duke Leinster would deeply trust Gathros.
Duke Leinster was surprised when Gathros returned from Ruthania after failing.
“I truly didn’t expect my master to face such distress.”
“My apologies, Your Highness. There were significant variables in the Ruthania Kingdom.”
“I’ve heard the news. Count Penris… no, now he’s risen to Duke, right? I can hardly believe that such a person could defeat the mighty Duke Delphine.”
“His rate of growth was quite extraordinary. Additionally, many other variables hindered us.”
As Gathros spoke, he struggled to contain his frustration. Truly, various nuisances had arisen to obstruct them.
He would have no idea that Ghislaine felt the same way he did in his previous life.
Duke Leinster smiled gently and said, “It’s fine. We can just start over, right? This kingdom’s end is now in sight.”
In fact, most of the Kingdom of Atrode had fallen under Duke Leinster’s control. Only the area near the capital remained.
Due to fierce resistance, they were being cautious to minimize damage, but it was only a matter of time before the kingdom was completely in their grasp.
After all, Ruthania Kingdom was a place Duke Leinster could conquer later. Gathros insisted that they must secure the sacred relic first, and he had simply allowed that.
“What do you plan to do now?”
“I have summoned the priests back to this place. We need to organize and fend off the Ruthania Army’s attacks.”
“Hmm, is the Ruthania Army that powerful?”
“They are armed with unknown techniques. We must never let our guard down.”
“Right. If you faced such trouble, they must be anything but ordinary. We should secure the kingdom and prepare ourselves.”
Duke Leinster’s ambition didn’t end with merely conquering this kingdom.
His dream was to use the power of the Salvation Society to dominate the continent and establish an empire.
At first, it didn’t seem difficult. Most of the kingdoms on the continent were embroiled in chaos due to the Salvation Society.
However, now Duke Penris was systematically dealing with them one by one. This was troublesome for Duke Leinster.
“We need to find a sacred relic quickly. At this state, we’ll soon be at a disadvantage elsewhere. No, we might even be overwhelmed.”
“Hmm…”
Gathros also fell into thought.
Currently, another sacred relic was expected to be in the Kingdom of Grimwell. The issue was that it was also a considerable power.
Even amidst civil strife, the Kingdom of Grimwell had enough resources to send troops to the allied forces. Thus, the Salvation Society was gathering priests to strike against Grimwell.
If the priests withdraw from a region maintaining a status quo, it was plain to see that the Salvation Society would easily falter.
Gathros sighed.
“I’m in a bind. If we focus our power toward Grimwell, we’ll easily lose ground to the allied forces in other areas. It’s possible they could come to help before we conquer the Kingdom of Grimwell.”
Yet, if they prioritized dealing with the allied forces, when would they conquer the Kingdom of Grimwell?
Ultimately, they had to split their forces to keep the allied forces in check while bringing down the Kingdom of Grimwell. Given their current disadvantage, it was no easy task.
“If it weren’t for that bastard…”
Gathros desperately repressed his rising anger.
There were many obstacles, but certainly, the biggest issue was Count Penris’s activity.
He needed revenge on that bastard, but the situation was far from favorable.
While the two pondered their next steps for several days, Aiden arrived at the Kingdom of Atrode, leading a troop.
He had returned upon hearing that the civil war in Ruthania Kingdom had come to an end.
“Oh, my loyal sword has finally returned.”
Duke Leinster welcomed Aiden warmly. He had already received word that Aiden had recruited the Revolutionary Group and swayed Helgenik.
“Did you fare well, Your Highness?”
Aiden elegantly greeted him. The White Silver Knight Order he led had been established by Duke Leinster.
Aiden was not bound to any single kingdom, allowing him the freedom to move between various nations.
“Yes, I heard you completed your task safely.”
“Shortly, the leader of the Revolutionary Group will come with his troops to join us.”
“I’m delighted to receive such good news from you amidst hard times.”
Duke Leinster chuckled, praising Aiden’s accomplishments.
He then looked at Helgenik standing next to Aiden and asked, “Are you the infamous ‘Lord of the Undead’?”
“Indeed.”
Seeing Helgenik nod slightly, Duke Leinster frowned. However, knowing how strong Helgenik was, he refrained from being rude.
At that moment, another powerful ally was exactly what they needed.
Gathros felt the same way. Although he would love to tear Helgenik apart for slaying priests, fighting each other now would earn neither side any benefits.
The most pressing issue was the united forces and the army led by Count Penris. They needed to devise a plan for how to confront them.
In a gathering of key figures from the Duke faction and the Salvation Society, various suggestions arose.
“How about we handle the allied forces first? We should strike before they become any stronger.”
“If we can deal with the allied forces, we can do whatever we want afterward. We could find the sacred relic then.”
“Preposterous! The most crucial task is to recover the sacred relic, how can we put that on the back burner?”
“We need the relic to control the rift and fulfill our ideological purpose!”
“If we lose to the allied forces, we’re completely finished. We won’t be able to recover from that. For all we know, it could take years for the war to end, so we should focus on defense and searching for the relic!”
“But if we search for the relic first and get picked off one by one, isn’t that problematic?”
Both arguments had merit. The situation on the continent was increasingly disadvantageous for them, so they needed to decide carefully.
Helgenik, who had quietly listened, spoke up.
“The best method might be to hinder the allied forces from gathering before we conquer the Kingdom of Grimwell. That way, we can both search for the relic and concentrate our power toward Grimwell.”
Gathros nodded.
“That’s true. However, Count Penris’s strength is considerable. With ordinary power, we won’t even be able to slow them down.”
Gathros knew how many strong individuals were gathered in the Northern Army of Ruthania. That information had already been shared among all present.
The issue wasn’t just Count Penris. A tremendous powerhouse had also emerged from the Turian Kingdom. Additionally, many influential figures from other kingdoms were trying to combine their strength.
“No matter how strong we are, it will be hard to manage if we divide our forces. That’s why we’re pondering which side to prioritize.”
Hearing this explanation, Helgenik chuckled, shaking his shoulders. This was quite an amusing situation, wasn’t it?
“I’d love to meet that powerful army. Just lend me a small troop and let me delay them. In the meantime, take Grimwell.”
“Can you do that?”
“Just cover the place with my undead army. I could buy enough time to make it work. As long as you prepare what I’m asking for.”
“That means…”
Gathros’s eyes gleamed. He knew Helgenik was a necromancer. But was he really suggesting he could confront the allied forces alone?
With a smile, Helgenik continued, “Everyone’s missing the point. The battlefield is precisely where I can unleash my fullest power.”
*
After dealing with the rift and the rebel army in the Byron Kingdom, the Ruthania Army took a brief respite.
They needed to secure food and reorganize their armaments before moving to the next kingdom.
Thanks to Ghislaine, the Byron Kingdom, which had barely survived, also decided to provide some troops. They planned to increase their forces whenever they transitioned between kingdoms.
While they were resting and waiting for the repairs to finish, a messenger from the Turian Kingdom arrived.
“Hmm, are you saying the Turian Kingdom army is heading this way?”
“Yes. If it pleases Your Grace, it would be best to make Sardina Kingdom the central hub for the allied forces.”
“Not bad.”
Sardina Kingdom was located centrally on the continent, making it easy to extend in any direction.
It would only take a few kingdoms to reach there from Byron Kingdom. The same could be said for the Turian Kingdom.
Wars were erupting all across the continent. Although Ghislaine was helping out as he moved, a place for the allied forces to gather was still needed.
Claude asked from the side, “We shouldn’t have an issue reaching there. There aren’t any strong areas controlled by the Salvation Society between Byron and Sardina. But… can the Turian Kingdom army arrive safely?”
They had to quell rebellions in at least two kingdoms before meeting the Ruthania Army.
However, it was said that the Turian Kingdom forces did not number more than thirty thousand.
While that was a significant force to send from a nation recently emerging from civil war, it was insufficient to settle matters in other countries.
Hearing Claude’s concern, Ghislaine chuckled and spoke instead of the messenger.
“That shouldn’t be too hard. Right?”
At Ghislaine’s words, the messenger’s chest puffed up proudly. His face was brimming with confidence.
“Yes, you need not worry about that at all.”
Within the Turian Kingdom army was the renowned Yulien, who had handled the rift alone. To the Turian people, Yulien was almost a figure of worship.
“Alright, let’s proceed with that plan.”
In his previous life, the Kingdom of Sabrina had been the heart of the allied forces. All their organizations had been established around the Kingdom of Sabrina. Yulien had led that effort.
Ghislaine was already planning to do so, so he wasn’t against the idea. They definitely needed a gathering place for the allied forces deployed throughout various regions.
With Ghislaine’s enthusiastic endorsement, the messenger left with a happy expression.
“Have we obtained the current situation? How is it?”
As soon as the messenger returned, Ghislaine asked Claude. The intelligence agents of Ruthania were tirelessly working to relay information.
“The momentum of the rebels is undeniably waning. Most of it is due to the sudden decrease in the priests of the Salvation Society.”
“Where are the priests gathering?”
“From the current routes, the most probable location is the Kingdom of Atrode, just as you mentioned, My Lord… But how did you know?”
“I know everything.”
“…….”
There was nothing more to say. There was no basis for it, but he couldn’t argue since the result turned out to be correct.
In fact, Ghislaine had been unable to uncover the hideouts of the Salvation Society in his previous life. He wasn’t the only one; others couldn’t either.
They had been too preoccupied with battling the rifts to focus on the Salvation Society.
However, upon realizing that ‘we’ meant the Salvation Society, Ghislaine could easily guess their hideout.
The White Silver Knight Order led by Aiden was under the command of Duke Leinster from the Kingdom of Atrode.
“They must be feeling a bit rushed this time.”
Those scheming bastards had audaciously joined and acted alongside the allied forces in their previous life.
Since multiple rebellions hadn’t erupted simultaneously then, they had a chance to conceal their power.
But this life was different; the Salvation Society’s plans had unraveled, causing Duke Leinster to openly instigate a rebellion.
“For now, since they’re also gathering strength, we should quickly deal with the regions we can manage. We can’t know when the Salvation Society will strike again.”
Ghislaine had downplayed his abilities considerably, but the united strength of the Salvation Society was still formidable. There would also be hidden strengths like Aiden’s present.
They had to save the other kingdoms as quickly as possible. Only then could they centralize their power.
Just as the Salvation Society was wary of Ghislaine, he too was on guard against them.
Given how the Salvation Society had covertly operated and successfully executed most of their plans in his previous life, he couldn’t afford to let his guard down.
“We will finish the preparations as quickly as possible and move out.”
At Ghislaine’s command, the Ruthania Army moved busily. Thanks to the proactive cooperation from the Byron Kingdom, supplies and repairs proceeded smoothly.
That wasn’t all. Byron Kingdom also greatly assisted in identifying the refugees from other countries.
“We’ve found them.”
Upon hearing the words of the Byron Kingdom’s administrator, Claude asked, his voice trembling with excitement.
“Really?”
“Yes, absolutely. We’ve assessed the number of refugees and confirmed their identities. We’re currently sending soldiers to the refugee camp for safe protection.”
While Claude was a slave, he was also the second-in-command of the Northern Army of Ruthania. The bureaucrats of Byron Kingdom all strived to please him.
Thanks to their efforts, Claude was finally able to uncover Anna’s whereabouts.
