Chapter 65
Chapter 65: There’s No Choice But to Change the Game Myself. (1)
Count Digald suddenly declared war on Perdium.
As soon as the proclamation arrived through an envoy, the retainers of Perdium gathered in one place.
Zvalter read the proclamation several times with a serious expression.
The declaration was lavishly adorned with flowery language about how just this war was and what justifications Digald had.
To summarize, it boiled down to this:
[My son, Gilmore Digald, was murdered by Ghislaine Perdium, so I shall take revenge.]
The retainers couldn’t contain their astonishment.
What kind of nonsensical justification was this?
“Are they out of their minds? The Grand Duke killed Gilmore?”
“It’s clear they are determined to go to war! They must have heard something about the Runestone!”
“To concoct a war under such a false pretense! They need to learn a lesson!”
The retainers seethed with rage and busied themselves denouncing Count Digald.
No one believed that the Grand Duke had actually killed Count Digald’s son.
After all, two retainers had already sided with Digald, putting forth this false justification.
At first, they couldn’t understand why they would do such a thing, but soon they recalled the Runestone and all came to the same conclusion.
This war was simply born from greed.
In the chaotic conference room, Homern looked at Ghislaine with a troubled expression.
‘I was doing something good for the territory, yet it results in war.’
Homern thought that sooner or later, other lords would start picking a fight.
But he never thought Digald would act so quickly, ignoring political relations.
This was especially true for Count Digald, whom he hadn’t even considered a threat.
“Tch, now we’ll waste troops unnecessarily. We’re in such a tight spot with even one soldier being essential.”
Homern swallowed his irritation.
Other retainers were just as furious over the absurd declaration but didn’t seem particularly scared.
Digald was just as poor and unremarkable a territory as Perdium.
In rank order of impoverished territories in the North, Perdium and Digald would vie for the top two spots.
However, Perdium had a Marquis title and received support from various territories.
Though the conditions of the territories were similar, Perdium’s troop strength and the battle experience of its soldiers were overwhelmingly greater.
Randolf, the Knight Commander of Perdium, bellowed.
“Damn it, do we even need to think deeply about fighting? Let’s just go out and crush them!”
Though there were no benefits to going to war, once declared, there was no avoiding it.
The justification of avenging one’s blood was stronger than anything else.
Zvalter leaned back in his chair and sighed.
‘War? What in the world is happening? And that a traitor would emerge.’
What hurt more than the situation of having to engage in war was that a retainer they had long trusted had betrayed Perdium out of selfish greed.
‘Tch, it’s going to get a lot harder from here on out.’
For a territory already struggling, war was nothing short of a calamity.
Even if one won the war, the costs of fighting would be enormous, and it would be difficult to replenish the forces that would dwindle due to casualties.
Especially in a territory like Perdium, where everything was in short supply.
‘Guess I’ll have no choice but to gather the Runestone.’
It was something his son had discovered, so he didn’t want to tamper with it if he could avoid it.
But the only way to recover losses was through Ghislaine’s Runestone.
Zvalter declared majestically.
“Change to wartime readiness and prepare for battle. We will annihilate the enemy at our border.”
Under the grim gaze of Zvalter, honed through hard battles in the North, all the retainers lowered their heads.
Though some troops remained behind to monitor the North, the current forces in the territory were still sufficient to face Digald.
Zvalter turned to Ghislaine and continued speaking.
“I’ve heard you’ve hired a considerable number of mercenaries. They should be quite useful. You shall join the battle as a Grand Duke.”
In wartime, a lord’s orders were absolute. Ghislaine nodded, accepting the Count’s intention, but didn’t forget to add an important point.
“First, it might be wise to ascertain how many enemy troops there are.”
“I intend to do so. We need to find out with what confidence they declared war on us.”
As they were closely connected, they also knew each other’s territorial situations well.
They were well aware of the troop strengths, so Zvalter was curious why they would march into war.
The retainers of Perdium were self-assured, but after hearing the news brought in three days later, they could say nothing.
“Armed forces amounting to about 6,000! The supply unit that left as reinforcements has roughly 1,000! We also confirmed numerous wagons transporting siege equipment!”
“……”
A force of that magnitude couldn’t have been prepared by just one territory. Especially not by a poor territory like Digald.
Randolf looked incredulous and asked again.
“Did you really see correctly? Are you sure you’re not just exaggerating? Is it confirmed?”
The soldier said nothing.
But the answer was obvious; everyone present knew that the report was indeed true.
Multiple scouts had said the same thing.
They were merely pestering the poor soldier because they didn’t want to believe it.
They weren’t able to confirm how many knights there were, but with that much of an army, there would surely be at least fifty knights.
“How could Count Digald muster such a force?”
“It’s impossible for Digald to gather this many troops, even if all the conscripts were mobilized. Yet they’re all armed soldiers!”
“Surely, another territory must be secretly aiding them!”
The armed forces of Perdium only amounted to 2,000, and even then, some were conscripts.
Even if they looked for additional soldiers, 1,000 was the limit.
Moreover, they didn’t even have thirty knights.
But the enemy had brought double their troop strength, so if they fought like this, they would surely be defeated.
As the retainers kept repeating that it was absurd, Zvalter shouted in frustration.
“Enough! Enough! The enemy is already approaching, and what good will it do to keep finding reasons! Discuss how to respond!”
If the difference in troops was this vast, it would be impossible to intercept them at the territory’s borders.
Unless they had superhuman abilities to dominate the battlefield, they would certainly lose in a formal battle.
There was a chance that all the forces of the territory could be annihilated.
Randolf was the first to speak up boldly.
“Brother, leave all the troops to me! I will sweep them all away. They’re just a bunch of inexperienced rabble anyway. With you and me together, we can handle it!”
Having spent a long time in the North, Randolf had a wealth of combat experience.
He had previously defeated larger numbers of barbarians with fewer soldiers.
His philosophy was that if they were going to fight anyway, they should dare to clash head-on.
However, Homern immediately objected in shock.
“No! The difference in forces is too great. Just one defeat will end it all! We must hold out from the castle and request support from other lords!”
As the two offered opposing views, the opinions of the other retainers began to split as well.
“Since we’ll hold out anyway, wouldn’t it be better to retreat to the Northern Fortress? This castle isn’t built for defense.”
“Ah, if we abandon the residents and the castle, what meaning is there in holding out?”
“We’re lacking in supplies for a defense! If reinforcements come, we can certainly fight back! If Raybold helps, it won’t be hard!”
The retainers were divided in their opinions but continued to argue.
Ghislaine watched them with a cold expression.
‘As expected.’
She had anticipated they would use a flimsy justification to declare war, and she also knew a substantial army would soon be marching in.
In her past life, Perdium had also boldly charged out to confront Digald’s forces, only to suffer defeat and retreat.
This time, it seemed their forces were even larger than anticipated.
Ghislaine had her suspicions about where they had gotten that strength from.
‘Bringing siege equipment means they are serious about trampling us.’
Territorial wars usually engage in field battles. From there, if a decisive victory is reached, concluding the war with negotiations is standard practice.
But mobilizing siege equipment was akin to declaring that they had no intention of negotiating.
Randolf, knowing this fact as well, couldn’t hold back his anger any longer.
“Dammit, we can’t last long here anyway! We might as well go out and fight!”
The environment would not sustain them long enough for a proper defense.
Perdium was already in dire straits.
With supplies running low, there wasn’t enough food or defensive weaponry to hold out.
“Given our current food situation, a prolonged conflict is absolutely impossible. We ultimately need to resolve this quickly!”
Surely the enemy would attempt to besiege them based on their massive troop advantage.
If they were starved and exhausted with lowered morale, even the slightest chance would vanish.
Randolf insisted that it would be better to take action while they had the strength to fight.
Zvalter, previously deep in thought, suddenly turned to Ghislaine and asked.
“What do you think we should do?”
He didn’t expect his son, who lacked combat experience, to provide a solution.
Still, Ghislaine had successfully developed the Forest of Monsters, so it seemed worth listening to her opinion.
“I believe it would be best to request support and hold out in the castle.”
“Hmm?”
Zvalter looked surprised.
He had assumed that Ghislaine would want to go out and battle, given her character and that she was leading troops.
He thought she would want to make a name for herself, but instead, she seemed surprisingly cautious.
Yet Ghislaine had her own reasons for advocating for a defensive stance.
‘Reinforcements won’t come. If they do, it will only be Count Rogas at most.’
In her past life, aside from Cain’s father, Count Rogas, no other territory had come to Perdium’s aid.
Even that Count Rogas had ultimately fallen alongside Perdium.
In other words, appealing for help would yield no benefit.
Nonetheless, Ghislaine suggested requesting support and holding out. It was to arrange the game in her favor.
‘This way, I can eliminate the enemy with minimal losses.’
After much deliberation, Zvalter ultimately issued commands to his retainers.
“For now, send requests for help to the surrounding territories. We will need to relay the message as quickly as possible. Also, bring all troops and supplies remaining in the Northern Fortress to the castle.”
“Brother! The enemy will arrive in about fifteen days!”
Randolf shouted loudly.
Digald was the territory adjacent to the southwest of Perdium.
Considering that infantry advance slowly, they could very well arrive in about fifteen days.
Zvalter nodded, speaking soothingly.
“We have not yet decided what we will do. But if we can gain support from nearby territories, we might be able to minimize our losses. I will decide after observing the reactions from other territories.”
Randolf stepped back for the moment but didn’t believe they would receive any support.
The surrounding territories would only help to the extent that Perdium wouldn’t collapse.
After all, Perdium was handling the bothersome invaders at the border.
But it didn’t necessarily have to be Perdium.
Even if Digald occupied this place, they wouldn’t be concerned.
As long as someone took care of the location.
Days stretched on as they sent requests for support to various territories, waiting for a reply, and the atmosphere in the territory grew darker.
However, when the long-awaited responses finally arrived, even the retainers who hadn’t given up hope were left in despair.
“Count Raybold says he cannot help due to internal issues.”
“Jinbar also expressed refusal.”
“The soldier sent to Count Rogas has lost contact.”
“The residents in the Vilum territory are revolting…”
There were various reasons, but not one territory offered their assistance.
The only one they had put faith in, Count Rogas, who was the husband of Ghislaine’s sister, had stopped communicating altogether.
Zvalter closed his eyes and bore a look of regret.
‘Is this how it ends? Who did I spend my life here for?’
He realized he had thought wrong.
No one wanted this place, and he thought it was enough to just fend off the invaders.
‘Who knew the Runestone would lead to our destruction.’
But he didn’t resent his son.
Ghislaine had indeed done something remarkable. It was just that the situation was unfortunate.
‘Was it all a dream? Is this how my family ends with me?’
Zvalter sighed and pressed his forehead. His face suddenly looked ten years older.
The Count raised his head once more to survey the surroundings.
The retainers looked like the world had ended. Homern and Albert too spoke not a word, their faces pale.
Only Randolf was there, his spirit blazing with determination.
Zvalter couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh.
‘At least that guy has enough strength to spare.’
Yes, if he and Randolf poured every ounce of their effort into defeating the enemy, wouldn’t that work?
The Count made a self-deprecating smile before suddenly turning to look at his son.
‘You…’
Ghislaine was different from the others.
She didn’t panic, didn’t cower, and didn’t get angry. She merely stood there, calm and expressionless.
‘You are truly unfathomable.’
After gazing at Ghislaine for a moment, Zvalter wore a look of pity.
‘I hope you don’t think this is your fault. You did well. Indeed, you did well.’
As a father, Zvalter wished for his son not to blame himself for this war.
After all, with the Runestone discovered, this place would soon become a battleground among the lords, regardless of timing.
Digald was merely the beginning.
‘Should I defend or take the offensive…’
Zvalter’s worries deepened.
They say that to succeed in a siege, you need three times the number of troops.
Fighting beside the castle certainly had definite advantages for defense.
But if supplies didn’t reach the defending side properly, they were prone to starving.
A knight who could manipulate mana could easily scale the walls.
‘If we could get support, we might’ve been able to endure… I focused too much on fortifying the Northern Fortress. Is this how it ends?’
If the enemies had mobilized siege equipment, the weak walls of Perdium would not hold for long.
If the justification were different, he might have considered surrendering, but with Digald using revenge as a cause, surrendering would only lead to death for all.
Even the “honorable surrender” that nobles often speak of was not an option.
‘We must win by any means. I don’t care if I die, but I must save others.’
Zvalter looked around with fierce eyes and stated.
“Get ready to head out. We will confront the enemy.”
As Randolf had said, if they just held out, they would eventually weaken and die.
It would be better to fight while they still had some strength left.
Though the retainers’ expressions were dark, they seemed to agree with Zvalter’s decision, nodding silently.
Ghislaine turned and left the chamber.
The waiting mercenaries began to gather one by one, following her lead.
Since the lord had decided, the retainers had no choice but to follow that course.
But that was not the direction Ghislaine thought was right.
‘We cannot just clash. Even if we win, our losses will be substantial.’
Ghislaine’s expression hardened.
‘I have no choice but to change the game myself.’
