"I refuse."
At Ghislain's firm words, the envoys were visibly flustered.
"Why? Do you still believe that Rayfold is a territory capable of rivaling Desmond and the strongest in the north? That would be a grave misunderstanding."
"Why?"
"First, the usurper Alia is a woman. She has no experience managing a territory, let alone leading an army. She was nothing more than a lady who knew how to hold a teacup gracefully. Her rebellion succeeded purely by chance, thanks to ambushing during a banquet."
"Hmm..."
"Look at her now, fighting Baron Valois. It's been months, and she still hasn't captured the castle. This is despite having an army five tis the size of her opponent's."
At these words, Ghislain chuckled.
Baron Valois was a brilliant tactician, and Alia was intentionally keeping the confrontation minimal. A prolonged war was inevitable under such circumstances.
If the envoys had given it any real thought, they wouldn't have made such claims.
Mistaking Ghislain's chuckle for agreent, the envoy continued his persuasion enthusiastically.
"We were once allied with the Rayfold family. The rightful heir, the fourth son Daven, is still alive, so we have sufficient justification. If we attack, Baron Valois will surely co out of his castle to support us."
"And you think you'll win?"
"Of course! How could that woman, who can't even handle Baron Valois, possibly stop our allied forces? This is an excellent opportunity for you to take part."
Ghislain waved his hand dismissively, looking bored.
"No, I'm not interested. You can do it yourselves."
"The rightful heir of Rayfold is still alive. Allowing a usurper to remain sets a dangerous precedent. Moreover, in the north, won have never been recognized as lords. This situation is absurd and unprecedented."
The reasons for the lords forming an alliance to attack Rayfold were many.
First, they couldn't let a rebellion go unchallenged, as it would set a dangerous example.
They needed to demonstrate that lords wouldn't tolerate a usurper. This would deter any similar attempts within their own territories.
The fact that Alia was a woman also bothered the northern lords.
In the harsh and rugged north, strong n were expected to lead and rule. Their traditions and customs were rooted in this idea. For a woman to beco a lord, and through rebellion no less, was an affront to those values.
They couldn't allow such an event to influence others. Even small incidents like this could accumulate and eventually change public perception.
Lords, always eager to maintain their power, didn't take such risks lightly.
But above all, their primary motive was sothing else entirely.
"Rayfold is a vast and fertile land. If we support the fourth son Daven, we could claim parts of the territory as a reward, in accordance with tradition."
This was the real reason. They wanted to exploit the chaos in Rayfold to divide the land among themselves. Alia's apparent incompetence only emboldened their decision.
Despite their passionate persuasion, Ghislain laughed again.
'Kill Alia? With the likes of you?'
In his previous life, even the rcenary King couldn't kill Alia. If he could have, he would've done so imdiately after returning to the past.
Desmond was after Perdium and had left her alone only because he couldn't act right away.
That's how dangerous she was. It was unimaginable that such incompetent people could defeat her.
Besides, Alia's ambitions wouldn't end with rely becoming Count of Rayfold.
However... for Ghislain's current strategy, these fools might actually prove useful. They could
help him buy ti while exploiting Alia's ambitions to the fullest.
"I won't participate in the war. But I'll support you in another way."
"And what would that be?"
"You're here for provisions, aren't you? I'll supply you with food."
Hearing this, the envoys bead with delight.
In truth, they didn't need Fenris's troops. They were confident that the combined forces of their six territories were more than enough to defeat Alia.
However, securing enough provisions to feed their army had proven challenging. They had co prepared to convince Ghislain, even if it ant offering him the best parts of the land.
Now, with Ghislain offering provisions himself, they no longer needed to make such concessions.
'Ha, the young lord must be scared of Rayfold's reputation.'
"That reputation was only valid when the forr Count and his heirs were alive. What's so frightening about an army led by a re woman?'
'Since he's not participating directly, we can divide the best parts of the land among ourselves. We'll just give him a token reward.'
Satisfied with Ghislain's promise, the envoys left in high spirits. Their war preparations were nearly complete, and they planned to move as soon as they received the provisions.
After sending them off, Ghislain sank into deep thought.
'I just hope they buy us enough ti until my preparations are complete.'
Those fools were bound to lose. Alia would have anticipated this situation.
In his past life, others had also tried to attack Alia while she was at war with Baron Valois. None of them had succeeded.
If Ghislain got involved, the outco might change, but for now, he couldn't afford to act.
'Not much ti left.'
Everything was happening faster than in his previous life because of his actions. This also ant the civil war was approaching.
Count Desmond's mobilization of an army was proof of that. Ghislain couldn't waste his
strength fighting Alia now.
He needed to buy as much ti as possible and complete his preparations to the desired level. Alia could be dealt with afterward.
'I need to keep her from pulling any tricks in the anti.'
She was a master of betrayal. That's why Ghislain planned to support Baron Valois and other territories to tie her hands. This would limit her options.
'Just wait a little longer, Harold.'
Everything was falling into place as Ghislain intended. The only thing left was his showdown
with Count Desmond.
'Because of , everything in the north is tangled. There's no way the duchy or Harold will sit still.'
When the civil war began, Desmond would undoubtedly target this estate first. After all, Ghislain's forces had beco the strongest royalist faction in the north.
There was still a little ti left, though. In his past life, the duchy hadn't initiated the civil
war in the north.
Even if the war started in the north, the kingdom's forces were monitoring Count Desmond, so an unexpected attack was unlikely.
During this brief window, Ghislain needed to complete all preparations. If successful, he
could crush Desmond as soon as the civil war began.
'When the war starts, I'll kill him first.'
At the thought, Ghislain's heart began to race.
The duchy might have been the root cause, but it was Count Desmond who directly destroyed
Perdium.
In his past life, Ghislain had mutilated Desmond's corpse countless tis, venting his imnse rage to the point where his subordinates had to stop him.
Even though Perdium's destruction had been averted, Ghislain and Count Desmond were destined to clash. To unify the north, Desmond had to die.
'Not much longer now. Once preparations are complete, I'll achieve an overwhelming victory.'
With that determination, Ghislain silently focused on war preparations and training his
soldiers.
Not long after, one day during a eting with his vassals, a ssenger burst into the audience
hall in a panic.
"Count Desmond has mobilized his army! They are advancing toward us!"
Ghislain's face hardened. His preparations were still incomplete.
"That bastard... he's already making a move?'
There had been no signs of activity from the duchy. The man who always moved cautiously,
following their orders, was now acting on his own.
And this, despite the kingdom's army watching his every move.
For the first ti since his return, an event occurred that disrupted Ghislain's carefully laid
plans.
***
"Hurry up! Move quickly! We've received word that Count Desmond is mobilizing his army!"
Viscount Dorren, commander of the 2nd Corps, had been awakened in the middle of the night by the urgent news and was now hastily moving his troops.
Their destination was a different position than the one they had defended during Ghislain's attack on Count Cabaldi. They needed to reach it first, set up camp, and block the way. That
was his assigned mission.
'Damn it... what's going on?'
Viscount Dorren couldn't wrap his head around the situation. There had been no
communication, no justification for starting a war.
Count Desmond had simply mobilized his forces and started marching toward Fenris.
Such an action showed no regard for the dignity of a noble.
And yet, that disregard made Viscount Dorren even more frightened.
For the greatest lord in the north to abandon all pretense? It ant he was prepared to use any
ans necessary.
Turning to his adjutant, Dorren asked, "They said his speed isn't very fast, right? Maybe it's
just a show of force toward Fenris? Let's hope that's all it is!"
"I don't think it's just a show of force."
"Why?"
"His army is said to be 30,000 strong. That's why they're slow."
"... Oh." Viscount Dorren was montarily dumbfounded. Could such numbers even be possible? Even
for a great lord?
The staggering figure made him feel weak in the knees.
Regaining his composure, he shouted in frustration.
"Damn it! How are we supposed to stop 30,000 troops with just the 2nd Corps?"
He had no confidence in defeating them. The Desmond forces were known as so of the
strongest in the north.
With the soldiers who had been assisting in road construction back, they now had 5,000
troops. While that was enough to crush most northern lords, it was nowhere near enough against 30,000. "Please, let this end peacefully. Maybe he's just demanding sothing."
They had received orders to prepare and inspect their forces in case of a civil war. But there
had been no news from anywhere else.
This suggested that Count Desmond was acting alone. Viscount Dorren clung to that hope. "He wouldn't be stupid enough to fight the royalist faction alone. Even if he occupies Fenris, we'd eventually force him to retreat. This must all be a misunderstanding. Right?"
Despite Dorren's optimistic questions, his adjutant had no answers.
The adjutant, like his commander, was completely in the dark. "Damn it! Just move faster! Their massive army is slow, so we can get ahead and block their
path. I'll sit him down with so tea and ask what's wrong. I'll hear him out, promise to
address his grievances, and send him away."
As they moved, Viscount Dorren couldn't stop talking, his unease evident.
Thud thud thud thud!
The distant sound of galloping hooves grew louder. Hearing it, Viscount Dorren felt a sense of
foreboding.
"Why do I hear cavalry charging at full speed?"
The 2nd Corps consisted mostly of infantry. While they were marching briskly, they couldn't
match the speed of the cavalry.
The cavalry, too, were moving at the infantry's pace. There was no reason for the sound of
full-speed galloping.
Thud thud thud thud!
Viscount Dorren wasn't foolish. He was a commander of the kingdom's army and quickly
understood the implications.
"It's an ambush! Everyone, prepare for battle!"
At his shout, the soldiers imdiately ford ranks, ready for combat. Their swift response
showed why the kingdom's army was considered elite.
Thud thud thud thud!
The sound of hooves grew closer. But they weren't coming from just one direction.
"This... this can't be..."
Suddenly, the sound of galloping ca from behind them as well. This ant the enemy had
tid their movents to surround them.
"They let the first sound be heard to force us into formation, then planned a rear ambush...'
Thud thud thud thud!
Soon, the sound of hooves ca from their sides as well. Viscount Dorren's brow twitched.
Traveling at night made it difficult to scout their surroundings properly, and the enemy had exploited this perfectly.
Assessing the situation quickly, Dorren shouted an order.
"Extinguish all lights! Make it dark and force them into close combat!"
All the surrounding lights were extinguished. The first charge would be inevitable, but in
close quarters, the cavalry would lose their montum, and chaos would ensue.
That was their only hope.
"Damn it... why is the moonlight so bright tonight?"
But luck wasn't on Dorren's side. The moon was exceptionally bright, and it seed the
enemy had anticipated his response.
Fwoosh!
Suddenly, countless torches flared to life on one side, their numbers nearing a thousand.
Seeing this, Viscount Dorren murmured in despair.
"They had an ambush prepared..."
The enemy was serious. They truly intended to crush the kingdom's army and attack Fenris.
Fwoosh!
Flaming arrows began raining down on the kingdom's soldiers.
Watching the sky light up with fire, Dorren muttered.
"Count Desmond has truly gone mad."
He didn't get to say anything else. The flaming arrows fell rcilessly.
Thwack thwack thwack!
"Ahhhh!"
The 2nd Corps soldiers, caught off guard, were helplessly struck down. They had been
marching and were in no position to defend themselves.
No one had expected the enemy to act so recklessly without any prior notice.
To openly fight the royalist faction alone? It was unthinkable. The only conclusion was that
Count Desmond had lost his mind.
Thud thud thud thud!
The fires spread, illuminating the area. The sound of galloping grew louder.
Cavalry sward into the chaotic ranks of the 2nd Corps from all directions.
Boom!
"Ahhhh!"
"Reform the ranks imdiately!"
"Force them into a lee sohow!"
Officers shouted orders, but it was no use. Desmond's forces tore through the elite 2nd Corps
with terrifying ease.
Viscount Dorren had no choice but to acknowledge the truth.
"Incredible... as expected of Desmond."
The enemy had anticipated when, how, and where they would move and prepared everything
in advance.
Even now, the main force was slowly advancing toward Fenris.
According to the initial reports, the cavalry had been part of the main force. This ant they
had broken off at high speed and successfully executed a perfectly tid ambush. Only one person in Desmond's forces was capable of such a feat: the renowned master of
maneuver warfare in the north.
"Erson."
He was the sa man who had failed to block Ghislain's attack on Cabaldi. If Erson was
leading, everything made sense.
"So... surrender isn't an option."
No doubt, Erson harbored a grudge from that previous encounter.
Sure enough, Erson, with a sinister grin, was charging toward Dorren.
"Viscount Dorren!"
Hearing Erson's shout, Dorren sighed and raised his sword. It seed he wouldn't make it
out alive tonight.
He had already given up on his life.
But...
"What about my daughter's academy tuition..."
That was the only concern left in his mind.
[T/L: Please support and read 320 extra chapters: sko-fi/revengerscans]
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