War Begins

Translator: Cinder Translations

...

"Lord Paul, I have a question for you. After entering Alden territory, I felt a strange tension in the air, and I saw militia training in villages along the way. Have the pirates launched another attack?" Hansel asked.

"Bang!" Paul mimicked firing a pistol with his right hand towards the east and said, "Funny you should ask. Alden is about to go to war with our neighbors to the east!"

Hansel was taken aback. "Byerldine? Isn't the lord there on good terms with the Grayman family?"

"Heh heh! You know quite a bit," Paul chuckled.

"Well... didn't I tell you before that I spent some time in Buteya and heard quite a bit about the Ganard family?" Hansel replied.

Paul cut to the chase, "Didn't you mention to me before that there was something suspicious about Old Ganard's death?"

Hansel nodded.

Paul continued, "It's confirmed now. He was murdered by his vassals. His son—Malon Ganard, the new lord of Byerldine—sent me a distress call. The traitors not only killed his father but also have him in their sights."

Understanding dawned on Hansel. "So, you're going to aid Earl Ganard?"

Paul replied meaningfully, "On one hand, Malon is my blood-sworn brother; I cannot abandon him. On the other hand, Byerldine has highly productive coal and iron mines..." He left the sentence hanging.

Hansel nodded, recalling the industrial plans Paul discussed with him before he returned to the capital. It wasn't hard to guess what the lord before him was plotting. "Suppressing rebellious vassals"—what an excellent excuse for intervention.

"So, Earl Ganard..."

"Malon is safely staying in Alden Town now. Our focus should be on dealing with those few traitors."

Hansel breathed a sigh of relief. If Earl Ganard were still in the hands of his vassals, it would complicate matters, as they could easily accuse Paul of slander.

As for whether they could win, Hansel wasn't too worried. Before returning to the capital, he witnessed an Alden army drill in Alden Town. He swore he had never seen such disciplined and uniform troops, with soldiers' morale comparable to the palace guards, yet with a hint of bloodlust.

Even if Hansel knew nothing about military affairs, he understood that such a force couldn't be matched by minor nobles like viscounts and barons. No wonder Earl Grayman was reluctant to send his soldiers to the south to quell the rebellion.

Paul looked at Hansel and said, "Could you do me a small favor? I need a brilliant declaration of war. I've heard your academic performance at the Royal Crystal Glare Academy was outstanding; writing shouldn't be a challenge for you, right?"

"I wouldn't call it outstanding, but if you trust me with it, I'd be honored!" Hansel unexpectedly became modest, which made Paul feel a bit awkward all of a sudden.

"Well, I'll leave it to you then. Later, I'll introduce Malon to you, and we'll discuss the matters of Byerldine together."

...

As time passed day by day, Byerldine sent several messengers to invite Malon Ganard back, all of whom were flatly refused by Malon. Paul convened a group of highly experienced individuals to form an organization named the "Meteorological Bureau." Their daily task was to observe and record the weather, using their accumulated data to predict upcoming weather changes.

By September 1st, autumn had arrived, and the Meteorological Bureau predicted a high likelihood of no rain in the coming days. Paul also felt that his army was almost ready; it was time to lay the cards on the table.

A proclamation was distributed to all the northwestern fiefs, starting with a denunciation in the name of Earl Malon Ganard of Byerldine against the four vassals of Byerldine who were clearly involved in the conspiracy. It exposed their murder of their liege lord, their attempts to usurp and harm the heir, followed by a passage that strongly condemned their rebellious acts, depicting figures like Ankiro as misguided and wrath-provoking.

Simultaneously, this proclamation served as an ultimatum, demanding that Ankiro and his associates surrender themselves bound to Alden Town within two days of receiving the notice. Otherwise, Earl Grayman, Lord of Alden, would avenge his blood-sworn brother by leading an army to punish them.

After reading the proclamation, Byerldine's four vassals confirmed that Malon was aware of their crimes and plots. Except for Ankiro, the rest were in a panic, fearing joint military action from neighboring lords. Ebbert was particularly vocal in accusing Ankiro.

"You fools!" Ankiro cursed inwardly. Outwardly, he appeared confident and unruffled. "Do you think I'm unprepared like you? Tell you what, put your minds at ease. I've already contacted Duke Fraule of the Northwest and Earl Kent of Emden. They've agreed not to intervene in this matter. Without these two powerful lords of the Northwest, who's left to meddle in our affairs?"

One baron remained concerned, "Even if it's just one family left, Paul Grayman is still an Earl. He can muster quite a force in his domain and recently even eradicated two pirate crews!"

Ankiro sneered, "I've already found out that the infamous pirate Edward has disappeared with his main forces for months. What's left are just some small fries. Even so, the Grayman family risked their patriarch's life. Despite being an Earl, they were banished by the royal family to this place. Not to mention having no regular knights in their domain, relying solely on gathered peasants. When we gather all our knights and charge, they'll be begging for mercy on the ground."

The other three men calmed down, two barons flattering Ankiro, "Indeed, Manager has great foresight!"

Ankiro smugly stroked his mustache.

A voice he detested spoke up, "Heh! It must have cost quite a bit to bribe those two lords, right? Tell me, has the treasury of the Lord's Manor been emptied by you, Manager?"

Ankiro seethed inside, "At a time like this, he's still thinking about the Lord's Manor treasury?"

But outwardly, he just snorted coldly, tilted his head up, and said, "I am the legitimate Lord Chamberlain of Byerldine. During the 'abduction' of the lord, the treasury of the Lord's Manor is under my management. Until the lord returns or..."

Ankiro suddenly paused, glanced at everyone, then continued, "or until a new Earl of Byerldine is selected from among us four."

...

A counter-proclamation directly opposing Alden's was distributed to the northwest fiefs by Byerldine. Ankiro and the others had planned to raid Alden in September, but Paul preempted them.

The proclamation accused Paul Grayman of coveting Byerldine's minerals, deceiving his blood-sworn brother Malon Ganard into custody at Alden Town under the guise of a banquet, failing to extort them and accusing them of betraying their liege lord and attempting to invade Byerldine directly. In order to defend the dignity of the Ganard family and safeguard the security of their domain, they had no choice but to rise up in self-defense.

The war had begun...

(End of the Chapter)