377

Episode 377 I brought you some gifts. (1)

"Aiden, Aiden… … ."

Erhard, who was usually indifferent to everything, showed considerable interest in Aiden.

It was understandable. Aiden's prayers were as good as any in the dukedom.

"So, you came to help me?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. I will be of great help."

"Does the situation here seem so difficult that they would send someone like you?"

Erhard was still smiling, but there was a grain of truth to his words. He would have no trouble taking over the kingdom without any help.

Aiden also answered with a bright smile.

"Surely we would not make light of Your Majesty's power? It is just that we need to get things done on the Rutania side a little faster."

"What do you mean?"

"I think we will have to bring forward the timing of opening the 'door'."

Then Erhard raised his eyebrows as if he was interested.

"Oh, really? Why? Isn't the promised day still far away?"

"How can things go as planned? Someone has come after us."

"Who is it?"

"It seems like the 'Saint of War' and the 'Guardian of the World Tree' have noticed. They have already fought several times in secret."

"Hmm… … . Even though I moved so carefully, I was discovered sooner than expected."

"Since it's done by humans, it can't be perfect. There's no place on the continent that our hands haven't reached, so the possibility of mistakes is greater. They've been wary of our presence for a long time."

"Yes, just as we have our mission, they also have theirs."

"And… …there is also an aspect of being in a hurry because of the Kingdom of Rutania here."

"Because of this place?"

Aiden raised his head, looked straight into Erhard's eyes, and continued speaking.

"Yes, it's because of the Earl of Fenris."

"Earl Fenris?"

The name Earl of Fenris was one that Ernhard had heard most often lately.

Because of him, Raoul's plan to easily take over the kingdom was ruined. Now, it had become so bad that he had to be destroyed by force.

But I thought it would only work within the kingdom at best. But now, because of Earl Fenris, the grand plan has to be brought forward?

"Explain it."

"It's because of the forest of demons."

"The Forest of Demons?"

"I heard a rumor that Earl Fenris had developed the Forest of Demons. It was the last place we had in mind. And… … I recently confirmed that the first guardian guarding the barrier has died."

Erhard leaned forward a little more. His eyes were blazing with a new eagerness.

"Are you sure it's the Forest of Demons?"

"It is certain. I have already confirmed all the prohibitions on the continent except for the Forest of Demons. However, when Earl Fenris was clearing the forest, one of the sacred lights went out. We must finish the Rutania business before he delves further into the Forest of Demons."

"Ha, hahahahahahaha!"

Erhard burst out laughing.

The attendants did not understand the conversation between the two men, so they were confused as to why Erhard was laughing.

Erhard, who had been laughing as the battle passed, suddenly spoke to Raoul with a mad look in his eyes.

"Raoul."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Break the neck of the dummy king immediately and destroy the forest of demons."

In the first place, the Duke had prevented anyone from touching the Forest of Demons. It was because they thought that what they were looking for might be there.

But now that it was clear that he was in the Forest of Demons, there was no need to endure it any longer.

Raoul answered, bowing his head.

"We are already preparing for war. To take over the kingdom with as little damage as possible… … ."

Ernhard spoke with a cold expression before Raoul could even finish answering.

"Are you trying to waste time again?"

"Your Majesty, I understand what you mean, but if the Forest of Demons is really that place… … we will need a lot of troops to conquer it. If we are not careful, we may end up with fewer troops to fight later… … ."

Erhard looked at Raoul with his usual, murderous eyes.

"It doesn't matter if everyone in the kingdom dies. Once we take over the kingdom, we just have to give weapons to all the people and push them in. Do you understand?"

"… … I will obey your command."

"This time, we can't afford to make a mistake."

Ernhard, who had just glanced at Raoul coldly, asked Aiden again.

"What will you do to help?"

"I will remove anything that hinders Your Majesty's great undertaking. And… … ."

Aiden continued with his usual bright smile.

"I will bring you the head of the Earl of Fenris."

* * *

The nobles of the royalist faction gathered in the palace and racked their brains for several days.

Because Marquis Rodrik was now moving in a way that would openly attack Fenris.

"Marquis Rodrique has officially declared war on Fenris! They are preparing to go to war! That duckling hastened the civil war!"

The Marquis of Branford responded expressionlessly to Morris's shouts.

"Wasn't it inevitable that a civil war would break out, whether we like it or not? It was just Marquis Rodrik who made the first move."

"Because of that guy, our strategy is ruined! In the end, we have to deal with the western armies before we can even fight the Duke!"

The basic strategy of the royalist faction, as always, was defense. The goal was to defend other fronts as much as possible and gather the main force to attack the Duke.

But strangely, things went wrong. We can't afford to lose Fenris, so we have to fight the western army first.

We all know that arbitration is now impossible.

"There's nothing we can do about it, since he caused such a ruckus in the West."

Rumors spread throughout the kingdom that Giselle had annihilated and pillaged Marquis Rodrik's 20,000 troops.

Now, even if the king steps in and tries to stop it, he can't do anything about it.

The Marquis of Branford still could not understand Giselle's intentions.

'Why did you have to provoke the West?'

As for the royalist faction, it would be better to gather more strength and prepare for war. There was no need to move the army now and create an opening for the Duke to attack.

The Marquis of Branford muttered, his mind in turmoil.

"He's not the type of guy to move without thinking."

"He doesn't think! Because he's a thoughtless guy!"

Morris beat his chest as if he was frustrated.

In his eyes, Giselle was just a person who lived for today. But because she was lucky, everything she did was successful and it seemed like she had some kind of plan.

In a word, he is a guy born with luck.

As they gathered together and strategized, a royal knight came and reported.

"Your Majesty, the Earl of Fenris has arrived."

At those words, all the nobles who were close to the prince's side lit up. It was an opportunity to ask him what he was thinking and what he was going to do next.

"Tell them to come in."

The knight looked embarrassed as the Marquis of Branford spoke.

"excuse me...."

"Why are you doing that?"

"Come out and see… … ."

"… … That guy?"

"yes."

There was a brief silence in the conference room at the impudent request. Maurice, who came to his senses first, shouted.

"Is that kid crazy now! Is that all there is to it? Who should I tell him to come and go?"

Master, that's all right. However, the nobles of the royal family thought that Jisel had grown thanks to their support and raising him. That thought wasn't completely wrong.

And in terms of title, power, age, and everything else, they are superior.

"You've grown up a bit lately, so why are you acting so cocky? Hey! Call all the knights! If you act cocky in the capital as a master, you'll die!"

Maurice rose from his seat, shaking his thick beard. As one of the most powerful men in the kingdom, he could no longer tolerate Giselle's insolence.

I didn't like it from the beginning.

Then the knight spoke as if making excuses.

"I, that's not it… … Earl Fenris brought me a gift, but he said you should see it for yourself… … ."

"You little punk! Are you calling that an excuse? If you brought a gift, you should have brought it here politely!"

"That's the amount that can be brought here… … ."

"Shut up! I'll go over there and fix that little shit!"

Maurice called his knights with a proud expression and moved. The nobles of the royalist faction who followed him also followed him.

The number of knights from other nobles gathered was enormous. They could truly be called the real powers of the kingdom.

The Marquis of Branford also shook his head and went out reluctantly.

As soon as Morris went outside, he screamed.

"What the heck! Where is this kid?"

I thought he was waiting outside, but there was no one. I looked around, and the reporter who had delivered the news hurriedly followed me and reported again.

"It's outside the castle."

"What? You dare call us from outside the castle?"

"No, that's why… … ."

"Hey! My carriage… … No, bring the horses! Call the soldiers too! Let's just go like this!"

Maurice, who was impatient, ran without even listening to the knight's words. He wanted to use this opportunity to flatten Giselle's nose and correct her bad habits.

Doo doo doo doo doo!

Everyone in the capital was astonished as the best nobles marched forward, leading their knights and soldiers.

Everyone looked worried as they avoided each other's seats. It was as if a war was about to break out.

What they saw as they left the castle were numerous wagons and soldiers waving Fenris' flags.

The soldiers alone appeared to number in the thousands.

Morris saw the sight and approached it, screaming loudly.

"Look! That crazy bastard has brought troops all the way to the capital!"

The other nobles, including the Marquis of Branford, also frowned. There were too many soldiers for a cosmetics company.

In the first place, for this number of troops to come to the capital, they had to overcome many difficulties. It was surprising that no one stopped them.

As Maurice approached with the knights, Giselle bowed her head slightly.

"Your Majesty the Marquis, it's been a while."

"You little duckling! What are you doing now! How dare you bring this many troops to the vicinity of the capital! Is this treason!"

As soon as he saw her, he started a fight. Jiselle responded with a curt expression.

"There aren't that many? I brought them here as escorts."

It's a lot of beggars for a top force, but it's remarkably small for a capital city. That's impossible even for Jisel, who is a master.

When Maurice was about to have another seizure, the Marquis of Branford stopped him and asked,

"So, why did you call us out here?"

"Your Majesty, how have you been?"

"Enough with the greetings. Tell me what's going on."

Giselle clicked her tongue at the still cold look of the Marquis of Branford and said.

"I brought you some gifts."

"What kind of gift is it that is causing such a fuss?"

Instead of answering the Marquis, Giselle motioned to the soldiers. As the soldiers stepped aside, the wagons behind them became more visible.

The sight of hundreds of wagons lined up was a spectacle in itself.

All the nobles opened their mouths in surprise when they saw that sight.

At first glance, the wagon was clearly loaded with food and weapons. Even for the most powerful men in the kingdom, they had never seen so much at once.

Jiselle chuckled as she looked at them in a daze.

"These are various military supplies, including food, weapons, and medicinal herbs. These are gifts from me to the royalist faction. They will be of great help during the civil war."

Even the Marquis of Branford, whose expression never changed, had no choice but to open his eyes wide this time.

Although the effects of the drought are now somewhat recovered, it is not as easy as before. So everyone, regardless of age, is using resources sparingly.

But I couldn't believe that they brought me such a large amount of military supplies as a gift.

"Really? You're giving that to us?"

"Even Your Majesty stutters sometimes."

"… … I asked if it was true."

"Yes, it is true. Your Majesty, you have become more suspicious."

It was natural to not believe that the worldly miser who always took something away from everyone would give something like this. But when he said it was real, everyone held their pounding hearts and held their breath.

Everyone looked at Maurice. They started yelling at the person who brought such a gift, calling him a traitor.

"This, this kid… … ."

Maurice got off his horse in embarrassment and strode towards Giselle.

"why?"

When Giselle still answered curtly, Maurice paused for a moment and then shouted again.

"This kid!"

He hugged Giselle tightly as if he were reunited with a lost family member.