454

Episode 454: Tell Me Honestly (2)

The eastern region was just now catching its breath, having stopped the rift from spreading. They were unable to stop the Duke's army from advancing like a tidal wave.

When the prince's faction heard the news, they were naturally in an uproar. They had no idea that the duke's family would make such a sudden move.

Boom!

Maurice, the commander-in-chief of the royal army, hit the table and shouted.

"What the heck! How did you advance straight to the east! You were blocking the entire southern border!"

His staff answered with troubled expressions.

"The 4th Corps blocking the road was destroyed in an instant. It seems that the Duke's army is stronger than expected."

"Damn it! How much is it!"

"They say it's around 50 thousand."

"Ugh… … . The main force will definitely be in the south. Do you think you have that much power?"

The staff could not properly respond to that statement. In fact, they still did not have an accurate grasp of the power of the Duke. After the South was completely under the Duke's control, it was difficult to even send spies.

Morris asked after thinking about it.

"Can the Eastern Army stop it?"

"We haven't even gathered enough troops to be called the Eastern Army. The lords are all playing around on their own, and we're being defeated one by one."

"You pathetic bastards! I told you to get together quickly!"

The commander of the Eastern Army had been appointed long ago. However, the lords were passive in their efforts to first deal with the damage to their own territories.

The Duke did not miss that opportunity and moved at the most opportune time.

"Damn, I thought you were just going to keep holding me back since you weren't moving at all."

The Duke must have known that there was nothing good in fighting each other. So he knew how to just waste time in a tight balance of power. When the Allied Forces arrived, he planned to strike them all at once with overwhelming force.

"Well, they're not stupid, so they wouldn't wait until the Allied Forces are all gathered."

Maurice looked at the map and became lost in thought.

He is the commander-in-chief of the royal army. The political situation is led by the Marquis of Branford, but the war is an issue that he must decide.

"Except for the southern kingdom army, their main force will definitely move together. But if the current situation continues, the east will be trampled… … ."

Even though the East was not as important as the Central region, it could not be abandoned, because it was possible to advance to the capital through it.

"Euuuuu… … . What should I do?"

A messenger from the Northern Army came to see him as he was worrying.

"I have come to convey the word of the Earl of Fenris."

"Your nephew?"

Maurice looked delighted. A smart nephew would have surely shown him the way.

"So, what did your nephew say? He said he was going to move the Northern Army again?"

"No. I asked them to send half of the royal army to block the advance of the Delphian army that was advancing east."

"What? Send half of the royal army?"

"The Allied Forces that arrived first have set out for the East. They will be able to arrive before the East is completely occupied. While they are buying time, we can attack the Delphian forces with the Royal Forces."

"But if we send half of them, the southern front will be weakened. Is that okay? There will be holes everywhere."

"The Northern Army also said that they would go to the Southern Front. They said that the 20,000 troops they had recruited in the West would make up for the shortage."

"Umm… … ."

Maurice was troubled. He had assumed that the Northern Army would come, but he had not thought of the Royal Army being left out.

The Duke of Gongju will not attack just one place. He will definitely move along several routes simultaneously. This means that even if the Northern Army successfully blocks the South, other places may be breached.

"The atmosphere is already bad because of the assassins."

Recently, assassins have been running wild in several territories, killing quite a few lower-ranking officers and officials.

Of course, the assassins were unable to escape and were all captured and killed. Not a single one of the high-ranking nobles was harmed.

It was something that had no effect on the general public at all, but the rumors were the problem.

"Is this what they were after?"

It is true that the atmosphere became a bit turbulent as rumors of the assassination spread. In the midst of all this, the sudden invasion was bound to have some synergy effect.

But that was it. It didn't really do much other than make the soldiers a little nervous.

Maurice tilted his head.

"The effect is too weak compared to the effort put in… … Why on earth is that?"

It would have been better not to do something like assassination. It would have only heightened their sense of vigilance.

It would have been more impactful to suddenly launch a surprise attack and annihilate one of the Yeongji armies.

"I really don't understand. Did you just throw it out there thinking only one would catch?"

It was only natural that Maurice didn't understand. They were just creating an atmosphere to tie up Giselle.

After thinking for a long time, Maurice finally opened his mouth.

"Call Grandmother. I must ask Heaven for her will after a long time."

The staff's faces darkened at those words.

'Oh, miss, here we go again.'

'Ha, do I really have to do that?'

'No matter how much I try to stop it, it's no use… … .'

Soon a bent old woman came in. Maurice looked very happy to see her.

"Oh! Grandma! I have something important to do today, so I need to get my fortune told."

"Hehe, hehe, I knew you'd call me sooner or later."

"Hey, I said you were an old lady. You're really a good person. Come to think of it, you said before that the guy I hate will give me a lot of money. It was true, right? That guy is now my nephew."

"Hehe, I'm glad it worked out well."

"Okay, so please do your best today too."

"Yes, yes. Yes, what's going on today? I'll tell you anything."

The old woman was a sorcerer. She had been living in the Marquis' house for a long time, giving Maurice various advice.

Maurice is very superstitious. It was part of his habit of calling Giselle a witch and a duck.

So, I was very trustworthy of the old woman who was said to be good at predicting the future.

Of course, the priests of the four major religious orders also knew this fact. However, they pretended not to know, thinking it was something the Commander-in-Chief of the Kingdom's Armed Forces did as a hobby(?).

Morris said with a serious expression.

"There's a war going on right now, and it's a tough situation. One side is just being pushed back. But my nephew told me to move the other side's army. Can I do that?"

"Hehe, hehe, let me take a look."

The old woman took out animal bones one by one from the bundle. Then she drew strange pictures on the floor with red dye and threw the bones.

"Hohohoho!"

The old woman, who had been throwing the bones several times and examining them carefully, muttered, even adding a strange sound.

"Umm… … . This is… … ."

"Why? Why? You don't like it? Shouldn't we move it?"

"No. It's true that we're moving. But… … ."

"Just what?"

"I think my nephew's family might be in a bit of danger."

"If I transfer to another military unit, is my nephew's family in danger?"

"That's just the horoscope that came out. My nephew was told to transfer to the military, so I had his fortune read along with mine."

"Hmm? Really? Anyway, I understand. Since Grandma said so, I have to move the army. And tell your nephew the news."

"Hehe, hehe, will your Majesty be going on an expedition as well?"

"Then, I, the Commander-in-Chief, should go. Oh, grandma will go with you, so prepare in advance. I'll even prepare a top-class carriage for you to travel comfortably. Grandma will go with you and give you a fortune before the battle. Are you feeling okay?"

"Hehe, hehe, it's okay. I understand."

As the old woman stepped aside, Maurice spoke solemnly to the Northern messenger.

"Tell the Northern Army Commander that I have decided to mobilize my kingdom's forces. Oh, and tell him to be careful because the horoscope says my family is in danger. There are assassins setting up shop here, so it can't hurt to be careful."

"...yes."

The messenger who had been watching this entire process looked astonished. How could the commander-in-chief of the royal army move his troops based on the words of a mere fortune teller?

It felt once again that the kingdom was in serious crisis.

"Come on! Let's move quickly! It's time to smash the heads of those Dukes!"

As Morris shouted loudly and left the room, several of his staff members approached the messenger and spoke to him in a pleading tone.

"Understand. The Marquis wasn't originally like that."

"I lost my youngest child a long time ago, but I couldn't find it, so I resorted to superstitions like that."

"I just kept it by my side because that old woman said I would find it someday."

"Yes, he even left an empty fiefdom to give it to me if I find a child later. He's even going to give me the title of count? Isn't that how parents feel?"

"So don't spread rumors about this. Okay? There's no good in rumors like this, right? Where are you from in the Northern Army? I've seen your face. Okay?"

The staff tried to make the messenger understand by half explaining the situation in detail and half threatening.

It's a fact that all the high-ranking nobles know, but it's not good for something like this to spread widely.

The messenger nodded with a trembling expression.

"… … I won't spread rumors."

"Yes, yes. Let's pretend we didn't see what happened today. I'll tell the Northern Army Commander."

"...All right."

The messenger returned to the camp with this absurd sight in his mind.

As soon as he returned, he reported to Giselle.

"They say they will move half of the royal army straight to the east."

Giselle nodded. She thought that things would go her way anyway. Even if Maurice opposed it, the Marquis of Branford would move.

"Yes, the Allied Forces have also moved, so they will arrive around the same time. Was there anything else they said?"

"That's it… … ."

The messenger hesitated a little. He wasn't sure if he should tell them this. Still, as a messenger, he shouldn't filter out the report based on his own judgment.

"Why? Talk comfortably."

The messenger gained confidence at Giselle's words and said:

"His Majesty the Commander-in-Chief has told us to be careful, as our families may be in danger."

"Huh? Family? What do you mean?"

"That's because the Assassins are running wild these days… … . That's why… … ."

As the messenger continued to ramble on, Giselle narrowed her eyes and said.

"Just tell me honestly, as it is."

"...yes."

The messenger said it exactly as it was, exactly as he saw it, because he could not possibly explain why he said it in a vague way.

And when Giselle heard that, she was also shocked.

'I knew it would be like that.'

I knew you liked superstitions, but I didn't know you liked them so seriously.

If the fortuneteller had said anything else, Maurice would have been incredibly stubborn. It was dizzying to think about it.

"… … Okay, thank you for your hard work."

The messenger stepped aside and Giselle was left a little troubled. It wasn't about Maurice.

Because the thought of my family being in danger brought back memories of the assassination squads that have been running wild lately.

'There's no way they would do something useless... ... .'

Fenris and Ferdium have made sure to prepare for the assassination. It is impossible to kill someone unless they are a true superhuman.

Belinda's assassination squad was carefully placed around her family and key figures, so they did not join the Northern Army.

'Surely... ...is there another way?'

The news of the assassination was being spread so blatantly. It was said that assassins had been active in several northern territories recently. It seemed like a signal that they would soon be heading to Perdium.

But they also probably know that assassinating Giselle's family would only cause more anger and would have no effect on the overall situation.

'then....'

This is to inform yourself. This is to lure yourself. It means to come back quickly because I am going to assassinate your family.

'If I leave my seat… … .'

In the meantime, the Duke's main force will advance towards the capital.

'I know what you're after.'

The plot of the Duke to separate himself from the Northern Army was clear.

But I still couldn't figure out what he was thinking. Even if he really intended to assassinate her, how could he know when Jiselle would be away and set a date for his advance?

'What on earth are you going to do… … .'

The answer arrived a few days later. Giselle received a letter.

[I will kill you. Wait for me at Ferdium. If you want to protect your family, you must move immediately.]

Beneath the plain text was a black crescent moon and the signature 'Melkir'.

Now he's openly saying he'll kill his family. At this point, he's practically begging them to come.

Considering the Duke's position of having to clearly separate himself from the Northern Army, the probability that it was not a fake scheme was much higher.

"But what is this?"

Even if it was a threat, I was a little curious about the picture he had drawn below and the name Melkir, as if he was bragging about it. It was something I had never encountered even in my past life.

Jiselle called all her close associates together. She wanted to know if anyone knew who had sent the letter.

Everyone gathered around with puzzled expressions at the sudden call. Only two people had different thoughts.

'Damn, another strong guy has come in. Let's just wait and see. I'll definitely overcome him someday.'

Kaor, who had recovered from his injuries, glared at Erenes, who was walking ahead, and gritted his teeth. He was annoyed that he kept falling behind in the rankings in Fenris.

On the contrary, Alpoy fell flat on his face as soon as he felt the difference in strength. He didn't even dream of revenge. He just thought about nothing as usual.

'Ah, I also want to be a count and a lord. I want to stop being a slave.'

It's always been a consistent mindset.

Jiselle clicked her tongue as she looked at the two people whose intentions were obvious, and showed the letter to her close associates.

However, even Gillian and Kaor, who were experienced mercenaries, Vanessa who had accumulated much knowledge, Alfoy who was in the Magic Tower, Tennant who was high in the West, and Erenes who had lived for a very long time, did not know the identity.

Just one person.

"Oh, my lord! This is… … ."

Only Belinda opened her eyes wide at the sight.

"Huh? What is it? Belinda, does she know what this is?"

"Your Majesty! We must return to the territory quickly, quickly."

"I was thinking of going anyway… … Why are you so nervous?"

"This guy who wants to kill the master… … . This guy is the kind of guy who will kill the people around him before killing his opponent! We must return to Ferdium quickly! This isn't a lie!"

Belinda spoke with great excitement, and there was even a hint of fear in her eyes.

"Calm down for a moment. You need to explain to me who this Melkir guy is and how Belinda knows him."

At those words, Belinda looked around. There were too many people listening to her for her to reveal her identity, but she didn't have time to fight to get them out. The situation was that urgent.

She let out a deep sigh and opened her mouth in a determined tone.

"Listen carefully, everyone. I'm going to tell you a secret I've been keeping from you."

Everyone held their breath at those words. They had all been curious about her identity for quite some time already.

Why is she, who was only Ferdium's maid and Giselle's tutor, so strong?

I was also curious as to why she was using techniques that would be used by assassins. Everyone expected that she was an assassin who had hidden her identity.

As everyone's eyes focused on her, Belinda said with a slightly sad look in her eyes.

"Don't be surprised to hear this. I'm actually… … from the Assassins."

No one was surprised by such an obvious statement.