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Claude took a deep breath and began to argue.

"Why is the lord in charge of discipline? Are you some kind of barbarian assistant?"

How can you say that you're going to war again, so soon after the war ended? And against barbarians so brutal they're beyond compare?

Not only Claude, but everyone else had a look of bewilderment on their faces.

But Jiselle answered with an expression as if she was saying something obvious.

"Then I'm in charge of those guys, isn't it? My father is in charge now, but I'm next anyway, right?"

"… … ."

It wasn't a wrong statement. The barbarian department had always been in the hands of the Ferdium family. That's why they were given the authority and duties of a Count.

"That… … No, that's right. Okay. I understand that you're the successor in charge, but… … Aren't we just talking about how to get the horse?"

"Oh, they have a lot to say."

"Because you have a lot of words… … . Are you going to go steal them?"

"That's right, is there a law that says we can't plunder? This time, it's our turn to plunder those guys. I can't live with that."

"… … ."

At those words, Claude made a face that showed he was tired.

The horses of the northern regions where barbarians live are famous for their strength, so the barbarians were also accustomed to horseback riding.

Their livelihood could be said to be moving around quickly and pillaging.

However, the barbarians were vulnerable to siege warfare. Since the various tribes were scattered here and there, they were not well united, and since most of them were cavalry, they were not very effective in siege warfare.

The barbarians also knew this, so they would only occasionally disturb the fortress, usually bypassing it to enter the kingdom.

That is why the tactic of blocking the path and pursuing the northern fortress worked so well, and poor Ferdium was able to withstand the barbarians for so many years.

But now Giselle was declaring that she would steal the horses from the barbarians who lived off of them.

"Hey, is that okay? If it were that easy, Ferdium wouldn't have had to suffer so much… … ."

"It was hard because we were poor. We had to beat them, but we didn't have enough troops and food. But do you think we can't beat them now? They fight among themselves?"

"… … ."

The deceased bowed their heads this time as well, having nothing to say.

Ferdium was always difficult for various reasons. Since it was a situation where troops had to be conserved, it was impossible to hastily launch a suppression.

But what about Fenris now? There is plenty of food, and there are 400 knights. The barbarians are grouped into small groups, so if they want, they can be beaten as much as they want.

"They're having a hard time because of the famine, too. We have to get them back before they eat all the horses. Right? And I had a hard childhood because of them. Now I'm going to get what I deserve."

Belinda nodded vigorously at those words.

"That's right! Lord Ferdium didn't have much money because he was dealing with the barbarians, so he couldn't give you much pocket money. The reason you went astray when you were young was probably because you didn't have enough pocket money."

"… … ."

Claude, who had nothing to say, looked around. The other vassals seemed to be feeling the same way, as they were all just looking around.

It was a bit burdensome to go to war again while I was focusing on developing the territory. But after listening to Jiselle and thinking about it, it didn't seem like it would be that hard.

Claude asked Belinda, who had always been with him in opposition for opposition's sake.

"What about the butler? Are you against it?"

Belinda hesitated for a moment, then answered coolly.

"I agree."

"What? Why? You've always been against war and such."

"I hate those guys."

"… … Are you going to war because you don't want to?"

"Oh, I don't like it, but what can I do?"

I had nothing to say. After all, is there anything in the world more certain than that as a reason to go to war?

Claude clicked his tongue and looked for someone else.

"Father Fergus! What do you think?"

"Hehehehe… … . I also really hated barbarians."

'Okay!'

The feelings the people of Perdium had toward the barbarians were deeper than one might think.

Claude shook his head and continued speaking while looking at Giselle.

"But is it okay if most of our troops are infantry? Aren't the barbarians good at horsemanship? If they run away, it's all in vain. Even though we have a lot of knights, aren't they a bit lacking in endurance?"

"You can get cavalry support by linking up with Ferdium. Pick some of the infantry and have them provide supplies, and have the rest guard the territory."

Claude and his men nodded. The Knights of Fenris are second to none in terms of instantaneous destructive power. They are unrivaled when it comes to numbers.

If they only had cavalry to support them, they could conserve their strength and fight a little longer.

"Okay, I'll get it ready right away."

"Okay. I really like it because the opposition time has been shortened recently."

'I gave up halfway because I didn't listen to people.'

But since everything I did was successful, I gained some confidence.

Regardless of the intentions of the vassals, it was fortunate for Jisel that opposition had diminished. Since she was leaving the position with the army, the sooner she could handle it, the better.

'We have to deal with Harold and Amelia quickly while they are tied up. Now is the time, when the Duke's side is also on edge.'

So, even though construction was delayed due to transportation problems, they waited until Amelia's rebellion began.

In fact, even if it wasn't for the purpose of finding a horse, there was a need to clear out the barbarians. To stabilize the rear before a bigger war broke out.

It was not a good situation to have to share the power of Ferdium when it was important. If the back of your head is itchy, you should just scratch it and go.

"This was all planned, so don't worry and let's move quickly. Assemble all the knights."

At Giselle's command, everyone moved busily. With the power up and food abundant, the others also felt quite confident.

No matter what anyone says, wasn't this a territory that could be counted on one hand in the North?

Claude checked the mood in the territory and shook his head as he prepared for war.

'It's really strange. All of this was possible thanks to the madness of the lord. Well… …Would you cooperate a little?'

Claude tried hard to erase from his mind the thought that he had always been forced to cooperate.

It was truly an amazing lord who had instilled such confidence in people and helped them develop the strength to match that confidence.

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As Claude was leisurely preparing to leave, Giselle came and spoke to him.

"You go too. Pack your bags."

"Yes? Why? Why should I go? I'm really bad at fighting."

"Staff and rear support."

"… … ."

Claude regretted very much that he had not protested more vehemently.

* * *

Waaaaaaaaaah!

In the northern fortress, a battle with barbarians was in full swing.

"Go up!"

A great number of barbarians were advancing upon the northern fortress. They were wearing leather trousers suitable for riding and coats made of animal hair.

Their appearance of wearing skull-shaped helmets and carrying battle axes seemed to reflect their warlike nature.

Zwalter encouraged his men as they struck down the barbarian warriors scaling the walls.

"Stop it! We can repel them easily!"

Six minor tribes joined forces to attack the fortress. There were more of them than expected, but they seemed more than capable of holding off.

Zwalter's concern was not that the fortress would be taken.

'Oh no. They must have taken a detour to get in.'

The barbarians also know that they are weak in siege warfare. So even if they attack the fortress, it is not really to capture it, but rather to keep Perdium's forces there.

The real ones were special forces moving for plunder. Aside from those attacking the fortress, the rest would go into various villages in the north and plunder.

In fact, even barbarians rarely use this method because it causes so much damage.

But because the famine was so severe, they also had to make their own arrangements. After all, they had to feed their people. Even among themselves, they fought more frequently.

"Brother! No, my lord! If this continues, several other territories in the north will be invaded again. Those bastards will blame us!"

"Ugh… … ."

Zwalter also groaned. It didn't matter that he had been cursed at more than once or twice. But he was seething inside at the thought of innocent people dying.

What on earth should I do?

'In a situation like this, I can't go out of the fortress.'

Although things were better than before, it was still a situation where we had to conserve our power as much as possible, because the barbarians were spread out in countless numbers across the vast northern lands.

If word gets out that you've gone out fighting and taken a lot of damage, other barbarian tribes will join forces and invade again.

'If it keeps getting cut down like that, this place will eventually collapse. There's no other way… '

Giselle told Claude that it was nothing special, but in reality, the situation was not so easy.

Other lords pretend not to know and just give vague support to save their own troops. The nobles of the duke's faction are not interested in this place. The prince's faction is too busy keeping the duke's faction in check to even pay attention.

Only Ferdium.

I've been fighting a lonely battle here for a long time.

'I tried to ask for help from even Jiselle… … but I didn't expect them to join forces and attack like this.'

Zwalter shook his head a few times to shake off his regret, then shouted loudly again.

"Repel them quickly! Once they retreat, we'll form a pursuit force as quickly as possible!"

At those words, the knights and soldiers gritted their teeth and went into battle.

"You motherf*ckers!"

"Stop it!"

Their morale was not low because their skills had improved and their circumstances had improved. However, they were all suffering from chronic depression due to fatigue and exhaustion that never went away.

I'm just holding on by having positive thoughts and burning away all the hatred that's built up.

Those who cannot endure eventually leave. That is why Ferdium always suffered from a lack of knights, and there were traitors like Jamal and Philip, who had kidnapped Elena before.

Zwalter also knows very well how difficult this place is to endure with only a sense of responsibility.

"It's okay! It's okay! We will win like always!"

He regained his composure. But he and everyone else knew that even if they backed down now, it wouldn't be a real victory.

The fact that the barbarians are not unified and move among their own tribes, so they can only endure to this extent.

There were many times when he wanted to give up. However, Zwalter always did his best for his beloved family, his people, and the kingdom.

Zwalter looked around the battlefield with weary eyes.

'I'm old now… … .'

The young and energetic wolf of the north gradually grew weaker.

Although his skills grew stronger and he gained more experience, his heart was worn away by the harsh northern winds every day.

And if the mind is weak, no matter how strong the body is, it is bound to collapse.

'I want to rest.'

Even the responsible Zwalter thought that way, so it goes without saying that others would think that way.

Still, everyone in Ferdium followed their great lord Zwalter to the end.

There's something special about him.

The virtue of caring for and loving everyone, and the sense of responsibility of never giving up on one's duties, no matter how difficult it may be.

The people of Ferdium are so impressed by his noble attitude that they follow this arduous journey without sparing even their lives.

Unlike the exhausted Ferdium army, the barbarians became more and more arrogant.

It was to the point where I forgot what operation I was currently carrying out.

"Hey hey! Watch out! You little punks!"

"You crazy bastards! We didn't come here to take over today!"

"You're just wasting time and hiding your body!"

In many places, barbarian warriors tried to control the warriors, but due to the warriors' warlike nature, control was not very effective.

Most barbarian warriors enjoy fighting, so they all go crazy at the sight of blood.

The original plan was to tie up the Ferdium army and have other warriors plunder.

However, because the savage men were too enthusiastic about attacking the fortress, the battle became more and more intense and the casualties suffered by the barbarian warriors inevitably increased.

Choaack!

"Kwaaaaak!"

"Die, you little shi*s!"

"You die, you motherf*ckers!"

As the battle heated up, the two sides grew more and more hostile towards each other. In this seemingly never-ending fight, it was more difficult for the defenders to defend than for the attackers.

The barbarian warriors were shouting everywhere.

"Get out of here! Let's take a break and then do it again!"

"Just give it a day or two more! Then the other guys will come with food!"

"These kids are retards! You northern fools! Hahahaha!"

The savages laughed loudly.

The damage was great, but in any case, the fortress troops were completely tied down. They came because they were short on food, but fighting like this was still fun.

The barbarians began to retreat like the tide, mocking the Ferdium army.

Ferdium-kun looked at the sight with eyes filled with fatigue.

Even when the enemy suffered heavy casualties and retreated, they did not shout in victory.

Because actually, this wasn't a real victory.

Even at this moment, other men will be bypassing from all directions and invading the northern part of the kingdom.

Even knowing that, we must guard the fortress.

A sense of helplessness and humiliation at having to endure this came over them.

But bigger than that… … .

'it's tough....'

The knights and soldiers of Ferdium became stronger than before, but the fatigue that remained in their hearts also grew.

'I want to rest now… … .'

'When will the fight with these guys end… … .'

'Someone please… … .'

But that's just a wish that won't come true.

This is a never-ending task.

It was that way in the past, it is that way now, and it will be that way in the future.

This will only end if I run away or die.

But they didn't give up.

These are the last elites left here, and they live with the pride of protecting the northern part of the kingdom.

One knight, who had been watching the barbarians retreat so listlessly, muttered as he saw a cloud of dust rising in the distance.

"What? Is something more coming?"

The only troops that roamed around here were barbarians.

It is unusual for people who usually move in small groups to gather together like this. It seems that they have also hardened their resolve due to the famine.

"Prepare for battle again! The follow-up units are coming!"

The knights shouted from all sides. It was obvious that it would be difficult if the barbarians added more troops here, but there was nothing they could do.

Because it was their mission to protect this place with their lives at stake.

When everyone, unable to rest, forced themselves to get up and picked up their weapons again.

One of the knights muttered with his eyes wide open.

"Huh, huh? Th-that flag?"

It was very similar to the emblem of Perdium, which had a white wolf on a black background. It was the emblem of Fenris, only the color of the wolf was changed to red.

Choaaaah!

A symbol of the new military power that has emerged in the North.

The red wolf flag was waving above the flock running from all directions.

As the sound of horse hooves got closer, it became more visible to other people.

Doo doo doo doo doo!

The cavalry charging as if to break the ground, and the one leading them from the front.

One soldier who recognized the identity shouted loudly.

"It's the Grand Duke! The Grand Duke has brought the army!"

Jiselle was running towards the fortress from behind the barbarians.