271

At a meeting of the royalist nobles, the topic of Giselle came up. With the road project linking the kingdoms underway, Giselle had become the hottest topic in the capital these days.

That's why my name couldn't be left out at every meeting.

Marquis Maurice Macquarie, Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Army, frowned and asked Marquis Branford.

"He's recruiting a large force?"

"That's right. They say they're collecting them to the point where the territory is in an uproar."

"Ha, I guess that duckling got scared after hitting Count Cavaldi. Well, it makes sense since he messed with a nobleman from the Duke's faction."

"The problem is that we are collecting too much."

Although the exact number was not reported, reports said there were at least several thousand armed soldiers.

Since Giselle had been involved in several major accidents up until now, the Marquis of Branford couldn't help but be particularly concerned about the rumor.

Morris nodded and continued.

"Well… … Well, you never know where he'll end up. Aren't you going to collect them again this time? We're just barely recovering from the drought, so if he causes another accident, it'll be a problem."

"They seem to be preparing for the battle since they defeated Count Cavaldi and defeated the Duke's faction. Count Desmond is also gathering an army."

Maurice looked at the Marquis of Branford's words with a look of amusement.

"Even so, he is just a mere lord of the North. Unless the Duke starts a civil war, there is nothing that a man like Desmond can do on his own."

At those words, the other pro-Prince nobles nodded their heads.

If the Royal Army were far away, they would not know, but they were already constantly watching them from near Desmond's territory. Thanks to the foresight of the Marquis of Branford, Earl Desmond's hands and feet were tied.

The Marquis of Branford also knows and agrees with this fact. No matter how much Desmond was considered one of the best in the North, he would not be able to make any rash moves without the help and orders of the duke's family.

But even if there was no immediate war, the fact that Desmond was gathering an army was important.

'Tsk, doesn't Desmond calling up the army mean civil war is near?'

The royalist nobles have always been like this. They had been constantly oppressed by the dukedom, but thanks to the Earl of Fenris, their lives were a little better, so their arrogant natures raised their heads again.

They had no choice but to do so, as they held the legitimacy and justification of supporting the royal family.

In any case, if the Duke started a civil war, it was a rebellion.

The Marquis of Branford let out a sigh and continued speaking.

"Aren't some of the 2nd Corps' troops currently helping the nearby lords build roads?"

Maurice nodded.

"If you're going to do it, you might as well do it quickly. I gave the order, so what's the problem? The northerners are all poor, so they can't even do the work properly."

"Make sure to bring them all back."

"why?"

"The 2nd Legion is stationed there to monitor the North and protect Earl Fenris."

Maurice's grim face deepened at the Marquis of Branford's indifferent words.

"Why on earth do you care so much about that duckling? Since when was he so important to us!"

"If civil war breaks out, the Earl of Fenris will be the first to be attacked in the North. The strength of the Second Legion must be maintained to prevent a joint attack by Desmond and the Duke's nobles."

"Why are you worrying about civil war already? The Duke's family is quiet after the drought, consolidating their power! If we start a civil war now, it'll just mean we'll kill each other. How could he possibly do that? All those bastards do is empty threats!"

"The other lords and the royal army are also planning to prepare for a civil war. You never know when the Duke's family will draw their swords. The Duke's lords' nerves are also on edge due to the road construction."

"Yeah, it's good to be prepared. But why are you only protecting that guy? You keep harassing him and doing whatever he asks, so doesn't that make him even more arrogant?"

Maurice shouted as if he was venting his anger. The other nobles nodded their heads at his shout.

The Marquis of Branford, who was cold to everyone, was only concerned about Giselle, so it was inevitable that she would start to feel dissatisfied.

The Marquis of Branford's power was so high that everyone was still talking behind his back. However, if Giselle caused a few more accidents or failed even once, the Marquis' position would also be shaken.

Despite such an atmosphere, the Marquis of Branford continued speaking with an indifferent expression.

"I clearly warned you. Do as I say."

"profit...."

Maurice licked his lips several times, unable to hide his unpleasant expression. He couldn't understand why the Marquis of Branford kept wearing that hat.

Although I didn't like it, I couldn't ignore the Marquis of Branford's request. After all, he was the leader of the royalist faction and had more power than me.

"You better never forget that I said that if I ever take down the peacock, I'll cut off that bastard's head. Then it's best not to stop him."

"When that time comes, I will pretend not to know."

"joy!"

Morris, who had made another empty threat, left with a look on his face like he had chewed a bug.

The other nobles also followed Maurice, keeping an eye on him.

They were wondering where to draw the line.

'Even the Marquis of Branford seems to be losing his judgment as he gets older.'

'Even if a civil war breaks out, the royal army must protect us. Why are you saying that they will protect that guy?'

'Is he really the one you've chosen as your political successor?'

Other nobles of the royalist faction had similar grievances as the Marquis Maurice, as they were giving too many benefits and conveniences to Aesong.

If the Duke really starts a civil war, it would be right to use him as a discard pile. There was no need to help him for nothing.

'If a real civil war breaks out, it would be better to use the royal army's power to pressure the duke's faction rather than protect him. Or attack other easy lords of the duke's faction.'

'Up until now, I've been raising him to increase my influence in the North, but if war actually breaks out, it's better to abandon him and support other lords.'

'Isn't the Royal Army our last bastion? It would be a waste to use them to help someone like that.'

The thoughts of most of the pro-Prince nobles were similar. Although they were still suppressed by the power of the Marquis of Branford, if their discontent grew, it was inevitable that an accident would occur.

The Marquis of Branford, who knew that, closed his eyes and rested his forehead when he was left alone.

'I'm tired.'

It's hard enough just dealing with the Duke, but internally there's no unity.

Despite the many times Giselle has demonstrated his abilities, the younger nobles are jealous and envious of his fame. The older nobles still look down on him, calling him a poor, worthless northern brat.

Even though times were changing, nothing related to Giselle went smoothly because of the old-fashioned way of thinking of the pro-Prince nobles.

That's partly because he's been in a lot of accidents.

'If a civil war breaks out, we will be in shambles.'

The Marquis of Branford was convinced that civil war would break out, but most of the nobles who were loyal to the Prince still felt that they could keep the Duke's supporters in check and compete with them.

They mistakenly believe that it is possible through the power of the nobles belonging to the royal family. That is the political method of the nobles who pursue elegance.

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'A country always falls when fools make a fuss.'

He could not leave this kingdom in the hands of those leopard-like men. For now, he had no choice but to continue to suppress and drag it forward with his own authority.

I don't know how long that will work though.

Suddenly, the face of Giselle appeared in the mind of the Marquis of Branford.

A guy who always acts recklessly and causes accidents, but brings about unbelievably good results.

'He's a funny guy, isn't he?'

It occurred to me that perhaps this unpredictable gnome might be the kingdom's last remaining hope.

Even he and his family could not have predicted what he would do.

'Yeah, if you're going to push, you should push that kind of guy.'

A powerful weapon he has raised to fight the Duke, a young lord who is growing in power the fastest in the North.

That was Giselle Ferdium.

At some point, a faint smile appeared on the Marquis of Branford's lips.

* * *

Lord Desmond, Harold, asked the adjutant standing before him.

"He's recruiting a large force?"

"Yes. It looks like they are openly preparing for war. I estimate that the number of troops is over 5,000."

Currently, information from the Fenris territory is not being properly relayed to other territories. All suspicious individuals are being dragged into the 'Labor Brigade', and information that spreads outside the territory is being manipulated as much as possible.

However, as the size grew, it was impossible to completely block information leaks.

Harold nodded slightly after hearing the adjutant's report.

"Yeah, he definitely wasn't stupid. He was a bit of a jerk though, and he was running wild without any fear."

Harold's expression was different than before. He was neither angry nor did he seem to understand Giselle's actions. He simply suppressed the emotions overflowing inside him and looked deeply thoughtful.

Harold nodded a few times on his own and then asked his adjutant again.

"How are our preparations going?"

"I've gathered all the supplies from the territory. I don't think I can gather any more."

Harold nodded several times, his expression indicating that it didn't matter what happened now.

"The damage is really huge."

He threw a huge amount of resources and a secretly raised group as bait to assassinate Jiselle. It was not easy to draw out the lord.

However, because the assassination attempt failed, the group was disbanded and all the resources they had taken evaporated.

Since it was used to assassinate the lord, the disbandment of the upper group was not the end of it. Everything related to the upper group was also finished.

He tried to kill Jiselle at the risk of everything, but ultimately failed. The damage was not easily repairable.

In the end, Harold had no choice but to resort to a last resort.

It's about capturing and killing Giselle with force.

"What is the situation with the 2nd Corps that is watching us?"

"Currently, half of the troops are deployed to support the royalist territory. I think it's for road construction."

"They're making fun of us too."

Count Desmond smirked. He probably figured that he wouldn't be able to move freely if the Royal Army was watching him.

But if there's only about half left, you can push it away in an instant.

"What is the situation with our troop recruitment?"

"I have notified all my vassals to muster their troops. They are currently gathering troops from all over the place."

"If he starts to recruit troops in large numbers, we should gather more as well. We need to sweep them away and take over the place."

"If you say it's overwhelming… … ."

"We don't need conscripts. Get 30,000 armed men."

"… … Are you talking about 30,000?"

"Yes, tell the vassals to bring all their soldiers without leaving a single one behind. If there are not enough, we will behead them all. We will also mobilize the troops from all the strongholds and fortresses. This is a total mobilization order. Do you understand?"

"Oh, I understand."

The adjutant lowered his head, sweat dripping down his face.

Due to poverty, the average number of troops in the northern territories is only about 1,000 to 2,000. Even in territories with a large number of troops, it is difficult to exceed 3,000.

But now Harold is saying that he will gather 30,000 troops. At this rate, he will have to bring all the soldiers in charge of security in the territory.

In other words, if we gather all those soldiers, we can secure 30,000 people.

It was because of that level of strength that Desmond was called the strongest in the North.

Harold leaned back in his chair and muttered, his face still expressionless.

"I'm glad Amelia's rebellion was successful."

If that had failed, it would have been a huge embarrassment. He would have been worried about Leipold and would not have been able to devote all his energy to the war against Giselle.

To be honest, I was looking down on Amelia, but I was surprised to hear that she had single-handedly taken care of Jurgen, the Northern Swordsman, and taken over the territory in an instant.

"It's actually better than I thought. But how stupid of me to lose a successor. Tsk tsk tsk."

But Harold clicked his tongue when he thought of Daven Leipold. As expected, she was a woman who only read books in the corner of her room, so she had her limits.

If it weren't for Giselle, he would have also neatly ended Leipold's rebellion.

"You said you were at war with Baron Valois right now?"

"Yes."

"Stop your useless activities and tell them to lead their armies and join me as soon as I start a war. I will drive out Baron Valois."

"All right."

The adjutant who answered hesitated for a moment and then asked cautiously.

"If you start a war first… … . You will be the one instigating a civil war. If you kill Earl Fenris, the royalist faction will definitely not stay still. This was not originally planned, so I don't know what the duke's family will think. We have no justification either."

Harold closed his eyes for a moment at the adjutant's question.

Everything went wrong because of Giselle. Amelia succeeded in her rebellion, but she was unable to make full use of Leipold's power because she had to deal with Baron Valois.

Meanwhile, Jiselle had reaped all the benefits and was now building a road connecting all of the royalist faction's territories.

'I can't leave it alone.'

The duke's family was already furious at Harold for ruining everything. No, to be exact, it could be said that the duke's brain, Viscount Raoul Josef, was furious.

Up until now, everything had been going according to his plan and had been progressing successfully.

That is, until the existence of Giselle appeared.

'Those cheeky bastards.'

These were Harold's true feelings towards both Giselle and Raoul.

One guy is always interfering with his work, while the other guy just stands over his head and gives orders.

In particular, there were even rumors going around that Raul was now trying to deal with himself and put someone else forward.

As a great lord of the North, it was an intolerable insult and humiliation. To continue to fail at work, and to have someone control his life.

'It doesn't matter anymore.'

The thread was tangled as much as it could be. Even if it was a pity, it had to be cut off decisively. To do that, killing Giselle was the priority.

This was no longer a matter of the Duke's orders. It was something he had to do to restore his fallen honor and pride as a great lord of the North.

So Harold decided not to worry about how the duke would react. He decided to go to war based solely on his own judgment and decision.

Kill Jiselle and conquer the North. That way, you can show your abilities again.

Justification? Civil war? What does that have to do with anything now? What's more important is washing away this terrible humiliation.

To deal with a madman, you had to become a madman yourself. If you got in the way of that, the royal army couldn't just sit back and do nothing.

'After that, negotiate with the Duke.'

However, if the Duke tries to kick him out, then he has no choice but to persuade him with force.

Even if you stick to the pro-prince faction.

He was so cornered that he was ready to betray the Duke.

So, without leaving any room for strength, he gathered all the power of the territory into one place.

Just to kill one Giselle.

Harold opened his eyes again, a muffled voice coming out of his mouth.

"This war has nothing to do with the Duke's plans."

"then...."

"This is my plan. This time, I will kill that crazy bastard and wash away the shame of this past."

Harold's determined gaze was different from before. His eyes were radiating a cold murderous energy.