272

We won again!"

"The enemies are retreating!"

The soldiers of Castle Valois shouted loudly as they watched Amelia's soldiers retreat.

It had been several months since the war began. They were holding off Amelia's 5,000-strong army with only 1,000 men.

These were the soldiers of Valois, who were originally known as elite soldiers. Their morale was greatly boosted by their continued victories.

"Hahaha! It was just a rumor, but Leipold-kun is nothing special, right?"

"A female commander in this North! All the guys below are just peppers!"

"Haven't you already gotten over it? That's why you fight so passively like a girl! Did you all come here to play house? Hahahaha!"

Everyone taunted the retreating Leipolds with pride. They were absolutely certain that they would never be defeated.

The number of soldiers was large, but the opponent was a woman who had just become a lord and had no experience in war.

But the lord of this place, Baron Valois, did not look so happy.

'What is it? Why are you attacking me so passively? Aren't you here to subdue me and kill Prince Dave?'

At first, Baron Valois also looked down on Amelia because she easily blocked his attacks.

But the more they fought, the more clearly their intentions became visible. Amelia was now deliberately delaying her attack and was wasting time.

As evidence, the number of Raypold troops in front of me was still the same as before. This meant that they had suffered little damage.

'I really don't know what your intentions are. What are you aiming at?'

The size of the enemy force was more than five times that of ours. If the enemy pushed forward while being prepared to suffer damage, there was no guarantee that we would be able to stop them.

But since he just kept making jokes as if he was joking, I couldn't help but have doubts.

'We have enough food. We can hold out longer. I don't know why Earl Fenris is helping us, though.'

Lord Fenris sent Daven along with a large amount of food, so there was no need to worry about food.

He said he helped her because he was her friend, but it was a large amount that was hard to find these days. Baron Valois was not so naive as to believe that someone would give away such a precious thing for free.

'What's the benefit of helping us?'

The Baron Valois, who had been pondering, took out a crumpled letter from his bosom.

It was a letter received along with the food I received from Giselle.

[No matter what happens, never go outside the castle to fight. Even if it seems like an opportunity, it is not an opportunity.]

I still couldn't understand what he was saying. I've been locked up in the castle all this time, just blocking things, so what kind of opportunity could there possibly be? And it wasn't an opportunity.

No matter how much I thought about it, it seemed like nonsense, but I couldn't ignore it.

'Count Fenris is a rising star in the north of the fortress. He is also the one who defeated Count Cavaldi easily.'

The absurd performance that Jiselle had shown so far had already become a rumor.

Baron Valois, who had never seen Giselle in person, could not easily judge whether he was truly visionary and had foresight, or whether he was just talking nonsense to look cool.

It wasn't just Baron Valois who was troubled. Even in Amelia's camp, discontent was slowly seeping out, unable to overcome the frustration.

"Miss! No, Count! Oh, let's just push them away. I'll go and break all their heads! Why are you wasting your time on those guys!"

Ulkan, who was as impatient as he was foul-tempered, gripped his club tightly and shouted. He could not stand the mockery of the Balua army.

Even now, I wanted to climb up the castle alone and kill them all.

Amelia waved her hand with an indifferent expression even at the holy fire of Ulkan.

"Be quiet. It's so loud it hurts your ears."

Meow!

Bastet waved her forelegs in the air as if telling them to be quiet.

"Ah!"

Ulkan didn't hide his frustration. He couldn't understand Amelia's sudden change in attitude.

She had planned to quickly conquer the castle of Valois, but during the expedition, she suddenly heard some news and changed her strategy.

― The Earl of Desmond has given the summons.

After that, I just spent my time like I was on a picnic.

She had enough food so she had no problem holding out, but she couldn't help but feel frustrated because others didn't know her true intentions.

Amelia refused several times, even though her subordinates insisted on pushing them away at once. Then one day, she gave a new order.

"Pull back the troops a little further and dig traps here and there."

In the middle of a siege, he ordered his troops to retreat and set up a trap. No one could understand what his intention was.

In the end, Bernap, who was receiving the glares of everyone around him, had no choice but to step forward. It was better for one person to be scolded, so he, who was used to Amelia's scolding, stepped forward as the representative.

"Hey… Miss? Weren't we in the middle of a siege? I don't think Baron Valois will come out of the castle. And there's no one there to help him either. The only possibility is Earl Fenris, but he must know that Earl Desmond is gathering an army. Even he won't come forward."

Meow!

Bastet looked at Bernap and shouted loudly. It seemed as if he was being presumptuous and following the young lady's orders.

'Ha, why did that little kitten follow me to the battlefield and give me a hard time?'

Amelia said as if it was nothing, looking at Bernap shaking with anger.

"Because we took too long."

"yes?"

"Someone who will start making fun of us will come out soon. Since we're already here, shouldn't we make the most of it? When the time comes, Baron Valois will come out of the castle, so we can kill him then."

As always, she looked ahead a few steps before moving, so Bernap could not understand her explanation.

Only Conrad, who was known to be quite intelligent, nodded and showed that he understood what was being said.

Then, Ulkan and Kalev, who had been watching, nodded for no reason. Bernap also nodded as if he understood, caught up in the atmosphere.

Amelia laughed at such appearances and asked Conrad.

"What about Desmond?"

"The summons has been sent again. The order is to strike Baron Valois later. He says he will strike Earl Fenris first."

Amelia frowned for a moment at those words.

"Why on earth are you doing this all of a sudden? Is that what the Duke meant? To start a civil war in the North? With the Royal Army watching right before our eyes?"

"I don't know. There has been no sign of preparations for civil war on the Duke's side."

Amelia had more information about Count Desmond than the royalists, after all, they were on the same side.

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However, the Duke's intentions are not known exactly, as Desmond is still in charge of the North and is communicating with the Duke.

Amelia, who had been thinking for a moment, continued speaking.

"Just buy some more time. You'll keep making excuses."

Conrad bowed his head once and asked cautiously.

"Are they trying to start a civil war in the North?"

"It's not impossible. After all, things got messed up a lot because of that bastard Jiselle. But what's strange is that. Why from the north?"

The Royal Army is watching Count Desmond. If they started simultaneously, it would have been different, but there was no need to start here first to raise the royalist's vigilance.

Harold is a cautious man. He is a man who always aims to carry out the Duke's orders accurately.

For someone like that to move was tantamount to an order from the Duke's household. He wouldn't move on his own unless he was crazy.

There was too little information to properly understand the current situation. Conrad said to her, who was still pondering.

"The Earl of Fenris will not be able to handle Desmond. There are rumors that he is currently recruiting a large number of troops, but the difference in strength is too great."

"Well, at least thanks to him, things aren't so bad for us."

I don't know the exact circumstances, but it was a good thing for Amelia that Earl Desmond was attacking Fenris.

The more Giselle struggles, the more damage Count Desmond will suffer.

She is good at adapting to the situation, and she still intends to use the situation to her advantage.

Whether it's Fenris or Desmond, whoever wins will inevitably suffer. If you're in a tattered situation and suddenly get stabbed in the back of the head, it'll hurt a lot.

Amelia continued with a cruel smile.

"We can just wait and sweep up the leftovers while you two fight."

It was a situation I really liked.

* * *

"Yaaaah!"

The Fenris Estate was filled with the shouts of soldiers day after day.

Since everyone had gathered of their own accord to protect the territory, their morale was high.

Coincidentally, the Plunder King and the 40 Thieves disappeared as soon as the recruitment of troops was finished. The general opinion was that they ran away because there were too many soldiers.

Jiselle smiled with satisfaction as she watched the soldiers training.

"Good! Great! Much better than the knights!"

The training he and Gillian underwent was not easy for ordinary people to endure. However, the soldiers gritted their teeth and persevered.

It was because of their will that no one else could protect this territory.

Jiselle loves this kind of will very much. Even though each soldier may be insignificant, when these wills come together they form a powerful force.

The soldiers also said that although the training was difficult, they did not regret volunteering.

"Hey, I only heard about it in words, but when I actually got paid, it was no joke."

"The food is also incomparable. They serve the best meat and bread."

"Look at this armor. Don't I look like a knight?"

It was easier to endure because I received benefits and treatment that were incomparable to those of other lords.

In particular, the calm silver armor was now like a symbol of the Yeongji Army.

Thanks to the high productivity of the territory, all soldiers were equipped with weapons similar to those of knights from other territories.

It was an expensive weapon that only knights could see. Naturally, such good benefits and treatment further boosted their pride.

As the soldiers showed enthusiasm, sparks flew towards those who had become knights somewhat weak-willed and semi-forcibly(?).

"Why on earth don't you practice harder!"

The knights were once again in a state of despair thanks to Jiselle's sudden intrusion during training. The lord of the castle would show up at any moment and start throwing punches.

"Eww! My lord! Why are you acting like this all of a sudden!"

"We are also training hard! We are also participating in training soldiers!"

"Can't you see that I'm vomiting blood? I'm so tired I could die!"

Everyone was making a fuss about working hard, but in reality, they had become lazier than before.

It was partly because he felt superior while training soldiers, but the biggest reason was the new armor he had received.

Since he had acquired weapons that were several times more powerful than his own, he naturally became more relaxed.

"Hey, wearing this really makes me feel like a high-level knight."

"If I wear something like this, won't I ever die?"

"I think I could defeat most knights. I think I could kill a thousand soldiers by myself."

Once I started thinking like this, it inevitably affected my personal training.

And Jiselle, who knew this very well, did not leave the knights alone even for a single day.

"If you rely only on the armor, you'll just die! You won't be able to use it properly because you won't have enough mana!"

That armor needs to consume the user's mana to activate its abilities. But there was no way that half-baked knights could properly operate it.

It's obvious that it will spread out before you can use it much, and if you don't practice hard, you will soon end up with a limited lifespan.

So I had no choice but to make them more poisonous.

"Those who don't work hard will be sent to the Shadow Mountains, so know that!"

"I got it! Stop bothering me!"

In contrast to the soldiers who volunteered, the knights also trained hard, albeit semi-compulsorily.

Claude and his vassals were also busy preparing for war. They checked every day to see if they had missed anything and prepared for any unavoidable situation.

The lords were always assured of victory, but ordinary people had to think about what to do in case they lost.

Everyone expected that if a civil war broke out, Desmond would naturally strike here first. The resentment he had built up over time was considerable.

Claude looked at the map with a serious face and said to Wendy.

"Do you want to run away with me?"

"yes?"

"I don't have the confidence to run away to my hometown alone. You're good at fighting. Please protect me. If I go back alone and meet a robber, I'll die."

Wendy looked at Claude, who suddenly started to cry and apologize, with a look of contempt on his face.

But Claude shouted as if it didn't matter anymore.

"If a civil war breaks out, Earl Desmond and all the nobles of the Duke's faction will flock here! Then even you, my lord, won't be able to win!"

"… … Please stop whining."

"Oh, I don't know! How could we win by fighting the Duke's faction? And that's Count Desmond! I think I was crazy for a moment! I thought we could win!"

I forgot that Yeongji was a person with a lot of grudges. I should have run away a long time ago.

His vassals also know that the lord is good at fighting and has enjoyed great success up until now.

However, Desmond was on a different level from his opponents so far. After all, it was a territory known as the strongest in the North. Not only was the number a problem, but the level of the knights and soldiers was also famously high.

So, even while preparing for war, the vassals had no choice but to be on tenterhooks.

'This time, I think it'll be hard for you too, my lord. I expected it and prepared for it, but Desmond is too strong. Will you be able to win if the civil war really starts?'

Most people had similar thoughts. Up until now, they had been intoxicated by the sight of the developing territory and had not taken the danger seriously, but now that they thought war was really imminent, they were worried all over again.

In fact, Claude tried to run away several times, but was caught by Wendy each time.

She said, pushing Claude's back.

"Please hurry up and prepare properly. We'll figure out how to escape after we lose. After all, this civil war isn't something we fight alone. The royal army will help us too."

"But if I lose, my head will be cut off!"

"So, we need to prepare so that we don't lose."

Wendy didn't even blink an eye at Claude's circumstances.

He is officially the general and the slave of the estate. Claude, who is second only to the lord but in another sense lower than anyone else, had no choice but to prepare for war with tears in his eyes.

While everyone was busy training and preparing for war, messengers from the northern lords suddenly came to see Jisel at the same time.

They met with Giselle, who seemed to be making excuses. After exchanging greetings, the messengers quickly got to the point.

"I come from the Jimbar estate. I would like to convey a good proposal to the Count on his behalf."

"What is it?"

The grim reaper clenched his fists at the sight of Jiselle's indifferent expression. It was a well-known fact that this young lord had absolutely no manners.

Although he was angry, he held back for now because he had something to gain. In fact, even if he didn't hold back, there wasn't really anything he could do.

"Are you thinking about expanding your territory? We're here to help."

Although they are small territories with little power, they are envoys from as many as six territories. If they combine their strength, they will become a formidable force.

At the mention of expanding territory, Giselle asked with an interested expression.

"Since we all came together, it seems like the conversation is already over… … . Where are we going to hit?"

The grim reaper took a deep breath and said with a meaningful smile.

"It is Leipold. We are going to strike down Amelia, the usurper who dared to rebel against the customs of the North and drive out her father and brothers."

Jiselle looked at the messengers with a mocking expression.