386

Episode 386 You should also raise your circle. (3)

To Galvarik, it didn't matter whether Vanessa reached the 7th Circle or Alfoy reached the 5th Circle.

The only thought that filled his mind was how to save the dwarf's pride this time.

Large catapults had to be much more sophisticated than medium-sized ones, as they could fit as many as a thousand spearheads.

Galvarik actually went around to all the blacksmiths in the realm and made samples himself to standardize the standards.

"Check it out quickly! Ah, quickly!"

Unable to resist Galvarik's urging, Giselle and her entourage immediately prepared a demonstration.

The soldiers who had previously trained together gathered again in the abandoned fortress. They skillfully assembled galvanized spearheads into five medium-sized catapults.

Claude shouted, not hiding his extremely annoyed expression.

"Shoot!"

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Kwaaaaang!

Five medium-sized catapults hurled stones precisely in the desired direction. The destructive power was also sufficient to shatter part of the fortress wall.

Only then did the people who had been looking at me with doubtful expressions begin to admire me.

"Oh! Is it accurate this time?"

"The power is also respectable."

"A thousand soldiers can carry five medium-sized catapults. That would be incredible mobility."

Everyone was delighted and even applauded, because even this much was a great achievement.

But something really important remained.

The strong and massive walls were difficult to attack with only medium-sized catapults. Large, powerful catapults were needed to deliver a proper blow.

"Assemble it!"

As Claude shouted with a slightly less annoyed expression, the soldiers moved busily again.

I quickly disassembled the five catapults and put all their spearheads together.

Because of its large size, it was important to properly connect the supports. The soldiers repeated the process of forming groups according to practice, making each part, and then reassembling them.

Thanks to everyone's skill, it didn't take long for the medium-sized catapults to be dismantled and large catapults to be created.

People who saw that sight looked slightly surprised.

"Wow… … That's really possible… … ."

"Isn't it really amazing how you take it apart and put it back together?"

"But it's so big… … will it be able to withstand the shock?"

It was magnificent, but it looked a little weak because it was built only as a frame with galvanized windows.

I was concerned whether that skeletal catapult could support the enormous weight of the stone and fire it where I wanted.

"Shoot!"

At Claude's signal, the catapult fired a stone.

Paaaaang!

The stone flew straight to its target with a loud crashing sound.

Kwaaaaang!

One side of the fortress was destroyed in an instant with a tremendous noise. Considering that it was a small fortress, the destructive power was enormous.

"Wow!"

"What a destructive force!"

"Isn't that enough to destroy Cardenia?"

People stood up and cheered. It seemed as if ten of those giant catapults could level any castle.

Following the medium-sized catapult, the demonstration of a large-sized catapult was also successful. This should be sufficient for use on the battlefield.

Galvarik and the dwarves also clenched their fists and shouted. It felt like all the sadness from before had disappeared.

"Yaaaaaaaaaaaa!"

Galvarik ran straight to Claude, his heart filled with joy.

"You saw it! You succeeded! You saw it! Huh? You saw it!"

"Oh, yes, yes."

As Claude nodded dryly, Galvarik shouted with spittle flying from his mouth.

"Do you know how much I suffered because of you? Do you know how much I worried that I would fail again? It felt like my life was being cut short in real time!"

"Isn't life originally reduced in real time?"

"uh?"

Galvarik rolled his eyes slightly. He really shouldn't argue with this kid.

"Anyway! We succeeded! Don't ignore our dwarves any longer!"

"Oh, yes, yes."

"Hey, you! Seriously!"

As Galvarik rolled his eyes and tried to rush at him, Wendy pushed Claude away and got away.

Giselle asked her spy officer, Lowell, without paying attention to the commotion going on beside her.

"Do you have any idea of Marquis Rodrique's movements?"

"We are currently busy suppressing the bandits. However, there are so many people scattered all over the place that it seems to be quite a headache."

"Hmm, that's a really good thing."

Marquis Rodrik suffered great losses in the previous battle. The biggest problem was that Giselle had let the defeated soldiers go without killing or taking them all prisoner.

For Jiselle, there was no better way to reduce the enemy's strength without having to do anything directly, while also creating a nuisance for them.

However, Marquis Rodrik is a great lord in the West and has a force that cannot be ignored, so even if he suffers such damage, he will quickly recover and move on.

"First of all, gather information without stopping. It will take some time for war to break out because the nobles will have to reconsider which side to take because of the Salvation Church. Marquis Rodrik also has to subdue the bandits."

"All right."

Jiselle gave Lowell a few more instructions and then spoke to the men.

"All production capacity of the territory will be diverted to the production of galvanized spears. We will be ready before our enemies."

We now have enough food, weapons, and potions. All that remains is to issue new catapults to all soldiers and train the knights to focus their mana using Dragon Heart Fragments.

If we can just finish preparing like this, we will be able to sweep away the enemy like a storm.

"Let's go out to greet Marquis Rodrique as soon as he leaves."

Thanks to the revelation of the Salvation Church, everything was going better than planned.

Giselle smiled very happily.

* * *

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Marquis Rodrik repeatedly slammed his chair down and shouted.

"You still haven't defeated all the bandits? Then when on earth are you planning to go on an expedition?"

The Marquis' main force was almost ready to go on an expedition, but it was difficult to leave the station easily.

This was because a huge number of bandits were running rampant in the vicinity of the marquis' territory and vassal territories.

The Marquis family began by capturing and subduing the powerful ones, but problems arose in an unexpected place.

"Why do you say that you pigs and dogs are joining them!"

The people of the small and poor vassal fiefs were instead joining bandits from various places. So even if they were subdued, a large force would appear somewhere else.

Since the bandits were stronger than the vassal lord anyway, it was a natural choice for the people of the territory.

The Marquis had no choice but to resort to persuasion, promising to forgive the soldiers who surrendered, but no one believed him.

It was the result of Marquis Rodrik's cruel treatment of the people of the territory.

"Eeeeek… … I'd rather just kill them all and go! That fucking bastard!"

Marquis Rodrik gnashed his teeth and cursed Giselle. With nearly ten thousand soldiers scattered everywhere and turning into a group of bandits, there was no greater humiliation than this.

The men of Marquis Rodrik were left speechless in the face of his wrath. They did not want to stand up and die again for no reason.

Marquis Rodrik, who had barely calmed down in silence, spoke to Tennant, the commander of the knights.

"Tenant! Kill only the big guys first and leave the rest alone! We'll deal with the rest after we hit Fenris!"

"...All right."

No matter how angry you are, it was the worst decision. If you don't punish them properly, more people will join the bandits.

If that happens, the power of the vassal lords will be further weakened, and it was obvious that they would eventually turn their resentment against the Marquis.

But Marquis Rodrik knew this but paid no attention to it. For him, restoring his personal honor was more important than the safety of his subjects and vassals.

"Do this as quickly as possible. The longer I delay, the more my honor will be ruined."

Everyone had no choice but to bow their heads to Marquis Rodrik's threats.

In such an ominous atmosphere, the Marquis's butler came running and delivered a letter.

"What is it?"

"A major announcement has been made by the royal family."

"Ha, what kind of announcement does a dying puppet king make? The Marquis of Branford must be talking nonsense again."

Chook.

The expression on Marquis Rodrik's face as he roughly typed the letter began to harden.

"The author is in collusion with the cult? The four major religious groups have all verified it and made it a public good?"

I don't know what they did, but all the religious groups ended up joining the pro-royal faction.

This was a completely different problem from the Duke being branded a traitor. They could also become entangled with the cult and become enemies of the religious order.

"What does this mean? Explain it in detail!"

"The tails of the Duke in the capital have been caught… … ."

The butler relayed all the news he had obtained through the Marquis's information network.

And when Marquis Rodrik and his vassals heard that story, their expressions darkened.

Tennant, having heard the whole story, said:

"This is serious. If we only turn the pro-Prince faction into our enemies, it may be okay, but if we turn the four major religious orders into our enemies, we will be in danger even if we win the civil war."

The four major religious orders are the spiritual pillars of the people of the kingdom. Although the priests are often criticized, that is a human matter, and no one doubts the authority of the goddess.

If we are labeled a heretic by all four major religious groups, we will not be able to properly run the country even if we win the civil war.

If we force out those who oppose us, other kingdoms on the continent will use that as an excuse to invade Rutania.

A real 'holy war' is literally taking place.

"Iiyi… … . What on earth has the Duke done!"

The existence of monsters was something Marquis Rodrik had never heard of before.

The Duke of Delphine has been absent for a long time, so who would have thought that he was plotting such strange things behind the scenes!

Even if we are on the same side, it has crossed the line that cannot be tolerated.

The butler spoke again cautiously.

"The Marquis of Branford has demanded that every lord in the kingdom prove his innocence within one month. Otherwise… … ."

Even without hearing the gossip, it is obvious that they will also be labeled as a cult group by the four major religious groups.

Marquis Rodrik ground his teeth as he crumpled up the letter.

"How dare he roll his head while carrying the sect on his back… … ."

Asking for proof was tantamount to asking me to drop out of the conspiracy. It was a huge blow to my pride, but there was no other way.

'If we join forces with the Duke, we will definitely win the civil war. We will be able to wipe out the four major religious orders.'

But after that, this kingdom will truly become a stage for a 'temple' and will be reduced to rubble.

As expected, it was the Marquis of Branford. He turned the tide of the battle in one fell swoop. It was as if he had fallen for the trick he had created.

After thinking for a while, Marquis Rodrik suddenly let out a mean laugh.

"Hehehe… … Well, it's a good thing."

It was a burden to me, let alone the other nobles. I thought I should take advantage of this opportunity.

"We strongly condemn the operatives who join hands with the social groups. So, announce that you will withdraw from the faction."

"Your Majesty, what you said is… … ."

"Yes, we should use this opportunity to overthrow the Duke and take his place."

The Duke of Peacock is certainly the strongest force in the kingdom as a single force. But can they really take on the entire kingdom and the four major religious orders?

Marquis Rodrik was convinced that it was absolutely impossible.

And what if the Duke falls?

He himself could become the greatest noble in this kingdom as a single force.

"Hahahahaha! Isn't that a good thing! Change the target of the troops that were supposed to attack the capital to attack the dukedom! I will personally cut off the head of that insolent Viscount Joseph who was giving me orders!"

In order to completely eliminate the Duke, you must also contribute your own strength. If you do something wrong, you may suffer the opposite.

'Heaven help me!'

Marquis Rodrik had suppressed his ambitions because of the ducal family. But now that the ducal family was showing signs of decline, his ambitions have raised their heads again.

'And I will be king of this kingdom.'

It was an ambition he never revealed in front of his followers, but anyone could tell what was inside just by looking at his eyes.

Tennant also nodded. Anyone could see that Marquis Rodrik's judgment was correct.

However, it was necessary to confirm again what it meant to change the target of the troops that had been planning to attack the capital.

"Is the remaining one of your two divided legions still targeting Fenris?"

"Isn't that obvious? It's even better. If I leave the Duke's faction, the Prince's faction won't take his side. There's no need to fight me when I have a clear justification for fighting the Territory War. Isn't that right?"

"Yes. They will gather their strength only to strike the Duke. If they fight the Marquis here, they will inevitably suffer great losses."

"Yes, and now I'm free from the pressure of the Duke's family. So I can move around with peace of mind."

Neither the Duke's family nor the Prince's faction could touch him anymore. He was relieved of both the political and military burdens.

All you have to do is focus on destroying Fenris.

"Quickly subdue the bandits and prepare for battle. I will personally set foot on the land of Fenris and burn it all down."

A cruel smile continued to spread across Marquis Rodrik's face.