Road To A King (1)

- - Visigoth POV - -

- Back In Time A Bit -

Fran Valdesca crossed the border dressed as a peasant.

He also abandoned his horse since peasants do not travel by horse.

So he approached Aquitania on foot.

However, the physically weak Fran soon showed signs of fatigue.

Even though his men tried to stop him, he continued to walk without resting, following his own will.

And then, barracks appeared in front of Fran's eyes.

Fran Valdesca had crossed the border to see for himself what was going on in Aquitania.

It is obvious why he was keeping a close eye on Aquitania among all Lunan's territories.

It was for the sake of Julius Aquitania, the noble who defeated him.

In addition, there were reports from the spies that Aquitania's movements had been suspicious lately.

He needed to see for himself, that's how highly Fran thought of Julius.

He also wanted to beat him no matter what it took, no matter what strategy he used, he was preparing for war with the sole intention of avenging his past defeat.

Of course, there was no hurry.

The preparations for the great conquest were going well.

If he rushed because he was blinded by the desire for revenge, he would not be able to defeat his enemy.

Knowing this well, Fran steadily built up his strength.

"A barracks in the middle of nowhere? I didn't see anything like that in the last intelligence report." <Duke Fran>

"Yes, sir." <Milton >

There was no way that Milton, his man, could know what Fran didn't know.

A drill going on near the barracks, Fran watched it blankly.

However, reconnaissance is something that stands out regardless of the era.

Naturally, a soldier came from the distance and shouted.

"Who are you?" <Soldier >

Then a surprised Milton answered quickly.

"We're just farmers passing through." <Milton >

Then the soldier huffed and said.

"This is a military zone. Where do you think you're going? Did you take a wrong turn?" <Soldier >

"We're going to the Castletown." <Milton >

"Not this way. If you go all the way down that way, you'll see it." <Soldier >

The soldier gave them directions and even kindly explained that the number of farmers wanting to move to the area had been increasing recently due to the tax policy.

But he immediately changed his expression and made a hand gesture to send them away.

Fran had no choice but to turn back.

When he got farther away from the soldier, he finally said in a low voice.

"I'm sorry." <Milton >

"Morale is great. The training conditions and the soldiers were all excellent. I'm sure any soldier would like this kind of outdoor camp..." <Duke Fran>

In the little time he had, Fran had gone through everything from training status to military discipline.

"It's different." <Duke Fran>

This was not the Lunan territory that had been reported to them.

Fran continued to advance, this time, a small village came into his sight.

Strangely enough, there were soldiers helping to work the fields.

What's more, everyone except the soldiers seemed to be women.

"Um, can I ask you something?" <Duke Fran>

Because it was such a strange scene and before Milton, who was next to him, could stop him, Fran asked a question without acting.

Even so, Fran had no special talent for acting.

He was just a guy with a good head on his shoulders.

"Please be careful!" <Patrick >

Patrick rushed over and whispered in his ear.

"Oh, yeah." <Duke Fran>

Fran also realized his blunder and hastily changed his tone.

Then a soldier stood up from the field and looked at him, sarcastically.

"Are you some big shot?" <Soldier >

I look like a beggar, right?

The soldier had that look on his face.

"Huh, I think I misspoke." <Duke Fran>

"Hmm." <Soldier >

The soldier had a suspicious look in his eyes.

Fran coughed then he tripped over a stone and almost fell.

When the women saw this, they couldn't hold back their laughter and giggled.

Even the soldiers, seeing their shabby appearance, quickly dismissed their suspicions.

If this was Fran's own plan, it was brilliant.

"You've got to keep your eyes on the road." <Milton >

Milton hurried to support Fran's body.

"Why is there always a stone in front of me?" <Duke Fran>

"If you have such a broad perspective on the world's affairs, why can't you see the stone in front of you?" <Patrick >

Patrick sighed next to him.

Still, Fran posed another question to the women.

This time, he was suddenly respectful.

"Is this a new village? I don't think it was here before..." <Duke Fran>

He could see a lot of houses under construction here and there in the village, so he was trying to find out what was going on.

"Yes, it is. It's a village that was recently established under the Farmers Resettlement Policy. Are you planning to move there?" <Woman >

"Well, something like that." <Duke Fran>

"It's a border area, so I'm not sure what to expect, but the soldiers always come and help us, and we're very happy." <Woman >

That meant that he was increasing the number of citizens.

In the end, it was impossible for Fran not to notice that it had a lot to do with the number of troops.

Increase the number of citizens in the territory.

Increase the number of soldiers in the territory.

Isn't he supposed to be loyal to Lunan...?

Fran stroked his chin, because the more he looked around the territory, the more proactive he seemed to be in thinking that Julius wasn't loyal to the king of Lunan.

Fran took the road to enter Aquitania's Castletown.

Julius's absence was a known fact, so, without much tension, Fran looked around the city.

He was astonished by the tax policy.

Tax exemptions for the entire territory for 3 years, he couldn't believe it.

If he did that, the territory's finances would go bankrupt.

It would mean that there would be no more taxes to pay to the king.

Unless Julius was hiding a huge amount of assets, it was impossible, if that was discovered the king would surely seize them.

He became more and more suspicious.

Barracks outside the castletown, the newly built village and the villages under construction he saw on the way over.

Fran's head hit the bulletin board and he banged his forehead against it.

He finally felt as if he could concentrate a little.

Julius Aquitania what are you up to?

As he thought about this, a shiver suddenly ran through his body.

Fran realized something.

"Wait..." <Duke Fran>

"Master?" <Milton >

Milton asked in a whisper, but Fran didn't answer.

"If he's after Lunan. If he's after Lunan's king...If he's planning treason..." <Duke Fran>

Fran turned around.

"Let's go home. We have to capture Aquitania while the lord is away before anything untoward happens. Hurry!" <Duke Fran>

"Master...? What do you mean by that?" <Milton >

When Fran rushed off, Milton and Patrick hurried to follow.

Fran knew how much of a risk it would be to suddenly pull out his troops and attack Aquitania, and how much it would ruin the great conquest Visigoth was preparing.

The number of loses they'd suffer from his personal troops and generalship being diverted here would extend the invasion exponentially and incur much larger loses since till Julius is taken down or Duke Fran returns to lead the troops they will suffer at the emboldened forces of the Lunan Kingdom still riding the high of having stopped the first invaision.

"As soon as I return, I'll mobilize the Valdesca family troops!" <Duke Fran>

He was only going to move his troops.

If Julius became the king of Lunan, the great conquest he was planning might become an even longer war.

That was all Fran could think about, so he moved quickly.

"No, wait!" <Duke Fran>

In his panic, Fran paused again.

Perhaps, he thought, this could be a trap, too.

"We'll move the troops, but first we need to make sure we have a clear picture of the battle situation in Roserun." <Duke Fran>

After giving the order to Milton again, Fran went straight to a territory near Aquitania.

When he changed his mind and was about to attack, the memory of the last battle caused him to hesitate, but in the end he decided to attack, that's when.

"Sir! Sir!" <Spy >

"What's happening?" <Duke Fran>

"I have urgent news that the Royal Capital of Bridget has fallen, and Julius has returned to the Royal Capital of Lunan!" <Spy >

At these words, Fran stood up energetically.

"Turn back the troops at once. We're returning to Visigoth!" <Fran >

The Aquitania had a large number of troops with a high level of training.

If it came to a siege, it would be a long war, besides, there was no way Julius wouldn't have any countermeasures.

No, Fran was dumbfounded even before that.

How in the world could he capture the royal city of Bridget in such a short time?

If it were me?

Absolutely impossible.

Fran was confident in himself.

He thought it was possible to protect Roserun.

But beyond that, it was impossible.

Clenching his fists, Fran urged his man to investigate the situation in detail and headed for the capital as he fled from Aquitania.

＊＊＊

- - Julius POV - -

When I woke up in the morning, I felt like I hadn't gotten over all the fatigue I'd been feeling.

Yawning, I got up.

There was no change in the appearance of the room and the territory spread out through the window was peaceful.

The scenery hasn't changed, but the reputation of the lord has changed dramatically.

It hadn't been long since I was called a rogue lord, but now, thanks to the tax policy and land cultivation, Aquitania had become a territory where refugees would come to after hearing the rumours.

Rumours of the lack of taxes, rumors of our expanding army, and most importantly, rumours of my defeat of Visigoth, Defence of Roserun, and lastly single handedly conquering Bridget.

The biggest change while I was in Roserun was the population.

It went from 220,000 to 330,000, an increase of 100,000 in two months.

This is still short of my goal of 500,000, but the fact that the population is growing is important.

Most came as refugee's escaping the war torn regions whose homes and farms were burned to the ground by Visigoth.

The people's spirit is a whopping 80.

If I just maintain this number, my territory won't have any problems.

As long as I don't do anything that would cause it to drop, I'm fine.

The new influx of population also had no negative impact on the people's spirit, as they had migrated with high expectations for the lord.

And while I was away, the training of the 20,000-strong army continued.

______________________________________

[Aquitania Professional Army]

[Strength: 20,000]

[Training level: 89]

[Morale: 80]

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It was a number that was possible because of the high level of [command] the officers had.

A small, elite army of 20,000 strong is a large enough number to be effective as long as they follow my strategies.

Twenty thousand may not seem like much, but it's not little either.

The training will continue and so will the compensation policies to boost morale.

My current level is 31.

After killing Pohorizen, my level was raised by 1, but after killing Ganev, my level went up by a whopping three.

The fact that I killed a swordmaster with 98 power level had a big impact.

I gained a total of 1300 points from the three level-ups.

I kept 600 points in case I needed a skill, and used 700 points to raise my martial force from 69 to 71.

This battle also strengthened my Heavenly Demon Rain blade to Level 2, although it could only last for 30 minutes, at a time but for that time, I could reign as one of the most powerful men on the continent.

* * * * * * * * * *

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[Julius Aquitania (Ceasar)]

[Age: 16]

[Lv.31]

[Status]

[Skill]

 - Heavenly Demon Rain (30mins)

 - Crush -> True Crush (Slay or Incapacitate anyone up to 5 power level higher than own, True crush cannot be blocked)

 - Earth Resonance 100pt per use

 - Perfect Defense (30sec invulnerable)

[Item]

 - Imperial Ring

______________________________________

______________________________________

[Power Level: 71]

[Intelligence: ????]

[Command: ???]

[Affiliation: Lord of Aquitania]

[People's Spirit: 80]

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