418

Episode 418 Dialogue, Empathy, Persuasion. (1)

"A crack has appeared in Bellevue!"

"Cracks have appeared in Shiaho too!"

"The city's defense forces have failed to stop them and are now retreating!"

"The area around the Baron Burgundy territory was devastated… … ."

Messengers from all over the place were busily arriving in the capital. Cracks had finally opened up here and there.

I couldn't guarantee that all of them were open at the moment. If I tried to respond to a problem that had burst in one place, it would burst out somewhere else after a while.

The royal family and the high-ranking nobles of the royalist faction were racking their brains.

"We must send the royal army and the gathered territory army immediately!"

"First, we must withdraw troops from the southern front that is blocking the Duke's advance."

"Isn't the power of the monster coming out of it superhuman? Countless monsters called crack people are pouring out!"

Meetings continued day after day to find a way. Fortunately, thanks to the fact that the royal army and territory armies had already prepared for war, some territories were able to block and block the attacks of the Crackers.

The kingdom's chancellor, Marquis Steer Norton, asked, his gray beard twitching.

"Are you saying that we can stop the Crackers only if we eliminate the monster called Equidema?"

His son-in-law, the Marquis of Branford, nodded slightly.

"Yes. I heard that Earl Fenris has already killed one."

"So, is the crack there closed?"

The Marquis of Branford shook his head with a serious expression.

"No. We only stopped the rifts from coming out. The rift remains. Baron Pinros is currently leading all his forces and surrounding the area."

"Then how on earth do you close the crack?"

"According to the Earl of Fenris… … he said there was still something inside. It seems like it will have to be dealt with before it can be closed."

"Huh!"

The prime minister put his hand on his head. He had no idea what to do or how to do it.

In fact, he was a prime minister in name only, and all state affairs were handled by the Marquis of Branford. All he did was to give power to the Marquis of Branford and handle matters with the authority of the prime minister.

"So what should we do now?"

The Marquis of Branford, who had already thought about it to some extent, slowly opened his mouth.

"Closing the rift is the priority now. We should deploy only the minimum number of defensive forces on the southern and eastern fronts and focus on closing the rift."

"Isn't the Duke also out of his mind? Isn't there a crack in the South as well?"

"There's a crack opening on your side too… … but since they opened it in the first place, they probably won't care."

"What on earth is the Duke of Delphine thinking! Joining hands with such a socialite!"

The prime minister's old face began to tremble.

The prime minister was so old that he had difficulty attending meetings for long. He had been planning to retire a long time ago, but he was unable to do so due to threats from the Delphine Dukes.

He was holding onto his position as chancellor because the Marquis of Branford had refused to take the position.

The chancellor asked the Marquis of Branford again.

"Didn't you say that you've eliminated most of the cracks? How could something like this still happen?"

"… … If we hadn't gotten rid of it in advance, it would have appeared at least three times more than it does now."

"Ugh… … ."

There were more than a dozen cracks that had appeared within the kingdom at the moment. Even that was as if more than half of them had been eliminated thanks to Jiselle.

There was no need to even mention other countries. The place that tried to study the crack without closing it had its surroundings completely swept away.

The prime minister asked with a still worried expression.

"Haven't the monsters spread further?"

"Yes, I heard it might take a little more time."

The Crackers are able to operate in this world thanks to the power of Equidema, but their scope is not yet very wide.

As the surrounding area erodes, the radius of activity will expand, but so far it has not been able to extend any further from the crack area.

"What are you going to do if the peacock moves?"

"… … There's nothing I can do. I can't just leave the cracks inside."

If the Duke moves, of course everyone should go to stop it. However, if the cracks are left alone, they will eat away at the inside and reduce the war's sustainability.

The crack is expanding and must be closed as quickly as possible.

The prime minister just kept sighing.

"You are mad, the Duke is mad. How could someone who was so bright in his youth have changed so much? What good would it do to take over the kingdom in this state?"

No one would want a kingdom ruled by monsters. The royalist faction had no idea what the Duke of Delphine was thinking.

The Marquis of Branford was silent for a moment, then said:

"… …The northern army will help."

"The North? You mean the Earl of Fenris?"

"Yes."

The Chancellor nodded. Fenris was now the kingdom's only hope.

They are aiming to destroy Marquis Rodrik, the strongest in the West, and become the strongest in the kingdom. Their war fighting skills will certainly be of great help.

There was no crack in the North. It was a bit suspicious, but it helped us concentrate and preserve our power.

"What happened to the West?"

"There are a few cracks on that side too. It needs stabilization too, so I don't think it'll help much."

The West, occupied by the Earl of Fenris, was in no position to provide assistance.

Although the situation was quickly resolved with Fenris's support, the cracks that had formed around them were also a problem.

In the end, the only place that retained full power was Fenris.

No, there was one more place.

The Marquis of Branford continued slowly.

"Count Leipold… … has informed us that he will join our side."

"Leipold? Amelia Leipold?"

"Yes, that's right."

"Didn't you say that you were suspected of having a close relationship with the late Earl Desmond?"

"Anyway, the nobles of the Duke faction have all left. They probably don't want to have the four major religious orders as their enemies."

"Umm… … ."

The prime minister nodded. Raypold's help had a slightly different meaning.

"Okay, what are the conditions?"

Amelia was condemned by many nobles for usurping her father's position without just cause.

Despite countless protests and threats, she had not even blinked an eye and just snorted. The fact that she volunteered meant that something was needed.

"I ask for royal recognition and lands in the east."

"What?"

The prime minister wiggled his sallow eyebrows.

It is easy to understand why he seeks royal recognition: he wants to stop bothering him with succession issues.

But asking for a fief was a slightly different story.

"Don't you already have the richest lands in the North? Why do you ask for lands in the far-off East?"

"I don't know what his intentions are. He said that we don't have to take what belongs to other lords and give it to them."

"then?"

"If there is a crack or a territory occupied by the Duke, I will strike it and take it."

"Ugh… … . What on earth is that woman thinking? Does she have the ability to do that?"

Those who gossiped about her and ignored her did not diminish with time. However, there were certainly those who held her in high regard.

One of them was the Marquis of Branford.

"If I had been an ordinary person, I would not have been able to take possession of Leipold."

"Huh… … . If that's what you want, then I guess so. Do as you wish."

"All right."

If the Marquis of Branford spoke to his Chancellor, it means he will do so.

If he had intended to refuse, he would have handled it at the Marquis level without even mentioning it to the Prime Minister.

There were considerable forces in the East as well, so I don't know what confidence he had in saying such a thing, but being able to obtain assistance without having to give anything right away was a great advantage for the pro-Prince faction.

If she doesn't get taken by the Duke's faction or lose it to the rift, or if she does get it back with the power of the Prince's faction alone, Amelia will have nothing to take.

The prime minister stood up with difficulty and said.

"Now that I have a rough idea of the situation, let's focus on quickly eliminating the cracks. This is an emergency, so there's no need for royal approval. You will handle everything on my behalf."

"All right."

The Marquis of Branford nodded as if it was obvious. It has always been that way. It's just that there's one less step.

The old minister walked, supported by his knights.

As he was walking back, he suddenly stopped and looked back.

"And it's not good for a couple to be apart for a long time. You're getting older, so how about living a little more leisurely?"

"… … I will keep that in mind."

The other nobles who saw that sight held back their laughter.

The Marquis of Branford's wife, unable to bear the Marquis's temper, had gone to her parents' house. The prime minister was now rebuking his son-in-law.

Only the prime minister could say something like that to the iron-blooded marquis.

bang!

As the chancellor left, the Marquis of Branford banged on the table, signaling him to concentrate.

"From now on, I will prioritize eliminating the cracks. I cannot fight with the enemy behind me."

Morris asked, crossing his arms.

"Will the Duke really stop them with only the bare minimum of troops?"

"That'll have to be the case for now. You never know when you might have to move."

It looks like they'll move soon. But what if they don't move right away?

While the army waits on the front lines, the rift will expand and the fiefdoms will be thrown into chaos.

The pro-Prince faction was caught in a dilemma. The Salvation Church's intention to use the gap to avoid pressure and buy time was just right.

As for the pro-prince faction, they had no choice but to first sort things out internally and then respond when the Duke's family made a move.

"Recover the troops hit by the crack as quickly as possible, and move all other territory forces to the vicinity of the crack to surround it. No one should be left behind."

"But that monster has superhuman strength? The damage to the Yeongji Army would be enormous. But we can't leave the capital city empty."

The best forces must guard the capital. Not only is it impossible to know when the Duke's family will attempt to assassinate him, but this place is also the heart and last stronghold of the prince's faction.

The Marquis of Branford nodded and said.

"I should leave it to Earl Fenris."

"Isn't that the only way?"

"We will take on the role of surrounding the rift and stopping the rifters, but it would be most efficient to leave the monsters to Earl Fenris and his knights."

"But he's not the kind of guy who'd do it for free, right?"

"What can I do? I have no choice but to give you whatever you want."

The Marquis of Branford continued, looking around at the nobles.

"Now that this is a wartime situation, I will grant Earl Fenris the authority to exercise his powers as commander of the Northern Army. I will also grant him full authority over the handling of the rift. So, give him full support in whatever he needs and give him whatever he asks for in return. Understood?"

The nobles of the royalist faction unanimously followed the Marquis's words.

Because the only way to stop the cracks from expanding with the least amount of damage was for his master, Count Fenris, to take action.

* * *

After checking the situation in the West, Giselle returned to the territory. In the meantime, everyone in Fenris had finished preparing for war.

These are people who have been fighting wars as if they were eating rice. Preparing for war has become as natural to them as breathing.

Clank, clank.

As soon as he returned to the territory, armored knights followed behind Giselle, who was walking quickly.

Gordon approached Giselle and asked her cautiously.

"Really… … are you going to use him?"

"Yeah, that's why I went to great lengths to keep you alive. Did you see me cut it like that?"

"Well, it was the first time I saw the lord cut it down so quietly without destroying it. I wondered why he did that."

Gordon and the knights all nodded to Giselle's words.

Up until now, the lord has never killed anyone without doing so.

Either by smashing the head, knocking off the skull, or destroying the heart. In any case, it was destroyed so thoroughly that even a necromancer would not be able to save it.

To that extent, the lord's sword was cruelly merciless in battle.

But this opponent was an exception. He cut it very nicely(?) and gave me a chance to survive.

Gordon asked again, a little worried.

"Ha, but isn't it a bit awkward? He was my enemy. With his skills, it would be tiring to swing a knife at him from behind. In a way, we are enemies."

At those words, Giselle snickered.

"I don't think you're the kind of person who would do that. Can you live while caring so much about honor and face?"

"no."

Gordon answered firmly. If I go into each and every one of those things, I'll be so tired that I can't live.

If I had to pick something, I would pick something like loyalty.

Jiselle laughed, patting Gordon on the shoulder.

"Even with that talent, I have committed many sins in this world, so I must atone for my sins before I go."

"Should I follow your words, my lord? I don't want to risk causing trouble by threatening to kill myself again."

When Gordon asked, Giselle answered with a cold look in her eyes.

"You can't die without my permission."

The place they arrived was an underground prison in a corner of the estate.

It was a place where only human trash who couldn't even join the labor brigade and people who could be killed were confined. Instead of killing such people, Jiselle confined them and sent them to dangerous work.

And in the deepest part of that dungeon, there was a man locked up.

Squeak.

As the thick prison door opened, the prisoner inside quietly raised his head. Jiselle met his eyes and greeted him warmly.

"Hey, how are you feeling? Are you fully recovered now?"

Inside the dark prison cell, a one-armed man with bandages wrapped all over his body sat quietly.