Chapter 192
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 192
Viscount Karayan frowned at Viscount Oleg’s meaningful tone.
“Are you threatening me right now?”
“No, quite the opposite. I’m saying don’t even think about making me the scapegoat. You take responsibility for what you did, and I’ll take responsibility for what I did.”
“…I intended to do so anyway. Scapegoat? Don’t be so sensitive over a minor slip of the tongue.”
“Ah, I must have misunderstood then.”
Despite the explanation, Viscount Oleg merely tilted his head with a sarcastic smirk.
Karayan felt a surge of irritation at the disrespectful gesture, but he didn’t open his mouth to retort. It wasn't as if he hadn't considered pinning all the blame on Oleg if things went well.
Tsk, he’s far too quick on the uptake.
Swallowing his disappointment, Viscount Karayan let out a sigh and spoke.
“Fine, stop talking in circles and explain it properly. What exactly did the Duke do in your territory?”
“Whew, it’s a bit complicated to explain. It started off well enough. The Duke stayed for three days, then wasted a week because the road was blocked by a rockslide, and another fifteen days because a bridge was destroyed.”
“So everything went according to plan up to that point.”
“Indeed. But after being held up for nearly a month, the Duke seemed to realize what we were up to. That’s where the trouble began.”
Viscount Oleg took a sip of tea as if his throat were parched before continuing his explanation.
He spoke of how discontent had been brewing among his knights because he hadn't explained the overview of the plan. He told of how one of the Duke’s aides had overheard their grumbling, leading to a duel. And finally, how his own knight had launched a surprise attack before the signal to start the duel was even given.
“When I asked for an explanation later, he claimed he clearly saw the mage withdraw after completing the rite. It seems they used magic to play some sort of trick.”
“And you believe that? It sounds like a pathetic excuse from someone who lost their cool and charged in recklessly.”
“My knight was no fool. He wasn't some greenhorn who let his emotions rule him; he was a man capable of making sound political considerations. Even to my eyes, the circumstances were suspicious.”
After the duel, Viscount Oleg completely lost the initiative.
The soldiers' eyes burned with hostility from all sides, and Lucian didn't lift a finger to restrain them. Consequently, the situation became a powder keg; it was clear that if they were delayed any longer, a violent incident would erupt.
“I tried to send the soldiers on their way as quickly as possible. I thought I had done my part. But then, the Duke went and destroyed the bridge himself.”
“Wait, why would the Duke do such a thing when he needed to head north as fast as possible?”
“What else could it be but retaliation? My head spun the moment I heard the report. The soldiers' hostility was swelling by the day, and with no way out, the tension was at a breaking point.”
Believing that this cycle would never end, Viscount Oleg tried to have a final showdown with Lucian.
However, that action ended up provoking Lucian’s wrath.
In a fury, Lucian declared war on the spot. Only then did Viscount Oleg realize the gravity of the situation and hurriedly fell to his knees in surrender.
“He actually declared war?!”
“Why else would I have helped the Duke if not for that? The House of Lerum was truly on the brink of destruction.”
Viscount Oleg lamented to the stunned Karayan.
Even now, he felt a deep sense of regret. If only he had knelt and begged the moment the bridge was destroyed again, things might not have reached this point.
“Everything after that was a living nightmare. I had to treat five thousand soldiers luxuriously until the bridge was finished. I had to slaughter every head of livestock to provide meat and pour all my saved spices into the meals of mere foot soldiers. I’ve never fed the knights who served me for decades that well…!”
Viscount Oleg shuddered as if the memory alone were horrific.
Due to this incident, the House of Lerum had fallen lower than a common baronial house. It would take at least three generations to recover their original strength.
But as if even that weren't enough, Lucian had given Viscount Oleg an even more terrifying command.
“The Duke told me to collect the blood of the slaughtered livestock. He said to keep it fresh because he would use it later. Then, he demanded I write a letter to you, cleverly mixing truth and lies.”
“Don’t tell me…!”
“The Duke said that if you stimulate a person’s imagination just a little, there’s no need for tedious negotiations.”
The cut-off news from Viscount Oleg and the massive amount of blood that could only be produced by a massacre—Lucian had used these two props to guide Viscount Karayan’s thoughts.
He never once said he had killed anyone, but he subtly led Karayan to believe so.
In the end, Viscount Karayan had been a mere puppet in Lucian’s hands. He had trembled in fear against an army that hadn't killed a single person and had let them pass without a fight.
“Y-you… do you realize what you’ve done?”
“I know.”
“You know? This is blatant betrayal! If we’re not careful, the Marquis himself might purge us before the Duke even gets the chance!”
Spreading the contents of the letter to the other lords had been an act of face-saving, a way to avoid taking sole responsibility.
But now that he knew the full story, it wasn't something that could be settled so easily. Under Lucian’s orders, the two of them could be seen as having betrayed the Marquis.
While Viscount Oleg was the one who started it all, Viscount Karayan was the one who stood by and allowed the sparks to spread. If this came to light, the other lords might be forgiven, but the two of them would never escape the Marquis’s fury.
“I-I must send a messenger to the Marquis immediately…!”
“It’s already too late. We were delayed for so long while the bridge was being repaired that the Duke will arrive before any messenger we send.”
“Then what are we supposed to do?!”
“We have to bury this.”
“What?”
“Is there any other way?”
Viscount Oleg shrugged at the speechless Karayan.
“The Duke has already achieved his goal. Sending a messenger now won't help the Marquis at all. No, he’ll probably just get angry and ask if we’re mocking him.”
So, they had to cover it up. Revealing an unforgivable mistake would only bring back anger, resentment, and the resulting punishment.
“Unless you’re so overcome by guilt that you want to be punished, revealing the truth would be an act of sheer stupidity. I hope you make the right judgment.”
“…!”
Only then did Viscount Karayan realize why Viscount Oleg had revealed all of this.
The moment he chose not to report the truth to the Marquis, Karayan became an accomplice. If he didn't want to go down with Oleg, he would have to find a way to save him from the Marquis’s wrath later on.
“You sly old fox…!”
“Let’s continue to get along. We’ve been friendly neighbors for centuries, haven't we?”
Viscount Oleg burst into laughter as he looked at the teeth-gritting Karayan. Now that he had secured a reliable accomplice, it seemed he no longer had to worry about his family’s safety.
While the two Viscounts were caught between tears and laughter, Lucian’s army raced across the Western region.
“From now on, it’s a race against time! Don’t give the Marquis a moment to prepare! we must arrive before he realizes our movements!”
They had passed through numerous territories since leaving Viscount Karayan’s lands, but they never rested for more than a day in any of them. No matter how luxurious the treatment offered, they stayed for only a single night before charging toward Marquis Bernhardt.
They were moving at a speed that made it hard to believe they had been idling in Viscount Oleg’s territory until now.
“Your Majesty! At this pace, the soldiers will collapse from exhaustion by the time we reach the Marquis’s territory!”
Hugo, who had recovered from his injuries, expressed his concern as he ran alongside Lucian.
However, Lucian dismissed Hugo’s worry with a single sentence.
“It doesn't matter, keep running!”
“Pardon?! This is enemy territory! Shouldn't we be ready to fight at any moment?!”
“The important thing is to catch the Marquis off guard! Even if the soldiers are completely spent, if we arrive before the enemy is prepared, we can crush them with numbers!”
It was a massive army of five thousand soldiers and three hundred knights. It was impossible for even Marquis Bernhardt to maintain such a force as a standing army.
Naturally, Lucian had the overwhelming advantage in terms of numbers, but the Marquis wouldn't want to be outdone in momentum. He would likely try to bolster his forces somehow before Lucian arrived at his territory.
He’ll probably conscript some commoners to fill the gap, but he won't be able to rely solely on conscription. Conscripted soldiers reveal their clumsy movements quickly, even if you give them good equipment!
If the soldiers he gathered turned out to be a mere rabble, it would only lead to humiliation rather than intimidating Lucian. The Marquis would know this, so he would try to temporarily bring in as many trained external troops as possible.
However, bringing all those external troops into a single territory meant the territory would become oversaturated. It wouldn't matter for a very short time, but if left in that state for long, trouble would break out everywhere.
For the Marquis, the best option was to call in the troops exactly when Lucian was expected to arrive.
“The Marquis ordered the other lords to hold me back, but he didn't set a specific date! He probably told them the longer, the better! The Marquis doesn't know exactly when I’ll arrive!”
“But won't the other lords report to the Marquis after they figure out our movements?!”
“Report?! Do you think they’ll send a report saying, ‘I couldn't do anything and just let him pass’?!”
“Ah!”
Hugo’s eyes widened at Lucian’s point.
Just as he said, when reporting external information that had nothing to do with oneself, there was no need to hide anything. No matter how important the information was, there was no room for personal involvement.
But it was a different story when one had to report their own performance alongside it. To avoid admitting failure, they would delay the report as much as possible. Especially if it was a catastrophic failure where they couldn't do anything at all.
Of course, they won't be able to delay the report indefinitely. Not reporting at all would mean cutting ties with the Marquis. But even considering that, if we keep this up, there’s no way the Marquis will receive the report in time.
The stage was set. All that remained was for Lucian to strike before Marquis Bernhardt could gather his forces.
To gather additional troops after inviting a guest would clearly signal hostile intent to anyone watching. To avoid such a misunderstanding, the Marquis would have to greet Lucian with only the troops he had on hand.
With a significantly smaller number of troops that won't even be able to restrain me if I go on a rampage.
Lucian left the rest unsaid, but his retainers seemed to understand perfectly. Felicia, who was running alongside them, nodded in agreement with Lucian’s words.
“I agree with His Majesty. The Marquis is terrifyingly good at leading things his way within his expectations, but his ability to improvise when something unexpected happens is truly pathetic. It’s better to catch the man off guard, even if the soldiers get exhausted.”
“But what if he just throws away all the plans and tries to suppress us with brute force?! We’ll take massive damage if we’re attacked as soon as we arrive!”
“It’s alright.”
Felicia said with a smile at Hugo’s concern.
“Because I’m not exhausted at all.”