Chapter 135
Chapter 135
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 135
Chapter Title: The Usurper's Name
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About three days later, in the Imperial Palace of the Calleum Empire.
The results of the meeting of the forces aligned with the Vaniro Earldom were promptly delivered to the Imperial family.
The letter's contents were written at great length, filled with various historical accounts, praises for the Imperial family, obligations to noble houses, and all sorts of embellishments. It was extremely long, as it contained the names of all 103 nobles who endorsed it. But roughly summarized, it went something like this:
[Hello, Your Majesty the Emperor? We are the Vaniro Earldom and the nobles beneath it.]
[Frankly, didn't the Vaniro Earl pour immense hospitality, money, and sincerity into you, the Emperor, just to get married once, only for you to stab him in the back? So there was a huge fuss trying to find a spouse, and what we barely managed to find was an Elf... Marrying an Elf has no historical or religious issues, so why are you raising an army and causing such a commotion?]
[Wasn't the failure of the marriage with the Imperial Princess ultimately the Imperial family's fault? So, quietly step back and bless our Earl's marriage. If you do not, half of the southern wheat fields, ready for harvest, will burn, and we can even join hands with the Garkan Republic, which your Imperial household has been wary of. That is all.]
"...Such insolent bastards!"
Riiip!
The Emperor immediately tore the lengthy letter to shreds, expressing his rage.
It was infuriating enough that the Vaniro Earl's bastards dared to threaten him, but what angered him even more was that they were using the 'food' issue, which he was deeply concerned about, as leverage for their threat.
They had precisely struck a weak point, the most painful area for the Emperor's side.
"This is clearly the work of that damned half-breed."
"Half-breed...?"
"That insolent half-elf bitch, Ironblood or whatever she's called!"
"Is that so?"
"Nobles simply wouldn't come up with such an idea! What lord would threaten to burn the produce of their own territory? No! Even if one existed, it's unthinkable that such an opinion would be accepted among nobles. That bitch must have incited this!"
The Emperor, who coolly and rationally deduced the mastermind behind this letter in an instant, was also no ordinary person.
But the problem was that no clear solution to this situation was in sight, and he couldn't just back down either.
Having drawn his sword, he had to cut something down—that was the current situation. Since he himself had gathered the high nobles and ordered a response, retreating would deal a severe blow to the Imperial authority.
'In the end, the answer is war. I wanted to avoid civil war, but...'
With both sides taking such a strong, confrontational stance, there was no other answer. Even if they reached an agreement on various issues and stepped back, the Garkan Republic would exert its influence over the southern part of the Empire.
So, the only solution, albeit with some difficulties regarding food prices and post-war management, was to wage war against the Vaniro Earldom, crush it, and install a new noble in its place.
'...I'll have to entrust the war to Duke Kremel for now. My priority should be finding a noble to replace that position in the meantime.'
Although there was slight lingering resentment over the Haldeon Ruins issue, Duke Kremel's house was still on the Imperial side and a suitable talent to entrust with the war, as he knew what needed to be done first.
So, the Emperor resolved to do what he could. He began reviewing the list of nobles under the Vaniro Earldom to select a noble capable of ruling the south in the Earl's stead. As for the ultimatum from the Vaniro Earldom, he decided to respond by not responding at all.
That way, he could buy a little more time to prepare for war.
The Valderian Family.
Not long after, a summons from the Family Head also arrived at the Valderian Family. Oswald Valderian and Cedric Valderian, upon seeing it, began bustling about to muster the army.
And Cedric himself came to deliver all the news to Beonald and his group, who were diligently working on magical tool creation.
"...So, to stop what the Garkan Republic's Prime Minister Neumel is doing, we must organize an army to the south. Father said so. Of course, you are a 'retainer' of our family, but since you need to create or decipher magical tools, you don't need to follow the army. Unless, of course, you wish to..."
"No. I will complete the magical tool creation. I can't stop what I've started. Besides, it's important..."
"Indeed. Your uncle will remain here, so there should be no problem looking after your convenience."
"Understood."
"Then continue with your work. I'm also looking forward to that... 'Magical Armor' thing. It would be nice to have a finished product when I return."
"Yes, I will do so."
Beonald concluded the conversation with Cedric as normally as possible, without revealing any agitation. Once Cedric left, his eyes sharpened as he recalled the unpleasant name he had just heard in the conversation.
'Prime Minister Neumel... Who on earth is that? What arrogant bastard is using my family name? I was told the family name was erased from history, even its records destroyed by the religious order... How is it existing perfectly fine now?'
Neumel. The great Beonald's family that once commanded the entire continent in his past life. He knew it had fallen due to Alterio's betrayal and its records deleted by those damned humans... He never imagined that name would resurface in some random country.
'Garkan Republic... I believe it's a nation of demi-humans? Judging by the title 'Ironblood Elf,' it must be an elf hybrid... Among my children, the elf hybrids... there were about 11. Which one was it?'
Beonald had married many elf women and had many children.
Thinking he had lived quite vigorously in his past life, he tried to recall if any of the children he looked after had the potential to become the Ironblood Elf Prime Minister Neumel, but nothing came to mind.
'...Is it any wonder nothing comes to mind? Elves grow slowly... They were all little kids by the time I died... Hmm~'
He struggled to remember the faces of his adorable daughters, but not a single one had shown any hint or quality worthy of being called 'Ironblood Elf.'
Of course, to Beonald, who showered his daughters with boundless love, no child would have shown such a hint.
'Besides... it's not even certain that this Prime Minister Neumel is my flesh and blood. I should focus on my current task first.'
Beonald thought so and returned to his work.
His current task was to create the initial 'Magical Armor' by integrating 'runic engraving' and the 'creation of Beonald Steel.'
The test wearer for the Magical Armor was, as previously decided, Heidi. The result of finally checking her martial prowess, which he hadn't properly assessed before, was such that Beonald recalled her strength, which had grown beyond his expectations.
"To make a magical tool that suits you, I need to know your full strength. Come on! Give it your all!"
Beonald boldly gripped his sword, drawing up his aura as he spoke to Heidi. She hesitated for a moment, but at Beonald's merciless command, she drew up her golden aura with full power, took a stance, and in an instant, became a flash of light flying towards him.
"...Huh?"
"The Imperial Knight Order's martial art, Secret Technique—Holy Beast White Tiger!"
Grrrrrumble!
Then, in an instant, a pure white lightning manifested into the form of a giant white tiger and pounced on Beonald, who drew up his aura with all his might to receive it.
As the giant white tiger vanished, the ground was torn up as if struck by a massive beast. Beonald, sprawled out like a flattened frog within it, trembled all over as he barely managed to get up.
Overwhelming strength. He had expected her to surpass him, but this was far too overwhelming.
"...Heidi... You're amazing."
"I-I'm sorry! I thought Lord Beonald could withstand it..."
"At this level, you've long surpassed the stage of an intermediate knight. Truly... a remarkable talent. Haha."
Feeling the aches all over his body, Beonald looked at Heidi.
He hadn't lost easily even to Lloyd, the genius of the Kremel family said to have reached the realm of a high knight. Yet, Heidi had brought him down in a single move, which was quite astonishing.
Moreover, it hadn't been that long since she started learning from him... That she had already mastered one of the secret techniques... was a talent that could only be described as insane.
'I... nearly killed myself trying to learn the secret technique Hydra!'
"Are you really alright?"
"Yes, I'm fine. I didn't know you'd become this strong! It's truly incredible."
"Th-that's... I think it happened because I worked hard to repay Lord Beonald's kindness!"
Her light blonde hair fluttering as she approached Beonald with a smile. If she had a tail, she would have been wagging it with a puppy-like look in her eyes, wanting praise.
Beonald patted the head of the girl taller than him, praising her sincerely, and she blushed happily.
"Hehe..."
"Yes, yes, well done. But don't overdo it. You are now like a part of my body, after all."
Recalling the memory of lavishly praising Heidi as if caring for an affectionate large dog, Beonald continued with the creation of the 'Magical Armor.'
The most crucial part of the Magical Armor was, of course, the internal frame. It had to draw in and channel the body's aura to activate the runes placed throughout the armor.
Since aura needed to flow, there was still no material to replace mithril for this part. Beonald carefully crafted a frame to fit Heidi's body, ensuring others wouldn't notice.
'Ugh! Mithril is indeed no joke... If I hadn't practiced mana breathing and trained my aura, it would have been impossible to handle without borrowing Heidi's hands.'
"Um, Beonald. Is this rune... engraved properly?"
"How many times do I have to say it? Just try channeling magic power into it."
"Lord Beonaaald~ Should I make the armor plate like this? But don't weave it, just make it as separate parts, right?"
"Yes, well done. We'll attach it by combining it with the frame anyway. Just follow the design, only the design..."
Beonald was the general supervisor and frame creator. Selina handled the runic engraving on the armor. Vessia crafted the parts that would become the armor. Sain took care of meals, waste disposal, and other miscellaneous tasks. Heidi handled test-fitting and operational testing of the completed armor parts, looked after Alterio, and assisted Sain with support work. It was a perfect division of labor, and the development of the Magical Armor progressed steadily, step by step.
One week later, at a camp north of the Vaniro territory.
The armies gathered from the Imperial capital and the northern, western, and eastern nobles totaled a massive force of 80,000.
Since the harvest season was approaching, the Empire planned to advance the entire army into the Vaniro Earldom as swiftly as possible to crush it.
In the largest tent, Duke Kremel, appointed as the overall commander, along with Count Valderian, commanders of the Imperial Capital Guard, and other noble and military commanders, had all gathered.
By order of rank among the high nobles, the positions were set: Overall Commander was Duke Kremel, Deputy Commander was Count Valderian, and the Staff Officer was Sir Ional, Captain of the Imperial Capital Guard.
"His Majesty's words are to swiftly drag out the Vaniro Earl and select someone loyal to the Empire from among the lower nobles to replace his position. Of course, His Majesty said he would handle that matter, so our job is to march in and take his head."
"Hmm, so His Majesty is willing to endure the food issue, then."
"That's right, Count Valderian. Haah~ Depending on what happens to this southern region from this year to next... no, for several years, we might suffer from food shortages."
"...So, what is the plan of action?"
"First, we divide the army into three and pretend to subdue the territories normally. Then, we observe the enemy's movements. When it seems they will come to us, we leave only a minimal force to feign an attack, while the rest charge straight to the Vaniro Earldom's castle in a rapid siege, day and night, to bring down the castle and wrap everything up."
"Hmm, not bad."
Dividing the army into three was because the gathered forces could largely be split into three factions from the start: the Imperial Capital Guard, the Valderian forces, and the Kremel forces. They would naturally separate, and the command structure wouldn't get tangled. It was a strategy that would seem obvious even to the enemy.
But that was the feint. By splitting into three and pretending to conquer territories, the enemy would surely also split into three to intercept. Since all are main forces of the Calleum Empire, the quality of the troops differs, so the Vaniro Earldom would have to send reinforcements.
Then, as Duke Kremel said, the moment the enemies appear, each of the three divided units would leave only a minimal decoy force and all rush to the Vaniro Earl's castle to finish it off. It was a plan that was both fast and capable of deceiving the enemy.