Chapter 13
Chapter 13
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: A Madman's Strategy
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The place Carlyle pointed to was what could be considered the barbarian capital.
Kalaholum.
A great city of the barbarians living beyond the border.
It was the stronghold of the Askuzan people, the largest and most powerful of the various barbarian tribes beyond the border.
Kalaholum was also famous for being an impregnable fortress that had never once fallen in history.
Carlyle’s suggestion to attack such a place could only be heard as a plan to annihilate their own army.
But Grand Duke Guntram did not think so.
“Why… do you think that?”
“Because it’s empty.”
Carlyle retorted as if the question was absurd.
“Empty, you say. Empty.”
Grand Duke Guntram mulled over Carlyle’s words.
Just as Carlyle said, Kalaholum was practically deserted.
The barbarians were currently advancing their troops little by little, preparing for the coming war.
As such, a large number of their forces were deployed at the front, and it was true that almost no troops were stationed in Kalaholum.
“It may be empty, but by what means do you propose we infiltrate a large force into the heart of enemy territory?”
“How should I know?”
“I thought you had a brilliant plan.”
“I don’t.”
“Right. Of course, you don’t.”
Grand Duke Guntram nodded with an expression that said, *That’s just like you.*
Regretting that he had held even a sliver of hope…
“Can’t we just cross over those mountains?”
Carlyle muttered to himself, loud enough for the Grand Duke to hear, as he pointed to the mountainous region on the map.
The Sazdor Mountains.
A range composed of peaks thousands of meters high, it was a region where the difficulty of marching would surely be beyond imagination.
“Are you trying to get our entire army killed?”
“Huh?”
“Haaah.”
The Grand Duke squeezed his eyes shut, looking weary.
Huh?
How could he even suggest crossing the treacherous Sazdor Mountains with a large army? It was utterly preposterous.
‘His ideas will only bring harm to our forces. It might be better not to enlist him at all.’
An incompetent ally is more fearsome than the enemy.
A commander with judgment as poor as Carlyle’s was perfectly suited to lead his allies to their deaths.
“The Sazdor Mountains are a place where no large army has ever passed through in history.”
“Why not?”
“Because they’re too treacherous—…”
“Has anyone ever tried?”
“Do you have to drink something to find out whether it’s poison or a potion?”
“It could be a potion… I’m sorry.”
Carlyle apologized immediately upon seeing the Grand Duke’s expression.
‘He doesn’t seem to get it. Well, it’s not time yet, I suppose.’
In truth, the strategy hadn’t come from Carlyle’s own mind.
‘The Great Advance. The crowning achievement of Grand Duke Guntram’s life.’
The time was five years before the start of the game *Overlord*’s scenario.
In other words, five years from now.
Grand Duke Guntram would make the bold decision to lead a large army across the Sazdor Mountains, ultimately achieving the great feat of devastating Kalaholum, the heart of the barbarian lands.
By mentioning this grand plan ahead of time, Carlyle hoped to make the Great Advance happen sooner.
Why?
Because the longer the war with the barbarians dragged on, the weaker the Sigmund Family’s forces would become.
His own safety and comfortable life were guaranteed only if the Sigmund Family remained strong.
Now that he was living as Carlyle van Sigmund, it was better for him in every way, like it or not, for the Sigmund Family to prosper.
‘If I say it outright, they’ll think I’m a madman. I need to drop hints subtly.’
With that in mind, Carlyle asked,
“Have you requested support from the royal family?”
“I was about to.”
“That’s good. Use this incident as leverage to squeeze a ton of reinforcements out of those Lauren bastards.”
“They’ll try to weasel their way out of it.”
“You can ask the royal family to mediate.”
“The royal family…?”
“The royal family must know everything. How could the Laurens possibly deny it?”
“You’re right, of course.”
Grand Duke Guntram nodded.
In the Nürburg Kingdom, there was a saying:
- The eyes and ears of the royal family are everywhere. Even within your heart.
The reason for this saying was due to the history of the Nürburg Kingdom’s royal family.
***
Long ago.
A man made a pact with an ancient dragon and gained the power of foresight.
Though he lost his sight as a price, he built a dynasty upon his prophetic abilities.
This was the story of the founding king of the Nürburg Kingdom, known as the “Blind King.”
And this was no mere folktale or legend.
The Parnas Family, the descendants of the Blind King and the royal line, had for generations produced children who inherited the power of foresight, and they had reigned as kings over the Nürburg Kingdom.
For this reason, the other twelve families that supported the Nürburg Kingdom respected the royal family, but also feared them.
Why?
Because the royal family had used their foresight to manipulate the twelve families from behind the scenes.
The rise and fall of the twelve families were, in truth, nothing more than a play orchestrated by the will of the royals.
The royal family’s arrangements and various political machinations, aided by their foresight, were beyond what the twelve families could even imagine. All they could do was pledge their loyalty.
Within the borders of the Nürburg Kingdom, the power of the royal family was practically that of an omnipotent god.
However…
‘Foresight, my ass. They’re nothing but a bunch of frauds.’
As far as Carlyle knew, the line of royals with the power of foresight had ended with the previous king, who had passed away long ago.
Neither the current king, who was likely bedridden by now, nor the crown prince, Gordon—one of the game’s main characters—possessed the power of foresight.
They were merely bluffing, using their vast intelligence network and psychological warfare to feign the ability.
How did Carlyle know this? Because he had seen the prologue of the game *Overlord*.
The game *Overlord* began with the revelation that the royal family’s power of foresight had vanished, causing tension to rise among the thirteen families, including the royals themselves.
In other words, Carlyle was the only person who knew the secret that the royal family’s foresight was gone.
“I’ll do as you say and request the royal family’s mediation. I’m not sure it will work, however.”
“Yes.”
*It’s working,* Carlyle thought to himself.
‘There’s no way the royal family will let this slide.’
In Carlyle’s view, the biggest beneficiary of this incident was none other than the royal family.
The Nürburg Kingdom, being a united kingdom, was structured around thirteen families cooperating with and checking one another, with the royal family at the center.
Therefore, the reinforcements sent to fight the barbarians were also composed of troops contributed by each of the thirteen families.
Carlyle believed the royal family would use this incident as a pretext to extort a huge number of troops from the Lauren Family.
‘In return, they’ll reduce their own contribution by the amount they take from the Laurens. After all, the royal family needs to preserve its own strength.’
With their foresight gone, the royals had no choice but to act in their own self-interest.
They would be desperate to weaken the other twelve families, so it was a foregone conclusion that the Lauren Family would suffer a loss.
Grand Duke Guntram, unaware of the royal family’s situation, seemed skeptical…
***
“Did you have a good visit?”
“No.”
Carlyle shook his head at Maranello’s question.
“It was a complete loss.”
“A loss, you say…?”
“I have to earn my keep.”
“Hoho.”
Maranello let out a dry laugh.
“His Grace the Grand Duke is having you enlist?”
“Yes.”
“Indeed. You will soon be twenty-four, Young Master. It is time for you to fulfill your responsibilities and duties as a member of the Sigmund Family.”
“Can’t I just enjoy the privileges without the responsibilities?”
“Please do not say such things. The reason you are able to live in comfort is all thanks to the achievements of your ancestors…”
“Ah, that’s enough.”
Carlyle waved his hand dismissively, not wanting to hear any more.
‘The other families just enjoy their privileges. Why is this house so particular about it?’
Carlyle thought this as he spoke to Maranello.
“Starting tomorrow, I want you to teach me swordsmanship.”
“Yes…?”
“I’m about to be thrown onto a battlefield. I can’t just go as I am. I don’t want to die at the hands of those barbarian bastards.”
The borderlands at the front were in a state of war 365 days a year.
While there were no large-scale, all-out wars, the battlefield was a place of constant skirmishes, big and small, with the barbarians.
To serve in such a place was effectively the same as jumping into a war zone.
“An excellent decision, Young Master.”
Maranello beamed.
“This old man may be rusty, but I will teach you with all my heart and soul, Young Master.”
“Rusty, my foot.”
Carlyle scoffed.
“I’m pretty sure that wasn’t a feather duster you were swinging around in secret at dawn.”
“I don’t know what you are talking about. Hoho.”
Maranello subtly hid the feather duster he was holding behind his back.
“Anyway, I’m counting on you starting tomorrow.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
“Hah.”
Carlyle sank into the sofa and stared at the ceiling.
He thought that since he’d possessed the body of a grand ducal family’s troublemaker, he would live a sweet, comfortable life forever, but now he was suddenly forced to pick up and swing a heavy blade.
‘Is this body even capable of getting stronger?’
If only he had possessed someone ridiculously strong from the start, Carlyle thought, he wouldn’t have to put in any effort…
But he couldn’t just sit back and do nothing.
If he was going to survive in this world, he needed at least a minimal level of martial skill.
The next day.
Clang! Claaang!
“Hup! Hah!”
Though it was early morning, the heat in the Sigmund Family’s communal training grounds was palpable.
The knights were engrossed in their training, strengthening their bodies, checking their stances, and sparring with their comrades.
The fervent atmosphere of the training grounds cooled somewhat with the arrival of an unexpected visitor.
“Hm?”
“I must have had too much to drink yesterday. Now I’m seeing things.”
“What the…?”
When Carlyle entered the training grounds, question marks seemed to appear above the heads of those who were training.
Who would have thought they’d live to see that damn scoundrel crawl his way into the training grounds?
‘What’s gotten into him now?’
‘Ugh. I’d better finish my training early today.’
‘They say seeing blood in the morning is bad luck.’
At Carlyle’s appearance, many knights discreetly moved away.
If they lingered near Carlyle, they risked getting struck by a stray sword, ending up with a gash and bleeding all over the place.
If they were really unlucky, they might even lose a limb.
Regardless, Carlyle paid no mind to the surrounding stares and found a spot in a corner of the training grounds.
“It has been a while since you last trained. Please use this, Young Master.”
Maranello handed Carlyle a wooden sword.
It was Carlyle’s first time holding a sword, so he accepted the wooden sword without complaint.
He had never even attended a kendo class in his past life, so even the wooden sword felt completely foreign.
[Sigmund Family Training Sword]
A wooden sword made from mana-infused ebony.
Though it is not sharpened, it possesses a strength and resilience comparable to steel.
Being struck or stabbed by this sword leaves a black mark, making it perfect for training.
‘It’s heavy.’
Despite being a wooden sword, it had considerable weight.
It felt like it weighed around two kilograms.
“Are you ready, Young Master?”
“What about you, Maranello? Aren’t you using a wooden sword?”
“This old man has all he needs right here.”
Maranello smoothly produced the feather duster he always carried.