Chapter 136: Coastal City Alliance
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 136: Coastal City Alliance
The city was bustling in the early morning. Women emptied the chamber pots they had used overnight out their windows, and merchants arranged their goods on their stalls.
Dockworkers with sun-darkened skin hurried on their way, while boys earned pocket money by drawing water and delivering it to homes and shops.
If it weren't for the occupying soldiers patrolling the streets and alleys, the scene was so peaceful one would never believe the city was occupied by a foreign army.
This was because the targets for plunder had been strictly limited, and some of the acquired loot had been distributed to win over the populace.
‘Of course, I couldn't forget the archbishop's contribution as the people's spiritual pillar.’
After finishing my patrol, I headed straight for the administrative building.
The meeting room on the top floor of the administrative building had been cleaned so thoroughly that it was impossible to tell it was the site where the mayor and city councilors had been massacred.
In place of the deceased were men in priestly vestments. They all had dark circles under their eyes, as if they had been up all night.
I waved to stop those who tried to greet me and walked to the head of the table. The archbishop, looking just as exhausted as the priests, had his face buried in a pile of documents.
“You're pushing yourself too hard.”
The archbishop, so focused on his work that he hadn't noticed my arrival, finally looked up. Despite his weary face, his eyes were sharp.
“If it weren't difficult, could it be called atonement?”
At the archbishop's words, the priests working alongside him flinched and buried their faces even deeper into their documents.
The Pope at the very top was corrupt, so it was no surprise the priests below were as well. After investigating the state of affairs, the archbishop had to confront these corrupt priests.
He stripped priests who had committed grave sins of their holy orders and had those with extenuating circumstances atone through labor.
“If I'd known it would be this much work, I would have stopped you. Even the corrupt ones would have been useful in their own way.”
The archbishop shook his head.
“Even if it's difficult, we must start on the right path. The devil always exploits the cracks created by injustices tolerated for the sake of immediate comfort. Humans are weak to temptation, so we must not give it any room from the very beginning.”
I was quite pleased with his answer. There's a saying that fish can't live in water that's too clean, but there's no need to muddy the waters on purpose.
“What did the temporary lord say?”
Although I had conquered the city as commander-in-chief, my status as a guest commander meant I couldn't claim any rights beyond the customary distribution of spoils. That was why I couldn't even offer an opinion on who should be the lord of the city.
However, all of Aron's vassals were greedy and couldn't reach an agreement. In the end, the decision was postponed until after the war, and one of the vassals was made the temporary lord.
‘A fortunate turn of events for me.’
A lord with the 'temporary' label was bound to have limited authority. What's more, the weakest vassal had become the temporary lord, profiting from the others' squabbling.
He must know he can't become the permanent lord, so he's unlikely to be very proactive in governing the city.
“He just said to pay the taxes on time.”
Just as I expected. It seemed the temporary lord had promised not to interfere as long as we paid the same amount of taxes as the previous year.
“An excellent result.”
“The problem is that it increases the workload for us, who are in charge of the city's administration and the church's operations…”
“I'll help.”
I rolled up my sleeves and got to work. I made an example of the mercenaries who caused a disturbance by having them executed, and I arranged passage for the Easterners who wished to return home.
I paid particular attention to the latter, thinking it might help me keep my promise to Jin in the future.
“What? Never seen a nobleman work before?”
The archbishop and the priests, who were watching me work, couldn't hide their surprised expressions.
“Nobles don't enjoy this kind of work, do they?”
Many nobles were illiterate. In fact, half of them were proud of it, as it signified they could afford to hire readers and scribes.
Naturally, they tended to leave administrative work to civil officials or relatives who were clever enough for the task.
“At the very least, you have to understand how things work to make decisions when needed, don't you?”
“Hah. If all nobles were even half like you, Baron, the world would be a much better place.”
The priests nodded in agreement with the archbishop's words.
Feeling a bit awkward, I was about to get back to work when someone came looking for me.
“Baron. Lord Aron summons you.”
Aron had commandeered the former mayor's mansion. Surprisingly, none of the vassals who were always by his side were present. Aron was alone in the room.
Even without that, I could tell from his grim expression that he had something serious to discuss.
“Something has come up that requires you to make a concession, Baron.”
“What are the vassals demanding now?”
“…How did you know?”
“Why else would you sound so hesitant with me, unless your vassals made another unreasonable demand?”
Instead of denying it, Aron gave a bitter smile. I clicked my tongue inwardly and spoke.
“If you keep letting them drag you around like this, you might never escape their grasp.”
Even now, the vassals were forcing him to do things that tarnished his reputation, all under the guise of making 'requests.' The problem was, this tendency was only getting worse.
The reason was likely Aron's endless accommodation. Since he never drew a line, they thought it was fine to keep pushing.
“Do you think I don't know that?”
Aron retorted in a testy tone, then made an apologetic gesture before continuing.
“This expedition will be the last time. I'll only put up with this until I reclaim my position as heir. They will pay for their insolence, with interest.”
So Aron had his own plans. Still, it remained to be seen if things would go his way. Those who have tasted power rarely give it up meekly.
“So, what do I have to concede?”
“To capture the royal capital before Erik, the cooperation of both you and the vassals is essential. But as things stand, you're at each other's throats, and I'm worried things won't go smoothly.”
He was taking a long time to get to the point. It must be a concession he knew I would find difficult to accept.
“Isn't it because of your greedy vassals?”
“I won't deny it. And I'll be frank. As I've said, I can't control my vassals right now. So please, Baron, just this once, I'm asking you to accommodate my situation.”
“I'll ask again. What do you want?”
“You'll have to return the position of commander-in-chief.”
Aron said, squeezing his eyes shut.
“Does this mean you don't need me anymore?”
I could understand the vassals making such a demand. They were the ones who'd been unhappy with me as commander-in-chief from the very beginning. They'd even stirred up trouble during the capture of the city.
The problem was that the demand came from Aron himself. That meant he had agreed to it, even though he knew I was essential for the expedition to the northern continent.
Wasn't that why he'd sweated to mediate the conflict between me and his vassals before? That was just a short while ago, and now he was casting me aside?
Aron hurriedly waved his hands.
“Of course not! I know that achieving my goal would be a distant dream without you. However... it seems the vassals think otherwise.”
“They think they can succeed in the northern expedition without me?”
“Honestly... for all its formidable reputation, weren't the city's defenses surprisingly weak? And the reinforcements they boasted of were nowhere to be found. Perhaps the Coastal City Alliance is nothing but a paper tiger.”
Aron subtly revealed his own thoughts. A beat later, he added that this was what the vassals were thinking, but he didn't have to. I had already guessed that he and his vassals were on the same page.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have asked me to make a concession just because his vassals were throwing a fit. After all, Aron was the one with the most at stake.
‘Did conquering the city so easily backfire on me?’
I clicked my tongue inwardly. The very person who should have been reining in his vassals had been completely swayed and was now leading the charge.
I'd wondered why the Margrave would break with custom to name his second son heir instead of his first. Now I saw why: Aron made the wrong call at the most crucial moments.
“So you want me to sit out the next battle? Then what about the distribution of spoils?”
I was dumbfounded to see Aron subtly avoid my gaze.
Weren't these the same vassals who'd received a share of the plunder without lifting a finger, all under the pretext of being 'one team'? And now they were going to completely ignore that same pretext?
Furthermore, if the vassals actually succeeded, I might be forced to sit out indefinitely. Judging by their behavior so far, that was a strong possibility.
“So I'm supposed to get nothing and just tag along with the expedition in case something goes wrong?”
I was being treated as a kind of insurance policy.
“It won't be all bad for you, Baron. If this attempt fails, the vassals will never be able to question your actions again.”
Aron tried to placate me hurriedly, but I only became more incredulous.
The man who should be praying for victory, regardless of who was leading, was talking about failure. It was obvious he was just spouting empty words to placate me.
“Lord Aron. Do you really want to lead the northern expedition to success and reclaim your position as heir? From where I'm standing, you don't seem all that desperate.”
“Baron…!”
Aron's face hardened, as if he thought I had crossed a line. I gave a short, derisive laugh and rose from my seat.
“You've disappointed me twice now. Is this how you repay my goodwill? Lord Aron, you had better pray your vassals succeed. Because the next time I help you, it won't be out of goodwill. It will be for a price. A very steep one.”
To see just one case and let your guard down, assuming the entire Coastal City Alliance is a pushover?
The truth is, our victory was only possible because it was a surprise attack against an enemy who didn't know we existed, and because they had no idea how to deal with an anomaly like me.
Aron and his vassals were going to regret this dearly. And if I just stood by, I would end up paying the price for their foolishness right along with them.
“Ahem.”
Leaving Aron to clear his throat awkwardly, I stormed out of the mansion. I immediately had the archbishop recruit troops and commandeer ships for supply transport.
Meanwhile, as Allen hurriedly prepared for the impending disaster, the vassals interpreted his actions in a way that suited them.
“Uhaha. Have you all heard the news? The baron is recruiting troops like a colt with its tail on fire!”
“He must be starting to feel the crisis of being left high and dry. But can he really wage a proper war with hastily recruited troops!”
“Absolutely! Once we capture Saifran, it will prove the baron was nothing more than a lucky fool! His arrogance won't last much longer!”
The vassals were as smug as if they had already won. Their arrogance reached its peak when they captured a small city on the way to the next metropolis without spilling a single drop of blood.
“Hahaha! Our prediction was spot on! The Coastal City Alliance was just a paper tiger!”
“What? That we shouldn't underestimate the Coastal City Alliance? He was probably just afraid of being exposed as a lucky fraud!”
Triumphant, the vassals raised a toast in advance. Some even deliberately brushed past Allen, sneering as they went.
Allen ignored them. More accurately, he didn't have the luxury of entertaining their pathetic provocations.
‘Only the old and the weak.’
There was a reason they had taken the city without a fight. Though it was a small city, its defensive forces were minuscule, and its remaining inhabitants were all people who had trouble moving.
Also, the soldiers who went to plunder were met with warehouses and granaries filled with nothing but dust.
In other words, the city had long been aware of our invasion and had evacuated its people and supplies.
“So they won't be caught by a surprise attack like the last city was.”
Although he disliked the vassals, Allen didn't want to see a thousand soldiers go to waste, so he offered a warning.
“Are you afraid of us earning merit?”
“Haha. We won't be sharing our military honors in exchange for your pathetic advice. Just watch as we capture the metropolis with our own strength.”
It had the opposite effect. The vassals misunderstood Allen's intentions and became even more convinced they were doing the right thing.
“So, how are you going to take the metropolis?”
“It's a secret. Ahem, don't look at me like that. You never know, do you? If our secret plan to capture the metropolis were to fall into enemy hands, we would suffer greatly.”
Now they were treating him like a spy. In the end, Allen only found out about their 'secret plan' after it was already in motion. He squeezed his eyes shut.
“Hah. They're using the same trick again?”
It was hardly a secret plan. They were simply infiltrating the city disguised as a merchant caravan—a cheap imitation of what Allen himself had done.
“Their essence is that of merchants, so if we disguise ourselves as fellow merchants, we should be able to slip into the city easily, no?” one of the vassals said smugly.
“The problem is that they already know we exist. Hiding like this doesn't change that fact.”
Allen shook his head and left their camp. The vassal, mistaking this for surrender, didn't try to stop him, instead sending him off with a sneer.
Meanwhile, the vassals' plan appeared to be a success. Not only did they infiltrate the city without incident, but they soon seized the main gate and threw it open.
“Now-!”
The thousand or so soldiers hidden in the nearby forest rose as one and charged toward the city. Then, just as about half of them had made it inside…
CRASH
A portcullis slammed down, splitting their forces in two. Simultaneously, defenders who had been hiding on the parapets rose and aimed their arrows. It was a trap.
“Re-retreat-!”
The startled vassal ordered a retreat, but with the portcullis closed, there was no escape.
The defenders, who had already slaughtered the disguised infiltrators and were lying in wait, quickly moved to surround and annihilate them.
“Pursue the enemy-! We'll charge all the way to the last city and retake it!”
The only thing the vassal had said that turned out to be true was that their essence was that of merchants.
Having annihilated half of Aron's army in one fell swoop, Saifran's defenders left their city behind and gave chase, intending to use this opportunity to bring the previous city under their control as well.
Meanwhile, Allen watched all of this unfold from the sea. With him were two sailing ships commandeered from the city and the hundred or so soldiers he had hastily recruited.
Allen shifted his gaze. Blinded by greed, Saifran's commanders had sent every last soldier—even those meant to defend the city—on the pursuit, leaving the harbor completely defenseless.
Then again, who would have expected someone to use a main force of a thousand men as bait? Not even Aron and his vassals, who had unwittingly become that bait, could have predicted it.