Chapter 143: Intertwined
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 143: Intertwined
The battle stopped as if time had frozen. Friend and foe alike, all eyes turned to Duke Signir, who sat on his horse outside the castle walls.
Though thousands of eyes were suddenly fixed on him, a situation that might fluster anyone, he calmly straightened his mustache.
The first to speak was the Alliance Chairman, who had been desperately awaiting his arrival. Leaning so far over the rampart that it was dangerous, he raised his voice to the Duke.
“Your Highness! What do you mean by that! The lives of the Alliance are hanging by a thread, and you tell us to continue! Is this a time for games? Please, lead your army, defeat these lawless invaders who threaten our Alliance, and save us! Your Highness—!”
Duke Signir let out a short laugh.
“And why should I do that? The Baron is doing for me what I had intended to do myself.”
“Your Highness? What in the…!?”
The Alliance Chairman’s eyes widened. His face was a mask of disbelief.
The sneer on the Duke’s lips grew wider.
“Did you think I wouldn’t know? That you, the Alliance, were behind the series of mysterious deaths of the relatives of families close to the throne?”
The Chairman was speechless, his face turning deathly pale. There are no eternal secrets, but it seemed he had truly believed the Alliance’s machinations would never be discovered.
“…But thanks to that, did Your Highness not become the most powerful successor!”
Perhaps because the Duke’s tone was so firm, the Chairman didn’t even try to deny it.
“The same was true for my predecessor, and his predecessor before him. Then, just as the throne was within their grasp, their heads were taken by the Alliance’s schemes. I suspect my turn wasn’t far off. Am I wrong?”
“It’s a misunderstanding! Your Highness has always looked after the Alliance’s interests, how could we dare think of betrayal! What profit would there be in that!”
“Because whoever becomes king will try to get their hands on the Alliance, the goose that lays the golden eggs. So, it was in the Alliance’s best interest that there never be a king.”
The Duke possessed the sharp intuition befitting the man closest to the throne of the North.
“Even if that were true, what reason is there to hand the Alliance over to a lawless invader! If you dislike the Alliance, you could have simply taken it for yourself!”
True to his merchant nature, the Alliance Chairman argued in terms of profit. From the Duke’s perspective, it would indeed have been more profitable to join hands with the Alliance, push me out, and then reap the rewards.
“I want something more valuable.”
“What! What could possibly be more valuable than the great city of Wolfenheimer, one of the three pillars of the Alliance!”
It was then that the Duke, who had been dealing with the Alliance Chairman for some time, turned his face toward me.
“I have heard much of your reputation, Baron, as the greatest knight in the West! They say you overcame the disadvantage of coming from a humble knightly family through sheer skill, yes?”
“I am honored to be recognized by the man closest to the throne of the North.”
The Duke seemed to know me well. Perhaps far better than the merchant collective that was the Alliance.
“When I first heard stories of you, Baron, I naturally assumed they were exaggerations. Tearing a troll apart with your bare hands, capturing a castle single-handedly… the rumors about you all defied common sense!”
“And you don’t think so now?”
“Because I have seen it with my own two eyes! Today, I learned those rumors were not exaggerated! No, I’m convinced they were an understatement!”
What was his intention in showering me with such praise? Why was he complimenting me, his enemy, instead of helping his ally, the Alliance?
His earlier words, about wanting something more valuable than the Alliance, stuck in my mind. Could it be that he was talking about me?
One thought led to another. I soon realized why the Duke was building me up.
‘It’s because of the named character.’
Having organized my thoughts, I turned my head to the Alliance Chairman. His face was ashen, having traveled between heaven and hell several times in a matter of moments.
He flinched when our eyes met, then quickly forced an awkward smile and began rubbing his palms together.
“Baron! As you can see, the Duke’s heart is as fickle as a reed! It was the Alliance that made him the man closest to the northern throne, yet he seeks to repay our grace with enmity! I’m certain he’ll approach you with a smiling face at first, only to stab you in the back later!”
As I stared at him blankly, he broke out in a cold sweat and spewed his words like a torrent.
“Let’s join forces with the Alliance instead! Together, we can push the Duke out! Ah, yes! I’ll make you the king, Baron! As you’ve seen, with the power of our Alliance, it is by no means impossible!”
“…Is that all you have to say?”
“Baron…!”
I clicked my tongue.
“If you were going to make such an offer, you should have done it when I sent the surrender envoy. Making such a proposal in this situation only makes me doubt your true intentions.”
“Th-that is… Gack!”
The Alliance Chairman struggled as my hand closed around his throat. I, who had had enough of his worthless chatter, did not hesitate to squeeze.
Snap.
The Chairman’s neck bent at an angle impossible for a living person. His tongue lolled out from his open mouth.
Thanks to Duke Signir, all eyes were on us at that very moment. I impaled the Chairman’s corpse on the shaft of a spear bearing the Alliance flag and propped it up for all to see. Then, looking at the focused gazes, I shouted.
“The Alliance Chairman is dead! If you do not surrender, you will soon follow him!”
The despair of having one’s only hope crushed is always more profound than usual.
The moment it became clear that Duke Signir was not here as reinforcements, the Alliance was finished.
The Alliance mercenaries, who were bound to be sensitive to the tides of victory and defeat, exchanged glances before one by one, they began to lay down their weapons.
Of course, the Alliance leadership, who had witnessed their chairman’s neck being snapped in an instant, resisted to the end. A few who were captured knelt before me and pleaded.
“To run a great city properly, you will need our experience! If you spare us, we will follow you with our lives!”
“We heard the church took over our roles in Bochum and Saifran! But how can the church, which knows nothing of commerce, run a great city efficiently!”
“Indeed! The church, with its sanctimonious words, may stabilize public order, but it cannot provide the financial advantages that we can!”
A faint hope flickered in their eyes as they looked up at me. From a merchant’s perspective, executing them was indeed inefficient.
However, I am not a merchant.
“Can you put spilled water back in the cup?”
I took a goblet I presumed the Chairman had been drinking from and overturned it in front of them. The wine, which had half-filled the cup, soaked the floor.
The faces of the Alliance leaders, who understood the meaning, turned deathly pale. One of them, unable to accept reality, tried to flee.
“I, I can’t die like this—!”
Of course, there was no way an unarmed man could break through the lines of my soldiers.
He was mercilessly beaten, dragged back, and impaled on a spear to decorate the wall alongside his colleagues. Soon, their captured families were made to take their places beside them.
It was to show my enemies that resisting to the end would bring the worst possible outcome.
“You son of a bitch! How could you kill women and children so brutally! God will not forgive you! You will surely fall to hell!”
The envoy, who had been made to witness the fall of Wolfenheimer in real-time as promised, was the last.
“Didn’t your Alliance also trade in slaves, without distinguishing between men, women, and children? How dare a hypocrite like you presume to know God’s will and curse me?”
“You—!”
After giving the envoy a good sneer, I thrust my spear before he could defile my ears again. The spearhead drove up from under his chin, pierced his skull, and protruded from the top of his head.
Meanwhile, Duke Signir, who had been watching my post-battle cleanup from below the wall, did not hide his disappointment.
“Baron. Surprisingly soft-handed, aren’t you? I would have had them drawn and quartered in front of everyone. I guarantee you, that would have been more effective.”
“I’ll be sure to do that next time.”
I arranged a separate meeting with the Duke, who was smiling with satisfaction. Not yet certain that he wasn’t an enemy, a spot was set up in the middle of the open ground between our two camps.
“Duke Signir. If you weren’t going to support the Alliance, why did you turn your army around?”
The Duke was a young man with hair the same color as the red jewel in a crown. He looked to be in his early thirties, and his words carried an air of relaxed confidence. It was the same now.
“You wouldn’t believe me if I said I came to see the Baron of great renown, would you?”
The Duke, with his playful retort, had a charm that made one want to befriend him. He seemed naturally bright and at ease.
“That you moved a grand army of three thousand just to see one man is a lie even a passing dog wouldn't believe.”
But I wasn’t fooled by appearances. How could one of the key players in a war that had lasted nearly five years be such an amicable person?
Even if one was born that way, a shocking experience like war was bound to change a person.
In other words, that friendly demeanor was likely an image crafted for profit. The talent, or ability, that had brought him closest to the throne.
“Still, it did influence my decision to a certain extent. But… the most important reason was that I was aiming for a scenario where you both destroyed each other.”
I had also predicted a clash between Count Dresden, who was unaware of the coalition’s existence, and the coalition itself. Wasn’t that why I had so readily accepted the tribute mission?
‘It was obvious my advance would be blocked by a named character anyway.’
It seemed the Duke had predicted the same. After all, it was he who had been in a constant standoff with the coalition, so he would have the most accurate grasp of their strength.
“The Count and the coalition were bound to clash. I pretended to fall for the bait, knowing you were a decoy, for that very reason. But… you don’t seem surprised, Baron? I thought the Count was unaware of the coalition’s existence…”
The Duke’s eyes, which had been smiling benevolently as he explained, narrowed.
“I merely guessed. You said it yourself, Duke. That my value is greater than the Alliance’s. That’s a conclusion that defies common sense, one you wouldn’t have reached unless you were in a situation where you desperately needed me.”
“…Are you saying you deduced the existence of my powerful enemy from just a few words in a brief moment?”
“After considering all possibilities, that was the most plausible explanation.”
Clap, clap, clap.
The Duke clapped his hands again. This time, his expression was one of genuine surprise, as if his applause was filled with sincerity.
“So you’re not just skilled. Good. Very good. Just as you say, Baron, I have a powerful enemy who obstructs my path to becoming the king of the North at every turn.”
“How large is their army that you struggle so much with three thousand of your own troops?”
Seeing no need for further caution, I feigned ignorance of the named character’s existence and asked.
“The army isn’t the problem. Thanks to the Alliance’s support, I’ve never been outnumbered. The problem is the monster belonging to the coalition. There is a knight in the coalition so powerful it makes one doubt if he’s even human.”
I waited for the words that should have followed, but the Duke finished his speech after giving a detailed description of the named character.
‘Has the Pope not intervened yet?’
In truth, while the named character was a problem, the Pope and the Witch lurking behind him were even more dangerous. It seemed the Pope was also preparing to stab someone in the back.
“You need someone skilled enough to stand against this monster?”
“You, Baron, would surely be an outstanding counter. No, even if you just hold out and prevent him from running rampant, that would be enough. Then, I can win.”
It was a plausible story, provided the Pope didn’t intervene. However, there were a mountain of problems to solve before that.
“I understand what you’re saying. But I think you’ve come to the wrong person. I belong to Dresden. Which means I’m your enemy.”
“To be precise, aren’t you in the position of a guest commander?”
“Is that any different?”
Duke Signir grinned.
“Oh, it’s different. Very different. Dresden will suffer a great defeat and will be forced to give up his ambition for the throne. Then you, Baron, will no longer have a need to serve under him.”
The Duke was underestimating Dresden. I agreed that he would lose if it came down to the end, but that was a far cry from saying he would lose easily.
‘As if those old foxes would be defeated so easily.’
They might suffer a great loss upon their first encounter with the named character, but once they recognized the threat, they would try to stall for time rather than confront him directly.
There was no way the Count or Erik hadn't thought of what the Duke had. I could guarantee it. I would be contacted soon.
In other words, my value was about to skyrocket, putting me in a position to gain much more. For now, I hid this fact from the Duke and asked.
“What do I get if I help you, Duke?”
“I will recognize the Alliance’s territory as yours, Baron. Then no one will be able to challenge your claim.”
Conquering a territory isn’t the end of it. Especially for someone like me with no support base in the North, the surrounding nobles would be quite troublesome. The Duke was saying he would prevent that in the king’s name.
“You want me to come under you? I appreciate the offer, but I already have a lord I serve.”
I was Count Dresden’s prospective son-in-law and, nominally, Eleanor’s vassal.
“What’s the big deal about serving two lords? Besides, since the continents are different, you won’t have to shuttle between two rulers according to your days of service.”
Depending on the circumstances, vassal relationships could become as complex as a spider’s web. A baron here could be a count there, and when two lords they served fought each other, they might switch sides overnight based on their mandatory days of service.
It wasn’t common, but it wasn’t unheard of either. Of course, even if that were the case, the most important problem remained.
‘Does he not know I’m using the Church?’
In practice, the Church was in charge of running the cities. I had given the Church autonomy, and in return, I received taxes.
In other words, attacking me was no different from attacking the Church. In an age where faith was a part of life, what noble would dare do such a thing?
‘It’s not for nothing that I’ve set up the Church as my shield.’
The Duke’s offer was not at all attractive. Furthermore, it was meaningless since it was premised on Dresden losing to the coalition and giving up the throne.
I changed the subject.
“You seem to know about the Alliance’s schemes. By any chance, do you also know that the Pope took part in them?”
The one I was most wary of was the Pope. Though he was plagued by all sorts of scandals, his religious authority was still powerful.
Moreover, this was the time when the Witch was working under him. It was necessary to take drastic measures before the Pope began to show his true colors in earnest.
And now, I was in a position to demand a price for helping the useful pawn that was Duke Signir.
“Why would the Pope…?”
The Duke’s face hardened. His reaction showed this was the first he was hearing of it.
To steer the conversation in the direction I wanted, I subtly dropped a hint.
“Hasn’t the Pope always tried to keep the royal authority in check? But since when did the Church become interested in secular power? There’s no mention of such a thing anywhere in the scriptures.”
“It’s frustrating, but there’s nothing to be done. If we touch the Pope, everyone from the poor to the nobles will rise up against us.”
“What if there was a way to fundamentally block the Pope’s intervention and strengthen the throne at the same time?”
The Duke’s face, which had been frowning at the thought of the Pope, changed in an instant. His eyes flashed, and his ears perked up—proof that he was very interested in what I had to say.
“Is there such a good method?”
“If we were to enthrone a new, friendly Pope, there would be no interference, would there?”
It was for this very moment that I had painstakingly brought the Archbishop to my side. The Duke, unaware of this, had a look of utter astonishment wash over his face.