Chapter 96: Suspicion and Evil
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 96: Suspicion and Evil
Before starting the war, I needed to eliminate any potential variables that could pose a risk.
I stared at the gallows erected in Palanti’s main square. Soldiers were forcibly dragging a bound prisoner up to the platform.
“Let go, you bastards! I am Djak! I am your lord!”
The prisoner was the younger brother of the late Baron Debussy. An ambitious man who had vied with Powell Osborne for control of the next administration was now facing his death.
I had judged that he would not stand by and watch his grandnephew inherit the barony. A young heir without a guardian would have looked like easy prey.
And I was right.
“Just as you said, he was plotting a rebellion behind the scenes. If we’d been any later, it would have caused a huge commotion,” Zaenbold remarked, watching as the rope was placed around Djak’s neck.
“He’s got some nerve. I’m the one who’s practically ruling the barony.”
“Well, he was about to be kicked out without a single penny, so he must have figured he had to try something.”
If Djak had succeeded in killing his grandnephew, the right of succession would have passed to him. He could have used that as a pretext to borrow the power of an outside force and resist me.
“What about Zant? Is he cooperating?”
I had told Zaenbold to keep a close eye on Zant to make sure he didn't slack off, but in reality, it was the other way around.
Zaenbold was a childhood friend, someone who had risked incurring the late Baron Rasino’s wrath to warn me of danger. If I couldn’t trust him, who could I trust?
Zant, on the other hand, was an enemy knight who had only recently switched sides.
“Not bad. He’s a bit rigid and tends to rely on brute force, but he listens to what I say.”
Zaenbold added that without Zant’s cooperation, rooting out Djak’s rebellion and taking control of the barony would have taken twice as long.
The opinions of Dreng and Muel, who had worked with Zant, were similar.
Was it because he had been knighted only recently, so his ties to the late Baron Debussy and the other vassals were weak?
“He sounds trustworthy enough.”
“I’ll keep an eye on him, just in case. Ah, look.”
Zaenbold pointed to the gallows. The preparations seemed complete, and a herald was looking down at the assembled townspeople, reciting the prisoner’s crimes.
“The prisoner, Djak, as captain of the Palanti guard, had a duty to protect the city! Yet, during the recent monster uprising, he abandoned the city and fled! Therefore, I, Baron Debussy, sentence this prisoner to death by hanging!”
“Kill him! Kill him!”
“Booo!”
At the mention of him abandoning the city, the citizens jeered. He had, in fact, been one of the first among the city’s ruling class to flee.
Thanks to that, I didn’t have to go through the trouble of fabricating a justification.
He, however, seemed to feel it was unfair.
“Don’t give me that bullshit! Who’s Baron Debussy?! I am! Only I can use that name! You insolent fools! Untie me this instant! Gu-heok!”
Djak, who had been screaming his lungs out, suddenly dropped. The platform that had been supporting his body was gone.
“Waaah—!!”
Witnessing the corpse go limp as its neck snapped, the townspeople raised their fists in the air and cheered. Some enjoyed pies and wine.
After all, in an age with little entertainment, a public execution was a special event.
Soon after, those who had conspired with Djak also met their end on the gallows, and the city’s atmosphere quickly turned festive.
I, however, could not enjoy such an atmosphere.
“A messenger has arrived from Quaran.”
After successfully concluding the alliance negotiations with Erik, I had immediately sent a letter to Eleanor.
It was to inform her that the plan had changed and, through her, to receive nominal ownership of the Broua County from Bronx II.
I figured it wouldn’t be too difficult, as the king would be feeling guilty for having sent Eleanor into exile.
And I was right. Eleanor’s letter reported that the king had given his assent.
“He says I am to have an audience with him after this is all over.”
However, the way I had handled things seemed to have displeased the king. After all, it looked as if I had used him.
For the most powerful man in the land, that must have been incredibly offensive.
It was a good thing Eleanor had defended me as much as she could. Otherwise, wouldn't he have declared me an enemy and waged war?
Well, that too was all within my calculations. In any case, the meeting with the king would be anything but comfortable.
It doesn’t matter. Once I take Broua County, I’ll be a power the king can’t dare to ignore. In fact… if I use this prearranged meeting well, I might be able to advance my next plan even faster.
After burning the letter I’d received, I sent a reply to Eleanor. Then I mounted my horse and asked Zaenbold, “Are the preparations complete?”
“The troops are gathering one by one on the fields before Palanti.”
I had issued a call to arms as soon as I returned to Palanti.
The assembly was swift. I hadn't disbanded the mercenaries in the first place, and the only knights under my command were Dreng, Muel, and Zant.
These were originally the forces meant to fight Dresden…
The soldiers gathered before Palanti were disciplined, their eyes sharp. The quality of their equipment was also excellent.
The mercenary force, which had been with me since I fought Baron Rasino’s two sons, had gradually grown to nearly three hundred men.
“You might go bankrupt at this rate,” Zaenbold warned gently.
Although there was a brief period when they were disbanded, considering the circumstances, this was long-term employment.
“It’s honestly an absurd thing to do.”
The reason for hiring mercenaries as needed was because it was cheaper than maintaining a standing army. Long-term employment? Wasn't that putting the cart before the horse?
“And you know this…”
“Still, it’s a waste to give up a mercenary force that has accumulated experience and trust.”
These were mercenaries who had followed me without running away or resorting to trickery, even when we were consistently outnumbered two to one.
By now, they would believe me if I told them shit was bean paste. Without them, it would have been impossible for me to be standing here today.
Considering the future I envisioned, I had to keep the mercenaries.
“The problem is money, isn't it?”
The original plan was to solve my financial problems by taking Dresden.
Dresden’s rock salt mine would have brought in more profit than the tax revenues of the two baronies and Broua County combined.
However, Count Broua’s greed had forced me to change my plans. Far from getting the salt mine, I even had to cede fishing rights to Dresden.
“Count Broua is a greedy man. He must have amassed quite a fortune.”
“Funding your finances through plunder like this will hit a limit someday.”
“I have something in mind.”
“Well, if you say so…”
I entrusted the domain to Zaenbold and led the troops. Our destination was the Motrian region, the border between the Debussy Barony and Broua County.
It was where the Rhine River, originating from the Giant’s Shoulder Mountains, divided the two territories.
The river was quite wide, and an arched stone bridge built during the age of the ancient empire was the only path connecting the two domains.
The bridge was just wide enough for a single carriage to pass. The next crossing was a three-day journey downstream and required passing through another territory.
In other words, this bridge was the only way in.
I set up camp on a hill overlooking the river. Around the same time, Count Broua’s army arrived on the other side. They appeared to number around eight hundred.
“A county, after all.”
My forces numbered just over three hundred, so they outnumbered us by more than double.
Still, if reinforcements came from Dresden, it would be a fight worth having. That was how I had planned it.
The problem arose that night. Dresden’s reinforcements arrived. But their number was only half of the promised two hundred.
Should I take solace in the fact that the quality of their troops was no less than our own? Erik, the commander of the reinforcements, noticed my hardened expression and spoke.
“This war is not Dresden’s war. Dresden’s role will be limited to that of tribute.”
Dresden’s intention was simple. They didn’t want to waste their strength in a war with little to gain.
“That’s not what we agreed upon.”
“Your valor was greater than the rumors suggested. I’m sure your command is the same. I have no doubt that you will be victorious. The Count shares my opinion.”
Erik was shameless. Why? Because he could be. The moment I killed Count Broua, the option of abandoning Dresden’s support had vanished. Erik knew that too.
What a bunch of thugs.
It wasn’t just Erik who was a thug. All nobles were sensitive to profit.
“We’ll see you later, then.”
After Erik left the command tent, Muel spoke, glancing around cautiously.
“They might have some other ulterior motive.”
“With the chance to gain the throne of the northern continent right before their eyes, Dresden isn't going to create unnecessary conflict. It’s just as he said; there’s no profit in it for them.”
“However…”
“Of course, they’re not without ulterior motives. From Dresden’s perspective, the best outcome would be for both sides to suffer heavy losses.”
Just as we suspected Dresden’s intentions, Dresden also suspected ours.
We had agreed to a marriage alliance, but the wedding hadn’t taken place yet, and weren’t there countless cases of marriage alliances being broken for greater gain?
Since they couldn’t fully trust us, their plan was likely to whittle down our forces so we couldn’t become a tangible threat.
“So, in the end, we have to overcome a two-to-one disadvantage in numbers.”
“Aren’t we used to it?”
All of us gathered in the command tent smiled simultaneously. We had never once faced an enemy with fewer troops than us.
“Still, a head-on confrontation will result in heavy losses,” Zant, who was with us for the first time, said with a slightly worried look. I shook my head.
“Who said anything about a head-on confrontation?”
“But you killed Count Broua. For the sake of revenge, the enemy will surely come at us with an all-out attack.”
“We’ll see…”
I ended the meeting with an enigmatic smile.
The next morning. The two armies faced each other across the Rhine River. I headed toward the bridge, the only path of entry.
“It’s dangerous!”
Zant made a fuss. He had just witnessed a contingent of troops belatedly emerge from the enemy camp.
It was common for commanders to meet before a battle, but the number of enemy soldiers was far too large for such an occasion.
Zant was worried that just as I had broken customs and conventions to ambush the Count, the enemy might do the same in retaliation.
“There’s no need to worry. It’s just that the enemy has too many heads.”
I knew there was another reason for the large number of enemy troops.
How long had I been waiting at the center of the stone bridge? Three knights broke away from the contingent and approached me.
The faces of the men who dismounted were familiar. They were the ones I had seen when I killed Count Broua, the ones who had been shouting that they were the heir.
“Antonius, Commander of the Count Broua army.”
“Commander Aden.”
“I am Andrill.”
They were Count Broua’s brother and the Count’s illegitimate sons.
“Whose hand should I shake?”
I raised my hand and tilted my head, as if I couldn’t tell who the real commander was.
“Me, of course!”
“What are you talking about? I am the commander.”
“I-I am, too…”
The three men, each claiming to be the army’s commander, glared at one another. I’d never seen such a dysfunctional family.
I chuckled and observed them.
First, the Count’s brother, Antonius.
He was a priest who had taken charge of the county’s parish after his brother became the Count. He had left the secular world to prove he had no interest in the title.
But now that the Count was dead without a suitable heir, he was the most legitimate successor.
Thanks to that, he had the support of the vassal families and knights.
The Count’s illegitimate son, Aden.
The young man next to him had caught the Count’s eye early on and worked as the castle’s administrator. The Count had likely intended to make this young man his successor.
Illegitimate children were not recognized as part of the family, but there were exceptions.
In any case, thanks to his long tenure as a man of real power, he had strong connections in the city. That was how he had secured so many troops.
Finally, the illegitimate son, Andrill.
The young man, who still had a boyish look about him, was an illegitimate son Count Broua had in his later years.
As the son of the Count’s favorite mistress, he would have pushed Aden aside and become the official heir if the Count hadn’t died.
But my killing the Count turned all of that to dust.
Still, the fact that the Count had favored him until the very end was a powerful justification.
That was likely why he could stand here, despite lacking a support base like his half-brother.
In other words, the army of eight hundred men had three heads. In the end, I lowered the hand I had offered for a handshake. I hadn’t taken anyone’s hand.
“How about we meet again after you’ve clearly decided on a commander?”
“Nonsense! I will offer your head to console my unjustly killed brother!”
“You think I’d let my father’s enemy get away?!”
“M-me too!”
It seemed they had decided to join forces to take revenge on their enemy.
Of course, it wouldn't be for the Count's sake. By killing me, their common enemy, they intended to strengthen their own legitimacy.
But how long can they cooperate like that?
To me, their alliance seemed as fragile as glass, ready to shatter at the slightest impact.
“Hmm. Then let’s get to the point. I have a proposal for the heir of Count Broua.”
“You killed the Count, and now you’re spouting nonsense!” Antonius, the eldest, snapped on behalf of his illegitimate nephews. I replied with an unconcerned expression.
“The one who defied and insulted the king’s command was Count Broua, not the Broua family, was it not? If the next Count swears fealty to the king again, his title and lands can be recognized.”
“What kind of sophistry is this…! You kill my father, and now you tell us to swear fealty?! Uncle! Brother! There’s nothing more to hear!”
Andrill, his voice raised to the point where veins popped on his neck, looked as if he was about to storm out of the meeting.
But weren’t his uncle and half-brother, who should have been acting with him, not following?
“Uncle? Brother?”
The two men flinched and subtly turned their heads to avoid Andrill’s gaze. Andrill looked back and forth between them with an expression of disbelief.
“Uncle! Brother! What are you hesitating for?! We promised to cooperate until we avenged the Count!”
At his continued urging, the faces of Antonius and Aden contorted.
“Quiet. Do you think you’re the only one who wants to avenge my brother?!”
“You spent less than half the time with Father that I did! What do you know about him to be so angry?!”
Andrill’s eyes trembled as he looked at his uncle and half-brother.
I defended them.
“Is it because of your age? The two of you are certainly wise. How can the Broua family alone stand against the alliance of the king and Dresden? You should take the hand of reconciliation the king is offering. That will be the choice that benefits your family.”
“We have more troops!”
“For now, perhaps.”
Andrill glared at me with murderous eyes. I casually ignored him and spoke to the remaining two.
“Then let me know once you’ve decided who will be the Count. You’ll need to go to the capital to swear your oath of fealty.”
“Uncle! Brother! Don’t fall for his obvious attempt to sow discord!”
Andrill was right. I intended to incite internal conflict. But did Antonius and Aden not know that?
They were hesitating even though they knew. Why? As I said before, the Broua family alone could not stop the alliance of the king and Dresden, and the moment the king took one side, that person would become the Count.
It was an alliance that lacked mutual trust from the start. There was no way they would act with one heart and one mind.
And that should be the same for you, Andrill, shouldn’t it?
I smirked and left the meeting place. A piercing gaze followed my back. It was surely Andrill’s. That made me smile even more.
That evening. It was a time when even the moon was hidden by clouds. An enemy messenger secretly visited my tent. He prostrated himself and delivered the news.
“I have come on behalf of Lord Andrill.”