Winds of War - Part 1
The castle was already steeped in deep sorrow.
"Alas..."
"T-this is a disaster. For the Lord to pass away at a time like this..."
There were, of course, those who genuinely mourned Wilhelm himself.
Though he had many personal flaws, he was still the lord who had ruled this territory without major incident for decades.
One couldn't deny that immense luck had played a part in his reign. If a man of Wilhelm's caliber were thrown into this chaotic era today, he would have been forced to surrender his lands within a few years.
"Sigh..."
Wearing a somber expression, I stared at the coffin with a stiff, solemn face.
Wailing and weeping here might have made a decent impact, but to be completely honest, I didn't feel all that sad.
Wilhelm wasn't my real father, and aside from seeing the old man asleep a few times, we hadn't shared any memorable interactions.
Still...
No one tried to find fault with me. Given my maxed-out Charm stat, even when I stood there doing absolutely nothing with a blank face, people would think, 'Lord Edrin is barely holding back his overwhelming grief!'
In fact, even if I were to lose my mind and start laughing hysterically, they would probably just think, 'His sorrow is so immense that he has temporarily lost his senses.'
Leaving the funeral service, I looked at Irene, who was staring at the coffin with a devastated expression.
Her feelings must have been incredibly complicated.
Objectively speaking, Wilhelm fell short of being a good father or a good lord in many ways.
Yet, he had never despised Irene. The very fact that Irene, a concubine's daughter and a woman, could become a proud knight meant she had received a significant amount of support.
The pressure of losing such a father must be immense. And on top of that, there was an even bigger problem.
The lord was dead. They had no choice but to choose a new lord to carry on the family line.
The truce of sorts that she and I had agreed upon was a contract based on the premise that neither of us could become the lord for the time being.
But from now on, the story was different.
Both she and I were now in a position where one of us had to be instated as the lord.
And whichever way it went, this 'alliance' would likely head in a direction that was unfavorable to both of us.
The vassals were serving me for the moment, but it wasn't because they truly believed in Edrin Silverline.
They only supported me because, under normal circumstances, I was the most suitable candidate to become the next head of the Silverline family.
Because they were deeply entangled in the corruption and decay of the territory, they served me in the belief that I would turn a blind eye to it once I became lord.
They simply detested the idea of someone of low birth like Irene aiming for the lordship just because she was good with a sword.
Even if I changed my stance and sided with Irene, they would have no reason to support me.
The situation was not much different for Irene's knights.
They genuinely liked Irene, so if she changed her mind and supported me, they might follow suit.
However, the knights harbored significant hostility toward the nobility. And toward me as well.
Having served Irene, they had spent countless hours learning and internalizing why Edrin must never become the next lord.
They were the ones who had drawn their swords against me just recently. Irene had denied any involvement, and I believed her.
Playing such a dangerous game—one that could tear the territory in two—was completely out of character for someone like Irene.
Those knights loathed me enough to ignore Irene's orders. Even if they were an extreme case, it was unlikely that the other knights felt any differently.
By now... Irene must realize this too.
I couldn't simply ignore everyone who fell under the influence of my Charm stat. It was impossible to just trample over my own legitimacy and their expectations.
But the real problem lay in what came next.
...
Holding my breath, I quietly observed the unfamiliar faces of the nobles present.
I didn't know them. And it wasn't just because I had recently awakened from a long slumber; their appearance and the style of their clothing were entirely different from the locals.
They were not vassals of Arcteria. They were emissaries and lords who had come from the outside to offer their condolences.
Regardless of his actual competence, Wilhelm was a lord who had ruled Arcteria for a very long time.
To dethrone him while he was alive, one would have needed a justification worthy of that long tenure—a definitive reason that would force him to step down.
But for the next lord, there was no need for outsiders to worry about such trivial matters. They could criticize the new ruler using any excuse—lack of achievements, low birth, or moral failings.
The winds of war were beginning to envelop this territory.
Count Wilhelm is dead.
A woman with long, flowing black hair slowly read the short letter.
The people standing around her did not dare to lift their heads. Their master was not one to tolerate the insolence of eye contact unless it was absolutely necessary.
"The time has come."
It was a chaotic era. In a world like this, being weak was a sin in itself, and a weak territory was nothing more than prey.
Arcteria was no exception.
...How clumsy.
Irene's talent was certainly noteworthy. However, it was far from enough to lead an entire territory.
Until now, she had been able to mask the territory's weakness with her own martial prowess. She could cull the monsters and suppress the rebels.
But their survival up to this point was not a result of her achievements.
They had never faced an invasion by a proper army, nor had they been swept up in political storms.
It was simply because Wilhelm was still alive.
It wasn't because Wilhelm was an exceptionally great lord, or because Arcteria was a powerful domain under his rule.
Rather, there had been almost no issues regarding his succession, and he had ruled his territory without incident for a long time.
There was no justification to invade his lands. Furthermore, Arcteria was not enough of a threat to warrant an immediate invasion.
But now, it was a territory whose lord and commander had fallen.
Although Irene was running herself ragged, she was limited by her social status.
Edrin, whether awake or asleep, had never exerted any meaningful influence over the territory. Nor had he ever tried to.
Even if they left Arcteria alone and showed vulnerability, Arcteria was in no position to target other territories. Thus, leaving it be while focusing on more urgent matters had been the correct choice.
But not anymore.
"Are the soldiers ready?"
At the woman's words, the vassals bowed in unison.
"Thirty thousand soldiers clad in Black Armor await your command, Duchess!"
"Good..."
While Irene was busy hunting down mere packs of monsters and putting down minor rebellions, other territories had been steadily building their internal strength.
They had consolidated their power, raised armies, amassed wealth, forged alliances, identified rivals, and conquered neighboring lands.
Arcteria had fallen behind. And the black-haired Duchess, Valerian, had no intention of letting this opportunity slip by.
Until now, she had avoided a direct confrontation with Countess Eleonor of the South.
Though the Countess's words and actions were often absurd and unrealistic, her power was not something that could be ignored.
Eleonor had been absorbing several southern territories, forging alliances, and building a coalition of like-minded supporters.
"The time has come."
Of course, Valerian had not been idle during this time either.
She had conquered numerous territories by force. She had sowed discord among potential enemies, turning them against one another.
She had threatened and poisoned lords, and infiltrated other territories with criminal organizations to gather intelligence and destabilize their public order.
As a result, Valerian's faction had grown so massive that it reigned supreme in the North.
"Now, there is nothing left to fear."
Once she seized the East, where Arcteria was located, the path to the South would open. She would gain the upper hand in the inevitable war against Eleonor.
"Let us march."
A few other territories remained in the East besides Arcteria, but none of them possessed the strength to withstand Valerian's army.
The mere march of her well-trained army would strike terror into their hearts, forcing them to surrender.
"Move as quickly as possible. From this moment on, it is a race against time. We must strike our enemy swiftly and decisively, before Eleonor can react!"
"We obey your command!"
Once rumors spread that Valerian's army was on the move, Eleonor would undoubtedly mobilize her own forces.
Under the pretext of sending reinforcements to halt the invasion, Eleonor would station her troops in other territories and eventually bring Arcteria under her sphere of influence.
To prevent such an outcome, Valerian had kept her army in a state of constant readiness for months, prepared to deploy at a moment's notice.
Valerian smiled triumphantly. Her plan was unfolding flawlessly.
She would win. Just as she always had.