Chapter 99
Chapter 99
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 99
Chapter Title: Mobilization Order
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"Hmm... Well..."
Viscount Wayne stroked his chin with a troubled expression at the words of his sudden guest.
"Please help me. If you remember how diligently I've paid my taxes to House Wayne all these years!"
If she had just been an ordinary guest, he might have brushed it off. But how could he react indifferently to her claim of being framed for assassinating the lord and having her assets seized?
What could he possibly do against Viscount Lucas, who was in the same rank but on a much larger scale? Still, as Cassia said, she had been an exemplary taxpayer, faithfully remitting vast sums to House Wayne. Moreover, though her title wasn't high, her wealth had built her connections with other nobles.
"Very well. I'll send someone to say there's been a misunderstanding and demand the merchants' release and the return of their property."
Cassia bit her lip at his lukewarm response. Her pride wouldn't allow her to let it go like this.
"Do you think a greedy man like Viscount Lucas will accept such a demand? He'll surely ignore Your Lordship's request!"
"Then what would you have me do? Start a territorial war to force our will upon them?"
Viscount Wayne clicked his tongue, but Cassia was more persistent than he expected.
"My Lord, why not think of it differently? Lucas territory now has a place where they can artificially breed magic beasts. How much profit do you think that will bring them?"
"......"
Viscount Wayne fell silent. Truth be told, as a man, he couldn't help but feel greedy about a golden goose hatching eggs right next door. But...
"We have no justification, and frankly, our territory can't compare to Lucas in scale. Theirs was once a count's domain."
He said that much, but he didn't reject her outright. His lukewarm attitude was proof he harbored some desire himself.
Seeing this, Cassia smiled faintly and spoke.
"I have a small connection with Marquis Edmer. And also with Viscount Wisili and Count Osland."
These were names of noble houses near House Wayne. And Marquis Edmer, no less. Viscount Wayne's eyes gleamed as he listened. He had thought her merely a merchant who bought her title with money, but her reach was wider than expected.
"If you take me as your retainer, you can formally demand an apology... In exchange, demand the return of the seized assets and the merchants' release. That greedy Viscount Lucas won't accept it."
Viscount Wayne felt his mouth water at her words. Of course, he knew Kyle was a fierce general who had shone in many wars. But what if they allied with other territories? And if they could claim that golden goose?
After wrestling with his thoughts, he looked at her with a serious expression, all traces of his earlier distress gone.
"Can you truly connect me with Marquis Edmer?"
The fish had taken the bait.
"Of course. I've heard Viscount Lucas is close to Duke Northmond... so the marquis will gladly help."
[...Thus, we demand the release of the merchants detained by Your Lordship and an apology to clear this misunderstanding.]
A politely worded letter. But its contents were utterly absurd. Release assassins caught in the act? What if I'd already hanged them?
I scowled and glared at the messenger, who averted his eyes. Not that he had any fault; he was just delivering the letter.
"Is that all?"
"Yes. I was only told to deliver the letter..."
"Viscount Wayne is close with Baroness Cassia?"
The messenger nodded yes. I wondered if I should have killed her instead of releasing her, but it was too late. I sighed inwardly and scribbled a reply on paper.
[They posed a grave threat to my person, so they were hanged...]
I wrote it out at length, but in summary: they tried to kill me, so I executed them all, and their seized assets were already folded into the budget, so no returns.
I also added a warning not to meddle in trivial matters. Viscount Wayne would surely reply upon reading it, whatever that might say.
"Still, better safe than sorry."
I summoned Cutter. My near-infallible instincts were signaling danger. That letter demanding the merchants' release might have been preparation for building a pretext.
"What's up, bro? Heard a messenger came from House Wayne."
"How many Landsknechts do we have now?"
Cutter thought for a moment, then answered with a puzzled look.
"Around eight hundred... I think?"
"What good are you if you don't even know that?"
"Well... I'm bad with numbers..."
"Get me the exact count. Do it yourself—no delegating."
Cutter grimaced at the sudden order and shuffled out. The brute must hate counting, but that's the weight of his position. He'd manage.
The next day, I was sweating it out at the training grounds, practicing my swordsmanship. I'd been too busy traveling to train properly, so I needed to make up for it now.
Fighting that elf in red armor had made me realize how essential aura was. As I swung my sword at empty air, feeling a bit hollow, I paused. A training partner would make this better.
Looking around, I spotted the escorts watching me—Landsknechts.
"Anyone wanna step up?"
"If it's alright, I'd like a lesson, my lord!"
The man before me was a doppelsoldner—sword-and-buckler man, basically. From his gear, he seemed elite rather than vanguard. His eyes sparkled with eagerness to spar.
"Pipin! Don't go crying to mama after the lord beats you!"
"My lord! That guy's total mush—don't hold back!"
His spirited stance drew cheers and applause from his comrades on guard duty. A normal noble wouldn't dream of it, but they knew I didn't care about such things.
"Go ahead—attack first."
At my permission, the swordsman named Pipin drew his blade, assumed a stance, and advanced slowly. His sword, slung over his shoulder, swayed at intervals to blur my vision. Then, moments later.
"Hup!"
Clang!
Two-hander met two-hander in a deafening crash. The armor would prevent death, but the blow was fierce enough to hurt badly.
Our blades tangled in midair with a chilling scrape, the heavy impact vibrating through my sword. But leveraging my height and strength, I pinned the swordsman down and shouted.
"Don't try to block with brute force!"
Whoosh! Clang!
As if he didn't need my advice, the elite swordsman deftly deflected the force and spun his blade back. Impressive skill, honestly. Back when I'd just started learning swordsmanship, I couldn't have gauged the winner against this mercenary.
If he'd been born to a better house with more chances for merit, he might have become a knight.
Well... now our skill gap had widened a bit, and my physical superiority made it mostly me going easy on him.
"I surrender! I yield!"
In the end, the brief bout closed with the mercenary tapping out. Sheathing his sword, his hands trembled visibly.
"Hahaha! Dumbass couldn't even parry right? Look at those shakes!"
"Ugh! Quit being a doppelsoldner and stick to Landsknecht!"
"You lot try sparring the lord! His strength is insane..."
He yelled back at his teasing comrades, but their ribbing continued until Cutter arrived at the grounds.
"You lot... I leave you guarding the lord and you're yapping?"
"Captain!"
They snapped to attention at their direct superior. Cutter had them well in hand. He tsked at their sight, his face more haggard than yesterday, and reported.
"Investigation complete, my lord. 680 Landsknechts, 124 doppelsoldners—total 804."
I nodded in satisfaction at the numbers, far more than the hundred or so we'd started with. Simple math: eightfold growth. With this many elites, even a territorial war wouldn't be an issue.
As I was about to move on, a sudden thought struck. Landsknechts were practically my private troops, but they were mercenaries. Some must have taken contracts elsewhere...
"Wait—how many are left in the castle?"
"About fifty. We had around a hundred, but yesterday Hans Caravan hired fifty more, halving it."
So only fifty usable Landsknechts in the territory right now.
Crack!
I popped Cutter's knuckle.
"Ow! Bro, why?!"
He looked at me aggrievedly, but I sighed and dismissed the guarding mercenaries. Then I eyed Cutter pitifully.
"You scattered them all for money? Who's guarding the castle then?"
"We have soldiers—what's to worry? Who's gonna attack us?"
He wasn't wrong. Who would invade here? But that Baroness Cassia was scheming.
"The messenger from Wayne yesterday wasn't harmless. He brought a letter demanding we release those merchants we caught and apologize."
"What? Why release them and apologize? They got nabbed plotting!"
"Building pretext. They didn't expect me to listen anyway. Sound the assembly. Gather all soldiers in the castle and assess our forces."
Dong—dong—
The bell tolled, signaling soldier assembly. Soon after, a report came: muster complete. I was pleased at the speed.
Despite neglecting regulars for Landsknecht investments, their quick gathering showed solid training. But that satisfaction was short-lived. Arriving at the barracks, I witnessed a shocking sight.