270. Reorganization of the Duchy
270. Reorganization of the Duchy
- 1 -
The northwestern stretch of the southern border of the Duchy of Leoper.
Once part of the Cheoks Border Margraviate, now the northern riverbank of the Cheoks Border Margrave's direct dominion after the loss of two counties.
In this marshland bordering the Zenota United Kingdom, territorial disputes between the two nations had periodically flared up.
At a border outpost sunken in a tomb-like silence, Elena, clad in dark-colored armor, observed somewhere through a telescope.
At the far end of its view, a body of soldiers carefully navigated the soft, sinking ground.
"Just as the scouts reported."
Her firm voice echoed around her.
Her brown hair, now darkened nearly to black, swallowed the dawn sunlight itself as it fluttered in the wind.
The 'Wings of Leophere,' equipped in black armor and a black cloak lined with blue.
Behind her, knights fully clad in black armor awaited her command, their eyes gleaming.
"They are attempting to cross the border. Two hundred knights and a thousand infantry. All appear to be veteran raiders."
These were the Black Iron Knight Order, the one among Leophere's eighteen elite knight orders she had been able to take over in full.
The fact that this knight order, primarily tasked with internal inspections and frontline raids, had been entrusted to her carried deep significance.
It meant she now held a measure of summary judgment authority over the nobles of this territory.
Elena sen Leoper, Border Countess.
She was one of the two powerholders ushering in a new era for Leophere.
"Your Excellency. Do you truly believe they will cross?"
The oldest knight among these Black Knights asked Elena.
A veteran approaching sixty. Decades of combat experience were etched into the face of the Black Iron Knight Order's vice-commander.
No matter how much of a powerholder of the current generation Elena was, he was not someone to be treated carelessly.
"The likelihood is high. The balance of power in this region is being shaken by Hysen's northern advance."
Elena's sharp gaze turned toward the far side of the border.
Sunlight filtering through the trees shone down upon the marsh across which Zenota's skirmishers were making their way.
"For them, this chaos is an opportunity. They intend to seize a portion of the lost border while Leophere's mainland is preoccupied with its relations with Orbis and Hysen."
Taking a step back, she turned to face the knights.
Though outnumbered, their eyes held resolve and a bloodthirsty eagerness rather than anxiety.
It was only natural.
They were the elite knights of the former Ironfield, now Leophere.
Among them, the Black Iron Knight Order specialized in battlefield slaughter and covert operations.
Isolation was their daily routine.
"This place I seized. An opportunity to reclaim at least part of the two border counties of Cheoks. If we could sever the connection to the mainland, there would be nothing better, but..."
"Heh heh."
The old veteran let out a savage sneer.
It was because he had guessed the situation: the enemy had invaded not that connection, but this remote point.
"They must have been certain that Your Excellency would naturally be holding that place. Unaware that another force has been newly assigned to defend it."
At the veteran's words, Elena allowed herself a faint smile.
As long as the kamaya and harpy warriors Libertas had sent as support were directly guarding that connection, Elena could move freely along the entire border.
"You have all fully memorized the operation, yes?"
At Elena's voice, returning to her role as commander, the knights nodded in unison.
About one hundred knights and two hundred skirmishers.
That was the entirety of the forces she currently possessed.
But even that was sufficient.
"Good."
Elena stood before them, stripping the leather from her spear blade.
"The moment they encroach upon our territory, we will ride the forest and assault them. But avoid unnecessary killing. Until we have confirmed a clear advantage. After that, of course, you may do as you please."
Her spear, catching the sunlight streaming through the trees, did not gleam.
It was not because the blade was coated in ash, but because the spear itself was absorbing the light.
Like darkness.
"This land belongs to Leophere. Our land, our honor. We will not yield a single inch."
Instead of war cries from the knights and soldiers, their eyes glinted with bloodlust.
"Prepare yourselves."
Elena aimed her spear toward the ground.
The chill in her eyes was colder than the frozen snow of midwinter.
But internally, she never stopped calculating.
'Just as Master predicted. Once we repel Zenota here once, they will take one of two actions...'
A small smile reappeared on her lips.
Like a woman weeping on a hill, beneath the sorrow lay something eerie that sent chills down the spine of anyone who beheld it.
'Whichever it is, I am prepared.'
Before her eyes, Zenota's scouting party crossed the boundary line.
"Let's go."
The knights in their black iron armor began to move silently.
Behind them, the skirmishers in leather armor smeared with ash quietly followed.
The knights, who had moved as silently as shadows, fully revealed their presence only when they were upon the enemy.
Ppak - !
Elena's feet did not sink into the marsh; instead, she dashed forward as if flying over it.
"Ambush - !"
Peo-eok - !!
The moment the enemy scout screamed, Elena's spear, which had closed the distance in an instant, had already pierced his throat.
'For Master's world.'
As the dark blue wings swept the battlefield, Libertas's secret weapon soaked her entire body in the blood of hundreds once more today.
For her master's future. And for greater honor. Greater wealth and power.
Further still, for her own vindication.
- 2 -
The battle concluded swiftly.
"The enemy is retreating. Shall we pursue?"
At the elderly vice-commander's question, Elena shook her head.
Across her face, as she watched the Zenota army retreat breathlessly through the marsh, no emotion was visible.
"They never came here to wage a battle in the first place."
Elena spoke.
Watching the scouting party vanish beyond the marsh, she swung her spear blade once through the empty air.
- Wuuu...
The magic spear greedily drank in the surrounding grudges.
'Though we inflicted substantial practical damage... it's not much of a gain.'
Elena gauged their intentions.
Zenota's scouting party had no intention of holding out for long from the start.
It was merely meant to test Leophere's defensive line.
However, the counterattack launched under Elena's command had been fierce.
An ambush at precisely timed intervals and swift mobility.
The damage from the brief battle was severe.
They could only withdraw after sinking half of the forces they had brought into the marsh.
"Right now, Zenota lacks the capacity for an all-out war with us."
"Then why do such a thing..."
Before the veteran could finish his words, Elena replied.
"In Zenota, as in the current Kiza, the government is formed by consuls drawn from numerous politicians. Because of this, now that they have 'enemies' both above and below, public opinion is not easily unified."
The stolen counties of Cheoks would be a subject that felt like a thorn driven beneath the fingernail for some of those politicians.
Had the counterattack from this side not been fierce, they would have surely led a larger army the next time.
"There are many opinions favoring striking the enemy, but they haven't unified on where to strike. So they're testing us. Once the enemy is decided upon as one, then they can unite the nation's power behind that consensus."
At Elena's cold analysis, the veteran sent her a look of admiration.
Her insight—understanding not just how to defend the territory but also the internal affairs of Zenota—was astonishing.
'I knew she wasn't simply a knight with only outstanding martial prowess...'
"They will come again soon."
Elena continued.
But no tension could be felt in her voice.
As if she had already foreseen this entire situation.
In truth, it was someone else's wisdom... more precisely, wisdom granted by her master, but she possessed the talent to package it as if it were her own.
"Within a few days, they will return with a larger force. Since we deliberately came with a small force. And then..."
Elena's blue eyes gleamed sharply.
"... We, too, will be ready."
Behind her back, the hundreds of corpses she had felled lay upon the ground.
The marsh was dyed red.
A portent of a greater war. The veteran, sensing it as well, wore a bloodthirsty expression.
"I shall report to Her Highness."
"I will do it personally, so please tidy the battlefield."
Her eyes turned eastward.
Where the capital, Leoperum, lay. And where the Orbis Duchy was.
'I must convey this news to Master as well. That everything is proceeding according to plan.'
She murmured inwardly.
The border had fallen quiet, but this silence was merely the calm before the storm.
A greater clash, a deeper chaos, was writhing beneath the surface.
All of it, overseen by one person, upon the palm of Libertas.
- 3 -
The Grand Conference Room of Leophere Royal Castle.
Had it been an ordinary royal castle, this space would have been splendidly decorated in gold, red, purple, and the like; but within this Grakheizen region, it was adorned in a different palette.
A chandelier scattering hues of indigo and violet. A place elegantly embroidered with dark gray marble pillars and silver ornamentation.
The royal castle's garden was visible beyond the windows draped with black silk curtains.
The air in the room was as subdued as those heavy dark colors.
"This is the final decision."
The newly established Hysen, Orbis, and Leophere all furnished their courts in dark shades.
In this space, gold was used very sparingly.
Only for things like the thrones of the king and his successor, for instance.
"All articles, from Article 7 to Article 12 of the Knight Order Privilege Law, will be revised."
Adelaide Sen Leoper placed a thick stack of documents onto the table at the center of the conference room.
No room for compromise could be felt in her gray-blue eyes.
"All special privileges, including land occupancy rights, tax exemption privileges, and trial priority rights, will be reduced."
As Adelaide's words fell, a stir arose among the high-ranking knights seated around the table.
Their blinking grew more frequent, and their facial muscles stiffened.
Conversely, at the edges of the conference room where the lower-ranking knights gathered, the easing of tension was plainly visible.
"Instead, salaries will be raised by up to fifty percent, or at least twenty percent, and honor allowances and combat bonuses will be newly established. Furthermore, a sanatorium for injured knights and a pension system for retired knights will be prepared."
Adelaide continued in a composed voice.
Her neat black ceremonial robe perfectly matched the grand atmosphere of the conference room.
"Becoming a knight of the Duchy is an honorable thing. But that honor should stem not from privileges, but from service to the nation and its people. These days..."
In an instant, the air of the conference room grew heavier.
"There are many who use those privileges to diminish their own honor."
The expressions of a few high-ranking knights caught by Adelaide's gaze twisted with dissatisfaction.
"Your Highness the Archduchess! This is a measure that disregards the centuries-old tradition of the Leophere Knight Orders!"
A viscount rose from his seat and protested to Frederick.
The numerous medals on the old knight's ceremonial armor glittered under the conference room's lights.
"Our ancestors staked their lives to defend the Duchy in exchange for these privileges! If you strip them away overnight...!"
"It is not stripping away, Viscount."
The respondent was not Frederick.
The conference room door opened, and a Black Knight clad entirely in black armor, Elena, walked in.
Having returned from the border battle, she was still wearing her full combat armor.
Traces of blood and dust remained upon her black armor.
"This is reform. A change that allows the Knight Orders to reclaim their original honor, and to better perform their roles."
Elena stood beside Adelaide and looked down at the knights.
Despite having ridden for days to reach Leoperum as soon as the battle ended, not a trace of fatigue showed on her face.
It was simply composed and cool.
"I have just returned from a border conflict with Zenota. Our knights fought bravely, and the enemy retreated."
The conference room buzzed momentarily at her words.
"However, they will soon return with a larger force. The scent of a greater war hangs in the air."
Elena continued, looking straight at the viscount who had raised his complaint.
"On the battlefield, our knights are universally displaying loyalty and honor. But what they truly need is not privileges, but salaries to support their families and medical support for when they are injured."
"Your, Your Excellency..."
Kaslin tried to say something more, but Elena gently cut him off.
"Lord Viscount, you have not set foot on the battlefield even once in the past ten years. However, several of the subordinates I know have not only distinguished themselves in battle, but have been wounded multiple times—yet their families still suffer from poverty. Because of those medical expenses."
Some young knights standing at the edges of the conference room flinched at Elena's words.
They bowed their heads to hide their feelings, but their colleagues beside them placed hands on their shoulders and offered a pat of reassurance.
"If you truly think of Leophere's future..."
Elena's gaze upon the viscount remained measured.
But the viscount felt a greater pressure from that gaze and cast his eyes down.
"... it would be best to consider more deeply what must be done for the young knights."
"This reform is not a stripping of privileges. It is for the future of the Knight Orders, and of Leophere."
Adelaide continued speaking.
"The reform bill is already finalized. You must choose whether to accept it and move forward together, or..."
Before her words could fully conclude, a resonant voice rang out from the edge of the conference room.
"Long live Her Excellency the Commander of the General Knights! Long live Her Highness the Archduchess!"
Without anyone being first, the cheers of the lower-ranking knights filled the conference room.
Most of the high-ranking knights also joined in their fervor.
The only ones unable to take part in that fervor were a few knights who had been enjoying their power very thoroughly.
"... or be weeded out. You will have to make your choice."
Adelaide and Elena looked at each other and exchanged smiles.
The glance that passed between the two held something that went beyond a simple political alliance.
- 4 -
After the meeting concluded and the knights exited.
In the office, Adelaide held Elena's hand and gave her a gentle look.
It was not the gaze of the cold iron rose from the conference room, but one resembling an ordinary girl's.
"I'm glad you returned safely, El."
"You needn't worry. There are few in this interior who can defeat me. Sister."
As Elena answered slyly, a very small smile appeared on Adelaide's face.
In their eyes lay a secret only they could recognize.
But that was brief. They returned to the main topic.
"Zenota has begun to move. We need to accelerate the push to form the alliance."
At Elena's words, Adelaide nodded.
She knew, to some extent, what the plan was, but did not know the deeper truth beneath it.
"We must hasten the preparations."
Behind the two women, the sky of Leophere visible through the window began to darken.
Like a sky into which night descends, the balance of power on the continent was also slowly tilting.