Subjugating the Female General (7)
Upon leaving the imperial palace, Duke Balanos did not turn toward his own territory. His steps carried him instead to a particular destination in Kreitz, capital of the Krantz Empire.
The place he sought was the House of Dionel.
The Counts of Dionel held no fief of their own, yet generation after generation they had served among the highest echelons of the Krantz Empire. There were nobles who, in place of territorial holdings, managed the great and small affairs of the imperial household—administration, justice, public order. Running a nation required countless capable hands, and Count Dionel numbered among such men. Without a territory he commanded no private army, but because his house occupied key posts throughout the empire, their power was not to be dismissed.
Among those posts, Count Dionel held the office of Chief of Public Security, charged with maintaining order throughout the Krantz Empire. He kept the security commissioners of every territory—Kreitz included—under his direct command, tracking criminals, making arrests, and working to prevent crime before it took root. In the terms of the modern world, he wielded the authority of a national police commissioner. He and Duke Balanos shared a long-standing bond, and he was known as the Duke's right hand.
At the Duke's visit, Count Dionel came out to receive him in person.
"Your Grace, Duke Balanos! You've come!"
"Ah... Count Dionel. I nearly left the capital without even seeing your face."
"Haha... I do apologize. I should have called on you myself..."
"You're busy with everything under the sun. How could I expect that? I ought to be the one coming to you."
At the Duke's words, Count Dionel scratched his head, looking rather sheepish.
"Hahaha... This way, if you please."
The truth was that Count Dionel's workload was staggering; finding time was no easy matter. Only someone of Duke Balanos's standing could command a face-to-face meeting at all. Even Duke Edinel would have found it difficult to secure an audience so readily.
Count Dionel personally escorted Duke Balanos to his office. The Duke settled into the seat of honor as naturally as if it were his due.
"I've heard you'll be leading the campaign against the Kairan Kingdom. You must be extraordinarily busy. What brings you to seek out a man like me?"
Given the trust and history between them, there was no need to talk in circles. Count Dionel went straight to the point.
"Ahem... The reason I came to see you, Count..."
Duke Balanos cleared his throat once before speaking. From long experience, Count Dionel knew that when the Duke cleared his throat like that, the matter would not be a simple one.
"I was hoping you might look into His Majesty's inner circle a little..."
Count Dionel's eyes went as wide as they could go.
It was true that he stood with Duke Balanos. But more precisely, the nobles who resided in the capital belonged to the Emperor's faction. Beyond that, among the aristocratic party, Balanos and Edinel were the two names that mattered—yet at their foundation, they were still imperial loyalists.
Had it been anyone other than Duke Balanos, Count Dionel would have arrested him on the spot. The remark was that grave. It amounted to asking him to put the reigning Emperor under surveillance.
Seeing the Count's expression, Duke Balanos allowed himself a faint smile and continued.
"I understand that of late, my daughter the Empress and His Majesty have grown quite close. I worry there may be factions that resent that closeness."
Only then did Count Dionel's face ease. He too had heard that the Emperor and Empress were getting along remarkably well of late. And with that, Duke Balanos's own standing had risen considerably.
"Ah... is that what this is about?"
"That, and I have a few personal questions of my own. If anything unusual should appear in His Majesty's movements, I would like to be informed."
"Unusual...?"
"It's a personal favor. You needn't feel obligated."
"Ah... no, of course not. Given the bond between us, Your Grace... I shall keep you informed regularly."
"There's no need for regular reports. Only if something out of the ordinary comes up."
"Understood. I'll do as you say."
Duke Balanos spoke as if it were nothing. It was not nothing. A single misstep and the whole affair could be branded treason.
But given Count Dionel's role and standing, it was not an impossible request, and so the Count accepted. Moreover, judging by the character and conduct Duke Balanos had shown all these years, this was not a man who would ever turn traitor. There was something here the Count did not know—of that he was certain—and so he chose to place his trust in the Duke.
"I always seem to be the one coming to you with requests... If you should ever need anything of me, you have only to say so."
"Even those words alone mean a great deal, Your Grace."
Their conversation was brief. Duke Balanos took his leave, with Count Dionel seeing him out.
His Majesty has changed, if only a little. It may be nothing more than an old man's worry—but there's no harm in looking into it.
Through his audience with Dong-hyun, Duke Balanos had sensed that something was different from the Emperor he had known all these years. He had watched Ailes since the boy was a newborn infant. And now, after Dong-hyun's Possession, he had detected that something had shifted.
Having departed Kreitz, Duke Balanos made directly for the Balanos territory. He needed to organize his legions for the conquest of the Kairan Kingdom, and commanding the allied noble armies would require preparation.
Because the Balanos lands lay in the north, any campaign against the southern Kairan Kingdom would require crossing the full breadth of the Empire. The allied armies would therefore gather at a staging ground established on the Karen Plains, in the south.
The moment he entered his office, Duke Balanos summoned his retainers and began organizing the army. To wage war, one first needed soldiers. Second, one needed weapons to put in those soldiers' hands. And most critical of all was the food, clothing, and shelter they would consume while they fought.
Through the war council, Duke Balanos arranged for Duke Edinel to take charge of supplies. Edinel had no grounds on which to refuse, and so he had little choice but to pledge his support. In return, Duke Balanos would furnish the weapons, armor, bows, and arrows—and on that condition, the aid was granted.
The campaign might well drag on, and so they would need to stockpile resources in abundance. Reaching the Kairan front would take a month at the very least, and assembling the full host would require two. From this moment forward, Duke Balanos was about to enter a period of relentless activity.
"What is the meaning of this! Word has reached us that the Krantz Empire is sending five entire legions against us!"
The news, delivered by spies planted inside the Krantz Empire, had thrown the Kairan Kingdom into an uproar. And every arrow of blame flew straight at Adrian.
"The Krantz Empire is overreaching. But do not be alarmed. Wars are not won by numbers. If we hold the line with resolve, they will withdraw of their own accord."
Even with every eye in the hall fixed upon her, Adrian spoke with unshaken composure.
"Let me be perfectly clear. The Krantz Empire cannot afford a prolonged war. The moment they show even a hint of weakness, the surrounding kingdoms will descend to tear them apart."
"But fifty thousand troops! More than twice our own numbers—what are we supposed to do against that?"
"To overcome a defending force, an attacker requires five times their number. The Kairan Kingdom will not fall to them."
Her words were so assured that no one could argue—yet the fear on their faces did not fade. Whispers had already begun to circulate that perhaps they ought to send Adrian to the Krantz Empire after all.
"Your Majesty. Grant me command of every soldier in the Kairan Kingdom, as of this moment, and I will hold them. I swear it."
Adrian stepped to the center of the great hall, dropped to one knee, and addressed King Firenze. The hall erupted in murmurs. She was asking to have enormous power placed in her hands. And if that happened, sending her to the Krantz Empire would become all but impossible.
"Duchess Adrian! You mean to drag the Kairan Kingdom into a pit of despair for the sake of your own hide!"
Unable to stand it any longer, Duke Silvestri Crops strode forward, shouting his opposition.
"Hmph. I am not afraid of going to the Krantz Empire. But what comes after? Without me, this kingdom will be bled dry by the Empire, again and again. Can you handle what follows?"
Adrian walked toward Duke Crops, each step deliberate, and he stumbled backward. Her words did not stray from logic or reason.
"But that's... that is..."
Duke Crops tried to speak and found he had nothing left.
Having watched the exchange, King Firenze made his declaration. Whatever his private feelings, Adrian was the only one who could resolve this crisis.
And so, in the Kairan Kingdom as well, preparations for war with the Krantz Empire began.