Escalation (1)
Escalation (1)
After the Second Prince left, the capital grew increasingly desolate.
Even the Knight Commander and the Royal Knights stepped in to try to maintain public order, but they were simply outmatched.
The security forces originally responsible for public order had been reorganized into the First Prince's army, while the territorial soldiers and mercenaries brought by the supporting nobles dragged the capital's atmosphere further into the abyss.
With prices soaring and public safety crumbling, the streets grew quieter by the day.
Yet amid this desolate atmosphere, there was one place bustling with activity.
It was in front of the capital's west gate, where the First Prince's forces were gathering.
Since the units had come from all over, accidents were frequent and cooperation nonexistent, but they still seemed full of energy.
Looking around at the scene, the First Prince nodded.
"The vanguard departs tomorrow. The main force will follow immediately after. I will be moving with the main force as well."
The nobles following behind the First Prince were startled by his words.
"The troops haven't even fully gathered yet. We haven't even trained together..."
"We have yet to stabilize the capital, nor have we secured the full cooperation of the surrounding nobles. If we move now, our rear will be vulnerable."
"We need more scouting. We must verify the situation on the Second Prince's side first."
"We must also keep a close eye on both the Duchy and the Duke of Gracia!"
Voices of opposition erupted from all sides.
Some nobles had only just arrived and hadn't even shaken off their fatigue, while others were genuinely concerned and tried to dissuade the First Prince.
Then again, some simply wanted to spend more time in the capital, while others feared losing their troops in a pointless march.
Though the nobles had various ulterior motives, they all reached the same conclusion.
They were all saying it was not yet time to depart.
At the nobles' words, the First Prince narrowed his eyes.
He calmly addressed the nobles who dared to oppose him, one by one.
"It's already been days. When are the troops we're waiting for actually supposed to arrive in full?"
"And stabilizing the capital? Is that even possible? As long as this civil war isn't over, things will only get messier as time passes."
"Besides, those who haven't sent word of cooperation yet are just waiting to see which way the wind blows. They're nothing but bats who will crawl to my side the moment I win."
"We can receive scouting reports on the way. There's no need to worry about the Duchy or the Duke."
His answers grew increasingly dismissive toward the end, but for the First Prince, this was practically a polite response.
And his points weren't entirely wrong.
"That is..."
Perhaps because of that, the protesting nobles found themselves momentarily speechless.
"I've waited long enough. We must finish this before that little brother of mine, who fled to the western lands, manages to establish a foothold."
Suppressing his temper, the First Prince explained why they had to move now.
Ultimately, unable to find a counterargument, the nobles raised another objection.
"Then, instead of marching in person, perhaps you could entrust this to someone else..."
At that, the First Prince snorted.
His patience was clearly reaching its limit, and his voice grew louder.
"Entrust it to whom? Daniel is dead, and so is Viscount Morena. Vice-Commander Alvaro has to keep the Royal Knight Commander in check. Surely you aren't suggesting I entrust this to you greedy nobles?"
As he spoke, the First Prince swept his gaze over the nobles following him.
Though it was a blatant insult, the nobles merely exchanged glances.
After all, being insulted by the First Prince was far better than seeing another noble appointed as commander.
"But..."
Someone barely managed to open their mouth, but the First Prince waved a hand dismissively.
"Shut up. We depart immediately. Tell those who aren't ready to follow behind. As for those who arrive last, they can think about what will happen to them later."
At the First Prince's growl, everyone fell silent.
There was no telling what would happen if they argued with the First Prince now that his temper was flaring.
Ultimately, the First Prince's army, gathered in the capital, began marching westward the very next day.
And that rumor spread across the entire kingdom in an instant.
The Second Prince, who had been diligently building up his forces, soon heard the news as well.
Bang!
As the Second Prince slammed his fist onto the desk, the documents piled on it scattered in all directions.
"He's already on the move?"
"Yes. Even the main force is reportedly marching west."
At the old general's words, the Second Prince flew into a rage. Under normal circumstances, he would have maintained a polite demeanor, but hearing such news made it impossible to hide his true nature.
"Is he insane? He's coming to strike me without even properly gathering his forces?"
It would easily take a month or two to gather troops and establish a proper formation.
Even they were only just beginning to redeploy their forces.
Yet he was already on the move.
Undoubtedly, the First Prince was leading his troops exactly as the nobles had brought them, without a single shred of formation training.
It was a madness that no sane commander would ever commit.
"No. It was because I got bitten by that madman that I ended up here in the first place."
The Second Prince clutched his head.
Even madness could become a brilliant strategy if it succeeded.
There was no guarantee this wouldn't turn into another of the First Prince's brilliant strokes.
He could not allow that to happen this time.
And he had made his own preparations.
"Send messengers to the Duchy and the Duke of Gracia immediately. Tell them this is their chance to strike the capital."
Honestly, they were factions he didn't even consider worthy opponents and found bothersome to deal with, but in times like this, they were useful forces.
"Tell them I will hold him off as long as possible, so they should occupy the capital first."
"Will that be alright?"
An advisor standing at a distance asked cautiously.
"I'm only entrusting it to them temporarily, anyway. Besides, if the capital is about to fall, that madman will have to withdraw his troops. We just need to hold out until then."
The Second Prince left the meeting room, which was in shambles with documents scattered everywhere, and stepped outside.
It was a fortress of the Western Kingdom Army, surrounded by wooden palisades.
The modest fortress was packed with territorial soldiers and knights.
They were troops and knights gathered from all directions.
Although the deployment was not yet complete and the full kingdom army and nobles had yet to gather, time was on his side.
As long as he held out as long as possible and built up his forces, this kingdom would belong to him, the Second Prince.
That day, the Second Prince's forces halted their deployment and began moving to confront the First Prince's army.
While the two princes were rushing toward each other, I had just returned to the Gracia territory.
Upon my arrival, preparations for departure were in full swing.
Countless banners fluttered across the plains outside the castle gates, and the encampments that had once stretched across the fields were completely gone.
In their place, territorial soldiers, mercenaries, and knights were forming ranks, preparing to move out.
The city inside the castle walls was also in an uproar.
Mercenaries could be seen rushing out of the castle, while lovers and families shared their final goodbyes.
Taking in the sight, Balea, the knights, and I galloped toward the estate.
The Duke's estate was equally chaotic.
The Duke's order of knights was nowhere to be seen; they seemed to have departed already.
Instead, nobles were gathered in the estate's inner courtyard.
They packed the gardens and front yard, all looking fully prepared for departure.
Some wore luxurious armor, while others were dressed in dazzling formal attire.
Beautifully decorated horses and sturdy yet ornate carriages were also in sight.
After seeing the soldiers outside the castle, looking at these vanity-filled nobles made me scoff despite myself.
There was a reason the nobles were gathered here.
The Duke was in the middle of delivering a speech.
A small podium had been set up in front of the estate's entrance, with several people standing on it.
Now, it was the Duke's turn.
Seeing how flushed the Princess's face was as she stood beside the podium, she had likely already given a speech of her own.
"...And so, we have decided to head to the capital to protect the royal family of this kingdom. And so..."
Looking at the podium, it seemed there were still more nobles scheduled to speak after the Duke.
No matter the era or the world, it seemed such customs never died out.
At least it was a relief they weren't holding this event in front of the actual soldiers and knights.
We waited near the main gate for the ceremony to conclude.
A short while later, the departure ceremony ended, and the nobles began filing out of the estate.
At first, the nobles paid no attention to us as we stood aside, but it seemed some of them recognized me.
The passing nobles began whispering among themselves when they saw me.
Some looked at me with eyes full of disgust, while others stared with curiosity.
Some seemed uncomfortable, and strangely enough, a few even looked terrified.
Once the nobles had departed, only the Princess's entourage and the estate's family remained.
The knights all headed to join their respective units, while I went to greet the Princess first.
"I have returned. Thankfully, I am not too late."
"You've worked hard. And now you have to head out again immediately, without even a chance to rest..."
The Princess wore an apologetic expression, but I couldn't very well rest while everyone else was on the move.
"It can't be helped."
I shrugged my shoulders, and beside me, Balea offered a bright greeting.
"I'm back too!"
"You've worked hard as well."
The Princess smiled warmly at Balea.
Watching the two of them converse, I walked over to the Duke.
This mission had been carried out under the Duke's orders. Although Miguel would submit a separate report, I still needed to report to the Duke myself.
"You're late."
Indeed, if I had been even slightly later, our paths might have crossed.
But reprimanding me the moment we met—it was classic Duke.
"I have verified all the territories on the list. Every single one of them signed the pledge scroll supporting the Princess, and, with the exception of those unable to help due to internal circumstances, they have all agreed to provide food and funds."
I calmly reported the events of my journey.
"Every single one..."
The Duke repeated my words quietly.
Then, with uncharacteristic hesitation, the Duke spoke.
"What became of... Maria?"
It seemed the Duke was curious about what had happened to the second duchess.
Since even the knights hadn't stopped by, it was only natural that the Duke remained in the dark.
"She has passed away. In her reckless attempt to restore her ability, she suffered a mental breakdown, and Viscount Ibiza took care of the matter himself."
The Duke stood in silence for a moment before finally responding.
"...So that is how it ended, after all."
It seemed the Duke had already been somewhat aware of the territory falling into ruin.
After all, there was no way the Duke would have sent his wife back and completely ignored her.
In the end, it was no different from him leaving his wife's cleanup to me.
I had expected it, but he truly was a cold-hearted man.
It was a good thing I had never expected anything from him to begin with; otherwise, my disappointment would have been immeasurable.
"I see. You did well. Join your unit."
"Understood."
Concluding a conversation that could hardly be called one between father and son, I headed back toward the Princess.
And on that day, the army of the Princess and the Duke of Gracia departed the territory.
But that army could not head toward the capital.
Absurdly, the army had no choice but to march east instead of west.
For news had just arrived that the army of the Epirus Kingdom to the east had invaded the Kingdom.