Conqueror (1)
Conqueror (1)
The west, where Count Edward ruled as great lord, was a region of many mountains and mines. Economically it was not poor, but its food self-sufficiency rate was low.
In normal times, they purchased food from outside to resolve this, but with the civil war severing overland trade routes, they were suffering hardships.
Therefore, the grain-producing region that jutted out from the west toward the center was a place that had to be defended at all costs.
The name of this fertile land was King's Field. It was where, in ancient times, the finest goods destined for the table of the half-elf family had been offered as tribute.
Naturally, the Kruger family was not about to leave it alone. They raised an army and set their sights on King's Field, which jutted into the central region as if inviting them to devour it.
"Let us abandon this. It is impossible to defeat them on open ground."
"If we abandon this place, we will starve anyway! We must fight while we still have the strength!"
The nobles' opinions were sharply divided, but in the end, the consensus leaned toward fighting.
No one expected victory against the Kruger brutes, who were like man-eating bears. The goal was to demonstrate the west's strength and somehow drag them to the negotiating table.
The problem was that in such situations, one always had to be wary of betrayal.
"The baron knows well that opposing His Majesty is an act of suicide."
Not long ago, an envoy of Kruger, who had recently declared himself king, had held a secret conversation with a certain noble.
"What would you have me do? His Excellency Edward and a majority of his vassals wish to fight."
"His Majesty naturally understands such circumstances. Responsibility will be harshly concentrated upon and laid upon a minority of nobles."
"Th-that is how it should be! We never had any intention of fighting His Majesty. Is he not the one who commands the strongest legion in Britannia?"
The noble nodded his head as if he had been waiting for those words.
"Then you agree?"
"But still, betrayal, no matter the circumstances..."
"We are not asking even an honorable man such as yourself to go so far as betrayal. We merely ask that you refrain from acting proactively. Were you not opposed to this war from the beginning?"
"Hmm."
The secret envoy carefully chose only words that would ease the moderate faction's guilt. And the result.
"With this, we can hold out well enough!"
Count Edward, having established a strong defensive line at King's Field, had shouted confidently.
"Why on earth are you not moving?!"
And after the battle had begun, he was appalled by the lords of the left wing, who made every excuse to avoid engaging.
* * *
Eugene was bewildered when he heard the report.
"Even considering the bribery, I don't understand how Count Edward, the commander, was captured. Was there no time to retreat?"
"The thing is, the commander of the Kruger army's right wing attempted a gamble."
The messenger was no common soldier, as befitted one reporting directly to the ruler of the south. He had compiled and familiarized himself with various pieces of intelligence. He could answer Eugene's question immediately.
"He wheeled his allied forces around and launched a pincer attack on Count Edward's center army. He said he ignored the bribed left wing of the west entirely, as their passivity was beyond imagination."
"Whoever that commander is, they have quite the nerve. If it had gone wrong, the entire allied force could have been lost."
It was equivalent to being in a three-on-three knife fight, and upon hearing the opponent across from you had been bribed, leaving your flank open to pincer the center.
If the opponent had a change of heart and thrust their blade, you would die absurdly screaming.
No matter how laughable the opponent looked, this was not ordinarily something one could do with mere courage and judgment.
'I wonder if they are fearless, or if their instincts as a warrior are simply outstanding.'
What was certain was that the Kruger family and its vassals were not simple fools who only relied on brute strength.
Their military power was strong, yet they did not hesitate to use intrigue and bribery, and when necessary, they threw bold gambles.
"Will you intervene?"
When the messenger withdrew, Rex asked. He had been halfway through stealing Eugene's ketchup-dipped fries but put his fork down, as if feeling a pang of conscience.
"You've got a face that says you want me to."
"I heard much about Count Kruger at the banquet. He is the sort of man who absolutely knows no satisfaction. Peaceful coexistence with him is impossible."
"For a man like that, peace is nothing more than a preparation period to stockpile armaments."
"Then shall you summon the vassals?"
Rex's face was full of anticipation. It was because the memory of the time they raided the Barsian camp had come to mind.
The Black Hand Tribe had rarely fought pitched battles as a single force. They had avoided going all-in because of their high individual value and distrust of humans.
Yet now, following Eugene, the entire clan was becoming a protagonist in large-scale battles that determined the course of history. As a tribe of born warriors, it was a heart-swelling honor.
He knew he could not become the hero of the history books himself. But the fact that, in the future, his name would be written alongside Eugene's in every major event was enough for him.
"Your enthusiasm is good, but it's difficult to act right away."
He had just become the great lord of the south. Even now, he was still receiving oaths of fealty from nobles coming from various regions.
"The west will not collapse immediately. It is easy to defend because there are many mountains."
The west was a famous producer of yew. Though their army had shrunk due to defeat, they still possessed a powerful corps of archers.
If they relocated into the mountains and continued their resistance, even the Kruger family would be unable to subdue them in a short time. Moreover, there were hostile great lords to the north and east as well.
"It is summer now. In any case, we must wait until autumn for the harvest season to arrive."
"You intend to aim for King's Field in the autumn?"
Having read his lord's mind, Rex grinned.
The south that Eugene ruled and the west were connected by roads. One of those roads led directly to King's Field, which the Kruger family now occupied.
"That's right. When the grain ripens, I will strike that land and gain both food and allies."
Eugene knew the maxim from 'when the Nazis fell upon them.'
Rushing in right away was foolish, but standing by and watching was an even stupider thing to do.
* * *
"I intend to make use of Shade Garden as a place for healing and convalescence. Would that be acceptable?"
"This place belongs to Varda-nim. You have no need to ask my permission."
Varda took Eugene's hand and smiled.
"Shade Garden is a place where the energy of life is thickly condensed. Merely staying there brings peace to the heart and enhances the body's recuperative powers."
"Those with ailing family members will be desperate to come. Whether they look upon me favorably or with displeasure, they will approach amicably."
Even a fool could see how great a political benefit this offered.
"To have such a beautiful wife who also provides such steadfast support. I am a blessed man."
Peck.
Eugene kissed the back of Varda's hand where he held it.
"In times of peace, she handles documents alongside me; in times of war, she stands beside me on the battlefield as a mage. She is truly my life's companion."
"It is merely the thread following where the needle leads."
"You say the kindest things."
Eugene's lips passed over the back of Varda's hand and rose, marking up her arm.
"W-wait a moment. Something like this in broad daylight..."
Though flustered, Varda did not stop the physical contact. Refusing her spouse's physical demands was something an elf could never imagine doing.
"When autumn comes, I will summon the army."
"I know. You are thinking of aiming for King's Field?"
"That's correct."
Varda, too, had grasped Eugene's intentions solely from the information she had heard from above.
"Before we march, Varda-nim, I need you to step forward. Please announce before the assembled vassals that Shade Garden will be used as a hospital."
"Would it not be better for you, the great lord, to do so?"
"It would make a better image for the elf princess to speak rather than me."
A strong man and a beautiful woman. Each had different tasks through which they could produce the greatest synergy.
"Anyone injured on Meyer's battlefield will be transported to Shade Garden regardless of status. Please say that before everyone."
"That is a good idea. The soldiers will praise your compassion. Morale will also rise greatly."
Discussing major and minor affairs with Varda had been something he had always done.
But speaking not as a friend, but as a wife, felt completely different. Even though, socially, it was merely the addition of one more title.
"It feels strange."
"Hmm?"
"Until now, whenever I devised a large plan, there was always a heaviness in one corner of my heart."
"That is because you are a monarch who carries many people on your shoulders."
Varda stroked Eugene's cheek as if she felt sorry for him.
"Yet in just a single night, that burden has lifted dramatically. I wonder, is this the power of family?"
"You may lean on me and unburden yourself of anything, as much as you wish."
Varda gently took Eugene's two hands and brought them to her chest. Her golden eyes gazed at him, filled with warm affection.
"Even if it is a worry you cannot tell others, it is fine. That is what it means to be husband and wife."
"Does that include lewd things?"
"..."
The pleasant atmosphere crumpled in an instant. Varda bit her lip, ever so slightly.
"...Yes."
"Oh!"
But she nodded her head. If this reduced her husband's burdens and stress, as his wife she would accept it willingly.
"What I desire is..."
Eugene whispered into Varda's ear. The elf's ear, heavily plundered on their wedding night and still unable to recover its tautness, twitched.
"Eugene."
"Tell me."
Having heard his request in full, Varda shut her eyes tightly.
"This... you must absolutely never tell anyone else."
"Of course. How could I speak of such a thing to anyone but my wife?"
"Not even to Homi. You cannot."
"Wouldn't Homi be all right?"
"Her respect for you might diminish."
Perhaps that was a frightening thought to Varda as well, for her golden eyes trembled.
"She would not. How generous a child Homi is."
That stiffness that might occur once when something was said, whether privately or professionally. A split second of hesitation that could arise from dislike, embarrassment, discomfort, or reluctance.
Homi had never once shown even that.
-Please.
-Hehe.
She simply accepted it, shaking her head and tail together.
"Now, now, it is mealtime. Let us go."
Eugene helped Varda to her feet. She was wearing a wide, generously cut skirt. Though made of fine fabric, structurally, there was no refinement to be found in it.
It was unlike her, as she usually cared greatly about fashion, but there was good reason for it.
Totter, wobble.
Varda, who had always walked with an upright posture, now moved with a hunched back and unsteady, bow-legged steps. She even grimaced from time to time, as if pain rose up.
"I'm sorry."
Eugene felt the responsibility of the culprit and supported Varda.
"It is not solely because of you. This is a sight commonly seen with a bride who has passed her wedding night."
Varda paused for a moment.
"Though, of course, that wedding night was excessive."
"It must have been embarrassing for you in front of the tribe members because of me. They probably all looked at you with knowing glances."
There were the witch trainees and medicine women receiving Varda's teachings, and countless other female dark elves tied to her through various duties. They would recognize the cause just by watching Varda's gait for a single second.
"Well, at first I was self-conscious too, but it was nothing of the sort."
The elf bride's face bore a trace of pride.
"Did everyone tactfully pretend not to notice?"
"No, the opposite."
Varda met gazes brimming with envy wherever she went.
-Is it true the bed collapsed in a single night?
-They say every corner of the room felt damp to the touch.
-The warriors of Lady Cassandra who stood guard spoke of it. They said it made them wish to be wed.
Elven lovemaking prized ferocity above all else.
The traces the Meyer couple left in their bridal chamber, the blissful cries that rang through the night, even the powerful scent clinging to Varda before she washed—all of it had already become legend.
* * *
While Varda went to inspect the materials and laborers being stockpiled at the Shade Garden, Eugene waited in the reception chamber for an invited guest.
"Do I smell of something?"
Homi drifted back and forth beside Eugene, twitching her nose adorably. With her extraordinary sense of smell, she could distinguish subtle changes in the scent emanating from a person's body.
-Marbas-nim. Homi says she can smell the beginnings of a cold on you. Please rest in the heated room for a few days.
-It's sweltering in there!
-Surely that's better than hacking and coughing with a cold? Do not dismiss Homi's care.
Simple ailments could be caught early and addressed in advance.
Naturally, the person whose scent Homi attended to with the greatest care was Eugene. True to his inborn iron constitution, Eugene had never suffered a single minor illness in his life.
But Homi did not use her nose only for practical purposes either.
"It tickles."
When no one else was present, she would often bury her face against Eugene's neck or chest. His natural scent was Homi's most cherished indulgence.
"You say it reeks of elf?"
Nod, nod.
They had embraced and rolled about so fiercely that his wife's fragrance seemed to have soaked into him despite a thorough washing.
"Fufufu."
Homi's tail swayed with pleasure.
She did not mind her lord carrying Varda's scent. The elf princess was someone Homi loved as well, after all.
She seemed all the more satisfied to catch the scent of both precious people at once. Homi flicked her tongue as if savoring a sublime cocktail.
"I've been making inquiries everywhere, but I couldn't find anything here either."
Eugene stroked Homi's throat. He had been exhaustively seeking a way to restore her voice, but met with failure at every turn.
The mage invited today was yet another dud.
"My lord. This is fundamentally different from aphasia. It is a side effect born of a potent bestial mystery."
"Is it beyond even your ability?"
"I apologize."
At the sight of Eugene's disappointment, the mage bowed his head deeply. He was a man renowned for casting out possessing evil spirits and wraiths. Eugene had placed some hope in him, just in case, but it turned out to be the same as ever.
"Alchemists, witches, high-ranking priests, summoners, experts on the soul—none of them have a solution."
Pat, pat.
Eugene buried his face in his hands, and it was Homi who comforted him instead. The mage, observing the pair, cautiously ventured a question.
"Have you, perchance, spoken with a druid?"
"Of course I have. But they couldn't grasp it either."
"I do not speak of ordinary druids. Though they may have accepted a beast's soul, they still live under the light of civilization. Their mystery can only be weak."
"What do you mean, then?"
"Among the primitive tribes, there are those who have safeguarded secrets and knowledge since time immemorial. If I may presume, should any beings capable of restoring the squire's voice exist, it would be them and them alone."
"And where in the world am I supposed to find such people?"
"...I am sorry."
The mage gauged Eugene's reaction as the lord sighed his frustration.
It was a world teeming with vicious monsters and sain. For survival, the people of the continent had banded together under the light of civilization.
"If it's primitive tribes who have lived in an isolated world, to find such people one would need to go somewhere like a new world no one has ever set foot in..."
Eugene, who had been speaking absently, froze. In an instant, an image bloomed vividly in his mind.
The image of a steppe type of figure—one who decorated their hair with feathers, worshipped various beasts as gods, and lived in harmony with nature.
'First, I have to deal with that Kruger bastard somehow.'
He could not leave the south undefended with a beast drooling right before his eyes.
What had primarily been a look of duty as a great lord now kindled with intense desire in Eugene's eyes. This was also a hope he had long cherished.
Peck.
"Do not push yourself too hard. My..."
Homi spoke after kissing Eugene on the cheek.
The rest of the sentence could never be completed. Such was the restriction laid upon Homi.
Knight and squire. Older brother and younger sister. The oldest of comrades. Childhood friends. The one to whom you could hand a razor and trust with your throat. Partners on the battlefield who could guard each other's backs.
To fully express even a fragment of the heart Homi held, a handful of words would never suffice. She needed to be able to speak more than a single complete sentence.
"You tell me not to push myself, but that's the unreasonable demand, you know."
Eugene pressed his forehead against Homi's and rubbed gently. They exchanged their scents and the warmth of their breath. It was the intimacy Homi loved most.
"I will find your voice. I've risen to great lord—if I hoard that power, what good is it?"
Eugene had no interest in vanity or luxury. But for Homi's sake, he was willing to pour out anything. For now he possessed the strength and authority to do exactly that.
* * *
"Has His Excellency Meyer not issued a mobilization order?"
"My wife weeps every night, worried for her family home in the west. I have no idea how to console her."
"Whether late or soon, war cannot be avoided. If so, it would be better to launch a preemptive strike and seize the advantage of surprise."
The nobles of the south had been paying close attention to the events unfolding in the north as well.
"Since when did everyone grow so bold?"
"These same men who dithered even at Viscount Winchester's summons suddenly..."
Those who knew of the southern nobles' disgraceful behavior in the early days of the civil war could only gape in disbelief.
In Britannia, the south held a strong reputation for being relatively soft.
The west, a true paradise of yew, possessed the island's greatest longbowmen.
The east, thanks to the bounty of the Black Soil Plains, had the largest population and had fought countless battles against invading foreign races.
The center, having assimilated those foreign races themselves, boasted a formidable warrior culture.
The north was guarded by the harshest mountains, the bitterest cold, and the highlanders who dwelt there.
Each region possessed conditions that compelled strength, but none of that applied to the south.
The only thing it had in abundance was money. Farmland second only to the east, and the finest commercial positioning.
"Ahem! Do not be a wet blanket in the face of crisis."
"Vassals have always taken after their lord. Whether they become wild dogs or wolves depends entirely on their leader."
The nobles of Cornwall who had been loyalists from the start were beyond question. But even the vassals who had once fought Eugene's army, or who had followed him to strike the Barsian forces, had gained a firm conviction.
That if he led them, even the likes of Count Kruger was no foe to fear.
When they first heard Viscount Winchester's mobilization order, they had felt a pang of anxiety, thinking, 'So it has come at last.'
Now they were growing restless, thinking, 'Why does His Excellency not issue the mobilization order?'
Even as he listened to the reports of his vassals' reactions, Eugene focused on stabilizing the territory. Even when you fight, the supply lines in the rear must be solid to sustain combat strength.
"Haven is a place that possesses the virtues of both an inland city and a port city. In the future, it could function as the capital of a nation without the slightest insufficiency."
A dark elf dressed in merchant's attire presented a newly organized tax plan.
They were members of the Rothschild family, a merchant clan that had entered Eugene's service through Chieftain Alessa's introduction.
After completing the stabilization of Sicily, they had left behind a small number of administrators and followed Eugene to Britannia.
"In some ways, it's similar to North Fork. Though comparing the scale and growth potential would be embarrassing."
Eugene, having scanned the tax plan, nodded.
"You've worked hard. The old system was too much of a mess. Perfectly set up for middle managers to skim a bite at every turn."
"We've already sorted out the places where corruption is suspected. Shall we dance with the blade this time as well?"
The Rothschild family, unlike other dark elf tribes, was a purely mercantile group with no military power of its own. Because of that, the rage they had built up from suffering abuse in human society was no small thing.
They were poised to carve out the city's rotten flesh the moment Eugene gave his permission. It was work, but also a tonic for the soul.
"Dancing with the blade is fine, but we can't do it the way we did in Sicily. This is a far larger world, and a war is looming."
"Of course! We will never cause Your Excellency any trouble."
"Good. I'll leave it to you again."
"Thank you."
The dark elf merchant, promised great profit and rights, paid his due as a vassal.
"Do you know of the Hanseatic League?"
"One cannot call oneself a merchant without knowing of them. They are the most far-reaching people on the continent, after all."
"They're smooth, competent, but not entirely trustworthy."
"Well, to them, even Your Excellency is merely one more customer..."
"That's why I want your family to take their place. It may be impossible right away, but eventually."
"!!!"
The merchant stiffened in surprise for only a moment.
"The world is going to grow wider. And I'll need to lay new infrastructure to match, but I don't want to rely on someone else's feet to do it."
"It is nothing but an honor. We shall serve with all our heart and might."
The merchant bowed deeply on behalf of the entire Rothschild family.
-If you wish for a better future, invest now. A brilliant seat at the fore shall await you.
At the same time, he felt deeply grateful to Chieftain Alessa, who had come to them back then and persuaded them to join.
Months passed in this fashion, solidifying the internal foundations. Around the time the wheat fields began to turn gold, servants raced out from Haven all at once.
"Rally under the name of Meyer."
The first mobilization order ever issued by Eugene, who had begun as a free knight and risen to great lord, spread across the whole of the south.
End
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