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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Teottry
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Poo—
The horn signaling our departure blared. The troops gathered before the castle gates began to move.
Fiore and I led the vanguard, followed by Segeric’s vassals and their troops.
Bringing up the rear were the supply wagons guarded by soldiers, along with war merchants and prostitutes. Including them, our forces numbered around one hundred and fifty.
Clip-clop. Clip-clop.
Bolton rode up beside me as soon as we exited the gates.
“We must at least recapture the Twin Towers to prove this expedition wasn’t in vain.”
To explain the Twin Towers, one must first understand the Rhine River, the lifeblood of the southeastern part of the continent.
Originating from the great mountain range in the north, the river flowed through the edge of the Baron’s territory. It was an essential trade route, unavoidable for those traveling to Dressten or Quaran by water.
Moreover, as the main road also followed the river, the Twin Towers, built at the intersection of the river and the road, were a strategic stronghold.
To put it mildly, half of the Baron’s tax revenue came from this location, so its importance went without saying.
Losing it was the reason they had entered the truce negotiations at such a disadvantage.
“Don’t worry, Bolton. I’ll not only recapture the Twin Towers and reclaim our lost territory but also march to the enemy’s heartland and plant the Baron’s banner there.”
Bolton chuckled.
“You must. If this war ends in failure, Lord Ailgar’s faction will gain the upper hand. Even you won’t be forgiven then.”
“You sound as though you’re hoping for our failure.”
“Hardly. Keep in mind that our vassals have contributed more troops than you, Sir Allen.”
“They’re just rabble.”
While the vassals might have contributed more troops, I had spent far more on hiring mercenaries. Moreover, elite mercenaries like these couldn’t be bought with money alone.
“If it weren’t for the rabble making up the numbers, we wouldn’t even dare face the enemy. The difference in our forces is significant.”
The enemy forces entrenched in the Twin Towers were said to number around two hundred, more than double our numbers.
“I hope your rabble live up to your confidence.”
“We, too, have high expectations of you, Sir Allen.”
Bolton smiled and returned to his group. Fiore, who had been following behind and listening to our conversation, spoke up.
“What was that? It’s like he’s praying for our defeat.”
“They, too, have invested heavily in this war, so they wouldn’t want us to fail. They’re simply afraid of me gaining merit and fame, of losing their meager power.”
To Segeric’s vassals, I was an outsider, a rival who could disrupt the established power structure.
“A power struggle? Honestly, shouldn’t that wait until after we win the war?”
“Indeed. It’s meaningless if we don’t win.”
Fiore hit the nail on the head. While she disliked complexity, she wasn’t stupid. In fact, she was quite intelligent. The problem was that she didn’t use her intelligence.
“Oh, whatever. I just hope they don’t get in the way.”
Fiore walked away and began bantering with the mercenaries. I watched the vassals, including Bolton.
‘Don’t cross the line.’
While I could tolerate their petty power plays, I wouldn’t stand idly by if they actively tried to obstruct me.
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The Twin Towers stood on a low hill beside the river. It was only about three stories high, but it seemed sturdy and well-maintained.
We reached the Twin Towers a week after leaving Polton. I set up camp at the foot of the hill.
“This looks difficult, doesn’t it? The terrain is unfavorable, and the enemy outnumbers us two to one. Moreover, their commander, Sir Powell, is a renowned strategist known as the Fox of the Battlefield. Even Lord Joang is no match for him.”
Bolton rode up beside me and commented, his expression suggesting he now regretted his earlier bravado.
“He’s just a fox. No matter how cunning a fox may be, it’s nothing but prey before a lion.”
“I’m curious to see how long your confidence lasts.”
Bolton scoffed openly.
I ignored him and sent a messenger to the Twin Towers. Soon, a group of five or six riders emerged from a side gate. I, accompanied by Fiore and Bolton, rode towards the center of the two armies.
“A new face, I see.”
The young knight leading the enemy forces studied my face. It was Powell Osborne, a handsome man with clear, bright brown eyes.
I recognized him as Anya’s future rival, from a future that would no longer come to pass, after she began her descent into darkness. He was also Baron Debussy’s son-in-law. The four men accompanying him appeared to be knights.
‘We’re outnumbered in terms of knights as well.’
None of the vassals, including Bolton, were knights. This meant I was the only advantage we had over the enemy.
“I am Allen, son of Maxim Tolbatz. On behalf of Baron Rasino, I demand you withdraw from his territory.”
“Has Baron Rasino run out of pawns? Sending a greenhorn like you as commander?”
Powell Osborne shrugged and looked at his knights, who responded with loud laughter.
“A pathetic provocation.”
I didn’t rise to the bait. I had anticipated Powell Osborne trying to assess me, the enemy commander he was meeting for the first time.
The laughter ceased abruptly. Powell Osborne narrowed his eyes and scanned me from head to toe.
“Then what about the ongoing truce negotiations?”
“They’re off, of course. Did you really think we would accept those absurd terms?”
“Absurd terms, you say? After starting a war based on a two-hundred-year-old deed and losing a key stronghold, isn’t compensation with a few manors a generous offer?”
“You were the ones who provoked the war. Did you think we would stand idly by while you dug a canal to bypass the Rhine River, the lifeblood of the Baron’s territory?”
Baron Debussy had been attempting to create a new waterway that bypassed the Rhine River before it entered Baron Rasino’s territory.
If the canal were completed, Baron Rasino would lose his toll revenue and be unable to maintain his current prosperity.
Powell Osborne chuckled.
“We’re free to do as we please on our land.”
“According to the deed, that land belongs to Baron Rasino.”
“If that’s truly Baron Rasino’s stance, then we have no choice but to settle this with spears, swords, and blood.”
Powell Osborne turned his horse and rode away. The meeting had served its purpose, confirming the casus belli and both sides’ intentions. It was also a reconnaissance mission. Just as Powell Osborne had assessed me, I had assessed him.
As I remembered, he was a formidable opponent. This was evident from the fact that he immediately barricaded himself within the Twin Towers and began a siege defense after the meeting.
“They won’t come out of the Twin Towers. They’ll just wait until we collapse. It’s winter, and we don’t have any proper siege weapons.”
Bolton gestured towards the Twin Towers as he spoke. Segeric’s vassals, gathered in the command tent, nodded in agreement.
“He’s right! They outnumber us in both troops and knights!”
“If the war drags on, we won’t be able to afford the mercenaries and will be bankrupt!”
Emboldened by his colleagues’ support, Bolton continued,
“A tower is a tower, no matter how small. A reckless assault will only result in needless casualties. We could try digging tunnels, since it’s on a low hill, but ah! The ground is frozen solid because of the winter. What a shame…”
Bolton trailed off and looked at me pointedly.
“Of course, you must have a plan, Sir Allen. Aren’t you the one who called himself a lion and dismissed Sir Powell, the Fox of the Battlefield, as mere prey?”
Keeping my gaze fixed on the Twin Towers, I replied,
“Anyone can raise problems without solutions.”
Bolton, as if waiting for those words, responded,
“A solution? Of course, I have one. We lay siege to the towers and cut off their supply lines. The Twin Towers are small, and they’ve been holed up inside for a while, so they can’t have much in the way of provisions.”
“The same applies to us.”
While Segeric was in charge of supplies, he was the heir in name only. He couldn’t be responsible for supplies indefinitely. The mercenary costs mentioned by another vassal were also a problem.
“We can simply procure them locally.”
“Plunder, you mean?”
“Isn’t it standard military practice to plunder the surrounding area to force a besieged enemy to surrender? Moreover, it would also solve our supply and mercenary cost issues. Two birds with one stone, wouldn’t you agree?”
Bolton asked slyly.
“This is the Baron’s territory.”
I couldn’t hide my incredulity. Plundering was something one did in enemy territory.
Bolton smiled meaningfully.
“There are a few territories belonging to Lord Ailgar’s supporters nearby.”
Segeric’s vassals, too, seemed surprised, as if this hadn’t been discussed beforehand. One of them spoke up.
“Are you suggesting we plunder our allies?! Even if they support a different heir, they are still loyal to the Baron!”
“What are you talking about? It’ll be the enemy who does the plundering.”
“What…?”
I raised my hand, silencing the vassal.
“You’re saying we make it look like the enemy’s doing?”
“If we conceal our family crests, how would those ignorant fools recognize us? It’s a chance to legally acquire a fortune and weaken Lord Ailgar’s faction. I guarantee Lord Segeric would have approved if he were here.”
Bolton appealed to the vassals’ greed and loyalty. Silence fell upon the tent as the vassals exchanged glances.
Their eyes gleamed with greed. It seemed they were tempted by Bolton’s proposal.
I clicked my tongue inwardly. While Bolton’s plan sounded plausible, it was riddled with holes.
There was a chance the plundered victims would recognize them, and there was no guarantee the soldiers involved in the plundering would keep their mouths shut. Secrets rarely stayed hidden in this world.
Bolton continued,
“Moreover, what do you think will happen when Lord Ailgar’s supporters learn that their territories have been plundered? They’ll initially blame the enemy, but then they’ll point their fingers at Lord Ailgar for failing to protect them.”
It was a brilliant strategy, not only weakening Ailgar’s faction but also severing the ties between him and his supporters.
Gulp.
The vassals swallowed hard, their greedy gazes fixed on me. They were eager to begin plundering, awaiting only my approval.
Bolton, standing behind them, arms crossed, smiled meaningfully. He was a cunning one.
I doubted he truly believed the secret of plundering their allies would remain hidden. He might even subtly leak it himself. Why? As commander, I would bear the brunt of the responsibility.
He might even collude with the vassals and claim that I had planned and executed the entire operation.
Even those unaware of the truth would sense something amiss. They would realize that I, a mere newcomer, couldn’t possibly have complete control over the vassals.
However, even so, they wouldn’t betray their long-time acquaintances and side with an outsider.
It was a brilliant move for Bolton, gaining him both plunder and Segeric’s favor, while shifting all the blame onto me, without any risk to himself.
‘That’s why I don’t understand.’
Even though Anya had been a mere figurehead in the future that would no longer come to pass, I still remembered hearing various rumors about her as the Baron’s mistress. However, the name Bolton Bryuen never came up.
If such a cunning individual had been by Segeric’s side, he wouldn’t have been overshadowed by his younger brother.
This level of scheming was something only Joang, the Baron’s strategist, was capable of. Indeed, it was more plausible that Joang had orchestrated this.
‘A traitor? Or simply receiving assistance?’
Regardless, this was no longer a matter I could dismiss as a mere power play. I smiled at Bolton.
“It’s a brilliant plan. However, there’s one fatal flaw.”
The smile vanished from Bolton’s face.
“A flaw? This is a perfect plan where no one loses!”
“On the contrary, it’s a plan that puts all our heads on the chopping block.”
“What?!”
Ignoring Bolton’s outburst, I looked at the vassals, their gazes still fixed on me.
“What do you think will happen if the Baron finds out about this?”
“…!”
An icy chill ran through the tent. The excited atmosphere vanished instantly.
“Lord Ailgar’s supporters are ultimately still loyal to the Baron. Therefore, plundering them is no different from plundering the Baron’s own assets.”
The vassals’ faces paled as they realized the flaw. The same applied to Bolton, who had proposed the plundering.
His shocked expression confirmed my suspicion. He had been used by Joang.
“Bolton, are you trying to get us all killed?”
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A traitor huh?
