Kapitel 239: [Chapter 238] Did This Day Ever Come?
A map was spread out on a large table.
This kind of map, with the intricate eastern coastline, the southern archipelago, the western forests, and the northern plains meticulously marked, was something you couldn't buy with money. Terrain is always valuable military information.
And the people in this office were the ones who could use that military information most effectively. The most important and militarily powerful people in Maindelant.
Cledwin's eyes gleamed coldly as he said,
"Maindelant is at the northernmost point of the continent. It's cold and isolated, but in other words, there's no one to stab you in the back."
The people in the south didn't know about Maindelant. How vast this land was, what potential it had. So, they only had a superficial image of this place.
That it was a useless land.
In fact, Maindelant was larger than several kingdoms combined and had a variety of environments. It was a vast territory with a relatively warm seaside suitable for recuperation and an ice desert, all at the same time.
It was a good thing if the enemy didn't know about this place.
The Empire is all inland, except for a part of the northeastern coastline. Of course, they consider our northern coast to be part of their empire's ports.
Those who were listening chuckled. Cledwin smiled in agreement. It was necessary in this situation.
One of the reasons why the Empire is dissatisfied with us but hasn't trampled us with military force is that the Empire's navy is pathetically weak, and its army has a very narrow path to advance. We are already engaged in a successful defensive war with the terrain itself.
He laughed out loud at the most effective moment.
But there's no need to give them an entrance.
After all, Abelus will immediately point his spear at us as soon as all the reins controlling him disappear. He will try to take over the Duchy of Tipian first.
To quickly and thoroughly bring down Maindelant, which is engaged in a defensive war with the terrain itself.
The word "fall" might not be in Abelus's mind right now. He can't just arbitrarily exterminate a noble family without a clear reason. Maybe his convenient head is telling even himself things like, "This is just a political ploy to divert the people's attention from recent mistakes."
But Maindelant has no intention of ending up as a political tool for the foolish Crown Prince, and Abelus will step down from the throne rather than admit his long-standing inferiority to Cledwin.
Then there was only one path left for Maindelant.
Don't miss this opportunity, now that all the intelligent people in the Imperial Family are gone.
The Empire's soldiers have long lost their enthusiasm, and the knights are too busy flattering to distinguish right from wrong. The foolish master endlessly pursues greater glory, greater power, using the people of the land he is destroying himself as an excuse.
Listening to her husband's words, Neris imagined the face of the foolish master far away.
Perhaps the excuse on their side is the unrest in the Duchy of Tipian, which is spreading like wildfire. Neris knew Abelus well, he would always get what he wanted, even if he had to use a ridiculous excuse.
Cledwin remained silent. Neris continued.
"To be honest, I don't want to fight. I feel sorry for my people. I feel so sorry for their property and lives. If I had a choice, I would be reading a book on a sunny hill right now. Thinking about which region's apples will be the best this fall."
She might have hesitated even now if she hadn't known that the Imperial Family would never leave Maindelant, and her, alone. Armed conflict ultimately leads to the suffering of the people.
It might lead to the loss of someone among those present.
But no one looking at the couple now had a sad or solemn expression. They just burst into laughter.
"You can read the book after you're done with everything, can't you?"
"Our local apples are definitely the best."
"Don't worry. You won't lose a single one."
How can you lose 'nothing' in a fight? But their unwavering, or rather, their attitude of wanting to rush out and couldn't bear it, gave her some comfort.
Yes, this wasn't just her fight. It wasn't just their fight as a couple.
This was Maindelant's fight. Those who were demanded loyalty but ostracized.
Cledwin placed one hand on his wife's shoulder. A smile appeared on his usually cold face.
"Aidan, explain."
Aidan, who had been standing silently next to the map, raised his long baton and began to explain the plan. The vassals of Maindelant listened intently, their ears perked up.
****
The Duchy of Tipian was seething with unrest.
Even during the reign of the late Duke, Hudis Tipian, the people of the Duchy had complaints just like the people of any other land. They complained that the lords who ruled them directly demanded too much labor, or that relief for the poor was not properly implemented even though the harvest was poor.
However, after the new Duke took office, all the previous complaints became luxuries.
The women of the village wove cloth until their fingers bled, and the children made handicrafts late into the night. The men of the village paved the square in front of the castle gate and built unnecessary bridges for the achievement competition of the lords and the new administrators.
In this situation, there was no way they could properly farm. The tax rate had skyrocketed to an absurd level, so even if there was a good harvest, they would barely be able to make ends meet, and the wheat in the fields was withering because there was no time to take care of it. The people of the Duchy were sinking into death every day, doing as they were told because they were afraid of the soldiers' swords.
Then, a new labor order was issued to them. The Imperial Army, sent by the Crown Prince himself, was coming, so the loyal people of the territory were to pave a new road and provide various items needed for their reception, so that they would not be inconvenienced.
"Why is the Imperial Army coming?"
"The atmosphere is bad, so they're calling us to scare us. Remember Jack from next door? He complained to the lord about the relief food the temple was distributing being taken by the castle, and he was thrown in jail. If we stay quiet, they'll pass through."
"Pass through? What's going to pass through? This winter, without wheat?"
The people guessed that the person who called the Imperial Army was their master, the Duke of Tipian. Everyone knew. They knew that many people would die this winter. And they knew that the eyes of those who didn't want that were becoming more and more menacing every day.
If they stayed quiet, they would die. But if they stood up, they would die too. What in the world was the Duke thinking? Even if they were his own people, was he really trying to suppress them by borrowing the Imperial Army?
They were furious, but they didn't know that the Duke of Tipian himself was also embarrassed by the arrival of the Imperial Army.
"Was your journey peaceful? The long road must have been tiring."
Ralph, the leader of the Imperial Army, was of lower rank than the Duke of Tipian. However, his special position as the Crown Prince's confidant and childhood playmate made even the Duke, a grand noble, treat him with excessive courtesy. After all, the Crown Prince always valued Ralph's opinion.
Ralph, who was the same age as the Crown Prince, was old enough to be the Duke's father. However, Ralph, who knew his position well, replied in a voice that didn't feel the slightest bit humble.
"There was nothing particularly difficult, Your Grace. His Highness the Crown Prince thinks of his subjects day and night, so what's the problem with me, his right hand, being sent to the frontier?"
The Duke frowned at the word "frontier." Ralph's family was a noble family that could send their son to be the Crown Prince's playmate, but they weren't grand nobles.
'I thought I was being polite by being courteous first, but this young man is disrespectful.'
Ralph glanced at the Duke, who was openly showing his displeasure, and laughed coldly. He had been raised as the Crown Prince's close aide since childhood, so he had always been respected, regardless of his family's glory. Especially since he knew the situation surrounding the death of the previous Duke, he wanted to avoid this disgusting old man as much as possible.
When Princess Camille killed the previous Duke to capture the current Grand Duchess, and before that, when the previous Duke was imprisoned in Maindelant, this old man had just watched.
'I won't have any more business with him after this is over.'
There were levels even among grand nobles. Elandria, the founding father, betrayed the Imperial Family and is now in that state, so how could the Duke of Tipian, who is just a lord on the road to Maindelant, ignore the Crown Prince's representative?
Therefore, Ralph didn't waste time and said in a commanding tone,
"I heard that Your Grace has been worried about the unrest of the disloyal after the sudden passing of the previous Duke. As you already know, having received the letter, His Highness the Crown Prince, as your lord, intends to spare no effort in helping you."
The Duke broke out in a cold sweat. The Crown Prince's letter was nonsensical, and the hidden intentions behind it were even more nonsensical.
The atmosphere in the Duchy was 'slightly' bad, but it was the lord's responsibility to solve the security issues in each territory internally. Sending troops from the Imperial Family without warning was an interference in internal affairs. And to set up camp at the entrance of Maindelant, south of the Ilropium Mountains, of all places… wasn't that an open provocation against the Duke of Maindelant?
Even with the legitimacy of being a descendant of the heroes, the Imperial Family couldn't do whatever they wanted. Even if they hated a particular minister, if the Imperial Family attacked a noble without any reason, the foundation of trust that maintained noble society would be broken.
The Duke naturally knew that the Crown Prince had taken control of the government because the Emperor was near death after being almost killed by his own daughter. Could it be that the Crown Prince was a fool who knew nothing about noble society? Maindelant wouldn't just bow their heads to the Imperial Family, which was suddenly grabbing their necks.
The cowardly Duke turned pale. Ralph looked at him with arrogant eyes and said with a mocking laugh,
"Don't worry, this is all for the sake of the Duchy. Once the Duchy is stabilized, we won't need to stay any longer."
Well, that's unlikely.
The Duke couldn't miss Ralph's attitude either. The Duke, who was at a loss, suddenly remembered something from a while ago.
When had they become so close? The Duke and Duchess had deliberately stopped by here before going north. The Duchess, chillingly, had firmly silenced the matter of the late Grand Duchess's birth. He found out later, but they even sent people to the village where the illegitimate child grew up to completely collect evidence so that no one would mention the Duke's identity.
If they hadn't collected that evidence, the Duke might have been able to make a deal with the Imperial Family using that matter. But he couldn't now. And if he rashly provided only suspicious points, he was more likely to be retaliated against by Maindelant, which was closer than the Imperial Family.
Until recently, the Duke had only regretted that matter. But now, suddenly finding himself in this situation, he became suspicious.
Did the Duke and Duchess know this day would come?
'No way.'
Unless they were prophets, or unless they had intended this situation themselves.
Ralph didn't know exactly what was going on in the Duke's head. But he didn't think this pathetic human had anything particularly important to say, so he spoke coldly.
"Then I'll be on my way, as I'm busy."
There's a lot to worry about when you're trying to create a fake rebellion.
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
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Rangliste 
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Stein