บท 247: [Chapter 247] You are the only loyal one
The opulent council chamber of the Imperial Palace was silent, save for the heavy breathing of Abelus, the chairman of this meeting, and no one dared to speak. Abelus glared at his noble subordinates and shouted,
"Have you all lost your tongues? Speak, offer a solution! Those northern monsters are still ravaging our people, are they not!"
That statement was not entirely accurate, strictly speaking. The Maindelant army was not committing the typical atrocities that would come to mind when one hears the word "ravaging," such as massacres of civilians or extreme plunder.
Instead, they were gradually increasing their forces by drafting soldiers from various regions and taking away supplies, but it was not beyond the bounds of common sense. If anything was being ravaged, it was the nobles' pride.
When the nobles first heard Abelus's declaration of war, they thought this situation would end quickly. But they were still here, and the situation was worse than before.
It would have been better if they had taken the initiative sooner. If they had blocked the entrance to Maindelant, the narrow canyon of the Ilopian Mountains, they would have had a hard time getting out, even with their superior skills, due to the terrain. That would have given them more time to rally the nobles.
But the Grand Duke had acted quickly, and now the terrain of the Ilopian Mountains was no longer their weakness. If anything, it was a strength that allowed them to retreat and protect themselves whenever they wanted, as they roamed the Empire freely.
Abelus knew this, and so did the nobles in this room. If the army led by the Grand Duke had been weak, it would have been different, but they were winning continuously, their morale was rising, and they were growing stronger thanks to the forces of the defeated lords. They had to do something quickly.
But what could they do?
The nobles remained silent. Abelus's gaze fell upon the highest-ranking noble in the room.
Earl of Odroi! Speak, you always talk about your loyalty to the Imperial Family whenever you open your mouth! What are you doing while that monster is charging towards the Imperial Family every second?
The Earl of Odroi had rarely come to court since Camille's confinement. He faithfully attended important state council meetings like this one, but he would usually just listen and leave without saying much.
Abelus disliked the Earl of Odroi. As if he couldn't bear to see the country going to ruin! Was the country really that well-run when Camille's sister was around? He couldn't learn his lesson even after seeing the fate of a traitor!
The Earl of Odroi silently endured Abelus's sharp gaze. He simply said,
"This old man is too foolish to know what to do, Your Highness."
"Ha! You seemed like the most capable person in the world when you were criticizing my marriage! Yes, you are still better than the Duke of Ganiello or the Duke of Grunehalz. You've taken full advantage of the Imperial Family's grace with the title of Duke of the Empire Vista, but now that there's nothing more to gain, you're turning your head!"
The Duke of Ganiello was still ill, and the Duke of Grunehalz only showed his face at court occasionally. He was even absent today, citing a cold as an excuse.
Abelus, having been educated as a Crown Prince since he was young, had basic common sense. In the past, he wouldn't have used such harsh language in a state council meeting and alienated his nobles. Especially now, when the atmosphere was tense because he had forced the children of nobles to enlist.
But as time passed, everything around him drove him crazy.
What if Camille had been here? Or, a more terrifying thought, what if Cledwyn Maindelant had been here? Would the nobles still have been so insincere?
If Camille had been the Crown Prince instead, would he have been able to restrain Cledwyn better?
Unable to bear his own imagination, Abelus continued to shout, his face red with anger.
"The Earl of Kendal didn't answer the Imperial Family's summons again! Last time, he came to court, saying something about the Crown Princess, but he left without even seeing my face! What a madman! The Earl of Wells, even though he's a criminal, says he has no more military funds because his family is broke! Is the name of a grand noble so meaningless! Yes! The only loyal subject is the Marquis of Rikeandros, you!"
Nellusion, who had been present at the meeting but had remained silent because he had not contributed any money, twitched his lips.
In this context, even praise was a disgrace. The Marquis of Rikeandros barely endured the indifferent gazes of the other nobles.
"…I am humbled, Your Highness."
"What do you think? If I give you troops now, you can stop that madman, the Grand Duke, right? Huh? There's no one else I can trust but you!"
The Marquis of Rikeandros was startled. He wanted to say no.
Following the tradition of his family, he had been involved in military affairs since his youth and had even fought in a few small battles. All within the bounds of common sense. But the achievements of that young Grand Duke were anything but common sense.
The Imperial Army was out of practice due to the long peace, and most of the administrators and high-ranking officers were people who had gotten their positions through bloodline and social status. It was not a good idea to face the storm-like Maindelant army with them.
But the Marquis couldn't tell the truth in front of Abelus's bloodshot eyes. Especially now, when his beloved daughter's peaceful life depended entirely on that man's mood.
And now, when there was nothing left in his family.
In a split second, all sorts of words flashed through the Marquis's mind and then scattered away in vain.
He was the one who had personally taught Megara. The Marquis usually knew how to make people around him move as he wished, just by sitting quietly and smiling gracefully. When things went wrong, he would pass the blame, and when things went well, he would naturally take the credit.
But now, he couldn't think of a way to escape. His daughter was one of the people who had instigated this war. How much criticism would be heaped upon her if the Marquis even tried to back out?
The Marquis's eyes swept across the council chamber. Recently, noble families with young children had definitely been showing 'sincerity' to Abelus. But was it just a feeling that the families who weren't doing so were gradually disappearing from this place?
And was it just a feeling that many, too many families were watching him…
And his daughter…
Waiting for them to fall into the abyss?
Closing his eyes tightly, the Marquis said,
"Yes, Your Highness. Of course."
****
The Ennim Plains shimmered green under the summer sky.
This land was ruled by the Ennim family, distant relatives of the Marquis of Rikeandros. Sir Ennim, who held a knighthood, was wealthy enough to send his only son to the Noble Academy, but he was just a minor lord with no connection to politics or the military.
Today, that very land of Sir Ennim had become a battleground for bigwigs.
Cledwyn, standing on a low hill, looked at the stone fortress. The old fortress was barely concealing its shabbiness, adorned with the Imperial Family's sun emblem, the Marquis of Rikeandros's emblem, and the Ennim family's emblem in a motley array.
"The rats are starting to poke their heads out one by one."
Those chilling words referred to the people who were showing their faces above the fortress walls. His aide, with a confident face, boasted,
"Leave it to me, Your Highness! I'll be the cat and wipe them all out!"
They had been active in the expedition so far. They had won every battle, except for a few times when they had to show their backs to the enemy out of strategic necessity, so their confidence was sky-high.
Cledwyn smiled faintly.
"Unfortunately, I'll have to take on the role of the cat today."
His aide was disappointed by the words of the esteemed Grand Duke. Cledwyn chuckled, seeing his face.
"They have a considerable army on their side. It seems the Marquis has prepared quite well, so we should treat them accordingly."
The Ennim Plains were small, but they were strategically located at an important passage. If they broke through here, the Imperial City wouldn't be far. It was so easy that they could even joke about it.
That's why the enemy had concentrated their forces here, more than the size of the land warranted. Of course, the Imperial Family's real main force would appear a little further down the road.
"Your Highness, you're the lion and the bear, so wouldn't it be alright if I caught the rats?"
"No."
After cutting off his aide, who couldn't help but express his disappointment, Cledwyn raised his chin gracefully.
"I have to pay my wife's debts."
"What? Are there those who dare to touch the Consort here? What lowly creatures, they don't know their place!"
The aide, unaware of the long-standing grudge between Megara and Neris, was both excited and puzzled. Our Consort just graduated from the Academy? Did this happen when she went to the Imperial City?
Cledwyn, on the other hand, knew exactly what he had said. His eyes narrowed, as if smiling, and gleamed coldly.
Neris's past life was miserable. If he didn't know, it would be different, but Cledwyn had no intention of forgiving Megara. Even if Neris forgave her, he wouldn't back down.
He felt a pang in his heart as he recalled Neris's hardened expression, as if she was afraid of her own powerlessness. She had thoroughly trampled on her, who was too precious to even look at, from the Academy, and after she became an adult, she had stolen her husband…
'It's a case of birds of a feather flocking together, I suppose.'
Neris was too good for someone like Abelus, unless it was that vicious Megara. She felt sick to her stomach thinking about how she had been tormented by that stupid boy and how she hadn't been able to stop it back then.
Cledwyn hadn't heard the specifics of the Marquis of Rikeandros's role in Neris's past life, but he could guess. It was a tearful fatherly love, trying to create a position for his beautiful daughter in a fight he knew he would lose.
Seeing Cledwyn's eyes gleam dangerously, his aide quickly shut his mouth. He felt a chill down his spine. It had been a long time since he had seen His Highness so angry. Well, it was crazy for someone to dare touch the Consort.
"Go."
A carriage adorned with silver armor approached. Cledwyn leaped onto it and gracefully advanced towards his soldiers.
About half of the Maindelant army that filled the field carried the flags of different families. They were soldiers drafted from the territories that the Maindelant army had occupied on their way here.
It was generally not a good idea for the ratio of the occupier's main force to the drafted troops from the occupied territory to be roughly equal. If the troops from the occupied territory joined forces with outsiders, the occupier would be at risk of being attacked from both sides, and it would be difficult to manage them in the first place.
But most of the soldiers from different regions, carrying the emblems of different families, did not show any resentment towards Cledwyn's appearance. Instead, their eyes held awe.
An absolute intellect that overwhelmed the enemy like magic. A martial prowess that easily cut through the enemy ranks like mowing grass.
It accurately evoked the nostalgia of the old hero stories they had heard countless times as children. Moreover, according to what the Maindelant army had spread after subjugation…
"Listen!"
Cledwyn rode lightly at the head of the vast army, his bearing noble. He stopped in a place where all eyes could see him and shouted.
The junior commanders at the front struck the lower ends of their long spears against the ground. Thud, thud, thud! The soldiers nearby followed the junior commanders' actions, and the soldiers further away followed them, the sound spreading like ripples. Thud, thud, thud!
Countless eyes, waiting for death beneath countless helmets, gleamed fiercely with excitement. The death they would bring to the enemy, the death the enemy would bring to them. Either way, this land would soon be drenched in blood. Their hearts pounded in their iron helmets, as if their eardrums would burst.
"As you have already heard, my wife and I are the descendants of the old heroes. But I don't think you should follow me just because of that!"
The truth of the three heroes had spread wherever the Maindelant army went. The soldiers had already heard the story many times. It was a complex story, but the content of the novel 'Betrayal' was already widely known, so few people didn't understand it.
"The era of heroes' descendants using their bloodline to rule the world is over! We have been unjustly humiliated and robbed of what is ours. We are simply here to reclaim it! Those who will join, join, and earn the freedom you will reclaim with your own efforts!"
The soldiers roared. The field vibrated. Whether they were from Maindelant or not, everyone shouted with all their might, believing in victory.
That day, the Marquis of Rikeandros's army was utterly defeated.
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