Chapter 424
My Villains Episode 424
64. fog(11)
Like Obdorf in the far west, the plateau was also shrouded in fog. It was a light fog that came only briefly in the morning and evening..
High Castle, a fortress protecting the western frontier and the capital of the Highlands region. When I looked around from the top of the high castle, I felt like I was standing on shallow clouds..
Among the heroes who have climbed High Castle so far, there have been few who dislike this foggy landscape..
‘Stubborn’ Jacques, the first Margrave of the Axodbrooke family, Lionel II, the ‘King of Knights’ who was not only brave but even ferocious, and Adumir, the ‘Queen King’ who was renowned for his fairness, enjoyed this scenery..
It was not the Duke of Avilambus..
“Gossein! where is gossein!”
The Duke stood at the window of the main residence located in High Castle, the inner city, and shouted wildly. The angry voice made the imperial knights, officers, and servants move busily, and soon an old mage wearing a magic robe appeared..
“Duke's Royal Highness.”
“Gossein, how many times have I told you! When the time comes, jump out and disperse all the fog! If there is a hole in the castle wall due to that damn fog, will you take responsibility?!”
“I apologize, Your Majesty. The wizards' deployment has already been completed, so the fog will soon clear..”
Magus Gossein answered with a calm face, but the duke's anger did not subside..
Not even fifteen minutes after the evening fog rose, a fire broke out around High Castle. It was magical fire spewed out by battle wizards. Then the dragon fist wind soared. As flames and gusts of wind stirred the air, the fog surrounding the area disappeared..
It was the result of more than forty wizards casting spells, including the battle wizards belonging to the Strom family and the destruction wizards dispatched by 'Linhow on the Mountain'. One hundred and fifty fireballs' worth of mana was used to clear the fog, so there was no such waste, but the vassals who were supposed to point this out were only relieved that Duke Avilambus had appeased his anger..
“The meeting is?”
“The convocation has been completed. I am waiting for your Majesty to come..”
The duke, who had been looking at the city where the fog had cleared, turned back without saying a word after hearing Captain Buacán's report. Buacán followed him and continued to give a brief explanation of the situation..
“Lord Vermillo has sent you a letter. It is said that after a week of fierce fighting, they were victorious and occupied key points in Unfast. However, it seems that they have not been able to catch 'Freaks Change Bag' or its successor in the end..”
“He seems like such an idiot... … . How is it that everyone under my command is just a bunch of idiots?.”
Vermillo is a close relative of Duke Avilambus and a senior military officer who commands the Strom family's personal soldiers..
He is currently commanding over 2,500 troops, including the duke's household troops and conscripts, and is occupying Unpast, a province on the northern side of the plateau..
“I am asking about your intentions as to whether to advance further north and attack Past..”
“Pastra… … . It would be nice to catch the freec, but if you hit the fast and go up, the wevelter will move.?”
There are a total of three nobles with dukedom in the Kingdom of Milanol..
However, it was rare for not only foreign magnates but also the subjects of the ancient kingdom to think of three dukes..
It was ridiculous to compare the title of 'Duke of Offen', given to the king's successor, with the other two dukedoms. Even if he was called a duke, the land of Offen was a little better than any other county, and the background of the title was only to improve the crown prince's status..
Excluding the Duke of Offen, there are only two actual dukes in the kingdom..
One of them is Duke Kai Isis, the owner of Eyland. In fact, he rules over a small kingdom and commands three fleets to dominate the southern oceans..
Another duke is Wevelter, the leader of the North. Although his power has diminished slightly since the Thousand Day War, no one can deny that he is one of the most powerful nobles in the kingdom..
“The common opinion of my staff and I is that there is a 50/50 chance that Duke Wevelter will move..”
“Half and half? Ha, that's useless advice. So what should we do??”
“You must keep a close eye on Antrum and the capital's movements. It would be right to move according to the situation.”
“I understand first. Let's talk about it at the meeting.”
While Duke Avilambus was leaving the manor house and heading towards the castle tower, Buacán's
The explanation continued..
“There are currently about 1,000 enemies identified within the plateau..”
“The commander?”
“This is Margrave Garwin and Count Ost. We are reorganizing our posture focusing on Longdale, a settlement in the southeast..”
The duke narrowed his eyebrows slightly..
“They're only 18 and 16 years old and they still haven't been able to catch them. How long should I be patient??”
“Count Orth, befitting his nickname 'young fox', is as cunning as an adult, and unlike his father, Margrave Garwin is a typical Axodbrooke man, so he is not usually persistent. If you look down on him because he's just a kid, you could end up in a big mess.,”
“Don't be a jerk, Buakan. After all, aren't their abilities only about 1,000 miscellaneous soldiers? I need to see those two kids in person before April, so hurry..”
“Haona, Your Highness, most of the cavalry has been turned to the rear to chase Ankir's cavalry and blockade Asag. Those who stage a fierce battle on the desolate plateau are without a horse.
In pursuit, the kingdom's army, which had lost High Castle, retreated to the east and south, deploying clear night tactics..
Of course, even if it were a clear-night tactic, the former wife's clumsy level was to burn down barley fields, villages, and settlements surrounded by fences before the harvest season. The problem was that the plateau was originally a barren land, and the imperial army's advance route was completely devastated by just playing with fire. It was difficult to find food, even hay to feed the horses or firewood to make a fire..
In the end, half of the army that was advancing in four directions to take control of the plateau suffered from supply problems and returned to High Castle. It was for that reason that the Duke of Avilambus was still here..
The Duke of Avilambus could take some consolation in the fact that the two armies that continued their advance each occupied the Unpast region and occupied the road leading to the eastern Antrum region..
“……I really feel uncomfortable..”
“What do you mean, Your Majesty??”
“Isn't the number of troops resisting too small?.”
The Duke stopped tall in front of the conference hall and looked back at Buacán with narrowed eyebrows..
“Before High Castle was taken over, the number of troops Ulkar had was well over 3,000. The Nudein squires that the Red Knight used to attack me were not in High Castle from the beginning... … . Even if we subtract the cavalry led by the giant knight and subtract the number of dead, there should be at least 2,500 left. But there are only 1,000 people.?”
“Because our troops took over High Castle so suddenly, most of them were scattered. Lord Ariad, no, the lord of Ariad said so too..”
“Yes, I did... … . They say that without Ulkar, the Ulkar army is nothing more than a ragtag bunch..”
“I think his expression of a ragged army is accurate. From the beginning, it was an army gathered from various regions such as Oden Rock, Abidden, and Antrum. The silver prince's personal charisma barely helped sew things together, but wouldn't it be natural for the tattered army to be torn to shreds now that he's gone?.”
Although it was the answer he wanted, Duke Vilambus was unable to shake off his discomfort..
“……I will also have to send Sejak to Odenlok and Abiden. Check to see if the troops dispatched to the plateau return..”
“I will follow your orders, Your Majesty..”
“okay. Don't go in.”
The duke wiped his face once and opened the door to the conference room with a confident look on his face..
However, that half-made confidence was shattered by the first words of Prince Savellard, commander of the Altenburg army and successor to his father, Burcard..
“Our military must withdraw now..”
“……prince. What did you say just now??”
“I apologize, Your Majesty. Since the instructions were given directly by my father, I have no way of disobeying them..”
The thirty or so nobles, knights, officers, and wizards gathered in the conference hall all held their breath. Duke Avilambus's face was contorted as if he was about to burst into flames..
Fortunately, the prince quickly added a word before the duke spewed out his words..
“This does not mean that the entire military will withdraw at once. Of the remaining slave corps, I will leave two Duletti as a sign of respect for His Majesty the Duke, so I hope you will put them to good use..”
According to the organization of the slave corps, there were about 500 dyuletis, so the intention was to leave behind a thousand troops..
Thanks to this, Duke Avilambus was able to swallow the anger that was about to burst out for a moment. However, the fact that all the important people, including Sword Master Hofken, the Imperial Knights, the King's soldiers, and the magic corps, were returned, did not change, so the duke continued to argue with an angry look..
“Are you going to withdraw your troops while you are on a roll? Why make such a foolish choice when you can get your hands on the fertile Antrum and Gistol if you advance just a little further??”
“We are sorry, Your Majesty, but what we wanted was for House Strom to take over the Highlands and move one step further from the border with the Kingdom. From the beginning, I had no greed for lands such as Antrum and Gith Tol..”
“So, now that the goal has been met, are you going back? Without any consultation with me?”
“His Highness initially declared that the war would end within January. The reason your father gave you a large army was because he trusted your words. But isn’t March already halfway over?.”
Despite Prince Savellard's polite attitude, the Duke glared at him with sharp eyes. It seemed like he was trying to see through what was going on..
“I think I showed enough sincerity for my friend. I provided all the supplies, and I am also providing sufficient compensation for the deployment of troops. However, they said they would withdraw the troops just because the deadline had passed.?”
Duke Avilambus threatened in a low voice..
“Tell me why. If you really consider me and the Strom family as allies,.”
Because his tone was so threatening, Prince Sabel Rad was silent for a moment. Then he wet his thin lips and said.
“I lost my cousin in this war. He was a nephew whom my father loved as much as I did..”
“Yes, I am sorry about Sir Conrad..”
“Colzen, the 'Sword of Noon' who I was proud of, also died. Thorg, who ‘knew no retreat’, Odelidis, the ‘Black Hand’, and Hafner, ‘of Bar Wisan’ were also dead. They were all knights who had reached the peak of their skills. Is this all? Even Holy Baek Hofken, who had entrusted himself to his father, almost died, despite the great favor of His Majesty the Emperor.” “Not only my father, but I also don’t want to see any more bloodshed..”
“Do you think we'll ever see more blood than this? Ulkar's army has already been crushed, and our army still has about 2,000 remaining. The emperor will soon deal with the giant knights and red knights that are bothering him from behind... I'm sure he's not afraid of the old fox.?”
“You mean the Marquis of Eavon? No way. Although I am not as brave as Conrad, I am not an incorrigible coward..”
The prince had a wry smile on his face..
“But there's no need to be ashamed of being afraid of lions, right??”
“……lion? Did I say buy it now??”
“yes. It is said that the ‘lying lion’ raised its massive body..”
Although many families had lions on their coats of arms, there was only one family on the continent that could use a lion as a nickname. This is Jeore Wanga..
And the person the reclining lion was referring to was none other than ‘Zacharis.’ Zacharis Lionelson of Geore. Chancellor of Milan, Duke of Offen, and soon to be king..
It was natural that those gathered in the conference room held their breath..
“……Zacharis, that pig moved? It can't be.”
Duke Avilambus also muttered in a dazed manner as if this was completely unexpected. Prince Savellard sneered and shook his head..
“Oh my, Your Highness… … . I had no idea you had this much faith in Zacharis..”
“……what does that mean.”
“What do you mean? Could it be that your wise father sent out 7,000 troops without knowing about the secret relationship between you and Zacharis??”
As soon as those words were finished, the eyes of those gathered in the conference hall were all focused on the duke. Everyone said, ‘Is it internal?’ It was a questioning look, as if asking. But the duke said nothing..
Ariad, an honorable traitor and 'viper' who took a place as the lord of Kantz's castle, trembled with unfocused eyes, but no one paid attention to him..
Perhaps this atmosphere was amusing, Prince Savellard chattered with a bit of excitement..
“The reason Zacharis overlooked the attack was not because of the small amount of gold and silver or empty promises that your Majesty offered. It was to get rid of my fearful younger brother or at least reduce his power..”
“But now, I don't know if Ulkar has become an idiot or not, but his army has been crushed and scattered in all directions. There's no reason for Zacharis not to move..”
‘'Isn't it obvious?' The Duke of Avilambus twitched his lips a few times with a queasy expression on his face. At the end of all that adversity, the duke finally succeeded in forcing a smile..
“……“Hehe, I don’t know what you’re talking about.” “If you say so... … . I won't add unnecessary words, Your Highness..”
As Prince Savellard slowly stood up, his retainers, including Saint Hofken, also stood up one after another..
“If it were me, I would just defend this place, High Castle, and clear the rear. I am not brave enough to ask for your help. I can't even imagine what outrageous things he would ask for in return for dealing with the red knights and giant knights..”
“……prince. Do you think I’m going to leave like this?” “Then what will you do? It would not be a wise choice to be torn between His Majesty the Emperor and the great army of Zacharis..”
Prince Savellard, who was about to leave the conference hall with his vassals, said, 'Ah!' I muttered and looked back at the duke..
“My father left school and said that failure had already been decided after three months wasted in front of this fortress city..”
“……Do you want to mock me??”
“How could someone like me dare to dishonor His Royal Highness the Duke? I'm just advising you to face the situation... … . Well then, I'll just leave..”
Prince Savellard bowed politely and then departed. As he was about to leave the temple, an angry shout was heard from behind, and the prince clicked his tongue with a smile on his face..
“Tsk, such a stupid bastard..”
“Is that okay, sir??”
When Hofken asked a question in a hoarse voice, Savellard shrugged his shoulders..
“What's not okay??”
“There is no benefit in provoking the duke. Isn't he the most powerful elector in the empire?.”
“It was like that. Until this war.”
The young and cunning prince smiled heartily and spoke in a light tone..
“We wasted a lot of troops, materials, and gold, and our prestige was thrown to the ground. I guess I'll have to focus on protecting my land for a while..”
Hopeken was a bit dark about the world. But it wasn't difficult for even him to figure out Alzenberg's intentions..
“……That was the purpose from the beginning, this war.”
“Ha, Seongbaek will be seventy next year, but he speaks like a hurt child..”
“Well, it would have been nice if we had achieved a glorious victory as Avilambus had planned... … . It's true that I like this one better. The emperor in Mitteltang is so annoying, but the emperor in Hundred Years Castle. Ugh, it takes my breath away just thinking about it..”
Holy Baek Hofken said nothing. To the understanding of an old man who devoted his life to the sword, this war had already gone astray..
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