Chapter 523
My Villains Episode 523
67. Lord of Icebovald(16)
Middle- earth is on the verge of chaos. This is a fact that can be inferred without difficulty even by those who have great insight, if they just listen to rumors..
The Mittergeland Empire, which had failed in its attack in the previous Battle of Blades but succeeded in its defense, had an uneasy atmosphere in the air, despite the fact that it had repeated victories over the past two years..
The emperor, Ruil Rix II, who went on an expedition to the south, achieved a decisive victory against the Allied Amirs. The Amir sultans were defeated in two revolutions, three raids, and seven naval battles, losing much of their influence on the southern continent..
Afterwards, the emperor joined hands with the electors and lords who participated or cooperated in the expedition, such as the Duke of Geben, and established a joint stock company to accelerate the control and management of the colony. The joint venture between the emperor and the electors, the so-called 'Southern Company', was established. It started to yield results in just half a year. When they witnessed the enormous wealth they had sent to Mitteltang, the imperial capital, the electors who were unable to contribute to the southern expedition could not help but be astonished..
The Grand Duke of Jeria and the Vice King of Altenburg decided to band together instead of just sucking their fingers. As a member of the empire, he demanded a share in the wealth collected from the colonies..
Ruilix II neatly and clearly crushed the polite yet shameless demand, which sparked a conflict..
The nine Elector Counts, including the Emperor - as a result of the Blade's Edge War, the House of Dukes Strom was divided into two and the number of Elector Counts increased by one - were divided into two and began to form a camp..
The atmosphere in the Kingdom of Milano was equally unusual..
‘It was Zachary Reis who became the eighth king of Milanol after the death of Lionel III, the ‘Pious King’..
As we observed over the past two years, he was under the command of Young.
It seemed that checking and appeasing the states was considered an immediate priority. By re-examining old vassal contracts and researching family trees, he strengthened his power by seizing the fiefdoms of minor lords, while recruiting support by mobilizing his cousins and children into marriage alliances. Kidnapping—or rather, inviting and holding—the heirs, children, and nephews of great lords to the royal university would have been in the same context..
It is said that due to his unreasonable actions, there is a feeling of criticism among the nobles. However, Zacharis seemed to have no intention of stopping this. And to be honest, it wasn't something I couldn't understand at all..
He vaguely remembered about 30 years ago, when the rebellion of the 'Winged Lion' Alot swept the kingdom. It's the 'Thousand Days War' from 8 years ago, it must be very vivid. It is said that it was at that time that he earned the humiliating nickname ‘the lion with its tail pulled out’..
Plus, he has an annoying half-brother. Prince Ulkar..
Although Zacharis was quite capable, contrary to what was known to the public, he was naturally inferior compared to the prince, who was called 'the great warrior of all the weak' or 'the protector of the kingdom' by the people of the kingdom. Well, compare someone to whom.
Throughout his time as crown prince, he was ridiculed and compared to his half-brother, who bore no resemblance to him, and he was worried that Ulkar would become the second Alot, so he frequently sent assassins. Meanwhile, he must have been overjoyed when he heard the news of Prince Ulkar's disappearance. It probably felt like the tooth I was suffering from fell out..
But what to do with this?.
A huge chunk of land with a population of 400,000 remained as Prince Eun's legacy and was located right on the border. With a new name, 'Lord of the Empire of Vermic-Strom'.
And not everyone in the world is stupid, so there were few people who believed that Lu Yan, who turned 15 this year, was the real owner of the Imperial Territory..
‘Most people thought that I, the seventh knight of the 'dead Silver Prince', who declared to avenge the lord and recapture the princess, was the actual master..
As a result, the Kingdom of Milanol, no, Zacharis, was currently walking a tightrope. It was a tightrope walk to gain greater power and solidify the throne..
The great lords looked at him with dissatisfied eyes.
I will be watching the tightrope walk. I'm holding my breath, but those who hold Prince Ulkar in their hearts will be watching me..
A wave of confusion rushes beneath my feet..
At this critical moment, I decided to leave the territory and head to the royal capital. It was natural that Hayla was vehemently opposed to it..
I continued persuading him for almost half a day. Anyone else may not know, but Heyla's cooperation was essential in my journey to the king.
After all, the Margrave of Dfelken, including Eisbowald, is without a doubt my base..
Putting aside for a moment the attachment that suddenly grew over the two years that he became the owner of this large piece of land, wouldn't the mere fact of being able to extract thousands of troops and a huge amount of money be of enormous value? I have no doubt that this estate will be of great help to me no matter what lies ahead..
It was impossible to entrust such a base to just anyone. Especially these days, when the surrounding situation is unusual,
Even more.
In this respect, the only person I can entrust this territory to is Heila. There is no one around me who is as trustworthy as her and also as capable as her..
“••••••good.”
Hayla nodded with a sigh. After much deliberation, he accepted my offer..
But that didn't mean I could do whatever I wanted. She wanted to make a rough plan under her control..
“rough plan?”
“The royal road is far away.”
Hayla took a blank piece of paper from the drawer of her bookshelf and dipped her quill into a gilded inkwell..
“It's a place where many forces lurk, and you never know what kind of problems might arise. Requires detailed planning and careful consideration.”
“……That's right.”
Planning took much less time than persuading..
Hayla acted as if she was trying to consider all possible factors during the journey, but it was difficult to make a detailed plan as the given conditions were not sufficient. No matter how resourceful she was, it was difficult to predict what measures the Marquis of Eavon was planning to use..
“The priority is to determine where to meet with the Marquis of Eavon, but it would be better to use a ship to enter the kingdom..”
Not only is it much faster that way, but Auduenne, the port across from Froshaven, is the territory of Count Aynes, the ‘young Naga’, so you will be able to get plenty of help.
“Uh, go by boat? Why? If you have enough spare horses, it will be faster to move over to High Castle..”
“……How many subordinates do you plan on taking??”
“Only the security guard. If you take too many people, the risk of getting caught only increases..”
Hayla quietly shook her head..
“Regions with heavy inspections would be the Royal Capital, Troshire, and Gistol. In other regions, if we disperse into small detachments, there will be no problems.” “Oh, I see.?”
“And borders are dangerous. Because the king's army is there.”
The plateau bordering the Mitergeland Empire is the territory of a lord who is friendly to me. The successor to the Margrave Landry, who was assassinated by the True Demon Swordmaster, 'Yabag' is Wynn's territory..
But as Hayla warned, they are not in a position to expect help..
After the Battle of Blades, the King's army occupied fortresses all over the plateau, and Gawin was invited to the Royal College around the fall of last year as if he was being dragged to the throne..
‘It wouldn't be a bad idea to ask for help from the vassals of the Axodbrook family, such as the 'elegant' Lord Gepart and Captain Arbe Conn, who are probably feeling angry under the pressure of the king's army. But I don't think there's any reason to take the easy route and take risks..
“But Aines also entered the Royal College.?”
“There is no king's army there. And Count Aeneas has a very firm hold on the family.” Count Aeneas built up his authority as the head of the family through the Battle of the Blades..
‘As in the case of Gawin, the 'wilderness white', Os, the 'young fox', and Ruyan, the 'descendant of the dragon', there were few people who would argue with her because of her young age of seventeen. At least it can't exist in the Milgrester family..
“And Auduenne is a place that is considered one of the elements of the Abidden region. This is where Milgrester's faithful vassals, such as 'Axe-holding Bronze' Ecbert and Senior Knight Slanwith, are stationed..”
“Well, well.”
They are also comrades I am personally acquainted with, so as long as you send them a letter in advance, you will not have to worry about their cooperation..
“It wouldn't be a bad idea to give Fogan a hint at all..”
“Oh, that's right. There was that guy.”
During the Battle of the Blades, when Atalanta and I arrived at Auduenne with an army, Count Aeneas promised to participate in the war in exchange for a share of the occupied territory..
The twenty knights, four skilled battle wizards, and five hundred elite soldiers led by the count himself were said to have made a great contribution to the subsequent war, even though the scale was small..
For that reason, the Milgrester family came to own 10% and 10% of shares in Froshafen and Eisbowald, respectively..
It was for this reason that Fogan, Count Aeneas' vassal and advisor, came to reside in Froshafen. He traveled back and forth between the two cities, managing the trading post and base established by the Milgrester family, and was also in charge of protecting the family's rights from being violated by the Nudein clan chiefs of Froshafen..
If you tell Fogan to deliver the letter via the Milgrester family's liner, you won't have to worry about it leaking out somewhere..
“After crossing the Bay of Blades, all you have to do is split up your group and go stealth. Groups of five or six mercenaries and travelers are common in the kingdom. As long as you disguise it properly, you won't get caught..”
“Except for Wangdo, Trosher, and Gistol.?”
“that's right.”
Afterwards, Hayla's plan continued for a long time..
Then, suddenly, I noticed the dusk falling outside the window and realized that it would take at least a few days to complete a plan that would satisfy her..
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