Everything comes crashing down

"So it's begun huh?"

I couldn't help but mutter to myself as I glanced outside the window of our carriage. Despite being noon already, the winds were cold and unforgiving, and instead of hearing the singing of birds and animals just as you would expect in a forest, all that you could hear are the cries of men in battle

It was terrifying, to be honest. As one that previously came from a world of peace and order, the very thought of experiencing carnage like this first-hand was sickening. I almost felt a weird sensation boiling up in my stomach

The sanctuary of the once fallen soldiers of the Vane has now turned to a battlefield once more...and this was just as how I envisioned it to be...

I crossed my fingers as I anxiously waited for the report of my subordinate to come. Ever since my previous life I have always considered myself to be a man of caution, to always play safe and go for the moves that are proven to be working or beneficial...To the point that I was holding myself back from my aspirations

And now that I've vowed to be more proactive with myself and reach for my dreams, I'm starting to feel the pressure of straying from the norm. Unlike before, I am now the leader, the viceroy of a city, and as one my goal is to make my territory prosper and thrive...even if I have to take risks

But...the risk I've taken was enormous, and I felt like I'd just placed a hanging sword atop my head

Though as it stands, this is the only good move that we have, and as the leader of this city I don't regret taking it...

"Milord, please do excuse me"

Maurine's voice came from the other side of the door, and once I'd given them permission both she and Rudeus walked inside and sat across from me

She adjusted her glasses and looked me straight in the eye...

"The plan is proceeding smoothly so far milord. Every piece has moved as we intend them to"

I nodded in satisfaction, that much was expected. Hell, considering the groundwork that we laid out for this I'd be a bit surprised if this didn't work

"Excellent, now I suppose we should proceed to the second phase then. Ser Rudeus, how are things there? When do you think is the right moment to strike?"

"It's quite hectic out there milord, but it makes it the perfect chance. The numbers of bandits are down to half, and the frost mage is most likely reaching the limits of her mana from all the spells she was casting. I'd reckon we can take them both out once we charge in now" Ser Rudeus replied as he shows a wry smile

And I couldn't help but show one as well. It feels amazing once you know that a plan that you worked hard for is going as smoothly as silk. The stage is all set, the actors are in play, and now all I have to do is reach the final conclusion that we needed...and with this in mind, I gave my order...

"Ser Rudeus, order your men to prepare themselves...We're gonna get these bastards..."

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.

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Let's rewind the clock back to a few weeks earlier...Back when our meeting was still commenced. The moment I explained the plan I had in mind, all I got were expressions from the two that looked more worried than anything. It's quite understandable though, even I wasn't certain if the plan that I came up with would work

"Milord...So let me get this straight"

Maurine was the first one to break the silence. She adjusted her glasses and scooted closer to the table

"Your plan is to bait the bandits from the south to do the dirty work of taking out the mage on the north, right? And by doing this you'd hope to take out two birds with one stone, which indeed sounds good on paper...but how you suggested we do that is er...a bit...Well, I'll be straight with you milord, it's quite wild really..."

"I have to agree with her there milord, I mean...destroying the memorial and putting the blame on the Frost mage? I wouldn't guess it from your face, but you're quite the dang schemer"

"I'd appreciate it if you don't think of me as some cold-blooded manipulator. I don't enjoy the thought of ransacking the resting places of the dead. But as it stands we need both of these guys out of the roads so that the merchants could come in...and this is the perfect plan I have in mind that would increase our chance against them"

When faced with two monsters from both sides, I believe the best move isn't to fight both of them, it's to let both of them fight...

Maurine seemed to be lost in her own thoughts before turning her gaze to the ceiling above

"...Well, looking at it logically milord then your plan could yield us some very beneficial gains. If this is what you want then I am all for it. I have a few connections with the local townsfolk here that are...a bit loose-lipped. I could have a rumor circling around that the frost mage ransacked the memorial as soon as we're ready"

"Excellent..."

Though I was initially suspicious of her since she was a former advisor of the Emperor, she is too good of a swiss army knife to put away. In terms of political connections, knowledge, as well as power, then she was the most competent person we have on the field. This is expected for an advisor, but she's leagues above her peers that I was honestly left baffled on why she was sent on this dump...

Though I can't deny that there is a chance that she may be a subordinate that's working for another faction, and she's only agreeing so that she could hold a bit of dirt on my head...

But as of right now, she is still working under me and I need all the help that I could get. Breaking this long problem with the roads is what I need to prioritize now

"Though I assume you're already thinking of plans and contingencies for this, make sure that what we're talking about doesn't reach the light of day"

"But of course, milord..."

...Well I could worry about backstabbings and all that bollocks later, for now, what we need now is action

"Ser Rudeus"

"I already know what you'd like to ask milord, and personally I don't mind doing it if it's for the betterment of this shithole, but know that the other knights I'll bring with this mission won't take this well, you're asking us to do something that is dishonorable and way above our paygrade after all"

"You cur..."

Maurine stood up from her chair and sent an icy glare

"I'm sure I need not remind you, but knights are supposed to be loyal to their lord as per the oath that they've sworn! I don't want to misunderstand so I oughta ask you directly but are you refusing an order from your lord? That is treason..."

"Please little girl, I've executed orders from my previous superiors that are much worse than smashing a few gravestones. But as you noticed milord, the other knights among your personal ranks are newbies, we could follow your orders and smash up the memorial but the chances of the information about this operation leaking are very high without something to silence them with"

"Then as the superior officer, then is it not your job to make sure that doesn't happen?"

"I could try to persuade them, but it's not an assurance. I don't mean to be blunt milord, but most of your personal knights are not yet completely loyal to you...I'm only suggesting that we give out appropriate compensation for doing a dirty job so that everyone is satisfied"

Hmmm, that's quite direct of him...But I suppose his reasoning is sound. If I were to look at it from their perspective then I'm asking them to do something quite deplorable and very risky for their career. It's tantamount to my boss asking me to pull off the fire alarm for no reason, sure I can do that for him, but I sure as hell need a good reason and a lot of money...

"...Very well, I'll reward them with a hundred gold coins for each knight in exchange for their silence"

"W-Wha! Milord, I must object! We need at least ten or fifteen people to quickly thrash the memorial in one sitting and we should save as much money as we could! I could try hiring a few cheap mercenaries or even use my own personal force for the job, we cannot strain our budget any further"

That honestly sounded tempting, but...

"That won't do, It'd be easier to bribe mercenaries to leak information about this...And in regards to your personal forces, while I don't doubt their loyalty I would feel at ease if the people who would execute the foundations of the operation are directly serving me. Now for the payment, I also know how dire the situation of our budget is...so I'll use the money from my personal funds as payment"

I thought that it was pretty reasonable since it doesn't use money from our treasury, but for some reason, all I got was a concerned look from Maurine

"Is...something wrong?"

"Er, not really milord but...Are you certain about this? Does it not bother you to use it for something other than...Well, yourself?"

"No? No really. I mean, I don't really touch my personal funds that often anyway so I might as well use it for something that's actually beneficial"

"I see...Well that's interesting"

"What is?"

"Please pay it no head milord, just me mumbling my thoughts. I have no further objections about this if this is your decision, I'll fully support it to the best of my abilities"

"Excellent, and I assume that this is enough for them, Ser Rudeus?"

"That much money is more than three months of their salary, so It's more than enough milord. If there's anyone that's still loose-lipped after that then I will personally deal with him, so rest easy"

And with this, the groundwork was all set...

"If that's the case then let's get the ball rolling folks, Maurine I want you out on the field now spreading those juicy gossips to the townsfolk. I want the entire city whispering about this by the time the week ends, Ser Rudeus I want you to stay with me for just a little longer, I want to talk about the battle plan with you once everything comes crashing down"

"Understood milord!"

Both of them replied in unison, and with this we finally initiated the first steps of the operation

Honestly, I had underestimated just how well connected a former advisor of the emperor was, she didn't even need a week, Using her 'friends' in every field she was able to get the word around quickly and by the third day, everyone around town was already wholly convinced that the frost mage has ransacked the memorial. She was so efficient in her work that we had to move up the schedule on when the knights would actually do as the rumors were saying...

And at one night ten of my most trusted knights, with Ser Rudeus in charge, rode off to the memorial with their tools at hand, they were clocked and disguised which was honestly a bit of a violation of the code of chivalry, but they have tossed it aside for now...chivalry won't feed the families and loved ones they had...I do...

I had hoped that I would be able to raise an army that has pledged its undying loyalty to me...Though that seems a bit too far off, for now, a bit of bribing would do me just fine

The operation had gone smoothly, and though the frost mage had initially spotted them and made contact, they were able to retreat without having to put off a fight. Once this was done Maurine with her ever-strong connections, was able to bribe one of the bandits to also spread the information of the memorial being destroyed, and once they were able to set a scout team to confirm it...It was like clockwork from there

"Now is the time..."

I glanced at the battlefield from atop a high vantage point of the forest. The mage was duking out one powerful spell to another which changed the landscape to a massive glacial sculpture. Though Ser Rudeus has told me that it would most likely fade quickly with time, I still can't help but admire such power...

I couldn't help but smile...mostly due to the other dastardly plan I have in mind

"Alright men listen up!"

I turned my knights at the back. With the combined power of my personal forces, as well as some of the personal guards of my advisors, as well as some mercenaries that we've hired then we number to about seventy in total...While Maurine and her personal forces, along with the city guards are at the city...

"The numbers of the enemy bandits have been cut down to half, they're tired from all of that fighting with the frost mage, and she is most likely out of steam as well. So now we strike! These guys have caused us too much trouble and now is the time for payback! Come men, I want you to show these folks what the might of the Empire truly is! Stain your swords and armor with blood and claim the head of our enemy! Charge!"

"Hoorah!"

All of my men shouted in unison and rode to battle, I glanced behind Ser Rudeus and asked in a low tone

"...Is everything ready on your part?"

"Yes milord, everything is up and ready"

"Good, we'll look for the right opportunity to approach the mage then"

Saying this, we charged onwards as well...