374

Since there is no episode 374, I have to make one now. (1)

"Eww!"

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Marquis Rodrik screamed and slammed his chair down.

He was shaking all over, unable to control his anger. The servants were speechless and just lowered their heads.

"20,000! Even though we sent 20,000 soldiers! Are you saying that we couldn't catch that little brat?"

One of the men spoke up with courage.

"F, now that it has been revealed that Earl Fenris has reached the rank of Master, we must summon even higher level knights and soldiers… … ."

"You call that an excuse! Kill that guy right now!"

"Huh, Your Majesty! That's not it… … ."

Chomp!

Before the vassal could even utter an excuse, one of the knights decapitated him. The vassal's head fell off before he could even scream properly.

Daejeon was filled with greater fear.

Although Marquis Rodrik was cruel, he was a man with the composure of a great lord. It was extremely rare for him to openly kill his vassals in a great battle.

"Phew… … . Phew… … ."

In Daejeon, only the heavy breathing of Marquis Rodrik could be heard. No one could stop him.

After killing one of the vassals and taking a long time to catch his breath, Marquis Rodrik finally calmed down and spoke.

"Yes, the siege was successful, but all the mercenaries who had been pillaging gathered and attacked from behind?"

When you ask a question, you have to answer. The other vassal tried hard to muster up the courage to answer.

"That, that's right. I left you alone because I prioritized capturing Earl Fenris, but because of that… … ."

"But how did that little brat contact everyone and get them to gather? Didn't he say he came in time for the battle?"

"It seems like someone sneaked out and contacted me."

At those words, Marquis Rodrik's breathing became ragged again.

"An army that can't even do a proper siege! Tennant! What's going on?"

Tennant had nothing to say either, since Howard, the commander in chief, was the person he had recommended.

"I'm sorry. It's my fault."

Marquis Rodrik only glared at him. He could not kill his best knight for something like this.

"What about the soldiers who ran away?"

"They all ran away for fear of punishment. Some soldiers formed a gang and others ran away to other areas."

"Ugh… … ."

After the battle at Dacre Castle, bandits ran rampant throughout the western regions. They were all bands of defeated soldiers who had gathered together to raid villages.

There were groups of as few as a hundred, and as many as a thousand. It was natural that nearly ten thousand soldiers had dispersed.

The problem was that the smaller estates were suffering from them.

"The lords are requesting assistance. The lords' forces alone are not enough to stop the bandits."

"Ugh… … ."

The Marquisate had a policy of suppressing the lords from building up their power. If troops were needed, the Marquisate would send troops on their behalf.

Even if that were not the case, it was a natural duty of a monarch to protect his vassals.

Rather than chasing after the Fenris army, the Marquis had to create a punitive force and dispatch them to each territory.

Marquis Rodrik ground his teeth.

"I got completely screwed by that kid."

Many estates have been reduced to ashes and now they are busy recovering them.

The cost of losing a single battle was too great. The loss of 20,000 soldiers was a loss so great that even the Marquis could not look down on it.

The weakening of the power was a problem, but the bigger problem was that the honor of the Marquis was damaged.

"I can't believe I'm being treated like this because of that little northern brat… … ."

As a great lord, this is the first time I have experienced such humiliation. Even the royalists will look down on me.

In any case, the most urgent task was to stabilize the internal situation and appease the vassals. They had to show that the Marquis was still alive and well so that they would not be shaken.

"Tenant, form a punitive force and wipe out the bandits first."

"All right."

"And prepare to march with all your might. We will strike Fenris."

"… … ."

The vassals wanted to object, but no one dared open their mouths. If they objected now, they would surely face the wrath of Marquis Rodrik.

The civil war was imminent. It was necessary to carry out an operation in conjunction with the dukedom. Marquis Rodrik's mission was to quickly capture the capital by breaking through the royal forces on the western front.

It is also the closest to the capital, but the main force of the royal army is spread out in the south to block the Duke's forces, so the western part is relatively weak in defense.

But what if we fight Fenris in the North right now? The Duke's planned plan will be ruined.

When all the attendants remained silent, Tennant finally stepped forward and spoke.

"If we move first, the Duke's strategy will all be ruined. If we advance north, it's obvious that the Prince's faction will move as well."

"Then should we just leave that brat alone?"

"It's not too late to proceed after occupying Cardenia first. Prepare to go on an expedition, but follow the original strategy… … ."

"You're late!"

Marquis Rodrik shouted again in an angry voice.

"Until then, all the nobles of the kingdom will look down on me! I lost 20,000 soldiers to that little northern brat and I was unable to accomplish anything!"

"The Earl of Fenris is your master. Word will soon spread… … ."

"I couldn't catch him even though I only led 400 troops! Do you think I'll let it slide with the excuse of being the Master?"

"… … ."

Tennant had nothing to say about that. No matter how strong the Master was, it was absurd that he couldn't be defeated by a force of 20,000 men.

Even if the mercenaries had joined, it would have been normal for both sides to be annihilated. No, in fact, it was also a problem to have allowed those mercenaries to run rampant in the West.

Marquis Rodriguez said to Tennant.

"Don't you know that our army has a reputation of being tens of thousands of people, lazy, and unwilling to fight?"

Of course, it was because they were so powerful that there was no need for war. However, the results of this battle will add further basis to those rumors.

It was obvious that other local nobles who wanted to slander the Marquis would further exaggerate the rumors.

As a great lord of the West, Marquis Rodrik's pride was as high as the sky. He could never let this go.

"Contact the Duke. I will divide the army into two. One will go to the capital, and one will go to the north. So start planning quickly. We will prepare to go on an expedition without fail."

Tennant closed his eyes.

No matter how powerful Marquis Rodrik was, his opponent was Marquis Branford and the royal army. He could not guarantee that he could easily break through with half the force.

But the king here was Marquis Rodrik. If he tells you to do something, you have to do it.

We had to find a way to win quickly and with the best of our abilities.

Tennant bowed his head.

"I will convey the Marquis's wishes to the Duke."

"Good, issue a general summons to all lords. Get ready as quickly as possible."

"All right."

The gods bowed their heads in unison as they answered. They could not help but worry, but there was a chance of victory.

The Prince's faction still does not know the Marquis' true power. Even if they split their forces in half, they will be able to handle the royal army.

By order of the enraged Marquis Rodrik, full-scale preparations for war began.

* * *

"Wow!"

"The Lord has won again!"

"Undefeated Conqueror!"

When Jiselle returned to the territory, all the people of the territory came out into the streets and cheered.

This is because numerous victories have already been delivered to the territory through messengers. Now, the territory people prepare a festival when Jisel returns from his expedition.

"I knew you'd win this time too."

"Of course. Our lord is the strongest in the North. He is a master, master."

"What is a master?"

"It's like a nickname for someone who is the best at beating people. It means they are a master at beating people up."

"Aha, so that's why you always win."

As such, Jiselle was greatly trusted by the people of Yeongji.

Living is becoming more and more convenient, and after taking over Desmond, the problem of lacking basic necessities is gradually being solved.

The lord who returned victorious from war always brought back enormous spoils.

Indeed, at the end of the procession returning to the territory with dignity, there were literally hundreds of carriages following behind.

"Wow, that's all loot?"

"It seems like there are a lot more than before."

"As expected, he is our lord."

There was another reason for the people of Yeongji to be happy. Whenever Jisel won a war, he generously shared alcohol and meat with the people of Yeongji.

By doing so, you can boost the morale of your people and give them confidence that they will always win.

It was one of the ways Giselle brought everyone together.

If the loyalty of the people in your territory is high, your productivity will change. When you issue a general mobilization order, all of them will become excellent soldiers to protect your territory.

As the people of Yeongji expected, Jiselle smiled brightly and raised her hand.

"All of this is thanks to you who are working hard for the territory! Look forward to sharing wine and meat and giving appropriate compensation soon!"

"Wow!"

"As expected, our lord is the best at spending money!"

"I will work harder!"

Every time this happened, Claude would complain that he had no money, but recently things have changed a little.

As soon as Claude saw the returning procession, he was delighted to see the huge amount of goods and curled up in joy.

"Wow! The loot keeps coming into the territory, but this time it's huge!"

"Yeah, since this is the last time, we all swept it together to make sure it was all done."

"No, while all this was being swept away, Marquis Rodrik stayed still? Didn't he chase after you?"

"They're busy right now. They have to catch the deserters. The surrounding troops have all been wiped out."

"Hahahaha! As expected, you have to get hit to come to your senses!"

Claude held his stomach and laughed after hearing the story. That guy named Tennant came here before and acted so arrogantly, but he was really annoying.

"This time, please share some alcohol, meat, and other necessities with the people of Yeongji. They will all be stronger."

"Okay, let's do that."

Claude sighed, but didn't raise an objection.

This is the wealth that was plundered from seven territories. Although they are all small territories, when collected together, the amount is not small.

And thanks to the resources obtained from the Demon Forest, income was also increasing rapidly.

There, food production in Ferdium also increased dramatically. This is because the forest of the demons has incomparably superior intelligence compared to other places.

Honestly, we have so much food now that we have reached the point where we have to throw it away.

"What are you going to do with the Runestone? Are you going to continue selling it at the Red Flame Tower at that price?"

"Okay, keep doing that for the time being."

"Well, there's still a lot left… … But the Crimson Tower is already finished, so is that necessary?"

"Now is not the time to save. It is time to spend everything you can and give it away."

There was not much time left until civil war broke out. It was important to weaken the power of the enemy, but it was also important to strengthen the power of our own forces.

The Red Flame Tower will be a great help to the Prince's faction, which is lacking in magical power. To do so, we need to support them more than we do now and raise them.

The royalist faction also needed support. Now Fenris had seen all the benefits it could get from food.

The idea was to provide the royalists with the abundant resources of Fenris, so that they could increase their ability to wage war.

Claude also nodded, understanding what Giselle meant.

"There's definitely no need to save and make a mess. Now it's our turn to raise the royal faction."

"That's right. If the Prince's faction holds out, it will be easier for us to move. The resources of the Duke and Marquis Rodrik are beyond imagination."

"Then I will prepare that part quickly."

Claude is usually a troublemaker, but he can handle one thing that needs to be done. He will prepare well for that part.

"Don't forget to prepare for war."

"That's obvious."

Now that they have touched Marquis Rodrik, the Marquis will not stay still. And the dukedom, whose plans have been thwarted, will eventually have no choice but to take drastic measures to start a civil war as soon as possible.

Fenris had to keep his men sharp and ready to go to war at any time.

As soon as he returned, Jiselle, who had grasped the current situation of the territory, went straight to find Galvarik.

Galvarik and the dwarves greeted Giselle with their usual cold eyes.

"Uh… …Your Majesty, you're here now."

"Okay, what I said is, are you ready?"

Before leaving for the West to pillage, Giselle had ordered Galvarik to create a new product.

Galvarik nodded with dull eyes. He looked extremely tired, but his expression was full of confidence.

"Yes. The prototype has already been completed, and we just need to prepare for full-scale production."

"Okay, we don't have much time, so let's try to increase production quickly."

Jiselle smiled with satisfaction.

If the targeted quantities are available, this new product will completely change the face of war.