505

Episode 505: I will ask the king for his guilt (3)

Berhem's madness didn't end with cannibalism.

"Are you ready for war yet?"

He had to catch and kill the Earl of Fenris who had driven him to this. Even now, whenever he thought of that bastard, the anger welled up in him and he couldn't hold it in.

He kept urging the Marquis of Domont. He wanted to push the North back quickly with his great army.

The Marquis of Domont was busy trying to stop Berhem, sweating profusely.

"Your Majesty, we still need to prepare. Please wait a little longer."

War was not something that could be started just because one wanted to, especially when faced with a powerful enemy like the Northern Army.

The Northern Army's mercurial capabilities had already been proven when they fought against Marquis Rodrik. They were stronger than before, so thorough preparation was needed to defeat them.

Food supplies were becoming increasingly scarce, and siege weapons had to be properly maintained.

"There are still lords who have not responded yet. We must gather all their armies."

"Eeeeeee… … . You look so cute! How can you say that Jim hasn't come running yet, even though it's been a while since I got back?"

The local lords and nobles did not actively follow the king. They were still watching closely.

In particular, Countess Leipold, who had been gradually taking over the eastern part of the country, was a problem. She had already taken advantage of the fall of the Marquis of Branford to take over six fiefdoms.

They had to gather all their troops, but they were all playing around separately. In that situation, they couldn't send all of the royal troops to the north.

Because they were afraid that the other lords would rebel.

The Marquis of Domont continued to speak, trying to appease Berhem.

"The lords will also follow Your Majesty faithfully. They are just scared now."

"Are you scared?"

"Yes. Haven't they fought with the Duke before? Now that they've negotiated a ceasefire, they must be afraid of the consequences."

"Then what should we do?"

"Your Majesty, if you show your great generosity and forgive their sins, it will be fine. You just have to promise to protect them."

"Yes, that's not that difficult. Is that all that needs to be resolved?"

"Even if they all join forces, we must move cautiously."

Even if they gathered all the local forces, it was not enough to deal with the northern army. The power they displayed was so great.

There were still 100,000 Allied troops there. The current Royal Army was not even capable of dealing with them.

The only fortunate thing was that the Duke had decided to definitely contribute to this war.

Placus, who was looking after Berhem's health, spoke from the side.

"Please bear with me a little longer. I have received word from the Duke that they will be leaving soon."

"Ugh… … ."

Berhem groaned. He hated the fact that he, the master of this kingdom, had to keep complaining to the duke.

'Once I have taken over the North and regained my health, I will show you my majesty.'

Berhem swallowed those words to himself. To him, the Duke was nothing more than a disloyal subject who had to be wiped out in the end.

He said, waving his hands.

"My head hurts. Hurry up and bring the offerings. Make sure the young men are prepared today as well."

Absorbing human life force was not an easy task. Without a proper core, he suffered from chronic headaches.

My head started to hurt so much it felt like it was going to burst and I would get nosebleeds all the time. This was evidence that the side effects were getting worse.

Flaccus frowned slightly at the sight of Berhem shaking his head.

'I'm going to die before I even finish making the core.'

Because my body was so weak, I couldn't properly endure the procedure.

The 'Orb of Life' wasn't something that could be made in an instant just by having a lot of sacrifices. It had to take a long time to prepare.

'Well... ... I guess it doesn't matter. I think I'll be able to go on a campaign before I die. The Orb of Life can be used to create other priests.'

I had to stay alive until I got my hands on the Royal Army, because I needed the Royal Army to accomplish the great task ahead.

It was inevitable, as they had lost so many troops up to now and would lose more troops while fighting the Northern Army.

But soon the Duke will finish all preparations and move. The King just needs to stay alive until then.

Because it has become too easy to eat this kingdom that has become a mess.

But things went strangely.

"Marquis Ferdium has sent out proclamations to various places and has started a rebellion!"

"Wh, what? That guy committed treason?"

One day, Berhem was very surprised by the news he heard during a state council meeting. He had intended to sweep away the North under the pretext of traitors, but he did not know that they would actually commit open treason.

He attacked first even though he knew that I was joining hands with the Duke! He was truly crazy.

Berhem shouted with a grin.

"It's a good thing! Didn't they crawl out? Send all the royal troops immediately and kill those bastards!"

The nobles swallowed dryly, feeling nervous.

The king had no idea what the finances of the kingdom were like or what the state of the army was like, because the nobles below him were dividing it all up for themselves.

In fact, the supply chain was a mess, and the equipment was becoming a mess. There was no need to even mention fraud.

'Oh no… I only trusted the Duke.'

'The Royal Army alone can never stop the Northern Army.'

'I have to buy some time somehow… … .'

During the armistice negotiations, the Delphine prisoners were not returned because Berhem stubbornly refused.

The Duke didn't pay much attention to it, thinking that he could come back later.

The number of royal troops has increased considerably since they have been reorganized to include them. If they all gather, we will be able to buy some time.

The nobles planned to take advantage of the opportunity to run away with their wealth.

Berhem, unaware of such intentions, shouted again and again in an angry voice.

"Give a summons to all lords! Strike down the traitors!"

According to the feudal contract, each lord's autonomy was guaranteed in normal times, but in times of war, all were obliged to obey the king's orders.

Since Ferdium started a civil war, even the lords who had been passive until then had to gather their armies and come to the capital.

Berhem really thought that would happen.

But the news they kept hearing was nothing but despairing news to them.

"All 3rd Corps have surrendered!"

"The other legions are also surrendering without a fight!"

"The troops are out of control!"

The royal army that met the Ferdium army surrendered without even fighting, just like the 3rd Army.

Some armies surrendered en masse after their lower-ranking commanders and knights assassinated their commanders.

"What are you talking about! Why are you saying that everyone is surrendering? Are you saying that there really aren't any troops fighting for me?"

"Even if we go out to fight, all the soldiers will be busy avoiding the Earl of Fenris as soon as he comes running."

Even if the soldiers did not surrender immediately, the result would not have been much different. In the army that did not accept Zwalter's offer of surrender, the commander was the first to be beheaded.

This is because even if Jiselle had just run alone, the soldiers would have avoided her and run away, leaving the commander exposed.

To the soldiers of the royal army, Giselle was a god of war and a hero. They had no intention of fighting in the first place.

With Giselle's upper body blown away, the soldiers joined the Ferdium army with peace of mind.

The news that followed was even more absurd.

"Wow, the people of the kingdom are taking up arms and joining the Ferdium army."

"What, what did you say?"

"Wherever the Ferdium army passes, the people… … follow them."

Berhem was terrified when he heard that. Wasn't it that everyone in the kingdom was against him?

How dare these lowly people speak to their king!

"These, these bastards… … . They are born with dirty blood… … ."

Berhem had lived his entire life with an inferiority complex. He felt an unbearable anger at the thought that even the people of the kingdom were hostile to him.

These guys are just food that exists for themselves!

But problems erupted elsewhere too.

"Your Majesty! The lords of each region have begun to support Marquis Ferdium!"

"What!"

Berhem's expression turned despairing. Did this mean that the lords who had not followed him had finally chosen Marquis Ferdium?

It was indeed so. The troubled lords accepted Zwalter's sincere letter and made up their minds.

In the first place, they were lords who fought to protect the kingdom. They could not possibly be pleased with the king's behavior now.

They made the same statement in various places and raised an army.

- I will drive out the tyrant and set the kingdom right.

Berhem, who learned of the situation, asked with a trembling body.

"Are you saying that all those troops are coming to the capital? What is the Duke doing now?"

"It seems like the Duke will be going out soon. One… … ."

"Why? Why? If only the Duke came, wouldn't everything be resolved?"

"The armies of the central and eastern lords are both moving to the southern front."

"No, not the capital, but to the southern front?"

"It seems that while the Ferdium army is attacking here, they are trying to block the Duke's army. Most of the Allied, Western, and Northern armies have also moved south."

No matter how strong the Duke's army was, if a large army of that size were to rush in, their advance would be blocked. By the time the Delphian army broke through that large army and reached the capital, this place would have been in ruins.

Everything happened so suddenly. Berhem fidgeted and then asked urgently.

"B, how about taking the Marquis of Branford and the nobles hostage?"

"It would be useless. Those who have already rebelled would care about hostages. Besides, capturing them would be a huge loss."

The Marquis of Branford still had knights and private soldiers of high rank, as well as nobles who had once led the kingdom.

Of course, since we have far more troops, we will eventually win if we fight. However, we will also inevitably suffer losses.

In the current situation, if we were to waste our troops, we would suffer more losses.

"Then what should we do? Everyone, give your opinion!"

Berhem looked around the palace. However, the number of nobles attending the state council was noticeably lower than usual.

"Why didn't everyone come to the palace in this urgent situation? Hey, call everyone quickly. Shouldn't we find a way?"

The nobles bowed their heads with gloomy expressions. Those who were quick-witted had already gathered their wealth and left the capital as soon as they heard the news.

Only then did Berhem realize that the situation was more serious than he had thought.

"Where have all the people who were loyal to me gone? Are you saying they really ran away? No one is thinking of protecting this kingdom?"

"...your majesty."

"These, these piece of trash… … Didn't I give them a lot of authority and rewards! And yet they betrayed me?!"

Marquis Domont looked bitter as he watched the glowing Berhem. In fact, he really didn't know that things would turn out this way.

Who would have thought that the royal army would surrender without a fight? I believed that if I joined forces with the Duke, I could easily deal with the northern army.

But everything went wrong in an instant.

Berhem, who had come to his senses, spoke thoughtfully.

"Summon the Marquis of Branford. I must ask him to mediate. Quickly, quickly, bring the Marquis of Branford… … ."

"...your majesty."

"If it's the Marquis of Branford, he can protect you. Didn't everyone follow the Marquis of Branford? Let's quickly inform him of the current situation… … ."

It was Berhem who wanted to kill the Marquis of Branford more than anyone else. But in this situation, there was no one else he could rely on.

Berhem was hung in a very ugly manner.

"Wasn't the Marquis of Branford a man loyal to the crown? He must come. He must settle this matter."

I've never felt so threatened in my life. Other people took care of all my problems.

In the past, the Shadow Knight Commander protected the royal family. After that, the Marquis of Branford protected the royal family.

When they were in power, no one would dare to rebel against the crown, because they were too powerful.

Weren't they the ones who stopped that powerful duke?

But Berhem only thought of them as usurpers who had taken away his power. He always suffered from an inferiority complex and wished for them to disappear.

He wanted to kill everyone and wield absolute power for himself. He thought that was right.

Now I realize that I have been living a comfortable life under their protection.

That they protected the royal family in place of his weak body.

They thought that if they just seized power, everything would be solved, without knowing anything about the world.

Berhem cried out in a howling voice.

"I said, bring in the Marquis of Branford!"

The Marquis of Domont answered with a somber expression.

"… … Your Majesty, you must take refuge."

It was no use calling the Marquis of Branford now. The flames of rebellion had already grown uncontrollably.

The fact that the people followed Marquis Ferdium was proof of this.

If he had sought comfort, he should not have expelled the Marquis of Branford. If he had sought power, he should have taken responsibility for it.

Berhem asked with a bewildered expression.

"Where are you going? Where are you running away to? This land is all mine."

"… … I think I should go to the Duke's House."

The only place that could protect the king was the duke's house. Now that he had joined hands with the Salvation Church, he could not escape to another kingdom.

Berhem asked Flaccus.

"Can you guide me to the duke's house?"

Flaccus thought for a moment. With the royal army disintegrating, Berhem was truly useless.

But that wasn't for him to judge. After all, Berhem still had the symbolism of being the master of this kingdom.

It will be up to the Kyo and Gongja to decide whether to abandon him or not.

"Don't worry. I am a superhuman. Please gather the Royal Knights and the Capital Defense Forces. I will escort you to the Duke's house."

"Yeah, yeah. That's right. Get ready quickly!"

Count Palantz and Marquis Domont, both commanders of the Royal Knights, moved to escape the capital.

But their opponents moved faster than they expected.

A junior commander came running with a pale face and shouted.

"Your Majesty! The capital is under siege!"

"What? Didn't you say that the Ferdium army is moving slowly? How can you say that the capital is already surrounded?"

"The Earl of Fenris has come with his own army! It seems to be the famous Mobile Force!"

The Ferdium army, which absorbed the royal army and even the people, became very slow in its movement speed.

The momentum was so great that it could be called the king's advance, but it could not proceed slowly.

Because I heard that the Duke's family had also moved.

So, Jiselle led only the mobile force and advanced to the capital first.

Cardenia.

An impregnable fortress that has never been conquered by force by anyone.

Jiselle has come to occupy this place again after her previous life.

In his previous life, he led a powerful army and immediately destroyed it. No matter how strong the walls of Cardenia were, they were no match for the armies of the seven great powers of the continent.

Although they are somewhat less powerful now than they were then, they have no problem taking over Cardenia.

But Jiselle thought there was no need to go through all the trouble of conquering the castle.

He shouted proudly.

"Open the door!"

Immediately a commotion began to break out on the walls.