Chapter 53: The "Greedy" Idarans

"This is... the Soren River?!" Sam Layton widened his eyes in disbelief as he asked.

The line Bruno had drawn nearly overlapped with the Soren River on the map, encompassing most of the Soren territory.

"That's right!" Bruno nodded confidently and said matter-of-factly, "Since Soren no longer has enough troops to defend its land, the Idar territory must provide whatever assistance we can to our neighbors. This has always been a fine tradition of the Stuart family!"

"Besides... didn't I leave them all the land north of the Soren River?"

As Bruno spoke, the tightly bound Hermann Buckley struggled even more violently.

"Mm... mmph mmph mmph!"

Seeing this, Bruno waved his hand, signaling Sam to remove the black bread stuffed into Hermann Buckley's mouth.

"How can you demand so much land?!" Hermann Buckley flushed red and questioned loudly.

"Why not? And besides, haven't you always been coveting the Grand Highlands?"

"T-That's different... The Grand Highlands are only a small part of Idar, and the only disputed area has been the Grand Highlands..." Hermann Buckley argued.

Bruno decided he had no interest in further debating with this fool. He shot Hermann Buckley a look as if he were an idiot and countered,

"Can't you see that I'm kicking you while you're down?"

"..."

Hearing this, Hermann Buckley was momentarily speechless.

Damn, that actually makes sense!

"Stuff his mouth again. Have the soldiers depart immediately head straight for Soren!" Bruno finally issued the order.

"Yes, sir!"

Leaving behind only a small number of infantry to guard the prisoners and clean up the battlefield, the rest of the army, led by Bruno and Sam Layton, marched towards Soren's territory.

The distance between Idar and Soren was not short, but the Idaran soldiers were unfazed.

These soldiers were probably the best-fed people in all of Idar, almost entirely free from night blindness, well-supplied with vitamins, and completely unafraid of marching at night.

This was something no other army could match.

Moreover, despite their heavy armor, they moved at an impressive pace.

This was thanks to their daily weighted endurance training. After an entire winter of such training, the stamina and endurance of Idar's soldiers had reached an entirely new level.

…

Soren Territory

The aging Earl of Soren remained seated in his chair.

He had examined the map of the Grand Highlands countless times, yet he never tired of it. Just thinking about how he was about to take full control of the iron mines in the Grand Highlands filled him with energy.

Fueled by the excitement of the Grand Highlands, the old Earl had even experienced a second wind last night, proving himself still capable despite his age.

But today…

He couldn't shake a growing sense of unease.

Days had passed without any word from the front lines!

This sudden silence made the Earl of Soren nervous—this shouldn't be happening.

He prided himself on knowing everything about his neighbors in Idar. A vast amount of gold had been wasted on the construction of a completely useless garden, leaving Idar at its weakest in history.

By all logic, nothing should have gone wrong.

The Earl tapped his bony fingers against the table, lost in thought…

Just then, a commotion erupted outside the door—something had seemingly been knocked over, creating a chaotic mess.

"What's going on?!" the Earl demanded in an annoyed tone.

Before he even finished speaking, the study door burst open, and his personal attendant stumbled inside.

"My Lord… My Lord, something terrible has happened!" The servant was panting heavily, looking utterly shaken.

"Calm yourself! What's the matter?"

The Earl of Soren felt a jolt of alarm but kept his voice steady.

He had lived a long life and was not one to lose composure over minor issues like his skittish servants.

"It's Lord Hermann Buckley… he… he…"

"What about him?"

The Earl's fists clenched involuntarily, his heartbeat quickening.

"Lord Hermann Buckley was defeated his entire army was wiped out…"

"What?!"

The Earl trembled violently, his face filled with shock.

And then…

A wave of dizziness struck him. His breathing became labored, his blood felt stagnant, his limbs weak, and his entire body went limp. His head spun as if he might faint at any moment.

"My Lord? My Lord!" The servant quickly rushed to support the staggering Earl.

"When… When did this news arrive?"

"My Lord… this… this isn't news from the front…"

"What do you mean it's not news from the front?" The Earl's anger flared.

"It's… it's Idar's army. They've already reached Soren, and they sent a letter..." The servant spoke cautiously, afraid his words might send his master straight into the afterlife.

"Wait… You're saying Idar's army is already here?" The Earl of Soren was stunned.

"Yes, my Lord. Idar's Earl, Bruno Stuart, personally led several hundred soldiers. They're already camped outside the city…"

"Impossible… Impossible…" The Earl muttered in disbelief.

It had only been a few days. Even if Hermann Buckley suffered a defeat, his entire army shouldn't have been wiped out!

And how could the Idar forces have reached Soren so quickly? Do they not need to rest at night?

The Earl of Soren simply couldn't comprehend it.

"My Lord, the letter…" The personal attendant hesitantly handed over the letter.

With trembling hands, the Earl tore it open and read its contents.

And then… he coughed up a mouthful of blood!

The letter stated:

Since Soren's military strength had been nearly annihilated, it was hoped that all territory and subjects south of the Soren River would be graciously gifted to Idar's Earl, Bruno Stuart, and placed under Idar's administration. The Earl of Idar, Bruno, would reluctantly accept this generous offering from Soren…

Even more outrageously, because Idar would be providing free military protection for the lands south of the Soren River, Soren was expected to pay Idar an annual administration fee of 2,000 gold coins.

Additionally, since Hermann Buckley had led troops into Idar without authorization, Soren was required to pay 1,000 gold coins for his ransom and compensate Idar for over 3,000 gold coins in direct economic losses due to the war.

"Damn that Earl Idar!"

The Earl of Soren clutched his chest, drenched in sweat and seething with fury.