Chapter 420: Conversation, Empathy, Persuasion. (3)
Count Zimbar barely regained his composure and asked again.
“E-Everything, you say? I must have misheard you, right?”
“You heard correctly. From now on, all northern forces will be under my command.”
This had crossed a serious line. What was a lord? Someone who enjoyed autonomy in exchange for loyalty to the royal family.
It meant holding power equivalent to that of a king within one’s own domain.
And now, he was being told to surrender all his private forces, the very power protecting his lands.
Thud!
Count Zimbar slammed his hand on the table and stood up abruptly.
“Count! No matter how powerful you are as the commander of the northern forces, this demand is too extreme! How dare you ask us to surrender our private armies!”
“If we don’t stop the ducal family and the Rift, we’ll all die anyway.”
“Y-You!”
At Ghislain’s chilling reply, Count Zimbar ground his teeth. It irked him immensely that the young man, who had once been nothing, but a newborn when he was younger, had now risen to a position where he could make such threats.
As the tension thickened, the other lords stepped in to calm things down.
“Come now, this isn’t why we gathered here, is it? Please, have a seat, Count.”
“Count Fenris, you’re taking this joke too far. The kingdom’s laws permit only up to half, does it not?”
“Indeed. If a lord’s rights aren’t protected, who would remain loyal to the royal family?”
“Honestly, even half is excessive. Even if the kingdom is in danger, such a situation that demands full conscription of our properties has never occurred before.”
At their intervention, Count Zimbar sat back down, still fuming. However, Ghislain remained as calm and resolute as ever.
“This is precisely the kingdom’s crisis. The longer we stay idle, the number of monsters emerging from the Rift will only increase.”
“Hah… Are you truly demanding all of our forces?”
“Yes. But in return, once the war ends, I will ensure ample compensation, including food supplies.”
Even with that offer, the lords shook their heads. If they surrendered all their forces, they would have no way to resist if he changed his mind later. Besides, they hadn’t fully grasped the severity of the current crisis.
One lord cautiously asked, “And if we refuse?”
Ghislain bared his teeth in a fierce grin.
“Do you think I’d just sit back and watch? If Fenris marches out and loses, wouldn’t you all be eyeing my lands?”
The lords flinched. Truthfully, that thought had crossed their minds.
Fenris had become a symbol of prosperity in the North. If Ghislain took his army into battle and lost whether against the Rift or the ducal family there was a chance to claim Fenris territory.
So they were reluctant to give up their troops, hoping for a possible opportunity.
Count Zimbar growled, “Count! No matter how strong your reputation in the North is, you’re being too arrogant. Do you think we came here unprepared? Aren’t you borrowing our strength to avoid losses? Do you want to fight us here and now?”
It was unthinkable for the lords to attend such a meeting without protection. All had brought their forces, wary of being taken hostage.
As a result, various armies from each domain were stationed around the area, exuding a menacing presence. The lords were surrounded by their personal knights.
Ghislain scanned the surroundings. The troops brought by the lords alone seemed to number over five thousand, far outnumbering his own forces.
Yet, he only gave a faint smirk as he responded.
“Do you think I can’t?”
“You’re truly willing to take this all the way?”
At Count Zimbar’s threat, Ghislain raised one hand.
“Gillian.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“From now on, if any lord refuses to comply with my orders, attack the forces they brought with them.”
“Understood.”
Gillian mounted his horse and bellowed, “All units, prepare for battle!”
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The knights mounted their horses, and the cavalry raised their spears high. Their stance made it clear they were ready to charge the moment a target was declared.
It wasn’t difficult to identify the targets since every army bore the banners of their respective domains.
As the knights prepared for battle, only Tennant, masked, remained standing beside Ghislain.
Seeing Fenris’ forces prepare for combat caused a stir among the other lords’ armies.
“W-What’s going on?”
“Are they really going to fight?”
“Everyone, prepare for battle! Ready your weapons!”
The soldiers who had merely followed along, thinking it was a simple meeting, were flustered. The seated lords felt the same.
They hadn’t expected Ghislain to go this far.
One of the lords wiped the sweat from his forehead and spoke.
“Count, must you really go to such extremes? Surely there’s a better way to handle this?”
“What better way would that be?”
“I mean… rather than being so forceful and abrupt, shouldn’t we first have a bit more… ‘conversation’? And after that, perhaps persuade us until we can all truly ‘empathize’ with your intentions?”
The lord was desperately trying to de-escalate the situation and find common ground. But he had no idea who he was dealing with.
Ghislain unsheathed his sword and placed it on the table with a thud.
“This sword is one I cherish. I often use it in duels with opponents. That’s what I call a, ‘Conversation.’”
“……?”
Next, Ghislain pulled a hand axe from his waist and set it down beside the sword.
“This axe is something I use for multiple purposes. Since it handles many small tasks, I’ve named it, ‘Empathy.’”
“…….”
Finally, Ghislain gestured to Tennant, who retrieved a spear from the Black King’s saddle and handed it over.
“This spear is the one I use most often in battle. Since it effectively conveys my will to countless enemies, I’ve named it, ‘Persuasion.’”
“…….”
Ghislain scanned the lords with a fearsome glare before continuing.
“Choose. Which of these do you prefer?”
The lords swallowed hard, unable to respond.
He’s insane. Seeing him up close, he was even crazier than the rumors had suggested.
In this situation, there was no safe choice among ‘Conversation,’ ‘Empathy,’ or ‘Persuasion.’
Ghislain turned to the lord seated closest to him and asked,
“If we don’t stop the Rift and the ducal family, we will all die. This is your last chance. Will you join me, or will all of you die here?”
“U-Uh…”
The lord, overwhelmed by Ghislain’s deadly aura, could only break out in cold sweat, unable to respond.
He turned toward the other lords for support, but they were just as panicked.
No one dared openly suggest banding together to fight Fenris.
Overwhelmed by Ghislain’s dominance, the lord finally lowered his head.
“I-I will comply with your wishes, Count.”
“Huh? What?”
“W-Wait a moment”
The other lords hesitated, trying to protest, but when Ghislain’s fierce gaze swept over them, they too bowed their heads in surrender.
One by one, the lords yielded, crushed under the overwhelming presence of Ghislain and the Fenris forces. No one had the courage to challenge the most powerful force in the North.
Finally, even Count Zimbar, the founding leader of the “Northern Alliance,” surrendered with a heavy sigh.
“…I will comply.”
The sheer pressure was too much. Though it was easy to say, “Let’s join forces and put this brat in his place”, no one had the nerve to directly oppose Fenris.
Only then did Ghislain ease his aggressive stance, smiling pleasantly.
“I’m glad you’ve all agreed with your Supreme Commander’s wishes. Please ensure the supplies and operational funds are delivered without delay. Once the Rift is sealed and the kingdom regains peace, you will be generously rewarded, so rest assured.”
‘Generously rewarded my foot.’
‘We’re about to be bled dry.’
‘How did his father sire a lunatic like him?’
The lords grumbled internally, but held their tongues.
And so, the so-called, “Northern Alliance”, was disbanded as soon as it had been formed without Ghislain even realizing it.
As he rose from his seat, Ghislain left them with a final warning.
“There’s no need to send them directly. I’ll be dispatching my own officials soon. Prepare everything thoroughly don’t even think of stashing anything away.”
“……”
Rumors had spread recently that Fenris’s administrators were exceptionally efficient.
They were also rumored to be ruthless, showing no mercy in their work. Clearly, they would collect every last coin.
The lords returned home with heavy hearts, knowing they would have to scrape together every resource they had.
After the meeting concluded, Tennant turned to Ghislain and asked, “Do you always handle matters like this?”
“Well, usually, yes. I’m not a fan of dragging out important affairs.”
At that, Tennant gave a faint smile.
In truth, Ghislain’s ruthless methods weren’t much different from those of Marquis Roderick, who had also oppressed others through sheer power and coercion.
But there was a key difference.
Marquis Roderick was driven purely by personal greed. Ghislain, however, showed no trace of selfish ambition.
People often called Ghislain greedy, but Tennant, who had stood beside a truly corrupt man, knew the truth.
‘Is it… for the people?’
‘I’m still not sure. But there is something different in his actions compared to Marquis Roderick.’
He would find out if he continued alongside him a bit longer whether he could truly atone for his sins as a knight.
* * *
The Marquis of Ferdium did not join the northern army. If the kingdom fell into chaos, the savages would surely stir, so he had to prepare for that.
Amelia also did not join the northern army. She had cleverly secured her independence in advance, so forcing her to join was not an option. Nor was there any intention to do so.
Ghislain knew all too well that if she were forced, she would retaliate from behind making things very troublesome.
Besides, considering her request for eastern territory, he could roughly guess her intentions.
‘Well, she said she’ll handle it herself, so I’ll leave her alone for now. She’ll be useful for the time being.’
If a civil war broke out, the ducal families would have a headache because of Amelia.
Neither Ghislain nor Amelia had yet achieved their true goals. Using each other had brought them to this point.
Thus, the forces of the lords, excluding Ferdium and Raypold, began to gather in Fenris.
“The forces from the Zimbar Estate have arrived!”
“The forces from the Brivant Estate have arrived!”
“The forces from the Promel Estate have arrived!”
The North was more barren than other regions, with a smaller population and fewer soldiers.
However, when all the northern territories combined their forces, they formed a considerable army.
Ghislain asked Claude,
“Is that everyone?”
“Yes, around sixty thousand troops have gathered.”
“That’s more than I expected.”
“Our administrators have been very thorough in gathering every available force.”
“They’ll need to match our military discipline. Since there’s no time for joint drills, we’ll have to train them as we march.”
“The soldiers will be exhausted from the march alone.”
Ghislain chuckled at Claude’s grin.
“What about the mages?”
“We’ve gathered the mages too, but the numbers are limited. The North has never had many mages, to begin with.”
“That’s true. But our mages are numerous, right?”
“Of course. We now have nearly two hundred. In terms of mage strength, we rival the ducal families.”
They had captured all the mages from the Roderick Marquisate and bound them with slave contracts. To ensure they couldn’t escape, they even secured the royal seal of approval.
Now, Ghislain had the power to override both customs and laws to subjugate his opponents completely.
Of course, some might still betray them, flee, or cause trouble along the way. That was a risk he would have to accept.
“So, Alfoi will be managing the mages?”
“Vanessa is in charge of the two 6th-circle mages and the 5th-circle mages, but the rest will be handled by Alfoi and his associates. You know how foul-tempered he is, right? It’s best to come down hard from the start.”
“I… see…”
Though it felt a bit unsettling, Ghislain nodded.
After all, Alfoi had been managing the mages so far. He was effective at retrieving deserters too.
The sudden swelling of the mage corps was concerning, but for now, Ghislain had no choice but to trust him.
“What about the priests?”
“Additional priests have been dispatched from each temple. We have a total of 120.”
“That’s excellent.”
Having 120 priests was extraordinary, a sign of how vital Fenris had become to the kingdom.
“Piote is leading them, right?”
“Yes. There was some pushback, but we forced it through under your authority.”
“Good. Piote will be crucial in the fight against the rifts.”
Ghislain grinned. Priests normally didn’t participate in territorial wars, but battles against the rifts were different.
It was time to work with the priests who had been living comfortably.
“What about the mercenaries?”
“We’re still working to secure more mercenaries across the kingdom. With the rifts spreading, hiring mercenaries has become more common, so contact should be easy.”
“Good. That’s important too. Don’t hesitate to invest resources there.”
“Understood.”
After finishing the briefing on their preparations, Claude added,
“The Royalist Faction has been pressuring us daily. It seems several locations have already seen rifts expand to the point where the armies could no longer hold their ground and retreated.”
“You’ve sent orders to isolate any army that came into contact with the rifts, right?”
“Yes. We’ve instructed them to evacuate certain cities and fortresses to regroup and monitor the situation.”
“Good. It won’t be enough to stop it entirely, but it should reduce the damage a bit…”
Ghislain trailed off and shook his head.
Incidents were erupting simultaneously across the kingdom. He wasn’t a god he couldn’t control or oversee everything.
It was time to stop focusing on minor details and look at the bigger picture. To resolve this crisis, he had to move swiftly and decisively.
“Let’s go. It’s our turn to act now.”
Fenris’ total military strength was thirty thousand. Of those, twenty thousand had joined the northern army, while the remaining ten thousand were tasked with defending the northern territories and managing supplies.
Finally, the northern army of eighty thousand, led by Ghislain, began marching toward the nearest rift.