Chapter 434: Just Keep Going Like This. (1)
Amelia sneered, unable to hide her displeasure.
“Hmph, leading the Northern Army to strike here?”
If she didn’t assist in the war against the northern savages and riftspawns, Ghislain would likely abandon the Northern Fortress and prioritize stopping the savages. That way, he could focus on the battle against the Rift.
In that case, Ferdium would undoubtedly suffer significant damage. Perhaps the entire northern region of the territory would be consumed, leaving only the lord’s castle intact.
However, if the Northern Army were to come on time, they would be able to block the Rift, even if it meant taking some losses.
And after that, that madman would attack this place for not complying with his demands. He was exactly the type who would do so without hesitation.
Amelia brushed her hair back and closed her eyes.
‘Arrogant bastard.’
Her insides churned with anger.
She couldn’t afford to clash with Ghislain yet. That would only benefit the ducal families.
Wasn’t this precisely why she had been preparing to relocate to the eastern region all along?
Even now, the best course was to help Ghislain as he demanded.
She knew that and yet…
‘How dare he threaten me?’
Even knowing it was unwise, she felt a burning desire to strike back.
Ghislain was cornering her. Forcing her to choose between fighting the savages or confronting the Northern Army.
And his justification was sound. He was the commander of the Northern Army. While she had reached an agreement with the Royal Faction to leave her be, it seemed his current authority encompasses the agreement she had made with the Royal Court.
Amelia’s eyes narrowed. This was the first time in her life she had been threatened twice by the same person.
The atmosphere turned cold, and Dark hesitated before speaking up.
“Um… I have another message to deliver.”
Ghislain had warned that she would be displeased after reading the letter. There was a follow-up message he had been told to convey.
“What is it?”
At her curt demand, Dark glanced around nervously before speaking.
“He said… ‘Are you going to dance to Raul’s tune? You have your own goals, don’t you? If you get through this safely, I’ll support your move to the eastern region of the kingdom.’”
Amelia’s face hardened. Ghislain clearly knew about her ambitions and plans. She wasn’t sure how he had found out.
But it wasn’t a bad deal. Moving east would inevitably require force. While she had negotiated with the Royal Faction, other nobles wouldn’t stay idle.
Handling them all one by one would be exhausting.
‘…He knows me disturbingly well.’
It was as if he knew exactly how to push her buttons, anticipating her every thought. How could he understand her so well?
Of course, since she didn’t know Ghislain was a regressor, Amelia couldn’t find the answer.
Closing her eyes once more, she needed time to organize her thoughts.
‘Haa…’
She exhaled slowly, calming herself to objectively assess the current political situation. Helping Ghislain was infuriating, but playing into Raul’s hands was far more infuriating and dangerous as well.
‘Emotions must not drive my actions.’
Raul was confident she wouldn’t act. And even if she did, he probably thought she couldn’t stop the savages alone.
From the ducal family’s perspective, she was merely a lucky woman who had claimed her territory thanks to Harold.
‘It’s about time that I showed them political and battle prowess.’
Despite her successful coup, the perception of her as a mere noble lady lingered. Most nobles still underestimated her.
She had planned to build her reputation from the Eastern Front, but starting a bit earlier wouldn’t be a bad idea.
And the second reason
‘The Rift must be dealt with completely.’
She didn’t want a world overrun with monsters. Nor did she intend to cooperate with lunatics like the Salvation Church.
To eliminate the Rift, the Northern Army had to take the lead.
‘There’s no other choice.’
Having made up her mind, Amelia opened her eyes and addressed Dark.
“Deliver this message to Ghislain.”
“Yes.”
“Tell him that just this once, I’ll dance along with his swordplay.”
“What does that even mean? Are you coming or not? Is it a duel or something? Could you be clearer?”
“…”
It seemed this spirit lacked quite a few qualities, including social awareness.
With an irritated expression, Amelia gestured to her side.
“The map.”
A retainer brought forth a map, and Amelia pointed at a specific location as she spoke to Dark.
“Listen carefully and deliver the message precisely. I will hold off the savages here. This is the entrance to the northern territory.”
“Yes.”
“Tell him I’ll block them here, but he must send a small force to strike from behind. I’m not going to recklessly suffer some losses alone. Understand?”
Ghislain did not explain any strategy to Amelia. He believed she would know what to do on her own.
Sure enough, Amelia quickly visualized the situation in her mind and devised a strategy. She believed Ghislain would understand if she conveyed it like this.
Though the two did not get along, they acknowledged each other’s abilities, making such a cooperation possible.
Dark nodded. His task would be done once he delivered the message as instructed.
The negotiation was successful. Dark freed himself from Bernarf’s grasp, bowed his head, and retreated.
He quietly increased the distance until he reached the door, then suddenly shouted.
“You insolent fools! I’ll place a curse on you! Just you wait! Especially you, cat! I’ll make you pay for today’s humiliation, mark my words!”
Hiss!
“Goodbye!”
As Bastet straightened her body and stood up, Dark left a parting remark and dashed out.
“…….”
Everyone in the hall, including Amelia, fell silent.
A scoundrel who extorted money by threatening his fiancée, a strange chief overseer who accepted bribes of a single gold coin each trade transaction, and a deranged spirit there wasn’t a single normal person in Fenris.
It was still hard to believe that such people had swept through the kingdom and earned the title of the strongest in the North.
Amelia sighed and stood up, speaking to Conrad.
“Move out immediately. Our time is short and tight.”
“Understood.”
The Raypold forces were already prepared to move at any moment’s notice. Departing right away posed no issue.
Amelia decided to take this opportunity to finish the internal purges she had postponed.
She discreetly issued instructions to Caleb, the leader of the Wildcat Smuggling Gang.
“Handle it thoroughly. Understood?”
“Leave it to me.”
Caleb gave a sinister smile and bowed his head.
Amelia let out a small sigh. Now that the decision was made, she felt slightly more at ease. Though the situation remained unpleasant, she had no intention of dancing on the board that Raul had set.
“I need some fresh air.”
Perhaps it was Dark’s noisy outburst or her own overthinking, but her head ached a little.
Once outside, Amelia turned her head to gaze at the northern skies.
* * *
Zwalter stared grimly at the blue mist creeping toward the fortress from afar.
The fog filled the horizon. He couldn’t see its end.
“How could it have grown so massive?”
He had heard that the richer the natural energy, the faster a rift would expand.
The northern lands had few artificial structures and minimal environmental damage, so the natural energy here was certainly more abundant than somewhere else.
However, even with that knowledge, the speed of the rift’s expansion was incomprehensible.
And soon, the rift’s influence would engulf this place.
Zwalter turned to Randolph and spoke.
“The savages won’t miss this opportunity.”
“Indeed. When the battle against the rift begins, they’ll likely bypass us and head straight for the villages, towns, and cities of the North.”
“That fool has truly lost his mind.”
“He’s a madman. Collaborating with the Salvation Church for something like this…”
“So, it’s come to this in the end.”
Zwalter wore a bitter expression. Woroqa’s greed had brought about this insanity.
How many of his own tribesmen had he sacrificed to create that rift? What use was such a power that is gained at such a cost?
Zwalter could not understand that lust for power and could only shake his head.
“What about Ghislain?”
“He should be arriving soon.”
“Good. We must suppress the rift if we are to deal with the savages.”
Ferdium had grown far stronger than before.
Food and equipment were now in abundance, and both knights and soldiers had increased significantly. It was no exaggeration to call it a great territory now.
Yet, even with all that strength, they won’t be able to stop the rift on their own. Ultimately, Ghislain’s army had to arrive to seal it.
“Is Amelia holding off the savages?”
“Yes, word just arrived that the Raypold forces have mobilized.”
“Good. I never expected her to take action herself.”
Relations had indeed grown strained after their former ally, Count Raypold, had been ousted.
Ever since Amelia’s rebellion, all talks of marriage had ceased. The retainers of the Ferdium family had argued that bringing such a dangerous woman into their household as a daughter-in-law was unthinkable.
Because of that, there had been little communication between the families. And yet, she was moving now in this time of crisis.
“Well, she’s from the North too. Of course she would.”
Though he wasn’t sure how Ghislain had convinced her, Zwalter was glad for Amelia’s assistance, having watched over her since she was young.
“We must do our best to handle the rift. Amelia alone cannot hold back so many savages.”
Dealing with the rift took priority. As long as Amelia could hold out while they handled it, that would be enough.
Ferdium’s entire army was already gathered and prepared. Reinforcements of ten thousand troops and siege weapons sent by Fenris’s Chief Overseer had also arrived.
Since the distance wasn’t far, they had arrived even faster than the mobile corps stationed in the west.
A blue mist was steadily pressing toward the fortress. At this rate, it would engulf the fortress in less than a week.
All the troops within the fortress watched the phenomenon with tense expressions. Unfortunately, not a single one of them had experience fighting a rift before.
‘Damn, the rumors say there’s about five hundred thousand in there…’
‘Can we really hold them back on our own?’
‘If that many swarm us, wouldn’t the fortress collapse just from the sheer numbers?’
‘They say this is all because of Skovan… I always felt uneasy about that guy.’
Having heard the tales of how dangerous a rift could be, fear began to creep into their hearts.
The unknown was always terrifying, and fear gradually consumed them.
Morale dropping before a battle was dangerous, yet Zwalter made no effort to rally the troops.
‘The Fenris soldiers are different.’
Unlike the slightly frightened Ferdium soldiers, the Fenris troops seemed to be anticipating something.
They were just as tense, of course, but the fear wasn’t as strong.
Knowing the reason, Zwalter waited silently.
Indeed, the atmosphere completely changed a few days later when Ghislain arrived.
“The Young Lord has arrived!”
“Our lord is here!”
“The Fenris mobile corps has arrived!”
Clank, clank, clank.
As Ghislain, his aides, and the mobile corps entered the fortress, the soldiers’ faces brightened with relief.
Fenris was an undefeated army. And the man leading them, Ghislain, could be called an undefeated sovereign.
He had already closed numerous rifts. His arrival alone lifted their spirits.
“Father.”
Ghislain stood before Zwalter and bowed his head slightly. Zwalter looked around at his son and his aides with a satisfied smile.
Belinda, avoiding Zwalter’s gaze, lowered her eyes slightly. She couldn’t quite justify the ambition of pushing aside herself and aiming to make his son the Grand Duke of the North.
Resting his hand on Ghislain’s shoulder, Zwalter spoke.
“I’m entrusting you with the command.”
“Yes, sir.”
No lengthy words were exchanged. Zwalter had no intention of insisting on leading as he once did.
His son had already proven his capabilities more than enough.
Perhaps things would be different in other situations, but when it came to fighting the rift, Ghislain was the one who needed to lead. Everyone knew it.
Ghislain ascended the fortress walls and raised his hand.
With a powerful voice, he addressed them all.
“Prepare for battle, all troops.”
“Waaaah!”
Just that one sentence was enough to draw cheers from the soldiers.
The belief that they could win. That was the strongest power Ghislain instilled in them.
The soldiers took their positions. The Fenris troops placed a hundred Galvaniium catapults atop the fortress walls.
Screech…
Several dozen catapults prepared by Ferdium were also placed behind the walls.
Both territories had scraped together every war machine they had. With this amount, they could flatten most fortresses in no time.
Thunk.
Ten massive ballistae mounted on the walls were now loaded and ready.
A hundred mages and eighty priests who had arrived with the mobile corps took position in a safe area atop the fortress.
By the time preparations were nearly complete, the blue mist had crept even closer.
Though it seemed somewhat distant, it was well within the catapults’ range.
Kaaaah!
Ghastly cries echoed from all directions as the Riftspawn let loose their howls.
The soldiers swallowed dryly, their tense faces awaiting the command.
Ghislain had no intention of waiting until the blue mist engulfed the fortress and the Riftspawn swarmed the walls.
Stretching his hand forward, he issued the command.
“Fire.”
“Fire!”
The knights echoed his order, and the catapults unleashed their deadly payloads.
BOOM!