Chapter 483: I Have a Question. (1)
Once the battlefield was fully cleared, the Fenris Mobile Corps resumed their march, leading the prisoners along.
Now, they had to join up with the Kingdom’s army and decide on their next course of action.
Ereneth turned to Ghislain and asked,
“Did you really have to kill them right away? Keeping them alive to extract information first would have been an option.”
“They probably didn’t know much about the Salvation Church. Most of the vassals of the ducal family just follow the orders given from above.”
“You seem to know them quite well.”
“Well, I do know them fairly well.”
In truth, it was because he had fought them in his past life. But Ereneth simply assumed that Ghislain was knowledgeable due to his background as a noble of the Kingdom.
Having spent so long confined in the Barrier Forest, she had no choice but to rely on Ghislain’s knowledge for such matters.
As she conversed with Ghislain, Ereneth suddenly turned her head slightly.
She felt a burning gaze.
Parniel was watching her with a smile.
Their eyes met, and Ereneth quickly looked away, shaking her head. It wasn’t out of fear she knew exactly what that heated gaze meant.
‘To think that a Holy Maiden could be this aggressive...’
Parniel, who had introduced herself as a Holy Maiden, seemed eager, itching to fight. It was painfully obvious that she wanted to challenge Ereneth.
It seemed only natural, considering she was chosen by the Goddess of War.
‘Haah…’
Letting out a sigh, Ereneth briefly glanced at Parniel again.
Long ago, the Holy Maiden she had known was different.
She detested battle and loved all things, a noble soul who was willing to sacrifice herself for the world…
‘Enough.’
Ereneth bit her lip and pressed a hand against her forehead.
She didn’t want to think about it.
It was all in the past, and no amount of nostalgia would change anything.
As Ereneth averted her gaze and pretended not to notice, Parniel smacked her lips in disappointment.
She wanted a duel, but as a Holy Maiden, she couldn’t just provoke someone into a fight it was a frustrating predicament.
Still, she had to admit, Ereneth’s aura was truly impressive.
‘The world is full of exceptional people.’
The high-ranking priests of the Salvation Church were undoubtedly strong, but by her standards, they were still lacking.
Yet, after following Ghislain to the Northern Army, she had seen several outstanding individuals.
Like a predator searching for prey, Parniel’s gaze swept over her surroundings.
‘That woman, Belinda, isn’t one to take lightly either.’
Though Belinda’s energy was certainly weaker than her own, the brief display of her skills had been dazzling enough to make Parniel’s head spin. If she were caught off guard, even Parniel would suffer a serious wound before the fight truly began.
When Parniel subtly hinted at a duel, Belinda waved her hand with an innocent smile.
“Oh, I’m not really into that sort of thing. I’ve got a lot on my plate, you see? Hohoho.”
Even so, she seemed like the type who would stab someone with a smile if it suited her.
But it wasn’t just Belinda.
That man, Gillian, also looked formidable.
The sheer intensity radiating from his body was overwhelming. After observing him for a while, Parniel noticed that his fighting style was similar to her own.
Anyone facing an attack fueled by such overwhelming force would find their nerves frozen in fear.
It wasn’t just raw power his technique was equally remarkable.
A fight with Belinda would be mentally exhausting, but a clash with Gillian would be exhilarating.
So, she subtly tested the waters with Gillian as well. But his response was a polite refusal.
“The Holy Maiden is stronger than I am. There’s no real reason for us to fight.”
Regardless of who was stronger, battles had to be fought to truly determine the outcome.
But what could she do if he wasn’t interested? All Parniel could do was click her tongue in disappointment.
There was one person who seemed likely to accept a fight, though…
‘Kaor, was it?’
His skills were quite impressive, and his eyes carried the glint of a provocation he looked like a warhound eager for battle.
But there was one thing that disappointed her.
‘He’s good, but he hasn’t broken through the wall yet.’
If he could overcome that barrier, he would become a truly worthy opponent.
Even now, Kaor exuded a raw, untamed savagery.
“Agh! Damn it! This is so frustrating! Why is it always me?!”
It wasn’t just his energy his grumbling and crude speech made him seem all the more beastlike.
Parniel suppressed the desire that burned within her.
For now, she would set aside her urges.
Once the war was over, she would have all the time she wanted to challenge them to duels.
Until then, she could only hope that powerful enemies from the Salvation Church would appear on the battlefield.
For a Holy Maiden chosen by the Goddess of War, battle was both her way of spreading her goddess’s will and her source of ecstasy.
Amidst this subtle tension, the Fenris Army finally reached their destination.
At last, they met the Kingdom’s forces.
“Uwaaaaaah! Nephewwwwww!”
The Kingdom Army, arriving late under Maurice’s command, was moved to tears.
The Delfine Forces, who had staged a rebellion, had been completely annihilated. Countless prisoners had been taken and assimilated into the Kingdom Army.
It was nothing short of a miracle their numbers, which had dwindled due to the war, were now replenished.
With nothing left to fear, Maurice boldly declared,
"At this rate, haven't we wiped out everyone except the troops guarding the south? Let's launch an attack! We need to cut off that bastard, the Duke of Delfine's head right now!"
His words, brimming with the authority of a Supreme Commander, made Ghislain shake his head.
"Now is the time to reorganize our forces and rest. Everyone is too exhausted."
The Kingdom Army and the Allied Forces had been fighting relentlessly, suffering heavy blows along the way.
The Northern Army had been more active than any other, and the Fenris Mobile Corps even more so.
After such relentless movement, rest was necessary. Pushing them to the brink wouldn't guarantee victory. To keep fighting, they needed to recover.
Maurice understood that much, but he didn't want to miss this opportunity.
"I get that! But the south has a huge population! You all know how well they live down there. If we give them time, they'll gather another army. We need to strike now while their legions are in ruins!"
Under normal circumstances, he wasn't wrong. Anyone could see that this was the perfect time for a counteroffensive.
Yet, Ghislain remained firm in his opposition.
"The Ducal House’s strength is not limited to what we've seen. The priests of the Salvation Church are gathering as well. We need to reorganize our forces and prepare for the next war."
"Next… war?"
"Yes. The priests of the Salvation Church we’ve faced so far aren’t all of them. The Duke’s forces are the same."
The Ducal House was not one to be underestimated. If this was all it took to bring them down, they would have been swept away in an instant by the King of Mercenaries, one of the Seven Strongest on the Continent, in Ghislain’s past life.
If the Ducal House had truly wanted, they could have toppled the Kingdom long ago.
‘Now that I think about it, Count Fowd once said something like that to Marquis Branford.’
Back when Count Desmond attacked Fenris, the enraged Marquis Branford had imprisoned Count Fowd, the Ducal Faction’s diplomat.
At that moment, prepared to fight the Ducal House, Count Fowd had spoken:
"It’s not the Royal Faction suppressing the civil war it’s Viscount Joseph of the Ducal House. He is a rational man. We wished to shed only the bare minimum of blood."
It was Raul who had restrained the war. That was why the Ducal House hadn't outright crushed the Kingdom.
Of course, back then, the priests of the Salvation Church spread across the continent hadn't gathered yet, so the Ducal House's power was likely weaker than it was now.
‘The Ducal House intended to use its full power elsewhere, not in a civil war. Was it the Forest of Beasts after all?’
That had turned out to be their gravest miscalculation.
‘That gave me time to grow stronger, build an army, and rally people to my side.’
Knowing the future, Ghislain had used that information to methodically build his strength. But even he didn’t fully understand the Ducal House’s true intentions. He could only speculate that the Forest of Beasts was involved.
Only recently had he learned that, after suffering a setback at his mother's hands long ago, they had naturally shifted their strategy to seize the Kingdom instead.
‘As the battles continue, my unanswered questions will resolve themselves.’
Regardless of the reason, Ghislain’s firm opposition to the counterattack made Maurice sigh and ask again,
"Really can’t do it?"
"No."
"But I really want to go."
"Then you’ll be meeting the Goddess first."
"……."
Maurice couldn't hide his disappointment.
If there was one thing his nephew excelled at, it was war. So, following his lead was the best choice. Lately, the soldiers had even started calling him the God of War.
Well, Ghislain’s army had never lost a battle.
Surely, he had thought this decision through.
‘If only the Fortune-Teller Crone were here, I could ask her.’
If the Fortune-Teller Crone had said to attack, he would have marched on the south immediately using his authority as Supreme Commander.
But she wasn’t here, so he had no choice but to listen to Ghislain.
"Ugh… fine. Then for now, we’ll focus on regrouping and reorganizing our forces."
There were far too many prisoners. They needed to be properly assigned to ensure they followed orders.
Suddenly, something occurred to Maurice, and he asked,
"Oh, right. What do we do about Count Raypold?"
The war wasn’t over yet. Things were merely settling into a temporary lull. Yet Amelia had already seized four territories that weren’t hers.
Clearly, the lords who lost their territories and other nobles would cause an uproar.
"Isn't this already settled? Just push forward. If it's too difficult, just say I supported it."
"Ugh... fine."
War didn't simply end with victory in battle. There was always the aftermath handling war damage and mediating disputes over interests.
It was also the Supreme Commander's responsibility to reassess the forces stationed along the defensive lines of the kingdom and allied armies and redeploy them to the southern front.
On top of that, just thinking about dealing with the nobles' petty squabbles was already giving Maurice a headache.
"Ugh. Let's head to the capital first. It's best to rest and reorganize there."
Thus, the kingdom’s army and Fenris forces moved towards the capital. The Northern Army would also move with them.
With all of the Delfine forces annihilated, the soldiers heading to the capital felt more at ease than ever.
News of Delfine’s complete destruction had already spread throughout the capital.
“Waaaaah! The Northern Army is here!”
“Count Fenris has arrived!”
“We won!”
The streets of Cardenia were packed to the point of bursting with people.
Upon hearing the news of victory, the people of the capital rushed out, their cheers resounding for Ghislain.
“May the Goddess bless the Kingdom of Ritania!”
“Count Fenris, please look this way!”
“The kingdom’s protector!”
But the cheers weren’t just for Ghislain. The people knew many had fought together as one to defend this kingdom.
“You all fought so bravely!”
“Long live the Kingdom’s army! Long live the Northern Army!”
“The allied forces helped us too!”
The kingdom’s army was too large to enter the capital in its entirety, so most of them remained outside the city while only a portion of the forces entered. Those lucky enough to march in basked in the people's adulation.
Though it was true that the Northern Army had done most of the fighting, the kingdom’s army had still played its part.
Knights and soldiers alike wore flushed expressions. The once-weary soldiers stood tall, their backs straight, their steps more confident.
It had been a brutal battle. The southern front had been devastated, and countless lives were lost.
Yet, they had never given up. They had fought desperately, fortifying the lines however they could.
Because of them, Ghislain and the Northern Army had been able to move before the capital was taken.
To have that effort recognized was an overwhelming feeling.
“Sniff.”
“Don’t cry, you bastard.”
“Stand tall.”
One by one, the soldiers began to tear up, as if all their hardships had finally been lifted.
That was what it meant to have one's efforts acknowledged.
Seated atop the Black King, Ghislain smiled as a victorious general.
He had received such cheers in his past life as well. But back then, no matter how much they praised him, his heart had always felt empty.
‘This is different.’
Now, things were not the same.
It might not have been as emotional as the moment he first defended Ferdium, but his heart swelled with pride.
This victory meant they had stopped the ducal family and the Salvation Church backing them.
The war wasn't over yet, but for now, he could allow himself this moment.
“Ahem.”
Maurice felt a pang of jealousy at seeing Ghislain receive far more cheers than himself, the Supreme Commander of the kingdom’s army.
But then again, Ghislain had practically won the war single-handedly.
‘He really is something else.’
At first, Maurice didn't liked him. Just some arrogant brat, basking in the favor of Marquis Branford.
But look at him now.
Ghislain was the kingdom’s treasure. Without him, the Royalist nobles would have been slaughtered.
Maurice quickly tossed aside his momentary jealousy and grinned from ear to ear.
After all, he had been just as supportive of Ghislain as Marquis Branford.
‘So, I played a part in this too.’
That thought was comforting. He intended to bring it up and boast about it to the other nobles for years to come.
Before the royal palace, Marquis Branford and numerous high-ranking nobles had gathered.
Watching Ghislain approach with such confidence, the Marquis smiled.
‘Heaven truly favored us.’
It had been Ghislain who had approached him first. No doubt, the young man had intended to use him for his own gain, but that had been a blessing in disguise.
Even when everyone opposed him, he had chosen to trust and support Ghislain. And now, that trust has been rewarded beyond expectations.
‘The best investment in my life.’
The war wasn’t over yet. But at this moment, Marquis Branford was convinced they would win.
The ducal family had already lost over 200,000 troops how much longer could they possibly hold out?
Of course, he didn't truly grasp the full power of the ducal family and the Salvation Church.
“Welcome back. You’ve done well.”
Ghislain dismounted and gave a slight bow.
“It has been a while. Have you been well?”
“Thanks to you, I have. At first, I was worried, but I never imagined the Northern Army could achieve so much.”
For once, Marquis Branford did not hide his emotions, his usual icy demeanor melting into genuine joy.
“Come, let’s go inside. A victory banquet has been prepared, and there is much I wish to hear.”
Before the other nobles could approach, Marquis Branford took Ghislain by the arm and led him inside.
But Ghislain had more pressing matters than a mere banquet.
“Please grant me a moment of your time.”
“…What now?”
Marquis Branford pulled back slightly, wary. Whenever this young man spoke like this, it usually meant he was about to take something from him.
Ghislain narrowed his eyes in exasperation. He could see right through the Marquis’ thoughts.
‘Just what kind of person does he think I am?’
“I’m not here to ask for anything… I just have a few questions.”
“Hm, fine. Go ahead.”
The other gathered nobles could wait a bit longer. There was much to discuss with Maurice and the others who had participated in the war.
Marquis Branford and Ghislain moved to the royal office.
“Well then, what is it you wish to know?”
Ghislain took a moment to gather his thoughts. He pondered how best to broach the subject before deciding to be direct.
“I wish to know about the Shadow Knights.”
Marquis Branford’s expression hardened at the name.