Chapter 458: Act 208 – Roses, Thorns, and Power
Madara has arrived.
Not only that, Count Rendener has gathered an army of twenty thousand people in Palas in just a month or two, including three knight lords, and with the addition of mountain people and barbarian forces, this grand move seems less like quelling a rebellion and more like a show of strength to those who dared to mock him before.
This level of mobilization indicates that this lord earl is far from needing to ‘retire.’ Previously, he was like a squinting old tiger, and once his eyes widened in anger, he could still shake the entire forest just as he did decades ago. Now, Duke Toniger is completely under the control of this tiger, and most of the others have started to wait with glee to see the fate of those foolish enough to poke the tiger’s whiskers.
The captain of Princess Grifian’s personal knights, Viscount Aser, received the intelligence and immediately left his office, heading toward the princess’s study. Sir Kopp, noticing this, followed suit, “Hey, Captain, I’ve heard the news from the south.”
Kopp doesn’t hold a high position among the royalist faction, yet he is aligned with Master Livwz, who is the princess’s teacher and the chief court mage of Erluin, enjoying a prestigious status among the royalists. Even the leading figures in authority would bow their heads when facing this elderly man. Aser didn’t want to provoke Kopp, so he merely nodded, “The princess has high hopes for those rebels, but unfortunately, she will be disappointed this time. In fact, several of the gentlemen above don’t support engaging with those rebels; it’s too risky. Lord Rendener is, after all, a regional lord.”
“The princess is unwilling to negotiate with Duke Anlek. Sigh, she is still a child. No matter how wise people claim she is, a woman is still a woman, and it is inevitable for her to hold some naive hopes.” Kopp nodded, pretending to sigh.
Aser glanced at him and replied, “Politics is politics; the future of the kingdom is more important than anything else. I believe the princess will eventually see this. Reaching an agreement with Count Rendener is the best choice for us. Only then will the princess have enough weight to negotiate with that old man Anlek.”
“Yes, but I’m worried the princess is obstinate. You know, Lord Aser, I heard she secretly communicated with those rebels. If this evidence reaches Lord Rendener, we will be in a bind.”
“Don’t worry, Master Livwz. Duke Lantonrand’s faction also disapproves of continuing to covertly support those country bumpkins. The knights also expressed the same intent, and given the current situation, the princess won’t act recklessly.” The captain replied.
Kopp chuckled internally, thinking that the princess was far more stubborn than the rumors suggested, and besides, she did have some supporters. However, he was a smooth talker and wouldn’t directly voice his thoughts, instead cleverly asking, “What about Lord Overwell?”
“He…” Aser fell silent. Indeed, that man known as the “Wolf” has always had an ambiguous attitude, making it hard to discern his thoughts. Even more troublesome is that Overwell is a leader among the faction with real power, his intellect not inferior to that of Makarolo, who is known as the “Cunning Fox.” It was this man’s silence that led to the lack of consensus among the voices close to the princess.
As long as there was no agreement, there remained uncertainties. But Aser didn’t have a favorable view of those rebels. In his opinion, relying on the fate of the country to an act akin to gambling was almost childish. Kopp shared the same sentiment, and in fact, most within the royalist faction thought similarly. To them, Lord Rendener, who holds real power, is far more reliable than a group of aimless rebels.
In fact, he is also much more personable—
As for Princess Grifian’s plans, there is some feasibility. However, they are too risky. The so-called confidence in one’s abilities, in the eyes of the nobles, is merely the naive thought of a young girl pursuing the fantasy of ‘mastering her own fate.’ They have seen such behavior many times and are now indifferent, instead wearing expressions of almost sympathetic understanding.
The princess’s fate is meant for political marriage. Since the little girl wishes to struggle a bit, let her do so, as long as it doesn’t impact the greater situation.
Aser gestured to Kopp to leave and then pushed open the wooden door to the princess’s study. Inside, many people were gathered. He looked up only to see Overwell, Livwz, Makarolo, and Count Violet Bal; almost all core members of the royalist faction were present. The knight captain was not surprised; in fact, ever since tensions in the south rose, meetings had been held here almost daily.
However, the atmosphere in the room was somewhat oppressive, uncomfortably so. In such an environment, Viscount Aser could only present the newly obtained intelligence in front of everyone.
“Thank you, Lord Aser.” The princess’s crisp voice sounded very calm, but for some reason, Aser felt a twinge of guilt. After all, Livwz is the princess’s teacher, but he also counts as a half-teacher; the princess’s now exceptional swordsmanship is attributed to his teaching.
“This is my duty, Your Highness,” Aser replied, lowering his head. He noted that Princess Grifian and the others had no interest in reading the intelligence, realizing that everyone present must already know the news.
He couldn’t help but secretly lift his head, watching the composed half-elf princess. Today, Princess Grifian appeared as calm as ever; her beauty seemed to emanate from this very composure, striking awe. Yet the girl was uncharacteristically silent, her silver hair reflecting candlelight and seemingly forming a halo. She rested her hands on her delicate knees, biting her lip, unflinchingly facing the gazes of everyone present.
“I understand. I will follow the wishes of the gentlemen,” she stated.
Though it was a compromise, her voice was decisive, leaving no room for retreat. It was as if even this was a decision made by her own hand. Seeing this, even Count Violet couldn’t help but shake his head, wishing the princess were a prince instead.
Yet history has no ‘ifs.’
Compromising with Count Rendener and aligning with Anlek through political marriage has become inevitable. In every royalist’s heart, those Northerners are just a bunch of worthless scum. Once the snow melts, a great battle between south and north will decide their future standings.
The revival of the kingdom seems unstoppable.
A perfect outcome.
…
“Achoo!” Hades sneezed, rubbing his face to prevent the cold air from freezing his features. Although a year has passed, winter shows no sign of waning; rather, it has become increasingly cold. North of the River Gris, the wooden walls of this small lookout in the forest are coated with a layer of icicles, the wood frozen solid, indistinguishable from stone.
Hades placed his gloves on the parapet and stood atop the high watchtower, looking into the forest. The land that was once cultivated now lies unfarmed since winter began. The tenant farmers who tilled this land had crossed the river before winter, and the only ones left here are military men like him. Soldiers, mercenaries, castle soldiers, militia, and knights — all come from various places and are the most professional of soldiers.
A bit farther from Toniger, many people have already learned about the impending war, but they view the battle as having no suspense. Although Count Rendener is gradually aging, his vigorous spirit has not diminished. His commands in the regions under his control are still seen as authoritative, and within a short time, he can gather an army of ten to twenty thousand.
Moreover, everyone understands that at this moment, the lord also has barbarians and undead on his side — even the Dukes of the North do not dare overlook such power.
Yet Hades sees things differently; just before today, different soldiers have continuously entered this small outpost for three consecutive days. Four arrived three days ago, six came the next morning, and yesterday brought the last batch of seven. In just three days, the fort’s manpower reached twenty.
All these men are professional soldiers. This conclusion surprised even Hades; before pledging allegiance to the new lord, he was a retainer to Grudin. Of course, he was not comparable to those guards within the castle, but at most, Grudin had around fifty seasoned warriors like himself. The others were mostly nobles’ private soldiers or militia, merely used to pad numbers.
Hades had experienced a few battles between lords. In this era, such conflicts tend to be very bloody; although nobles often do not face real harm—except for those unfortunate few struck by stray arrows—the casualties among private soldiers and knights are significant. Only those who survived a battle can be called seasoned warriors; individuals like him, who have fought numerous times, look down upon those who can’t even grasp a sword. No matter how many of such fellows come, it would be futile.
However, a lord truly relies on a steadfast few knights, often just a hundred or so, no more. First, they are costly to maintain; a professional soldier consumes vast resources, let alone an experienced knight. Secondly, there aren’t that many talented individuals; a small lord’s allure typically pales compared to that of a prominent noble. Any knight of slight stature would naturally gravitate towards a powerful lord like Count Rendener. To claim to have a hundred armored men already makes one a very strong lord; even a mere baron like Grudin has only about a hundred reliable knights.
But Brendel is an exception.
Because all his talented individuals seem to have gathered by chance, comprising mercenaries from mountaineers and even further afield. Although these mercenaries have not experienced true warfare, having survived countless bloody encounters, their battle instincts often surpass those of regular soldiers.
Moreover, the mercenaries led by the trio of Juliette, Vurn, and Crenshia are exceptionally outstanding. Particularly Vurn’s subordinates are mostly former cavalrymen from the Karlen Plateau, originally elite scouts. After the tribulations of battle, their individual strength significantly exceeds that of other mercenaries.
However, this is not the strongest aspect. There are also the copper dragon Retao and his group. Their combat prowess is mediocre, peaking at black iron levels, but their battle experience is astonishing. Brendel has long suspected the true identities of these individuals. Especially with Retao’s presence, he inherently questions whether these veterans are all from the November War.
This conclusion is somewhat frightening, but it also seems the most plausible. These seasoned mercenaries occupy nearly two-thirds of Brendel’s human forces. Additionally, there are members from the original garrison and patrol cavalry from Buche and Ridenburg, whom he has also faced in encounters alongside Madara.
The final portion consists of knights led by Sir Minate who pledged allegiance to Carglis, plus newly recruited soldiers. Currently, Brendel’s human soldiers number around two to three thousand, but over eighty percent of these two thousand are genuine veterans—experienced warriors who are no less skilled than knights trained in combat.
Outsiders believe this group of Toniger’s ‘rebels’ is merely a ragtag mob of two to three thousand, but Hades understands that the young lord commands an impressive force of over two thousand knights. Over two thousand knights—by the gods, such a number could lead an army of over a hundred thousand.
When the former king Eke founded the nation, he had no more than two hundred knights by his side.
“There’s movement in the forest.” Suddenly, a voice spoke behind him. Hades jumped, instinctively turning his head.
… (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please visit qidian.com to vote for it; your support is my greatest motivation.)
