I Became the Childhood Friend of the Northern Duchess – Chapter 219

Ariel clenched her fist tightly at the message that arrived from the Lukeville Family.

Finally, it had begun. An invisible fight.

“Your Highness, we are fully prepared to depart.”

Soon, Gale, who had gathered the soldiers in their positions, approached her to report.

The most crucial factor in this operation was stealth.

Therefore, rather than having the gathered soldiers all focus on one point, they had to be divided and given separate orders.

“I’ll be going soon. Ed, Kelrag must be following the instructions, right?”

“Yeah. By this morning, rumors have already spread like wildfire. The foreign tribes are moving in full force, striking throughout the north.”

In reality, the Carvita Tribe, led by Kelrag, was moving swiftly across the northern region with their characteristic agility.

Their compatriots, who had been positioned in various places, were also stepping out, armed and ready for a show of force.

Given such significant movements, it was only natural that the Bertus Family would have heard about it. But this was merely bait.

To mobilize such a number of troops, even the Robeheim Family couldn’t escape the eyes and ears of everyone.

It was certain that Albrecht had also caught wind of this news, and if that were the case, it would only serve to heighten their unease.

Thus, what Edgar chose was to initiate a grand scheme.

By dispatching Kelrag to his compatriots to rally the Carvita Tribe, he planned to disguise the movements of the Robeheim Family as they controlled their rampage.

The rumors of troop gathering over the past few days were nothing more than a part of this elaborate act meant to draw attention to armed Carvita Tribe members across the north.

“What’s the movement route looking like?”

“First, a small number of troops will head northwest to draw attention. The remaining key personnel will go in the opposite direction, heading southeast, and then use a makeshift Dimensional Stone to move directly to the Bertus Family’s castle.”

The problem was that since it was a hastily assembled Dimensional Stone, mass movement was impossible.

At best, they could only transport about 30% of the gathered soldiers.

That being said, it would still be quite challenging to face the elite forces of the Bertus Family.

Thus, the choice to reduce the number of soldiers was the Lukeville Family.

After sending aid to the Bertus Family, they decided that if they accepted the assistance, the numerous soldiers that had arrived in Gosan would be kept in that place.

The Lukeville Family was the most compatible option for Edgar’s strategy, and with no apparent connection to the Robeheim Family, Albrecht would likely let his guard down.

Therefore, the most critical factor was whether they could persuade their leader, Derpane, but thanks to Hagel’s assistance, it went quite smoothly.

“By the way, how did you fabricate the rumors about bandits appearing? Even with the power of the Lukeville Family, it would have been tough if there were no real sightings of bandits.”

On her way to where the soldiers were gathered with Edgar, Ariel couldn’t contain her curiosity and asked.

He had accomplished countless things over the past few days, but this point was what intrigued her the most.

There were too many oddities to simply chalk it up to the Lukeville Family’s influence.

“Oh, that? I really did summon bandits.”

“…What?”

The reply she received to her question was so simple it left her dazed.

As Ariel widened her eyes and swiftly turned to Edgar, he shrugged as if to say, “What’s so surprising?”

“Of course, I didn’t actually hire real bandits; I selected a few dozen Carvita Tribe members and sent them there in advance. Had we not informed them, the Lukeville Family would have genuinely believed there were bandits.”

“You went that far?”

What a chillingly meticulous man he was.

Ariel, who prided herself on knowing his true nature better than anyone else, found herself realizing that perhaps she didn’t know the full extent.

“It wasn’t that great of a deal. If I hadn’t done that, the Bertus Family might have sensed something odd and turned back quickly.”

If the water looks completely empty, no one would cast a fishing line.

But if they realized that something was writhing and existing, they would throw their lines in no time.

Thus, Edgar deliberately disguised the Carvita Tribe as bandits to lure them out like fish.

“You downplay it, but to me, that’s pretty impressive.”

At the very least, it was definitely more impressive than just sitting in a position of leadership, receiving reports, and making decisions.

Ariel genuinely thought so.

“Anyway, let’s discuss the rest in detail later. Are you ready for the speech?”

“W-what speech? It’s just a matter of wishing for good luck.”

Although she could be a bit self-absorbed at times, she wasn’t one to brag in front of others.

She wasn’t particularly fond of stepping into the limelight anyway.

Therefore, when she expressed her reluctance to Edgar’s words, he shook his finger at her with a disapproving ‘tut tut’ and said firmly.

“This is when the true capability of a leader comes to light. It’s also your role to instill purpose and will in the soldiers.”

“Ugh, if that’s the case, you do it yourself!”

“Does that even make sense?”

These two were busy bickering in front of such a heavy responsibility.

However, today too, the advantage leaned towards Edgar, and ultimately, Ariel had to deliver a rousing speech to encourage the soldiers while trying to maintain a serious demeanor.

Before long, the soldiers left Hespania and scattered to different locations with their respective commanders.

The day of the decisive battle was approaching.

* * * * * * *

The Robeheim Family launched a full-scale offensive to suppress the invading tribes!

The news quickly spread far and wide, and everyone praised their bravery.

Especially at that very moment in the Imperial Palace, the current family head, Ariel, was admired unanimously for being a formidable woman who inherited her father’s bloodline, despite being female.

“She truly is remarkable. She was just a budding young girl in her childhood; when did she become such a strong warrior?”

“Indeed. Every time we hear the news of the Robeheim Family, those noisy foreign tribes find themselves trembling with fear and tucking their tails… I believe she will bring victory once again this time.”

“Of course. Victory is a sure thing.”

Watching the old men chatter carefree in the peaceful imperial palace, the commander of the knights, Ludrick, clicked his tongue lightly.

They spoke grandly, but the moment the Robeheim Family faced a defeat, they would be the first to clamor for punishment.

Though many prominent families held the Robeheim Family in esteem, the self-serving old men were always looking to keep them in check.

In their eyes, the existence of the Grand Duke, who wielded far greater influence than the emperor, was likely irritating to them.

Truly a loathsome bunch.

“Your opinions may hold some merit, but we mustn’t take victory for granted.”

‘Your Majesty?’

Ludrick was nearly sick watching the pigs drool and babble before him when he suddenly heard a voice and turned his head.

Barthaus, who usually spoke little in the presence of the ministers, sat in the main seat, looking down at the crowd with a serious expression.

Contrary to the somewhat weakened demeanor he had shown thus far, there was something sharp about his gaze.

“A hero cannot remain invincible forever. Perhaps our own thoughts may be adding considerable pressure on them.”

“That wasn’t the intent, Your Majesty. It was merely to express our utmost faith in Grand Duke…”

While his tone wasn’t cold, it indeed had a weighty edge.

As a few of the old men, taken aback, immediately began to excuse themselves, Barthaus smiled, as if the solemnity from before had merely been a ruse.

“I see. If I overreacted, I apologize.”

Not pushing any further was Barthaus’ seasoned tactic.

By simply deflating the atmosphere a little, there was no way they could carelessly chatter about the Robeheim Family’s deployment anymore.

Moreover, while it seemed like he was admonishing them, the message was just as much for himself.

Though it appeared that they had set forth to suppress the invaders, they were, in truth, heroes willingly stepping into the fray for the fallen imperial family.

His intention was to remind them not to take their victory for granted, but to support them properly, even for an emperor without power.

“…My dear.”

“I know.”

Beatria, who was seated beside him, gently reached out and placed her hand on his.

Feeling the warmth of his wife that he had thought he’d never feel again, Barthaus felt his uneasy feelings quickly dissipate.

At this very moment, they must be busy fulfilling their duties in their respective roles.

Even if what he could do now was to merely pretend to be a bird in a cage, acting as if he felt no discomfort, he couldn’t shake off the feeling of powerlessness.

Was this truly the right path?

Did he genuinely deserve to receive salvation?

No matter how many times he asked himself, no adequate answers arose.

Nobody could truly know what is right.

The only certainty was that he had no choice but to respond to the heroes who reached out their hands for salvation with his utmost effort.

Although he well understood that this act could be deemed shameless and brazen, he had something that he needed to protect, no matter the cost.

“Everything will be alright. I believe in them, my dear.”

“Indeed.”

Holding her hand once more and receiving courage from his wife’s warmth, Barthaus nodded firmly.

If this belief could provide strength to them, he wouldn’t stop praying for a single day.

Why isn’t there magic like that in the world? The thought alone struck him as absurdly unfair.