The
Lorist said, "Your Majesty, while the Kenmace and Shahin families are allies of our
The Second Prince smiled and patted Lorist on the shoulder. "Don't worry. With my brother Locke here, I have nothing to fear in terms of safety. As for Count Kenmace and
Lorist was helpless. Unable to shake him off, he had no choice but to bring the Second Prince and his companions along.
Four days later, Lorist's party crossed the pontoon bridge spanning the lower reaches of the Mitobluo River and set foot on the territory of the Madras Duchy on the opposite bank.
The Northland Alliance's camp was not far from the crossing. After smashing the defensive installations and garrison on the opposite bank, Count Kenmace and Baron Shahin had not pushed deeper into the Madras Duchy's territory with their legions. Instead, they had established a large camp on a small hill near the river crossing—the very hill where the ruined castle of Baron Sulas once stood. Baron Sulas had once collected tolls at the crossing before being hanged on the orders of Tiger Ross and
The letter Lorist had received five days ago was from Count Kenmace. It stated that once the Northland Alliance halted its advance and began fortifying the ruins on the small hill, exactly as Lorist had predicted, the Madras Duchy's noble private armies and regular forces had practically gone berserk within a mere ten days or so. They launched attack after attack on the Northland Alliance's camp, and those ten days had been extraordinarily lively—until the Madras forces finally smashed themselves bloody against the fortified camp, losing five to six thousand men before they finally stopped and sent envoys to the Northland Alliance.
"Locke, your strategy of switching from offense to defense was absolutely brilliant. Hened said that if we had continued to advance and run into those Madras noble private armies and regular legions, our losses would have been catastrophic. But by staying in the camp, holding the terrain advantage and the defensive works, we crushed their attacks effortlessly while suffering barely any casualties... uh, who's this?"
Count Kenmace had traveled a long way to welcome them. The moment they met, he effused about how effective the strategy Lorist had set before departing had been. Then he noticed the Second Prince, who wore a broad smile and whose eyes were practically sparkling.
Lorist had no choice but to introduce them. Count Kenmace felt somewhat awkward. As Lorist had noted, this former king of the Andinak Kingdom was quite well known, and the Kenmace family was indeed in an adversarial relationship with him. But since the man was now a mere former king and had come this time as a noble knight to observe the battle, Count Kenmace couldn't very well do anything about it.
The Second Prince, on the other hand, proved remarkably sociable. He began by extolling the long-standing reputation of the former Krisen Empire's largest construction guild, then expressed his regret over the Kenmace family's defection to the Iblia Kingdom, and finally praised Count Kenmace's talents. In less than ten minutes, the Second Prince and Count Kenmace had their arms slung around each other, chatting away like the best of friends.
When they reached the main tent, Shahin Hened had just returned from inspecting the camp. Upon meeting, Lorist introduced the Second Prince to him as well. But though the Second Prince was all friendliness, Hened was not buying it, maintaining only surface-level courtesy.
Lorist had rushed back this time because of the envoy matter mentioned in the letter. The last time Count Kenmace had received the envoy, he had only demanded the resumption of trade route traffic, an end to the blockading of the lower Mitobluo River, and low tariffs for merchant caravans passing through checkpoints. To everyone's surprise, the envoy returned quickly with a reply that fully accepted all of Count Kenmace's demands. This left Count Kenmace and Baron Shahin in quite a bind. Since the other side had accepted all their conditions, the war could ostensibly be considered over—so should they withdraw their troops back to the Northland?
Helpless, Count Kenmace had no choice but to write to Lorist while adopting a stalling tactic toward the Madras Duchy. After hearing Count Kenmace's account, Lorist laughed. "Forget about them. Let's focus on what we need to do. The priority right now is building proper winter quarters and stockpiling food and supplies. When we have time, we'll sweep through the nearby lords' castles and estates, demanding war taxes from the territorial nobles. Crush anyone who refuses to comply."
"But what about their envoy coming to protest?" Count Kenmace asked.
"That's simple. What started this war in the first place? The Madras Duchy erected arrow towers and other defensive installations along the river, closed off the crossings and passages downstream, and sank two of Hened's fishing boats. We'll demand compensation for damages and require them to cover our military expenses for this campaign. We'll make an outrageous opening demand. If the Madras Duchy tries to negotiate, we'll drag out the discussions and string them along through the winter. And in the end, we'll require the Grand Duke of Madras to sign the agreed-upon treaty—rather than having some random nobody show up claiming to accept our conditions and expecting us to stand down."
"The Madras Duchy is feeling uncertain. They've accepted our demands and think they've gotten off cheap—that we should withdraw. But we nearly fell for their trick. I guarantee that the moment we pull out our troops, the Madras Duchy will immediately renege and reestablish their river defenses."
"So what if they reestablish them? We'll just fight them all over again..." Hened said confidently.
Count Kenmace thought for a moment and asked again, "Locke, what if the Madras Duchy fully accepts our demands once more?"
Lorist replied, "Then there's nothing we can do. If the Grand Duke of Madras would rather swallow the loss, we'll still have to withdraw. However, we can use the excuse that we don't trust their guarantee and demand to lease a strip of land along the river connected to the pontoon bridge, where we'll station a legion—to protect the pontoon bridge and to escort our Northland merchant caravans into the Madras Duchy."
"Good, that's exactly what we'll do. Next time that envoy comes, I'll tell him just that. Let the Madras Duchy show us their sincerity. As long as they meet those conditions, we can end this war."
The Second Prince had been sitting in the main tent with a smile, listening to Lorist and the others deliberate. But the more he listened, the more uneasy he became. Finally, he couldn't help but speak up. "Forgive the interruption—Brother Locke, Count Kenmace—might I ask what the actual reason for your war against the Madras Duchy is?"
"Oh, Your Majesty, it's quite simple. The Grand Duke of Madras blockaded this stretch of river and sank Baron Shahin's fishing boats. That is why we sent troops to punish the Madras Duchy. If the Grand Duke of Madras agrees to cease blockading the river and opens the trade routes to allow our Northland merchant caravans entry for commerce, then this war can end." Count Kenmace answered very politely.
"Then don't you want to conquer the Madras Duchy and make it your territory? Wouldn't that accomplish the same thing—the trade routes opened and the river no longer blockaded?" the Second Prince asked, puzzled.
Count Kenmace rolled his eyes and looked at the Second Prince as though he were an idiot. "Your Majesty, we have no desire to occupy the Madras Duchy, because the cost and losses would be far too great. While we could do it, our goal is simply to open the trade routes. Why on earth would we want to occupy the Madras Duchy? Even if we did, we'd have to pour enormous capital into developing it. We're not fools. As long as the Grand Duke of Madras agrees to our terms, we'll be happy to end the war."
The Second Prince was deeply disappointed. He had assumed the Norton family's two allies were attacking the Madras Duchy with the intent of destroying it, only to discover it was merely a feint to open a trade route. He had originally planned to fish in troubled waters—taking advantage of the chaos to conscript refugees within the Madras Duchy into a White Lion Legion, then use the duchy as a springboard to march back into the Andinak Kingdom and reclaim his throne. It had been a beautiful plan, but reality had delivered a crushing blow.
Watching the Second Prince's vacant expression, Lorist wanted to laugh. Throughout the journey, he had already seen through the Second Prince's intentions. But regarding the conquest of the Madras Duchy, Lorist had his own plans—and he would not dance to the Second Prince's tune.
"Alright, let's get some food first. And Hened, arrange a place for His Majesty to rest. After days on the road, we need a good rest after the meal. Whatever business there is can wait until tomorrow."
Though it was wartime, with the ever-hedonistic Count Kenmace around, the impromptu banquet was still impressively lavish. However, the Second Prince wore a deeply troubled expression, found no enjoyment in the food, and soon excused himself, claiming to be somewhat drunk, to rest in the room Hened had arranged for him.
"Why did you bring him along? I was genuinely embarrassed when we first met," Count Kenmace complained.
Lorist shrugged. "I couldn't help it. He insisted on coming, and as our Norton family's overlord, I couldn't very well refuse. In any case, he's merely the former king of the Andinak Kingdom now—his status is nothing more than a noble knight. Coming to observe the battle is no great matter."
"Wasn't he supposed to have gone missing? How did he turn up again? You were already a free noble, and now suddenly having a superior lord hanging over you—can't feel great," Hened said.
"Alas..." Lorist sighed, and then recounted the whole story—the Second Prince and his companions' narrow escape, how he had come to the Northland seeking Lorist's aid and demanding that the Norton family send troops to help him reclaim his throne, and how Lorist had brushed him off.
"Ha ha ha..." Count Kenmace and Hened laughed for a long time when they heard that the Second Prince had been unable to recruit a single soldier on Norton family territory.
"Actually, Locke, don't you think this former king is a treasure? You could control him—send troops into the Andinak Kingdom in his name, and in the future make him a puppet while you wield the real power of the kingdom..." Hened suddenly harbored this wild notion.
Count Kenmace immediately threw cold water on the idea. "Give it a rest. Can't you see what kind of person this former king is? He's brimming with ambition—he wants to reunify the former empire, usher in a golden age, and become a legendary emperor. You think you can control him? You're dreaming. To be a powerful minister behind the throne, you need a cowardly little lapdog, not a wolf king who'll bite your head off at any moment.
Look at how he treats Lorist—he uses him but also keeps his guard up. On the surface he calls Brother Locke with such warmth, but in truth he's just as wary of the Norton family's power. The fact that even now, in his fallen state, he's thinking about recruiting soldiers and raising armies to reclaim his throne by his own strength—rather than entrusting everything to Locke and accepting all of the Norton family's conditions—proves he's not someone who can be puppeteered."
"Make sure to keep this quiet—don't let the Second Prince and his entourage discover that we have such powerful siege equipment. Have your men keep their mouths shut about it. They can look at everything else—it doesn't matter. We're not at war with the Madras Duchy right now, the front is quiet, and they probably won't stay more than a few days. Once they leave, we can relax. We'll just continue with the original plan." Lorist rose to his feet, and the banquet came to an end.
Lorist was full and didn't feel like resting. It was still afternoon, so he sent Erl to Count Kenmace's tent to borrow a couple of fishing rods and headed down to the river. At the banquet, they had served a type of white fish with an exceptionally delicate flavor—a specialty of the Mitobluo River. Count Kenmace had even boasted about his fishing skills during the meal. Hened had grumbled bitterly that while he was at the front lines beating back the Madras Duchy's attacks, Count Kenmace had been back here fishing on the river. But there was nothing Hened could do about it—the woman he loved most was Count Kenmace's cousin. It was a grievance he had to swallow whether he liked it or not.
After three hours of fishing, Lorist caught no white fish but managed to haul in a motley assortment of other river catch. As the sky began to darken, he and Erl rowed their small fishing boat back to shore, mounted their horses, and returned to camp.
The ruined castle on the small hill had been restored to more than half its former state. It served as the center of the Northland Alliance's camp and was where Count Kenmace and Hened were quartered. Lorist had been assigned a side building not far from the main castle. He handed the afternoon's catch to his guards to deal with and headed upstairs, planning to take a bath and change before dinner.
No sooner had he stepped into the bathing tub than a guard knocked at the door to announce that Count Kenmace had arrived—presumably to invite Lorist to dinner. Lorist didn't mind and told the guard to let Count Kenmace come right in. They were both men; there was nothing to be bashful about.
To his surprise, Count Kenmace's first words upon entering were: "Your king spent the whole afternoon talking to me. Do you know what he wants?"
Lorist was taken aback. "What does he want?"
Count Kenmace chuckled. "He showered me with promises—painted the rosiest picture you can imagine and set it right before my eyes. He said that if our Kenmace family is willing to swear allegiance to him, he'll elevate my title, grant me the rank of Grand Duke, and after reclaiming his kingdom, give our family an entire province as my fief."
Lorist laughed. "You believe his promises?"
Count Kenmace shook his head. "I don't. But I am tempted."
"Why?"
"Locke, your Norton family has been a noble house of the Krisen Empire for hundreds of years, but ours hasn't. The Kenmace family was merely the former empire's largest construction guild, and this noble title was purchased from the Second Prince with money. But the Second Prince was a traitor to the former empire—he's dead now. And the Iblia Kingdom is in turmoil. If the kingdom falls, no one will recognize our family's noble title. The Andinak royal family is the direct lineage of the former Krisen imperial house. The Second Prince represents legitimacy..."
... (To be continued.)