The southern part of the Northland, the Shahin family's territory, Gildusk City, the former Grand Duke's residence.
The second prince felt as though each day dragged on for an eternity. Winter had passed and the rainy season had arrived. Fortunately, it only rained for twenty-odd days in the Northland before the sun came out. After waiting patiently for another three or four days, the roads should have dried by now. But the second prince waited and waited, yet received no invitation from the four northern lords to visit Mordras Duchy to observe the battle. He sent his subordinates to inquire, and nearly had his nose twisted off in fury. What did they say? The four great lords were currently busy with the winter wheat harvest in their territories and had no time to go to the front lines to oversee the battle?
The second prince simply could not understand what was going on in the heads of these four northern nobles. On the Mordras front, over a hundred thousand troops stood in standoff against the enemy. After finally wearing the enemy down through winter and the rainy season, when their morale was at its lowest — instead of seizing the opportunity to advance and force a decisive battle to settle things once and for all, they were still sitting in their family territories busy with winter wheat harvesting. Was there something wrong with their heads? If they missed this battle opportunity, they would regret it — the enemy could use this time to rest and recover their morale!
It wasn't that the second prince didn't think the winter wheat harvest was important — missing the farming season was a serious matter. But could anything be more important than the war on the front? So he wrote several letters in succession, warning the four northern nobles not to be careless and not to take the Mordras war lightly. Drawing on his experience as a veteran commander, he shared some of his insights and proposals regarding the conflict...
Soon, the second prince received replies.
Baron Phelim's reply was a discussion of tactics with the second prince. He pointed out that two of the second prince's suggestions were quite inappropriate, then listed his reasons why.
Count
The second prince was so furious smoke was practically coming out of his ears, and he wanted to tear these replies to shreds. These four letters clearly showed that none of them took him seriously. Not a single one had invited him to the front to observe the battle. Unwilling to give up, the second prince sent his
However, Lipired returned after only three or four days. He reported to the second prince that he had been blocked at the pontoon bridge crossing and not allowed to cross to the Mordras side. He waited at the crossing for a day and found nothing other than the Norton Family preparing to build castle fortresses at the crossings on both banks, so he came back.
The second prince was quite dejected. It was clear that the four great northern families had reached a secret agreement and didn't want him involved in the Mordras war. It also showed that although the four families acknowledged him as their suzerain lord, they were still very wary of him. They knew full well that he intended to use the Mordras war to build his White Lion Corps, so they simply barred him from setting foot in Mordras Duchy, cutting off his ambitions to recruit soldiers and horses.
How frustrating! The second prince had been hoping the war between the four northern families and Mordras Duchy would drag on as long and as bitterly as possible, ideally leaving both sides badly wounded. Perhaps only then would they remember him — the king hailed as the new generation's military god — and ask him to turn the tide of defeat...
The only good news was that since arriving at Gildusk City, the second prince had made significant progress in recruiting troops under the banner of restoration. In the Norton Family's territory, he had only managed to recruit around six hundred men, but in Gildusk City, within barely a month, he had recruited over three thousand. On top of that, three or four free knights and about ten wandering knights had pledged themselves to his service. So the second prince ordered Krisha to escort the White Lion Corps' standard equipment over, and he spent every day in the military camp training soldiers.
With May just around the corner, the second prince looked at his four to five thousand troops and pondered whether he should test the four northern families' reaction under the pretext of offering reinforcements. If things were going well for them in Mordras, they would refuse his offer. But if they had suffered heavy losses and the war was dragging on, they would be delighted by his volunteer offer and eagerly invite him to the Mordras front. The trouble was, the troops he had worked so hard to recruit might suffer heavy casualties...
While the second prince was weighing the pros and cons, a soldier outside his tent reported: "Your Majesty, Count Kemmes is here. He wishes to have an audience with you. He is waiting outside the camp for your summons."
Count Kemmes had come? The second prince felt a surge of delight and was about to summon him immediately. But on second thought, that would make him appear too eager. He should put on airs and keep Count Kemmes waiting for a bit. So he ordered: "Tell Count Kemmes that I'm very busy and have no time at the moment. Ask him to wait."
After all, wasn't the whole point of crushing Mordras Duchy to avoid being dragged down and exhausted by that old turtle of a Grand Duke?
So the second prince had his trusted lieutenant Lipired spar with him for a while. Regardless of everything else, the second prince was a Gold Three-Star knight. After half an hour, he finally defeated the Gold Two-Star Lipired, broke into a good sweat, and ordered his attendants to prepare bathwater. After freshening up and feeling enough time had passed, he finally sent an attendant to bring in Count Kemmes, who had been waiting outside.
The attendant went to the camp gate and soon returned alone, reporting: "Your Majesty, the soldiers guarding the gate said that Count Kemmes, upon hearing that Your Majesty was too busy, waited for a moment and then said that since His Majesty had no time, he would come back in a couple of days for his audience. Then he got into his carriage and left..."
The second prince was dumbfounded. What did that mean? Had Count Kemmes come this time purely for a ceremonial visit rather than to consult him on the Mordras war? Had he guessed wrong — was the war between the four northern families and Mordras going well?
Impossible. That old turtle of a Mordras Grand Duke was incapable of offense but a master of defense. Even after losing a decisive battle, he could drag the war into a prolonged campaign. Back when he had fought the second prince at Kebo City, he lost eleven times in a row but ultimately wore down the second prince's army to the point of exhaustion, then turned the tables in one sweeping victory. He traded eleven small defeats for one great victory, forcing the second prince to retreat from Delaimk Province with the remnants of his army.
Was Count Kemmes trying to pull some kind of ruse? The second prince thought anxiously. Last time, it was Kemmes who had engineered that oath document — he hadn't realized the trap until after he had signed, stamped, and pressed his thumbprint. All the benefits had gone to the four northern families. He had received nothing beyond the nominal title of suzerain lord, and had even handed the initiative to Lorist...
He needed to keep his guard up when dealing with Count Kemmes, lest he get sold again. The second prince decided to learn his lesson. After thinking it over, he called a few attendants and ordered them to shadow Count Kemmes over the next few days — perhaps they could pick up something from his itinerary.
"Report, Your Majesty! Count Kemmes is hosting a ball at his residence tonight, inviting many noble ladies and society women."
Still in the mood for dancing — it seemed the war on the front wasn't going badly... The second prince told himself he must stay calm and not be deceived by Count Kemmes's tricks.
"Report, Your Majesty! This afternoon, Count Kemmes went on an outing south of the city with several noble ladies, bringing rattan balls to play with. Tonight, he is hosting a banquet for those ladies at his count's residence..."
The second prince irritably drained the fruit wine in his cup. Could it really be that he had guessed wrong? Was Count Kemmes's visit purely a matter of courtesy, with no other meaning?
"Report, Your Majesty! This afternoon, Count Kemmes received several traveling merchants. This evening, he went with those merchants to the city's largest pleasure house for a wild night..."
The second prince was so furious he flipped the table. Bastard! How dare he! Hadn't he said he'd come back in two days for the audience? Today was the third day! He had time to tour pleasure houses with merchants but couldn't be bothered to come for an audience? As a noble, how could he go back on his word?
"Report, Your Majesty! Count Kemmes is here for his audience."
"Oh, quickly — show him in..."
On the afternoon of the fourth day, Count Kemmes finally appeared before the second prince, who now had dark circles under both eyes.
"Ah! Your Majesty, what's happened? You don't look well at all — has something occurred?" Count Kemmes asked with a look of concern after completing the formal greeting.
As if it wasn't all because of you, you bastard. The second prince had tossed and turned all night — dark circles were hardly a surprise.
"Sigh..." The second prince let out a long breath. "I've been rather anxious these past days. Every time I think of the kingdom's situation, I simply cannot rest easy. The throne was usurped, I've been cast adrift in the Northland, watching the once-mighty empire fragment and collapse, the Commercial Alliance pressing in ever closer, the four central duchies forgetting the empire's glory and consorting with our enemies in celebration. Every time I recall these things, it cuts my heart. How could I possibly sleep?"
Count Kemmes earnestly consoled him: "Your Majesty, your person is tied to the kingdom's safety and its future. You must take care of your health. Do not overwork yourself, and do not grieve too deeply. The past is past. As long as Your Majesty rallies, you will certainly reclaim the throne and restore the kingdom. With Your Majesty here, everyone will have the confidence to see the Krisen Empire's former greatness and prosperity restored. Since Your Majesty is feeling unwell, I shall come again another time."
What was this? A brief meeting, a few pleasantries, and he was going to leave? The second prince hadn't even gotten the information he wanted. He hurriedly tried to press his guest to stay.
"No, no, Your Majesty manages countless affairs each day, and with your health poor, I really shouldn't disturb your rest. Let's meet again some other time." Count Kemmes demurred.
Manages countless affairs, my foot! The second prince wanted to shout. He wasn't even king — what could he possibly have to manage? Every day in camp, it was either standing in the wind or keeping company with those rough-and-tumble recruits. It was so boring he could have counted ants to pass the time.
"Wait—" The second prince grabbed Count Kemmes's hand and pressed him back into his chair. "The count rarely visits — let's have a proper chat. I'm perfectly fine, nothing wrong at all. Just a bit of insomnia these past two days, nothing serious."
"Then Your Majesty should definitely get more rest. I really shouldn't disturb you—"
"No, no. By the way, Lord Count, how is the war in Mordras Duchy going for your four families? Are the casualties heavy? Would you like me to send my five thousand troops to help?"
"Not heavy at all?" The second prince was growing impatient. "Then how is the great decisive battle against Mordras going?"
Count Kemmes chuckled. "So that's what Your Majesty meant by casualties. The decisive battle hasn't taken place!"
"It hasn't taken place... Why not? Didn't you say you would defeat the Mordras army in one battle? What happened to the decisive battle?"
"Oh, well, it's like this, Your Majesty. It's not that we didn't want a decisive battle — it's that the Mordras army has surrendered to us."
"What did you say? Surrendered? A hundred thousand Mordras troops surrendered to you four northern families..." The second prince's face was a mask of disbelief.
"It's true, Your Majesty. Not only did those hundred thousand troops surrender, but we also captured the Mordras Grand Duke himself. Mordras Duchy is no more." Count Kemmes said with a broad smile.
The second prince sat stunned in his chair, feeling like he had stripped down only to be shown... this. Where was the promised striptease — no, where was the promised decisive battle? All those fantasies of the four northern families and the Mordras Grand Duke fighting each other to mutual destruction had been nothing but figments of his imagination...
"How did you pull it off?" The second prince asked with a bitter smile. His plans had all fallen through, but he was still curious how the four great families had managed it. He didn't doubt Count Kemmes was lying — Kemmes had said they captured the Grand Duke, and that was not something you could fabricate.
"By sea," Count Kemmes said. "Lorist landed on Silver Coast with the family's armed forces and launched a surprise attack on Ederiss City. Then he took Xis Castle, Vanades City, and Kebo City. Once those three points were secured, the Mordras army facing us was cut off from their supplies. They had no choice but to surrender."
The second prince slapped his thigh hard in realization. Last year, he had sailed from Shilovas Island to the Northland, passing through Silver Coast in Sidagle Province along the way. But he hadn't thought to use that route. When the Mordras Grand Duke had moved all his forces to the front lines, his homeland was left vulnerable — a fatal weakness. Lorist had seized it and given one gentle push, and Mordras Duchy simply toppled...
"Did you come here just to tell me this good news? Congratulations, my lord count — you've been promoted to Grand Duke." The second prince said with a touch of sarcasm.
How ironic. Mordras Duchy had been destroyed, yet he, the nominal king, received nothing at all. Just as the oath document stipulated — once Mordras Duchy fell, Count Kemmes would automatically be elevated to Grand Duke, and Sidagle Province would become the Kemmes family's hereditary territory. All of this required no additional approval from the second prince whatsoever...
He felt such resentment. The pain in his heart was starting up again. If any other noble were to be elevated in rank, they would at least need to present a gift to their suzerain lord. The bastard sitting next to him had even been spared that expense... And he desperately needed funds for military spending right now.
"Your Majesty, all of this was achieved thanks to your brilliant leadership," Count Kemmes offered his customary flattery, completely indifferent to how much it sounded like mockery. The second prince's face immediately flushed red.
"After conquering Mordras Duchy, we had a slight disagreement and wanted to seek Your Majesty's opinion. Since the family legions suffered minimal losses, some believe we should press on while the iron is hot and immediately march against that usurper Queen Kari to restore Your Majesty to the throne. However, many oppose this. They believe we should first help Baron Phelim conquer the southern provinces and then march against the Iblia Kingdom. Of course, Your Majesty, I firmly advocate going after Queen Kari first." Count Kemmes said.
You bastard — I'll wager you're the one advocating for the march against the Iblia Kingdom! The second prince took two deep breaths, forcing himself to stay calm. "Why not go after the usurper first? I recall that the oath document states your four northern families have an obligation to help me reclaim the throne. Are you trying to break your word?"
"Your Majesty, we will certainly help you reclaim your throne. However, we've encountered a small difficulty. We lack the military funds to send troops. So, the majority has decided to raise these funds gradually. Once we've accumulated enough, we will immediately march against the usurping queen."
The second prince stood up. "Out with it. What do you want? No games."
Count Kemmes stood as well, his expression serious. "We need Your Majesty's guarantee, signed and stamped, just as with the oath document. After we help Your Majesty reclaim the throne this year, you will waive the tithe that the four families are required to pay for five years, and guarantee that no other taxes will be levied. Those five years of tax revenue will serve as our military funds."
The second prince frowned. "Three years at most."
Count Kemmes turned to leave. "Your Majesty, then we shall continue raising funds at our own pace."
"Wait — you win. I agree to your proposal, but you must guarantee that I return to the imperial capital within this year." The second prince said.
...(To be continued.)