SLPBKML-Bab 709

Chapter 709
Just Take It As We Go. (2)
 
At Ghislain’s bold declaration, Alex, Andrew, and Rio pleaded desperately.
 
“The throne does not grant permission for your expedition!”
 
“Please! Can’t we fight a war like normal people, for once?”
 
“We’ve already gathered a fair number of troops, so couldn’t some defend the capital while others protect the estate…”
 
The three each blurted out what they wanted to say in quick succession. Though their words differed, their conclusion was the same: they wanted to solidify their defenses and establish a balanced power structure.
 
Of course, it wasn’t as though Ghislain didn’t understand where they were coming from. It was only natural to fear initiating a fight when they were at a disadvantage.
 
That’s just how it was. Knowing that you only had one shot created immense pressure.
 
If they could amass more troops and expand their influence, their opponents would have no choice but to tread carefully too.
 
That delicate balance was exactly what the three were hoping for.
 
But Ghislain simply preferred to crush the enemy outright. He believed that was the safest path.
 
“Offense is the best defense.”
 
“……”
 
“Think about it. Marquis Falkenheim and his vassals don’t even know what just happened here.”
 
Ghislain had moved with lightning speed. Even if the marquis’s personal informants had sent word immediately, it would still take a few days for the message to reach him.
 
Ghislain pointed that out.
 
“We’re a mess, sure but so are they. No, actually, they’re worse off. They’ll get hit without even a chance to prepare.”
 
“……”
 
“Why give them time to gather troops and get ready? We just need to beat down at least one of them as fast as we can.”
 
“……”
 
The three men had nothing to say. If victory was assured, there was nothing wrong with Ghislain’s logic.
 
But just saying it didn’t make it easy, war was never simple.
 
No matter how strong Ghislain was, Marquis Falkenheim was a ruler of this kingdom. If all his vassals rose up, tens of thousands of troops could be rallied in an instant.
 
Falkenheim alone could mobilize nearly a hundred thousand soldiers. Even with a few more Transcendents, that was a force not easily handled.
 
And Falkenheim had his own Transcendents, along with many highly skilled knights.
 
Knowing the enemy’s military strength so well, the three couldn’t accept Ghislain’s plan neither with their heads nor their hearts.
 
Regardless, Ghislain casually tossed out his next words.
 
“I wasn’t asking for permission. Just trying to keep up appearances, that’s all.”
 
“……”
 
“Then I’ll be off!”
 
Ghislain spun around. Once he started something, he pushed it through to the end, no matter who tried to stop him.
 
And this time was no different.
 
“L-let us come with you!”
Andrew hurriedly chased after Ghislain. Rio tried to follow as well, but Alex quickly grabbed him.
 
“H-hold on, one of you has to stay with me!”
 
Ghislain nodded and said,
 
“Rio, stay here and protect His Majesty. I’ll be back soon.”
 
“Aghhh…”
 
Rio’s face turned pale. Who was protecting whom right now?
 
He was just as timid as Alex, if not more. But since Ghislain told him not to come, he had no choice but to stay behind.
 
And so, the two faint-hearted men were left behind in the capital.
 
Mounting his horse, Ghislain called out boldly,
 
“All right! We ride to Count Volens’s territory as fast as we can!”
 
Count Volens was a vassal of Marquis Falkenheim, and his estate was the closest to the capital.
 
From a distance, the army Ghislain led looked rather imposing but in truth, it was an utter mess.
 
Their formation was a disaster, and discipline was nonexistent. Everyone was just scrambling to follow whatever Ghislain ordered.
 
The Julien Mercenary Corps, who were accompanying them, couldn’t help but worry at the sight of this disarray.
 
Tyran stuck close to Ghislain and asked,
 
“This really isn’t it. What are we supposed to do with an army like this? It’s total chaos. If we run into a proper army, we’ll get crushed instantly.”
 
“It’s fine, it’s fine. Just trust me.”
 
“……”
 
Tyran knew how strong Ghislain was, and normally, he wanted to trust him. But things were escalating too quickly, he couldn’t help but feel uneasy.
 
Kyle, too, asked Dark, who was perched on his shoulder,
 
“What is this? Can we really go to war with this kind of army? Has he ever fought with a mess like this before?”
 
Dark paused to think.
 
“Hmm… Master’s been through a lot of wars, sure… but has he ever commanded such a ragtag bunch? I don’t think so…”
 
When Ghislain acquired Dark, the Fenris Forces had already become a top-tier elite unit strong enough to defeat Desmond’s forces and claim the title of the North’s strongest.
 
Even the alliance army and the kingdom army he led afterward, while not as elite as Fenris, were far superior to what they had now.
 
Dark spoke in a serious tone.
 
“Master always led only the very best. He didn’t go to war until everything was in place. His preparations were always flawless.”
 
“…Then why is a guy like that going to war with this bunch of nobodies?”
 
“Don’t try to understand Master. If you try to make sense of a lunatic, you’ll end up crazy too.”
 
“I feel like we should at least try to stop him. If we all strongly oppose it together, maybe he’ll listen?”
 
Dark closed his eyes and nodded.
 
“Master respects freedom of expression. He never stops anyone from voicing opposition. But…”
 
“But?”
 
“I can’t guarantee freedom after you express yourself. Your soul might just become free from your body. You’ve seen plenty of guys get freed like that after standing up to Master, haven’t you?”
 
“……”
 
Kyle decided to let it go this time. He figured he’d take this opportunity to reflect on the bounds of appropriate freedom of expression.
 
Anxiety quickly spread among the other members as well. They knew Ghislain was skilled, but handling a full-scale war was a completely different matter.
 
That was why everyone’s hopes turned to one person Julien, who, at least within the mercenary corps, held a position above Ghislain in terms of rank.
 
Everyone hoped that the commander would stop Ghislain. No matter how they looked at it, fighting Marquis Falkenheim with a ragtag army like this was absurd.
 
Everyone stared at Julien to the point it became burdensome. But Julien spoke with a calm expression.
 
“I always trust Ghislain.”
 
Deneb, standing beside him with a look of painful sympathy, said,
 
“Julien, your voice is trembling.”
 
“……”
 
Julien simply gazed wistfully into the distant mountains. It was clear he had no intention of continuing the conversation.
 
In the end, no one stopped Ghislain. And since they didn’t stop him, they had no choice but to follow.
 
The disorganized army quickly arrived at Count Volens’ territory. Ghislain ignored all the key strongholds of the region and charged straight toward the central lordship castle.
 
He didn’t even consider the possibility of getting cut off from the supply line or being surrounded. His strategy was simply to crush the center from the get-go.
 
When the army suddenly appeared in front of the lordship castle, Count Volens was horrified.
 
“W-What is this?! What’s going on?! Is this war? Who are they?!”
 
The retainers were speechless as well. They too were desperate to know who the enemy was.
 
There had been no declaration of war, no intelligence warning of someone preparing for conflict. And yet, a massive army had suddenly appeared and begun threatening Count Volens.
 
“Count Volens! Surrender immediately! If you surrender, you’ll be spared!”
 
Ghislain shouted from the front lines. Count Volens demanded,
 
“Who are you? What the hell is going on here? Waging war without any prior warning, isn’t this utterly improper?! The other nobles won’t stand for this!”
 
“His Majesty has raised an army to strike down the traitor, Marquis Falkenheim. Though you are his vassal, I offer you a chance to change your banner! If you resist, you’ll be charged with treason!”
 
“These lunatics…”
 
Count Volens didn’t know where they had come from, but the king had somehow mustered a massive force. He didn’t believe he could win against such numbers.
 
Most of his troops were scattered across various strongholds, and even if he scraped together every available soldier at the lordship castle, he could barely muster three thousand. It would take time to summon conscripts.
 
In truth, the enemy may have only looked formidable while being an utter mess inside but Count Volens didn’t know that. All he saw was that there were a damn lot of them.
The thought that a war might break out had never once crossed his mind. No one had ever picked a fight with him before. So, naturally, he had made no preparations at all.
 
‘I need to buy time. I have to contact Marquis Falkenheim.’
 
But even that wouldn’t be easy. With the army so poorly prepared, it looked like they wouldn’t last long in a siege.
 
Even if word somehow got out and reinforcements arrived, they’d be wiped out long before then.
 
On top of that, the enemy had justified their aggression with accusations of treason. Granted, he had always entertained the thought of betraying them eventually, so it wasn’t exactly unfair…
 
The real problem was that if he lost the war while being branded a traitor, his head would be the first to roll.
 
Count Volens cried out in desperation.
 
“It’s hard to accept being accused of treason like this out of the blue! At least give us a bit of time to understand the situation!”
 
He was trying whatever he could to stall for time. Only that way could he receive support from the surrounding territories.
 
Seeing Count Volens begging, Ghislain responded magnanimously.
 
“Fine! I’ll give you time to think!”
 
“Thank you! I’ll look into it right away! Just pull your army back for a moment ”
 
“I’ll give you three seconds! Three! Two!”
 
“What? Three seconds? Hey, hey! That guy’s insane!”
 
“One! Time’s up!”
 
Bam!
 
Ghislain leapt off his horse. Using magic, he soared high into the sky and then came crashing down onto the castle wall like a meteor.
 
KWA-AAANG!
 
The spot where Ghislain landed shattered as a shockwave rippled outward with tremendous force.
 
“Wuaaah!”
 
The nearby soldiers screamed and scrambled backward in panic. Many stumbled and fell in confusion.
 
Ghislain looked around with a smirk.
 
“Hmm, looks like I could wipe them all out by myself.”
 
Just as he’d expected, there had been no preparation for war whatsoever. There were a fair number of knights, but with their level of strength, all they could probably do was chip away at him a little.
 
Clack!
 
Next to the spot where Ghislain stood, a grappling hook latched onto the wall. Soon after, Miles, recently promoted to Captain of the Royal Guard, climbed up with rope.
 
Ghislain had dragged him along as a sort of temporary advisor-slash-propagandist.
 
Standing beside Ghislain, Miles shouted at the top of his lungs.
 
“This man is the kingdom’s temporary Chancellor and Supreme Commander of the Royal Army, acting on His Majesty’s orders! He has reached the realm of Transcendence, so do not even think of resisting, surrender immediately!”
 
“A T-Transcendent…?”
 
The soldiers’ faces turned pale.
 
They were outnumbered, unprepared for war, and had been thrown together with no notice.
 
And now, they were facing a Transcendent. Of course they were terrified.
 
The knights were just as tense. That last movement alone was far beyond the capabilities of any ordinary knight.
 
So, the claim that this man was a Transcendent, in all likelihood, was true.
 
Count Volens, drenched in cold sweat, turned to the knight guarding him and asked,
 
“I-Is he really a Transcendent?”
 
“I believe so. No ordinary knight could move like that.”
 
Ghislain pointed his staff toward Count Volens and said,
 
“Time’s up. Make your decision fast. If you choose to fight, you’ll be the first to die.”
 
“……”
 
Count Volens gulped.
 
He was a fair distance away from the man who called himself the Supreme Commander of the Royal Army and surrounded by knights, but that didn’t reassure him at all. It truly felt like the man could kill him first.
 
If he had known there was a Transcendent on the enemy’s side, he would’ve never revealed himself. That was the standard play.
 
But the attack had been so absurdly unexpected that he hadn’t even imagined the possibility.
 
Count Volens squeezed his eyes shut.
 
‘W-What do I do? They have a Transcendent, and their army is way bigger than ours. We can’t win. Do I have to surrender?’
 
Surrendering would mean betraying Marquis Falkenheim. And one day, he’d undoubtedly pay the price for that.
 
After all, there was no way the king could defeat Marquis Falkenheim.
 
But if he died here, it’d be a meaningless death. He didn’t want to be the only one to die in vain.
 
‘Ughh, how the hell do I get out of this insane situation?’
 
As Count Volens’ internal turmoil dragged on, Ghislain pulled his staff back and spoke again.
 
“Still thinking? I’m really giving you three seconds now. Three, two…”
 
“I-I don’t know what’s going on, but I surrender! I surrender unconditionally!”
 
Having even his time to think stolen away, Count Volens raised both arms and shouted.
 
Anyone would value their life above all. Staying alive was the only way to seize another chance.
 
‘I-I’ll surrender for now, then wait for the right moment to betray them.’
 
For him, this was the best possible option.
 
“Good. Smart choice.”
 
Ghislain slung the staff over his shoulder and grinned.
 
With this kind of disparity in power, surrender was only natural. Marquis Falkenheim wasn’t exactly a lord who commanded genuine loyalty from his vassals, after all.
 
Soon, the castle gates opened, and Ghislain’s army stormed inside. He issued a command to his troops.
 
“Clean out all the rations in this castle.”
 
The entire stockpile of food Count Volens had stored was seized on the spot. Watching the scene unfold, Count Volens clutched his head in anguish.
 
‘Argh! What the hell! These damned beggars! I surrendered! Why are they taking everything?!’
 
Cursing furiously in his mind, he forced a wobbly smile on his face. He didn’t want to get smashed to death by a Transcendent for mouthing off.
 
Ghislain then addressed Count Volens with a stern expression.
“As Supreme Commander of the Royal Army, I hereby order Count Volens’ forces to join the suppression of the rebellion. Gather all troops and follow me immediately.”
 
“Y-You’re drafting my troops too? J-Just give me a moment to prepare…”
 
“Oh, you don’t need to come. You might try something sneaky later. Just send the unit commanders.”
 
“……”
 
And just like that, Count Volens was stripped of all his troops and rations. His territory was emptied in an instant.
 
The Volens forces, not even knowing what was going on, were absorbed into the Royal Army. It was still a chaotic and disconnected mess of an army, but their numbers now totaled a whopping eighteen thousand.
 
Ghislain unfolded a map and asked Miles,
 
“Between here and here, which territory has fewer troops?”
 
“Uh… Count Lauf’s territory. They’ve got around five thousand troops fewer than Count Torner’s.”
 
“Good! The entire army is heading to Count Lauf’s territory! That’s where we’ll rest next!”
 
“Wooooaaah!”
 
The army of eighteen thousand began to march once more. The formation was still a complete mess, but Ghislain didn’t care. He focused solely on speed.
 
His goal was to plunder as much as possible before the other lords could prepare.
 
After Ghislain’s army disappeared from sight, Count Volens stood dazed, looking around his castle.
 
When he saw how empty it was, a wave of emotion surged within him.
 
“What the hell… those bastards… What the hell even was that…”
 
It was like staring at farmland that had just been ravaged by a swarm of locusts.
 
What made it even worse was that he still didn’t know why this had all happened.
 
With a hollow heart, Count Volens crouched in a corner of the castle wall.
 
“It’s over for me…”
 
There was no point in thinking about betrayal anymore. With all his troops and supplies gone, what could he possibly do alone?
 
Maybe he could lodge a protest with the royal court later, but for now, he was utterly helpless. All he could do was hope that this civil war of which the origin remained a mystery ended without dragging him further into it.
 
As tears kept welling up, Count Volens pressed his fingertips against his eyelids. Crushed by despair, he fell ill and was bedridden for days.
 
And Ghislain…
 
“Three seconds! Surrender!”
 
Was doing the exact same thing in the neighboring territory.