CHAPTER 4: EACH TRUTH AND EACH HAPPINESS (II)
Part 068
Marquis Rapture approached and stood facing Adrian with the map in the middle. He looked at his territory drawn on the map for a while and then opened his mouth in a sad voice.
“I have not taught my sons in vain. They will last for a fortnight.”
Even if they raise an army right now, it would be difficult to reach Marquis Huger within 15 days. As the head of the Marquis of Lorentine, who had guarded the border for a long time, the Marquis calmly accepted the situation. The two sons were taking care of the territory on behalf of Marquis Huger in Midoc. Holding out for 15 days without support against Taln’s 20,000 army meant a desperate fight that even risked the life of the minor marquis. When the Marquis, who had a premonition of the death of his blood relative without any way to do anything about it, calmly looked at him from afar, Adrian bowed his head towards the old Marquis.
“We will fix all this as soon as possible.”
“It is a difficult position because the commander always has to make a choice. I will respect the duke’s choice.”
He was the Marquis of Huger, who had protected the fiefdom that bordered the evil Duchy of Taln all his life. He encouraged Adrian while holding himself back from collapsing. After the Marquis Huger had returned, he organized a report to be made at the meeting regarding the officially confirmed invasion of Taln, while he also dispatched men to the Great Count and Count Ollie. Immediately west of the Marquis of Huger is the Great County, and to the north is the County of Ollie. If Taln headed directly to Midok, the next battlefield would be the Great County, and if it joined the National Guard, it would be towards the County of Ollie. If they decide to go completely crazy, both territories could be devastated. The two counts were down at the estate, and the Great Count and Count Ollie, both of similar age, who were at My Dock Manor, arrived together. The two Counts, who had been called into the commander’s office in the same clothes they had just woken up in, were astonished at the news delivered by Adrian. The two people, who grew up together in adjacent estates and are currently living together as administrators in the Ministry of the Interior, exchanged glances for a moment and then spoke to Adrian.
“We will go down to the territory this way.”
“We cannot guarantee support from the capital army. It will be difficult to stop the Taln army with the territory army alone.”
“Still, we will go. No, we must go. It is our hometown and our roots. We will be together.”
“I will leave my wife and children in Midok. Your Excellency Duke Bigor. Please protect Midok.”
Adrian, who was looking into the eyes of the two small counts, slowly nodded his head.
“If your will to fight is firm, I have a suggestion.”
The two people with puzzled faces looked down at the map pointed to by Adrian’s fingertip. Adrian explained, pointing to the highway leading east past the Duchy of Rapture.
“The Taln Army, which consists mainly of cavalrymen, would avoid moving through forest or mountain paths. In that case, most likely, you will move along the road.”
“Yes? But this road…”
“The slope is so steep that it is difficult for horses to move. And because there are cliffs on both sides, changes in tactics are limited. If they trust only the map and take this road, a joint attack by the two families will buy them enough time.”
“If you say it’s a joint attack…”
“Block the front and back of this canyon and trap them.”
“This canyon is wide, but can it contain the entire Taln army?”
“No. The advance team will be the limit. Some of the Iron Blood cavalry will be the advance team. About 3,000, possibly more. It is the only way to catch the Taln cavalry, but block the rear before Taln’s main camp arrives. If the troops in the rear cannot join the main force in the front, the rear will be annihilated.”
Attack the 3,000 Iron Blood cavalry units that entered the canyon from behind and join the main force blocking the entrance before the main Taln army arrives. Was it possible? If the slope was so severe that even a limited number of 3,000 people couldn’t move, making their mobility useless, it was somehow possible. If successful, you could annihilate nearly half of the infamous Iron Blood Cavalry. The two Counts nodded, their eyes sparkling.
“Once the advance force is destroyed, they will not be able to move ahead. If the two fiefdoms join forces, they will be able to hold out. After they cross the Marquis of Rapture territory, just hold out for ten or ten days. Reinforcements will arrive.”
Ten days. If they couldn’t stop it, the entire territory would be torn apart by their swords anyway. Even if the forces of the two counties combined did not reach the Marquis of Huger, there was no other option for those who had nowhere to retreat.
“I will convey this to your father. We will try our best to hold on. I hope to see you again alive.”
After the two Counts left the office with determined faces, Ethan sighed next to Adrian, who was looking at the map in silence. He seemed to be able to grasp what he was thinking.
“You’re thinking of leaving.”
Ethan said, but Adrian didn’t answer and went to the window. On the 39th day of fall, the morning sun was rising.
* * *
From early morning, Midok’s nobles flocked to the palace. Lutban and Damian, dressed in black mourning clothes, also entered the palace. Root Van was led to the conference room, and Damien went up to the second floor where Ailene was. In the huge conference room, the table was removed and only two chairs were placed on the podium. The heads of all the noble families who did not participate in the rebellion but remained in Midoc stood in the large conference room. The door to the conference room opened and a group of people entered the room. Remina, who had placed the class behind her, was standing at the front, with Adrian and Cale following closely behind her. Tyrellius also entered alongside Homer. Remina and Tyrellius sat on the chairs on the podium, and Van and Homer took their seats respectively behind them. Adrian began his report from just below the podium. The revolt of the Royal Guard, which resulted in the death of the king, queen, and second princess, was shocking enough, but the Duchy of Taln had already begun an invasion across the border, and the news that the Marquis Huger had entered a desperate resistance began to murmur all over the place. Moreover, the faces of all the nobles turned pale when they heard that the National Guard was expected to move soon.
“Starting today, for three days, the funeral of His Majesty the King, His Royal Highness the Queen, and Her Majesty the Princess will be held in the Lethe Hall of the Outer Palace. Funeral procedures and memorial periods will be reduced as much as possible, and all national power will be concentrated on building a defense system.”
When everyone was holding their breath and listening to Adrian’s words, Tyrellius intervened. He spent the night crying next to the queen’s body yesterday and attended the meeting without understanding what was going on. As he was just listening to what was going on, he heard a blasphemous sound that, as a crown prince, he could not ignore.
“Your Majesty and the Queen’s funeral will be held in a foreign country instead of the central temple? And that’s only for three days? Duke Bigor, would you say such disloyalty without you going crazy?”
As Tyrellius opened his mouth, Homer, who was standing behind him, closed his eyes with an exhausted look on his face. Adrian, who was about to continue his report, interrupted him and looked at Tyrellius, who had interrupted him, with very cold eyes. Although he flinched under Adrian’s gaze, Tyrellius stood up and asked for the consent of the nobles, as if he had no intention of giving in.
“Why are you not saying anything? His Majesty the King has passed away. He was even killed by the swords of these unscrupulous men. Even a funeral for three days is not enough to comfort his sorrow. Does this make sense? Are you thinking about it?”
Now that the king has died, the next king must ascend to the throne. Even if it were not enough, the nobles were embarrassed that the crown prince, the legitimate heir who now had no alternative, was running wild. The funeral procedures mentioned by the Crown Prince were also not completely out of the ordinary. There has never been a case where the funeral of a king and queen was held for three days. This goes without saying that the Laurentian capital was never exposed to the risk of war. Remina, who had been listening quietly, opened her mouth.
“Tyrellius, sit down.”
“What?”
It wasn’t so absurd that Remina, who was four years older than Tyrelius, treated him poorly, which was against the law, but he usually regarded the crown prince’s position as more important and had treated him well, at least on official occasions. But now, he dropped the title of crown prince and ordered Tyrellius. He glared at Tyrelius Garemina with a puzzled face. But Remina just looked at Tyrellius with her calm and dignified eyes.
“Procedures and etiquette are only used when there is time to do so. Sit down. It will disturb the meeting.”
Tyrelius stood there staring at Remina with his mouth closed with an absurd expression on his face. Homer stepped forward and sat him back down in his chair. Tyrellius stopped him from saying something and shook his head. Tyrellius looked at the gathered nobles with a dissatisfied face. However, the nobles who were immediately faced with the flames of war were only looking at Adrian’s mouth.
“Currently, the total available forces of the Capital Army are 21,000. There is a very high possibility that the National Guard and Taln will advance on separate fronts, so the forces are divided. 16,000 troops will block the National Guard on the Jezero Plain. Stand, and the rest stop Taln.”
Lorentine was a country that has grown up with frequent shouting, including a long war with the Duchy of Gatan ten years ago. From the founding of the kingdom, nobles were given titles based on their military contribution to the kingdom. As a noble of such a country, he could not turn a blind eye to the war threatening the kingdom’s capital. Most nobles would immediately organize each family’s knights into the capital army and recruit volunteers from their fiefdoms to add troops. Also, the person who was the head of the family had passed the name on to the successor. The crown prince himself never once appeared in the military, and it was a fact that all the other nobles had forgotten. And now that he had seen the proud Tyrellius, it was also a memory he was anxious to forget. Adrian, who glanced back at Tyrellius, completely ignored him and looked at Duke Nodovan and the other nobles in response.
“My adjutant will take overall command. We will cooperate closely with the royal family, but we hope that nobles with leadership experience, including Duke Nodovan, will provide a lot of help.”
“Abamama knew that things would turn out like this and gave me that position. I will avenge Abamama and Eomamama with my own hands.”
Remina, who was looking at the muttering Tyrellius in a pitiful way, gave a Homer-like nod. Homer seated Terrellius again. This time, when Tyrellius tried to get up in dissatisfaction, he pushed down on his shoulders and made him sit down. Not only Remina, who had no particular interaction with Adrian, who was always friendly, but even the nobles looked coldly at Tyrellius. Tyrellius was taken aback by the nobles’ reaction, which was different from his expectations. When even Homer, whom he trusted, stopped him, he could not resist any longer and kept his mouth shut. Remina got up from her seat.
“As you heard, the war has already begun, and Laurentyne is entering an official wartime system as of the present time. Those who dreamed in vain will have their heads cut off, and those who have wronged greed will never be allowed to cross Laurentine again. I believe that just as your ancestors were together when Zephyrus Hegemony raised its flag under the Sosa Mountains, we will overcome today’s crisis together.”
Remina spoke each word emphatically and looked down at her nobles. Duke Donovan took a few steps forward and approached the podium, placed his right hand on his left chest and bowed his head. Duke Galleon followed along, keeping an eye on Duke Donovan.
“Duke Donovan, I will take the lead and follow.”
“Duke Galleon, I will take the lead and follow.”
As the heads of the two ducal families bowed their heads, all the assembled nobles showed their respect in the same manner. Remina praised their loyalty and broke up the meeting and left the conference room. Tyrellius followed her, observing her, and the meeting ended. The nobles who had gathered burdened with work to be done quickly dispersed. Meanwhile, Adrian called separately the families whose fiefdoms were located in the northwest, that is, along the route of the National Guard and Taln army’s advance. In addition to the nobles who participated in the rebellion, led by Marquis Luther, there were nine families that owned territory in the northwest of Midoc. Among the dark faces, Lutvan sat. Households in similar situations decided to go down to their territory and form their own allied forces instead of providing troops to the capital. The meeting ended quickly. After a short meeting, Lutvan called Damian and informed him that he must return to the mansion first.
“Are you coming to see Lady Ailene wake up?”
“Yes, brother. But your complexion is very bad. Was the result of the meeting not good?”
“No. Let’s talk about it at home.”
Damien asked, but Rutvan hid his bitterness by stroking his younger brother’s head.
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Translator Note:
Hello there! This is RJR. I hope you liked it <3
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