Chapter 89
“I wonder what Your Highness is thinking.”
All the nobles’ eyes turned to Lloyd.
Although he was currently the Crown Prince, he was the next king.
He was already overseeing the kingdom’s affairs, large and small, as regent.
And his coronation was scheduled for the following year.
“For now, I wanted to hear the nobles’ opinions.”
“It seems enough opinions have been voiced. In any case, won’t they split into hardliners and moderates?”
The counts and marquises had yet to speak, but their opinions would probably not differ much from those already voiced.
That was why Lloyd’s thoughts were important.
In the end, there was a strong chance the conclusion would reflect his thinking.
“What do you think, Duke? I’d like to hear your thoughts first.”
“I’m also on the side of caution. We should prepare for war while keeping channels of dialogue open until the very end. At the same time, we need to quickly determine the Fifth Prince’s true intentions. Whether he genuinely wants war or is merely putting on a show.”
“You’re saying we should respond to the Fifth Prince’s movements.”
“That’s right. I think we should avoid war if at all possible. If we go to war, only the two empires stand to benefit.”
Duke Caesars was also keeping the two empires in mind.
More precisely, the nearby Fight Empire.
Though he had not said so outright, Duke Caesars also seemed suspicious, judging by his expression and tone.
“I agree with that as well. If war can be avoided, then we should avoid it. However, I have no intention of bowing our heads first simply because our opponent’s forces are superior to ours.”
“I feel the same way. They may have at least three and at most five Sword Masters, but war is not a series of duels. Sword Masters are human too. We may suffer heavy losses, but they are not impossible to defeat.”
“Besides, House Caesars is here in the homeland.”
“And we have Sir Haines. As well as Marquis Jade.”
Duke Caesars mentioned the two men with a faint smile.
He knew perfectly well why Lloyd had mentioned his own house.
Lloyd gave the duke a similar smile.
“That’s right. The homeland is by no means weak. Our losses from the civil war have already been made good. In some ways, you could even say we’ve grown stronger.”
“I agree. That is also why I think there is no need to avoid war at all costs. Once we bow our heads, we’ll have to keep bowing, and then the Arhan Kingdom will demand more and more. Besides, their forces may be superior, but not to the point of overwhelming us.”
“Indeed.”
Lloyd nodded.
If there really were five Sword Masters, as everyone expected, it was understandable that the Fifth Prince had started a war.
With that level of strength, Arhan was indeed superior where elite forces were concerned.
But that did not mean it could crush the Polstein Kingdom.
Sword Masters were powerful, but not invincible.
There was a way to fight them.
The cost in lives would simply be staggering.
“That is why I would like to ask Your Highness the Crown Prince something. Can we receive the War Elf clan’s help this time as well?”
“Ah!”
Exclamations arose here and there.
Everyone had only been thinking about Arhan’s Sword Masters and had completely forgotten about the War Elf clan.
Yet it was the War Elf clan that had made Lloyd the next king.
Of course, Jade and Haines had achieved outstanding military exploits, but the War Elf clan’s contribution could not be overlooked either.
“Unfortunately, only Lady Arelia has agreed to help.”
“Huh!”
The nobles’ brightened faces darkened in an instant.
Their expectations had been high, so their disappointment was just as great.
Yet Duke Caesars, who had asked about the War Elf clan in the first place, wore a calm expression.
“It could be worse. At least Lady Arelia is helping.”
“I’m not the only one who wants revenge.”
“True.”
The relationship between Lloyd’s maternal grandmother, Clora, and Arelia was well known even among the nobles.
Thus Duke Caesars nodded slowly.
It was a shame the War Elf clan could not join them, but they had never been part of the Polstein Kingdom’s military strength to begin with.
So they could be disappointed, but there was no need to despair.
“I believe we have more or less reached a conclusion.”
Lloyd swept his gaze around the chamber.
In response, he saw nobles wearing all manner of expressions.
The hardliners, all opposed to avoiding war, wore resolute expressions, while those who had advocated avoiding war all had gloomy faces.
But politics could never accommodate everyone.
Their thoughts inevitably differed according to their individual circumstances and positions.
Yet the important thing was that without a nation, neither nobles nor commoners could exist.
“We will prepare for war and send an envoy.”
“Understood!”
With Lloyd’s declaration, the meeting came to an end.
Countless military tents filled the plains.
The tents filling the desolate plain that livestock would normally have occupied looked like a black sea at a glance.
They had been erected so densely that the ground could not be seen.
A young man in his early twenties watching from atop the walls turned his head with a strangely twisted smile.
He had been staring at the border of the Polstein Kingdom visible in the distance.
“Your Majesty.”
“Isn’t that mask uncomfortable?”
“……I have scars.”
A man appeared behind the young man like a ghost and bowed.
Unusually, the man was wearing a mask.
A steel mask covering about half his face.
“Well, everyone has personal circumstances. How many troops have gathered?”
“They are continuing to assemble.”
“Behead every noble who refuses. They defied the royal command, so they should be punished for treason. Heh heh!”
“Fortunately, no nobles have refused Your Majesty’s command. The margraves also came here, leaving behind only the minimum forces needed to defend the border.”
Even as the young man snickered, his eyes glinting with strange madness, the masked man continued his report calmly.
As if seeing him like this were nothing unusual.
“So what is the total strength?”
“The last report I received put it at one hundred thousand.”
“Still not enough. Gather more. One hundred thousand is a number even the Polstein Kingdom can field. There’s no fun in being evenly matched.”
“In quality, however, Your Majesty’s army is overwhelmingly superior.”
His twisted smile grew even more so.
One hundred thousand was by no means a small force, but it did not satisfy him.
He had suffered troop losses in the civil war while cutting down his brothers, but it was possible to make up those losses by squeezing the nobles dry.
If necessary, he could also conscript the commoners.
“That’s not enough. They’re my army. And yet you’re telling me the numbers are similar? That makes no sense. I’m the one who will lead the Arhan Kingdom into becoming an empire. So gather more. Make the nobles hand over every last soldier in their private armies.”
“Understood.”
“Kill them for treason if they resist. Wipe out the leadership and take all their soldiers.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Though his thinking was utterly self-centered, the masked man said nothing.
He simply answered.
As if this were nothing new.
“If that isn’t enough, conscript people. The state has protected and raised them all this time, so it’s time for them to repay us. Isn’t that right?”
“That is correct.”
“This is why I like you. I knew from the moment I first saw you that we’d get along.”
“We felt the same.”
“Heh heh heh!”
The answer came as if on cue, and the young man’s smile deepened.
But he failed to notice.
The masked man’s gaze had changed as he lowered his head in reply.
“The Polstein Kingdom is only the beginning. I will devour the Polstein Kingdom with overwhelming force and seize the desert as well. Then I will move on to the Fight Empire.”
“We will lead the way.”
“There’s no need for that. The soldiers of defeated nations will form the vanguard. Why should I use my own cards first? There are plenty of cards I can use. I should start with the most expendable ones. Like now.”
“Thank you.”
“I’m truly fortunate to have met you. Perhaps the heavens chose me to become a great king—or rather, a new emperor. Heh heh heh!”
The madness in the young man’s eyes deepened.
As though he truly believed it.
Tap-tap-tap!
As the young man snickered, hurried footsteps came from the direction of the stairs.
A clean-cut young knight emerged among the torches a moment later.
He was a knight who had newly become part of the young man’s personal guard after the civil war.
“Your Majesty! An envoy from the Polstein Kingdom has arrived!”
“An envoy?”
“Yes. For now, the envoy is waiting outside the castle gate.”
“Kill him.”
The knight, who had dropped to one knee before the young man with practiced movements, flinched.
He had not expected the order to kill him to come without a moment’s hesitation.
Moreover, it was an envoy.
Envoys were generally to be spared if possible, so the knight was shocked when he was ordered to kill the man without even hearing him out.
“Do you intend to make His Majesty repeat himself?”
“I-I’m sorry! I’ll carry out the order immediately!”
The young knight hurriedly answered the masked man.
Then he bowed his head once and retraced his steps.
But the young man’s gaze had already turned back outside the castle walls.
“What need is there for dialogue? On a battlefield, the only conversation is between blades and spears.”
“Exactly.”
“They must be feeling intimidated, though. Only three Sword Masters have been revealed. They’re probably curious about our strength.”
The young man had accurately seen through the Polstein Kingdom’s intentions.
Though he laughed like a madman, he was more clear-headed than ever.
“We must be wary of Marquis Jade of the Polstein Kingdom.”
“They say he may be the greatest spirit mage on the continent?”
“Yes.”
“Even so, he’s only a spirit mage. They say he’s a Master-level powerhouse, but I have you all. And we have the mage corps as well. So there’s no need to worry.”
The young man declared.
Though Marquis Jade had shown remarkable prowess as a spirit mage, the young man thought he was merely on par with a Master, not someone capable of beating a Sword Master.
If their strength had been comparable, he would have worried.
But as he was now, there was no need to concern himself with a mere spirit mage.
“We will do our best.”
“The war will end in the opening stages. And all the troops gathering now will come under my command intact. With that army, I will swallow the desert and move on to the Fight Empire. After that, the Eastern Empire.”
With a twisted smile on his face, the young man’s crazed gaze seemed to pour out wave after wave of madness.
The war with the Polstein Kingdom had not even begun, yet he was already looking at the entire continent.
Imagining himself as the first person to unify the continent of Arpedia.
“Heh-heh! Bwahaha!”
Laughter brimming with madness filled the top of the walls.
The soldiers standing guard flinched.
The young man’s maniacal laughter had brought to mind all the slaughter he had committed.
He had laughed like that when killing his brothers and parents as well.
The heavy tension unique to a battlefield filled the military camp.
Yet the emotion beneath it all was bloodlust.
When the envoy sent to the Arhan Kingdom returned with only his head, the camp filled with battle fervor tinged with killing intent.
Lloyd, who had come to the battlefield in person, was particularly enraged.
In a sense, it was practically an insult directed at him.
Perhaps that was why Lloyd, who had climbed atop the walls, glared at Solad Castle, where the Fifth Prince was likely to be, his eyes wide as if ready to fight at any moment.
“There are more of them than I expected. Even after fighting a civil war, could they really field that many?”
Arelia, standing beside Lloyd in full armor, cocked her head.
It was because the number of soldiers seemed quite large for a kingdom that had just fought a civil war.
So she looked at Gent, who stood there like a staff officer.