Chapter: 226

“Oh no, my lord!! If you take all that, we will starve to death!! Ugh—!!”

The farmer rolled on the ground after being kicked by a boot. Similar scenes were unfolding throughout the countryside. No, the situation was the same for all the farmlands near this plain.

When plundering its citizens, it has the nature of ‘somewhat excessive taxation.’ In other words, it does not strip everything down to the root. It’s more accurate to say that the rulers or the army are not being merciful, but rather looking for sustainable plunder.

If everyone starves to death that year, there won’t be any wealth left to take the following year. Such taxation was not even referred to as tyranny. There was no need to attach special terminology to everyday occurrences.

But the current situation was different. The army of Bellacria had no obligation to consider the rural circumstances of Albina.

“Um, Captain?”

“Huh?”

“Isn’t that cavalry over there? Have cavalry troops been deployed in this direction?”

“Cavalry? What would they be doing? Those bastards just have to sit around, and the money rolls in by itself. Wait a minute.”

The riders, for the most part, were either nobles, quasi-nobles, or direct soldiers of the nobility. Their lives were in a completely different world from the infantry made up of conscripts.

Thus, from the moment a group of cavalrymen appeared at the edge of the horizon, the captain’s expression began to sour rapidly.

“Shit, it’s real. A cavalry unit is coming to plunder a pathetic village like this? The math doesn’t add up. Are they joking?”

“But, those bastards aren’t armed.”

“Armed?”

At the words of the soldier with good eyesight, the captain’s face twisted. There was no reason to be armed when pillaging nearby farmlands. There were no resistance forces in this direction.

Generally, if they arrived mounted and armed, it meant they were trying to instill fear and take every last speck of dust… Is this even possible? In this measly settlement of just a bit over 100 people?

As the captain grumbled and headed toward the entrance of the village, the cavalrymen on the horizon began to come into clearer view.

They were cavalry bearing a military banner. They were coming galloping with banners hanging from their spearheads. It was so ostentatious that it drew a snicker—

“An eagle…?”

The banner shone brilliantly under the midday sun. So distinct it couldn’t be mistaken. The emblem of an eagle gripping a sword fluttered atop the pole.

Infantry were generally not very smart. They were so uneducated that they wouldn’t even understand if military discipline were invoked. There was no reason to teach them operational objectives or grand strategies, nor could they be taught.

Therefore, from the standpoint of the command, there is only one thing to teach the lowest-ranking infantry. ‘The enemy’s banner.’ If they can recognize that, most problems will disappear. When they see the enemy, they fight. All other operational details are unnecessary for the soldiers.

As a result, even the lowest-ranking infantry can recognize the enemy’s banner. They may not know the family crests, but at least they recognize the most representative banner that the enemies would carry—something like the ‘national emblem.’

And Bellacria had set out for war against Equitania.

“Equitania…? What are they doing here?!”

“C-Captain! What do we do?”

“Gather the men!! Ring the bell!!”

Deng, deng, deng. The bell at the outskirts of the village rang loudly. By the time the cavalry arrived, troops had gathered at the village entrance. The infantry trembled as they lifted their pikes.

“Stand behind the barricade! Raise your spears!! You! Go to the main camp! Quickly!!”

The captain shouted with a pale, shocked face. Soon, the cavalry assembled firmly in front of the tightly locked barricade. Seeing the small number, just six, the captain was barely able to regain his composure.

“Who are you?! State your identity! We are the crusading army!”

“Are you the commander?”

“C-Commander? Y-yes! I am the commander!”

The man in the lead, wearing a helmet, looked up at him. After briefly checking the surrounding troops, he nodded.

In his hand, there was a small pistol that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. Just as he was thinking, How did that happen?—

Taang—!!

“He wasn’t a superhuman.”

The captain’s body fell lifeless from the barricade. Even when a heavy thud echoed, the surrounding soldiers were still trying to grasp the situation.

The man in the lead tilted his chin slightly.

“We have come to rescue the oppressed farmers.”

“For Equitania!!!”

A woman wielding a steel rod shouted with joy. She then dashed straight forward and jumped from the saddle of her horse.

The galloping horse stumbled and knelt, and the woman soared into the air, spinning and twisting her body—

Kwaang—!!

She smashed the locked gate of the barricade. It didn’t matter how shabby it was; the barricade made from logs shattered with a solid impact. In an instant, from behind the opened gate, the soldiers stared dumbly at the woman before them.

With her long hair flowing back, the woman cheerfully shouted.

“Look closely! And tell anyone you meet!! Equitania has arrived to save the oppressed neighbors!!”

As the soldiers stood frozen at her shout, the woman tilted her head and asked.

“What are you doing? Aren’t you running away?”

“Step aside, Ecdysis.”

The man behind her slowly urged his horse over the barricade. Taang, after the dry gunfire sent one soldier’s helmet flying, the soldiers finally began to scatter in panic.

Watching the fleeing soldiers from a distance, Ecdysis muttered.

“Logically speaking, if I smashed the barricade with my foot, wouldn’t it be normal to run away?”

“If there was a superhuman, they might have. Civilians tend to be more afraid of gunfire.”

Ivan passed by Ecdysis and finished speaking.

“To the east. There’s another village.”

“Let’s take a little break. This is already the sixth one.”

“We don’t have time to rest until the cavalry’s pursuit starts.”

There is a margin of error in the speed at which information reaches the enemy command. Within that time, it’s vital to ambush as many troops as possible.

So that the enemy command makes enough mistakes. They must be led to believe that Equitania has deployed a ‘large cavalry force.’

A rational commander would never scatter troops. Especially in an area where the enemy has deployed, such actions would provide easy prey for being picked off one by one.

Therefore, detecting scattered troops in the allied camp implies that the enemy forces are substantial enough to handle them.

And that a large force of Equitania advancing through the territory of Albina means—

“That there is sufficient reason to suspect a coalition between Equitania and Albina.”

If the command sends cavalry as scouts, they will cut them off and withdraw. The direction of withdrawal will be toward the capital of Albina. To turn their suspicions into certainty, waving the banners widely.

*

The eighth small infantry squad was defeated when light cavalry finally caught up. Ivan immediately turned his direction and began to escape the battlefield.

As expected, the pursuit from the cavalry did not close in beyond a certain distance. This means that the Bellacria army’s command was reasonable. They could not continue the chase into areas that might be enemy territory without confirming the troop size of Equitania.

They turned back after confirming that the Hero Party had entered the capital region of Albina, Luminatia.

“How terrifying…”

All the residents near the capital gazed in shock at their military banner or fled in various directions. It was an obvious fact that military forces would be dispatched soon.

Albina was officially a direct combatant in the war with Equitania. Walking around, armed, displaying the military banner of Equitania in the heart of that nation was a frightening matter no matter how brave someone was.

Isabelle bit her lip and tried hard to straighten her back. Everyone in her party, except Ecdysis and Ivan, was slightly terrified.

No matter how much it followed the operation plan, marching toward the capital while exposed in the enemy’s heart was nearly insane.

“The hero entering the Demon King’s Castle. I am the hero entering the Demon King’s Castle.”

“That’s a bit different. The Hero Party did not expose their location until just before entering the Demon King’s Castle.”

“That’s really helpful to know. Uncle. If it weren’t for this situation, I’d have been sitting still.”

“Hmm.”

Ivan drove the horse beside the pale-faced Isabelle, who was gripping the reins tightly.

“Don’t worry too much.”

“Uncle, if I were the King of Albina… I think I would wrap our necks nicely and send them off if I capture the enemy cavalry that entered the capital with swords…”

“Good thing you’re not the King of Albina. The King of Albina isn’t that foolish.”

“Are you saying I’m foolish right now…?”

“Without the assistance of Equitania, Albina has no way to stop the Bellacria army right now. Even if they commit all their forces, it would result in significant losses, and they cannot withdraw troops from the border of Equitania.”

At least as long as they don’t engage in ceasefire negotiations, they could not completely withdraw their forces from the front toward Equitania. Equitania would never just sit idly by.

Nevertheless, Albina is currently a direct combatant. It’s nearly impossible to pull troops from the front line. However, the barely managed troops cannot withstand the Bellacria army.

But they cannot just offer the entire country to the invading Bellacria army. Even now, the Bellacria army is plundering farmlands all over Albina.

It’s a deadlock. Albina now has no other options. The situation is one where the country is about to be neatly divided within a month of the outbreak of war.

So they are inevitably calm. Perhaps if they had infiltrated secretly, it would have been different, but they cannot kill those marching openly, carrying the military banner of Equitania.

“Was this their intention from the beginning…?”

“Of course.”

Even in Isabelle’s brief astonishment, Ivan continued to ride without reaction. Soon, in the distance, the cavalry of the capital emerged. They came through the crowd, approaching with hesitant expressions as they stared at the party.

“Stop!! Stop!!”

The cavalry captain skillfully approached on horseback and blocked Ivan’s path. Ivan put his pistol back into his sleeve and raised his hands to show he was unarmed.

With that, the cavalry captain sighed with resentment and said.

“Are you the envoy of Equitania?”

“As you can see.”

“His Majesty is waiting for you. Everyone disarm and follow us.”

Ivan handed over his axe and pistol to the approaching cavalry and followed behind them.

*

The King of Albina, Domenico della Visale, looked down at the group entering the court with a complex expression. The expressions of all the ministers in this room were not much different from their king’s.

That is, except for one person, the Archbishop of Luminatia.

His face was bright red as he continued to murmur. ‘Heresy, heresy. Those heretics.’ The fact that he did not raise his voice indicated that he still respected the king of this country.

“Welcome to my court, Equitanians. I commend your bravery.”

“Just a few days ago, you were cutting down my soldiers and setting fire to supply depots, and yet you have dared to come armed to the heart of this nation.”

“That’s excessive flattery.”

“I didn’t compliment you.”

At the king’s profoundly rhetorical question of whether his insides were sticking out, Ivan silently bowed his head and answered.

“We merely had confidence that Your Majesty was wise enough.”

“Wise, you say.”

“When wolves enter, even the worst neighbors gather to protect the house, don’t they?”

“In my eyes, there are no neighbors—only wolves.”

“If there is a difference, it’s that one side at least has no interest in the meat.”

“A wolf uninterested in meat. What an amusing pun.”

The king answered indifferently and surveyed the court.

“State your desires.”

“Please join hands with us.”

“How dare you!! Your Heretics, suppress them immediately, Your Majesty! Listening to their nonsense will only desecrate the soul of a righteous person!”

“Bishop, do not forget that this is the court.”

The king disregarded the bishop’s fury and continued.

“But what he says is not wrong. The decree of excommunication is severe; dealings with the excommunicated are strictly forbidden. The moment I ally with you, no one in this world will communicate with us.”

“Your Majesty, if the criteria for distinguishing heresy is the pope’s declaration, we are indeed heretics.”

Ivan gazed directly at the king with a blank expression.

“However, if that heresy leads all the churches of the world in the future, then who will be the orthodox at that time?”

“Shut your mouth!!!”

The bishop stood up, frothing at the mouth. His face was flushed as he glared at the king and his ministers.

“Your Majesty, you must make a wise choice! There is only one church of the Lord, and correct faith lies only within the church!”

“It seems the bishop is fatigued. Please escort him to his chamber.”

“Your Majesty!! Your Majesty!!!”

The bishop was led away from the court by the knights. His cries echoed outside for some time before fading.

Silence returned to the court. In the brief calm, the king gazed at Ivan and spoke heavily.

“What are the conditions?”

“When the army of Equitania advances, you must support supplies and participate in the conflict with Bellacria.”

“And the cost?”

“None of the bishops or priests in this world can raise their voices against the proceedings in the court.”

“Even if you send troops, how many would that number be? Isn’t it true that your territory is currently being plundered by Elthros by about half?”

“We have never engaged in battle with the Elthros forces.”

“…What? You mean to say you surrendered your territory without fighting? Are you saying I should believe that right now?”

At the king’s words, Ivan silently bowed his head and replied.

“It is neither because Elthros was competent that they withdrew, nor because we were incapable that we surrendered.”

“So, you intentionally ceded it? Then, did Elthros join in this performance?”

“Does their intention even matter?”

“Indeed, it doesn’t. My wishes, and their wishes, may not have been important. It’s a deadlock.”

The king lamented, reading the meaning from Ivan’s answer.

“It was a puppet show all along. Vittorio of Equitania is indeed a cunning individual. Like a viper.”

After a moment, he smiled faintly and nodded.

“If it has all been a game, then I should side with the winners.”

“Thank you for your grace.”

“Don’t say anything insincere. You are permitted to toast today. You have moved the army of a nation with your silver tongue.”

The king waved his hand to his ministers.

“Provide them with the best lodging and the finest banquet. Aren’t they the virtuous ones saving our citizens?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The guards approached and politely led the group. Soon after Ivan and his party left the court, the king sighed deeply.

“With individuals like that, this crusade was bound to fail from the beginning.”

The fact that the saint excommunicated at the council returned safely to Equitania, that the heart of the King of Equitania was so meticulous, and that there are soldiers bold enough to arrive in this city, even with just a handful of forces…

Yes, how could the situation turn out like this, if it were not for the will of the Lord?

And if that were indeed the Lord’s will, as a faithful believer, could I have any other choice?

“Order the army to return to the border and send a proclamation to Bellacria.”

*

Isabelle whispered softly to Ecdysis while gazing at Ivan’s back ahead.

“Did Uncle always speak so well? Did he eat something weird today?”

“All we ate were nutritional bars.”

“That’s strange. I checked the milling condition this time.”

“Oh, so you made it! No wonder it was delicious. Wait a minute. No, no. Didn’t you say you didn’t check the milling condition until now, Uncle?”

“Yes. It was all made with rotten flour. The lard smelled rancid.”

“Eww—!!”