Chapter 38: Things you can obtain in someone else’s territory (1)

The general, Duke Fran Valdesca, has disappeared. That was enough to send the Narja Army into panic. There were commanders under Fran, but none of them had the same abilities as him. It was only after many troops had already been lost that they learned of Fran’s disappearance.

“Fall back! Retreat!”

The number of soldiers alive when the commanders gave the order to retreat was about 18,000. The Narja Royal Army began to retreat, abandoning not only Bern Castle and Ganen Castle, but also all the territories they occupied.

Yusen and Givens had ambushed the retreating army of the Narja Kingdom. Although they lost a lot of troops in the ambush, the Narja Army managed to escape the situation and set their sights on Luon Castle, because there was a supply base there.

“Open the gate!”

When they arrived at Luon Castle, they saw the flags of the Royal House of Narja and Duke Fran fluttering in the wind, as usual, and the army entered the castle in peace. They lowered their weapons and began to rest when a thousand soldiers in Narja army uniforms rushed towards them.

“Kill them all!”

“Aaahhhh!”

Since there were no men like Fran present, the careless Narja Army was brutally destroyed. Furthermore, the leader of the 1,000 soldiers was Demasin Elheat, the only warlord of Lunan Kingdom.

The best general in the Lunan Kingdom swung his spear. The troops who had already entered the castle and let their guard down fell without being able to fight, and the ones who were still outside the castle ran away.

Losing Fran, their strategist, the Narja army was simply overwhelmed. Elheat, who carried out the surprise attack, closed the gates of Luon Castle, ignoring the fleeing enemy soldiers.

“Deputy Commander, aren’t you going after them?”

“There’s no need. We’ve done everything the Chief of Staff told us to do. The enemy is now completely in the hands of the chief, there’s nothing to worry about.”

He didn’t want me to participate in the battle, but to lead a thousand soldiers and ambush the enemy at Castle Luon. At first, I thought it was a ridiculous plan in this situation where Linon Castle was in danger. But in the end, everything went according to his plan.

“Once I’ve wiped out the enemy army, I’ll have a drink with him.”

Elheat was genuinely happy to see such a gem appear under the sky of Lunan.

* * *

The enemy was annihilated. We were welcomed by cheering voices when we returned to the royal capital.

There was still the audience with the king. I had no way to refuse since I was still his vassal.

History had been completely rewritten. The ruined capital was still standing. The continent will now move in a completely different way from the history I know.

The royal capital, surrounded by the highest walls in the kingdom, a city, which is incomparably more bustling than Aintorian, had a festival every day. That was the problem with the Lunan Kingdom. But I had no intention of stopping it.

The only thing that caught my attention in these boring days was Elheat who trained even in the midst of the festivities. He has given his life to Ronen and was loyal to him. Maybe someday I’ll get the chance to recruit him. Yes, someday.

A few days later, it was the time of the audience with the king. His throne shone with a golden glow, the exact opposite of the declining Lunan Kingdom. It was somewhat paradoxical. I knelt before the king, my tongue wagging at the sight.

“So you are Earl Aintorian. I was not mistaken. You defended the country as expected! Kuh-hah!”

The king praised me with a greasy face. It was as if he wanted to say that he was the one who won this war.

“It was all thanks to Your Majesty!”

Of course, there was no need to offend him now. So I gave the king the answer he wanted. He seemed to like my answer and started laughing.

“Ha-ha-ha! I really like you. If you continue to contribute to the country, you may as well have a dukedom. I have high hopes for you!”

Duke, it’s an attractive title that any nobleman would like to have. However, it was not a title that could be obtained so easily. Duke is a title that is usually held by royalty.

There are two ways for a nobleman to become a duke. First, the noble is part of the royal family and second because of his great contribution to the country. But what I want is the throne, a chance to take on the world. With the help of the system I’ll make it happen.

If I don’t challenge the glory, there is no guarantee that my current life will last forever. Either the system will disappear, I will return to my daily life or I’ll die.

Even if I had to live in a battlefield where life and death were uncertain, it was better than the boring reality! I would reign over the world with my own brand of justice. Even if I failed and died, it was a million times better than a mediocre life. That’s why the dukedom of Lunan means nothing to me.

“Thank you, Your Majesty. I will come whenever you call me.”

Of course, I answered by kneeling down, as I still needed to keep the king in a good mood for now. Ronen and many of the nobles expressed their displeasure at the king’s words. They would not tolerate having their power taken away from them. After all, only the king was simple.

“Are you really going back? Why don’t you leave the territory to your vassals and stay in the capital?”

After the audience with the king, Ronen began to probe me in a subtle way. I’m sure Ronen doesn’t want me to stay in the capital and gain power.

“No, I still need to take care of my territory for now.”

“I see. Then I won’t stop you. If you change your mind, come and visit me.”

I wasn’t interested in the capital power struggles; I wanted to develop my territory. Of course, I don’t need to upset my relationship with Lunan right now. For now, I just needed to act like this, pretending that I have no ambition.

The more I do this, the more Ronen will start to suspect me. But Ronen is not an enemy to begin with. The countries in the southern part of the continent and Narja in the north, there were more than enough enemies.

The name Lunan will be used until the Aintorians gain power. If Lunan is destroyed by the Narja Kingdom I will appear in the chaos of the world under the name of Aintorian. Until then, all I can do is wait and build up my strength.

When that happens, I’ll be the lord who starts unifying the continent from a small territory called Aintorian.

There is so much to do. Fortunately, there were many things I gained from this war. First of all were Yusen and Givens. They came to visit me and kneeled.

“Will you please accept me and my soldiers?”

“What are you talking about? You’re already my men.”

“I heard that you are leaving the Royal Army, I won’t be able to serve you then. Make me a vassal of the Aintorian family; I’ll give my life to serve you!”

“Me too!”

“Are you two serious?”

“Of course we are!”

“Even if that decision means betraying Lunan?”

This was the most important thing. They looked at each other and shouted at the same time.

“It’s only natural for a vassal of the Earl’s family to obey the Earl’s orders!”

Thus, Yusen and Givens became my vassals along with Zint. Not only did I gained talents, I also gained time and prestige. It was the right choice to join the war. With these achievements, I was on my way back to Aintorian.