[The soldiers’ morale has dropped.]
Ian frowned.
The battle hadn’t even started yet, and morale was already plummeting.
‘What can I do?’
The approaching enemy was a massive force of over a thousand.
‘I’m scared too, and it’s no different for them.’
No, perhaps they were even more terrified.
That was likely the case.
While Ian had experienced battles against armies of thousands or even tens of thousands through gameplay, these soldiers had no such experience.
The recent monster hunt was probably the largest battle they’d ever fought.
But this was on a completely different scale.
A difference of dozens of times.
Even if you combined all the soldiers and villagers stationed in Vilcen, the enemy still outnumbered them by more than five times.
It would be strange if they weren’t scared.
“Don’t be afraid!”
But he couldn’t just stand there, even if he was scared too.
Morale, whether good or bad, is contagious.
It’s easy for morale to drop all at once, but raising it again is incredibly difficult.
“Our role isn’t to fight and die here! It’s to kill as many of them as possible and slow their advance!”
Ian shouted to boost the soldiers’ morale.
“Remember, the place where we’ll truly fight them is the village!”
Fortunately, Ian’s shouting had an effect.
“Right, we’re not supposed to fight a big battle here. It’ll be fine.”
“We just have to make it through the trap zone and then we can retreat.”
“Whether we die here or in the village, it’s all the same.”
[The soldiers’ fear has subsided. Leadership has increased by 1.]
‘Tsk! This damn leadership.’
However, Ian wasn’t entirely satisfied.
Unfortunately, his low leadership meant morale didn’t rise significantly.
‘And it’s not like I’m particularly persuasive.’
Who could he blame?
For now, he decided to be content with calming them down with his measly single-digit leadership.
‘By the way, my letter should have arrived by now, right?’
Considering the distance between the Schrantz territory and the Endran duchy, Duke Endran should have received his letter by now.
Just then.
“Kyaaaah!”
“Kwoooar!”
The monsters, having spotted them, suddenly began charging with loud cries.
Since it was a small mountain, they would arrive in no time.
“Young Lord, they’re charging!”
“Wait until they’re in range. Fire on my command!”
Ian picked up his bow.
He desperately hoped Duke Endran had read his letter and would send reinforcements.
“They’re in range!”
“Fire!”
Whoosh—!
As Ian released his bowstring, the soldiers did the same.
Dozens of arrows charged through the air toward the monsters.
Meanwhile
At the same time Ian was engaging the Greenskins in battle.
Duke Endran, who had been leisurely drinking tea with his daughter, received Ian’s letter as expected.
Well, not exactly received—it was in the hands of his advisor.
“Ian von Schrantz? Ian… that must be…”
“Yes, the eldest son of Count Schrantz.”
Duke Endran frowned.
“What’s that infamous troublemaker doing sending me a letter? Is he after Viola?”
Viola d’Endran, the youngest of five sons and one daughter, was a great beauty who took after her mother.
Because of this, many noble sons had tried to approach her and win her favour.
“That’s unlikely. Even if he’s a reckless young lord, he wouldn’t dare send such a letter to Your Grace.”
The advisor thought the duke was overreacting today.
“You remember that fool who actually tried something during my vacation?”
“……”
The advisor looked at him with a baffled expression.
Who would have thought there’d be someone so reckless with their life?
‘Now I understand why he’s been so sensitive since returning from vacation.’
He sighed quietly and shook his head.
“Then shall I burn it along with the letters addressed to Lady Viola?”
“No, let me see it. There might be another reason.”
If it really was an attempt to get his attention, it had succeeded.
Though the aftermath would be beyond imagination.
Duke Endran read the letter.
Soon, his expression turned to one of pity.
The letter had nothing to do with Viola; it was about the crisis currently facing Schrantz.
‘A monster rampage, huh? Unlucky.’
Of all the directions the Greenskins could have gone, they chose the Schrantz territory.
The letter pleaded for reinforcements.
There was no way such a small family could withstand such numbers.
Even if they managed to hold out, it would be equivalent to destruction.
Whether Duke Endran helped or not would determine the survival of the family.
‘Their situation is pitiful.’
As their liege lord, he should help his vassal family, but unfortunately, the current situation made it impossible.
The Endran duchy was in a tense standoff with the Eaton duchy, and conflict could break out at any moment.
He couldn’t afford to send troops to help.
Then, as he read the latter part of the letter, his eyes widened.
“…Advisor, I need to speak with Viola. Could you give us some privacy?”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
Viola, who had been drinking tea across from him, asked, “What’s the matter, Father?”
Instead of answering, Duke Endran handed her the letter.
She read the letter from Ian and…
“This is…”
Now she understood why her father had asked the advisor to leave.
The first part of the letter, as Duke Endran had seen, was about the monster rampage.
But what shocked her was the latter part.
It contained information about the current imperial family.
The emperor had fallen ill, and the crown prince, who was on his way back after hearing the news, had been killed by bandits.
The letter suggested that all of this didn’t seem like a coincidence.
It hinted that someone might be plotting behind the scenes.
And if that were the case, Ian claimed to have a plan to help Duke Endran rise to prominence in the central court.
“Viola, doesn’t this sound familiar?”
After reading the letter from start to finish, she handed it back to her father.
“Isn’t this the same delusion I already told you about, Father?”
“……”
This story wasn’t unfamiliar.
It was something Viola had mentioned after news from the imperial family had spread.
Even though she was his beloved daughter, he had scolded her severely for such an irreverent fantasy.
“Hmm… If you’re disappointed, I apologize.”
Thinking she still held onto those feelings, Duke Endran apologized.
“It’s not your fault, Father. It wasn’t something to be spoken of lightly, and it was just a baseless speculation after all.”
“…Thank you.”
“Still, I never thought someone else would have a similar fantasy to mine.”
Viola read the letter several times, her face filled with curiosity.
‘To think that someone else, especially that infamous young lord, would think the same way as me.’
Viola had also heard stories about Ian.
‘They say he’s so violent that he’s killed over three hundred people who displeased him.’
By the time the rumors reached Duke Endran’s household, Ian had been painted as a complete monster.
But she didn’t fully believe them.
After all, rumors tend to grow more exaggerated as they spread.
“What do you think?”
“About this young lord? Judging from the contents of the letter, he seems different from the rumors. It’s intriguing.”
“…What?”
Duke Endran looked at her as if the world had collapsed.
“…Not the kind of intrigue you’re imagining, Father.”
“Ahem! What kind of imagination do you think I have?”
Duke Endran coughed awkwardly.
Though he was her father, Viola shook her head at how overly protective he was.
It seemed to have gotten worse after some noble’s son sent her a love letter some time ago.
“So, what do you think we should do about his request?”
As if nothing had happened, Duke Endran’s expression turned serious as he asked.
Though Duke Endran wasn’t incompetent, he occasionally sought his daughter’s advice.
He believed that the best advisor in the territory was none other than Viola.
In truth, she was quite clever.
She had sorted out most of the internal and external conflicts within the territory.
Of course, the biggest issue—the Schrantz family—remained unresolved.
Still, she had solved many of the headaches he faced, giving him more room to maneuver.
And now, someone else had the same irreverent fantasy she had shared in private?
“He seems to have seen through your interest in advancing into the central court. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to owe him a favor.”
Duke Endran had never shown his interest in advancing into the central court, even to his family.
Not even to his wife.
Viola was the only one who had noticed his ambition.
“I’ve never met this infamous young lord. How did he figure it out?”
“I wonder. Did you perhaps slip up during a conversation with Count Schrantz?”
“I’m not sure. I only exchanged brief greetings… It’s been four years since I last met Count Schrantz, so I don’t remember the details.”
“Hmm… In any case, since he offered to help you, he must have thought of something I hadn’t considered.”
“What if he borrowed someone else’s idea?”
“That would still be a good thing. If he saved our family, we could ask for that person to be handed over to us.”
If such a person existed, they could be brought into Duke Endran’s service, which would be a win.
Schrantz would be saved from the brink of collapse, and Endran would gain a capable individual.
It’s a win-win situation.
Duke Endran fell into deep thought.
‘If, as Viola said, this fool came up with the idea on his own, we could use this favour for a long time.’
So, it wouldn’t be a loss.
The only thing that bothered him was:
‘If the situation in the country changes, who knows what might happen?’
It was already hard enough to keep an eye on Duke Eaton’s movements.
If a vassal family started acting suspiciously in the midst of all this…
‘Duke Eaton would surely try to exploit it.’
After weighing the pros and cons, Duke Endran made his decision.
‘I’ll be busy for a while.’
Just when he thought things were calming down, another problem arose, and he couldn’t help but sigh.
