Hubert listened as Nea recounted everything, from how Ian had taken her in as his personal maid to the events that had transpired.
“……”
He was visibly shocked.
It was only natural to be stunned, considering the magnitude of what had been happening behind the scenes without his knowledge.
“You all don’t seem surprised. Did everyone know except me?”
Both Jurdan and Oswell didn’t look particularly shocked.
It seemed like they had already known, which only added to his confusion.
And it was true.
“I’m sorry. It was a matter of great importance, and it involved the reputation of Schrantz, so I couldn’t tell you.”
“……”
Indeed. What had been done was something that couldn’t be openly discussed.
If it had been discovered, it would have been recorded as an unprecedented scandal, one that could never be resolved.
Hubert took a few deep breaths to calm himself, then glared at Ian.
“Brother.”
“Yes.”
“This is not something that can be overlooked. However, considering it was done for the sake of the family, I’ll let it slide this time. But there won’t be a next time. Understood?”
It was a warning that he wouldn’t be forgiven if something like this happened again.
As the heir and acting lord, Hubert held all decision-making power for the Schrantz Count family.
Ian had only been entrusted with managing military supplies.
What Ian had done, no matter how well-intentioned, was an overreach of his authority.
Even as a family member, such actions couldn’t be ignored.
Understanding this, Ian replied, “Alright, I’ll keep that in mind.”
Hubert’s leniency was due to Ian’s achievements and their brotherly bond.
But still.
‘Does this mean he’s forgiving everything I’ve done so far?’
Ian decided to take it positively.
His optimistic nature hadn’t changed.
Hubert’s gaze shifted back to Nea.
“So, why did you suddenly reveal the truth now?”
“Because of this.”
She placed a piece of paper in front of Hubert.
“What is this…?”
“It’s an order from Count Erce.”
The order was written in an unfamiliar code.
She showed him the decoded version.
“‘Kill Number 2’?”
“It’s an order to assassinate you, Young Master Hubert.”
“……!”
“……!”
The eyes of everyone in the room widened like full moons.
Only Ian had known about the existence of this order.
Everyone’s faces turned red with anger.
“Young Master Ian. If this is true, then war is inevitable. And if war breaks out, it will be even more difficult than the monster uprising.”
Oswell was the first to regain his composure and assess the situation calmly.
As expected of a seasoned veteran who had been through many battles, he was different.
He was already worrying about what would happen if war broke out.
“Of course it will be.”
The enemy this time was human.
Monsters were terrifying, but there was a clear difference.
The allied families had not only numbers but also siege weapons.
This was entirely different from the Greenskins, who relied on ladders for their attacks.
‘The only silver lining is that they won’t harm the commoners recklessly.’
To the lords, the commoners were valuable assets who paid taxes.
There was no reason to harm them or earn their resentment.
“Perhaps we can use this as a pretext to prevent war.”
Jurdan, who had finally regained his composure, opposed the idea of war.
While he might have wanted to support it like the others, he believed the chances of winning were too slim.
“How?”
“We’re now connected to the Endran Ducal House. If we can persuade them…”
Ian chuckled.
“Advisor Jurdan. If that were possible, I would have done it already. The situation now is different from when I tried to persuade them. It’s gotten worse. They won’t even have the resources to send troops this time.”
“Then if we protest to them…”
“If you were in their position, would you even pretend to listen to us? They’d probably use it as an excuse to start a war, claiming it’s all a setup. And the royal family is even less reliable now than before.”
“……”
Jurdan fell silent.
As Ian said, if he were in Count Erce’s position, he’d likely do the same.
The royal family was too busy with its own bloody family affairs to pay attention to them.
In fact, all the territories in the empire were practically free from the control of the royal family and their liege lords.
News of territories with bad blood fighting each other was coming from all over the country.
It was just Schrantz’s turn now.
“What can we do…?”
Jurdan pondered deeply. He didn’t seem to favour the idea of war.
Ian understood his position.
It would be strange not to fear war.
Naturally, people would want to avoid it if possible.
Even if there was nothing to lose, it would still be frightening, but now that there was so much at stake, it was even more terrifying.
‘If I could avoid it, I would too.’
If things went wrong, there would be no turning back.
‘If this were a game, I’d say, ‘Come at me if you dare.’’
Because with save and load, even if things went wrong, I could go back and choose the right path.
But now, this was reality, and there was no save or load function. I couldn’t just act recklessly.
Ian also wanted to avoid it if he could.
But this was a situation that couldn’t be avoided.
“Advisor Jurdan. No matter what we do, they will go to war. If we can’t avoid it, we have to face it. Even if it’s dangerous and the odds are against us.”
Realizing that Ian had already decided on war, Jurdan looked at Oswell.
“Sir Oswell. Please try to persuade the young master. If it’s you, he might change his mind.”
In the end, Jurdan turned to Oswell, hoping he could convince Ian.
Even if it was a slim hope, he thought that together, they might be able to sway him.
“Young Master Ian is someone who acts on instinct. If he’s saying this, it must be something that’s bound to happen. More importantly, I don’t want to show weakness to the enemy before the fight even begins.”
“……”
Oswell seemed determined to follow Ian’s lead.
And when he glanced at Hubert, surprisingly, he was smiling.
“This war is both a crisis and an opportunity.”
The saying “a crisis is an opportunity” couldn’t be more fitting for this situation.
“If we lose this war, Schrantz will disappear forever. But it’s also a chance to reclaim the lost territories of Schrantz and restore its former glory.”
Jurdan shook his head.
‘It seems Young Master Hubert has already made up his mind too. How did I end up surrounded by people like this?’
Jurdan sighed, realizing that everyone except him was in favour of war.
In fact, he was starting to feel like the odd one out.
Judging by their expressions, they all seemed eager for a fight.
Was it the unyielding spirit of Schrantz, refusing to back down from a fight?
Everyone except him had already steeled their resolve.
‘Of course, this is all assuming the best-case scenario.’
Ian knew that Hubert’s words were based on the assumption of victory.
And not just any victory—it had to be an overwhelming one.
‘We need a decisive victory.’
If we only manage a half-hearted win, they’ll dig in, and Schrantz won’t have the strength to continue.
Given Schrantz’s size, we can handle a defensive war, but we don’t have the resources for an offensive one.
They might even propose a truce, pretending nothing happened.
Schrantz would have no choice but to accept, no matter how unfair it felt.
In the end, we’d gain nothing and only suffer losses.
This would be an all-or-nothing battle.
‘But if we can’t avoid it, we must do our best to make the best-case scenario a reality.’
Ian was already fully prepared for war.
‘But the enemy is four families.’
Even if we can handle one, four families attacking simultaneously would cause more damage than the monster uprising.
Realizing there was no way to prevent the war, Jurdan let out a sigh.
‘At least Young Master Ian has been focusing on stockpiling resources, which is a relief.’
Just three months ago, he had even purchased excellent warhorses to train cavalry.
Thanks to that, the number of Schrantz cavalry had increased from twenty to thirty.
It still seemed insufficient, but it was better than nothing.
‘In the end, all I can do is focus on my duties and do my best.’
He wasn’t someone who could take up arms and go to the battlefield.
Jurdan decided to focus on his responsibilities and handle the tasks that needed to be done.
Of course, he had no idea how much work would pile up, and the thought alone was already overwhelming.
“Understood. It’s hard to deny that the enemy is up to something like this.”
Hubert stood up.
“From now on, we’ll mobilize all the resources of the territory. Advisor Jurdan, keep a close eye on their movements and expedite our war preparations. Also, do your best to delay them from finding out that we’re preparing for war.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
The war preparations would inevitably be discovered.
‘We’ll have to use the girl the young master brought in to delay them as much as possible.’
Jurdan decided to have Nea do her best to keep them from noticing.
“Then let’s all focus on our respective tasks.”
“Yes, Young Master!”
From that day on, Schrantz began preparing for war in earnest.
—
* * *
Count Erce held a meeting with the lords of the allied families.
Outwardly, it was just a simple banquet, but their true purpose was to discuss Schrantz.
The royal family was busy with the emperor’s worsening health and the death of the crown prince, and the Endran Ducal House was preoccupied with the Eaton Ducal House.
Until now, the influence of the royal family and the Endran Ducal House had prevented them from waging war, but now was the perfect time to act without drawing attention.
“So, we’ll contribute 500 troops, the Filchner Count family 400, and the Duser and Darion Baron families 100 each, totaling 1,100 troops.”
The combined forces of two count families and two baron families made for a formidable army.
They spared no effort to bring down Schrantz.
Each family left only enough troops to maintain order in their territories, showing their full commitment.
Their aggressive stance was partly due to their animosity toward Schrantz, but more importantly, they were preparing for the aftermath of completely conquering Schrantz.
They had agreed to distribute the shares of the newly established settlements based on their contributions and achievements in this war.
Then, Count Filchner raised his hand.
“Recently, I’ve heard that Schrantz has been increasing its military training. Have they caught on to our plans?”
“Not at all. I’ve looked into it, and it seems they’re training to establish another settlement.”
This information came from none other than Nea.
She was the deepest-embedded spy in Schranz and had been diligently carrying out her duties.
‘Unfortunately, some of the other spies we planted have met with accidents and died.’
But Nea was still doing her part, which was a relief.
‘Sadly, the assassination of the heir failed, but since the incompetent Schrantz soldiers have no clue who the assassin is, we can always try again later.’
Nea was expendable, after all.
She still believed her mother was in their hands, so she would never reveal who sent her.
Whether she was caught, tortured, or killed, it didn’t matter to him.
“Even if they’ve caught on, it doesn’t matter. There might be resistance, but what can they do against our overwhelming force?”
What could a handful of their troops do against us?
It’s a war between 1,100 troops and a little under 300.
They may have achieved a great victory against the Greenskins, but none of us are concerned about that.
It was certainly impressive, but humans are different from the mindless Greenskins.
They had no intention of relying solely on ladders for a siege.
“Finally, we can erase the despicable Schrantz from the map.”
“We can finally avenge the humiliation our ancestors suffered at their hands.”
“I’ve been waiting for this day.”
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