They were already lost in the blissful imagination of their imminent victory, as if it were a settled conclusion.
All preparations were complete, and all that remained was to decide when to declare the territorial war.
“So, when will the territorial war begin?”
At Count Filchner’s question, all eyes turned to Count Erce.
“I hear the eldest son of Schrantz’s birthday is approaching. How about giving him a gift on his birthday?”
He meant to declare the territorial war on Ian’s birthday.
“That’s a great idea!”
“Indeed! That’s Count Erce for you!”
The lords laughed heartily, clearly satisfied.
—
* * *
Duke Endran was receiving reports about the recent movements of the anti-Schrantz alliance.
“It seems they’re about to wage a territorial war.”
With the royal family’s influence declining, territorial wars had become common across the land.
Now, even the vassal families under the Endran Ducal House were being drawn into the fray.
But Duke Endran couldn’t stop them.
In the past, he would have kept a close eye on them, pressuring them to bow their heads.
But now, the timing was bad.
With the Eaton Ducal House as their immediate concern, they didn’t have the resources to project their influence elsewhere.
“Those insolent fools.”
They were already preparing, and it seemed they had decided to act.
While the exact timing of their declaration was unknown, it was clear that war was imminent.
It was deeply frustrating to see vassal families acting so recklessly against his wishes.
“Father, what will you do about him?”
At Viola’s question, Duke Endran answered without hesitation.
“At the very least, we must ensure that young lord survives.”
If Schrantz were to fall, he planned to bring Ian under his wing.
He intended to use the ducal house’s merchant network to extract Ian from the chaos.
Viola supported her father’s plan.
‘There’s much we can gain by bringing him into our family.’
He was the one who had deduced the royal family’s affairs with just a few pieces of information.
Losing someone like him would be a waste.
‘But this time, it’ll be difficult.’
Last time, it was monsters. This time, it’s humans.
Unless a miracle happens, Schrantz will surely fall.
‘Miracles won’t happen this time.’
They didn’t even have the resources to send disguised knights as mercenaries like last time.
All their strength was focused on the Eaton Ducal House.
Because of this, Duke Endran had already accepted Schrantz’s downfall as inevitable.
Viola shared her father’s thoughts.
After all, Schrantz was still a small territory, even if it was growing.
A family with just over 200 troops couldn’t possibly win against four families simultaneously.
“But before that, we need to ensure those insolent fools never dare to defy me again.”
He intended to make them bleed so they would never act so recklessly again.
Duke Endran turned to his advisor beside him.
“Advisor, leak their movements to Schrantz as soon as you find out. And prepare to support them from behind through the merchant network.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
The plan was to inform Schrantz of all their movements so they could prepare as much as possible.
By supporting Schrantz from the shadows, they could inflict maximum damage on the anti-Schrantz alliance.
This was the best Duke Endran could do for now.
But what they didn’t anticipate was that Ian had been preparing for this for years.
—
* * *
‘Today’s the day.’
Ian’s expression was far from cheerful.
For the past few days, his face had been tense, even grim.
Perhaps because of this, the servants in the mansion avoided speaking to him when they crossed paths.
Today was Ian’s twentieth birthday.
A day that should have been joyful, but he couldn’t bring himself to celebrate.
He knew better than anyone that a letter declaring war would arrive soon.
‘The preparations are complete.’
He had worked hard for this.
Now, all that remained was to face the enemy and fight.
Whoosh! Swish!
“Tsk. Too many thoughts. I can’t focus.”
Knowing the harsh future ahead, he couldn’t concentrate on his training.
Deciding that today’s training was a lost cause, he was about to leave when—
“Young Master, Olgrim the blacksmith requests an audience.”
Nea’s voice came from outside the training hall. Behind her, Olgrim was holding something carefully in his arms.
“Come in.”
Curious, Ian allowed them to enter.
“Yes, what is it?”
Olgrim’s face was bright as he approached, respectfully presenting a box.
“Young Master. It’s been a long wait. The mithril sword you requested is complete.”
Olgrim personally handed the mithril sword to Ian with both hands.
‘Ah, finally!’
It had been over a year since he had requested a mithril weapon, and now it was finally done.
But Ian didn’t mind.
Olgrim was still inexperienced with mithril, but that only meant he had put in extra effort.
‘I thought it might take even longer.’
Given that it was his first time working with mithril, the possibility of failure and the time it would take were both high.
Typically, crafting a mithril weapon for the first time took an average of two years, and even skilled craftsmen took about three months.
Ian marveled at Olgrim’s talent as he took the box and opened it.
Inside, the sword lay neatly in its scabbard.
He drew the sword himself.
Instead of the usual steel blade, it was a pale blue blade.
A sword made of 100% pure mithril.
—
[Weapon Breaker]
Attack Power: 31
[Effects]
―MP Consumption –10%
―Enemy Weapon Durability Damage +6%
―Enemy Disarm Chance +15%
―Chance to Destroy Enemy Weapons with Lower Attack Power than ‘Weapon Breaker’: +23%
—
It was a weapon worthy of its name.
‘Excellent!’
Truly, Olgrim was a genius.
Despite it being his first time working with mithril, he had created a weapon of such quality.
‘A true talent!’
“I’ll put it to good use. You’ve worked hard.”
Ian praised him, impressed by his talent.
This weapon would be a great help in the upcoming war against the anti-Schrantz alliance.
His gloomy mood seemed to lift slightly.
But then.
“Young Master!”
Jurdan’s urgent voice echoed from the end of the hall.
At the sound, Ian knew the moment had finally come, and his intuition was spot on.
“Th-the hostile families have sent letters!”
Jurdan held four letters in his hand.
It seemed someone had already read them.
‘No doubt it was Hubert.’
Ian took the letters and read through each one.
They were filled with nonsense—accusations of tyranny, claims that the Schrantz family had abandoned their duties as lords, and that they had enriched themselves at the expense of their people.
But in the end, it all boiled down to one thing:
‘This is our chance to wipe out your family!’
They had declared war on the Schrantz Count family.
[The Erce Count family has declared war on the Schrantz Count family.]
[The Filchner Count family has declared war on the Schrantz Count family.]
[The Darion Baron family has declared war on the Schrantz Count family.]
[The Duser Baron family has declared war on the Schrantz Count family.]
[Quest ‘The Anti-Schrantz Alliance’ has been triggered.]
<The Anti-Schrantz Alliance>
Objective: Defeat the Erce Count army 0/1, Defeat the Filchner Count army 0/1, Defeat the Darion Baron army 0/1, Defeat the Duser Baron army 0/1
―Crush the Anti-Schrantz Alliance that has finally raised its sword against Schrantz.
Reward: Contribution-based rewards.
“W-what does it say?”
Jurdan asked with a tense expression.
It seemed Hubert had told him to let Ian read the letters first.
Of course, Jurdan probably had an idea of what they contained.
But his expression betrayed his hope that his fears were unfounded.
“Four families have declared war on us.”
“……”
With those words, his hopes were shattered, and he let out a hollow laugh.
Realizing that the inevitable had finally come, Jurden sighed deeply.
“They’ve given me quite the birthday present, haven’t they?”
“Young Master, is this really the time for jokes?”
Ian shrugged.
His expression, which had been filled with frustration all day, now seemed completely relaxed.
‘I’ve worked so hard to prepare for your arrival. If you didn’t come, all my efforts would’ve been for nothing.’
He had been running around preparing for their invasion.
While he wasn’t entirely free of worry, he was excited to finally reap the fruits of his labor.
“We march immediately. Advisor, inform Sir Oswell to begin the operation.”
The battle for Schrantz’s survival had begun.
‘Ah, before that.’
Ian remembered one last place he needed to visit before heading out.
“Young Master!”
Sera was startled when Ian suddenly appeared in the alchemy lab.
It was understandable.
Ian wasn’t in his usual attire but was fully armored and armed.
“What brings you here? And why are you in armor?”
“I’m heading out to war.”
“War, you say…?”
The weight of his words was unmistakable.
She had heard rumors that hostile families were preparing for war, but…
“Our family is now at war with four families simultaneously.”
“……”
She seemed at a loss for words.
‘Stay strong,’ ‘You’ll definitely come back victorious,’ ‘Come back safely.’
All sorts of phrases came to mind, but none felt adequate.
A war against not one but four families.
It was a war that seemed unwinnable to anyone, leaving her unsure of what to say.
“I’ve prepared and fortified as best as I can, but no one knows how it will turn out.”
Ian had done his best to prepare, but the enemy was four families.
They would bring an army of over 1,000.
“That’s why I have an order for you.”
“An order?”
The gravity of Ian’s tone made her expression turn resolute.
“Yes, please tell me.”
She steeled herself and listened intently.
“Absolutely.”
Finally, Ian spoke to her, who was ready to receive his command.
“Absolutely save my father.”
A simple command.
“No matter what happens, don’t worry about anyone else. Focus on your task. Do your best to follow my orders. That’s the command I’m giving you.”
But it was also a difficult command.
“I’ve told the advisor to assist you with whatever you need, so ask if you need anything. Pour your heart and soul into creating the Half Elixir.”
Do your best to save Hugo.
“I’ll succeed at what seems impossible, so you succeed too. That’s what I expect from you, and that’s the command I’m giving you.”
It was also a word of encouragement to do their best in their respective roles and achieve their goals.
Sera bowed deeply.
“Yes, Young Master. I will definitely succeed.”
Hearing her answer, Ian seemed satisfied, smiling as he turned away.
“I’m counting on you.”
Now, it was truly time to march.
