Episode 133 Harun Castle, which boasted the second largest population in the kingdom after the capital, was also the largest grain producer, with food produced in the Grandia Plain, the largest area in the kingdom, piled up inside the castle.
The 1st Prince faction aimed for a large-scale counterattack starting from Harun Castle, but after suffering great damage in another large battle, they were not swayed by any provocation and only continued to defend.
A strong castle and a force that cannot be ignored. No matter how much of an advantage you had, it was difficult to take over without making enormous sacrifices.
And none of the two princes’ faction’s main noble margraves wanted to make that sacrifice.
If someone else contributes to capturing the 1st Prince and Duke Juan Douglas in a situation where the damage is likely to be done, only he will be in trouble.
And the Duke of Jordan also did not want to take a risk in a favorable situation.
A cornered rat may bite a cat.
They had no intention of pushing themselves further since victory was within sight if they waited for food to run out in the isolated castle.
Naturally, the front lines solidified again and the war began to slow down.
And the wait was bound to be more painful for the Second Prince faction, which was semi-surrounding the castle by maintaining its formation outside Harun Castle.
“Let’s give up Harun Castle and go to Grand to hold the coronation ceremony. What will my bastards do if I clear out all the surrounding castles, leaving only Harun Castle!”
So it is not surprising that such a claim is made.
Of course, considering not only the necessity but also the risk of a surprise attack that could occur when the army retreats and the fluidity of the front lines, it was just a vain wish.
That was the time when the leaders of both factions were silent.
The change in war began in a completely unexpected but perhaps obvious place.
* * *
“This is a report that a supply unit disguised as a top led by Philip has safely arrived at the front line.”
“Already?”
“It was important that the Second Prince provided military supplies. Since there is no need to transport food separately, the size has been reduced significantly, which seems to have increased mobility.”
“Even if it’s just the magazines and liberatio, the amount must be considerable, right?”
“Philip said there is a shortcut he knows. It’s an upward route pioneered by one of the three major companies in Korea…” “
Oh. It’s different because it’s a talent that your brother brought in.”
Dwayne smiled bitterly at Ronian’s answer.
Well, as a vassal, it wasn’t a bad thing that the lord’s children were on good terms, but no matter how much he thought about the prince in front of him, it was too much.
As long as Youngji’s good things happened, most of them eventually led to ‘Thanks to you, brother…’, so it went beyond friendship and almost felt like faith.
Dwayne found it fascinating and tried to hint at it.
“It is true that Philip is outstanding, but that is not necessarily thanks to the Archduke.”
Little Confucius’ gaze became a little sharper.
“It was the administrator who said that running the territory itself has become much easier thanks to the administrator named Damian Nadal. He was also brought in by my brother.”
“When selecting talent, you can either hit the jackpot or lose out. It’s just luck rather than your ability…”
“Administrator Dwayne. Are you doubting your ability now?”
Words that cut like a knife. Death spreads out from the red eyes.
Dwayne hurriedly spoke, rubbing his forearm where goosebumps were starting to appear.
“That can’t be right! I was saying that the Archduke is full of benevolence. That’s right.”
“…Your brother has a high eye for people.”
Even so, a little bit of luck…
Dwayne quickly shook off the thoughts that came to his mind and resumed his conversation.
“Oh, and lastly. The market inside the town is gradually growing. As the number of outsiders is increasing, I think we need to deploy more security forces inside the town rather than other castles.”
“The new recruits who started recruiting again are still in training camp, right?”
“Yes. Even if you complete the training, it will take time to perform the job properly.”
“Use. Well, since the number of regular soldiers is already at its limit anyway, send the village vigilantes to the two towns alternately for training purposes. Of course, pay them separate allowances.”
“I will.”
Gongja Lee is definitely meticulous.
The brothers are both genius swordsmen and have great intelligence.
What a blessing this territory has been.
Dwayne nods his head with a happy smile.
Ronian, who had stamped the last document, stood up from the desk before he could turn around.
“Are you going to Hamar again?”
“Of course. My brother told me to take special care of it.”
“But you don’t have to go every day, right?”
“The success of the territory heard from the front is all due to the repeating crossbow and liberatio. The core of its production is Hamar, so how can we neglect it? We need to keep looking to see if there are any inconveniences.”
“You are indeed wonderful.”
“What? Of course it has to be done.”
* * * Cough. Collock.
“It must be hard. Hamar, will Little Confucius come today too?”
“It’s a poisonous tumor. It’s worse than Ji-hyung’s. Watching him every day… Don’t be lazy and manage the line well! If he’s like his older brother, you never know what he’ll do the moment something goes wrong.”
Hamar, who spat out the words, and Temar next to him trembled.
Hamar’s anecdote about being caught in a trick and working on a weapon production project for six months under the pretense of vacation, which was called ‘Dwarven Romance’, was already famous among dwarves.
Temar nodded, scratching his goosebumps with his clawed forearm.
“Yes. We will keep strict surveillance…”
“I’m sorry about this. I was just visiting to cheer you on.”
“Hmph!”
“Now little Confucius!”
The two dwarves who were talking jumped up to almost their height.
A red-haired nobleman who suddenly appeared.
Although he had a softer appearance than someone who remained like a painting in Hamar’s heart, he was scarier than anyone else at this moment.
“Ha. Ha. Ha. We were just determined to work hard. Right, Temar?”
“That’s right, Little Confucius. I just want to work hard and contribute to the territory.”
“….”
“….”
“….”
Awkward gaze crossing.
Soon Ronian smiled and patted Hamar on the shoulder.
And he said something unbelievable to the dwarves.
“I heard the war is at a slow pace, so I’ll give you some time to rest. It looks like you’ve been working too much.”
“Thank you….”
Puck!
“…Ugh. Why why?”
“Hahaha. Little Confucius, that’s absolutely not the case. It’s all for the territory, but you can’t help but rest at this important time! We’re fine.”
Temar looked bewildered at the nonsense that Hamar, who had hit him on the back of the head, was spewing out.
An expression that clearly shows the feeling that this person must have done something wrong.
Seeing that expression, Hamar opened his eyes wide.
‘The moment you accept it, the vacation becomes hell. These red-eyed squires are devils, devils! You must never be caught!’
As the devil’s younger brother watched with his eyes wide open, Hamar could only express his sincerity with his eyes, which he could not express in words.
And unfortunately, his earnest telepathy didn’t seem to reach Temar.
“They say they give me a day off at most, but why…?”
under. Have you ever seen such a frustrating guy?
I’m pounding my chest because of Temar, who seems to have forgotten everything I was talking about earlier.
“Take a break for a few days. I heard there are a lot of things to see and eat at the market, so why not go look around?”
“…Really?”
“Of course. The first supply has arrived safely, and there is still room for the second supply until Prince Philip returns.”
“Is it really real?”
“That’s right. You were just deceived.”
uh. Always to your brother.
Hamar did not do the foolish thing of spouting out the sincerity that was welling up in his throat.
just.
“Thank you! You bastard! Bow down too!”
“I started earlier… Mr. Ai.”
He just bowed repeatedly with an expression of emotion.
“Ah. However, you must accompany me or the knights. Lord Hamar is already the most important person in our territory. You must be careful of yourself.”
How beautifully you speak.
Hamar began to see this little Confucius as an angel, completely different from his devilish brother.
* * *
Of course, Hamar did not enjoy his vacation completely at ease from the first day.
‘But since he’s the devil’s younger brother, it could be a trap.’
The weak remaining vigilance made me act cautiously.
However, as soon as he tasted the various foods sold at the large market in the town and the beer that was difficult to find at McLane, his guard began to relax.
On the third day.
“Little Confucius! There’s a new skewer shop that has opened, and it’s perfect as a beer snack. Let’s start from there today!”
It was Hamar who started going to the market from the permanent residence, dragging Ronian with him.
On his back, he was carrying a homemade oak barrel on a burden-like device.
On the lid of a portable oak barrel almost as big as himself, there was a barrel made of dried straw that was long enough to reach Hamar’s mouth.
He was using this object, which was connected to an oak barrel behind his back so that he could drink beer at all times, and called it a straw.
And instead of expressing admiration for the needlessly excessive creativity, Ronian took a step back with a shocked expression.
“Hmm. Isn’t it too early?”
“What are you talking about? Of course the market is busiest in the morning!”
It wasn’t exactly wrong, but it was about the merchants preparing.
Ronian looked fed up, but Hamar didn’t care.
As he was being dragged around the market stalls by Hamar, Ronian’s eyes changed slightly at some point.
‘Force user?’
A man whose force seemed to be slightly obscured passed by near him.
Although he does not have as much transcendental sense as Logan, Ronian is also a practitioner of Force Core.
Force Core, a collection of extremely pure energy, reacted particularly sensitively to foreign feelings.
If the peddler who just passed by was a normal Force user, he would not have attracted Ronian’s attention.
‘Use some kind of force and pretend to be a peddler.’
As his listless nerves began to tense up, things he had not felt until then began to catch on to his senses one by one.
‘One on the front too. ‘Two in the back.’
Those guys who felt so different were not the same.
“Wow, this meat is really delicious? What is this? A rat? Oh, really, that rat? Ugh! You should have told me in advance!”
“You just screwed up! Pay!”
Ronian walked a little closer to Hamar, who was arguing with a street vendor.
“Little Confucius! This dwarf is…”
The street vendor expressed his friendliness because he had been around for a few days.
The man passing by behind him seemed to be an intermediate Force user.
“Ah, I saw it too. Hamar, just do the math.”
“Little Confucius?!”
Ronian responded calmly, naturally taking his gaze away from the ‘enemy’, and walked a little closer to Hamar.
Then, he led the man with an aggrieved expression and gradually made it more discreet. It led me to the outskirts of the market where there were few people.
‘This really happens.’
– If we start to attract attention, keep an eye on Hamar. Rumors could spread about him, and there could be an attack or kidnapping attempt. So we need to protect him at all costs. I admire my brother’s foresight, but I ca
n’t help but think about situations like this. I didn’t forget to send the hand signal I had prepared
in preparation. A signal to send to the soldiers and knights stationed within the town.
“As expected, there are many people starting new businesses in the outskirts. That’s a good choice, little Confucius.”
Fortunately, he became an enthusiastic believer in market food. Hamar, who had thrown it away, seemed to not notice anything strange and was flirtatiously putting another piece of grilled skewer into his mouth. The
dwarf’s expression was already slowly turning red as he sucked on the straw and drank beer.
Just like that, a big smile appeared on Hamar’s face. Just as they were barely disappearing,
the ‘things’ started to move.
