My Villains Episode 461
66. Prince Silver (16)
After having a private meeting with Prince Ulkar, I decided to give up persuading him.
The light in the prince’s eyes was something more than stubbornness – what is commonly called conviction. It can’t be easy to change the hero’s strong will, and I don’t have the confidence to find a way in a short time.
I’m worried that someday things will go wrong with Princess Yuril. It was because it seemed that if something was wrong with her and the prince heard the news, it would be a trigger. The trigger for the birth of the Six Kings.
The comforting fact is that he took certain measures immediately after hearing that Princess Yuril was almost assassinated or kidnapped. Although that measure, I don’t know how long the secret protection of ‘Ian-Baptiste’, who was a concubine of Heila’s grandfather, Duke Buheil, and is now a high-ranking priest of the royal capital, will remain in effect.
Well, I don’t have much of a choice right now.
Breaking the prince’s will right away – aside from the fact that he’s not confident to break it in the first place – is never a good choice. I want to avoid such a classical tragedy that a hero who loses his faith is corrupted.
In the end, my judgment was that it would be better to quietly contribute to Prince Ulkar’s plan.
On the other hand, what was truly fortunate was that my lord was not a muddled-headed idealist.
He was rather down-to-earth and knew what it would take to achieve his goals.
So the prince checked the cards in his hand before negotiating with the emperor.
The first one, completely occupying Obdorf and Angst, was not as good as expected. It wouldn’t be too difficult to conquer the two provinces even if Ruilix II sent out thousands of vanguards one step ahead.
However, when we recall that we have Princess Theodora, the words change a little. The current situation, in which the land was occupied by the rightful successor with a legitimate cause, was a good deal.
It would be a very attractive proposal to the emperor, as it would restore the territory he considered stolen and divide the powerful rival, the Strom family, into two.
Capturing Prince Savellard, the next viceroy of Alzenberg, and the magic soldiers of the pagan slave army was also a useful defeat.
His successor was captured and his father, Burkad, who lost his power greatly, would not be able to sit at the negotiating table at all. Even if he stood at the negotiating table at the mercy of the emperor, his right to speak would not be meaningful.
In addition to recognizing the rights of Princess Theodora as the neighboring Elector Count, he would only be able to get the rightful son back after paying a huge ransom.
Having a number of powerful allies was also an indisputable boon.
First of all, Count Ines is still stationed in Isbovald. The army of the Milgrester family led by her, as well as several minor nobles in the Abiden region, are still full of morale.
It was only natural that the Count himself, in recognition of his contribution to crossing the bay of knives with me and stabbing the enemy in the stomach, acquired some stake in Proshafen, the presumptuous port city, and Eisbowald, the trading center in the eastern part of the Empire. In addition to gaining great fame, other nobles, including Viscount Cirillo, were granted several privileges on trade with the occupied territories after the war.
The two boys, Count Garwin and Count Oth, who should have conquered the plateau by now, need not be explained again.
Although Margrave Landry was killed in battle, his sons, Garwin and the Axodbrook family, regained all the family territories and raised their honor as border guardians.
Earl Osu, who was nicknamed ‘the little fox of Ariaga’, completely overturned the public’s evaluation of being weak and timid.
He captivated the crowd by showing off his unexpected pulpit and cunning, and among them, he was recognized by the Knights of the Golden Age, which is considered the core royal guard of the Arya family. It proved that it is a suitable timber to be the successor of the 4 major powers of the kingdom.
The Marshal of Friggs, who joined at the end of the war, is indebted to the prince just for protecting Fast and Unfast, and the army and other nobles of Odenlock, led by Lord Daileshid, will extract reparations from the Elector Counts and distribute some of them. plan.
Thanks to the sufficient turnover of rice cakes in this way, numerous allies, including the five counts, are giving us strength. At this level, there would be no shame in presenting it to the emperor.
Occupation maps, justifications, and captivity were important, but the most powerful of the cards held by the prince was none other than the army itself. The army of Prince Eun, who won a legendary victory against the mighty Elector Counts.
Of course, the scale was severely shrunk after seeing enormous damage in a series of battles. However, the most important force – the knights and the battle magicians of the Royal Guards – were still on the healthy side.
Probably, in addition to the troops stationed in Angst and Obdorf, the number of wounded soldiers who returned after being treated by the priests and the troops left behind on the plateau would be about 3,500.
Of course, it is impossible to deal with the emperor’s army with this power. However, considering how elite he was, it would have been quite embarrassing for him as an emperor if Prince Ulkar were to join and fight against Prince Zacharis.
After confirming other details, Prince Ulkar decided to leave for the west two days after arriving in Eisbowald. On the way to face the Emperor of the Empire, he had only seventy people, including me.
The reason why the negotiating team was so simple was that there was no need to upset the emperor with a large number of troops. The size of the opponent was at least 40,000, so it was obvious that only a few hundred people would be laughed at.
Looking at this simple composition, Princess Theodora, who claimed the right to succession, was naturally included.
The ‘blind viper’ Sir Ariad, the ‘arrogant’ Sir Riam, the ‘Birdhawk’ Sir Gisella, and other knights, 12 princes’ entourages, magicians and clergymen, and twenty guards escort them.
Some knights remain in Eisbowald, such as Sir Langbolt, the ‘Shouting Wave’, and Sir Ankir, the ‘Giant Knight’. It was to prepare for an unexpected situation by adjusting the posture with other allies, including Count Ines.
Just as Atalante and Baron Ruyan joined the negotiating group with some personal escorts, I also selected the best subordinates, such as Fritz and Cole, as escorts. My hidden card, Mungchi, will be taken separately, and Hala is also with me due to some kind of intelligence.
Utequai and Iofya remain in Eisbobalt. It was to take care of the slave soldiers in Altenberg.
There were a total of three methods used by the Altenberg family to control the slaves belonging to the pagan slave corps and magic corps. They are spells, drugs, and brainwashing through illusions, which Iofya named ‘the leash of the soul’.
About seven days after their captivity, the slaves began to have seizures, probably because the effects of spells and drugs had weakened. They screamed incomprehensibly, swayed in place, or banged their heads against the walls of the prisoner of war camps.
After receiving the message from Grania, the ‘shield maiden’ who guards the camp, I ran and used the leash of the soul to subdue the uproar, but it was clear that I needed to pay more attention to management.
“Gilkun marts- rather fortunate. It means that these people have a little bit of strength left to resist. Maybe one day I will regain consciousness, free from the effects of witchcraft and evil drugs.”
It remains to be seen whether the words of Iofiya, who muttered as if praying, are true, but I hope it turns out that way.
It is not possible to feed more than 3,000 soldiers for free forever. It is my wish to come to my senses as soon as possible and settle down nearby to work or return to my hometown.
Whatever my wishes, the slaves of Altenberg in the concentration camp needed care and protection.
It would be best if I, holding the leash of the soul, kept my seat, but with the power of Utequai and the sorcery of Iophya, there would be no shortage.
Ellen, meanwhile, was planning to accompany me, but that turned out to be a little difficult. Because Grand Master Aktufir Ol was desperately against it.
“No way!”
The big old wizard blocked Ellen and laid a bluff.
“Merely intervening in battle and killing the soldiers of the Elector Countess was careless enough and it was too late to deal with it. But will I meet the emperor with Prince Eun? The high master of the palace?”
“Aww yes. That was a little too much.”
Nashal Anwei, who was preparing to lead the disciples of the palace to the royal capital, also sighed and patted his waist while standing next to Aktupir.
The two grandmasters were ready to use force to stop Ellen.
“How dare you these cheeky old men-”
Ellen flashed bluish eyes, and the mana that flowed out at the same time made her golden hair and the hem of her robe sway.
Unlike Aktufir, who tensed his ringed hand with a tense face, Nashal muttered a little admiringly.
“How can you be so hot all the time? Is it because you are young?”
I tried to swallow my laughter at her envious voice. Then he went up to Ellen and patted him on the shoulder.
“Hey, be patient.”
“Back off. This is a palace affair.”
“What about the palace?” He turned his body around and met his angry eyes.
“It was only a few days ago that we agreed to stay to investigate Asag’s magic. Of course it’s unreasonable for you to come out like this.”
“Forcing it? You…
My blue eyes were filled with a sense of betrayal at once, so I giggled and tousled his hair.
“You’re not an immature child, but you’re a high master, so you shouldn’t keep what you said.”
“I’ll be back soon after negotiating, so wait patiently. I’ll come back and give you a prize.”
“Muh what’?”
“You insisted that I follow you. Then you should get a prize.”
Only then did Ellen understand what I was saying and kept her mouth shut with her face reddened.
He eventually gave up trying to join the negotiating team. It must have been thanks to his belated recovery of reason and judgment befitting a High Master of the La Palais Palace.
maybe.
The negotiation team, which consisted of about 70 people, drove for an entire day to reach a small riverside village in Angst.
It was a lucky village that escaped the fires of war thanks to the exquisite deviation from the advance route of the detached army I was leading.
While looking for the village chief, Father Wen suddenly stepped forward trembling. Because it was such a small village, the priest who managed the Gyeongdang (經堂) was also serving as the village headman, without any rank in the ranks.
From the old priest’s story, it seems that everything has been peaceful, except for a few days ago when we ran into a few nudein warriors who had come out of Prothhafen to take over the neighborhood.
Prince Ulkar, who got off his horse to pay his respects to the priest, smiled after a brief thought.
“Can I take care of the village for a while? If you can use empty barns and lots, that’s enough.”
“…That’s it… “We have nothing to fear because we are also those who are embraced by the Lord. You also pay a fair price for everything you use in town. Please look after the situation.”
The old priest hesitated to answer, his lips parting. Then, as the prince took out a handful of sparkling gold coins, the villagers hiding behind opened their mouths wide and paid attention to the bride. The old priest, who had been spying on the troopers with fearful eyes, soon nodded.
After reconnaissance centered on the village, the camp of the advance party of the emperor’s army was still in the same place. It was about two and a half kilometers from town.
Prince Ulkar, who sent a messenger to convey his intention to negotiate, ordered a short rest in the village.
It is unlikely that that would happen, but since the emperor’s army was negotiating and attacking without questioning or answering, he had to jump out immediately, so he had enough guards deployed. Perhaps because of the frequent thief rain recently, the river flowing around the village was quite swollen, so even if the light cavalry rushed in a surprise attack, there seemed to be no fear of being caught.
How long has it been since you unpacked your luggage in the village? The messenger returned at the end of the year and delivered unexpected news.
The news was that Ruilix II, the emperor of the Mittergerant Empire, was staying at the Imperial Army Garrison right in the immediate vicinity.
