Chapter 86

Chapter 86. Territorial War Preparations (1)

Yanis Dijon’s hands trembled again. This time, it was not from anger, but from excitement.

Now that he had a powerful ally in Ronalp, why would he stay quietly locked away in his room?

“Good. The Dijon family will crush Marcel no matter what sacrifices we have to make. I do not care even if Westfalen tries to stop us.”

“Hohoho, as expected of a young man. You certainly have spirit.”

It was not exactly something Karin, who was only twenty-one herself, should be saying.

She narrowed her eyes slightly and crossed her legs the other way. Yanis’s face was no longer merely flushed. It had turned completely red.

“B, but what do you plan to do about the Franche royal family? They will not approve a territorial war.”

“Do not worry. I have a plan. I have already persuaded several nobles in Le Capital. My family also agreed to send knights.”

Yanis’s heart began pounding.

Part of it was Karin’s seduction.

But more than anything, he could finally take revenge against that damned Eric who had ruined his plans.

How could he not be excited?

So he became even bolder.

“Countess Ronalp, I hope you will stay in my territory and rest comfortably before leaving.”

“Hohoho, of course, Young Lord.”

While Eric intended to use Westfalen as a shield to overcome the situation, Karin had chosen a much more forceful method.

She intended to smash through everything.

Without anyone realizing it yet, a death match between Marcel and the combined forces of Ronalp and Dijon was beginning.

Jonas, Noah’s distant cousin, more precisely the biological grandson of Noah’s maternal granduncle, returned from his position as liaison in Dijon and immediately sought Count Michael Westfalen.

Michael greeted him with an uninterested expression.

“Jonas, why are you here? There is no position for you anymore.”

“N, no, Your Lordship. I obtained disturbing information. I hurried back to inform you.”

“Disturbing information?”

“Yes! On the day Sophia’s body arrived in Dijon, Countess Karin Ronalp visited Young Lord Yanis. The two held a private meeting. They did not even bring attendants.”

Anyone could see it was suspicious.

Why would a Countess personally move for ordinary diplomacy?

And there was no way she could have known beforehand that Sophia’s funeral would take place at that exact time.

But although Michael noticed the oddity, he quickly lost interest.

The Franche royal family is holding everything down, so nothing serious will happen. And whatever happens to Marcel is no longer my concern. Surely a war will not suddenly break out.

Michael was already busy consolidating Westfalen and making it completely his own.

Everything else was merely troublesome.

“It has nothing to do with Westfalen.”

“What?”

“You may leave.”

“No, Your Lordship...”

“Head Butler, throw him out.”

The Head Butler practically pushed Jonas into the corridor.

Even while being thrown out, Jonas clung to him.

His good position had disappeared, so he desperately needed another way to make a living.

“Head Butler, this really is important. Please let me speak to His Lordship again.”

Even the Head Butler thought the information could affect Westfalen or Marcel.

This might create a serious conflict between territories. Is His Lordship being too optimistic?

Michael cared mostly about protecting his own position.

Eric was different.

After thinking for a moment, the Head Butler made a suggestion.

“Sir Jonas, go see Young Master Eric. He is staying at an inn near the market.”

“Eric? Why would I go to that bastard?”

“Young Master Eric may buy this information from you. He might even give you another liaison position. Be sure to tell him that I sent you.”

“Really? Thank you! Thank you!”

The Head Butler had always thought well of Jonas.

No matter what happened, Jonas had stubbornly continued sending information.

Even the agent infiltrated into Aachen had served under him.

Jonas ran toward the market so fast his eyebrows nearly flew away.

I decided to send Jonas, the man who informed me of Karin Ronalp’s secret meeting with Yanis Dijon, to Palatinate as a liaison.

He had decent instincts.

He also had experience handling information and managing spies.

He looked useful.

Of course, he would not be sent from Marcel.

He would officially be a Westfalen liaison assigned to Palatinate.

“What you will do in Palatinate is not the normal work of a liaison.”

“I understand, Young Master. I will continue doing what I did before.”

Sharp bastard.

His previous work involved gathering information and sending it to Noah.

Now he simply needed to send it to me.

“Where have you planted your agents?”

“One servant in the Dijon lord’s residence, one novice priest and one soldier in Aachen, and one soldier in Palatinate.”

“Why Dijon?”

“Lord Noah said there was no need, but something felt wrong to me. It was my own decision.”

His judgment had been good.

Unfortunately, he had failed to obtain the most important information.

Still, infiltrating spies and extracting useful intelligence was extremely difficult.

Jonas had already proven his value.

“Can you keep those spies active while you are stationed in Palatinate?”

“Of course.”

“I am going to establish a company in the Lowlands. Send the intelligence there. Ask Westfalen’s Head Butler for operational funds. And take this.”

I handed Jonas the box containing Lorian’s right arm.

“What is this?”

“You do not need to know. There is a letter inside the box. Deliver it directly to Count Palatinate. And absolutely do not open it.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

A surprise gift.

Count Palatinate would probably love it.

Anyway, after waiting several more days, the time for rewards finally arrived.

Since the incident had happened inside the territory, there was no special ceremony.

Everything was simply announced through official documents.

The Head Butler and the reinstated former officials had prepared them.

I sat inside Count Michael’s office and reviewed every document.

Michael looked as though he had bitten into shit.

He clearly disliked my interference.

But perhaps because he believed I was the one holding the knife, he raised no particular objections.

There was not much to object to anyway.

The former officials would be restored.

The property of quasi-nobles belonging to Lorian and Cain’s factions would be confiscated and distributed.

“Good. Proceed like this.”

The Head Butler collected the documents.

Only then did Michael speak.

“Eric, are you really satisfied with that reward?”

“Of course. I have no intention of tearing out Westfalen’s roots.”

I wanted three rewards.

First, exclusive rights to operate ships from the Lowlands along the Rhine River, through Westfalen, and as far as Palatinate and Hesse.

It was a hereditary right of the Westfalen family guaranteed by the Germania Imperial Family.

Other territories could not casually interfere with it.

At the same time, it was also an obligation.

If the right was not properly exercised, the Imperial Family could take it back.

Second, property in the Lowlands that had once been granted to the Westfalen family.

The property included access to a port, making it an ideal location for branches of my companies.

Third, the title of Baron of Siegen, a disputed region between Westfalen and Palatinate.

I wanted it so I could suppress future disputes and find a way to improve relations with Palatinate.

Of course, I was only receiving the title.

There was no tax revenue attached to it.

I received all three rewards under the name,

Eric Marcel Westfalen.

It was basically covering one’s eyes and pretending nobody could see.

If rights inside the Empire were openly granted to a foreign noble, the Imperial Family would object.

Then I handed Count Michael a separate scroll.

“Please sign this too.”

“This is...”

The title read,

Marcel, Westfalen Mutual Defense Treaty.

The secret meeting between Dijon and Ronalp would probably lead to an invasion of Marcel.

I needed at least a formal military alliance.

Michael once again made a face like he had eaten shit.

Then he reluctantly signed.

Even though we belonged to different countries, the rights of territorial lords were strong enough in this world for treaties like this to be valid.

I picked up the scroll and stood.

“I am going back to Marcel. Live well. Oh, and make sure you remarry. This time, choose a woman with a strong neck.”

“......”

I left without exchanging any further farewells with Count Michael and boarded a scheduled river vessel heading toward the Lowlands with my party.

I needed to get back to Marcel quickly.

I had to stop that damned Karin Ronalp before she could do anything.

“Yah! Yah! Yah!”

Whack! Whack! Whack!

That was the sound of Chloe beating Lorian, now a ghoul, with a club.

Chloe was an ordinary person.

Her blows could not harm a ghoul.

So I had once told her she could hit Lorian whenever she was bored.

I had not expected her to start before I even unpacked my luggage.

Lorian still had her original face.

But her skin was blue, her nails were long, and her eyes glowed yellow.

Was Chloe not scared?

“Chloe. Aren’t you afraid?”

“Huff, huff. Why doesn’t this thing feel pain?”

“Because she is a ghoul.”

“Tch. I wanted to watch her suffer.”

It was probably better that she could not.

After watching Lorian and Sophia hang, my dreams had become disturbing.

I was not the only one.

Many people who saw it had been troubled afterward.

Still, watching Chloe repeatedly beat Lorian reminded me of an old phrase from my previous life.

Digging up the grave and whipping the corpse, an expression for taking revenge even on the dead.

For a moment, Chloe overlapped with Wu Zixu, the ancient minister famous for taking revenge on the corpse of his enemy.

People really are the same everywhere.

I should stop Chloe.

That old story was also used as a warning against excessive revenge.

“Stop hitting her. Take a look at the Westfalen Shipping Company instead.”

I gathered people involved in shipping along the Rhine and founded a company in the Lowlands.

I planned to relocate some merchant ships registered in Marcel to the Lowlands and expand into shipping, which was why I used that name.

“Me? Not Diego?”

“That company will also serve as a front for the intelligence department. Build an organization around it. Include Jonas, the liaison assigned to Palatinate.”

“Ah! Understood.”

Then I gathered Knight Commander Axel and the chiefs.

“I obtained some information. Ronalp and Dijon are going to declare a territorial war against us. Ferrand probably will not officially participate, but they will secretly send knights.”

Everyone naturally looked shocked.

Axel asked about the likely timing.

“We do not know yet. They still need to conscript territorial residents, so even at the earliest, it will be before spring planting next year. At the latest, after next year’s harvest.”

“If we think rationally, after next year’s harvest makes the most sense. So we have about one year and one month.”

“If I hit them first, it could happen in spring.”

Diego looked opposed.

“You are not planning to suddenly stop handling their wheat, are you? If you do that, you give them justification, and Catalonia will complain too.”

From Catalonia’s point of view, they had rejected Southern Continent wheat and agreed to buy wheat from Franche.

Now we would be asking them to switch again.

It would be complicated.

“We will ask Catalonia for understanding. And regardless of justification, they will declare war soon anyway. Somehow, they will get royal approval. Assume the territorial war is inevitable.”

This time Martin spoke.

“It would be wise to recall the Westfalen Deputy Commanders currently stationed on the Southern Continent. Ronalp might try to force a quick decisive battle with its knight order.”

“Would those Deputy Commanders really come just because I called them?”

“They would come immediately. Right now, my lord is practically the successor to Westfalen.”

It sounded plausible.

Still, they could not leave the colonies unattended for long.

Westfalen produced a massive amount of wealth from its colonies, almost as much as the homeland itself.

“Let us keep every option open. Any idea is fine. Think about it.”

Raul had been thinking deeply.

Finally, he spoke.

“My lord, what if we imitate the orcs?”

“Imitate the orcs?”

“Yes. There are trolls in the Great Forest on the Ronalp side too. Let us push the trolls out.”

“The Long-Armed Blue Trolls? Who exactly is going to push them out? If we go there, they will try to eat us.”

Trolls did not usually eat other forest monsters.

But they ate humans.

Maybe human flesh looked as tender as livestock.

Anyway, we did not have enough strength to drive out a troll tribe.

Still,

the idea itself was not bad.

“Raul, come with me. We are going to see Arguinata.”

“Goblin numbers probably will not scare trolls.”

“He might know another way. Let us go.”

We had continued supplying food to the goblin village.

I was worried that they would not have time to hunt or gather while rebuilding.

Fortunately, reconstruction had progressed considerably.

The village had mostly returned to its previous appearance.

Goblins seemed to be a naturally resilient species.

Raul and I entered Arguinata’s newly built hut.

This one had clearly received more effort than the previous hut.

A huge wolf hide covered the floor.

I glanced at Raul, who was a wolf beastman.

“Raul, are you okay sitting there? That’s wolf skin.”

“What? Why would you say something so upsetting? I am a person. That is the hide of a beast.”

I would still feel weird about it.

Anyway, Raul and I sat with Arguinata on the hide.

We were served fruit and dried meat.

“Lord of the western land, why have you come this time? Surely you have not brought more enemies with you?”

“No. I have something to ask. Do you know the Long-Armed Blue Troll tribe to the north?”

“Of course. They have the longest arms among trolls.”

You could tell that from the name.

“They are also large and strong fighters.”

“That sounds perfect.”

“What do you mean?”

“I want to push those Long-Armed Blue Trolls north. I came here looking for a way.”

“How would I have the power to drive away trolls?”

“Use your head. We need to find a method.”

Arguinata frowned and put a hookah pipe in his mouth.

It was something I had given him.

“Hmm. Greater power...”

Arguinata puffed smoke everywhere.

Raul, with his sensitive nose, immediately fled outside again.

“Ask the King of the Brown Bears.”

“A bear?”