Chapter 105
“It’s horrific. How could a human do such a thing?”
“Many have committed such acts. Baltimo’s is just on a larger scale.”
Count Vito’s rage-filled voice and Karl’s calm voice echoed contrastingly in the meeting room.
News of the atrocities committed by Marquis Baltimo had reached the ears of Karl, who was resting after returning to the County of Collo.
“It was a cruel act, but ultimately, it seems things went according to his wishes. Many northern domains near Marquis Baltimo have reportedly expressed their intention to become his vassals.”
“So, while unity might be lacking, he succeeded in superficially expanding his influence.”
Count Vito nodded.
“Duke Ellenhower won’t stand idly by either.”
“What will you do?”
“Well…”
Karl closed his eyes and began organizing his thoughts.
Karl had already received the report Sancho had delivered.
The acts seemed aimed at cruelty itself.
Thinking about it, most of the so-called knights under Marquis Baltimo were like this.
‘I should see Rogério once.’
Although he had completely defected now, he was once the Vice-Commander of one of the Marquis's three knight orders and had received commands from Marquis Baltimo.
He must know something.
Karl rose from his seat and walked out to the training ground.
At the training ground were the Lighthouse Knights members, currently focused intensely on training, and Rogério.
“You’ve arrived, Commander.”
Karl nodded in greeting and gestured towards Rogério.
“What is it?”
“Have you heard the recent rumors about Marquis Baltimo?”
“If you mean the rumors… are you referring to the incident in the Bashirov Domain?”
“Correct.”
Disgust showed on Rogério’s face.
“If it’s about that incident, it must be the work of Oleg Yankov of the Red Wolf Knights.”
“Oleg Yankov?”
“Yes, he’s a vicious man. The commanders under Marquis Baltimo are all out of their minds, but he is the most malicious among them.”
Based on his story, he was a man who treated humans like toys.
“However… His skill in killing people is genuine. Among the commanders, none could properly cross swords with him. Even that Joaquin fellow was no match for him.”
It meant he was a considerably skilled individual, not just someone at the mere entrance level of Master.
“Marquis Baltimo is also a man aiming for the emperorship, yet there isn’t a single sane person around him….”
“….”
Rogério, too, had belonged to a knight order under Baltimo until recently, so he had nothing to say to Karl’s words.
After all, when he was there, the Red Knights had also committed many horrific acts.
However, Rogério and the knights under his command had not condoned their crimes.
‘Even so, my sin of failing to stop it does not disappear.’
He resolved to atone for his past mistakes.
Having seen wrongdoing and failed to stop it, he too could not escape his past karma.
“Sins must be paid for while living. How would I be different? Thinking of those who died by my hand, I too am by no means a good person.”
As if knowing his worries, Karl nonchalantly uttered a single phrase.
“This is that kind of world. Perhaps, if there had been other choices, many people wouldn't be living like they are now.”
“Is that really so?”
“Of course.”
Karl’s eyes looking at Rogério were straight and filled with conviction.
Seeing him completely unshaken, Rogério, who had been hesitant, also steeled his heart somewhat.
At least, if he followed this man, things like before would not happen.
And he could live a life that was somewhat helpful to the world.
His gaze burned hotly as he once again looked at Karl’s back, which felt immense.
***
“Why has the pace suddenly slowed down?”
“It means we have moved beyond the distance where Your Excellency’s influence can directly reach.”
“So?”
“From now on, the speed of subjugation will decrease rapidly.”
“Do you think I asked because I didn’t know?”
“…With all due respect, you must look at reality. In truth, even those who gathered under Your Excellency’s banner in the North only came seeking shelter from the storm out of fear. You must solidify your influence over them and establish a foundation before moving again.”
“In how long?”
“…Sometimes, one must catch their breath. A resting period is necessary.”
Viscount Mikhail Chenov, who could be called Baltimo’s practical brain, candidly expressed his opinion regardless of the Marquis’ reaction.
“Yes, you are right. Catching one's breath is also the law. By the way, those who claim to have submitted to me. How can I completely bring them under control?”
“Take concubines from the large families for political marriages, and summon the heirs from the rest.”
“Take hostages?”
“Correct. Since you cannot dispatch the entire army, requesting heirs and a portion of their army to escort them as confirmation of a firm alliance will serve as a good pretext.”
“Indeed, that’s Mikhail for you. Send people to each domain immediately and deliver the orders.”
The moment Mikhail presented his opinion, Marquis Baltimo dispatched people to each domain without delay.
And the lords of the domains near the Baltimo Marquisate were forced to send their heirs as hostages.
Whatever they thought inwardly was not important.
What mattered was that they too could not refuse to act when Marquis Baltimo moved.
Thus, the Marquis rapidly expanded his influence using various methods.
And the Marquis’ movements became an excellent justification for Ellenhower, who had been dormant in the North, to finally make his move.
***
“Prepare for deployment.”
“Finally…!”
At the command of the true giant of the North, who had never truly moved before, Viscount Jennings shot up from his seat.
“Contact the nearby domains. Tell them we cannot stand by and watch Baltimo’s tyranny, and announce everywhere so the world knows why we move. Declare that Somerset moves to punish that blood-crazed demon.”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
“Send letters to Count Vito and Sir Karl Meyer as well.”
“I will dispatch messengers immediately.”
As the giant of the North, Ellenhower, proclaimed his will, his numerous troops began to hastily prepare for deployment as if they were a single body.
Somerset had conserved its strength until now without engaging in any major battles or wars.
Just because they hadn’t fought did not mean they weren’t a strong army. Their training and equipment were incomparably superior to any other domain.
They had crouched low, waiting for just one moment. And now that they had risen from their crouch, the world would clearly see just how immense Somerset was.
Thus, the West Continent began to be rapidly sucked into the storm without hesitation.
***
[Duke Ellenhower has declared he will punish Marquis Baltimo.]
[Marquis Baltimo’s troops and Duke Ellenhower’s troops are massing.]
The eyes of everyone on the West Continent were currently focused on the struggle for hegemony in the northern part of the continent.
If the continent were broadly divided into North, Central, South, West, and East, this was a clash between the two largest powers in the North.
Marquis Baltimo was a newly emerging power showing rapid growth recently, while Duke Ellenhower of Somerset was the traditional number one in the North.
Since Marquis Baltimo was the first to openly declare his intention to sit on the Emperor’s throne, a topic no one else dared mention, the continent’s interest was even greater.
Along with this, some factions in the West, South, and Central regions were also showing movements to establish independent kingdoms, pushing the entire continent towards a volatile, touch-and-go situation.
“They say His Grace Duke Ellenhower is leading his troops towards Bielefeld Castle?”
“Because Bielefeld Castle is famous as the best castle for defense within the Baltimo Marquisate.”
Bielefeld Castle was a famous location that even ignorant commoners had heard of.
The massive fortress was a huge defensive stronghold built back when it was the Ian Kingdom, before the establishment of the unified empire, to fend off enemies from the northwestern region.
Since it was an area notoriously difficult to breach through traditional attacks, Marquis Baltimo also intended to establish his defensive line centered there.
Without capturing Bielefeld, they couldn't create a supply route to the West, and even if they detoured through other regions, they would have to maneuver with an element of instability in their rear, making it a location Ellenhower absolutely had to capture.
“It’s a fight among nobles anyway… but still, I hope Duke Ellenhower wins… Hearing what Marquis Baltimo did, that Baltimo guy isn’t even human.”
“…I think so too. Look at how he wiped out an entire village. Who’s to say the same won’t happen to us?”
As the saying goes, even the king gets criticized in his absence; the northern residents somewhat distant from the battlefield unanimously condemned Marquis Baltimo.
Thus, in the Bielefeld region, where the attention of not only the nobility but everyone was focused, the flags of Duke Ellenhower’s army were already fluttering.
“…Just looking at it is a breathtaking barrier indeed.”
A sigh escaped Ellenhower’s lips as he looked at the massive castle walls stretching endlessly.
“A frontal assault seems difficult. We first need to probe a few locations and observe their reactions. Along with that, we need to continuously request cooperation from the other domains located south of Baltimo.”
“Has there been no reply from Sir Karl?”
“The messenger should have arrived by now.”
With Somerset’s forces, they could certainly capture even Bielefeld, which felt impregnable. However, the casualties incurred in the process would be too immense.
The spark ignited by that madman Marquis Baltimo would spread throughout the continent, and at that time, Ellenhower needed strength.
Only then could he and the many people he was responsible for avoid that calamity.
In that sense, the assistance of Baron Vito and Karl, located south of Baltimo, was absolutely necessary.
There could be no more reliable reinforcements than them.
“If Sir Karl moves, the Mercenary Guild is also highly likely to move. They too have a debt to repay Marquis Baltimo from the past.”
“That would be so.”
Verpin, the current master of the Mercenary Guild, was someone who had forged a deep, ill-fated connection with Marquis Baltimo in the past.
The Duke had also requested their cooperation this time, but he had yet to receive a reply from them.
It seemed the Mercenary ‘Guild’s’ ironclad rule of maintaining political neutrality was holding them back.
It would be nice if it could be resolved as personal revenge, but the position of Mercenary King was not that simple.
“Anyway… we should at least test their skills. Issue a limited attack order and tell them to make a move appropriately without overextending.”
At Ellenhower’s command, Somerset flags fluttered high in the sky from various positions.
Elite soldiers, each worth a hundred, accompanied by various siege engines, began to sound the advance trumpets towards Bielefeld Castle.
And in response to their movements, the sound of massive horns echoed from within the castle as well.
Buuuuuuuuuu!
With the bone-rattling sound of the horns, the armies of both sides began to clash over the castle for the first time.
Thuuuuump!
A flaming rock flew through the sky from one of Somerset’s particularly large siege engines.
Bielefeld Castle vibrated upon impact with the rock, and soldiers on the walls were hit by the stone projectile and sent flying.
Corpses crushed directly on the ramparts burst into flames from the fire attached to the stones.
“Counterattack! Fire!”
From within the castle, they also launched boulders using catapults.
Watching the projectiles fall towards the Somerset soldiers, Ellenhower maintained the same cold expression as before, gazing forward.
“Let’s see your skills.”
Despite the resistance, his troops advanced towards the castle walls in perfect order without a single falter.
They calmly countered the oil, fire, various stones, and arrows flying from the castle one by one, rapidly approaching the walls.
“Block them! Stop their approach! Pour more oil! Light the fire!”
“Hit the approaching siege towers, I say!”
Unlike the Somerset troops who carried out their tasks calmly like machines, the Marquis Baltimo forces, whose goal was defense and thus should have been relatively calm, showed clear signs of urgency.
It was a reflection of their training status.
“Advance! Maintain speed!”
“Block them! Destroy those siege towers by any means necessary!”
The clash between the two groups raged violently for a while, and parts of the wall were captured and then recaptured several times over.
Puuuuuuuuuu!
Thus, the horn signaling the end of the first clash sounded, and the Somerset soldiers began to withdraw in an orderly fashion under mutual cover.
The siege of Bielefeld had just begun.