Chapter 386: You Should Raise Your Circle Too (3)
For Galbarik, it didn’t matter whether Vanessa had ascended to the 7th Circle or Alfoi to the 5th Circle.
The only thought occupying his mind was to revive the dwarves’ pride this time.
The large trebuchet required immense precision, far more than a medium-sized one, as it held up to a thousand spear shafts.
Galbarik personally visited every forge in the territory, crafting prototypes himself to standardize the specifications.
“Hurry up and check! Quickly, now!”
Unable to withstand Galbarik’s urgency, Ghislain and his close aides prepared for a demonstration immediately.
The soldiers who had participated in the previous assembly drills gathered again at the abandoned fortress. Skillfully, they assembled the Galvaniium spear shafts, producing five medium-sized trebuchets.
Claude, wearing an expression of utter annoyance, shouted begrudgingly.
“Release!”
Thoom! Thoom! Thoom! Thoom! Thoom!
Boom!
The five medium-sized trebuchets launched stones precisely at their intended targets. The power was enough to shatter parts of the fortress walls, proving their destructive potential.
At last, those who had been skeptical began to express their admiration.
“Oh! This time, it’s accurate!”
“The power is quite satisfactory.”
“To think a thousand soldiers could possess five medium-sized trebuchets! This grants an incredible level of mobility.”
Applause erupted as people celebrated. Even this was already a remarkable achievement.
However, the most critical step remained.
Strong, towering fortress walls could not be breached with medium-sized trebuchets alone. To deliver a decisive blow, a massive trebuchet was essential.
“Assemble it!”
Claude, now slightly less annoyed, gave the order, prompting the soldiers to spring into action.
The five medium-sized trebuchets were quickly disassembled, and all the spear shafts were combined into one.
Given its sheer size, properly integrating the support structures was crucial. The soldiers, working in well-trained teams, systematically pieced together each section before merging them.
Thanks to their proficiency, it didn’t take long for the medium-sized trebuchets to be dismantled and a large constructed trebuchet.
Those watching couldn’t hide their astonishment.
“Wow… it actually worked…”
“The way they disassembled and reassembled is fascinating.”
“But it’s so big… Will it withstand the shock?”
Despite its imposing size, the structure made solely from Galvaniium spear shafts seemed a bit fragile.
There was concern about whether this skeletal trebuchet could endure the immense weight of the stones and hit its target effectively.
“RELEASE!”
At Claude’s booming command, the trebuchet launched a stone.
Fwoooosh!
A powerful air-shattering noise filled the surroundings as the stone flew straight to its target.
Boom!
With an enormous explosion, one side of the fortress was utterly obliterated in an instant. Even considering that it was a small fortress, the destruction was overwhelming.
“Wow!”
“Incredible destructive power!”
“With this, we could even destroy Cardenia!”
The onlookers rose from their seats in cheers. If they had ten of these massive trebuchets, it seemed any fortress could be brought down.
Both the medium and large trebuchet demonstrations were successful. They were now battlefield-ready.
Galbarik and the dwarves clenched their fists, shouting out in triumph, as if all their frustrations had melted away.
“Yaaaahhh!”
Engulfed in euphoria, Galbarik ran straight toward Claude.
“Did you see that? It worked! Did you see it? Huh? Did you see it?”
“Yes, yes.”
Claude nodded absentmindedly, prompting Galbarik to spit as he exclaimed passionately.
“Do you have any idea how hard this was because of you? Do you know how worried I was about failing again? It felt like my lifespan was being cut in real time!”
“Lifespans are always being cut in real time.”
“What?”
Galbarik rolled his eyes. He knew better than to argue with this guy.
“Anyway! We succeeded! Don’t ever look down on us dwarves again!”
“Yes, yes.”
“Hey, you little!”
As Galbarik’s eyes widened in fury and he charged, Wendy shoved Claude aside, helping him escape.
Unbothered by the commotion, Ghislain turned to Lowell, the intelligence officer, and asked calmly.
“Are you keeping track of Marquis Roderick’s movements?”
“He’s currently preoccupied with subjugating bandits. It’s proving to be a headache since his forces are spread too thin across various regions.”
“Hmm. That’s a fortunate development.”
Marquis Roderick had suffered significant losses in their last skirmish. Most notably, Ghislain’s decision to let the scattered remnants of his forces go free, rather than killing or capturing them, was causing him the greatest trouble.
It was a brilliant strategy, as it weakened the enemy’s strength without direct confrontation while creating additional problems for them. Ghislain couldn’t have hoped for a better outcome.
Even so, as a powerful lord of the western region, Marquis Roderick still possessed considerable forces. Despite his losses, he would recover and act quickly.
“For now, keep gathering intelligence without pause. The nobles will reconsider their allegiances because of the Salvation Church, so there will be some delay before war breaks out. Marquis Roderick will also need time to deal with the bandits.”
“Understood.”
Ghislain gave Lowell a few more instructions before addressing the retainers.
“Redirect all of the estate’s production capabilities toward manufacturing Galvaniium spear shafts. We’ll finish our preparations before our enemies.”
Food, armaments, and potions were now in sufficient supply. What remained was providing every soldier with new trebuchet spears and training the knights in mana concentration arrays using Dragon Heart shards.
Once the preparations were complete, they would sweep their enemies away like a storm.
“Once Marquis Roderick sets out, we must make sure to meet him immediately.”
Thanks to the exposure of the Salvation Church, everything was progressing even better than planned.
A delighted smile spread across Ghislain’s face.
* * *
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Marquis Roderick slammed his chair repeatedly while shouting.
“You still haven’t eradicated those damned bandits? How long will it take before we can finally march?”
The preparations for the Marquisate’s main forces to depart were nearly complete, but leaving the estate unattended was proving difficult.
The surrounding areas and the subordinate estates were overrun with rampant bandits.
Though the Marquisate’s forces had managed to capture and suppress the more organized groups, unexpected problems arose elsewhere.
“Why are those pigs joining up with the bandits!”
In smaller, impoverished subordinate estates, the residents were joining the bandits instead. Each time one group was suppressed, another larger faction seemed to emerge from somewhere.
To the peasants, it was a rational choice bandit groups were stronger than their own lords.
The Marquisate attempted to offer amnesty to the bandits if they surrendered, but no one believed them.
This mistrust was the result of Marquis Roderick’s long history of cruelty toward his own subjects.
“Argh… I should have just killed them all! That accursed bastard!”
Grinding his teeth, Marquis Roderick cursed Ghislain. With nearly ten thousand soldiers scattered and turning into bandit groups, it was an unrelenting nightmare.
The retainers kept silent, unwilling to risk provoking the Marquis further and drawing his ire.
After a moment, Marquis Roderick calmed himself enough to address Tennant, the knight commander.
“Tennant! Focus on killing the leaders of the bigger groups first and leave the small fry alone. We’ll deal with them after we crush Fenris.”
“…Understood.”
Even in his fury, this was the worst possible decision. Failing to thoroughly eradicate the bandits would only cause more of the local peasants to join their ranks.
The subordinate lords would lose even more strength, and ultimately, the blame would fall squarely on the Marquisate.
But Marquis Roderick didn’t care. For him, restoring his personal honor was far more important than the welfare of the peasants or the lords.
“Handle it as quickly as possible. The longer this takes, the more my honor will be tarnished.”
His threat forced everyone to bow their heads in submission.
In the midst of this tense atmosphere, the Marquisate’s butler rushed in with a letter.
“What is it?”
“A significant announcement has been made by the royal court.”
“Ha, what nonsense could that puppet king possibly announce? It must be another one of Marquis Branford’s idiotic ramblings.”
Rustle.
Marquis Roderick harshly unfolded the letter, his expression hardening as he read.
“A Ducal House colluding with heretics? And all four major temples have verified it?”
Somehow, the Royal Faction had secured the support of all the major religious orders.
This was a problem far greater than the Ducal House being labeled traitorous. If they too were accused of ties to heresy, the church would condemn them.
“What is the meaning of this? Explain it in detail!”
“The Ducal House’s affiliates in the capital have been apprehended…”
The butler relayed everything he had learned from the Marquisate’s intelligence network.
As the story unfolded, Marquis Roderick and his retainers’ faces grew darker.
Tennant was the first to speak.
“This is serious. It’s one thing to oppose the Royal Faction, but turning the four major religious orders into enemies would be catastrophic, even if we win the civil war.”
The four major temples were the spiritual foundation of the kingdom. While individual priests might be criticized, no one questioned the authority of the goddesses they served.
Being branded heretical by all four temples would make governance impossible, even in victory.
If they tried to suppress the dissent by force, neighboring kingdoms would take the opportunity to invade Ritania, sparking a true “holy war”.
“This is madness… What on earth has the Ducal House done!”
The existence of the monsters was news even to Marquis Roderick.
It turned out that Duke Delfine, who had stayed out of the public eye for so long, had been scheming these strange activities in secret!
No matter how aligned their interests might be, this had crossed a line he couldn’t tolerate.
The butler cautiously spoke again.
“Marquis Branford has demanded that every lord in the kingdom prove their innocence within a month. If they fail to do so…”
The rest didn’t need to be said. It was clear they, too, would be branded as heretics by the Four Major Temples.
Marquis Roderick crumpled the letter in his hands, grinding his teeth in anger.
“That bastard! Using the temples as leverage to outmaneuver us…”
Demanding proof of innocence was essentially a call to abandon the Ducal Faction. It was deeply humiliating, but there was no other option.
‘If we join forces with the Ducal House, we might win the civil war. We could even crush all four temples.’
But after that, the kingdom would truly become a battleground for a “holy war.”
Marquis Branford, as expected, had turned the situation on its head with a single stroke. He had devised a move that left them with no escape.
After pondering for a long moment, Marquis Roderick suddenly let out a sly laugh.
“Heh, heh… Yes, perhaps this is actually a blessing in disguise.”
If even he felt burdened, it was safe to say the other nobles felt the same. A plan began to form in his mind, one he intended to exploit.
“We will vehemently denounce the Ducal House for their collusion with heretics. Declare that we are withdrawing from their faction.”
“My lord, are you saying…?”
“That’s right. We’ll use this opportunity to bring down the Ducal House and take their place.”
As a singular entity, the Ducal House was undeniably the most powerful force in the kingdom. But could they truly stand against the entire kingdom and the Four Major Temples?
Marquis Roderick was convinced it was impossible.
And if the Ducal House were to fall?
Then he would emerge as the most powerful noble in the kingdom.
“Hahaha! This couldn’t have worked out better! Redirect the troops originally set to march on the capital to attack the Ducal House instead! I will personally sever the head of that arrogant Viscount Joseph, who dared to give me orders!”
To ensure the complete destruction of the Ducal House, he knew he would have to commit his forces as well. Otherwise, there was a risk of being turned against.
‘The heavens are aiding me!’
Marquis Roderick had long suppressed his ambitions because of the Ducal House. But now that their downfall seemed inevitable, his ambitions began to resurface.
‘And I will become the king of this kingdom.’
Though he hadn’t spoken this aspiration aloud, his eyes betrayed his intent. Anyone who looked at him could sense his true desires.
Even Tennant nodded in agreement. By all appearances, Marquis Roderick’s decision seemed sound.
Still, Tennant needed to confirm the exact orders.
“What about the second division? Should they continue targeting Fenris?”
“Of course. This actually works out perfectly. Once I leave the Ducal Faction, the Royal Faction won’t have a reason to side with them against me. They’d gain nothing from engaging in territorial battles with someone who has a clear justification for his actions, right?”
“Exactly. If they focus solely on attacking the Ducal House, they won’t have the resources to confront you here. Fighting you would only lead to significant losses for them.”
“Precisely. And now, I am free from the pressure of the Ducal House. I can act without constraints.”
With both the Ducal Faction and the Royal Faction now unable to touch him, Marquis Roderick felt unburdened, both politically and militarily.
He could now focus solely on annihilating Fenris.
“Hurry and finish suppressing the bandits. Complete the preparations for our march. I will personally step onto Fenris soil and burn it all to the ground.”
A cruel smile lingered on Marquis Roderick’s face, unwavering.