Chapter 400 – Swear Loyalty If You Want to Live (2)
The people inside the castle had all hidden away in their homes.
Living under the brutal Marquis Roderick, they had grown terrified of all nobles. Now, they were equally afraid that the invading army might pillage them.
Despite the Western Region’s reputation as one of the wealthiest in the kingdom, the living standards of the serfs here were no different from those in other territories.
Without sparing a thought for the serfs’ reactions, Ghislain headed straight for the lord’s castle and slumped into Marquis Roderick’s chair.
“This chair is a bit too big. Anyway, Walter, I’m giving you a new order.”
“Just give the command!”
Walter replied loudly. Dragged along as the acting commander, he had followed all this way. Since things had come to this, it was clear to him that currying favor with Ghislain was the key to a more comfortable future.
Ghislain looked at him and spoke.
“Sort out 3,000 soldiers, excluding the injured. I’m leaving them under your command.”
“M-me?”
“Yes. Let them eat well and rest today. Tomorrow, move to the location I’ll designate.”
“A-alright. Where should we go?”
“Head to Count Selverk’s territory nearby.”
Count Selverk was a vassal of Marquis Roderick. Although his forces and supplies had already been heavily requisitioned, his territory was still better off than most in the Western Region.
Due to its location, Selverk’s lands had neither suffered raids from Ghislain nor fallen prey to bandits, and he had avoided participating in the current war due to his dislike for Marquis Roderick.
“Deliver my message: He must come here immediately and swear loyalty to me before everyone’s eyes. If he refuses, tell him I’ll march with my army, burn his castle to the ground, and leave no one alive.”
“A-alright! B-but what if he still refuses?”
If it were just a matter of delivering a message, a simple messenger would suffice. The fact that Ghislain was entrusting Walter with an army of 3,000 meant there was more to it.
“Surround his castle and make sure no one escapes. Wait there, and I’ll come personally to capture the castle.”
“Understood!”
Walter shouted confidently. The man who had seemed terrifying as an enemy now felt reassuring as an ally.
Just receiving orders put Walter at ease. It was no wonder Ghislain was renowned as the strongest in the North.
Linderstein was stocked with a massive supply of food resources extracted from the serfs and hoarded from vassals for the war effort.
Ghislain generously distributed this food to the soldiers.
“Eat well and rest. You’ll need your strength for what’s ahead.”
The soldiers were shocked by the sudden abundance of food, erupting in excitement.
“Whoa! Meat!”
“We’re really getting this much?”
“Maybe surrendering was the better choice!”
For soldiers who were forcibly conscripted, surviving was already a blessing. The unexpected feast of luxuries that were usually beyond their reach filled them with joy.
As they stuffed themselves to their heart’s content, they chatted.
“Hey, Fenris really knows how to treat its soldiers, huh?”
“No wonder they fight so hard.”
“Did you see how they charged? I nearly wet myself!”
Though their weapons were returned to them, the thought of rebellion didn’t even cross their minds. They had no loyalty to Marquis Roderick, and it was only natural to serve a better master.
Some might ridicule them for switching sides in a single day, but self-preservation always came first.
Walter gathered 3,000 of the soldiers who had eaten and rested well over the day. They proudly marched toward Count Selverk’s lands under Fenris’ banner.
Meanwhile, Ghislain reorganized the remaining forces and gave the wounded time to recuperate before issuing a new command.
“Alright, now release the rest of the supplies.”
As the stockpile intended to support an army of 100,000 was immense, Ghislain planned to use all of it, leaving only what was essential to maintain the troops.
In accordance with his orders, vast amounts of food were distributed to the serfs.
“Whoa! Are they really giving all this to us?”
“They’re not taking it away?”
“We were dying from war taxes anyway!”
The serfs, who had initially feared the Fenris forces, gratefully accepted the food.
Though there had been whispers about the prosperity of Fenris, few believed it. The territory was too far away for most to confirm such rumors.
However, seeing the food distributed to stabilize the region with their own eyes, the serfs began to believe it.
In reality, Ghislain had little interest in their morale and was merely clearing out the surplus supplies, but that didn’t matter to the serfs.
“Long live Fenris!”
“We’re Fenris’ people now!”
“Welcome!”
Distributing some food drastically shifted public sentiment.
It spoke volumes about how oppressive Marquis Roderick’s tyranny had been.
Now, as in the past, the serfs only cared about having enough to eat. They didn’t really care who their master was.
Even if Marquis Roderick managed to reclaim the territory later, what could he do about food that had already been consumed?
Thus, public sentiment quickly tilted in Fenris’ favor. Ghislain had, in essence, earned goodwill by using someone else’s resources.
“I suppose I’ll have to distribute food to other places as well.”
Many territories in the Western Region were currently devastated, overrun by bandits. The war had left supplies scarce, and law enforcement barely functional.
It was likely that the people of the Western Region resented not only Marquis Roderick but Fenris as well.
Though other territories needed stabilization as quickly as possible, Ghislain couldn’t personally attend to all of them right now.
The responsibility would fall on Count Selverk, who found himself in deep contemplation.
“Swear loyalty…?”
At the count’s words, his retainers erupted in protest.
“My lord! That’s an insult!”
“Indeed! How could you lower yourself and kneel voluntarily?”
“Isn’t the Count of Fenris going too far? This is an utter disregard for noble honor!”
Count Selverk regarded his retainers with a look of disdain. They were all outraged, but none offered a viable solution.
“Then what’s your plan? Are you saying we should fight the strongest army from the North?”
“If we hold out until Marquis Roderick wins…”
“Linderstein fell in a single day! How do you propose we hold out? The castle is already surrounded! We can’t even be certain of defeating the 3,000 troops outside!”
“…”
His words silenced the retainers. Their indignation was mostly a matter of wounded pride they hadn’t seriously believed they could defeat Fenris.
After a moment of awkward silence, one retainer cautiously spoke.
“A public oath of loyalty would sever our ties with Marquis Roderick completely. If Fenris falters and the marquis emerges victorious, we’ll be as good as dead.”
Count Selverk closed his eyes.
Swearing loyalty to the Count of Fenris now would ensure survival, for the moment.
But if Marquis Roderick won the war, he would never let Selverk go unpunished.
Rejecting the proposal, however, would mean certain death today, with his territory laid to waste. The Count of Fenris was infamous for showing no mercy to those who defied him.
Hadn’t countless territories already demonstrated that outcome?
He would die either way. The question was, which option held a greater chance of survival?
After a long period of deliberation, Count Selverk sighed and spoke.
“Let’s go to Linderstein. I will meet the Count of Fenris myself.”
“My lord, what if the Count of Fenris has laid a trap to capture you easily…?”
At that, Count Selverk let out a bitter chuckle.
“Don’t be absurd. If he truly wanted me dead, it would be easier than sipping soup.”
Most of his troops had already been requisitioned by Marquis Roderick. Even if the Count of Fenris came alone, Selverk wouldn’t stand a chance.
While running away might have been an option to survive this crisis, with his castle surrounded by 3,000 troops, that was impossible.
The Count of Fenris hadn’t left him any openings to escape. He truly wasn’t an ordinary man.
Count Selverk went directly to Ghislain. Upon meeting him, Ghislain wasted no time and spoke bluntly.
“Surrender and swear loyalty to me, Count Selverk. I’ll treat you well.”
“If I swear loyalty to you here, the world will scorn me as a man without honor.”
Ghislain let out a short laugh, his tone shifting.
“Was it honorable to support the tyranny of the greedy Marquis Roderick? Though you were far away, you bear some responsibility. After all, you contributed troops to this war.”
“…”
“Either way, you die if you don’t choose. Death by dishonor is the same regardless of the path. Even if I let you live here, do you think Marquis Roderick will spare you? You’re already a dead man.”
“How do you…”
Count Selverk’s head snapped up in surprise.
In truth, relations between him and Marquis Roderick were far from amicable. Being a principled man, Count Selverk had opposed several of the marquis’ policies.
He had managed to survive until now due to his prestigious lineage in the Western Region and the considerable power he held.
Yet, as a vassal, he couldn’t shirk his duties and had contributed most of his forces to the current war. Afterward, Marquis Roderick was unlikely to simply return the troops or leave him alone.
‘He’d find any excuse to kill me.’
‘I had anticipated that this situation might arise. Perhaps now is an opportunity for a new life.’
‘If only I could sacrifice a bit of my pride and honor.’
Ghislain also understood this, which is why he chose Count Selverk.
There wasn’t even a need to rely on information from his previous life. It was widely known in the western regions that Marquis Roderick despised Count Selverk.
‘If I recall correctly, he died after the civil war, didn’t he?’
In his previous life, Count Selverk had suffered numerous humiliations at the hands of Marquis Roderick after the civil war and eventually died miserably, falsely accused of crimes he didn’t commit.
In this life, however, Marquis Roderick would be utterly destroyed by Ghislain, so there was no chance of him harming Selverk.
From Ghislain’s perspective, sparing Selverk from such a miserable death was already an act of mercy. If he refused the offer, he would be killed.
It would be a bit of a nuisance, but finding someone else to fulfill the role wouldn’t be difficult.
Ghislain spoke decisively, as though giving a final chance.
“If you wish to live, swear your loyalty. That is the only way for you to survive.”
Count Selverk gulped as he faced Ghislain’s overwhelming presence. The man before him was someone he could never hope to contend with.
After a long period of contemplation, he finally bowed his head.
“I will change my allegiance.”
To change one’s allegiance meant to serve another and to shift one’s loyalty to a different master.
Though his pride was somewhat bruised, Count Selverk forced himself to think positively. The man before him, though younger, held a higher status. He was the grand lord of the North and the commander of the Northern Army.
After all, even that bastard Marquis Roderick was younger than he was.
At the response he had hoped for, Ghislain beamed. The fierce aura he exuded vanished as if it had never existed, and his tone became courteous once more.
“You’ve made a wise decision. You won’t regret your choice.”
Given his status, Ghislain treated Count Selverk with a degree of respect. After all, Selverk was still a high-ranking noble of the kingdom with a long and storied lineage.
In front of many witnesses, Count Selverk pledged his loyalty. From now on, he could only hope for Fenris to emerge victorious in the war.
Once the pledge of loyalty was complete, Count Selverk asked.
“What should I do now?”
“I plan to turn all the western territories we’ve occupied into Fenris’s direct domain. Once the war ends, I’ll send administrators, but for now, I’d like you to oversee those territories.”
“I don’t have many troops left. Taking charge of so many areas seems… difficult.”
“I’ll assign you the 15,000 prisoners we captured. Using that force, it shouldn’t be too challenging. And distribute the food stored here generously in Fenris’ name.”
At this, Count Selverk was slightly taken aback. Controlling the western regions, including Lindorstein, with an army of 15,000 would be more than enough to elevate him to the status of a grand lord.
Not to mention, there was more than enough food to spare.
“You’re entrusting so much to someone who only just joined you? What if I betray you?”
Ghislain smirked.
“Feel free to challenge me whenever you wish.”
It was a short statement, but it carried boundless confidence. At that, Count Selverk couldn’t help, but laugh as well.
This was the man who had crushed a 20,000-strong garrison and a 40,000-strong pursuit force to seize Lindorstein. It was obvious that even with 15,000 troops, he wouldn’t stand a chance.
No, his soldiers, who had already tasted defeat, would likely flee before even attempting to challenge Ghislain.
“Understood. I’ll do my best to stabilize the western regions.”
“Oh, and relay this message to the bandits: surrender under my name. Most of them have already suffered at my hands, so they should be quick to yield.”
Those bandits were the sort to flee at the mere sight of Fenris’s banner. This would make it easy for Count Selverk to absorb them.
Though Count Selverk had no choice but to hope for Fenris’s victory for his own survival, he also needed to prepare for the possibility of Fenris losing.
Thus, he had to stabilize the surrounding areas and prepare for war as quickly as possible.
In this way, Ghislain managed to delegate the critical task of stabilizing occupied territories after the war to someone else, using their troops with minimal effort.
“Let’s head back and deal with the rest of them.”
Fenris’s mobile corps began moving northward once again.
* * *
While Ghislain was ravaging the western regions and capturing Lindorstein, Marquis Roderick’s main army reached Fenris.
The Roderick army was a formidable force, boasting countless knights, mages, elite soldiers, and top-tier equipment.
It was on a completely different level compared to the Second Legion, which was supposed to be split off to aid the Royal Faction.
This grand army set up camp, aiming to seize Fenris’s foremost fortress.
Within the fortress, the remaining Fenris forces and commanders had gathered.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The sound of knights moving in their armor echoed throughout the area.
Gillian, leading them, ascended to the top of the fortress wall. Vanessa and the other commanders followed suit.
Yet, none of them stood at the center of the command post. Neither the Master of Arms, Gillian, nor Vanessa, the head of the Magic Research Institute, nor Belinda, the head steward, took that spot.
Even others of significant standing, such as Intelligence Officer Lowell, Alfoi, Priest Piote, the dwarf Galbarik, the elf Lumina, Ascon, or Kane, the labor director, all waited at the side.
They were all deferring to someone, and finally, that person appeared, yawning as he arrived.
“Ugh, you’re finally here? This is such a pain. Why do they keep provoking fights like this? Some people only learn their lesson after getting beaten!”
Appearing with a face full of irritation, the man plopped himself onto the highest chair in the command post.
He was none other than Claude, the Supreme Commander of Fenris’ defensive forces and Chief Overseer of the territory, known as the Bribe King of the North.