Chapter 473: You Should Have Known by Now? (1)
The remaining 10,000 troops of the Fenris Mobile Corps arrived on the battlefield. They took over their exhausted comrades, securing the battlefield and handling the prisoners.
A few priests, who had been brought along with the reinforcement unit, dragged their weary bodies to tend to the wounded.
Ghislain called the knights who had fought at the forefront of this battle and personally commended them. At this point, about 200 knights of the Fenris Knights were part of the Mobile Corps.
“Good. You all did well. Rest well for the day, and we’ll move again tomorrow.”
Gordon raised his hand and asked,
“Where are we going next? Are we heading straight into another battle?”
“It’s too late to move to another battlefield immediately. First, we’ll meet with the Kingdom Army’s Supreme Commander to reorganize our forces. Then, we’ll join the Northern Army.”
“Understood!”
“Tonight, let the reinforcements take over the watch. Those who fought in battle should drink and eat their fill.”
“Woooooah!”
The men roared in excitement. They had survived on dry rations for days while traveling at a grueling pace. This would be the first real meal in a long while.
With 30,000 Delfine forces defeated, they had acquired a significant amount of provisions. Most of it would go to the Kingdom’s army, but there was more than enough to enjoy a hearty feast for a day.
Some knights, drunk for the first time in ages, got into fistfights.
Ordinarily, this would be unacceptable under Fenris’s strict military discipline, but Ghislain merely clicked his tongue a few times and let it slide. There were times when soldiers needed to let loose.
With the 10,000 reinforcements standing guard and all nearby threats completely dealt with, they could afford a night of revelry.
After a full day of rest, the Fenris Mobile Corps resumed their march.
“Dark, the Lords’ army must have regrouped and established a new defensive line. They probably don’t even know we’ve arrived yet. Find where the bulk of their troops are.”
“Got it.”
Dark set out ahead to scout. The Fenris Mobile Corps, burdened with prisoners, had no choice, but to move at a slower pace.
Meanwhile, Maurice, who had escaped, had gathered the nearby Lords and formed a coalition army, setting up a defensive perimeter once more.
They had only 8,000 troops, but they planned to hold their ground by leveraging their fortifications.
Maurice gathered his forces and raised his fist high.
“Though our forces are smaller than the Delfine army marching upon us, the Holy Maiden, Parniel of the Moriana Order, stands with us under the blessing of the Goddess!”
“Woooooah!”
The soldiers cheered with all their might.
They knew the southern front had been annihilated. And now, those same Delfine forces were advancing on them.
To these terrified men, Parniel, a superhuman and a Holy Maiden was their final beacon of hope.
Parniel was well aware that Maurice was exploiting her name to boost morale, but she accepted it. After all, a Holy Maiden’s duty was to bring hope to the people.
Boom!
She slammed her massive mace into the ground and declared,
“In the name of Moriana, the Salvation Church shall be erased from this world. We shall always be victorious!”
“Woooooah!”
The soldiers cheered once more.
Parniel’s towering physique and incredibly powerful muscles inspired absolute confidence.
Ordinarily, people might scoff at the idea of calling someone like her a Holy Maiden, but on the battlefield, she was the very embodiment of reliability.
Maurice watched this spectacle with a satisfied grin.
“Damn, having a superhuman with us sure is reassuring. If only the crone was here too.”
The fortune-teller crone had gone missing. Not being able to rescue her gnawed at him.
“Crone, you better be alive somehow. I’ll take back the southern front and come save you.”
Maurice muttered under his breath, making sure Parniel didn’t hear him.
Just as they were rallying their spirits, a scout came rushing in.
“A large force has appeared nearby!”
“The Delfine army is finally here! Prepare for battle!”
“N-no, sir! It’s not them!”
“Then what is it? Another allied force?”
“T-they’re flying the Northern Army’s banners!”
Maurice tilted his head in confusion.
The Northern Army was supposed to be far from here, engaged in battle elsewhere.
How could they have arrived so quickly?
Could this be an enemy ruse? Maurice immediately ordered his forces to prepare for battle and climbed up the fortress walls.
There, he saw tens of thousands of soldiers marching towards them, waving the banners of both the Northern Army and Fenris.
“W-wait, is this real? Why would the Northern Army be here?”
No matter how he thought about it, they shouldn’t have been able to arrive in time.
Even if they had, they would have had to clash with the Delfine forces advancing toward this region.
As he stared in tense anticipation, a figure rushed ahead from the approaching army.
When Maurice recognized the rider on the black horse, his face lit up with joy.
“Well, I’ll be damned, my nephew really showed up!”
Even with the Holy Maiden joining them, dealing with the Delfine forces was difficult. It wasn’t just a matter of troop numbers; they also lacked enough mages.
At a time like this, the arrival of the powerful Northern Army was nothing short of a blessing for Maurice.
"Open the gates at once! No, I’ll go out myself!"
Maurice immediately set out with his aides to greet Ghislain.
"Ha ha ha! My nephew has arrived!"
"……You’re alive. That’s a relief."
Despite Maurice’s enthusiastic welcome, Ghislain responded calmly.
Had Maurice perished, the morale of every army aside from the Northern forces would have plummeted.
Such was the weight of the Supreme Commander’s position.
Maurice, looking astonished, asked,
"But how did you get here? The Delfine forces should be headed this way. Did you not run into them?"
"They’ve already been annihilated."
"W-what? R-really?"
"I’ve brought the survivors as prisoners."
At Ghislain’s words, Maurice took a closer look at the approaching troops. A considerable number stood disarmed.
"This… This can’t be… How…?"
It was unbelievable. The same Delfine forces that had previously routed him had been dealt with so easily, and their prisoners were now in tow.
The rumors about Count Fenris being the hero who would end these turbulent times weren’t unfounded.
"You… You’re truly incredible…."
Maurice was so shocked that he struggled to find words, repeating only how amazing it was.
With this man, they might truly win the war.
‘Ah, I should’ve asked the crone more about him.’
He had been too focused on getting his own fortune read and had barely asked anything about Ghislain. That was a shame.
After being dazed for a while, Maurice snapped back to reality and asked,
"But, aren’t there too many prisoners…? We can’t possibly handle this many right now."
A rough estimate put their number well over ten thousand. Even though they were disarmed, it was astonishing that they followed so obediently.
If it were any other army, they would have already tried to fight back. It seemed that only because their captor was Ghislain did they remain quiet.
Ghislain smirked at Maurice’s concern.
"Just enlist them into the Kingdom’s army. You can reorganize them, can’t you?"
"Uh… I’d like to, but there are more of them than us. I’m not sure if we can keep them under control…."
"You mean to say the Supreme Commander of the Kingdom’s army can’t handle this much?"
Maurice bristled at the remark.
"It’s not that I can’t! I’m just worried my subordinates will feel overwhelmed!"
"Give it a few days. After eating and sleeping together, they’ll settle down. So, are you taking them all today?"
"Y-yeah, that sounds good. But, even if I’m okay with it, I’m worried about what the other nobles and the church will say…."
The ducal house had already been labeled as heretical. There was an unspoken agreement that all its subordinates should be executed as well. If they spared them, the church would lodge endless protests.
Ghislain narrowed his eyes and repeated,
"You mean to say the Supreme Commander of the Kingdom’s army can’t handle this much?"
"Hah… I can. I’ll persuade them. If I say so, it’ll get done…."
In truth, he couldn’t.
Even if Marquis Branford let it slide, the church’s bishops would be relentless in their harassment.
If things went south, Maurice himself might even be branded a heretic.
He racked his brain for another excuse.
"W-wait, I’m not sure if we have enough food supplies."
"We took everything the Delfine forces had. If that’s not enough, I’ll have Fenris and Ferdium resupply you immediately."
Roads had long since been built across the kingdom, excluding the south. In just a few days, stockpiles of food would arrive.
‘Damn, what do I do? I don’t want to look like a fool.’
Maurice was a paradoxical man; he was a staunch believer in superstitions yet obsessed with maintaining his dignity. After exhausting his thoughts, he finally exclaimed,
"R-right! I have no problem with it, but the Holy Maiden is here right now!"
"The Holy Maiden?"
"Yes! She’s a transcendent, a transcendent! I barely survived thanks to her. She appeared just as the pursuit forces arrived! It was divine intervention, I tell you. That fortune-teller crone really knows her stuff…."
Maurice rambled on about his experiences, but none of it truly registered with Ghislain.
"A Holy Maiden… but you say she’s a transcendent?"
"That’s right! But I don’t know if she’ll approve of this… No matter how much authority I have, it’s difficult to oppose the Holy Maiden’s wishes, you know?"
Bowing to the Holy Maiden wasn’t humiliating, it was only natural.
Hearing this, Ghislain furrowed his brow in suspicion.
There was only one true Holy Maiden that he knew. Not Piote, but the one who, in his past life, was a member of the Seven Strongest on the Continent and was known as the Holy Maiden of War.
And now they were saying that the Holy Maiden had come to the Ritania Kingdom?
That was impossible. There was no reason for her to be here.
“Are you saying… she’s the real Holy Maiden?”
“Yes! The one officially recognized by the church!”
Maurice made a fuss as he led Ghislain away. Since the Holy Maiden’s party had already heard of the Northern Army’s arrival, they had come to the gates, allowing for an immediate meeting.
“Holy Maiden, this is the Count of Fenris, the man everyone’s been talking about. He’s practically my nephew.”
“It is a pleasure. I am Parniel, Holy Maiden of the Church of Moriana.”
Parniel greeted him calmly, but Ghislain could not do the same.
‘The real… Holy Maiden is here….’
How could he forget that physique and overwhelming presence? Ghislain vividly remembered, having fought alongside her multiple times.
But the problem was—
‘Why has she come here?’
The Holy Maiden wasn’t supposed to be here. She should have been elsewhere, stopping another threat.
That is, another member of the Seven Strongest on the Continent, the one who thrived in chaos, the Master of the Dead.
‘With the Holy Maiden here… that lunatic is going to rampage even more.’
Honestly, Ghislain hadn’t been too concerned about him. In his past life, their battlefield had been far from the Ritania Kingdom.
But now that the Holy Maiden had come here, the Master of the Dead would be free to consume the forces of another kingdom without interference.
And as a result, the Salvation Church would find an opportunity to rise again.
‘There’s nothing I can do. This is the outcome I created.’
If things had unfolded as they had in his past life, the Holy Maiden wouldn’t have paid Ritania any attention. The Salvation Church had hidden its true nature, and the ducal family would have already taken control of the kingdom.
‘The more I act, the more the future changes.’
It was he who had drawn in the Allied Forces to quickly resolve the issues in Ritania.
Because of that, more high-ranking priests of the Salvation Church had swarmed here.
Strategically, it wasn’t a mistake. The goal of this war was to weaken the Salvation Church and the ducal family as much as possible.
And now it seemed the Holy Maiden had understood that and decided to lend a hand in her own way.
Ghislain steadied his thoughts. He had started this knowing the future would change. It was only natural for things to shift.
‘It might be better to join forces with the Holy Maiden and clean up Ritania from within first.’
Strategies had to adapt to the situation. From the perspective of the Royal Faction, which lacked superhuman fighters, this was actually a fortunate turn of events.
Lost in thought, Ghislain remained silent for a moment, prompting Parniel to ask,
“Is there… a problem?”
She tensed slightly, subtly flexing her muscles. She had encountered many people who doubted her status as a Holy Maiden simply based on her appearance.
And every time, she had shown her faith through sheer force.
Ghislain quickly shook his head.
“No. It is an honor to meet the Holy Maiden of the Church. I am Count Fenris.”
Since he already knew who she was, he had no doubts.
Only then did Parniel allow a faint smile.
“I heard many rumors about you on my way here. That you are the hero who will save the kingdom, the strongest in the North. Quite impressive.”
“You flatter me. I heard that you saved the Supreme Commander. And even dealt with a high-ranking priest of the Salvation Church.”
Maurice, listening to their conversation, burst into laughter.
“Having the two of you together puts my mind at ease! Now, let’s have a modest banquet”
Maurice’s words were cut short.
Parniel’s muscles tensed as she took a step closer to Ghislain.
Standing at least a head taller, she loomed over him, making him slightly tilt his head to meet her gaze.
Parniel gripped her mace tightly and smiled.
“Tell me, Count… do you know how a Holy Maiden moves?”
Sching—
Ghislain slowly drew his sword, a smile tugging at his lips.
“I have heard stories. That she follows her heart’s will…”
She acted recklessly and then simply claimed it was the will of the Goddess. In short, reasoning with her was pointless.
The moment one tried to apply logic, one would get beaten.
Parniel nodded.
“That’s correct. And right now… my heart is asking whether I should assist you. You see, something about you unsettles me.
So, I need to see your true ‘strength’.”
Parniel reacted even more sensitively to the presence of Salvation Church's energy than Ereneth. After all, divine power and the energy of the Salvation Church were fundamentally incompatible.
That was why, the moment she met Ghislain, she felt an overwhelming sense of unease.
And if something felt off, it had to be verified. She had to determine whether the person before her was ‘evil.’
Thud!
Parniel took a step closer to Ghislain, a chilling smile forming on her lips.
“This too must be the will of the Goddess.”
Upon witnessing the scene, Maurice's expression crumbled as if his world were falling apart. The atmosphere had turned dangerously volatile.
He had no idea why the situation had suddenly escalated the moment the two met.
Ghislain wasn’t the type to back down. Nor was he someone who would listen to reason if told to stop. Maurice had seen enough of him to know that well.
That bastard had already drawn his sword before the fight had even begun.
‘The crone should’ve been here.’
Without the fortune-teller crone, there was no one to turn to for guidance.
He really wanted to cry.
* * *
The brawl at the knights’ drinking party started because of Lucas’ nonsense.
When Ghislain commended the knights and treated them to drinks and meat, everyone was in high spirits except for one knight standing off to the side with a sullen expression.
Ghislain tilted his head in curiosity and asked,
“What’s up with him? He looks like he just got dumped.”
The knight, known as ‘Wind’ for his speed, drooped even further at those words.
Lucas threw an arm around Wind’s shoulders and burst out laughing.
“He really did get dumped. Puhahaha!”
Despite the ongoing war, the Northern Army's Arrow Delivery service remained in full operation. The vacant spots left by the army were now filled by the estate's remaining soldiers, newly hired workers, and mercenaries.
Unfortunately, this time, that arrow delivery had worked against Wind he had received a breakup letter through it not long ago.
“Hmm…”
Ghislain crossed his arms, deep in thought. To be honest, he had never been in a proper relationship himself, so he wasn’t sure what advice to give.
Still, he offered a straightforward but sincere word of comfort.
“Stay strong. I believe better days are ahead.”
Romantic advice was his weakest suit, so Ghislain swiftly made his escape.
After the feast was laid out and the drinks flowed, a slightly tipsy Lucas took a seat beside Wind and spoke.
“I’ll tell you about the time I got dumped. Consider it love advice.”
“Oh, forget it. I don’t want to hear it.”
“Before I came here, I had a woman I truly loved.”
Ignoring the protests, Lucas gazed at the night sky, his eyes tinged with nostalgia.
“We were even engaged. But at the time, I had nothing. Then she told me it was okay, that we could live with her family.”
The knights, now intrigued, leaned in. If they were engaged, what had gone wrong?
Lucas continued with a bitter smile.
“I was really grateful. She lived with her mother, so I confidently told her I would treat her mother as my own. That was all I could offer. But… that turned out to be a problem.”
Gordon, sitting nearby, asked curiously,
“How’s that a problem? Saying you’d treat her mother like your own sounds great. Any woman would love that. Men like that aren’t common.”
Lucas replied with a dead-serious expression.
“Yeah, she liked it at first too.”
“Then what happened?”
“I really treated her like my mom.”
“…???”
“If I was hungry, I’d ask her to cook for me. I’d walk around the house in just my underwear. I asked for allowance money, complained about food, and got grumpy when she woke me up. You know, all the things I do with my mom.”
“…”
“So in the end, she kicked me out. I treated her like my mom, but she didn’t treat me like her son.”
‘Is this guy insane?’
Everyone stared at Lucas in disbelief. Some of the female knights had a new realization.
‘If a guy says he’ll treat you like his mother, beware. That’s a trap. Just tell him to be polite instead.’
Lucas beamed and continued,
“After that, I wandered around doing this and that, and eventually ended up with Fenris. Time heals all wounds. So, did my story help?”
Not even a little.
Without a word, the knights all stood up and began stomping on Lucas.
“Gah! Shit! What the hell? Why are you guys doing this?!”
Even Lucas, one of the most skilled among the Fenris Knights, couldn’t fend off a coordinated assault.
As Lucas took his beating, Wind gazed up at the night sky.
The cool breeze brushed past him, yet the heaviness in his chest refused to lift.
…
People said everyone experienced heartbreak at least once, but pain was personal. Only the one suffering truly understood their own sorrow.
Empty words of comfort didn’t help much. Neither did Lucas’ nonsense.
But perhaps, if he let himself grieve fully, one day he would be okay again.
For now, it was alright to be consumed by heartache. Whether by exhausting himself in sweat or simply waiting for time to pass it didn’t matter.
Just like the wind that carried his name, this pain, too, would eventually drift away.
And just as the lord had said, surely, better days lay ahead.
That was something he could think about tomorrow.
For now, the priority was punishing Lucas for his bullshit.
“Hoo…”
Letting out a deep breath, Wind rushed forward and joined the others in stomping Lucas into the dirt.
If nothing else, kicking Lucas would at least make him feel a little better.
Thwack! Thud! Thwack!
The satisfying sound of blows echoed through the night.
“Aaaagh! You bastards! Stop it already!”
Lucas' wails rang long into the night beneath the starlit sky.