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Vol 03 Chapter 103: Dark Turn

Unexpectedly, the news of Bartolo’s defeat reached the general populace before it ever arrived at King Rosais’ court. As King Rosais was investigating the origins and authenticity of the rumors, a letter from Bartolo Pompeius arrived.

-The enemy general is Gallia’s famed General Kuryuu.

-The enemy forces number just under nine thousand, but there is potential for reinforcements from Rozel’s homeland.

-Our remaining forces number eleven thousand.

-Due to the soldiers’ morale being severely low; we have decided to enter a defensive position.

-We can hold out for at least one month, but any longer remains uncertain.

-Urgent reinforcements are requested.

-The enemy is accompanied by several enormous hairy beasts, an ample number of blast javelins will be necessary to counter them.

These were the contents of Bartolo’s letter.

「Now, let’s convene the council of patricians. The issue at hand is something I believe everyone is aware of. We have to decide how much reinforcements we should send to Bartolo.」

I said, looking around at the patricians.

A truce is not an option. The enemy numbers nine thousand, and even the forces we already have deployed have superior numbers. If we send reinforcements before the enemy, our victory is certain.

The first to speak was a patrician formerly from the Dibel faction.

「The enemy has about nine thousand. Bartolo-dono has already ten thousand under his command. Perhaps sending a few thousand more troops along with additional provisions and blast javelins would suffice?」

「We should also request reinforcements from the Equus Tribe… Enhancing our cavalry forces by another thousand will undoubtedly secure our victory!」

The patrician asserted confidently.

I agree with his idea.

「That’s right. Two thousand reinforcements should be sufficient. If I lead them myself, it will surely boost morale.」

As I spoke, I scanned the faces of the patricians for any objections. It seems there are none.

「Alright, let’s take a vote then. Those in favor…」

Just as I was about to finish, the sound of running footsteps echoed through the hallway.

Suddenly, the door burst open and a soldier yelled at the top of his lungs.

「Excuse the intrusion!! Urgent report!! King Belvedire’s army is marching towards our national border!! They number five thousand!」

My heart skipped a beat.

It’s okay… calm down.

The maximum force our nation can currently muster is about fifteen thousand, with three thousand engaged in construction and eight thousand marching towards Domorgal.

That leaves four thousand of the standing army that can be mobilized. Though it means delaying Bartolo’s reinforcements, it wouldn’t be too late to send them after dealing with Belvedire.

We can handle this…

Just as I thought this, more loud footsteps resonated in the hallway. A sweat-drenched soldier shouted.

「Excuse the intrusion! Urgent news!! King Evile’s army is also marching towards our national border! They number five thousand!」

Damn… the enemy forces have increased to ten thousand. But we can still rely on the Equus Tribe. This is going to cost us a lot, but it’s better than letting the country fall.

「My king!」

「I know. I will send a messenger to the Equus Tribe at once! Someone bring me paper!」

As I yelled, the sound of running could be heard again in the hallway. I don’t know who it is, but they sure have good ears.

The soldier didn’t even wait for permission before flinging the door open. In his hand was a piece of paper, the seal was already applied.

「Excuse the intrusion!! Urgent report!! A civil war has erupted within the Equus Tribe!! Prince Redus has raised an army! King Equus and Crown Prince Methil have been killed in battle! Prince Mutzio and two hundred others wish to seek asylum in our country!!」

It felt as if the world went dark before my eyes.

◇

I met Mutzio and his group at the capital’s city gates. They were a sight of utter exhaustion: clothes tattered, faces worn out.

The messenger reported there were two hundred, but there are at least four hundred refugees. Two-thirds of them are women and children.

Mutzio stepped forward. His face, usually bright with laughter, was now despondently somber. Approaching me, he gave a self-deprecating smile.

「Hey, you should laugh at me, my friend… before you is the man who lost his father and brother, his servants and friends, and had his country and wife taken from him…」

I gently clapped Mutzio on the shoulder and said,

「We will accept your request for asylum. For now… take a bath, eat some food, and get some sleep.」

◇

「Mutzio, did you manage to rest?」

「Ah, yes, a little sleep helped relieve the fatigue.」

After allowing Mutzio a couple of hours of rest, I summoned him to the council of patricians. Ideally, I would like to give him and the other Equus Tribe members more time to rest… but time is short.

「First, I will explain what happened…」

「That’s okay. I’ve already heard it from someone else.」

While Mutzio was resting, I spoke to one of the least fatigued leaders of the Equus Tribe in Mutzio’s group.

They were ambushed by Redus at midnight. Redus’ forces numbered a hundred, while King Equus and Crown Prince Methil had a thousand.

However, mysteriously, forty percent of King Equus’s side’s horses became ill, and simultaneously, several of their commanders fell sick. This allowed Redus to kill the king and the crown prince and take over as the tribal chief. Mutzio barely escaped with his life.

But it’s unnatural to think all these were mere coincidences.

「As soon as our nation was defeated by Rozel, two countries declared war on us simultaneously. Information spread too quickly. Additionally, there’s the political upheaval in an allied country. It’s a bit too much to chalk up to coincidence.」

It makes sense to suspect that Rozel orchestrated this behind the scenes.

「Tell me, Mutzio. Were there any magicians in your country with a Gallian accent?」

「Gallian accent? You mean from Rozel? There should be quite a few. Our country doesn’t have many magicians, nor are they very skilled, so it’s common to hire foreigners. Could it really be… no, it can’t be…」

It’s undeniable. Magicians are doctors. A doctor could easily inspect horses and apply some sabotage the day before under the guise of a routine check. Even diseases… with thorough preparation beforehand, poisoning or cursing is feasible.

「But most of these people have been serving King Equus and the Crown Prince for over ten years. To think they planned this ten years ago…」

「The goal of that kingdom is to take control of the Adernian Peninsula. It’s not strange for them to have laid the groundwork well in advance.」

Rozel has many cavalry units, which means they understand the importance of cavalry. It wouldn’t be strange if they had been working for years to bring the Equus Tribe under their control through calculated moves.

That kingdom has someone who has lived for five hundred years. She certainly have the capacity to execute long-term strategies.

As Mutzio and I were discussing, the door suddenly opened.

「Excuse the interruption!! It’s urgent! A letter from Prince Redus, who now calls himself King Equus.」

I took the letter from the soldier and read it:

First, the alliance with King Rosais’ Country will be annulled.
We demand the extradition of Mutzio and other fugitives.
If these demands are not met, our country will declare war on yours.
The deadline is in three days.

After reading it, I handed the letter to Mutzio. He read it for a while, then clenched it tightly in his hand and tore it to pieces.

「Don’t be absurd!! You dare to speak for all of the Equus tribe while holding a chieftaincy seized through cowardly surprise attacks!」

Then Mutzio turned to me and said,

「King Rosais, I ask for your soldiers. I need to reclaim my chieftainship.」

I looked around at the patricians.

Raymond raised his hand.

「My king, I am opposed. Our country is currently in a critical situation. We cannot afford to increase our enemies under these circumstances.」

His point is valid. It is already a challenge dealing with two countries, let alone adding another to the mix. But…

「Our country made a pact with King Equus. If we don’t help the Equus Tribe avenge him we would be betraying the pact.」

「However, the current King Equus is Redus. And he has notified us of the annulment of the alliance.」

Indeed, Raymond is correct, we won’t be at fault for not upholding the terms of the alliance if the Equus Tribe is the first to revoke it. The real question is whether having Redus or Mutzio as chieftain is more beneficial for our country.

Currently, the disadvantages of Mutzio being the chieftain seem too significant. What we need now is for Mutzio to present the benefits he could bring to our country if he becomes the chieftain.

「If I become chieftain, the alliance will continue. I’ll expand trade more than ever before. Furthermore, if Redus becomes chieftain, the Equus Tribe will become a puppet of the Rozel Kingdom. Wouldn’t that become a major security issue for your country?」

「The problem boils down to whether our country can defeat Redus. We’re already facing two other countries.」

If it were just about the Equus Tribe alone, I would make Mutzio chieftain without hesitation.

「Redus has only managed to conquer the capital. The Equus Tribe is scattered across various regions. With Methil gone, the next chieftain will be the stronger one. Many of the Equus still can’t determine their allegiance, so Redus can mobilize at most three thousand cavalry.」

「Three thousand cavalry is not a number we can underestimate. Moreover, our infantry cannot defeat cavalry.」

「Unless they kill me, Redus cannot unite the Equus Tribe. If I show up on the battlefield, he will definitely come down. If we draw them into King Rosais’ territory, no matter how many cavalry they have, there will be no escape.」

So, you’re suggesting we turn my country into a battlefield.

Honestly, I believe we can win easily thanks to the blast javelins, and I am inclined to support him.

But…

「My king! I cannot agree to turn our country into a wasteland for another country!」

Raymond shouted his opposition, and other patricians, especially those whose territories bordered the Equus lands, nodded vigorously in agreement.

「Mutzio. You need to give us more. If you become chieftain, you will let me hire all your cavalry beyond the bare minimum needed for the defense of the territory, for free. Also, whenever our country deploys troops, you must also provide support. And I will be the one to put the crown in your head.」

「So, you’re asking our tribe to become your vassal?」

「I’m only asking for our countries to become friends.」

As I responded, Mutzio smiled.

「No problem at all. You don’t need tributes, right?」

「Friends don’t take tributes from each other.」

As I said this, Mutzio placed a hand over his heart.

「Understood. Mutzio Equus Sulpicius and the Equus Tribe vow to be eternal friends of King Rosais’ Country.」

That settles it. I surveyed the patricians around me.

From their expressions, it looked like about thirty percent were in favor, fifty percent opposed, and twenty percent neutral.

「Gentlemen, it may indeed seem strange for our country to shed blood for Mutzio-dono. But consider this—Redus used cowardly means to kill both the family head and his successor. Can we really condone such acts?」

In the Adernian Peninsula, the rights of the patriarch are strong. The Adernians have a culture that values family above all. There are few crimes worse than killing one’s father or brother.

「To hand over Mutzio-dono to Redus is to kneel before a coward. Are you all content with that? To bow your head to a coward rather than shed blood?」

First, I appealed to the pride of the Adernian patricians. Then…

「If we help the Equus Tribe now, they will aid us in return. You all know the strength of their cavalry. Thousands of cavalry. We could easily repel the forces of King Belvedire’s Country and King Evile’s Country.」

The risk is great, but so is the return. Breaking this encirclement requires a significant gamble.

「Listen, this is Rozel Kingdom’s deceit. The Rozel Kingdom resorted to these tactics to drive a wedge between our country and the Equus Tribe. They fear our cooperation. If we abandon Mutzio-dono now, we will play right into Rozel Kingdom’s hands. I believe that to overcome this crisis, we need the strength of the Equus Tribe, the strength of Mutzio-dono.」

With that, I concluded my speech. Now, there was nothing more to say.

「Well, I’d like to take a vote now. Let me say in advance that whatever the outcome of this resolution, I will respect the decision of the council of patricians.」

The result was…

Seventy percent were in favor, and thirty percent opposed.

Thus, the decision to go to war with the Equus Tribe was made.

◇

「The problem now is how to keep King Evile’s Country and King Belvedire’s Country at bay while we are engaged with the Equus Tribe.」

The Equus Tribe has three thousand troops. We need at least that many infantry to confront them. Our country can immediately mobilize four thousand soldiers. If we allocate three thousand to face the Equus, that leaves only one thousand.

One thousand holding back ten thousand is unrealistic. So…

「We will put all construction projects on hold and arm the three thousand men we have deployed as construction workers. This will give us four thousand troops to confront King Evile’s Country and King Belvedire’s Country.」

Four thousand should be able to hold off ten thousand for a while. Combining fortifications with scorched earth tactics should gain us the necessary time.

Additionally…

「Contact Iarl. I order him to negotiate with King Zoldias. We don’t necessarily need Zoldias’s troops, but as long as we are negotiating, King Evile will be too worried about his rear to make any rash moves. As for King Belvedire… we should ask for help from Lezado.」

It will be costly, but…

Sigh…

「My king. Shouldn’t we also ask for help from Gehenna? Isn’t the king of Gehenna Tetra-sama’s grandfather?」

「Right. Let’s also request assistance from Abraham-dono.」

I’m reluctant to involve that wretched old man in this, but desperate times called for drastic measures.

「Then let’s send out messengers immediately. Bring me the paper!」

After sending requests for reinforcements to both Lezado and Gehenna, and a letter to Nemes asking for neutrality, I commanded that troops be gathered.

We needed to act quickly to face the impending threats from King Belvedire’s Country King Evile’s Country, and the Equus Tribe.

「My king, there’s a problem!!」

The patrician tasked with rallying the soldiers cried out, his eyes brimming with tears.

What now…

「The workers who were engaged in the construction have refused military service!!」

「What!?」