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Volume 6 Chapter 3 Part 3

Thanks to this, she was able to meet this rugged but kind-hearted companion of hers. The situation they are in is far from being perfect, but Deirdre had no regrets about the choices she made that led her here. All she has to do is gather her wits, use magic, and support Eugen with all her power.

「Let’s spread the news of Theo’s achievements right away! He’s also popular with the people of Artuk, so it shouldn’t be all that difficult, and the people are definitely going to get excited. Thanks to him, these Dartanian bastards are going to have even more trouble governing this country than ever before! 」

Eugen laughed heartily.

On that day, guerrilla forces have intensified their attacks intensified in various parts of Artuk, and the disobedience and the rebellious attitude of Artuk’s citizens became much more noticeable.

It was about three months later that one of the fortresses manned by around a thousand soldiers that Dartania had build as one of its bases for ruling Artuk was burned down to the ground.

* * *

「HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN?!!! 」

While inspecting the fort that had been burnt down three days ago, Dartania’s Viceroy Milza Kuches was furious. At times like this, none of his aides dared to approach him.

Therefore, a young magician named Terius, who was dispatched by Marine Kraische to act as Milza’s contracted Mage became the outlet of his anger.

There are many people who’d probably feel jealous of the fact that he is given such an important position, but the truth is that he is always forced to take on tasks that are way out of his league.

「WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?! THIS PLACE WS MANNED BY A THOUSAND SOLDIERS, AND THEY COULDN’T EVEN LAST A SINGLE DAY?! 」

Milza said to Terius in such a tone as if he was blaming him for what happened here.The fort was filled not only the smell of burnt logs, but also the smell of dead meat. This is because the soldiers who were stationed at the fort were all buried in shallow graves.

「It seems that about half of the soldiers were dispatched do deal with a group of rebels that was spotted nearby, but that must’ve been a diversionary act by the enemy. The rest pf the soldiers who stayed here was taken by surprise and attacked by a large army of over 2,000 soldiers, including Witches and Werewolves… 」

Although Terius was also using a preaching tone, he also conveyed accurate news to the Viceroy of Dartania.

That was a testimony from soldiers who escaped from the fort, but if this story is true, it would have been a fairly large-scale rebellion. Naturally, nearby residents must have joined in on it as well.

(And if it’s true… then this is bad.)

Terius chose to treat this information seriously. If a revolt of this magnitude were to occur in various places, it would likely result in casualties that would be incomparable to those of the past.

(And what’s worse, I know what’s the cause of it…)

Theo Cornero was a former Lord entrusted with the rule over the Forest of Eternal Darkness by Vilar Constance, and now, the rumors that he has supposedly succeeded in freeing his home island of Sistina from the oppressive rule of the Rossini family have begun to circulate among the populace.

People whispered that he will eventually return to the continent, subjugate Lasik David and other Lords of the Artuk Treaty, and become the leader of that third power himself. And then, just as they promised in the treaty, they will wipe out and semblance of Dartanian presence from Artuk once and for all.

Although these news had no roots or creditable source of origin, the people of Artuk believed it as if it were a prophecy.

And that was Dartania’s current situation.

「Lord Milza. 」

Terius decided to give Milza some advice.

「What? 」

Milza asked while glaring at him.

「This is no longer a just a simple uprising, but a full-blown rebellion. We should consider the possibility that the former Lords of Artuk are trying to recruit the people of their former territories as soldiers. 」

「I understand that much. What I don’t understand though, is why the residents don’t want to obey us? I didn’t employ the tyrannical rule like the Rossini family did. I am trying to follow that peerage system of theirs and rule them in a legitimate way! 」

Rumors of Theo’s success at freeing Sistina from its long-time opressors have also reached Milza’s ears. He also knew that for some reason, some of the people who decided to follow him were those who were formerly loyal to the Rossini family.

「It’s just like you said… 」

Terius nodded his head strongly.

「The Lord has the right to own territory according to his rank, and the citizens must obey their Lord. If they don’t obey him they can be punished for disobedience. If they do, they can be considered enemy soldiers. 」

「Are you telling me to kill the people of these territories? 」
「That’s right. 」

When asked by Milza, Terius gave him an immediate answer.

「But the people of the territories are not openly rebelling against us. Most of them are cooperating with their former Lords, out of our sight. And from what we can see, they are pretending to be obedient. We can’t even tell who’s cooperating with the rebels and who’s not. 」

「Many lords appointed by you have already been killed. It’s safe to assume that everyone in the villages they were supposed to govern cooperated with them. 」

Are you saying we should kill all the citizens of these territories regardless of whether they were collaborating with the enemy or not? 」

「I guess that’s unavoidable.「

There was no doubts about it in Terius’ mind.

「It is true that innocent citizens will die, but that is the responsibility of those who are using them as cover and rebelling against us. If they continue to rebel, we will just have to exterminate the entire population of Artuk, and then fill the settlements and cities with people brought from your hometown of Dartania. This is what guerrilla warfare is all about, so you must be prepared to deal with it accordingly. 」

Then Terius bowed to Milza deeply.

「Be prepared for it… 」

Milza crossed his arms on his chest.

Terius always puts his life on the line whenever he advises Milza, because he knows that if his resolve falters for even a moment, Milza will cut him down without a second thought.
The present proposal that he made must have been carefully considered by him before he voiced it out loud as well.

Artuk’s governance is not going well, and because of that Milza is unable to invade neighboring areas with which he has signed treaties. Although he swore to become the sword of Marine Kraische, he has never fulfilled his mission which has been given to him by her.

「I don’t want to be hailed as a hero. 」

Milza said to Terius.

「I’ll take you up on your advice. But I’ll decide where to attack. 」

「As you wish. 」

Terius answered.

「First, we will attack the White Witch’s village, then the Werewolf’s village, and then the three locations in the former Barony of Eugen Niklae. 」

「Isn’t that going to be difficult? 」

「That’s why I’ve chosen to attack these three places. There’s a reason to attack these three places, namely that they’re showing us the biggest resistance, so we should make an example out of them. I’ll show the residents of Artuk how prepared I am to do what needs to be done. 」

Milza laughed fearlessly.

Terius thought it was a choice that was typical of this person.

As long as it’s just a show, he’s fine with anything, but now he’s trying to neutralize his most formidable opponent. The people of Artuk believe in Witches, and Werewolves are also a symbol of this country. And then there’s Baron Eugen Niklae, the commander of Artuk’s soldiers engaging in their guerilla warfare.

「I’ll start preparing for battle immediately. 」

Terius understands Milza’s personality now. Once he had made up his mind about something, he preferred to act quickly and strike while the iron was still hot.

「We will attack in three days. 」
Milza commanded.

「Two days is going to be enough to finish the preparations. 」

Terius looked up at Milza and replied to him.

It was three days after Milza’s Dartanian army of 5000 soldiers set out for the village of the White Witches.

True to his own words, Terius completed his preparations for war in two days, so Milza immediately launched his army the next day.

Their plan was to catch any Witches they’d find in the village and burn them alive on the spot, and if anyone protested, they were ruthlessly arrested and then flogged to death.