Chapter 172

Chapter 172 - Mexican Standoff (1)

Swaaaaaa!

The rain that was falling drop by drop quickly thickened and changed into a shower.

The nobles settled down in various places in the Shade Garden, and among them, families on bad terms even engaged in wars of nerves.

"Hey, baldy. You came too?"

"What? Which bastard dares!"

"Look up."

The Shade Garden is a place built using the branches of massive conjoined trees as supports. Diverse elevation differences inevitably occur.

"Iyaa! Looking from here, it really looks like a bird's egg. Is the remaining hair on the sides a nest?"

The noble below got angry at the rival family's noble smirking from above.

"That damn bastard is looking down on me? Pack the bags! We will go up higher!"

"Master. Please... there are no seats higher up."

Only the backs of the servants caught in the nobles' pride fight got burst.

Somewhere else, a servant who put firewood into a portable brazier took out a flint.

"You were very cold, weren't you, milord? Please wait just a moment."

"Surrounded by wood in all directions, and you want to light a fire? Read the room a bit, you."

"I-I apologize!"

The servant who brought firewood out of consideration for his master feeling cold was scolded for no reason.

"It is fine, so light the fire."

An old noble of Cornwall intervened.

"The trees here do not burn in fire. During the time the Half-Fairy family resided here, they repelled foreign invasions several times right here. The enemies tried to set fires countlessly, but failed every time."

The Cornwall nobles were already warming their palms over the lit brazier. Around that time, Baron Foster's messengers went around everywhere and shouted loudly.

"His Excellency the Viscount said it is fine to light fires. Those who lack food, please send a servant."

"Did you hear?"

The old noble looked happy. It was a natural thing since the legend passed down through generations had become a reality.

The wooden fountains that had been dry for a long time were filled with clean water. Servants and maids took water from here and there. From the tents where diverse family flags hung, the scent of brewing black tea wafted out.

"This is on a different level from the waterworks and sewage of other cities."

A certain noble proudly showed off a framed picture he brought from his house. It is a painting depicting a cross-section of the Shade Garden, portraying massive roots extending under the ground.

"Incredible. Simply looking at this, it means it's easily several kilometers long."

"Is the blue thing depicted below the painting groundwater?"

When the nobles unfamiliar with the legend marveled, the noble who brought the painting nodded.

"When the roots absorb water and send it up, it can be used from the spouts intertwined in the middle. It is the water of life imbued with nature's blessing. It's good for the body."

The Cornwall noble showed off his knowledge to his heart's content. Attaching boundless premium to the fact that something is old itself is the mindset of the nobles of this era. Preserving that heritage is enough to become a source of pride.

The nobles who came from various parts of the south achieved temporary harmony despite the history of countless conflicts.

Apart from being wary of the terrifying conqueror, it was to weigh the gains and losses of their families in the rapidly changing situation.

"The general trend is already decided. Viscount Winchester must step down from his position. From what I hear, the nobles of the frontier are also in the mood to wash their hands of him."

"Aren't they folks whose loyalty is weak originally? As long as someone protects them from Count Kruger, no matter who rises to the top."

"However, he has already taken refuge in Haven."

"Hmph! If we surround the vicinity and block the waterways, how long will he hold out?"

Haven has a large population. Since they couldn't predict a disastrous defeat of this scale, the stockpiled food wasn't much either.

In a situation where all the food Viscount Winchester had brought was also captured by Eugene. If a full-scale siege begins, he won't be able to hold out for long.

"If the nobles gathered here all submit a joint petition, that person will also acknowledge reality."

The families that were originally hostile or at least held a neutral stance quickly made a decision.

"No, how can you speak so easily?"

A few loyal nobles spoke as if complaining, but it was meaningless.

"Then what are you suggesting we do? Just as there cannot be two kings in one country, there cannot be two masters in the south."

"But the Winchester family is also a family that has ruled this place for a long time."

"Who was it that bestowed that peerage as a noble?"

"That is..."

"Since it will be the same regardless of which side you refer to, let us not speak unnecessary things."

Whether finding the origins of the Winchester family from the Elf royal family of the 1st Era or the Ancient Kingdom of the 2nd Era, it is the same.

The former renders them speechless before the judgment of Valda, who inherited the blood of the Elf royal family.

If the latter is chosen, they equally became poor in arguments before the conqueror leading with force. Furthermore, Eugene is the master acknowledged by the final legacy of the Ancient Kingdom.

"It is quite dark. Someone light some fires."

The meeting continued until evening, and the nobles pointed at structures resembling streetlamps scattered everywhere. Since they were in perfectly suitable locations, the surroundings would brighten up if fires were lit.

"Lord. These are not braziers, though?"

A servant who climbed a ladder holding oil and a torch said.

"Then what are they?"

"They look like flower buds. Very tough, however."

Servants looking with torches in other places also shook their heads and came down. They might endure the inconvenience, but there was no one fearless enough to carelessly damage them.

* * *

"Everyone seems to like the picnic in the rain."

Eugene had deployed his subordinates to mediate quarrels, but there hasn't been a single dispatch report yet.

"It is a natural thing. Because a power that can neither be compromised with nor avoided makes people rational just by its existence."

"There are many cases where troubles that could be appropriately sorted out worsen because of pride, though."

Valda walking side by side showed signs of fatigue. Both her usually straight eye corners and long ears were somewhat drooped.

Eugene unclasped their hands and hugged her waist. The pleasure given by the deep curves of the Elf woman's body. He could not completely get tired of it. Valda, with a shy face, also leaned her body on him.

"Are you not overexerting yourself? Perhaps you should rest a bit."

"It's alright. This place has been asleep too long, and deeply. I want to make the stopped time roll out quickly."

Valda wasn't just taking a walk. She was awakening the mysteries asleep all over the Shade Garden with her footsteps.

[Our mistress has returned. Everyone wake up.]

As the spirits asleep in the tree trunks, vines, and roots moved actively, an even thicker vitality emanated. That includes not only the form but also the functional aspects.

"Uwat!"

One servant was startled and fell. Because the flower bud of a nearby streetlamp suddenly opened wide.

Hwaak.

The stamen in the center emitted a subtle yet deep light, and the petals scattered them widely. The exclamations of the nobles could be heard at that fantastic sight.

"It wasn't a simple decoration."

"It falls short of the magical lamps in your castle, but it's enough to drive away the darkness."

"It's nice because this gives a cozy feeling on its own. What is the principle?"

"It stores the sunlight of the day and radiates it at night. I don't know the detailed parts either. As it was made with lost techniques and secret methods."

"Then we should cherish them even more. Should we perhaps put up a fence?"

Eugene remembered the crystal glasses from when he was hosted at the Barony of Foster. The story of the maid who suffered a severe beating due to the reason of causing a precious treasure to crack.

"If someone comes out who ruins that by mistake, the nobles might try to hang them by the neck."

"It is alright. The streetlamps of the Shade Garden are living branches and flowers. Even if they are ruined, they bloom anew in that spot. There is a reason why they are intact despite being neglected for a long time."

Being made of mortal materials means, in other words, that they are within the cycle of nature. Even if destroyed, being reborn from that death is also possible.

- A leader determined by the amount of sweat rather than the thickness of blood, huh. Isn't that the method preferred by monsters like Orcs or Gnolls?

As Valda said in the past, the obsession with bloodline is stronger in the Fairy Race than in humans. That is probably because they can physically experience the nobility of the royal family in their daily lives like this.

* * *

"I easily defeated Viscount Winchester's army. I showed you all the final legacy of the Ancient Kingdom and the resurrection of the Shade Garden."

The next day after the sun rose, Eugene gathered all the nobles and declared.

"With this, I believe there is nothing more Valda and I need to prove. The only thing left is your choices. I will give you time to think until I capture Haven."

No matter how great an authority a family head holds, such a crucial decision cannot be made carelessly.

They need to talk with the vassal knights under the family, and they also need time to coordinate with families bonded through marriage alliances.

"From this moment on, anyone cooperating with Viscount Winchester in any form will be considered an enemy. Those who do not pledge loyalty after the castle falls are also my enemies."

The southern nobles, who had been intoxicated by the beauty of Valda and the Shade Garden, snapped to attention.

Unlike the dream-like two, the knight threatening them right in front of their eyes was true reality. As well as the powerful warriors glaring from behind him.

Valda, the only person who could stop this, is looking at her knight with a joyful face.

The pressure Eugene gave off even in an unarmed state was hard for even nobles hardened by battles and politics to endure. That wasn't only because of the beast-like fighting spirit he possessed as a warrior.

The moment they met the deep eyes of the conqueror, their bodies stiffened. A sense of terror that Eugene might snatch their souls from their flesh and shove them under that sea!

"Please accept my sword."

"I will accept it gladly."

The nobles whose talks with family members had progressed made decisions on the spot.

"If you save the south from the tyranny of the central region, we will serve you with loyalty."

"If we encounter Count Kroger's army, I will confidently challenge him to a duel."

"As expected of the spirit of an undefeated knight."

The open-heartedness on a different dimension from Viscount Winchester, who was frail and busy hiding in the back. That was a fresh shock to the southern nobles.

'A leader must definitely be like this.'

The martial nobles, who were tired of a merchant-like person reigning at the top, joined joyfully.

Those who couldn't judge immediately quickly got on their carriages.

"There is not much time."

"We must hurry back to the main house and make a decision."

Haven is excellent in population support capacity but is not an area suited for defense. Especially since it didn't assume attacks from the same south, it was even more vulnerable.

Although it's said defending a castle is advantageous, Eugene's army is outside the standard. It didn't seem like it would take long until a conclusion was reached.

"It is a gift to congratulate Your Excellency on your arrival in Britannia."

"I like your sincerity. Won't you sit in the front row at the wedding ceremony with Valda?"

"It is an honor!"

Furthermore, it is a rule of thumb that those who pledge loyalty quickly receive even a little bit more of the monarch's favor.

Naturally, Viscount Winchester, hearing this news, felt like he would go crazy and jump up and down.

"Excellency. A large army composed of Viscount Meyer's army and vassals is heading toward Haven. It is said that although the march speed is slow, supplies are abundant and their morale is piercing the sky."

"What are the vassals all doing? These ungrateful bastards!"

It was merely a single defeat. Even if it was a fatal defeat, the number of times was only once. However, looking at the current situation, it feels like most of the southern nobles have defected.

"What about Baron Howard? What about Baron Crawford?"

They are families who received tax exemptions for defending the frontier and possessed strong military power matching that. They were Viscount Winchester's last hope.

"They say they cannot be dispatched because the movements of the central nobles are unusual. They also got sporadically attacked..."

"Such obvious lies!"

The frontier families are a valorous warrior clan who confidently confronted even the devil-like Vikings.

Seeing that such people didn't join while making excuses that even an idiot would know, the invader of Roman must be quite frightening.

"We must buy time somehow. If we only drag it out until winter, the opponents will also lose their energy and respond to negotiations."

"The problem is that not a single army is coming to buy time until that winter! There aren't even 200 people here, but the enemy forces have over 1000 Dwarves alone. If those bastards start hammering, nonsensical siege weapons will be built."

Argument took place among the retainers, but only obvious words came out. The Viscount, who buried his body in the seat of honor and covered his face, kept silent unable to even mediate.

"Excellency! Urgent news!"

What changed the atmosphere was news brought by a messenger.

"The armies of Barcia and Gord have landed!"

"Finally!"

Viscount Winchester, whose complexion brightened, jumped up and clenched his fists.

Just as the Cornwall nobles requested rescue in all directions, Viscount Winchester also reached out wherever his feet could touch.

Of course, he didn't have high expectations. Since it's a rescue crossing the sea, the dispatched troops would be limited, and they have to face the terrifying Count Kruger.

The Viscount as well merely prodded additionally in the process of calling in mercenary groups of the continent rather than reinforcements from nobles.

"With the power of those two, they will be able to drive out that invader bastard sufficiently! Immediately send an envoy of welcome..."

"E, Excellency! The thing is..."

The messenger rudely cut off Viscount Winchester's words. It is an act he would never do normally, but the situation was that urgent.

"The two armies did not land in the northeastern border area Your Excellency designated. They occupied the ports in the southeast."

Viscount Winchester's jaw dropped open.

* * *

"They say you believe what you want to believe when it becomes critical. There's no way foreign armies would respect a leader who has lost his army and control over his vassals."

Eugene, learning of the intervention of uninvited guests, shook his head vehemently.

Listening to the circumstances, the armies of Barcia and Gord should have landed much further north.

If they plundered and occupied the frontier ruled by Count Kruger, Viscount Winchester was scheduled to supply food from the rear.

However, neither Barcia nor Gord want to carry the heavy burden of facing Count Kruger from across the sea.

Seizing the southern territories that have become defenseless is far easier. If they negotiate with Count Kruger utilizing their home countries' backgrounds, they might take over the territories without shedding blood.

- Aren't they foreign powers Your Excellency called in?!

- We are saying our mansions where we lived for generations were stolen by those beast-like bastards!

Naturally, the southeastern nobles, whose feet caught on fire, simultaneously sent rescue requests.

And this time, Viscount Winchester ignored them in reverse. It was because he didn't have the spare power to help before the offense of refusing his summons order.

"So you came seeking me?"

In front of Eugene was an envoy who had become like a beggar.

"Viscount Winchester is feigning ignorance about the disaster he himself caused! The only one who can lend a helping hand is Your Excellency!"

In front of the exiled noble's only hope, the envoy appealed with tears.

Currently, the only one leading a proper large army in the south was Eugene.

- Sending an envoy to Viscount Meyer is practically a declaration that you will change lords!

- I will sit in that very front seat. If the seats are all full, you run over on foot from behind!

- This is why nobles who aren't knights won't do. Treating everything like a business, it ended up in this state. Do they think everything works with money?

The lords, who were trying to observe the situation a little more for their own reasons, also quickly made decisions.

It's a situation where the high nobles of Barcia and Gord invaded, not a swarm of pirates or a territorial dispute between nobles.

Even though the troops are more limited than usual as they crossed the sea, it isn't an opponent a single family can face.

They say a national-scale war is a completely unpredictable mess bouncing this way and that, but to think it would roll like this.

"Excellency."

Eugene raised his hand to stop Baron Foster, who was about to offer advice with a stiff face.

"To think foreign powers dare to intervene in Britannia's crisis and commit plunder, I cannot forgive this. I will gladly set out for rescue. Convey to your master that there is no need to worry."

"Thank you! Thank you so much!"

The envoy got down on both knees and bowed repeatedly.

"It is an honorable judgment."

The southern nobles including Baron Foster also bowed their heads.

To think he has an attitude of turning the army to drive out invaders even though the appetizing Haven is right in front of him. Doing his duty as a high noble contrasted far too much with Viscount Winchester.

Of course, if the person involved saw this sight, he would have felt like dying of unfairness, though.

'Since there is nothing Viscount Winchester can do himself anymore anyway. Barcia and Gord are bastards I have to push out if I want to occupy the entirety of the south.'

Chasing away competitors and taking credit from the southern nobles. If it's a job that has to be done anyway, it was better to show an appearance of magnanimously accepting it right then and there.

Thus, Eugene's large army headed east.

"The army outside the castle is withdrawing! They are heading east!"

Viscount Winchester, hearing the guard's report, lowered his head deeply with clasped hands. Unless both sides annihilated each other, it was never something to rejoice over.

Because the day that army wins will be the day his family ends.

"Stationery, bring me stationery."

Gazing at the departing army and thinking for a long while, he began to move his pen with a trembling hand on a blank paper. That was a document of surrender to be sent to Eugene.

Viscount Winchester stamped his signet ring on the written letter and then poured wax to seal it.

He decided to send it via the fastest post horse the moment news of Eugene's victory in the east was heard.

* * *

Since Might reincarnated into World Charger, Eugene developed a bad habit.

"I will go ahead first and scout the surroundings. You all solidify the supply lines and follow."

"No, Sir Knight! Don't tell me you're going alone again?"

It's the habit of leaving the army and popping out alone to examine the front.

Sniff sniff.

At the reaction of Homi, who smelled faint saltiness from the air, Eugene loaded food and supplies on the saddle.

"We are almost there anyway, right? Let me go ahead first and grasp the surroundings."

"Things like that are the jobs of scouts."

"I am not ignoring them, but it's not as good as seeing directly with my own eyes. Since the army has grown large, it's better to check the places to settle down beforehand."

"If you perhaps encounter an enemy scouting party while doing that..."

"Then they're welcome. If it's a small number I'll sweep them away and interrogate them, and if it's a large number I can just run away."

"..."

Rex had nothing to say. Because it is a fact that safe retreat is guaranteed thanks to Might.

After a few squabbles, Rex had no choice but to send off his lord, who was becoming a dot beyond the horizon.

"What on earth is that horse? I knew it wasn't ordinary though."

The nobles, who were going to accompany the scouting to look good to Eugene this time, got dumbfounded faces. The horses they rode were also quite excellent horses, but it was a speed they could never keep up with.

"Is it really alright to let His Excellency go alone? If by chance anything goes wrong, the south is finished."

"There is no need to worry."

Valda soothed the nobles gathering and complaining in front of her. Since it's burdensome to converse with a fierce army they are not acquainted with, Valda was their only communication window.

"He will safely return to our embrace. Because the fastest legs, the strongest arm, and the most excellent nose in the world are together."

Just as Valda publicly declared. On top of Might sprinting across the earth, two people were riding.

"It's been a really long time since we rode together, right?"

Eugene whispered to Homi sitting behind him. And quickly added to the joyful breathing sound felt immediately.

"Spare your words. It's a waste to use today's opportunity like this."

Homi replaced her answer by hugging Eugene's back fully. Her long tail rubbed against Eugene's neck and cheeks, expressing affection.

Grrrr-.

Might also cried happily, wondering if he remembered the days when they set off together from Kingdom's End.

The three, penetrating through the viscounty like the wind, soon discovered the foreign armies' camps. And then made puzzled expressions.

"What are those bastards?"

The armies of Barcia and Gord were glaring at each other with a momentum ready to fight even right now.

"Now shouldn't be the time to fight among themselves."

The southeastern part of Britannia, which had become ownerless territory, is no different from a treasure warehouse that spits out wealth if you hold a knife to it.

Rather than pointlessly using up energy in an unfamiliar land, it's wise to comfortably engage in plunder. However, they seemed to be blinded by something.

Both camps in a standoff. Among them, a knight from the Barcia side stepped forward.

"Save me!"

The knight is holding onto a woman whose appearance is clearly from Gord. He licked his lips as if savoring the fear and then sank his fangs into the slender nape of her neck.

"!!!"

The woman opened her eyes wide as if they would tear, but soon her expression became hazy.

Gulp gulp.

"Hah aak."

The Barcia knight's Adam's apple moving and the woman spilling groans of pleasure with a reddened face.

Trickle.

Urine flowed down her trembling crotch.

"Kyahaha!"

The Barcia knight, who was coveting the woman's neck, revealed blood-soaked fangs and mocked the Gord camp.

"..."

The Gord army gazed at that sight in silence.

The performance of provocation started by Barcia was effective. Murmurs filled with rage rose like waves among the warriors holding axes.

Among them, a knight with a massive frame stepped forward.

"Isn't that a bulky build that doesn't yield to Volks? I wonder if the seeds are different, there sure are many monster-like bastards in Gord."

Eugene stroked his chin and admired.

The giant Gord knight leapt up in one breath onto a rock about 1m high.

"Real men of Gord! Look at the state of the base bloodsuckers! They are trash who know nothing else to do other than violating women unable to resist!"

The Gord army shouted battle cries while clashing their axes and shields.

"Let's teach those pale sons of bitches real rape!"

Eugene understood why they were fighting here. That is not the realm of reason or logic.

The ill feelings between Barcia and Gord were too deep a valley to nitpick such things.

'It's probably also because they are still in the dark about information on the south.'

With even the native Viscount Winchester unaware of Eugene's intervention, those who crossed the sea will be even worse. Either way, it was an advantageous situation for Eugene.

Rustle rustle.

"Thanks. Homi."

"Heu."

Eugene received the bag of nuts handed by his beloved retainer.

In the battlefields until now, he had to focus his whole mind as a commander, but this time is different. He just needs to comfortably enjoy watching the fight.