Merchant Noble is out (3/3 chapters for today)
Eastern Frontier Marquis
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From then on, Leo’s army continued to win battle after battle.
Along the way, the plan devised by Arc to make prisoners fight was also smoothly successful, allowing Leo’s soldiers to conserve their strength while suppressing the rebellion.
For the past few months, there had been continuous fighting every day, but thanks to that, most of the large-scale rebellion that had occurred throughout the kingdom was crushed. In just a few months, Leo fought with Louis, Marie, and others in the west, subdued the Warden Household in the north, and annihilated the coalition army of southern nobles.
More and more nobles were starting to fear Leo and show their submission. The kingdom, which had fallen into chaos due to Zerold’s death, was now on the verge of being unified again under Leo.
“Alright, this is the last place.” (Leo)
Leo marked the northeastern part of the kingdom’s map.
The eastern region, being near Leo’s home base, had no rebellions, and for the most part, the nobles were staying quiet for now. However, only the Marquis of the Northern Frontier, who had allied with Louis in the west, clearly showed defiance toward Leo.
A Frontier Marquis. They were nobles specialized in defense against foreign nations. In the Laplace Kingdom, aside from the northern side facing the sea, there is one in the east, west, and south, a total of three.
The significant feature of a Frontier Marquis was the extent of their authority. For normal nobles, the number of taxes and soldiers was determined by their rank. However, there were no such limits for a Frontier Marquis. They could gather as many as they want. Moreover, they were not obligated to respond to summons, as their sole duty was to focus on defending against foreign nations.
It was because of such vast authority, Frontier Marquises are often appointed from former royal families, who had no risk of betrayal, and they pledge loyalty to the royal family. Both Leo and Louis were crown princes, but for the Frontier Marquises, Louis must have seemed legitimate. It was perfectly understandable.
“If we can subdue him, the rebellion within the country should settle down for the time being. He’s our final opponent. Let’s set out immediately.” (Leo)
And so, Leo set off for the final battle against the rebel forces.
Walking from the southern region to the northeast would take one month, and traveling by a merchant’s cart would take two weeks. Even on a fast horse, it would take a week. However, Leo’s army covered the distance in just ten days.
The reason they could move so quickly was, of course, that everyone was on horseback, but that wasn’t the only reason. They hadn’t bothered to prepare logistics, the most troublesome part of the operation. They would “forage” for food along the way, meaning they looted the villages and towns they passed through for supplies.
“At this rate, we should reach the Eastern Frontier Marquis’s territory by tomorrow.” (Arc)
“Is that so?” (Yulia)
Arc and Yulia were sleeping in a stable that night.
The common soldiers were sleeping in adventurer guilds or inns. In small villages without such facilities, they would barge into private homes. However, Arc and Yulia, out of either conscience or decency, couldn’t bring themselves to be so outrageous. They borrowed stables to sleep instead. Although it could be called conscience, another reason was that they didn’t want to be associated with Leo’s soldiers.
“Here, this is dinner. Though, it’s just some nuts.” (Arc)
“I think it’s far tastier than the food taken from the suffering villagers.” (Yulia)
Yulia gratefully accepted the nuts Arc had picked up and ate them with enjoyment.
When ‘foraging’ couldn’t be done, meals became this meager, but for Arc and Yulia, this was a hundred times better.
“Do you think Leo-sama will win against the Frontier Marquis?” (Yulia)
“I wonder… I can’t say for sure.” (Arc)
Leo was certainly strong. He was probably one of the kingdom’s best. However, the Frontier Marquises were troublesome. Unlike other nobles, they specialized in warfare. The southern and western Frontier Marquises were defeated alongside Louis, but what about the Eastern one?
“I’ve been to the Southern Frontier Marquis’s domain for business. The whole town was like a fortress. This one is probably the same. Whether we can take the castle or not will decide everything.” (Arc)
In the drafty stable, the two huddled together and slept.
The next day, Leo’s army entered the Eastern Frontier Marquis’s territory. However, despite expecting fierce resistance, not a single enemy soldier was in sight. Only an eerie silence filled the air.
Arc was slightly disappointed as he urged his horse forward. However, Leo’s soldiers were different. They advanced with stern expressions, not letting their guard down. They were cautious of the silence, thinking it was too quiet. As expected of battle-hardened soldiers.
“Gyah!” (??)
Suddenly, the prisoner walking ahead disappeared from sight. It seemed they had fallen into a pit trap.
“Damn… a trap.” (Leo)
Leo muttered in frustration.
The border of the territory was like a small forest, and there were only a few paths wide enough for horses. This made it easy for the enemy to set traps.
“This is going to be a pain.” (Arc)
As Arc predicted, many traps had been set at the territory’s border, and many of the prisoners they brought along lost their lives.
“They’re using dirty tricks. I guess this kind of fighting is their specialty.” (Kureo)
Kureo murmured, trying to suppress his irritation.
Despite being harassed by numerous traps, the enemy army still didn’t show themselves. The days passed with only the traps and the ever-present tension of expecting an ambush.
Although Leo’s army had crossed the kingdom in just 10 days, it took them 20 days to advance to the center of the Eastern Frontier Marquis’s domain. Finally, when the soldiers’ morale was rising, preparing for battle, they were met by an enormous castle unlike any they had seen before.
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