Merchant Noble is out (2/3 chapters for today)
March on Royal Capital
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“The situation is dire, Your Majesty! Mikanda has risen in rebellion!” (??)
Approximately a week had passed since Marie’s wedding.
Louis had grown suspicious of Casablanca’s prolonged absence, and the news that reached him was that she had raised the banner of rebellion against him in Mikanda.
“Apparently, Her Majesty Casablanca has sent this letter to all the nobles.” (??)
Louis snatched the letter from the minister’s hand, opened it with trembling fingers, and widened his eyes as he read its contents.
“To all nobles,
I, Viceroy Casablanca, declare an uprising against King Louis of Laplace.
Louis is the root cause of the recent turmoil in our kingdom. Ignoring the advice of loyal retainers, he surrounds himself only with deceitful flatterers. His misgovernment has brought suffering to the people, greatly weakened the nation, and plunged the kingdom into instability. The populace struggles even to find food, entertainment has decayed, and suspicious religions have spread like epidemics.
As Viceroy, I, Casablanca, have been deeply pained by this situation and have resolved to save the kingdom. I am determined to unify the kingdom and restore order by removing Louis from power.
To the esteemed nobles, I urge those who share my resolve to take up arms and gather under my banner. Any noble who supports or shows allegiance to Louis during this uprising will be regarded as an enemy of Casablanca.
Signed,
Viceroy of the Laplace Kingdom, Casablanca”
After reading it to the end, Louis tore the letter to shreds, scattering the pieces on the floor and stamping on them furiously.
“What is this nonsense? Ridiculous! Assemble the army immediately. I’ll crush Casablanca like an insect.” (Louis)
“Your Majesty, the church forces led by Zenon have aligned themselves with Her Majesty Casablanca. We will have to deal with tens of thousands of Church troops, including the entire army.” (??)
According to the minister’s report, the Church faction had quickly joined Casablanca’s side.
“Zenon, that… How did he regain power?” (Louis)
Louis muttered bitterly.
It was true that Casablanca had once discussed Zenon’s situation with him after Cyan’s death. However, at the time, Louis had been hesitant to provoke the Church faction, fearing retaliation. Thus, he had entrusted the handling of Church matters entirely to Casablanca and had paid little attention since. One thing was clear, that Casablanca’s maneuvering had resulted in the Church siding with her.
“This is a national crisis. Issue a royal decree to summon nobles from across the kingdom immediately. To counter Zenon, appoint a suitable believer as High Priest to rally the faithful.” (Louis)
“Yes, Your Majesty.” (Minister)
However, even Louis couldn’t just sit back and do nothing when a rebellion was happening. He issued orders in rapid succession in opposition to Casablanca and Zenon.
“Damn you, Casablanca… To think you’ve finally decided to defy me. No matter how many Church forces you gather, you’re just a woman despised by the nobility. You can’t possibly stand against me. I’ll crush her rebellion and make an example of her.” (Louis)
Louis still felt confident. After all, many nobles remained on his side. In previous meetings and conflicts, the nobles had consistently chosen him over Casablanca. They always surrounded him with flattery, while Casablanca was supported by little more than Baron Warden.
Surely, the nobles would rally to him once again. It was a perfect opportunity to eliminate Casablanca altogether. Louis began idly imagining how he would deal with her after the rebellion was quelled.
—
Casablanca raised her banner in Mikanda, where the town was still vibrant from Arc and Marie’s wedding celebrations. Given that Louis and Arc were longstanding rivals, and that Casablanca had once sought refuge in Mikanda, the people of Mikanda generally viewed her favorably. Her rebellion was met with mostly positive reception.
However, the sudden decision to mobilize caused confusion among the Warden forces. Especially Tyr, who was responsible for military matters but had been left out of the decision-making process. Feeling slighted, Tyr only reluctantly agreed to deploy the army after receiving Arc’s apology and Casablanca’s impassioned persuasion. Arc left Tyr in charge of 1,000 soldiers to defend Mikanda and led 2,000 soldiers himself. It took four days to cross the border mountains.
Once they crossed the mountains, their only objective was to march on the royal capital. With a large number of soldiers, most on foot, it would take another two weeks to reach their destination.
“The royal capital is still far ahead. By now, Louis must be in a frenzy, gathering his troops.” (Casablanca)
Casablanca had deliberately chosen Mikanda, a remote region, as the starting point for her rebellion.
The most effective way to defeat Louis would have been to stage a coup in the royal palace. Despite their animosity, it would have been unthinkable for Louis to suspect that his own sister would come to overthrow him by force. With the Casablanca Seven, her loyal guards, handling the royal palace’s minor defenses, Louis could have been captured without much commotion. In contrast, a rebellion in Mikanda carried significant risks.
It gave Louis time to either fight back or escape. Moreover, it allowed the possibility of nobles rallying to Louis’s defense in the royal capital. However, Casablanca had intentionally chosen to begin her rebellion in Mikanda and was deliberately advancing at a slow pace toward the capital. This strategy had a purpose.
“High Priest Zenon, forgive the intrusion! I’ve brought 60 holy knights from the southern region to join your forces. Please add them to our ranks!” (??)
“Oh, excellent. May the blessing of God be upon you all.” (Zenon)
“Amazing, Zenon. More soldiers are gathering every day.” (Casablanca)
Along the way, various factions joined their cause. They were soldiers from Casablanca’s direct territories, the Church army led by Zenon, minor nobles who supported Casablanca, commoners dissatisfied with the kingdom who volunteered, and holy knights loyal to Zenon. The numbers gradually swelled.
Casablanca used this steady stream of volunteers to demonstrate to the entire kingdom that people from all walks of life were joining her rebellion. By highlighting this growing support, she painted herself as a champion of justice determined to overthrow Louis, the source of the kingdom’s suffering. In addition, Casablanca held soup kitchens in towns and villages along the way, distributing food and rallying the common people’s support.
One should not underestimate the power of the commoners. With public support, nobles would hesitate to openly oppose Casablanca, fearing backlash. Many would opt to remain neutral and let Louis fall without taking action. Casablanca wasn’t just preparing for a decisive battle against Louis, she was also meticulously laying the groundwork for her victory as she advanced on the capital.
Arc fully understood Casablanca’s strategy. Using the Sheeb Order and merchants from the Warden Trading Company, he spread news of Casablanca’s noble cause across the kingdom.
“‘Under Casablanca-sama, who has sworn to overthrow Louis and rebuild the kingdom, countless people of different ranks and beliefs are gathering. Their numbers grow daily and have now exceeded 100,000.’ Hmm, maybe I exaggerated a bit. The realistic figure is closer to 80,000… Well, this should do.” (Arc)
“Yuna.” (Arc)
“…I am here.” (Yuna)
Responding to Arc’s call, Yuna, who had been lurking like a shadow, stepped forward. Arc handed her the freshly written ‘breaking news’.
“Spread this news across the kingdom through the church members. Also, inform the Warden Trading Company to distribute this message to every corner of the kingdom, using merchants to broadcast Casablanca-sama’s heroic actions.” (Arc)
“…Understood.” (Yuna)
This conflict was a battle between royals. To the common people, it was unclear who was in the right. Thus, controlling the narrative was critical in this war.
To keep nobles from interfering,
To win the support of the people,
They needed to spread the message far and wide that Casablanca was in the right.
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