"What? What are you talking about? Why would you take him with you!"
Forisco asked, flustered. Ghislain replied calmly.
"I'm just planning to meet His Majesty."
"Then why are you asking me? You could ask Marquis Branford!"
"He said it's not possible for now."
"No, no, no. If I take you, that day will be the day His Majesty passes away."
"..."
"You'll definitely provoke His Majesty so much that he dies from anger."
"What kind of person do you think I am ...."
"I'm just calling it as I see it!"
The King was already in such fragile health that everyone was being exceptionally careful when dealing with him.
Now imagine this troublemaker stepping in and provoking him. If the King died from the stress, Forisco, who brought Ghislain, would be finished that same day.
Forisco, as if lamenting, asked, "To put it bluntly, he is half a corpse. He has no influence whatsoever. You don't need to meet him. Why do you even want to?"
"Just to ask him a few things out of curiosity?"
From the circumstances so far, it was clear that the Delphine Duchy was persistently targeting the royal family. Their goal didn't seem to be simply winning the war.
No one, not even Marquis Branford, knew why they started the war in the first place. Everyone just assumed the Duchy wanted to take over the kingdom.
While that wasn't entirely wrong, Ghislain suspected there was a deeper reason.
So, he just wanted to ask the King if he knew anything. Also, to ask about the Shadow Knights while he was at it.
Forisco looked baffled.
"So.... You just want to meet him out of some curiosity? No significant reason?"
Ghislain nodded.
Forisco spoke with a near-tearful expression.
"Do you think the King is your buddy? Do you think you can just meet him whenever you're curious about something? Especially when he's on his deathbed?"
"..."
"Can't you stop bothering me? I've done everything you've asked. I gave you Piote, holy relics, and donated my wealth to you!"
"...."
"I even invested in that cosmetics business. I secretly funneled all the funds for that, so why do you keep putting me in difficult situations?"
".... "
"And even if you follow me, you won't be able to meet the King."
"Why not?"
"Because Marquis Branford checks everything personally. Even the assistant priests are thoroughly screened. Asking me won't help."
"Hmm ...."
If that was true, then sneaking in with Forisco would obviously get him caught. The inspections seemed incredibly thorough.
Marquis Branford, who prioritized the safety of the royal family above all else, would naturally take such measures.
After venting his frustrations, Forisco glanced around nervously before whispering,
"Even if you somehow manage to meet him, His Majesty won't like you."
This time, Ghislain looked baffled.
"What? Why would he dislike me before even meeting me?"
"Because Marquis Branford is backing you. His Majesty despises him."
"Why is that?"
Though Marquis Branford held all the power, he was unquestionably loyal to the royal family. If he had other intentions, the throne would have changed hands long ago.
The idea that someone like Branford could be hated piqued Ghislain's curiosity.
Forisco gave him a look that said, "How do you not know this?" and explained,
"Obviously, because Marquis Branford holds all the power."
"But His Majesty isn't in any condition to run the government, is he?"
"Sigh, still, feelings aren't logical. Everyone pretends not to notice, but every time he sees Marquis Branford, he complains."
"What does he complain about?"
"Just things like... 'He thinks he's the real King'... 'He looks down on the royal family'... What else? Oh, 'I've been nothing but a puppet King my whole life'... 'I've been under constant surveillance'... Honestly, he seems a bit senile, probably dementia."
"Hmm."
"But what can we do? He can't even stand on his own. Without Marquis Branford, the government would've been in complete chaos. That man's strength is the only thing keeping the kingdom together. Let's be real; the nobles are a complete mess."
Forisco didn't seem to consider himself part of that "mess" of nobles at all.
Ghislain nodded in agreement.
"That makes sense."
Hearing it all, he could see how exhausting the King's life must have been.
It was somewhat understandable. Even from the little information he had, the Shadow Knights wielded considerable power.
But for the King to harbor such resentment about it his whole life, even on his deathbed, indicated the power was even greater than imagined.
Despite his condition, the King still clung to his thirst for power.
That was the terrifying nature of power.
Ghislain nodded as if he understood.
"Well, in that case, it can't be helped. I'll have to wait for another opportunity."
He'd have to figure out a safer way to meet the King later.
Forisco smiled brightly and nodded.
"Yes, yes. Good thinking. You're practically a hero of the kingdom, so you'll surely get the chance. So...."
But mid-sentence, Forisco narrowed his eyes and asked, "You're not planning to disguise yourself and sneak in, are you?"
"... What kind of person do you think I am?"
"No, you totally seem like the type who'd do that. Don't even think about it. It would cause absolute chaos. He might have a heart attack and die. You'd instantly become a traitor."
"...."
From the way everyone kept warning him, it seemed like even the slightest provocation could be fatal for the King.
"Sigh, I'm not going to do anything like that. I've got plenty of other things to deal with."
Ghislain shook his head as he got up from his seat.
Even someone as headstrong as him couldn't afford to push forward recklessly when there was a real risk of the King's death.
'Hmm, maybe I should look for something to boost his health.'
It wasn't an urgent matter, so he could take his time thinking about it. If needed, he could always capture and interrogate members of the Duchy and the Salvation Church.
For now, there was no other choice but to wait for another chance.
"Well, I'll be going then. Take care."
As Ghislain left, Forisco watched him with a nervous expression, silently hoping he wouldn't cause any trouble.
Though, considering his own track record, Forisco wasn't exactly one to talk.
As Ghislain walked away, he glanced over at Rozalin.
She was surrounded by noble ladies, eagerly showing off her bracelet. She looked happier than he'd ever seen her before.
Ghislain smirked bitterly and approached Meriel, handing her a bracelet and whispering, "Keep this a secret. Young Lady Rozalin thinks she's the only one who has it. Hide it well."
Meriel smiled broadly and carefully hid the bracelet. She'd probably stick to dresses with wide sleeves for the time being.
After all, she always supported Rozalin.
***
Hearing the news at the Duchy, Raul wore a grim expression.
All four corps had been annihilated, practically by the northern army alone.
Reviewing the reports of the war, he showed a rare look of dread.
"Count Fenris .... "
He was incredible. How could one man fight like this?
He had known Count Fenris was exceptional, which was why he had used superhumans as bait.
That allowed him to push back the royal army. He'd even planned for the defeat of the 2nd Corps in case Ghislain returned by dividing his forces.
His aim had been to quickly seize the capital and capture the King. Achieving that goal was worth sacrificing the rest of the corps.
Yet, they'd all been defeated by Count Fenris alone.
"No matter how I think about it, this doesn't make sense.... How could they move so efficiently?"
Even reading the reports, he couldn't believe it. It seemed more plausible that there were multiple armies disguised as Fenris's.
The strategists also remained silent. They couldn't make sense of it either.
"I should've killed him back then."
At the banquet long ago, he should have killed him, no matter the cost.
Underestimating him as just a promising young man was a critical mistake. He turned out to be a monster beyond imagination.
In the heavy silence, Gartros finally spoke.
"First, the 'Shadows' blocked us. Now, Count Fenris does. The royal family's lifeline is truly persistent."
Raul glanced at Gartros. Back then, Raul had been too young to be in charge of national affairs.
So he only knew the general outline of what had happened.
"We were too cautious, and it cost us. Maybe we should've been more direct."
"Enough. You were afraid of the Shadow Knight Commander surviving, weren't you? The damage we suffered then was too great, and we needed time to rebuild our strength."
The Salvation Church had been quietly operating across the continent for years. After painstakingly amassing power, they had made their move in the Kingdom of Lutania.
'And it was also where we tasted failure for the first time.'
The Salvation Church had known about the Shadow Knights of Lutania. Even with thorough preparation, they had been defeated.
Thus, the Church harbored a deep fear of the Shadow Knight Commander. Gartros feared him, as did Melkir.
'Just how strong could one person be ....'
Raul couldn't understand it. No matter how powerful they were, they were still just one person. Yet, they had spent over a decade quietly searching for their whereabouts out of fear.
Only after confirming they had truly disappeared did they begin preparations to reclaim the kingdom.
Raul also knew that many high priests of the Salvation Church had been slaughtered en masse. That was partly why he had been so cautious himself.
But look at the results. Taking their time and holding back had only led to the birth of the monster that was Count Fenris.
Regret lingered on the tip of his tongue, the same thought circling in his mind.
"We may have been too cautious, trying to conserve our forces. We should've pushed forward with the war, even if it meant overextending ourselves."
"No, the Forest of Demonic Beasts is a dangerous place. If that forest is truly the holy land we seek, wouldn't it be guarded by its guardians? At the time, preserving our strength was the right choice."
Gartros, nodding a few times as if to reassure him, continued speaking.
"Besides, didn't we also have to conceal our identity? That's why we couldn't act recklessly back then. The emergence of an unforeseen variable like Count Fenris, that's all it was. We can't foresee everything."
Having failed once, they had aimed to retake the kingdom as safely as possible. Waiting patiently was nothing new to them.
Gartros spread his arms wide and smiled.
"It's better now than back then. Look, can't you feel the divine energy gradually filling the world? In the end, we will prevail."
"...."
Raul couldn't say anything. Truthfully, he didn't feel anything himself.
But he couldn't deny it either. In reality, the speed of opening rifts was accelerating, and the number of high priests within the Salvation Church was steadily increasing.
There must have been something he couldn't sense.
With a fervent look in his eyes, Gartros spoke again.
"We must find the 'King' soon. If we can find him, our aspirations will be realized much faster."
Raul cautiously asked,
"Why not focus all our efforts... on finding this 'King'?"
"That's not possible. Even if we find the King, without the 'holy relic,' our aspirations cannot be fulfilled. That's why we must first bring down the royal family of Lutania."
"...."
Raul frowned slightly. He couldn't fathom what this 'holy relic' was or what purpose it served.
Eventually, he shook his head and spoke as if he were giving up.
"It would be good if we could find it quickly elsewhere."
As far as he knew, the holy relic wasn't unique. Priests of the Salvation Church were also searching for relics in other kingdoms.
They just needed to find one, anywhere. Then, they could enter the 'holy land.'
It was only because they were certain a relic was in the Kingdom of Lutania that Gartros had come here.
Raul, too, hoped the relic would be found quickly—not for the Salvation Church's sake, but because he couldn't stand this frustrating situation any longer.
'So we can end this ridiculous mess as soon as possible.'
The focus on finding the relic restricted their strategy. That had been the case this time as well.
If their goal had been to conquer the entire kingdom, rather than targeting the royal family, they would have methodically expanded their territory step by step.
But the strange obsession of the Salvation Church forced them into an odd strategy. Raul just wanted this religious farce to end quickly.
To do that, they needed to find the holy relic as soon as possible.
"There's trouble in other kingdoms as well."
As more priests of the Salvation Church gathered in Lutania, their ability to act elsewhere naturally diminished.
On top of that, another headache had recently arisen.
"Some strange necromancer is causing chaos. Apparently, they're capturing priests and conducting experiments on them."
"Yes, I've heard the reports. What a blasphemous wretch."
At first, they thought he was an enemy of the Salvation Church. But it turned out the man was indiscriminately targeting not just the Church but also the people of the kingdom.
He was a madman using chaos to satisfy his desires. And worse, he was powerful.
Capturing high priests, superhumans among the Church, and using them for experiments—what madness.
With a contemplative expression, Gartros said, "We've sent Idun. He'll take care of it."
"It's unfortunate he couldn't be deployed in this war."
Enforcer Idun was exceptionally strong, acknowledged even by Count Balzac, the kingdom's finest sword.
But because of a lunatic, they had to send someone of Idun's caliber elsewhere.
Gartros nodded in agreement.
"It couldn't be helped. We can't leave other areas unchecked."
The Duchy had initially believed the high priests alone would be sufficient for this war. After all, they had lured Count Fenris away.
But that strategy had completely failed, making the absence of the battle-hardened Enforcer Idun all the more regrettable.
Still, Gartros didn't regret sending Idun.
"Even if we conquer the Kingdom of Lutania, it will be difficult if all the other kingdoms and their churches muster their forces and come after us. We must keep an eye on them as well."
Until they found the holy relic and achieved their goal, they had to maintain a precarious balance.
That's why someone as skilled as Idun had to act.
Raul agreed with that point. They still had high priests remaining here.
Now it was time to rethink how to lead the war.
"We still have enough forces. But the strength of Count Fenris and the northern army is greater than we anticipated. A new superhuman has joined them as well."
"I've heard the reports too. We'll have to make preparations to match."
"Yes, and to minimize casualties as much as possible.... "
As Raul and Gartros were deep in discussion, the conference room door suddenly burst open.
Seeing who entered, Raul flinched.
"Count Balzac."
A man with a lion's aura and a towering build—it was none other than Count Kaien Balzac, the Kingdom's Finest Sword.
Staring at Raul with an impassive face, Kaien spoke.
"Viscount Josef, there's no need to strategize anymore. Forget about minimizing casualties."
"What... what do you mean?"
"Everything's already been derailed because of Count Fenris. Send word to the vassals to gather all remaining troops. I'll take command of the southern army. His Grace has already given the order."
"Surely ...."
"Yes, I'll personally march on the capital and seize it. And...."
Kaien's eyes gleamed dangerously, and a savage smile spread across his face.
"I'll wipe out the northern army myself."
[T/L: Please support me and read extra chapters: https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]