Chapter 399 - 150 - 154

Chapter 150 Small Mountain Village Prev ChapterNext Chapter

Vanades City was the largest city of the Madras Duchy and was also the main business hub with the largest collection of goods and resources available for purchase. The main reason for its prosperity was its incredibly strategic location between the main highways from various locations. To its south was the Andinaq Kingdom, to the north was the Northlands, to the east was the Farkel Duchy and the Shabaj Duchy and to the west was the capital and center of administration of the Madras Duchy, Shaliske City. Being conveniently located at the center of all those places, Vanades City flourished as the trading hub of the Madras Duchy.

Lorist and his mounted archers squad had traveled for 5 days straight and covered around 500 kilometers of ground to arrive at the city.

Right now, they had no choice but to stay within the city for a day for two to gather some news and information as well as let the horses rest, since they had worked hard to travel up to 100 kilometers of distance every day for five days straight and were already reaching their limits.

After renting a campsite at the southern suburbs and settling the mounted archers down, Lorist left Pete in charge and brought Patt and 5 other guards to enter the city and look for an inn.

The last time when Lorist brought Ovidis and his smaller convoy to the Northlands, he had stayed outside Vanades City for only one day and left in a hurry after Shadekampf bought the necessary supplies. This was Lorist's first time entering the city. Compared to Morante City, where he had stayed for ten years of his life, Vanades City wasn't all that big. However, the mercantile atmosphere there was not one whit inferior to that of Morante City as evidenced by the narrow streets that were filled up with stalls on the side with crowds so dense that brushing against others while walking through the streets was but a common occurrence. The incessant bargain calls of the stall owners made Lorist feel that he had returned to the familiar Morante City.

Perfume Beauty Inn was located at the southern district of the city along with many other high class inns. It was also a favored gathering spot for nobles and big merchants. Even though the cost of the services provided was rather high, it was still able to attract a healthy number of customers.

Lorist reserved four rooms within the side building of the inn. After taking a bath, he sent two of the guards to inform Pete of his place of residence within the city and brought Patt and the four other guards downstairs for a meal. They occupied two huge tables and listened to the conversations around them as they enjoyed their food.

After listening for a while, Lorist was rather disappointed because even though the merchants were talking about how the road to the Andinaq Kingdom was sealed off, it was mostly filled with complaints and guesses of when the blockade will be lifted. The rest of the conversations were mostly about the goods they were trading and whether to return the way they came.

Lorist continued to eat and raised his head occasionally. After a while, he noticed that Patt was looking at the spot behind him. Surprised, Lorist turned back to look before breaking into a smile.

Behind him was a small lounge where many elaborately dressed women sat. From time to time, the guests of the inn would pick the ones of their fancy and negotiate a price for their services before they brought them into their rooms.

"Hehe, you're feeling the urge? If you'd like to do it, you can go pick one. It'll be fine as long as we leave by 11 tonight," Lorist said as he looked at the sandglass on the counter and continued, "It's only 7 right now, and 4 hours is plenty of time..."

With a blushing face, Patt said, "I wasn't... I was just curious so I looked..."

"You really don't want to?"

"No, I have to protect milord by staying by your side," Patt said as he shook his head resolutely.

"It's really safe here and we're just a 'merchant convoy'. Nobody here recognizes me and as merchants, if you don't pick a woman when you're at an inn, you'll stand out even more. Look at those other four. The moment they saw the women, they fell into a daze. If you really don't want to have some fun with them, you can accompany me out on the street for a stroll. I was thinking of getting a few more detailed maps for our travels. Give the guards one gold Forde each to pay for the services of the women so that we look and behave like normal merchants," Lorist said.

Patt handed the four guards one gold Forde each, causing their faces to redden with excitement. Patt reminded them to not expose their cover and told them to leave the inn by 11 at night, to which the four guards nodded fervently. Had Lorist not been there, they wouldn't have held back and would be rushing to pick one woman to accompany them for the remainder of the night.

Lorist then left the inn along with Patt and visited two night markets and bought a few maps and travel journals when he reached the bookstore. What surprised Lorist was that the bookstore actually had the blueprints of the fortifications of Lichtana Citadel for sale. The owner of the bookshop said casually that after the blockade was put in place to restrict entry for people outside, Lichtana Citadel became a hot topic for many and some who liked to theorize about battles would buy one of those blueprints and discuss how the citadel would be defended or attacked.

"This fortification blueprint is replicated directly from the one within the archives and it's a bestseller. Mister, would you like one yourself?" asked the owner of the bookshop.

"Alright, I'll have one too so that I can think of the best way to attack the citadel when I have nothing better to do," Lorist said.

"Well, the citadel is only an inanimate structure. The real defenses are managed by the guards who are alive and adaptive. As long as the Ironguard Legion is there, the Lichtana Citadel will not be conquered," said the bookshop owner proudly and confidently as he rolled up the blueprints along with the maps and handed them to Lorist.

Lorist merely nodded at the owner's remarks.

When he returned to the inn, Lorist holed himself in his room for two whole days as he analyzed the terrain and maps of the path from Vanades City all the way to Lichtana Citadel. He also instructed the server of the inn to find him a guide who was familiar with the route to the Farkel Duchy so that he may better understand the situation over there. On the other hand, he had the guards visit the many inns within the city to gather more information about the situation of the blockade without drawing too much attention.

To the servers of the inn and the other merchants staying there, Lorist was merely a noble of the Redlis Kingdom who was worried about how he would return home.

On the third day, Lorist checked out of the room and returned to the southern suburbs where the camp of the mounted archers was located.

At night within the tent, Lorist gathered Pete and Patt to plan for the journey to come.

"We will be leaving tomorrow morning and will be heading west along this road towards the Farkel Duchy. This is a mountainous area with rather complicated terrain and I've heard that bandits would show up near that area. However, ever since the border was closed off, this route has been seeing quite a lot of traffic from mainly merchant convoys and the Madras Duchy also stationed a regiment of garrison soldiers there to police the area and maintain its security. So, there has been no news about bandit encounters for a month or so.

"It will take us about half a day to arrive at the small mountain village here. According to the information I've gathered, a company of garrison soldiers is stationed there because there is a path near the village that stretches through the forest to a hilly area. Over there, the path forks into two new roads, one of which leads directly to Lichtana Citadel and the other to Egret Lake.

"We have two choices at the moment. First, we can choose to cross Egret Lake to reach the Andinaq Kingdom. I'm just worried that we won't be able to find a ferry when we reach there and our numbers, horses and carriages would definitely pose a problem. Fortunately, the paths along the way is wide enough for all of us to travel on. The other choice is to use the path heading to the citadel and make our exit through there.

"Lichtana Citadel is constructed upon the Liden Mountains that stretch all the way to the coast at the west and that is a route we won't be able to use. At the eastern slope of the mountain on which the citadel stands is the route connecting the two nations. That path is sandwiched between a few small hills and it is around 500 meters away from the citadel. The hills are called the Bread Hills by the locals because they resembles small pieces of puffy round bread right out of the stove of an oven. There are reports that a military base is built there with a regiment of Ironguard Legion soldiers stationed to guard it from both sides of the path.

"Further ahead the Bread Hills is the Egret Lake which is around 50 kilometers wide. That is the natural border between the Andinaq Kingdom and the Madras Duchy. However, apart from the route through the hills, the rest of the place is covered by a huge forest. I didn't hear anything about a second path leading to the lake.

"Currently, quite a number of tower outposts have also been erected at the 500-meter stretch between the Liden Mountains and the Bread Hills to completely secure the border. Patt told me that the base at the Bread Hills is also equipped with ten proper ballistas just like those at Lichtana Citadel which have a firing distance of up to 300 meters. Even if the tower outposts are destroyed, the citadel and the base can still cover that path with their ballista fire.

"That's why, we will not use this path unless worst comes to worst. If we do, we will definitely be paying a huge price at our own expense. When we arrive at the village in the mountains tomorrow, we have to make sure to inspect the security of the patrolling guards and check whether we can slip by the place without being noticed. If we truly can't, then we have no choice but to cross it by force and abandon our mounts and carriages to cross the lake."

...

During noon, Lorist brought his men to the village and was allowed entry after showing the badge of the Tebri Family to the garrison soldiers there. Outside the village, three merchant convoys could be seen parked there as their men had their lunch.

After finding an empty spot, Pete instructed the mounted archers to start cooking. The villagers also brought out their homemade liquor and food and offered them up for sale. It seemed that the blockade had unexpectedly given the village a huge boom in business as the villagers had profited quite a bit from the merchants who were willing to purchase their hunted or picked goods, thus putting smiles on all the villagers' faces.

After having lunch and resting for about an hour, Lorist instructed his men to pack up and prepare to depart. That was actually a secret signal to make battle preparations as there was no way they would be able to slip by the path that was defended by a squad of garrison soldiers unnoticed. They were about to barge their way through.

As they were packing up, loud noises poured out from the gates of the village as a squad of proud garrison soldiers marched out with 8 captives who were dressed like mercenaries.

Patt went over to look and his expression stiffened all of a sudden. Heading back to Lorist, he said, "Milord, bad news. The captives are actually Reidy, Jim and the rest..."

"Huh? What did you say?" Lorist asked, shocked. He turned to look and saw that the captives who were restrained and tied up were indeed Reidy and Jim. Jim's shoulder was even bleeding. It seemed that they were not apprehended without a fight as the rest of the men who dressed like mercenaries seemed injured as well.

The company leader of the garrison soldiers emerged from a wooden hut with unkempt clothing as he muttered and complained. Two crimson-red kiss marks could still be seen on his exposed chest and it was obvious that the apprehension of the captives had disrupted his pleasant time.

The company leader looked at the crowd of people who were taking interest and told the squad leader something before ordering Reidy, Jim and the other captives to be locked into a nearby stone building.

Lorist walked up to them and asked with a curious voice, "Hey, captain, what's up with these captives? Are you catching slaves?"

"Slaves your ass..." cursed the company leader, before he suddenly recalled that he was talking to a noble. Even though Lorist wasn't a noble of the duchy, he was, after all, a 'viscount', and his status far exceeded that of the company leader. Quickly adjusting his clothes, the man said, "I pay you my greetings, Lord Viscount. These men have actually attempted to sneak past the border by crossing the Egret Lake. They were captured as per the Lord Duke's orders."

"How do you plan to deal with them? Sell them to slave traders? They look like healthy young men and I think they would fetch quite a good price," Lorist said.

Darned noble, to think that you're also a part time slave trader, thought the company leader before he said, "We don't engage in slave trade. People who sneak through the border like that will be given a trial during the night and beheaded in front of a crowd. Look, milord. The tree to the east is where the heads of such people are hung."

Lorist only just noticed a huge tree at the east of the village where no less than 30 heads were hung.

"It's such a shame, and to think I was going to offer a good price for them..." Lorist said as he made a disappointed expression.

"Please forgive me, Lord Viscount. We can do naught but obey the orders of the Lord Duke. I'll have to take my leave now and I wish you a swift journey as well," said the company leader as he saluted before he left.

Lorist walked back with a dark expression and told Pete and Patt, "Think of an excuse for us to stay here until the night. Inspect the defenses of the village during the afternoon and we will act at night to wipe them out and rescue Reidy, Jim and the others."

Pete said, "Milord, why don't we just attack now?"

Lorist shook his head as he said, "We can't, there's too many people right now. There are already about six merchant convoys nearby and we will not be able to prevent news of our assault from spreading out if that's the case. The guards near this area will be able to react instantly the moment they hear about our attack and surround us completely. We only have a squad of men while this place is defended by a whole regiment of soldiers. I don't wish to sacrifice the lives of hundreds just for saving the lives of a few men.

"However, during the night, the convoys will have left because there's only half a day's worth of travel from here to Vanades City. Most of the people coming to this village wouldn't be staying for the night. That way, we won't have to worry about alerting the rest of the soldiers in the area when we wipe out the enemies here."

Within the hut the company leader entered was the most beautiful woman of the village who was a young widow. Usually, many young men of the village would flock around her, but they stopped doing so after the arrival of the company leader.

Just as he was about to resume his quality time with the woman, he heard his door being banged on loudly once again.

"What the heck is going on this time?!" roared the company leader in rage. His formerly erected member had been startled into limpness from the sudden banging on his door.

"Captain, the Lord Viscount who was talking to you just now fell off his horse just as he was about to leave and seemed to have broken a few bones. Now, they can't leave because the viscount is out cold. His men have already sent someone to Vanades City to look for a herbalist and the rest want to set up their camp within the village," reported the guard outside.

"Haha, that's great news. That cursed slave trader viscount got what was coming for him," said the company leader happily. "Make sure to inform the men to behave within the village. I will visit the viscount myself during the night. If there's nothing else, stop interrupting me and scram!"

After that, he lowered his head and said to the lustful widow beneath him, "Now, precious... Help me up again with that wonderful mouth of yours..."

Chapter 151 Bypass Prev ChapterNext Chapter

By the time the company leader left the hut of the widow, countless twinkling stars could be seen in the night sky. Having taken a nap with the widow in his arms for the whole afternoon, enjoyed a meal she carefully prepared and being seduced into bed by her, the company leader spent quite an amount of effort during the intercourse with the catlike woman and ended up asleep from exhaustion while basking in the afterglow.

Feeling refreshed after stretching his body, the company leader checked his surroundings out and noticed that the soldiers that should have been standing guard outside his door were not there. After a while, he remembered that he had asked them to scram and thought, so those bastards actually went to slack off after that...

"They better not let me find them... Otherwise, I'll definitely give them a good whipping..." mumbled the company leader, before he noticed that his surroundings were abnormally quiet. While it wasn't weird for the villagers to go to sleep early, the army camp should still be generating quite a bit of buzz. Why, then, was it so quiet?

However, when he saw the silhouettes of soldiers walking about in the distance, he regained his calm and believed that he had merely overslept and that the time was probably around 3 or 4 in the morning.

Even so, there was a slight stench of blood wafting around in the air. The company leader pinched his nose and felt like scolding someone. The mercenaries who were trying to cross the border must have been beheaded given the smell... Curses, couldn't they kill those men at the spot where the tree is outside the village?

When he saw the extra tens of tents at one corner of the village, the company leader recalled that those belonged to the guards of the viscount who had fallen off his horse. Seeing the campsite that was illuminated by a bonfire with people going in and out of it, the company leader thought that a herbalist from Vanades City must have already been invited over to give treatment to the viscount and felt that he should go over there to pay a visit.

Before he entered the campsite, a guard came out from it and said respectfully, "Sir, the viscount invites you inside to have a chat."

Not suspecting a thing, the company leader walked inside and asked, "I see that the Lord Viscount is conscious now. He shouldn't be too badly injured, right? If he can still move, I believe you lot should go to Vanades City now. That place is far better for the Lord Viscount to recover than this small village."

The guard merely nodded in agreement as he led the company leader to the entrance of Lorist's tent.

Pushing the folds of the tent and entering it, the company leader was stunned by what he saw. The viscount whom he thought would be lying in bed and moaning in pain was actually sitting right in front of him and smiling like a fox towards him.

When he looked around, the company leader saw two people who were dressed like mercenaries wolfing down food at a corner within the tent. The one on the left was even eating as another guard helped him to remove his armor and bandaged him up.

Huh, these two look rather familiar... All of a sudden, the company leader suddenly realized that those two were the mercenaries he had captured just that afternoon.

"Tsk!" The company leader grunted as he drew his sword and generated a silver-colored blade glow and said, "You... Who the heck are you?"

"Shut up and just sit there obediently. I have something to ask you later," Lorist said as a murderous glint flashed past his eyes, causing the company leader to feel immense dread that made his arms and legs wobble and shiver as if he, a small ant, had appeared before a great dragon and could not muster the slightest will to resist.

"Continue your story, Reidy," Lorist said he he turned to his disciple who was still eating.

"Milord," Reidy said before he swallowed the piece of meat in his mouth. "The fatty is so troubled that he already ran out of ideas. The rest didn't know what to do either. That's when I suggested that I would make my way back to you for instructions. So, four days ago, I brought Jim and tens of other guards to cross Egret Lake and reached the forest nearby here by using the small path along the swamp. Yesterday, we thought we would be able to arrive at the main route to Vanades City by crossing the hilly area before traveling straight to the Northlands. However, we did not expect to encounter a group of bandits hiding within that forest and our battle alerted the nearby patrol troops. The bandits escaped swiftly but as we were not familiar with the terrain, we ended up being captured..."

"You're really lucky to have bumped into us. Otherwise, your head would've been hung up at the tree over there already," Lorist said. After that, he waved to the company leader and beckoned him to get closer. "You, come here."

The sword-wielding company leader was shivering all over. "You... Don't you fear that I will alert the so-soldiers in the camp...? At th-that time... You wo-won't be able to escape even if you try..."

"Go ahead then. Call out to them as loudly as you can. As for all 427 soldiers within the camp, hmmm, that's roughly a company, isn't it... Well, if you can wake them, then I'll kneel and start praying to you right this instant," Lorist said.

"Pfft!" Reidy and Jim broke into laughter immediately with Jim even spitting out a whole mouthful of ale.

"Im-impossible..." The company leader quickly recalled the stench of blood within the air and experienced complete despair. If the ones he thought were decapitated were sitting there dining as if nothing happened, then who were the ones who were killed? As for the ones he saw in the distance making their patrols, he only caught a glimpse of their silhouettes and didn't get close enough to recognize who they were. Thinking back at the 100 plus men of the viscount's escort...

Clang! The sword of the company leader fell to the ground. He proceeded to ask with a voice filled with despair, "Is there a chance for me to be spared?"

"That will depend on your behavior," Lorist said as he looked at the company leader. "I'll be honest and tell you this: the convoy that is stranded at the border actually belongs to my family. My purpose is to travel there and meet up with them. So, I want to use the small path branching from the fork nearby to reach Egret Lake. If you help me arrive at my destination safely, I promise that I will let you go in the name of my family."

The company leader shook his head and said, "It's pointless. Even if you release me, I wouldn't be able to avoid certain death anyway. Losing a company of men is already punishable by death and there is no chance that the duke will spare me or my family..."

"Well, then it's even more straightforward. You can follow me across the lake and when we reach the Andinaq Kingdom, I'll give you 100 gold Fordes. You can take on a new identity and begin your life anew there. If they don't find you here, they'll think that something bad befell you to cause you to go missing in action. That way, Duke Madras will not act against your family either," Lorist advised.

After thinking for a few moments, the company leader said, "I want to bring a person with me."

Lorist smiled and asked, "Is it that young widow you were with?"

The company leader nodded.

"Alright, it's a deal. I thought that a brute like you wouldn't be so sentimental, it truly is worthy of praise. In the name of the Norton Family, I pledge that as long as you help me get across Egret Lake, I will definitely fulfill my due obligations to you."

...

As the first light of dawn seeped in from the ends of the horizon, Lorist and his men disguised themselves as the garrison soldiers of the Madras Duchy by donning their equipment and headed to the fork. When they arrived, they got into a neat formation.

The garrison squad leader stationed there walked over in a hurry and asked with a surprised tone, "Huh? Company Leader Bose, why are you here? Isn't it a little early for you to switch with us for your shift? There should be two more days left, right?"

"Gah, I don't even want to talk about it... These bastards here harmed two women within the village and caused quite the commotion. I brought them out on patrol duty as an excuse to toss them here so that the villagers don't find them for now. Quickly gather up and tell your soldiers to keep quiet about this when they get back. Just say that you were sent on patrol duty instead of being switched out for your shift," said Bose the company leader in an annoyed voice.

"Understood," said the squad leader as he rushed back excitedly to rally up his men as he thought, hurray! Nobody would want to stay at the middle of nowhere here where we won't be able to even enjoy ourselves! That group over there actually got into trouble by messing with some women and came here to hide it out... Who knows how long they will have to stay here? Hmph, they're getting what they deserve!

Quickly, the squad of garrison troops stationed there gathered and got into their formations. After taking the roster, the squad leader returned and said, "Reporting to the company leader: the 7th Squad of the garrison soldiers has gathered with all 104 members present!"

However, the company leader merely said, "My work here is done."

What did that mean? Before he comprehended the meaning behind those words, the squad leader heard a loud "Fire!"

Arrows fell like rain on the defenseless squad of soldiers, causing cries of agony to ring out incessantly.

"You..." cried the squad leader in shock before he felt a cold, searing pain that caused his body to shiver uncontrollably.

"Apologies, I'm merely doing this for the sake of my own life. I had no choice..." said the company leader. The savage face of the company leader would be the last thing the squad leader saw before his untimely death.

"Double check if they're really dead by giving each of them a stab. Toss the corpses into the entrenchment over there so that they won't be discovered too quickly," instructed Lorist.

"The next patrol over here is at 8 tonight and even if they discover this, they will have to report it to me back at the village. After discovering the situation there, it will be another two hours before word of this can reach the main troop. That's why, we have the whole morning for us to make our haste. However, the fork up front is stationed with a company of garrison soldiers who are in charge of patrolling the lake. I can get them to open the gates of their camp, but after that will be up to you. Also, you promised me that you will not let them discover that I helped you out on this," said the company leader as he told Lorist about the situation while using the map as reference.

Lorist nodded and said, "Don't worry, I will make sure that any garrison soldier that sees you doesn't live to tell about it."

Receiving the map the company leader handed him, Lorist told Patt and Pete, "The moment the gates are open, start killing right away when they still don't have a grasp on the situation. After conquering the campsite, use the logs of the fence of the camp and make them into rafts. Additionally, assume a defensive position at the hill between the campsite and the lake just in case reinforcements arrive. That's all. We will depart immediately."

...

By the time they arrived at the camp near the lake, it was already the afternoon. The four guards at the gates recognized Bose and thought that he was there to deliver supplies given the five large carriages that he brought with him. Without making any report, they opened the gates only to have their throats slit by Reidy and the others.

Pete and Patt led the 100 plus mounted archers into the camp and got into position at the very middle of it before they started shooting their arrows in every direction, causing one garrison soldier after another to fall to the ground. Sounds of slaughter and demise intertwined within the camp.

To the company of garrison soldiers camped over there, their main duty was to patrol the bank of the lake as well as the small path that led to Lichtana Citadel and take care of the illegal entrants into the duchy as per the orders of the duke. They were never prepared for such a large scale assault and some of the soldiers were even unaware of what was happening even at the moment of their deaths.

Lorist led Jim and Reidy on horseback and rushed straight into the camp and began to slash at the tents with their pikes just in case they missed out any soldiers who were hiding within.

As for the company leader and the few squad leaders who were in charge of the camp, they were nailed to the ground without being able to react by Lorist's javelins the moment they emerged from their tents.

Given that the campsite wasn't that huge, it didn't take long for the sweeping operation to be completed.

Patt came over with a serious expression as he reported, "Milord, there are a total of 308 corpses of the garrison soldiers within this camp. One squad is still missing."

Lorist furrowed his brow and looked at Company Leader Bose who was standing by his side.

After giving it some thought, the company leader said, "Perhaps they went on a patrol already. However, I have no idea whether they went to the bank of the lake or the small path heading to the citadel..."

Before he finished his sentence, Jim called out and pointed into the distance, "Over there..."

Lorist turned his head to look and saw a hill in the distance where a squad of garrison soldiers could be seen heading towards the camp. However, they stopped all of a sudden, probably because they were able to see the corpses within the camp given their higher vantage point and didn't know what to do next.

"Pete, bring your mounted archers to exterminate them quickly. Try your best to not let too many escape," Lorist ordered.

With but a whistle, the mounted archers rushed towards that hill under Pete's lead.

"I'm going too," Jim said before he and his guards mounted their horses and gave chase.

"Alright. Reidy, Patt, use these horses to uproot the logs used for the fence of the camp. We need to work fast." Lorist then instructed the remaining mounted archers to tie a rope to each wooden log and fasten the other end to a horse before prodding the horse forward to pull the log from the ground.

"Wait, milord," Company Leader Bose said as he stepped forward to stop Lorist.

"Hmm? What's wrong?" Lorist asked.

"Milord, the part of the logs that are embedded in the ground is not needed. The upper parts of the log have already long dried up but the ones beneath the ground are still moist. If you make a raft with the whole thing, it would be hard to get an even buoyancy. It's better if the moist parts of the logs are cut off first so that the rafts can be more balanced and able to sustain heavier weights..." explained the company leader.

Lorist understood immediately and said, "Cut off the lower parts of the logs as he just said."

"Milord, please give me a sword. I'd like to help out too. Also, the wooden warehouse can also be dismantled to be made into a raft," said the company leader.

"Return his sword to him," Lorist told Reidy.

Bose drew his sword and circulated his Battle Force to generate a blade glow which he used to hack at the wooden logs. By the time he cut off the 4th log, the blade glow dissipated and the longsword was stuck in the middle of the log.

"Not bad, it seems that using Battle Force for logging is rather fast," Lorist said. "Patt, have the Silver ranked troops focus on chopping off the logs. Reidy, bring some men to dismantle the warehouse."

By the time the warehouse was mostly dismantled, Jim and Pete returned.

"Milord, more than ten managed to escape into the forests and we didn't continue to pursue them," Pete reported.

"How are the casualties?"

"There are none. The moment they saw us approach, they ran immediately. Given that they were near the lake, there wasn't anywhere else to run to and more than half jumped into the lake in desperation only to be shot to death by our arrows. However, a lucky few managed to sneak into the forests. As we didn't have any way to cross the swamp, we could only watch them run from afar..."

"Sir," Company Leader Bose said as he approached while wiping off some sweat. "It will take around one hour to travel from here to Lichtana Citadel on horseback. Assuming the escaped soldiers take two hours to get there, the reinforcements will arrive here one hour after that. We have three hours of time left at most."

"Alright. Everyone, make the best use of your time. Have the horses pull the logs which have their bottoms severed straight to the lake bank and construct the rafts there. Reidy and Jim, search the camp again to find more materials we can use to make the rafts with," Lorist said as he clapped his hands a few times.

Five huge rafts were constructed in total with each being able to hold one carriage on it. The rest of the horses including those found within the camp were rushed into the lake so that they would swim across to the other side.

The 100 plus men on their respective rafts pushed against the bank with their oars and gradually paddled their way to the other side.

As the skies turned darker, a thin layer of mist blanketed the lake. Occasionally, sounds of horses neighing could be heard amidst the silent sound of the paddling oars pushing against the water of the lake.

The distance between both banks of the lake was about 500 meters. Just as the five rafts passed the midsection of the lake, sounds of soldiers and horses arriving at the bank behind them could be heard.

Well, they sure did take their time, Lorist thought as he laughed out loud. They quickly arrived on the opposite bank and were about to rejoin with their stranded comrades. The next step Lorist had to take was to figure out how to get them back home.

Chapter 152 Noble Rank Elevation Prev ChapterNext Chapter

Here's the third sponsored chapter of the week thanks to James C. of the USA and Juan S. of the Phillipines. Managed to finish it before sleep! Have a nice time reading it.

Lorist pushed open the tent's flaps and entered it.

At that moment, everyone was stunned followed by a burst of excited laughter.

"Mi-milord... Why have you come?" Charade cried out excitedly as he jumped in surprise. He was so shocked by Lorist's surprise visit that he had knocked the table in front of him over when he jumped, causing a mess of ink, pen and beastskin to manifest on the ground.

Lorist laughed before he said, "I'm here to bring you all back home."

Even though it was just a simple sentence, it caused half of the people within the tent to tear up immediately. Some of them were so moved that they even cried uncontrollably.

Dulles was one of the Dawn Academy students who had willingly followed Charade to join the northbound convoy. He was also appointed by Lorist to fill an important role and was made into the captain of the carroballista unit. He had traveled and weathered through the hardships with the rest of the convoy from the 2nd month to the 9th month, 7 whole months. Having been stuck in their current predicament, Dulles started to feel even more hopeless. However, when he heard Lorist's words, he had been so moved that tears trailed down all over his face.

Lorist gave Dulles a hug before he told the rest within the tent, "Nothing and nobody can obstruct us on our way back home. It must've been rough for you guys to have made your way here. Right now, the only thing between us and the Northlands is the Madras Duchy. I'm not bothered by a single Ironguard Army. Even if they're all iron men, we will still bash them into smithereens."

Lorist continued to hug the rest of them one after another. By the time he reached Potterfang, the man who was the first to pledge his loyalty to Lorist, Potterfang teared up and said, "Milord, it's all because of our incompetence..."

Lorist interjected and said, "No, you have all done very well."

The last one Lorist greeted was Charade. When he saw the fatty, he noticed that the pot belly he used to have had vanished and the once rounded and puffy face had become slightly more firm and chiseled. Charade's cheeks also seemed to have sunk deeper inside and he no longer looked bouncy and chubby. Wrinkles could be seen on his forehead with a few strands of white hair growing out from his bangs. It was apparent that the stress and burden he had bore had a lasting effect on him.

Lorist spread both his arms and hugged Charade tightly before he said, "Brother Charade, it must've been tough..."

Charade merely sobbed quietly without saying a single word.

After they all calmed down and returned to their seats, Lorist announced his decision that he would hold a grand banquet tomorrow to knight the officers of the convoy who have made significant contributions to officially make them the knights of the Norton Family.

Lorist smiled as he said, "Originally, I planned to award you guys after you all arrived at the Northlands. However, now that the convoy has expanded this much, it really can't be excused if I don't promote those who have done well into the ranks of our family knights. For now, I will knight a group and there will be another knighting ceremony once we return to the family dominion. I hope the rest of you can come up with a list of candidates with contributions and discuss whether they qualify with Charade. However, you must also notify them in person if they are selected. If they believe that better opportunities lie elsewhere, we won't force them to join us.

"After tomorrow, the convoy will undergo a reorganization and it will start to get really busy. However, our efforts will help ensure that our journey ahead will be a less arduous one. Everyone, I hope you can persevere for a little bit more. Even though we still have quite a number of troubling things to settle, they shall not obstruct our journey back to the Northlands, our home. I have confidence that I will be able to bring all of you back. However, I'm only a single human and not a gigantic titan nor a flame-breathing dragon. I will need all of your help and assistance to bring a convoy of this size back home. So, I am in your care."

Lorist stood up and the rest within the tent bowed towards him respectfully.

...

As night encroached upon day, the once noisy campsite gradually quieted down. Countless people fell into deep slumber while basking in the gentle light of the Silvermoon.

Only Lorist, Charade and Potterfang remained within the tent. Reidy had left once he made them some macks and stood guard outside the tent.

"Your biggest mistake was your greed which the Second Highness didn't fail to exploit. Had you refused the Second Highness's request after the battle at the Green Plains and led the convoy up north, I'm sure that no one would dare to bar your way. I know that part of the reason you agreed to it was because of my elder cousin sister. Additionally, I'm sure you have benefitted quite a bit back from the time and Geldos City and thought that the convoy can't hurt to have more resources. However, you forgot one important thing: the more resources you have, the more burden it will be on the convoy..."

Lorist was currently analyzing and criticizing Charade's mistakes.

"Our convoy is not unlike a gigantic snake. Even though it is huge, it is also quite agile. Occasionally eating a rabbit or a goat wouldn't cause it to lose its agility. However, if you force it to swallow a few bulls at one go, it will stop moving altogether. In that situation, our convoy would become the ideal prey for other predators.

"Disposition determines fate, Brother Charade. You are a talented man and I've personally witnessed it back at the Sloph Bastide. Baron Miranda was also extremely full of praise for you. However, your greedy and miserly personality has caused you to miss out on the big picture. You were only focused on getting all the benefits without being willing to give any of the opportunities up and that trait is ideal for the Second Highness to exploit you to his advantage.

"The other mistake you made was that after you cleared up the nobles of the three provinces of the Andinaq Kingdom, the Second Highness got all the benefits while you had to shoulder all the fault and blame. Did you know how surprised I was when I heard rumors about 'Charade the Demon'? Even if the nobles had obstructed the convoy and even attempted to rob it, you shouldn't have acted to emotionally. Think about it, if you hadn't hung the nobles personally and merely captured them and handed them to the Second Highness, he wouldn't have been able to lay all the fault on the convoy and would instead have to trouble himself over how to take care of the rebellious nobles himself."

Lorist lifted his silver cup and took a sip of the macks that was slightly cooled.

Charade muttered, "It's completely my fault. I've always felt that something was off and had a hint that the Second Highness was exploiting me somehow. However, I wasn't able to see where went wrong myself and only understood after you explained it to me. Locke, you've changed quite a bit as well and you've started to see things so distant in the future from now. You're turning more lord-like by the moment."

Lorist laughed out and said, "I have no choice, people change after all. After becoming the dominion lord, I experienced the burdens and pressure firsthand that came with the position and all that forced me to adapt. Brother Charade, you don't have to feel too bad about yourself either. As the chief supervisor of the convoy, you are no doubt the best candidate I could ever hope for. However, as the leader of the convoy, you're still rather lacking because you lose sight of your goals a little too easily just like Potterfang here. While you, Potterfang, may be a great general, you wouldn't be a fitting leader. I can see that the two of you have already done your best to bring the convoy all the way here by yourselves and even expanded it into what it is today.

"Then again, I am also partly at fault for this. If I had given you guys a deadline to arrive at the Northlands, all this might not have transpired. I understand that you have gathered the vagabonds because you considered the lack of manpower the family was having. Given the current situation, as long as we are able to bring them all back, within a few years, we will be able to turn the dominion into a haven amidst the chaotic times of war where people can live without worry."

"Then, what should be our next step?" Charade asked excitedly. Lorist's arrival made him feel that burden he bore lightened up significantly. The past half a year of planning and worrying had fatigued him both mentally and physically. He was worried that If he were to go on like that for another 6 months, he would first die from the exhaustion before arriving at the dominion.

"There's no rush," Lorist said. "I've already heard about the situation of the convoy briefly from Reidy. It's fortunate that you guys are here to ensure that the convoy hasn't disintegrated in the midst of all this trouble. The reason I am going to promote a few members of the convoy is to calm their hearts and minds for now. Start working on the list tonight and ask the candidates tomorrow about what they think about joining the family knights. 'Know yourself and your enemy, and you will never be defeated'[1], these are the words of an ancient scholar who lived a few millenia ago. I personally think that it makes a lot of sense."

...

Upon hearing that the new family leader of the Nortons had arrived at the convoy, the Second Highness left at noon the next day with Glacia to the campsite.

Lorist held his right fist to his chest with his left arm behind his back and bowed down slightly to the Second Highness. This was the traditional salute of a junior noble to a senior noble.

The Second Highness was extremely elated and he hugged Lorist after he returned the salute to express his friendliness.

After that, it was Glacia's turn. She still remembered how Lorist looked back then but she couldn't bring herself to believe that the crybaby from her childhood had grown into a fine young man with such a stellar physique who had also assumed position of the Norton Family head.

After hearing about the recent situation of the family and recalling the harsh experiences of the past, Glacia hugged Lorist and cried for a while. In the end, Lorist teased her by asking when she would marry the Second Highness and give birth to a healthy baby, causing her pout and stretch her hand to pull onto Lorist's ear, forcing him to beg for mercy.

After messing around for quite a while, they started to talk seriously about the matters at hand.

The Second Highness sounded casual and straightforward as he told Lorist about the troubles the convoy was facing and gave his opinion that the convoy would only be able to last four more months with its food supply. He also stated that the Andinaq Kingdom would not be able to sustain more vagabonds in its current state. When food runs out completely, the convoy would no doubt crumble and the chaos that resulted from so many people panicking would cause the Andinaq Kingdom that had just settled down from the recent conflict to fall into another period of instability. The Second Highness requested that Count Norton solve the problem of the convoy right away lest the worst case scenario comes to happen and cause both parties grief and loss.

Lorist merely laughed and politely pointed out that he had only inherited the title of a baron and cannot be called a count. He even instructed Reidy to return the certificate that signified his status as a count back to the Second Highness.

At that moment, everyone within the tent was completely flabbergasted. Lorist's refusal of the elevation in rank from the Second Highness was something that no one had been able to predict. Could that be a gesture that signified the Norton Family's refusal to continue serving the Second Highness, and by extension, the Andinaq Royal Family?

After recovering from the shock, the Second Highness asked Lorist whether he had done something wrong or disrespectful or if the Norton Family had refused the promotion because it intended to dissociate itself from the Andinaq Royal Family altogether.

Lorist said with a serious face, "The Norton Family prides itself in its oath that any of its members would not bend their knees to anyone apart from those of the Krissen Imperial Family or the elders of the Norton Family. The Andinaq Royal Family is indeed the rightful heir to the legacy of the Krissen Imperial Family, and that is recognized publicly as well. So, the Norton Family will not go against its oath and will naturally continue to serve the Andinaq Royal Family. However, the Norton Family is unable to accept the elevation conferred upon us by you, the Second Highness, because that is akin to sullying the pride of a landed noble family like us with an honorary title. To us, this is not an elevation but rather an insult. That's why we humbly refuse your offer."

Charade was the first one to understand the implications of that statement and he hurriedly gave himself a harsh slap to his cheek as he had made a grave mistake in accepting the elevation in rank conferred by the Second Highness on Lorist's behalf the first time around. Had it not been for Lorist's reminder, he would have accepted the title of the count on behalf of the family and that would potentially cause the Norton Family's status to fall from that of a landed noble family to an honorary one.

Els and Terman gave Charade weird looks and wondered why he slapped himself so hard. Charade proceeded to explain his mistake to them in a low voice.

Normally speaking, a landed noble's elevation in title must be followed by either enfeoffment of another piece of land to add to their original territory or a complete move from the original territory to another bigger one befitting of the new title with the original territory returning to the hands of the senior noble.

Currently, the conferment of the title of a count to the Norton Family would cause it to bear a count's title without having the territory to back it up. If Lorist had accepted the title, in accordance to the law of nobility, that would be equal to surrendering his original status as a landed baron back to the Second Highness in exchange for the honorary title of a count which had no real bearing and right over any dominion or land.

Sol, this fellow really is devious, Lorist thought. Apart from Charade whose impression of the Second Highness could only worsen at this point, Els, Terman and the rest within the tent gave the Second Highness looks of distrust.

The Second Highness himself on the other hand was shocked as it was not his intention to lay such an elaborate trap for the Norton Family and it was nothing more than a silly mistake on his part. He believed that if the Norton Family dominion was not so desolate, the area it actually covered could be considered to be equal to the combined areas of two whole counties. He had elevated the status of the Norton Family because he believed that given the existing territory of the Nortons, they could be considered to be ruling over a county and the Second Highness himself wouldn't need to enfeoff any additional land of the kingdom to them. He also thought that giving the Norton Family a higher title would allow them more freedom to act within the Northlands so that they would be able to aid the Second Highness to act against the Duke of the Northlands who was under the rule of the Second Prince.

The fact that such a loophole that allowed a senior noble to claim a junior noble's dominion by means of conferring a title with no substance to a landed noble existed completely eclipsed the Second Highness. That kind of elevation was nothing but an insult to landed nobles and some who reacted more strongly over something like that might even bear a furious grudge against their senior nobles for such a transgression. Lorist's behavior could already be considered rather courteous and low-key.

The Second Highness himself stood up and bowed towards Lorist as he apologized. "This is completely a mistake on my part and I wholly apologize to you for it. As a token of my misgivings, I am willing to enfeoff the whole of the Northlands to the Norton Family..."

Lorist rudely ignored the Second Highness and continued to twirl the silver cup in his hand nonstop.

Glacia, who was seated behind the Second Highness could no longer stand it and stood up as she said, "Locke, you're far too insolent. His Highness has already admitted his mistake and apologized and is even willing to give the whole of the Northlands to the family! What more do you want?"

Lorist laughed and said, "As expected of a good woman who sticks up to his man! Alright, Cousin Glacia, please ask the Second Highness whether the Northlands is under the rule of the Andinaq Kingdom."

An atmosphere of silence filled the whole of the tent and even Glacia was made completely speechless. The gazes of everyone present were currently focused on the Second Highness as they awaited his response.

At that moment, the Second Highness felt like slapping himself in the face just like Charade did as he had made yet another grave mistake. Given that he had long wanted to reunite the empire and restore the Krissen Imperial Family back to its former glory, he had unconsciously promised the Northlands to the Norton Family and forgotten that the Northlands was in fact part of the territory of the Second Prince's Iblia Kingdom and not his Andinaq Kingdom.

As he pondered over the issue frantically, cold sweat built up on his forehead. If word of him promising the land of another kingdom to a noble family spreads out, the Andinaq Kingdom would definitely become the joke of the decade. Additionally, that promise of the Second Highness would be taken as an example of how empty his words were which don't hold any real weight. More importantly, that would further push away the Norton Family which was currently of most aid to the Andinaq Kingdom.

With a flash of insight, the Second Highness suddenly came up with a solution. Slightly smiling, he said to the rest within the tent, "Of course. I intend to offer up the whole of the Northlands to the Norton Family as a token of my apology."

Everyone was surprised with Glacia even exclaiming in shock, "Your Highness... You..."

The Second Highness waved his hand before continuing. "I haven't finished what I have to say yet. That was just to make up for my mistakes and it is not an additional enfeoffment. I have also decided to enfeoff my own principality to the Norton Family to add to their existing territory to fit the elevated title of the count. As for the Northlands, while it is still not under my rule yet, I promise that when I exterminate the Madras Duchy, if the Norton Family has already taken control of the Northlands, I will confer upon the Norton Family the title of a duke and make the Northlands the inheritable dominion of the Norton Family for generations to come."

Lorist smiled as he thought, so this Second Highness is quite quick-witted after all. He managed to turn the whole awkward situation around with but a few words. If the Madras Duchy truly were exterminated and taken over, then the Northlands would be able to connect directly to the Andinaq Kingdom and if the Norton Family has taken control of it by then, then the Northlands would naturally fall under the rule of the Andinaq Kingdom. That way, the promise of the Second Highness to grant the title of the duke to the Norton Family would no longer merely be an empty one.

However, Lorist was quite curious where the principality of the Second Highness was. Given that the territory might be even larger than that of a count's, why was the Second Highness willing to give it away?

Charade handed a map over to Lorist and pointed to a spot on the map while silently cursing out. "This Second Highness truly is devious. Milord, it would be wise for you to be more careful."

Lorist turned to look at the map and saw that the principality was actually a small island separate from the main continent. While the area was indeed roughly that of a county's, more than half of the island was covered by mountains and beaches and not much land could be used for agriculture. It was no wonder Charade was still mad.

Lorist laughed before he said, "Alright, since the Second Highness has already said so, then the Norton Family will accept the conferment of the title of the count by the Andinaq Royal Family."

The Second Highness proceeded to wipe off his nervous sweat and returned to his seat as the atmosphere within the tent returned to its former calm.

[1] Words by Sunzi in his work, 'The Art of War'.

Chapter 153 Trivial Problems Prev ChapterNext Chapter

Trivial Problems

And here we are, back for the first regular chapter of the week. Enjoy!

"Your Highness, can you tell me more about the military strength of the Madras Duchy?" Lorist asked.

The Second Highness nodded and cleared his throat before he said, "Alright, let me tell you all I know about the situation of the Madras Duchy."

Lorist stood up and pushed the table in front of him aside and helped Reidy hang a large beastskin map up for everyone within the tent to see. That was an enlarged map of the Madras Duchy which Charade had hurriedly tasked somebody to copy from a smaller map the night before.

"Your Highness, here you go," Lorist said as he passed a thin wooden pointer to the Second Highness.

While this method of presentation was new to him, the Second Highness quickly understood the use of the pointer which was thin on one end and thicker on the other. He walked up to the map and started his presentation in a similar fashion as a teacher giving a lesson.

"The Madras Duchy is formed by three provinces in total. First, we have the Yungechandler Province to the south of the duchy which is directly linked to the Andinaq Kingdom. To the east of that province is the Farkel Duchy and the Shabaj Duchy. I'm sure all of you can see from the map that this province is mostly covered by mountainous areas and swamps as well as the Egret Lake. So, it doesn't have much farmland and only houses 35 landed noble families there.

"The Delamock Province is the largest province of the Madras Duchy and it is separated from the Northlands by the Metropoulos River. It is connected to the Iblia Kingdom to its south and its southern area is mostly grasslands with the exception of the Sanderson Hill Range. This province is known for being the largest food producer of the duchy and its production alone can sustain even three of the most populated provinces back during the time of the empire of about 2 million people. As long as we are able to take control of this province, we will be able to easily sustain more than 400000 vagabonds, not to say much about 100000.

"Ever since the founding of the Madras Duchy, a group of landed nobles were moved to the Delamock Province and right now there are more or less 100 plus noble families over there. Only Kobo City remains the personal territory of Duke Madras within that province.

"Lastly, we have the Sidgler Province at the east of the duchy and that is the main base of Duke Madras. The Sidgler Province is only connected to the Yungechandler Province and it has been under the personal rule of the duke ever since the moving of the landed noble families to the Delamock Province.

"The Madras Duchy is estimated to have a population of about 1700000 people and they mainly use defense troops. Most of the dominions of the landed nobles and their towns use garrison soldiers as the main defense force and if a huge battle comes, the Madras Duchy will gather up the garrison forces of multiple territories to form a temporary army to be deployed on the frontlines.

"Other than that, the Madras Duchy has also formed two general purpose armies. The first one is the Seamountain Legion which is the local defense army that was formed back in the day of the earliest ancestor of Duke Madras. The Seamountain Legion boasts a number of 24000 soldiers who are fully-equipped and they are stationed at the Sidgler Province for the whole year round and are the most trusted troops of the duke.

"The other one is the Ironguard Legion which is responsible for securing the border by guarding the Lichtana Citadel. They number about 28000 soldiers in total and have a reputation of being one of the strongest armies in terms of defensive strength."

The Second Highness smiled as he continued to speak to the rest within the tent. "Actually, the battle that brought the Ironguard Legion to fame involved my lord father. During the 4th year of the civil war in the empire, the once hesitant Duke Madras received encouragement from many and finally decided to form his own duchy. Back then, I was leading troops in the Whitelion Legion and fighting back against the troops of the First Prince while the Fiercegale Legion of the Melein Duchy continued to push back the Second Prince's forces time and again. All looked well and we thought at that time that the rebellion of the First Prince and the Second Prince would be eventually quelled.

"However, none of us expected that Duke Madras would found his own duchy back then and even chose to maintain neutrality and aid no one in particular. They also sealed off their borders and that caused the imperial capital and the four duchies of the central empire to be cut off and we were no longer able to receive any support in terms of resources from them. The food supply from the Delamock Province was also stopped and the situation at the frontlines changed all of a sudden. We could not press our attacks and could only resist defensively.

"Back then, only by breaking the blockade of the Madras Duchy could we stand a chance to reunite the empire. Thus, my lord father led more than 63000 troops of the royal family's local defense guards and managed to take over the whole of the Yungechandler Province. However, when they arrived at the Delamock Province, all 60000 plus soldiers were stopped in their tracks at Kobo City.

"Back then, the only force defending the Kobo City were garrison soldiers that were gathered from different nearby areas and they only numbered a little more than 8000. However, those garrison soldiers actually managed to stop my lord father's assaults and caused him to be unable to enter the Delamock Province even after 6 months of battles to the point that he coughed out blood in rage.

"In the end, due to my lord father's refusal to retreat despite the fact that the Second Prince had sent his forces to engage in a pincer attack with the Madras Duchy's Seamountain Legion, only less than 20000 of the original 63000 troops managed to survive.

"The garrison force that defended Kobo City was also only left with less than 1000 people. However, Duke Madras who was enthralled by their performance termed them the Ironguard Legion and reorganized them into a formal army that excelled in terms of defensive power.

"Ever since that battle, the empire's situation suffered even more and due to the lack of food and other supplies to sustain the army, we had no choice but to retreat from the frontlines, only to be surprise attacked by a division of the First Prince's forces that went around the frontlines to attack the imperial capital. While we rushed there the moment we heard of the news and eliminated that division, the imperial capital had already been devastated. The former glory and grandeur of the imperial capital was lost completely and it had turned into a desolate, lifeless mess of burning buildings and homeless vagabonds.

"From that point of view, it could be said that the true perpetrator that caused the imperial capital to head down the path of ruin was Duke Madras. However, no matter how much I loathe him, I didn't have the ability to punish him for that grave misdeed. Now, I believe he had sealed the borders because he wants the vagabonds to once more ravage the Andinaq Kingdom. After all, the worse shape we are in, the less he has to worry about.

"That's why we have to use the vagabonds to attack Lichtana Citadel while we still have enough food. Even if we're unable to take it in the end, the deaths of the vagabonds will also save us a lot of trouble.

"It's not like I want to leave the vagabonds for dead. However, it is beyond my ability to do otherwise as I cannot sacrifice the rest of the 1500000 citizens who have just recently settled down in the Andinaq Kingdom to resume their former lives."

Lorist laughed as he stood up to interject the Second Highness's long speech. "Your Highness, there's no need for us to do this nor is there a need for us to attack Lichtana Citadel. In fact, time is on our side and there are many ways to save the 100000 vagabonds without having to resort to sending them to their deaths."

A buzz of chatter resounded throughout the tent. The vagabonds were the biggest burden of the convoy currently and the amount of food they consumed was truly too enormous. Even though the Second Highness's suggestion to use them to take over the Lichtana Citadel sounded cruel, many of them also believed that there was no other way to solve the issue.

"Could you enlighten us about that method of yours?" asked the Second Highness in surprise as he looked at Lorist and wondered why he believed that he had more than enough time.

Lorist took the wooden pointer from the Second Highness and walked up to the map and started pointing to it. "Look over here. You seem to have forgotten about Egret Lake. It is the largest lake within the borders of the empire and it is also the natural border between the Madras Duchy and the Andinaq Kingdom.

"Let's talk about the first problem: the lack of food. Given that the lake has many fish, couldn't we solve it by fishing? Other than that, there are many vegetables and herbs like seaweed which we can obtain from the lake. By relying on just that, we will be able to sustain the vagabonds with minimum expense on our own food supply.

"While it was forbidden to fish there as it is the border between two nations, we don't have to give a damn about it now. I believe that Duke Madras wouldn't care about this either as long as we don't approach his side of the lake bank.

"You all should also be aware that winter is coming within two months. By the time the freezing cold descends upon us, the Egret Lake will become frozen. That way, we will be able to cross it without having to go past Lichtana Citadel and continue our journey north. That's why I mentioned that time was on our side."

After Lorist finished what he said, the whole tent turned abuzz. At that moment, many thought, that's right, why didn't we think of crossing the lake after it has frozen up and fixated ourselves with the path through Lichtana Citadel? And if our food can only last us for three months, the Egret Lake has plenty of fish and seaweed to meet our needs. Since they've forbidden fishing over there for quite some time, there must be a healthy population of fish within the lake now! The catch will definitely be plentiful and we might be able to get enough food to last us half a year, not to say much about only a month or two!

The Second Highness patted on Lorist's shoulder warmly and said with a brilliant smile, "As expected of Count Norton. I heard that you were a talented student back at Dawn Academy and it seems you have not failed to live up to your reputation and managed to solve two huge issues in one go. That way, we no longer have to worry about the vagabonds, haha..."

"Your Highness, I think it's better if you just called me Locke. Calling me count all the time is a little too formal," replied Lorist with a laugh.

"Alright, I'll call you Locke if you call me Aulo," the Second Highness said.

"Sure, Aulo. I'll have to rely on your help for the fishing. I will need some fishing boats and nets and I myself will also get some men to make more nets. We have to proceed as soon as possible so that we can dry the fish in time for easier preservation," Lorist said.

The Second Highness nodded and said, "Alright, that will do. You truly have the whole thing thought out well. I'll get to it right away."

Lorist pulled on the Second Highness's arm to stop him and said, "Well, it's not like I need everything done right this instant. There will be a banquet here tonight and I hope that you can attend it. I will be knighting a few members of the convoy and I'd like you to be a witness for the ceremony."

Surprised, the Second Highness laughed out and said, "Alright, I will stay to witness the splendor of the knights of the Family of the Raging Bear."

The banquet during the night was very merry and plentiful. Apart from the people of the convoy who were all given a nice meal with meat and some alcohol; even the vagabonds could let themselves loose and eat as much as they liked.

There was a total of 48 people with contributions who were made into knights of the Norton Family. What made Charade pissed was that 26 of the original 74 candidates had refused the offer as they had already promised the Second Highness that they would join the knights of the Andinaq Royal Family and would leave after the northbound convoy completes its journey. 7 of the 26 were even the senior students of Dawn Academy.

Lorist however didn't mind that as everyone had their own goals and nothing good would come from forcing them to stay. All was fine as long as the ones he prioritized, namely, Mons Malek, Lode Wales, Chino Freiyar, Dulles and Lundmorde, didn't leave. To sum it all up, apart from one senior student, Zivos, who had perished in combat, 16 of the remaining 37 joined the Second Highness and only 21 of them became the knights of the Norton Family.

Charade, Terman, Yuriy and Els, who was still recovering from his injuries, stood beside the Second Highness and intentionally spoke in an audible volume about how the Second Highness had repaid the convoy's help by sabotaging it and poaching its members, causing the Second Highness to feel awkward beyond measure. In the end, Glacia could no longer stand it and had Lorist bring the four troublemakers away.

The first ones to make their oath of allegiance were the Gold ranked knights, Lode Wales and Chino Freiyar, followed by Mons Malek, Dulles, Lundmorde and the remaining 19 senior students of the Dawn Academy. The 27 Silver ranked knights who have made significant contributions were next and they were mostly knights who used to serve the noble families that were wiped out by Count Cobry. They joined the convoy after being rescued and managed to distinguish themselves from the rest by making significant contributions during the rest of the journey and were selected as family knight candidates as a result.

When the last knight pledged his loyalty to Lorist and the Norton Family, Lorist turned to Jim who was standing beside Reidy with an envious face and waved towards him. Thinking that Lorist had something he needed him to do, Jim ran in front of him and saluted before he said, "Milord, what do you need me for?"

Lorist stepped forward and tapped onto Jim's shoulder as he said, "Jim, you've followed me along for quite some time now. Even though you still behave like a mercenary now and then, your loyalty, hardworking attitude and bravery definitely stands out more than the others. Are you willing to become my knight and fight under the banner of the Roaring Raging Bear?"

"Naturally," Jim replied without hesitating as he looked at Lorist with a solemn expression. "Milord, you didn't even have to ask."

Els and Potterfang burst out in laughter uncontrollably.

Reidy then came over and gave Jim a kick before he said, "Idiot, milord is going to accept you into the ranks of the family knights. What are you still doing? Kneel down and make your pledge!"

"Oh," Jim said excitedly. "Milord, can I truly, really, become a knight of the Norton Family?"

Lorist nodded with a smile.

Jim hurriedly tidied up his attire and kneeled on one knee in front of Lorist. Just as he was about to make his pledge, he saw Reidy make a facepalm as he said, "Idiot, it's not that leg. It should be the other one that kneels..."

The pledging of a knight also had certain standards to abide by. The proper way to pledge was to kneel on the ground with both hands or with one hand placed on the left knee.

Jim blushed as he changed his posture once more and recited the pledge as many knights before him did. "I, Jim, am willing to pledge my loyalty to the Norton Family and follow milord Lorist from now on. I will carry out my duties to shield the honor of the Norton Family Knights. I am willing to become the sword of Lord Lorist and fight until my last breath under the banner of the Raging Bear."

Lorist drew his sword in a formal gesture and tapped onto both shoulders of Jim twice before he said, "Rise, my knight."

Potterfang then came over with a silver raging bear badge and put it on Jim's left chest before he gave him a tight hug and said, "I welcome your participation, my brother."

The knights who just joined the order were making merry during the banquet.

Lorist went to the Second Highness's side and toasted him with his wine cup before he noticed Glacia beside him who was silently crying.

"What's up with her?" Lorist asked.

"She's so happy for you that she started shedding tears of joy after seeing so many talented men take you as their lord. It seems that the day the Norton Family returns to its former glory is no doubt nearing," explained the Second Highness.

"Hehe, Your Highness, actually, you've deprived me of 29 fine knights from your poaching, you know," Lorist teased before he raised his cup to toast him and took a gulp of his wine. "Your Highness Aulo, you can just bring them away with you when you leave later."

"Why? Didn't you need them to escort the convoy back to the Northlands first?" asked the Second Highness.

Lorist shook his head and said, "There's no need for that. I don't wish to hinder their future careers. Your Highness, you should also be busy restoring the Andinaq Kingdom and I'm sure you could use the help of those extra hands. I'll let them join you early so that they can rack up some achievements for themselves. It will take too much of their time for them to follow the convoy. Also, I've already recruited quite a number of family knights and I'm going to reorganize the forces of the convoy soon, so there's little point in having them stay with us any longer."

The Second Highness didn't hesitate as he nodded and said, "Alright. I will bring them with me when I leave later."

Lorist's Strategy

Second regular chapter of the week here, things are going to get serious.

On a side note, some of you may have noticed that I've struggled to meet four sponsored chapters a week for TRL. I really apoloogize for that as the examination season is coming up and I'll be translating at a slower rate of maybe 4 chapters a week (including the regulars) or 5 when I have more time (this release rate will only be temporary and I'll most likely be able to return to the usual rate in the coming one or two months). I'm still pondering over this and haven't made a concrete decision yet. I might also take a week off some time in the future to set the things in my life back into motion because the backlog of things I need to do is building up. Other than that, I hope you continue to support TRL from now on!

"Just a bunch of blind, cruel and inhumane wolves..." Charade muttered as he watched the Second Highness and Glacia leave with the rest of the knights who have joined their side.

Lorist laughed out loud and patted on Charade's shoulder as he said, "Let's go. We have to go back and discuss something really important. We don't have much time..."

"Huh?" Charade was stunned. He quickly caught up to Lorist and asked, "Wait, Locke, what are you planning? There's still one month from winter right now and it'll take another two or three months for the surface of Egret Lake to freeze. We have more time than we need. Why are you saying that we don't have time all of a sudden?"

Lorist stopped in his steps and turned to Charade before he whispered, "Did you think I would really let the convoy wait until the lake freezes over before we move?"

"Huh?" Seeing Lorist turn and continue walking, Charade said anxiously, "You have to explain it more clearly..."

"There are too many eyes here. Let's talk about it when we get back."

When they arrived at a tent beside the main tent, Lorist instructed Reidy, "Get Potterfang, Lode Wales, Freiyar, Malek, Els, Patt, Terman, Yuriy and Dulles to come and ask Engelich to gather the guards to patrol around."

Even though Engelich was a Gold ranked swordsman, in terms of status, he was more like Lorist's attendant and servant because he had signed a servant contract for ten years to preserve his life back then. While Lorist had wanted to promote him into a family knight, Engelich had refused and said that given his old age, he was not too fond of any more fighting. Additionally, his granddaughter Molise had already gotten pregnant with Charade's child, so he can't wait for the arrival of his great grandchild.

The elderly Engelich was pretty open-minded and he doesn't think that being Lorist's attendant despite being a Gold ranked swordsman was an embarrassing thing. Instead, he thought that it was rather good as he was more free to do what he wanted. Additionally, Potterfang and the others treat him rather well for being Lorist's attendant and would even give him a friendly greeting when they met. When Lorist was not present, Engelich was basically a free man that was not restricted by anyone and he thought that it was also quite a decent way to live.

Of all the knights Lorist had summoned, Lode Wales seemed to have drunk quite a bit of alcohol, but he was still sober. When everyone was seated, Lorist had Reidy pour each of them a cup of tea before he announced the reason he called for another emergency meeting.

"In another 15 or 20 days, I am prepared to lead the convoy and the vagabonds into the Madras Duchy to reach the Northlands as soon as possible."

Everyone within the tent were stunned to hear that proclamation. Even Charade couldn't help but cry out, "Milord, how are we to cross the blockade? The Ironguard Legion has sealed off the border completely and if the convoy is going to attack Lichtana Citadel, there's no way we would win..."

"Who told you that I was going to attack Lichtana Citadel?" Lorist questioned back.

"But... but how would we be able to enter the duchy without first going through there?" Charade asked as all eyes within the tent gazed at Lorist with a curious look.

"Hehe..." Lorist started laughing out as he shook his head and said, "You guys... How do your brains work? What is our goal? Isn't it to bring the convoy and the vagabonds back to the Northlands? What business do we have in taking over Lichtana Citadel? To let our livestock graze over there? You guys have forgotten that our aim is not to conquer the Madras Duchy but only to pass through it. That's why we do not have to consider our supply line and taking over Lichtana Citadel is of even less importance to us."

Lorist brought over the frame with an enlarged map of the Lichtana Citadel and the area around it.

Using the wooden pointer to trace on the map, Lorist said, "Look here. Right now, army bases have been set up at Lichtana Citadel and the Bread Hills to seal off this space in the middle as well as the main highway. If we take over the Bread Hills, then how would the Ironguard Legion within the citadel react? They will definitely believe this to be a precursor to a much larger attack by us and they definitely wouldn't act rashly and would secure the citadel even more.

"Let's say we take over the Bread Hills. If the ballistas are set up high at the citadel, they would have a firing range of roughly 300 meters and it could cover the main highway completely. But who said we have to use the main highway? We can use this 200-meter-broad path over here beside the Bread Hills. After all, we only need around 100 meters of width for our convoy and vagabonds to be able to pass through. Even though the Ironguard Legion is famed for its defensive capabilities, we're not going to engage in a siege with them. If they come out, I'd like to see how well they do in an open field battle..."

"Milord, your words ring true!" Potterfang said as he slapped his forehead in realization. "That's right, as long as the convoy and the vagabonds are able to make it through, it's enough. Only the Second Highness's troops would have to conquer the citadel to make sure that they have an established supply line that wouldn't get cut off. Since we're only passing through, there's no need to factor that in and we only have to defeat the obstacles that are ahead of us!"

"This is all the fault of the cunning Second Highness. He had already pulled us into this troublesome situation and now he's pushing the suggestion that we can only pass through the Madras Duchy by conquering the Lichtana Citadel! And we were restricted by his train of thought and didn't think of looking for any other way!" Charade exclaimed as he approached the map and gave it a close look. "Hahaha, that Madras Duchy considers us an army... So that's why they made those kinds of arrangements. If we just circle around the citadel like milord says... the rest of the journey would be swift and smooth!"

The atmosphere within the tent heated up once more as they all realized that their troubles had been for naught and that was another option for them that they weren't able to see.

Lorist waved his hands to signal to the rest to quiet down and used the wooden pointer to point at the map as he said, "The Bread Hills is the place we truly need to conquer. As long as we occupy it, then the convoy and the vagabonds can depart immediately. For now, there is a regiment of Ironguard Legion troops stationed there and there is an army camp at the Bread Hills. I heard that the camp has at least 8000 Ironguard troops and they are stationed there so that they can be switched out regularly to defend the Bread Hills.

"When it comes to the terrain, the Bread Hills is not a good place to defend because it lacks a secure water source. If we can take the main camp, we could effectively cut off the water supply of the troops stationed up the hill and within three days, they will definitely crumble without us having to even put up a fight. Either they surrender to us or they come at us in a suicide attack.

"That's why, the focus of this operation should be this army camp near the Bread Hills. Look here, if we attack from the front, we must risk being in the firing range of the ballistas that are positioned up at the hills and we must first take them out before we can reach the army camp. However, taking over the base at the Bread Hills won't be easy either because the army camp will continue to reinforce them incessantly. That's why attacking from the front is a bad idea that will cost us innumerable casualties.

"You guys remember that I proposed for us to fish for food, right? Actually, my true aim is not to fish but to use the fishing boats to establish a floating pontoon bridge so that the family's forces can cross the Egret Lake at night. After that, our forces will launch a surprise attack against the base at Bread Hills using this route and as long as we can occupy it, we will have succeeded halfway.

"After that, we will use the blockaded route from Lichtana Citadel to Vanades City to head north. Naturally, we will have to attack Vanades City on the way. However, it's alright even if we don't conquer it. The main priority is over here on the route towards the Sidgler Province, the Xith Castle. As long as we can occupy this castle, we will be able to seal the Seamountain Legion of Duke Madras within their home base and we will be free to traverse the other two provinces."

As Lorist finished his explanation, the rest within the tent got more excited. This was a strategy that had a really high success rate and as long it progressed smoothly, it would be simplicity itself to let the convoy and the vagabonds continue the northbound journey through the Madras Duchy.

"The main priority for us now is to secretly cross Egret Lake. Secondly, we have to be quick and gain battlefield superiority before the enemy even notices us so that we have the initiative to be able to decide the flow of battle," Lorist reminded.

Charade made some rough calculations and said, "Milord, we might not have enough soldiers on our side. The Ironguard Legion has around 28000 people and 18000 of them are stationed at Lichtana Citadel with the remaining 10000 stationed at the Bread Hills. Our convoy's forces only number around 20000 and even if we conquer the Bread Hills base, we still need to protect the rest of the convoy and the vagabonds when they cross and stop the Ironguard troops from the citadel from attacking. We won't have any more forces to attack Vanades City like that."

"That won't be a problem. After this, I will be reorganizing our forces and start an enlistment drive. We can even borrow some soldiers from the Second Highness," Lorist said as he signalled for the rest to halt their discussions. "Everyone, please quiet down and I will proceed to explain the gist of the reorganization. First, the number of soldiers that constitute a squad will remain the same at 100 people and five squads will make up a company. Five companies make a regiment and five regiments in turn are collectively referred to as an army. In the future when we have five armies, we will form them into a legion.

"Currently, we have almost one regiment of light cavalry scouts. Yuriy, I'll leave it to you to see how many companies you can form it into and Jim will be helping you out on this. You will be the regiment leader of the First Light Cavalry Scouts Regiment and the extra companies will be handed to Jim. Also, pick out your men who are good at archery and send them to Pete over here so that he will be able to form a company of mounted archers."

Yuriy stood up and said, "Yes, milord. I understand."

"You will be the focal point of this strategy, Yuriy. The responsibility you have is not light and you'll have to be able to sweep the whole battlefield with your troops so that the enemy will be blinded and won't be able to communicate effectively with each other," Lorist said.

"Milord, please be assured that my light cavalry scouts will not let you down," Yuriy said as he knocked onto his chest confidently.

Lorist nodded and waved for him to sit down. Next, he said to Terman, "I hear that you already have more than a company of men in your knight brigade now, right?"

"Milord, including the attendants and stablemen, our numbers approach two whole companies," Terman replied.

Lorist fell deep in thought for a while before he said, "Your knight brigade will be organized a little differently from the rest of the family forces. You can organize it as you see fit. But the basics of one knight having two attendants, one servant and a stableman will not change. I believe you have a whole regiment of men taking into account that a company of 500 Silver ranked knights would have 1000 attendants, 500 stablemen and 500 servants. The company of Silver ranked knights will lead the charge with their attendants while the stablemen and servants provide rearguard support."

"Yes, milord."

"Pog, your heavy-armored cavalry is already as large as 2 and a half regiments, right?" Lorist asked.

"Milord, if we exclude the logistics troops, we should have around 2 full regiments. If we're reorganizing according to the unit system you proposed just now, we would have two regiments and another two extra companies. Our original number for each squad is 128 men per squad," replied Potterfang.

"How about this... Transfer command of the heavy-armored cavalry to Loze and have the logistics troops return to the main camp. Loze, organize the troops into three regiments of 7500 people. I give you five days to accomplish this and the heavy-armored cavalry will be the main driving force of this operation."

Lode Wales stood up and saluted excitedly before he said, "Milord, please be assured that I will definitely complete my mission to your satisfaction."

"Freiyar, your pike infantry has around four regiments of 10000 plus men, right?" Lorist said as he looked at Freiyar.

"11358 men to be exact, milord," Freiyar said as he reported an extremely concise number.

Lorist nodded in admiration before he said, "The command of your pike infantry will be transferred to Pog. Pog, reform them into a heavy-armored infantry army with five regiments of 12500 people. You have 5 days to complete it."

"Yes, milord," Freiyar and Potterfang said in unison.

"That's right, don't forget to arm the troops mentioned just now with the gear of the Whitelion Legion. We don't have to ship all the good stuff back to the dominion. It's better to put them to use right now. That will also serve to lessen the casualties of our forces. As for the old equipment that will be switched out, I'll be leaving it to Freiyar and Malek. The two of you shall recruit 25000 soldiers from the vagabonds and form a garrison legion which is split into two armies. The first army will be led by Freiyar, who will be appointed the Commander of the garrison legion and the second army will be led by Malek, the Vice Commander of the garrison legion. Make sure to finish all that within 15 days.

"The enlistment will follow usual procedures and prioritize the vagabond youths with families. The main purpose of the garrison legion is to maintain the security of the convoy during the northbound journey, understood?" Lorist said as he looked at Freiyar and Malek.

"Understood, milord."

"Roger, milord."

The two of them stood up and acknowledged their order.

Lorist then turned to Dulles and asked, "Dulles, how's the situation of your carroballista unit?"

Dulles hurriedly saluted before he said, "Milord, the carroballista unit now has 627 soldiers. Apart from the original 12 carroballistas we have, we managed to obtain 27 defense sentry ballistas and we've already modified them for use on a combat chariot. However, they are still slightly heavier than the ones we have and aren't as flexible. The firing speed is also slower and they require more people to operate as well."

"Among the gear of the Whitelion Legion there are 78 siege ballistas which we can modify for the use on war chariots. We can also expand your unit to have a full regiment of people with that."

The main advantage a siege ballista held over a defense sentry ballista was its mechanic that allowed it to be raised higher so that the bolts will be able to be fired into the defensive walls of a castle or citadel. Originally, the Whitelion Legion's carroballista regiment had up to 240 of those siege ballistas but many were ruined throughout the civil war and weren't maintained well. It was already quite fortunate for 78 of them to remain intact.

Dulles was quite happy to hear that as he was long frustrated with the lack of ballistas that caused his unit to be unable to expand. Now, that issue was solved.

"How many people within the craftsmen camp know how to construct boats?" Lorist asked Charade.

Charade said in a troubled voice, "There are around one to two thousand people who know carpentry but I don't know how many of them would actually know how to make boats."

"That shouldn't be a problem. What we need are only small boats so I believe it won't be too hard. Just have the carpenters nail wooden boards into a box like shape and fill some parts out with a thick layer of green clay so that water doesn't seep in from the seams. We will only use those makeshift boats for fishing and making the floating pontoon bridge and we don't need it to be long lasting or aesthetically pleasing. Also, Charade, you should also have the family members of the convoy troops and the womenfolk among the vagabonds start to make nets. We must act that we're only going to fish so that the enemy doesn't suspect us and strengthen their defense at the opposite bank of the lake," Lorist said as he consoled the fatty.

"I understand. I'll have the people start felling trees and making nets tomorrow," said Charade.