A week has passed since Milena became a real spy, and from there, Lucy
and the Marquis' camps have been tense, waiting to see how their
opponents will move.
However, compared to Lucy's camp, which was relatively calm, Marquis
Krall's remained on their guard.
Even after her allegations were dismissed, he continued to have his
suspicions about Milena, but ironically, this would be dissolved by Lacy's
insistence to incarcerate her sister each time. Now, it was on the level where
she could also listen to the crucial meetings, though not actively
participating.
Just like now.
"The atmosphere in the camp is not good. If I were Lucy, I would take this
opportunity to attack. But they are not, which is their big mistake. In that
case, we will use this chance to take action before they devise a plan to
attack us."
The one who said this with a stern face was none other than Marquis Krall.
He is now in the office of the castle, receiving reports from his
subordinates, who were already in a position to intervene in the coup.
On his hand is the sword he used when he was still a field commander.
For him, it was a tool to get ready for battle and to change his mindset.
But there is just one problem. He is too old now to wield it as he did in his
prime.
"How are my troops doing, Lacy?"
The Marquis asked Florencia, who is holding a document in her hand.
She hurriedly flipped through the documents, reading through the
unfamiliar paperwork before answering.
This was supposed to be Milena's job, but with her being technically
excluded from the operation, all of the burdens have fallen to Lacy.
It was as if karma was already doing the work.
"Uh, uh, ... uncle, the Zaintert troops and Count Luke's troops have
already arrived at the castle!"
Lacy stated, albeit hurriedly. The Marquis nodded slowly in reply.
"Hmm, that should be enough to defend us. At least for the time being."
The Marquis currently has eight hundred men under his command and two
hundred of the Zaintert sisters. If you a re ab le t o re ad t his mes s age, y
ou are re ad ing fr om an un auth ori zed aggr e gate s ite. R ead at my Wor
dPr ess at sta bbi ng w ith a syr inge. ho me. bl og to sup po rt me and my
tra nslat io ns.
For a total of a thousand soldiers in addition to the castle's defensive walls,
it should be adequate enough to triumph over the usurper, seeing the lack of
troops on the opponent's side.
"Father, my unit will enter in the afternoon. The rest will be here by the end
of the day."
The man who continued the speech was the largest man in the room.
He is Count Luke Krall. The only son of the marquis and the next lord of
Krasland.
"Luke, you too, be on your guard. You are not dealing with monsters here."
"Hmph! I've met Finlay once. She's just a girl who's being carried around
on a palanquin. But not the dark elf witch. This time I'm going to get her,
I'm going to blind her, and I'm going to make her my slave!"
He clenched his fist so tightly that his fingernails dug in, then slammed it
down on the front desk.
The impact was so strong that it left a crack on the sturdy ebony furnishing.
If it had been made of glass, he would be cleaning the shattered glass by
now.
"She was the one who manipulated my memory and mocked me as she
watched me live my life without knowing it. I will make her regret it for the
rest of her life!"
"Calm down, Luke. They'll be on their way here soon."
The marquis soothes his son, who is about to run out of the house.
The marquis knew he won't be able to stop him if he left a favorable spot
and got struck down.
Luke, for his part, already had a negative track record on the marquis for
having been manipulated once, and from then on, he would get emotional
once they mentioned the Demon Race woman in front of him.
If he were to be manipulated by her magic again, there was a danger that
everything from the marquis's forces to the deployment of his troops would
be exposed.
"Wait for them to jump out. Once the enemy comes, you'll have the chance
to play your part."
Marquis Krall soothes him further with these words.
In fact, Luke's abilities are quite high among humans.
He cannot use magic, but because he is a nobleman, he has a large amount
of innate mana and a good sense in warfare.
The marquis felt that he could certainly become a ruler who could surpass
him.
"If it's close combat, you can beat the demon. I will prepare an opportunity
for you, so just wait and see."
Then, comparing the strength of his own forces with the assumed strength
of Lucy's forces in his brain, the marquis drew a huge breath.
"We seem to have enough forces for the time being. Now, all we need is a
way to lure them to us…"
"I'm not saying this is a bad plan, but father, do you have any more ideas?
If this fails, then that Demon Race woman will surely escape."
Luke's face is red as he says this.
It was as if he couldn't contain his excitement at the prospect of catching
his long-desired prey.
"Luke, use your head a little. There should be a better way for us to get
ahead of them."
"Hmmm. Wait. are you saying you have used the Military Police?"
"The city functions are still ours. If they catch them, they will be brought to
trial and executed, and there won't be a need for us to make a move."
The marquis laughed.
At that moment, there was a knock at the door.
"What is it?"
"The documents the Marquis ordered are ready."
"All right, bring them in."
With his permission, a subordinate entered the room. In his hand were
several documents.
"Here are the files Your Excellency wanted."
The subordinate who said this lays out the documents on the marquis's
desk.
"Well, that should do it. Get it to work right away."
"Yes, Your Excellency!"
The subordinate who received the order left the room in a hurry. Thi s ch ap
ter trans lati on is mad e po ssi ble by st abbi ng wi th a syr inge tran slati
ons. ch eck o ly up-to -da te transl ati ons on my Word pre ss s ite.
After that, the remaining three people looked at the documents.
"There, in large letters, were the words "wanted criminals."
"The following persons are suspected of the coup d'état. Viscount Lucy
Finlay, Yuushin Sanada… and more than a dozen others are wanted!? There
is also irrefutable evidence against them."
Milena, who had read the contents, let out a gasp as if praising the
Marquis's deftness.
In addition to the main conspirators, such as Lucy and Yuushin, the
arrangement also included the names of collaborators such as Tilda,
Anastasia, and Krone, as well as the unit commanders who supported them
in their 'plans'.
Each of them is described as having secretly gathered weapons and planned
the coup.
Probably because of the marquis's thorough knowledge of the city, he could
secretly conduct so much surveillance and take such countermeasures.
"Praises won't get you anywhere," the marquis commented, but though he
is also happy with the compliment, he also made a frown in the end. "Not
only was it that damned Yuushin, I've also been slowed down by the
interference of the nobles on Lucy's side. It's absolutely abominable. Once
they've been eliminated, it will be these nobles' turn next."
He says so, but in fact, there are many things he has not fully investigated.
For example, the number of targets to be attacked and the strength of the
coup.
Considering the experience of the marquis and the functionality of the city,
it is possible to predict to some extent where they will target first.
However, he had no idea how much force the other side would be able to
deploy.
This is why he gave up on defending the key points and just made all of his
troops stay in the castle for the time being.
"If I had more detailed evidence, I could have used the army. It can't be
helped if the other side is clever at hiding their tails."
It was the result of Yuushin's multiple layers of disguise, hiding important
information from the outside world.
The fact that he was able to evade the Marquis's investigations, having no
experience in counterintelligence to begin with, was probably due in part to
the thorough concealment of his means of communication. His method of
following a complicated procedure, which even his collaborators
complained about, paid off.
"As a matter of fact, right at this moment, we are sending the military
police to raid some of the hideouts we have found at the same time we put
out the arrest warrant. Once we catch them red-handed, it's all over for
them."
The three listeners were surprised at the quickness of the Marquis's move.
Milena, in particular, had cold sweat on her back. She had no knowledge of
this information.
(If the Viscount is caught with this, it will ruin the plan…)
Just as she was thinking this, there was another knock at the door.
This time, however, it seemed to be in a great hurry, and before the marquis
could give permission, a subordinate entered.
"It's urgent! According to the military police who raided the hideout, no one
was inside!"
Milena breathes a sigh of relief inwardly at the report.
"Hmm. So there is an information leak… brace yourselves. They should be
charging here soon."
The sisters and son nodded at the Marquis' words.
（I will not let anyone interfere with my plans. If anyone resists, they will
be thoroughly crushed!)
Thus, the Marquis' camp awaited Yuushin and his team with full readiness.
With only one fatal mistake, which is the Marquis taking up the challenge
of fighting the coup d'état with his own… and only his own.