“What is it?”
President Seripa of the Lancephil County’s Bureau of Druids asked in an emotionless voice.
“What do you mean what is it, sir. It’s because of the promise from the last time.”
The one who was cheerily smiling and lightly throwing the words was Clay.
With his hands clasped, he placed his chin on top.
A somehow repulsive look.
Seripa quietly looked at that sight, then exhaled a short sigh.
“Huu. Is it something we must do?”
“Of course. The one who started it first was the lord.”
“That’s because you spied and monitored the lord’s every single move.”
“Because that was my mission.”
Clay had not even a little hesitation.
The thin eyes turned even smaller.
“Mission? You say that trying to use the lord was a mission? Don’t make me…… huu. No. No.”
Seripa couldn’t finish his words.
Clay shrugged his shoulders, then repulsively asked.
“Are you perhaps going to go against the promise?”
Seripa had no answer for a while.
A moment later, he once again exhaled a long sigh.
“Huu. I can’t break the druids’ oath.”
Druid’s oath.
It was different than ordinary human’s promise.
A type of magic or spell, a prohibition is placed on the contracted one’s abilities or life in the case one breaks the oath.
With similar forms, there were magician’s oath, hexer’s oath, and so on.
“So, what exactly is the thing I should do?”
It wasn’t agreeable.
Although it was said to be a work for the druids, the kindness Roan had given too was absolutely not small.
No, in truth, it was enormously big.
His eyes very sharply shook.
However, Clay did not mind it at all and pulled out the schemes inside his head.
“First, please go to the kingdom’s northwest together with the druids.”
“By northwest?”
“Webster Duchy.”
“Hmm.”
He had expected it to some degree.
Since that was a part that Clay had placed most effort into since returning to the front.
“Simultaneously, I’m thinking of causing some chaos in the Lancephil County.”
The method was simple.
Mess with the intelligence using the animals the Bureau of Druids had delegated to Lancephil Fief Regiment, Agens, Tenebra Troop, and so on, and done.
There was no time for Roan and the Fief Regiment who were repeating the war and battles in the South far away from the fief to check the accuracy of intelligence.
Seripa, with solidly stiffen face, stood up from his seat.
He didn’t wish to look at Clay any longer.
“I look forward to working with you.”
On the other hand, Clay’s expression was greatly bright.
Because so, it was much more displeasing and repulsive.
Without any reply, Seripa moved his steps towards the room’s exit.
At that moment.
“President Seripa. Don’t forget. The one who led you, who was living wildly and lonely in an empty forest, to the outside world was I. The one who gave you a new chance at life wasn’t the lord but I.”
Clay spoke with the greatly bold and daring voice.
Seripa turned only his head and looked at him.
A still solidly stiffened expression.
“I recognize that.”
But.
‘You have definitely given me a new chance at life. But the lord……’
His heart hotly raced.
‘Gave me heart and trust.’
The words he couldn’t quite spit out.
The things Roan had given Seripa wasn’t merely at a level of new chance at life.
Heart and trust.
That was something much more greater and bigger than something physical.
Something that Clay, who obsessed over one’s own promotion, could never give.
Because so, Seripa felt agonized.
‘To think I have to give up the lord’s trust……’
A humanly betrayal.
With his teeth clenched, Seripa opened the door.
And he didn’t look back any more.
Boom.
With a heavy sound, the door closed.
Clay, who was left alone, faintly smiled and waved his hand.
Meow.
As if they had been waiting, five small cats showed up from a corner.
Amongst them, two were the very cats who had went to find Bradley in the past.
Of course, even Clay didn’t know the truth that they had met with the elves in the middle.
Meow. Meow.
The cats gathered in front of Clay’s feet and lowered their heads.
Clay brushed their backs, then covered their heads with his hand.
Ssss.
A hazy green light enveloped the cats’ bodies.
Clay, with his eyes closed, murmured unintelligible words.
A moment later, a peculiar smile floated up on his composed face.
“It has been done as I willed.”
The things the cats had delivered were Bradley’s reply, the whereabouts of Agens and Tenebra Troop, and the current state of the Lancephil Fief Regiment.
Everything was as Clay willed.
With a single wave of hand, he sent the cats back away, then went towards the office’s desk.
There was a work he had to simultaneously progress while pushing the Lancephil County into chaos with intelligence disturbance.
Flap.
The bundle of documents Clay was fingering.
< Lancephil Fief Regiment Supplying Strategy. >
The softly moving finger flipped over a single page.
Like a coincident, the flower of the small plant he had placed on the end of his desk trembled its body.
That was a very small and distinct movement.
*****
The gates of Pulo Castle, one of the south’s strategic points, opened up.
There was no battle.
The vanguard entered first and determined the danger inside the castle.
Afterwards, the Lancephil Fief Regiment’s main army, with Roan at the lead, entered the castle.
“That sir is the very Sir Count Lancephil……”
“Sir Count Lancephil has finally came to our fief.”
Numerous residents of the castle swarmed up to the street that crossed the Pulo Castle’s inside.
Expressions mixed half and half with anticipation and fear.
Understandably, the Pulo Castle, which was a strategic point of the south, was a castle of tragedy that had been captured by Simon Rinse, Tommy Rinse, and Kallum Rinse in turn within a short while.
Each time, a cruel massacre and pillaging arose.
Due to this, Pulo Castle’s residents were greatly tense not knowing how Roan and the Lancephil Fief Regiment, who were famous as Crimson Ghost and Crimson Legion, would act.
‘Since there is no way that the rumors are all true.’
Complicated lights poured down from the eyes.
Through those lights, Roan was able to read the fear inside the residents’ hearts.
“Hmm.”
He, quietly flowing a groan, lightly jumped down from his warhorse.
“All of you get down from the horses. We will move on foot inside the castle.”
A quiet voice pierced through the ears of the Fief Regiment’s soldiers.
“Yes sir.”
With a short answer, every soldier climbed down from their horses.
It was a measure to reduce the fears of the castle’s residents by even a little bit.
The measure continued on.
Once the vanguard and the main army passed the square inside the castle and entered into the main castle, the rear supply troop entered into the square.
“Supply the food to the Pulo Castle’s citizens.”
The order Roan gave.
The order was immediately announced.
“Th, they’re giving us wheat?”
“They aren’t taking them away?”
“Really? Is it really?”
“They aren’t gathering us like this and massacring us, no?”
“Since Count Lancephil is also Prince Simon’s close aid…… who knows.”
The castle’s citizens were half in doubt.
However, the awful hunger led their steps towards the square.
“There’s plenty of supplies. Please patiently wait your turn.”
“We will give you wheat, beans, potatoes and corn.”
“We will also give medical treatment to those who need it.”
The Lancephil Fief Regiment’s soldiers, with their heavy and hard armors thrown off, faced the castle’s residents with bright faces.
“A, are you really giving them to us?”
One resident timorously went up.
A soldier fully scooped wheat into a large bowl.
“Have you not brought something to hold them? Then……”
He then collected the wheat into a small sack and passed it over.
“Please come again if it’s not enough.”
A warm expression and greeting.
“Ah……”
The resident who received the sack of wheat was moved and his face became watery.
Hot tears filled up on his eyes.
“Th, thank you very much! Thank you!”
Shout at the top of his throat.
That was the trigger point.
“Th, they’re really giving them to us!”
“Sir Count Lancephil is different!”
“He doesn’t take but give!”
The residents shook and swarmed up in an instant.
The soldiers quickly made space and led them to maintain order.
A gentle mood that wasn’t forceful.
Although there sometimes were citizens who caused trouble, they were sent back to the end of the line together with a sharp rebuke.
Meaning that they don’t simply laugh and pass over.
Soon, the chaos disappeared and only sounds of laughter filled the square fully.
Smiles blossomed on people’s faces.
In the Pulo Castle too, flowers had begun to blossom.
Amaranth.
The forever unwithering flower.
*****
Roan and the Lancephil Fief Regiment’s such actions soon spread to the entire kingdom.
It wasn’t only because people’s rumors by mouth.
It was because the members of the previous Black Rinse, now the members of Black Amaranth, had scattered all over the kingdom and had begun to spread Roan’s intent and actions.
“Have you heard? It looks like Sir Count Lancephil never does something like plundering even when he captures a castle.”
“That’s not all. They say he even give out his food.”
“They say he treats the ill and fix fallen houses.”
“He truly is an amazing person.”
The respect of kingdom’s citizens towards Roan became higher as the days passed.
Of course, there were also those who envied and thought unkindly of Roan in contrast to them.
Most of them were those who were originally in power.
Especially Simon’s envy, who had newly climbed up to the throne, became more extreme as each day passed.
“I see, so it’s like that.”
Simon supported his forehead with his right hand and creased his brows.
The grand hall, which was usually loud and noisy with the noble’s flattering and fawning, was extremely quiet.
Also, the ones who were standing there were only Simon, who was sitting on the throne, his maternal grandfather Duke Bradley Webster, and his right-hand Viscount Tio Ruin.
“What did I say, your majesty. You can’t trust Count Lancephil too much.”
Bradley shook his head with a short sigh.
Simon was without a reply.
Although, his expression was still not good.
Tio, who was searching the mood, carefully opened his mouth.
“Releasing the Black Rinse’s members is certainly Count Lancephil’s error. But however it went, it is a fact that he had subjugated the Black Rinse and him capturing Prince Tommy and Prince Kallum’s core strategic points are also a fact. You could say that his achievements are much bigger than his errors. Please recede your anger and observe the situation more cool-……”
When his words reached about that point.
“Stop.”
Simon raised his head and looked at Tio.
The light in his eyes blazed as if to burn up.
“Viscount Ruin. Are you my vassal, or Count Lancephil’s vassal?”
A sudden question.
“Your majesty. What do you mean? I’m of course your majesty’s vassal.”
Tio was of slightly flustered look.
Simon slightly bit his lower lip.
“These days, you look like you’re serving Count Lancephil instead of me when I look at you. It’s greatly displeasing.”
A hostile voice.
His expression was even more chilling and cold than that.
Bradley, as if he had been waiting, spoke up with a sly expression.
“Your majesty. It’s certain that Count Lancephil has a different intent. According to the intelligence, his marching direction is judged to be the capital, Miller, here. It means not towards southwest where Prince Tommy is nor southeast where Prince Kallum is, but towards the capital, Miller, where your majesty is. It is simply an incomprehensible marching direction.”
“Hmm.”
Simon’s expression stiffened up even colder.
Tio once again cut int.
It would be troublesome if Roan and Simon’s relationship become disjointed like this.
“Your majesty. There must definitely be an acceptable reason why Count Lancephil is coming to the capital, Miller. He is the loyalist of loyal subjects who had placed his life on the line for your majesty until now.”
As soon as his words finished, a flame arose in Simon’s eyes.
“Viscount Ruin. You’re partial to Count Lancephil once again.”
An expression and voice showing displeasure.
But even so, Tio did not back down at least this time.
‘Was this bastard this stubborn?’
Enough for Bradley, who was at the side, to be surprised.
‘Viscount Tio Ruin……’
Simon was also inwardly being surprised.
Thanks to Tio, he was able to barely maintain his sanity even when his head felt disoriented these days from madness.
‘Right. There was never a time that Viscount Ruin made empty words.’
He once again held onto the ropes of his sanity.
But.
“According to the information, they say that Prince Tommy and Prince Kallum are extending their hands to Count Lancephil.”
Bradley once again attempted to ruined everything.
“Hhm.”
Simon’s sanity greatly shook once more.
The evil mana swayed at a place deep within his eyes.
Simon looked straight at Tio.
“Your majesty……”
Tio called out to Simon with a quiet voice.
“Hhm.”
Within Simon’s head, sanity and madness waged a fierce battle.
The result?
“Alright. Since you say we should trust Count Lancephil like so, I will give one more chance.”
The victory of sanity.
It looked like Tio’s victory.
“Your majesty!”
Bradley shouted with a shocked expression.
On the other hand, a faint smile hanged on Tio’s mouth.
Simon raised his hand and stopped Bradley’s mouth, then gave a new order.
“Send a messenger to Count Lancephil right this moment. Tell him to immediately turn his vanguard around, destroy Tommy and Kallum’s main armies, and subdue the kingdom’s southern region.”
Ultimatum.
The madness did not quietly step back.
This wasn’t Tio’s victory.
A tie.
The sanity and madness couldn’t reach a conclusion.
Gulp.
Tio dryly swallowed.
He couldn’t take Roan’s side and make a protest saying it was an excessive order even here.
He couldn’t be sure that even this small chance might fly away if not careful.
Tio lowered his head.
“Yes. I will do so, your majesty.”
In case Simon’s heart may change, he quickly exited out of the grand hall.
‘Damn it. Tio Ruin bastard is ruining the work.’
Bradley clenched his teeth while lowering his head.
Every plan had been perfectly achieved until now.
No, rather, it became even firmer and more meticulous than the original plan.
‘Since I have earned even an unexpected aide called Clay.’
But the plan to twist apart Roan and Simon actually went off-course at the final stage.
He hadn’t thought that Simon would possibly accept Tio’s opinion.
Bradley breathed in deeply.
‘I should call the hexer bastards a bit faster.’
He planned to shake apart Simon’s mind.
Bradley raised his head and looked at Simon.
He planned to casually throw in the words at this chance.
However, the one who spoke up first was Simon.
“Grandfather. What happened to the ones you said could cure me?”
Instantly, Bradley’s expression brightened.
Even though he hadn’t even thrown the bait, a big catch was already caught.
Bradley faintly smiled and lowered his head.
“Now, they will soon arrive at the capital, Miller.”
A horrifying smile hanged on his mouth.
Regrettably, Simon was not able to see that.
Without him knowing, he was rapidly approaching the fate called Mad Monarch.
< Amaranth (2) > End.