NOVEL WEB Chapter 418
Chapter 418: Conversation, Empathy, Persuasion (1)
“Cracks have appeared in Belleve!”
“Cracks have appeared in Shiah!”
“The city defense forces are retreating after failing to hold the line!”
“The area near Baron Bourbonte is devastated…”
Messengers from various places were rushing into the capital. Finally, the cracks had opened up here and there.
It couldn’t be guaranteed that this was all that was going to happen. If we focused on one spot to respond, another would erupt elsewhere after some time.
High-ranking nobles from the royal family and the Crown Prince Faction were in turmoil.
“We need to send both the Kingdom Army and the assembled territory forces immediately!”
“We also need to divert troops from the southern front, which is holding back the Duke’s faction.”
“Aren’t the beasts coming out of there at superhuman levels? Countless Cracked Beings are pouring out!”
Meetings continued daily to find a solution. Fortunately, thanks to the Kingdom Army and territorial forces having prepped for war ahead of time, some territories were managing to fend off attacks from the Cracked Beings.
The kingdom’s Chancellor, Marquis Steer Norton, stroked his white beard and asked,
“Does this mean we need to eliminate the beast called Equidema to stop the Cracked Beings?”
His son-in-law, Marquis Branford, nodded slightly.
“That’s right. Count Penris has already taken down one.”
“W-well, does that mean the crack there is closed?”
Marquis Branford shook his head with a serious expression.
“No. They’ve only stopped more Cracked Beings from coming out. The crack itself remains. Currently, Baron Finros is surrounding the area with all his troops.”
“So how do we actually close the crack?”
“According to Count Penris… he seems to think there’s something more inside. It appears we need to handle that to close it.”
“Ugh!”
The Chancellor rubbed his head. He couldn’t fathom what to do.
In truth, his title was merely ceremonial; all state affairs were handled by Marquis Branford. His role was simply to lend support to Branford and process matters in his capacity as Chancellor.
“So what should we do now?”
Having given it some thought, Marquis Branford slowly spoke.
“Right now, closing the crack takes priority. We should allocate only minimal defensive forces to the south and east fronts, focusing on eliminating the cracks.”
“Isn’t the Duke’s faction in chaos as well? Cracks must have opened in the south too, right?”
“They did open, but… they probably won’t care about it since they caused it.”
“What on earth is Duke Delphine thinking! Working with such socialite scum!”
The Chancellor’s old frame began to tremble.
His age made it difficult to attend meetings for long. He had wanted to retire long ago, but the threats from Duke Delphine held him back.
Since Marquis Branford had refused to take the Chancellor’s position, he was effectively keeping this seat warm for him.
The Chancellor asked Branford again,
“Did you not say we had eliminated a significant number of cracks? How can things end up like this?”
“…If we hadn’t eliminated them beforehand, at least three times as many would have appeared by now.”
“Ugh…”
Just the cracks appearing within the kingdom numbered over dozens. Thanks to Ghislaine, they had managed to eliminate more than half.
Not to mention other countries. Locations that foolishly said they would study the cracks without closing them had been completely swept away.
With a worried expression still, the Chancellor asked,
“Have the monsters spread any further?”
“Yes, I’ve heard it will take some more time.”
The Cracked Beings were able to operate in this world thanks to Equidema’s power, but their range wasn’t that wide yet.
As the surroundings eroded, their operational radius would increase, but for now, they still couldn’t spread out from around the cracks.
“What will you do if the Duke’s faction moves?”
“…There’s no choice. We can’t leave the internal cracks unattended.”
If the Duke’s faction decided to take action, everyone would have to mobilize to stop them. But if we left the cracks, they would eat away at our resources and diminish our war capability.
Since the cracks were expanding, they had to be sealed off as quickly as possible.
The Chancellor sighed repeatedly.
“The Duke has lost his mind. How can someone so smart in his youth have changed so drastically? What good will it be for the kingdom to be taken under such conditions?”
No one would want a kingdom overrun by monsters. The Crown Prince Faction couldn’t fathom Duke Delphine’s intentions at all.
After a moment of silence, Marquis Branford said,
“…The northern army will provide assistance.”
“The North? Count Penris?”
“Yes.”
The Chancellor nodded. Now Penris was practically the kingdom’s hope.
Having crushed the strongest Marquis Roderick of the West, they were eyeing the position of the strongest in the kingdom. Their combat ability would surely provide significant help.
Moreover, no cracks had appeared in the North. It was a bit suspicious, but at least that allowed them to concentrate their forces and preserve their strength.
“How about the West?”
“There have been several cracks there too. We will need to stabilize it, so I don’t think they’ll be much help.”
The West, controlled by Count Penris, was not in a position to lend aid.
They were rapidly managing the situation with Penris’s support, but the cracks that had formed around them were another problem.
In the end, only Penris had managed to maintain a fully operational force.
Actually, there was one more area that had done so.
Marquis Branford continued slowly.
“Count Raybold has informed us he wishes to join us.”
“Raybold? Amelia Raybold?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Didn’t it raise suspicions about her close ties with the deceased Count Desmond?”
“Anyway, the Duke faction nobles have all distanced themselves. They wouldn’t want to make enemies of the four great sects.”
“Hmm…”
The Chancellor nodded. Raybold providing help had somewhat different implications.
“Alright, what are her conditions?”
Amelia was being criticized by countless nobles. She had seized her father’s position without any rightful claim.
Despite numerous protests and threats, she hadn’t batted an eye and had simply snubbed them. For her to step forward of her own accord must mean she had some requirement.
“She demands recognition from the royal family and the territories of the East.”
“What?”
The Chancellor’s white eyebrows twitched.
The reason she asked for recognition from the royal family was easy to understand. She wanted to be left alone with succession issues.
However, asking for territories was a different matter.
“Don’t you already have the richest land in the North? Why ask for land in the distant East?”
“I’m not sure about her intentions. She says she doesn’t need to take anything from other lords.”
“What then?”
“If cracks have opened or if there are territories held by the Duke’s faction, she intends to deal with them and take them for herself.”
“Hmm… What on earth is that girl thinking? Does she even have the capability to do so?”
There were those who still badmouthed and disregarded her. But it was undeniable that there were also people who held her in high esteem.
One of them was Marquis Branford.
“If she were ordinary, she wouldn’t have been able to take Raybold.”
“Phew… If you say so, then that must be the case. Do as you see fit.”
“Understood.”
Though it might have been a meeting, when Marquis Branford spoke to the Chancellor, it meant that they were going to proceed as intended.
If he had any intention of refusing, he wouldn’t have mentioned it to the Chancellor at all, processing it at the Marquis level instead.
I wonder what kind of confidence prompts such remarks, considering that there’s quite a formidable force in the East, but the fact that they could gain support without offering anything right away was a significant gain for the Crown Prince Faction.
If they did not lose to the Duke faction or to the cracks, or even if they did, if they could reclaim it solely with the Crown Prince Faction’s strength, Amelia would have nothing to take away.
The Chancellor stood up with great effort, saying,
“I understand the situation well enough, so focus on eliminating the cracks quickly. In this emergency, you do not need royal approval; you will oversee everything on my behalf.”
“Understood.”
Marquis Branford nodded as if it were natural. He had been doing things this way all along. The only difference was that one step in the process had been removed.
The old Chancellor walked with the support of knights.
As he was leaving, he suddenly stopped and looked back.
“And it wouldn’t hurt to spend some time with your wife, considering how long you’ve been apart. Since you’re getting older, why not live a bit more gently?”
“…I will keep that in mind.”
Other nobles stifled their laughter at that scene.
The wife of Marquis Branford had left for her parental home because she couldn’t endure his temperament. The Chancellor was commenting on this to her son-in-law.
Only the Chancellor could speak such words to the iron-fisted Marquis.
Bang!
As the Chancellor left, Marquis Branford slammed his desk. It was a signal to focus.
“From now on, eliminating the cracks takes priority. We can’t fight with an enemy behind us.”
Maurice crossed his arms and asked,
“Will the Duke faction really only be blocking with minimal forces?”
“For now, yes. We don’t know when they might move.”
They looked like they were about to move soon. But what if they didn’t move immediately?
While the army was on standby at the front lines, the range of the cracks would expand, and the territories would be thrown into chaos.
The Crown Prince Faction found itself in a dilemma. The Salvation Society’s intention to pressurize them and buy time with the cracks had worked out perfectly.
For the Crown Prince Faction, they could only tidy up their internal matters for now, and if the Duke faction moved, they would have to respond then.
“Quickly stabilize the troops affected by the cracks and move all other territorial forces near the cracks to encircle them. No one must escape.”
“But the beast possesses superhuman strength, doesn’t it? The territorial forces will suffer massive damage. We can’t just leave the capital undefended either.”
The finest forces must protect the capital. There’s always the risk of an assassination attempt from the Duke faction, and this place is the heart and last bastion of the Crown Prince Faction.
Marquis Branford nodded and said,
“We’ll leave it to Count Penris.”
“That’s the only way, isn’t it?”
“We will take charge of surrounding the cracks and blocking the Cracked Beings, but it’s most efficient to entrust the beast to Count Penris and his knights.”
“But he’s not someone who would do it for free, right?”
“What can we do? We’ll have to give him whatever he wants.”
Marquis Branford looked around at the nobles and continued.
“Since we are in wartime, we’ll grant Count Penris the authority of the Northern Army Commander. We will also transfer all powers related to dealing with the cracks to him. So, whatever he demands, offer him full support and try to give him as much as possible in return. Understood?”
The nobles of the Crown Prince Faction unanimously agreed to the Marquis’s words.
The best way to minimize damage and halt the expansion of the cracks was indeed for the master, Count Penris, to take action.
*
After inspecting the situation in the West, Ghislaine returned to her territory. Meanwhile, Penris had finished all preparations for war.
They were folks well accustomed to war. Preparing for conflict had become as natural to them as breathing.
Clang, clang.
As soon as Ghislaine returned to her territory, armored knights followed closely behind her.
Gordon cautiously approached Ghislaine and asked,
“Are you really… planning to use that person?”
“Of course; I made the effort to spare them for that. Have you seen how I strike?”
“Yeah, it’s the first time I’ve seen you cut something down so neatly without breaking it apart. I almost wondered what was wrong with you.”
Gordon and the knights all nodded in agreement with Ghislaine’s words.
Until now, the lord had never killed his opponent without doing so brutally.
Caving in heads, decapitating, or crushing hearts. Whatever the case, even a necromancer wouldn’t be able to revive what he utterly destroyed.
The lord’s sword in battle was mercilessly brutal.
But this time, the opponent was an exception. He had been cut down quite delicately, allowing for a possibility of survival.
Gordon asked again, looking a bit concerned.
“Still, doesn’t it feel a bit uneasy? I mean, he was an enemy. If you mess up behind him, it could become a hassle. In some ways, he’s our foe.”
At those words, Ghislaine chuckled.
“He doesn’t seem like that kind of person. Can you really live maintaining honor and face?”
“No.”
Gordon replied decisively. Caring about those things would lead to exhaustion.
If anything, he might try to cling to some semblance of loyalty.
Ghislaine playfully slapped Gordon’s shoulder and laughed.
“With that talent of his, he must make amends for the sins he’s committed.”
“Should we really go along with what the lord says? I don’t know if he’s going to kick up a fuss saying he’s dying again.”
When Gordon asked, Ghislaine responded with a chilly gaze.
“He can’t die without my permission.”
Where they arrived was the underground prison located in a corner of the territory.
A place for human refuse that even the Labor Assault Corps wouldn’t take in, filled with people who could be killed without care. Ghislaine didn’t kill them but kept them locked up and disposed of them for dangerous tasks.
And in the deepest part of the underground prison, one person was locked up.
Creeeak.
As the thick prison door opened, the prisoner inside quietly raised their head. Upon meeting Ghislaine’s gaze, she greeted him cheerily.
“Hey, how are you doing? Have you recovered yet?”
In the dark prison was a one-armed man wrapped completely in bandages, sitting in silence.