Ghislain smiled brightly as he looked at Claude.
The promise of the Elven Grand Chieftain carried significant weight. Even if she realized someday that Claude had tricked her, there wouldn't be much she could do about it. She'd be shocked, of course, but that would be the extent of it.
Originally, Claude had been summoned to establish the alliance army's framework and prepare the necessary agreements. Though his method of bribery midway through the process had been somewhat absurd, the situation had been handled swiftly and smoothly.
But now, he'd even managed to bind Erenes into a contract. For Ghislain, this was a fortunate outcome, though it also confirmed his suspicion.
'This guy really isn't normal.'
After finalizing the contract, Claude grinned and attempted to cozy up to Erenes.
"Oh, Grand Chieftain! Now we're like family, aren't we? Let's stay together for a long time."
Ghislain, watching this scene, clicked his tongue once more.
'What a lunatic.'
Erenes responded with a slightly uncomfortable expression.
"…Yes, we elves will truly treat you, our allies, like family."
The concept of family, as Erenes understood it, and the concept as Claude imagined it were as different as night and day. But she wasn't aware of that.
Regardless, with Erenes's participation confirmed, Ghislain felt reassured. He now had the strength of someone who had once been called the second strongest of the Continent's Seven.
'Now I've got another secret weapon. This will be a big help in the upcoming battles.'
He already had one secret weapon: Tenant.
Even the soldiers fighting alongside him in the Northern Army didn't know that Tenant was a Master. Partly because Ghislain had suppressed rumors about it, but also because it was nearly impossible for anyone below a certain skill level to distinguish a Master's true strength.
Now, with two superhuman allies whose identities were not widely known, Ghislain had far more flexibility in his plans.
Ghislain led Erenes out of the tent and announced to the soldiers.
"Listen up, everyone! The Elven Grand Chieftain will be joining us. From now on, treat the elves not as enemies but as comrades."
"Yeahhhh!"
The soldiers erupted in cheers. They had witnessed a glimpse of her strength during her clash with Ghislain.
Of course, few truly understood how powerful she was. Most thought it was merely a brief sparring session.
Very few in the army believed anyone could actually defeat Ghislain. So while a few senior officers showed concern, the majority were simply thrilled to have a strong ally.
On the other hand, the elves in Fenris and the dwarves, who shared their position as former slaves, looked uneasy and conflicted.
Erenes ignored the dwarves entirely and spoke to the elves.
"Once this war is over, I will take you all back to the forest where the World Tree, your mother, resides. Count Fenris has promised you freedom."
"...…"
But the elves didn't look pleased at all. Perplexed, Erenes asked.
"The forest of the World Tree. Aren't you happy?"
In response, the elves of Fenris started smirking. Erenes and her followers couldn't understand their reaction.
As Erenes looked confused, Ascon stepped forward and asked.
"Do they have alcohol there?"
"We don't particularly enjoy alcohol. But if you want, you can make and drink fruit wine."
"Fruit wine? That stuff's tasteless and boring. Who drinks that these days?"
"...…"
"What about meat? Beef, chicken, pork?"
"Elves… do not eat meat."
"Ugh, come on! We can't live without chicken anymore. We'd lose all our gains! Look at these bodies!"
The elves of Fenris, after enduring Gordon's brutal training regimen, were now incredibly muscular. Erenes finally noticed their physiques and was left speechless.
"..."
"Your alcohol's lame, your food's lame, and there's probably nothing fun to do in the forest. Why would we want to go there?"
"Elves are meant to live in harmony with nature—"
Suddenly, Ascon interrupted, looking annoyed.
"And while we were slaves for all those years, you were living elegantly in the forest. And now you're here to save us? What a load of nonsense."
At his words, the elves accompanying Erenes bristled in anger.
"How dare you speak to the Grand Chieftain like that!"
"Ah, shut it. This is just how I talk. Stop acting like we owe you something. After the war, we're setting up our own district to live in. Don't think about forcing us to go anywhere. I already told you I'm not going."
"You insolent fool! The forest of the World Tree is not a place just anyone can enter! The Grand Chieftain's offer is—"
"Enough. Stop it."
"Grand Chieftain!"
Erenes stopped her followers. She spoke again, her expression tinged with sadness.
"It's all my fault. I will respect your wishes. Do as you see fit."
Then, glancing at the dwarves who were silently watching the scene unfold, she added.
"Yes, it's because of 'us' that you too became slaves."
It was a cryptic statement, but the dwarves didn't understand what she meant. After all, they had been born into slavery.
Hearing her words, Ghislain thought to himself.
'There's something I don't know here.'
Erenes had lived a very long time. She was essentially a living history book.
'If she's really lived for a thousand years, as the rumors say…'
History after the fall of the ancient empire was poorly documented. Very little remained from that time, leaving scholars to speculate about the lost ages.
'I'll have to ask her later.'
For now, Ghislain wasn't a scholar and had no deep interest in the history of other races. His priority was stopping the rifts and defeating the Duchy.
After calming the elves down, Erenes turned to Ghislain and asked.
"Are you attacking the Duchy right away?"
"...…"
As in his previous life, she showed no sign of social awareness and simply pressed forward with her own thoughts.
Well, most of the Continent's Seven Strongest were similar in temperament to Ghislain himself.
This was why they almost never worked well together. Each one was too busy asserting their superiority.
"For now, we'll finish dealing with the remaining rifts and move back to the central region. We'll regroup there and wait for reinforcements. We can't consolidate our forces on the frontlines."
A war couldn't just begin on a whim. While it was possible to launch a preemptive strike, that wasn't an ideal strategy.
As always, Ghislain intended to minimize casualties among his allies. Breaking the Duchy alone wouldn't end everything.
"The Duchy will be forced to act soon. For now, it's in our interest to stall until the reinforcements arrive."
"Hmm, I see."
"The Duchy now has to contend with the entire kingdom. If they want to make the first move, they'll have to spread their forces thin."
"The Salvation Church's intelligence network is vast. They likely already know reinforcements are coming and won't just stand idly by."
At her words, Ghislain smiled. Of course, the Duchy wasn't stupid. They'd be planning schemes or preparing forces capable of facing the alliance.
For instance, they might call in more high-ranking priests from the Salvation Church.
"Naturally, they'll have their measures, but thanks to you, we now have another weapon."
"I see. You're planning to use me as a secret weapon they don't know about."
"Exactly. We'll keep your involvement as secret as possible. If their forces act without knowing you're here, they'll be crushed. That's how we'll land a heavy blow."
Erenes nodded.
"Understood. The sooner we begin, the better."
"Don't worry. They're probably getting restless already."
The longer the situation dragged on, the worse it became for the Duchy. Even now, things were far worse for them than before the rifts began.
They had no choice but to address the rifts in the south.
Still, cautious as they were, they wouldn't charge in recklessly under unfavorable conditions. Like how they had incited the barbarians to open rifts and start wars, they would surely try something underhanded again.
"Whatever they try doesn't matter. Seeing you alone will be enough to startle them."
With two of the Continent's Seven Strongest here, most tricks could be countered.
"Now, let's move out and deal with the remaining rifts. There are only two left."
Most of the rifts in the eastern region had already been handled. Delayed slightly due to the alliance meeting, they now moved to finish the rest.
With Erenes joining the Northern Army, they set out to eliminate the remaining rifts.
***
"Nothing's going well."
Raul's face had grown noticeably gaunt over the past few months.
The feint operation using the barbarians had also failed. He had thought it was flawless, but Amelia's unexpected intervention had upended everything.
It was shocking enough that Fenris and Perdium managed to contain the massive rift with minimal damage, but the Rayfold army holding back the barbarian horde was even more surprising.
Both outcomes had been beyond his calculations. Amelia's impressive performance, in particular, burned him to the core with humiliation.
"That woman dared betray us…"
No matter what others said, it was the Duchy that had helped Amelia rise to power. It was only thanks to their support that she, a mere noblewoman, had become a countess.
But Amelia had taken everything she could from them and severed ties the moment the Salvation Church's involvement with the Duchy came to light.
That much, Raul could understand. After the Salvation Church was exposed, most other Duke faction lords had also distanced themselves.
"But interfering with my plans… after all I tolerated?"
The humiliation was unbearable. It felt as though he had been bitten by the very dog he had raised.
Raul took several deep breaths to steady himself. Troublesome obstacles kept popping up from every direction, hindering his plans.
"I will repay this humiliation… tenfold."
But humiliation was one thing, and reality another. He couldn't afford to dwell on a failed plan indefinitely.
Grinding his teeth, Raul asked his advisors.
"What's the status of the southern rifts?"
"Nearly all have been dealt with. The vassals are fully prepared for war as well."
Having long prepared for this conflict, their forces were ready to march as soon as the rifts were resolved. The problem was that their enemies hadn't been idle during this time.
"They say an alliance has been formed?"
"Yes, sir. Their primary objective appears to be stabilizing the Lutania Kingdom."
"Damn it…"
Raul massaged his temples. If reinforcements from other nations joined, no matter how strong the Duchy was, their objectives would become much harder to achieve.
Already, armies from neighboring kingdoms were beginning to align with the royalist faction. This meant they needed to act even faster.
He had never imagined that the Duchy, once the strongest force in the kingdom and capable of dominating its political landscape, would find itself so cornered.
"This won't be easy."
The biggest problem was still the Northern Army and the Royal Army. Thanks to the Northern Army, the entire Royal Army had moved down to the southern front.
The Duchy's top priority was to seize the capital and capture the king as quickly as possible. But that path was now firmly blocked by the Royal Army.
"Even if we march east to draw off part of the Royal Army, the Northern Army remains a problem."
The Duchy could no longer claim to have superior forces. The kingdom's lords and all four major religious orders were now aligned against them.
Among them, the Northern Army was especially formidable—even the Duchy couldn't afford to underestimate them.
For the Duchy, whose goal was to capture the capital with minimal losses, they were an opponent they would rather avoid.
Raul's mind was in turmoil as he struggled to devise a strategy, sighing repeatedly.
At that moment, Gartros, the leader of Lutania's Salvation Church faction, spoke.
"Why not wait a little longer? Our goal isn't territorial conquest but the king and the royal family's treasures, after all."
"But the longer we wait, the more reinforcements will arrive, making it harder to take the capital."
"It's not easy even now, is it? Every plan has failed, and Count Fenris and the Northern Army have only grown stronger."
Raul's expression darkened at Gartros's words, as though he were being blamed. His tone implied as much.
Noticing Raul's displeasure, Gartros smiled and shook his head.
"I'm not blaming you, my friend. I'm merely saying we must also step up our efforts."
"And what do you propose?"
"I've summoned more high-ranking priests to our side. Once they arrive, we can begin the war. They will be a great help."
"Is that acceptable?"
"We've reached a point where sheer force is unavoidable. Besides, no other kingdom is as crucial as Lutania to us."
"Hmm…"
Raul nodded. High-ranking priests possessed superhuman strength. Even a few of them could turn the tide of a battle.
Gartros continued with confidence.
"All we need to do is seize the capital and secure the royal family's treasure. The rest is irrelevant."
This was the Duchy's true objective in the war. They intended to conquer the rest of the kingdom afterward.
Raul, still doubtful, asked.
"We failed to control the rifts, and we haven't found the 'Guide' either. Can we be sure the royal treasure will work? Is the 'King' even acting as we believe?"
Gartros's expression grew stern at the question.
"Do not doubt. The power of our Apostles is already growing stronger, is it not? The fact that the King has begun to move is what allows his influence to affect this world. We will find it. There's no way the king wouldn't show his power."
"..."
"That's why we must be fully prepared. Having failed to locate the Guide, we must secure the royal treasure at all costs."
Gartros's eyes gleamed as he continued.
"Only then can we enter that realm."
Raul fell silent. Since childhood, he had been groomed by the Salvation Church's priests, raised as one of their devout followers.
The problem was that Raul wasn't as fervent in his faith as the priests. For him, the Church was merely a tool to achieve his ambitions.
He found the priests' occasional displays of irrational zeal and fanaticism incomprehensible.
'Tch. What's so special about their scriptures? These lunatics…'
They treated their mission as some divine calling. And with the power they had shown, it was impossible to dismiss them entirely.
For now, Raul had no choice but to comply. He had to deliver results using his own abilities.
He had been raised to be a tool for this very purpose.
After nodding a few times, Raul finally spoke.
"Even with more high-ranking priests, it won't be easy. The Northern Army now has enough skilled individuals to deal with Equidema without much trouble. And the Arbiter Ravier was killed by Count Fenris and his associates."
"Indeed, that count and the Northern Army are a nuisance. Even if more high-ranking priests join us, we'll still suffer losses."
"There is an option to push through to the capital, accepting the casualties. But that will make things difficult later."
After a moment of thought, Gartros spoke.
"No, no. There's no need to lose a few of our high-ranking priests over a single person, Count Fenris. Isn't the key to break through the Northern Army and take the capital as quickly as possible?"
"That's correct."
A cruel smile spread across Gartros's face.
"Then how about luring Count Fenris away separately?"
[T/L: Please support me and read 385 extra chapters: https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]