Chapter : 91

Still, the Elf King, the Prince-elector of Bohemia’s, plan had a somewhat dangerous feel to it. That was why I decided to modify part of the plan.

It was to deploy a deception tactic-!

“I shall bestow rewards upon the knights who rendered meritorious service in this heretic hunt!”

“We’re dismissed! Everyone, receive your pay and return home-!”

The nobles who participated in the southern heretic hunt continued to hold banquets as if all was over, and pretended to demobilize some of their soldiers.

No, some nobles even disbanded their levies entirely, gave out rewards, and even reported the results of the subjugation to the Holy See.

In response, the Holy See announced.

“We declare the official annihilation of the heretics who were active in the southern Elang Kingdom.”

They played along with the operation.

“???”

At this point, the ones who were confused were the king of the Kingdom of Aragon and the nobles who followed him.

-Hmm? Is it really over?

-The information from the Holy Emperor said their final target was us, didn’t it?

-Could the information have been wrong?

-No, we should still remain on high alert just in case!

-For that to be the case, isn’t the enemy army scattering too much?

-They only said the heretic hunt in the ‘southern Elang Kingdom’ was over! This is clearly a deceptive trick aimed at us.

They argued back and forth amongst themselves.

The sight of a foreign king acting like their superior was already an eyesore. Now that he was trying to control the nobles’ armies as if they were his own, there was bound to be resistance.

-What nonsense! Does money grow on trees? Are you going to foot the bill?

-It is a noble’s duty to mobilize an army against a foreign invasion!

-Hmph, wasn’t this whole situation a problem of the king ‘personally’ rather than a national one? Strictly speaking, doesn’t it seem more like a personal dispute of the royal family than a foreign invasion? If you want an army, you pay for it.

-Grr!

Furthermore, with their justification also weakening, they began to creak under extremely practical problems.

In the end, the forces led by the King of Aragon began to scatter, except for the armies brought by his direct vassals.

Large holes began to appear in the Kingdom of Aragon’s border defense line.

And this was what the Elf King, the Prince-elector of Bohemia, had so desperately wished for.

“The King of the Kingdom of Aragon is hereby excommunicated-! This is a strictly limited excommunication confined to the family of the King of Aragon, and any noble of the kingdom who supports him in concert will not be able to escape the sin.”

As soon as the Holy See’s envoy crossed the border, the scattered and hidden armies were summoned as if they had been waiting.

The Aragon War of Succession had just begun.

* * *

“The Prince-elector of Bohemia is certainly amazing.”

“What about him?”

“To raise an army the moment the Holy See’s envoy crossed over. He’s not giving the King of Aragon even a moment to respond.”

“Hmm….”

‘The truth is, it happened this way because he blew up saying he couldn’t wait any longer….’

In fact, engaging in such petty stratagems was not to the Elf King, the Prince-elector of Bohemia’s, taste.

The reason he had suggested charging straight for Barca, the capital of the Kingdom of Aragon, was because he wanted to see a result immediately without considering the circumstances.

Rather, when I modified the plan, he had even thrown a fit, asking what kind of human-knight-like act this was.

But Magician Agpiel’s admiration was too sincere for me to tell him the truth of what happened last night.

“Well, he is amazing in many ways. His decisiveness is certainly excellent.”

I nodded with an awkward smile.

Whatever the case, the result was excellent, so it was true.

-Clomp, clomp, clomp!

The soldiers I led were endlessly marching, following the flag.

Having replenished the soldiers lost before, our numbers were back to 5,000.

And, for whatever reason, the elf knights had called their comrades and squires, and soon our cavalry force alone was close to 200.

It was quite a good thing, as I had been disappointed that the members of the Knights of the Holy Order of Saint Maria had left to return to their main chapter.

“Your Excellency! According to the scouts, there is a village ahead. How about resting there for today?”

“Hmm, no. We will camp near the village. Instead, bring me the village chief.”

“But why…?”

The surrounding elf knights pouted their lips as if disappointed.

How nice would it be to squeeze into the village, be treated to even a humble meal at the warm village chief’s house, and be praised….

Of course, knowing full well the thoughts of those elf knights, I couldn’t dare allow it.

‘Ugh, these troublesome pointy-ears….’

From our perspective, it was a treat, but from the perspective of the chief and that small village, it was plunder.

That was the custom of this era.

Besides, were the elf knights’ tastes not a bit particular? They acted like barbarian warriors, but their palates were quite refined.

They were so fussy that they could create resentment where there was none.

“Absolutely do not let them into the village. The decision to set up camp on the outskirts of the village is an excellent choice.”

And thankfully, Magician Agpiel seemed to share my thoughts.

“On the surface, it is an excommunication targeting only the King of the Kingdom of Aragon. And that is also the goal of the war. If we pass by politely without plundering, the surrounding lords will have no reason to step up and defend the king.”

“Oh…. I was thinking the same thing, Magician Agpiel.”

As expected, the long-lived magician possessed wisdom. Opinions that were difficult to see from a medieval person’s perspective came pouring out of Agpiel’s mouth.

“I-I am here to see the pious Margrave.”

Before long, a soldier brought the village chief.

The chief had flopped onto the ground, trembling as he offered his greeting.

“You may rise from your spot.”

“How could I dare to look directly at the Margrave’s face. Please withdraw the command….”

Despite my words, the chief did not dare to raise his head.

The old, long-surviving chief was well aware of the whimsical and wicked nature of nobles.

They pretended to be generous with their words, but in reality, they were ferocious.

This was especially true when they led soldiers like this. It was all too common to procure food for the soldiers’ mouths by raiding nearby villages.

There was no way the quick-witted elf knights didn’t know the chief’s inner thoughts.

Why else could they not rest comfortably inside the village!

“What? This bastard!”

“How dare you insult His Excellency! You insolent fool. His Excellency has shown you special mercy…!”

The elf knights flew into a rage.

They looked ready to cut down the village chief at any moment.

I clicked my tongue at the way things were going.

“Can you not stop?”

“But Your Excellency….”

“Quiet. And you, village chief.”

“Yes, yes. Margrave. Did you call for me?”

“There will be no plunder, which you fear. We will neither stay in your village nor requisition from it.”

“?!”

The village chief was so startled that he unknowingly raised his head, then hurriedly lowered it again. It was an utterly unbelievable statement.

But regardless, I continued to speak calmly.

“If there is anything we need, we will pay a generous price for it. So do not worry.”

“Th-thank you. You are truly as gracious as the rumors say, Your Excellency.”

The chief seemed half in disbelief even as he listened.

But soon, as my soldiers actually began to set up camp in the surroundings, his jaw dropped in belief.

Ah, so a noble like this really existed!

* * *

While I was at it, I decided to go one step further.

I dispatched the goat beastman, Bishop Marco, to the village.

Although most villages had a church, they were usually run by low-ranking priests, and in many cases, there wasn’t even a priest, so the village chief would preside over mass.

But for a high-ranking Bishop to come to the village and hold a service himself?

In [Pangea Universalise], where the influence of religion deeply affected daily life, this was an incredible form of welfare.

“Oh, thank you.”

“Pious Your Excellency….”

“Meeeeh! This is a true lord! Praise him. The performer of miracles, beloved by God. Merr.”

The goat beastman Bishop Marco preached with great excitement, like a fish in water.

Why this war started, and why this war was just.

The villagers were absorbing this propaganda unfiltered, without even realizing it.

“Meheheh. Sins must be washed away. Here are indulgences. Merr!”

Of course, the goat beastman Bishop Marco was excited for a different reason. After visiting the village once, he had gone empty-handed but returned pulling a cart, having received so many things from somewhere.

“He’s truly a consistent friend.”

“Well, if everyone is happy, isn’t that good enough, Magician Agpiel?”

Although the elf knights did whine about how hard it was.

In any case, my intentions were a great success.

“W-we are here to see Your Excellency.”

“Here are tributes and supplies.”

In the meantime, as rumors spread far and wide, the chiefs of nearby villages brought armfuls of goods and money whenever my army passed by.

Thanks to this, my army began to advance into the Kingdom of Aragon like an unstoppable force, without receiving a single instance of resistance from any village unit.

At that, it was the nearby lords who were surprised.

“Wh-who are you! Who dares to trespass upon the territory of the Veno family.”

Startled by the sudden appearance of a large army of over 5,000, he had sent a messenger in a fright.

“The Veno family? What kind of place is it? Does anyone know?”

“My goodness. How would we know of a noble in the distant Kingdom of Aragon, Your Excellency.”

“That’s right. It is difficult to know about a mere local baronial family.”

“I suppose that’s true.”

It was a pity. If someone had known, we could have resolved this more easily. Their guard was too high right now.

But then Captain Konrad, who had been listening quietly, carefully opened his mouth.

“Hmm…. Human lord. The Veno family is a dwarf warrior family that became independent from Canton. They handle the halberd very well, just like us.”

“Oh?”

It was quite the coincidence.

A noble from a dwarf family.

I turned my head and spoke to the envoy before me.

“I am the Bellua Margrave, and I have come to depose the King of the Kingdom of Aragon under the mission of the Holy See.”

“Huk!”

Only then did the envoy’s eyes widen.

How on earth could a heretic subjugation force have already arrived here so soon after the excommunication was delivered?

“Tell your lord. If he welcomes us according to custom, we will pass without any trouble.”

“W-we will not bow to invaders, Y-Your Excellency.”

The envoy, though trembling, said what he had to say. Welcome them according to custom.

Wouldn’t that be tantamount to betraying the lord he served? Although the army before him was frightening, a noble’s honor was not something that could be easily discarded.

“Hmm? What do you mean. Betrayal.”

Of course, I had no intention of approaching it that way.

“We are not attacking the Kingdom of Aragon.”

“Yes…?”

“We are fighting the king’s personal family, not the King of Aragon. The nobles of the Kingdom of Aragon have nothing to do with this excommunication, do they not?”

I said slyly.

The envoy seemed to fall into confusion upon hearing my plausible yet sophistic argument.

“Wh-what does that mean…?”

“Hah. This fellow still hasn’t come to his senses. Go to your lord and relay my words. In the end, it is the lord who will make the decision.”

“Ah, I understand.”

Only then did the envoy rush back to report to his lord.

Hearing this story, Baron Veno was quite bewildered.

“What? It has nothing to do with the kingdom’s nobles? And did he really say he wouldn’t plunder?”

“Yes, my lord. Upon investigation, it seems they haven’t plundered a single village on their way here.”

“Hah….”

Baron Veno was getting a headache.

To simply ignore them was problematic given their actions so far, but to oppose them, the 5,000-strong army felt daunting.

So in the end, Baron Veno decided to give them as little justification as possible.

“If His Excellency truly thinks so, Baron Veno has said he would gladly welcome you. However, he will limit the number of attendants entering the lord’s castle to 20….”

He probably thought that if he did this, I would feel burdened and just pass by.

What madman would enter what was essentially hostile territory with only 20 men?

But I surpassed Baron Veno’s expectations by a long shot.

“Is that so? Good. I will visit with 20 attendants. Tell Baron Veno I look forward to a grand banquet.”

“????”

That madman was right here.

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