WeTried Translations
Translator: Hydrogen B
Editor: Hydrogen B
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
Chapter 193: The King's Return (2)
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The capital of Hailen, Baldheim, had been a direct domain ruled by the Baldrick royal family since ancient times. Naturally, the citizens of the capital could not help but be deeply favorable toward the royal family.
The Baldrick royal family had governed well for generations. To the people of the north, its legitimacy was practically absolute. In contrast, unlike the royal family that had fought the Empire to the very end, House Ehrenfeld had watched the situation before siding with the Emperor. That was why the Duke, who was effectively the current regent, stood on unsteady ground.
A traitor who had betrayed his homeland.
And the bat-like opportunists beneath him.
The stigma attached to them like a label was not easily erased. That was why Duke Ehrenfeld had used House Falken to pressure Count Haska.
Backed by the Emperor, he intended to hurry his ascension to the throne. Otherwise, he could never know when the authority he had built like a sandcastle might collapse. Then Kyle, with both legitimacy and cause on his side, had appeared. From Duke Ehrenfeld's perspective, the Commander of the Knights of Ash, whom he had believed dead beyond doubt, had returned alive. It was bound to be a tremendous headache.
“The people of the north may bow their heads for a time, but they will never submit. We will surely receive their help.”
Kyle spoke as he looked at everyone gathered there, one by one. Those who met his gaze unconsciously swallowed.
“Under no circumstances can innocent soldiers turn their swords on one another. The same goes for the citizens. We are one.”
Hailen was now as good as the homeland where Kyle had been born. With the final battle against the Empire still ahead, he had no intention of weakening the north by shedding the blood of his own countrymen. It was enough for the few traitors who had sold Hailen to the Empire to lose their heads. Baron Falken had died that way as well.
“If the citizens of Baldheim rise up from within...”
“It is entirely possible. Duke Ehrenfeld has only around three thousand troops in the capital, does he not?”
“Certainly, they could defend themselves against an outside assault with the city walls to protect them, but they would not be able to stop an attack from within. The population may have decreased from before, but there are still a hundred thousand people, are there not?”
“If the Count of the Royal Court of Ingrahim lends us his strength, it can be done. Is he not practically the last bulwark keeping Duke Ehrenfeld in check? No one in Hailen can compare to his virtue.”
Whispers rose throughout the tent. Kyle's plan was that convincing.
They were outnumbered. But in legitimacy and cause, they held an overwhelming advantage.
And there was Oswin Ingrahim.
The Count of the Royal Court of Ingrahim, who had once overseen every major and minor affair of the royal household, was among the most loyal servants to have served the Baldrick royal family for generations. He was well regarded not only in Baldheim, but throughout Hailen.
If he lent Kyle his strength, matters would be easily resolved. Kyle had not the slightest doubt about that. Yurian, the Crown Prince Kyle could no longer see and his closest friend, had been taught by the Count of the Royal Court of Ingrahim. There was no way he would yield to Duke Ehrenfeld, who had sold Hailen to the Emperor.
“Commander.”
As the discussion continued, someone cautiously raised a hand amid the commotion. It was Count Wolfran, one of the leading lords among the royal loyalists. When the area fell quiet, Kyle pointed at him with his chin.
“Speak.”
“I understand the plan. I also understand that its chances of success are high. However...”
“However?”
“We do not know whether the Count of the Royal Court of Ingrahim, Lord Oswin, is still alive. It is all the more concerning because the information that had been coming from the capital until recently has completely stopped. Now that you, Commander, the sole remaining member of the royal family, have returned, would Duke Ehrenfeld leave Lord Oswin alive?”
Count Wolfran made a sharp point. Sighs flowed from the seated lords. The Count of the Royal Court of Ingrahim's loyalty was that renowned. If forced to choose between Kyle and the Duke, he would choose Kyle without hesitation.
“That will not happen.”
Yet Kyle's expression did not change in the slightest. Count Wolfran showed his confusion at the confident answer.
“Are you perhaps secretly in contact with Lord Oswin?”
“No.”
“Then how...”
“Because Duke Ehrenfeld would be digging his own grave if he killed the Count of the Royal Court of Ingrahim. The Duke is trying to compensate for his lack of legitimacy by taking an empty throne. Far from killing him, he will try to win him over somehow. If he can bring the name Ingrahim to his side, it will greatly help him win the people's support.”
Perhaps things would be different in some remote corner of the northern outskirts, but the royal family's influence had been absolute around Baldheim since long ago. If the Duke killed the highly respected Count of the Royal Court of Ingrahim, a rebellion might break out within Baldheim. Even if he could not win him over, he would likely do no more than imprison him.
The Duke Kyle knew was someone ruled by reason rather than emotion. That was why, after hearing from Rudolf that the Duke intended to take the throne, Kyle had been certain that their side held the advantage. The people of the north had not yet forgotten that day's war.
“By good fortune, House Haska has disguised knights in the capital who can contact the Count of the Royal Court of Ingrahim. What matters is bringing down the Duke before the other houses that have turned traitor can move. We march for Baldheim as soon as we rise tomorrow morning.”
Kyle, who had been staring at the map, rose from his seat. Everyone's gaze turned to him.
“We will receive troops and provisions from the neutral lords in the central region, as I said earlier. There will be no exceptions, even for those who have already been won over by the Duke. Every collaborator with the Empire will lose their head.”
Then they would surround the capital. The gates would open from within. Even if the Duke came out first, it did not matter. Kyle would simply cut off his head himself.
“Any questions?”
Finally, Kyle looked around the room. Unlike before, no one objected.
“Then we will adjourn for today. Return and rest well. Starting tomorrow, the days will be difficult.”
At Kyle's dismissal, those seated rose one after another and left the tent. Before leaving, several people, including Knights of Ash such as Hermann and Walter, deeply bowed their heads to Kyle.
Among them were Harald, Count Haska, as well as the heads of House Lunbern, House Sigreta, and House Wolfran. Kyle accepted their greetings with a slight bow. Once no one remained in the tent, Kyle was the last to step outside. By then, a fiery red sunset had covered the entire camp.
* * *
Baldheim had long been the greatest city in the north.
A harsh land where life was difficult. A city that had naturally formed when people living near the Caldra Mountains came down in order to survive.
It had prospered even further after Asherad, the first Northern King, made Baldheim the capital. Powerful lords from all over had gathered there and knelt before Asherad.
Baldheim was not merely an economic center. It was the heart of the north, where a throne that had endured for over a thousand years stood firm. Its symbolic importance was that great, which was why Duke Ehrenfeld had occupied Baldheim immediately after Hailen fell. He must have thought that doing so would create legitimacy where none existed.
After all, every member of the royal family had been wiped out during the Northern War.
There had once been a time when it seemed as though the entire north, including this city, was in his grasp.
“...”
Duke Ehrenfeld looked down at Baldheim from the lofty office in the inner castle that Asherad must have once used. The city in the early evening was bathed in a reddish light.
As the sun lowered, snow that had not fully melted was dyed a deep scarlet. Its scale was sorely lacking compared to Archandia, the Empire's capital, or Renavik of the Federation, but Baldheim was still Hailen's greatest city, retaining the north's unique culture. Despite the cold weather, the city had once overflowed with life. Before the war.
Now, the city that had been filled with confusion and fear during the Northern War was dying without vitality. Even after Duke Ehrenfeld opened the royal storehouses, little had changed. Baldheim's citizens could not accept that they had become subjects of the Empire. They simply waited endlessly for someone whose survival was uncertain.
“You seem to have much on your mind.”
Duke Ehrenfeld had stood by the window for quite some time when an unfamiliar voice suddenly entered his ears.
“Is something wrong?”
The voice sounded somewhat amused. The Duke slowly turned around.
A man with a sly smile came into view. Even before Duke Ehrenfeld, who now held real power in the north, he did not seem intimidated in the least. In truth, he held a position that allowed him to behave that way.
An Imperial ambassador sent directly by the Emperor.
Following Hailen's fall, the Empire had chosen to govern the north indirectly rather than occupy it directly. Duke Ehrenfeld had been their chosen instrument in that process.
Trade with the Empire, which had been closed during the war, reopened. At regular intervals, Imperial ambassadors were dispatched to Baldheim. On the surface, it was diplomatic exchange. In reality, it was surveillance of the declining north and the collection of enormous tribute payments. Thus, though Duke Ehrenfeld found the Imperial ambassadors unpleasant, he could not treat them carelessly.
“That man has appeared.”
“That man?”
“Kyle Baldrick.”
“Ah, the last Commander of the Knights of Ash. Surely he has not returned to the north alive?”
Despite Duke Ehrenfeld's grave tone, the ambassador did not so much as twitch an eyebrow. Rather than being flustered, his eyes gleamed with interest, as though this was within his expectations.
“...A letter arrived several days ago. It said he had issued a summons to all of the north as the Commander of the Knights of Ash and a member of the royal family.”
“That is troublesome. If it is true, then he holds the legitimacy.”
“The loyalist lords are already gathering. The great lords of Haska, Lunbern, Sigreta, and Wolfran, along with even the smaller lords.”
“Could the information be wrong?”
The ambassador asked with the same smile on his face. The Duke spat out his reply.
“No. The news from Baron Falken, who had been trying to win over House Haska, suddenly stopped at just the right time.”
“My. You must have quite a headache, especially at a time like this.”
“Does His Majesty the Emperor have no support to offer? If the north should fall into that man's hands, we will not be the only ones to regret it.”
The Duke spoke in a half-threatening manner. If Kyle returned to Baldheim and rebuilt Hailen anew, it would trouble the Emperor as well. The war had inflicted heavy damage, but the people living in the north had not simply vanished.
“Unfortunately, I do not think that will be possible.”
Yet the ambassador paid no heed to the Duke's glare.
“Why not? Are there not wyvern knights?”
“Most of those wyvern knights have been deployed to the front against the Federation. I hear that the Federation's High Council has been completely replaced by hardliners hostile to the Empire. Grand Duke Rivelius, Adrian Archandia, is said to be effectively serving as chairman in place of Felbric Chergar, who has become half vegetative.”
Adrian Archandia. An Imperial prince and the traitor to Elandor who had fled to the Federation despite receiving the Emperor's greatest favor. Even people of the north could not fail to know of him. Seeing the Duke's expression twist, the ambassador added calmly.
“Given the situation, military support will be difficult.”
“What of all the tribute payments you have received until now?”
“Money and soldiers are separate matters. Above all, have you not also received much of His Majesty the Emperor's grace?”
“What did you say?”
“I hope you remember whose favor has allowed you to stand where you are.”
Duke Ehrenfeld had seized real power in the north partly because he had preserved his forces comparatively intact even after the war, but most of all because he stood under the Emperor's protection. The ambassador was pointing that out. He was telling him to know his place.
“My advice is that you soothe the people's unrest.”
The ambassador's lips curved upward as he watched the Duke clench his fist reflexively.
“There are still many in the north who long for the royal family. All the more so in Baldheim. Even if you ascend the throne in this state, who will acknowledge you?”
“...”
“They have only bowed temporarily. If they are given cause, they will rise at any time. As a northerner yourself, Duke, you know that well. Baldheim has only been quiet because there has been no spark to ignite it.”
“Even so, our forces are far superior. That man is under a curse and cannot even use mana properly.”
“A curse...”
The ambassador smiled faintly. He took his gaze from the Duke and turned away.
“I shall be leaving now. I hope there will be good results, so that I may visit again next year.”
Whether they fought a civil war or one of them died as a result.
As long as the north's strength could be diminished, either outcome was acceptable. The people supported the Commander of the Knights of Ash, but Duke Ehrenfeld overwhelmingly possessed the greater number of troops ready for use. The ideal outcome was for the north to destroy itself without deploying the wyvern knights. Hiding those thoughts, the ambassador glanced toward one side of the office.
Then he left the room without hesitation.
“You heard all of that, did you not?”
Silence lingered for some time. In the stillness, Duke Ehrenfeld spoke as he turned toward the corner the ambassador had looked at last.
“It is time to choose, Oswin Ingrahim.”
An old man with thick white hair stood there. The elder, who had remained silent all this time, slowly turned his head. Unlike the Duke's sharp gaze, the old man's eyes were calm and steady. In the center of the office, flooded with sunset light, the two men's gazes tangled in complicated silence.
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