ALL NOVEL chapter 8
8 – Defense of the Silverwood Barony (2)
While the Silverwood Barony was under attack by Kamusin, Count Westburn Gates anxiously waited for something.
Thud!
“Have you arrived?!”
“Yes, my lord. Here is the letter sent by Miss Darcy.”
That was the letter sent by his daughter, Olivia.
Lady Olivia Gates, the daughter of Viscount Gates, always sent a letter to her father around this time every year.
“Bring it here quickly.”
Viscount Gates eagerly wanted to hear news about his beloved daughter, so he hastily took the letter from the messenger’s hands and roughly tore open the wax seal.
However, as Viscount Gates delicately unfolded the letter with a faint smile, his expression gradually hardened while reading its contents.
Finally, in a fit of tremendous anger, he slammed the letter onto the floor and forcefully pounded his desk.
“Failed another attempt!”
Indeed, the letter sent by his daughter revealed that she failed once again to conceive, despite being married for three years to King Richard III.
“Now, the news I needed the most was about your pregnancy…!”
Viscount Westburne Gates felt as if his life were slipping away day by day, after those foolish Camusins killed Lord Silverwood and his two sons. Rumors were spreading that the Silverwood family had been assassinated. No matter how much they controlled the flow of information, sooner or later, someone would leak it like water gushing out when a dam broke.
Inevitably, with the situation leading to an attack from the Lorraine Duchy, the only breakthrough would be Olivia’s pregnancy news.
Even the Lorraine Duchy couldn’t attack the maternal family of a queen who bore the king’s child. It was unreasonable not to offer any compensation for invading Silverwood’s territory, but instead, Viscount Gates tried to shield his daughter Olivia and the king as much as possible, even if it meant making significant concessions…
At this rate, Viscount Westburne Gates would be subjected to all-encompassing pressure. Would the other noble families remain idle when the Lorraine Duchy attacked them?
“In this situation… I have no choice but to resort to ‘that method’…”
In truth, Viscount Gates already knew that his daughter, Olivia, was unable to conceive a child.
According to gossip, she had tried every possible way, but if there had been no news of pregnancy for three years, it was impossible not to know. This time, he had only waited, harboring the tiniest glimmer of hope, to see the outcome.
And now, even that last flicker of hope was crushed. From Viscount Gates’ perspective, he had no choice but to resort to ‘drastic’ measures (although he wished he never had to use them).
Viscount Gates took out a piece of parchment and placed it on the table, dipping the quill pen in ink.
“…My daughter… I heard about your situation. But don’t worry. Your father… has prepared… for you… Live your life, wearing this belly band that your father has sent, starting from next week.”
Having finished writing the letter to his daughter, Viscount Gates called for a messenger.
“Deliver this to my daughter. Also, take this item with you. This letter must be conveyed more cautiously than ever before. It must never be revealed to others.”
“I will remember.”
Unfortunately, Viscount Gates’ order not to show the letter’s contents to anyone was not respected.
“Your Highness, this is the letter Lord Gates has newly sent to the Queen.”
In fact, the letters sent by Viscount Gates to his daughter had never been a secret until now.
“My daughter, I heard that you are in an unstable situation once again. But don’t worry. Your father has arranged young women who can give birth in your place. Wear the falsified belly band that your father has sent starting from next week. At first, wear just one layer to make it seem like a small bump, then add one layer every month to make it appear more swollen. Don’t forget to pretend to have morning sickness frequently. During the period of pretending to be pregnant, you must absolutely avoid any s*xual intercourse. If His Majesty requests your presence in bed, you should refuse, as it could harm the unborn child. After eight months, ask His Majesty to let you give birth to the child at your family home. As someone who loves you, he will surely grant your wish. Once you arrive at your family home, pretend that your child is born just like the other children through a midwife that has already been arranged. Burn this letter after reading it. Stay healthy always. Love and take care. Father.”
The Count of Westburn silently placed the letter sent by the Countess on the table after reading it. Then he gestured and called for a servant, opening his mouth quietly.
“Summon Duke Lurain.”
It was the moment when the fate of the Count of Westburn was determined.
**
It had been the first day of the siege at Naseong. Perhaps the enemies thought it would be difficult to attack the fortress immediately, so they simply surrounded it and plundered the homes of the Count’s people.
“Damn it…”
Looking at the burning estate with fond childhood memories engraved in it, the Count’s mood worsened.
Lost in my deep sorrows, two individuals approached me.
“Young master… No, my Lord. Are you alright?”
“You don’t look good.”
“..? Well, Alan, Markus!”
Those bastards. It feels like it’s been less than a week since I last saw them. And of course, only bad things have happened between then and now, so it was hard to see them.
“I was busy training with archery under my father’s guidance.”
“My father asked me to move hay, so I worked like crazy for several days.”
Hmm… Markus must have been conscripted as an archer since he comes from a hunter’s family. Fortunately, I didn’t see him during the battle on the outer wall, so he must have been one of the troops left in the fortress.
It’s unfortunate that he was conscripted at 15, but in this world, I always assumed that around the age of 15, you’re considered an adult even if legally you’re still a teenager. What’s the difference? If I use my past life as an example, at 15, you can watch adult content or drink alcohol, but you still feel like a minor legally.
And here I am, leading this war at the age of 15, so what’s the difference?
After observing the situation of the Count’s estate through the window behind me for a moment, Markus made an angry expression.
“They’ve destroyed our neighborhood. Ah! Over there is Mr. Tanner, the leather craftsman’s house! Those bastards…”
Watching him, Alan asked me.
“My Lord, do you know when the war will end?”
“Probably… whether we like it or not, it won’t be over within one or two months.”
“After the war ends, can we go back to how we used to live?”
“Well…”
I couldn’t easily answer Alan’s question.
Will the residents of the Count’s estate be able to live as they did before after this war?
…
It won’t be possible. Probably.
Their homes, workshops, farmlands. They were looted without leaving anything behind. How could they possibly live well as they did before?
Even if the war ends, the Baron’s people will have to fight another war with life from then on.
“…Wouldn’t that be difficult?”
Marcus and Allen fell silent at my answer.
“So who’s wrong for this?”
“What?”
Who is to blame?
I was speechless for a moment. Who started all of this nonsense in the first place?
“Alan, what are you talking about? West Berun residents are obviously bad guys! Look outside! They are breaking into our homes and looting them along with our neighbors!”
“But we weren’t originally at war with West Berun, were we? Mr. Hansa’s house and Mrs. Daisy also said that Lord Leon provoked a meaningless war and Mr. Hans died because of it.”
“This guy must be crazy…! My apologies, Lord. Come with me.”
Marcus nodded at me and took an indignant-looking Allen with him.
But I was still troubled. Alan’s words deeply pierced my heart.
Who is responsible for all of this? And who is the culprit?
I knew the answer but couldn’t give it until Allen was taken by Marcus.
**
Amidst the burning peasant houses, a man stands firmly and looks up at the castle with a frown.
“It would be quite challenging to capture that castle.”
The man is Karoi, the leader of the Kamusin mercenaries who invaded Silverwood.
He asked his subordinates by his side.
“How’s the looting situation?”
“It’s not as fruitful as we expected. It seems like they moved everything worth holding onto inside the fortress.”
“What if we did this much and left?”
The Kamusin hesitated for a moment before answering, “There will be quite a lot of dissatisfaction among our people. There are still many who have not yet claimed theirs. Especially the families of those who died from the looted goods.”
In fact, all members of the Kamusin mercenary group are either relatives or neighbors. Thanks to this, the Kamusin mercenary group had a reputation for fighting fiercely for their family members and having little internal conflict or betrayal within the group.
However, sometimes it became poison at the top. Such as now, when distributing looted goods.
Sieges have been extremely challenging and have a high death rate, so the person leading the army compensates with generous rewards to give the soldiers motivation to attack the fortress.
However, in most cases, those who receive the reward die while attacking the fortress, so the families of the deceased soldiers typically receive the compensation they should have received.
This is a kind of ‘national rule’ in the industry of military leaders. Even the most ill-tempered birds react with “Oh, well;;,” upon hearing that someone is helping themselves to the share of a deceased soldier.
However, Karoi found himself in a situation where he could not provide compensation for the fallen soldiers during the assault on the Silverwood barony.
“If the mercenaries were made up of strangers who had nothing to do with Kamus and mostly consisted of distant relatives, it would be extreme to ask, ‘Are they informed?’ But…”
If someone from the Kamus mercenary unit were to behave in such a manner, not only would they lose respect within the group, but in severe cases, the families of the fallen soldiers would come seeking vengeance with swords drawn. Even if one tried to escape, there was no respite, as the family of the fallen warrior might just live next door.
Karooi’s head started to ache more and more. There were far too many casualties than expected when attacking the outer wall. However, the spoils for the mercenaries were far too meager compared to what they had to provide.
“…It can’t be helped…”
With a deep sigh, Karooi ordered his subordinates: “Destroy the villages and gather the columns. We will start making siege engines from now on. Use the remaining timber to build ladders.”
“Aye!”
Watching his subordinates move to carry out his orders, Karooi gazed at the sky for a moment and muttered quietly, “There isn’t much time left…”
As Karooi had mentioned, time was not on the side of the Kamusians.
Doom was approaching.