I Reincarnated As the Third Son of a Count’s Family, Only To Find a Series of Funerals

9 – Stormy Eve

“The enemies are constructing siege engines?!”

“Yes, my lord. The enemy forces have demolished our villages and collected the wooden columns used to rebuild a large axle. Then they melted down the iron we hadn’t moved and added it to this structure.”

Upon hearing the report from Sizongjang Robert, I felt an overwhelming sense of frustration.

Do these bastards really intend to see this through? What kind of confidence do they have?

“Sizongjang, keep an eye on the enemy’s movements. I need to meet Commander Sartrisha.”

“As you wish.”

If the enemy wasn’t satisfied with raiding the villages and intended to conquer the stronghold, then we needed to take suitable precautions as well. Therefore, I decided to meet with Sartrisha, who commanded most of the elite troops, to discuss our future strategies.

I arrived at the room where Sartrisha was staying, and from behind her door, I could hear voices.

“…Miss, we’ve already had 28 of our unit members either killed or injured. It’s nearly a tenth of our total strength.”

‘Miss…?’

Peeking through the slightly ajar door, I saw Sartrisha conversing with one of her mercenaries.

The conversation itself wasn’t particularly unusual; they were discussing the losses suffered in the previous battle. But the fact that the Red Rose Mercenaries referred to Sartrisha as “Miss” bothered me.

‘Is it because Sartrisha is a woman that they address her with what seems like a nickname? But in front of us, the mercenaries never once called Sartrisha “Miss”…’

What I found more unsettling was that while the mercenaries had shown respect to Sartrisha in our presence, the posture of this particular mercenary, speaking to her with one knee visibly bent, seemed more akin to how nobles demonstrate reverence towards their lords. It wasn’t just about respect; it seemed almost like pledging allegiance to their commander.

Was it common for there to be such a bond of fealty between a mercenary commander and their subordinates? Wasn’t their relationship purely a business one based on money?

“The current situation is gravely disadvantageous to us. Silverwood has already sent a request for aid, but we cannot be sure when Lord Lurain will come to aid Silverwood. Moreover, despite making some preparations for rations, if we consider not only combatants like us but also the escaping residents of Count Bakerly’s territory, we won’t last even a month. Plus, they are mostly elderly, children, and women who cannot contribute to the fight.”

“So, what should we do?”

“We need to leave this fight now. Judging by the enemy’s composition and actions, it’s not us they are after but rather the wealth and assets of Count Bakerly, as well as Lord Silverwood’s life. Even if we try to leave, there are no forces here that can stop us, and it would be far better for the invaders not to touch us, as they would have to deal with the aftermath of looting this castle.”

No, that bastard?

“Miss, please think carefully. Joining the mercenary group was to increase our strength and resources through mercenary activities and gather capital to rebuild the Fairfield family. If we die fighting for Silverwood here, it will disrupt our plans…”

The Fairfield family? I suspected from the beginning that Satricia was not a noble heiress because she seemed out of place, but it turns out it was true.

Anyway, if we let that mercenary blabber on, Satricia might actually betray us, so I had to do something.

So, when I tried to open the door…

Bang!

While listening to the mercenary’s words, Satricia slammed her fist on the desk, as if she couldn’t bear to listen any longer.

“Stop it! You’ve already received all the money, but because things became unfavorable, you want to exclude me? Are you discussing rebuilding the family while performing such despicable acts?!”

“…”

“I may understand if you didn’t take this task from the beginning, but now that we have signed a contract, we have an obligation to protect Silverwood according to the contract. Who would trust us if we betrayed Silverwood for our own lives? And even if we somehow manage to rebuild the family, do you think my deceased parents would be pleased?”

The mercenary couldn’t finish his sentence under Satricia’s scolding and kept silent, lowering his head.

“And did you forget the kindness of Count Edric, who accommodated us without suspicion, provided warm meals and ale, and never doubted or disrespected the abilities of me and my mercenaries, unlike other employers? I cannot betray such a person.”

As I listened to Satricia’s lengthy reprimand, I felt a bit uneasy. Although I didn’t show it, I did doubt their abilities…

The mercenary seemed unsure of what to say and bowed his head, then spoke in a hesitant voice to Satricia.

“…Miss, you are right. But please promise me one thing. If the food runs out and there is no outside support by then, we really must withdraw.”

Satricia closed her eyes for a moment, wrinkling her brows, as if she couldn’t physically resist these words from the mercenary, then answered him.

“…At that time, I will make a decision. Of course, I prioritize my family above all else.”

Upon hearing Satricia’s reply, the mercenary nodded slightly, seemingly satisfied, and stood up.

Oh no, the mercenary is approaching the door. If I stay here any longer, he might notice that I was eavesdropping.

I pondered for a moment on what to do. Should I run and escape from here? There’s a high chance of being discovered due to the sound of my footsteps. Moreover, if the mercenary opens the door and sees me before I disappear around the corner, it’s over.

Damn, this is a dilemma. In times like this, pretending to be calm with a poker face seems to be the best option.

Thud, thud!

“”..!””

“Satricia, are you there? There’s something important we need to discuss.”

I knocked on the door. Despite a few seconds passing since the sudden sound, there was no response.

I shouldn’t behave foolishly like her. I immediately opened the door wide.

“Commander? Ah, you were with the seer. How come nobody reacted when I knocked?”

“Uh… Well…”

“While we were having our conversation, we were both startled by the sudden knocking noise, so we couldn’t react. I apologize.”

“hahahaha, no need to apologize for not expecting an apology.”

“Thank you for your mercy. Oh, I heard that there’s something you want to discuss with the head of the palace. Then I’ll leave.”

The mercenary bowed lightly and left the room. As he left, his gaze was filled with suspicion, so I had to act as natural as possible.

“Who was the mercenary who just left to have a private conversation with the head of the palace? He seems to hold a position within the mercenary group if he needs to have a one-on-one conversation.”

Before the head of the palace could think that the mercenary might have overheard something, I naturally asked about the information on the mercenary.

“Oh, the mercenary from earlier is named Peter. He’s my subordinate. But what did you want to discuss with me?”

“Yes. It seems that the enemies are making siege weapons. They seem to be attacking the fortress.”

“..! It’s serious. I will tell my subordinates to prepare to defend the fortress immediately.”

“Thank you, I’d appreciate it.”

Sathricia and I discussed various plans to respond to the enemies. Despite Peter’s ominous words, I really needed to urgently discuss ways to stop them with Sathricia.

After finishing our discussion, I stood up from my seat, but Sathricia grabbed me.

“My lord… um…”

“..?”

“Did you hear anything before entering?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well… nothing. I just thought I’d ask in case.”

“Oh, did I say something I shouldn’t have? Are you two dating? There seems to be quite an age difference, but tastes…”

“Ah!!!! No way!!!!!”

With that, Sathricia pushed me out of the room. Phew, luckily I wasn’t caught.

Thanks to overhearing the conversation between Peter and Sathricia, many questions about her and her mercenary group were resolved.

How could a woman become a mercenary leader? Moreover, she looked like a noble lady who grew up beautifully. Why do the mercenaries follow her without any complaints? These were all questions we had.

Perhaps the “Red Rose” mercenary group was formed by gathering the remaining followers of the Fairfield family, as their only heir, Sathricia, tried to rebuild the family after its demise due to some reason.

Since they recruited people while working as mercenaries, not all of them were members of the Fairfield family. However, judging by the attitude of the mercenaries towards Sathricia, at least 100 of them were from the Fairfield family.

Last time, they fought better than expected on the outer wall. They all seemed to have the level of skill close to knights. I wondered where these skilled fighters came from, and it turned out that they were the followers of a deceased noble family, not unrooted commoners.

“But what do we do now…”

It was good to learn about the “Red Rose” mercenaries, but problems arose as well. The remaining food supply in the fortress was enough to last for a year if we only fed our soldiers and mercenaries. However, there were also refugees from the Baron’s subjects in this fortress.

As Peter said, they consisted of civilians such as women, children, and the elderly, who were incapable of fighting. But of course, we couldn’t let them starve. They were still my subjects, so how could I make them starve?

Therefore, even if I tried my best to endure, there was only about a month’s worth of food left. And if the Red Rose Mercenaries ran out of food, they might betray us.

In order to overcome this situation, we need Grandfather Lurein, the Duke, to come and help us…

“Grandfather, are you really going to abandon your grandson…?”

**

At that moment, in Westbern County.

Count Gates has been feeling an uncomfortable sense that something is going wrong lately.

The servant he sent to deliver the letter to his daughter hasn’t returned for some unknown reason. Moreover, the messenger he ordered to gather troops to Silverwood hasn’t brought back any news either.

So he sent the servant again to inquire about the news from the Westbern County Army. It was to find out what was going on.

Clank!

“Have you come?! What the hell is going on? I sent him to gather troops, and yet…”

“Well… My lord… When I asked the army, they said they hadn’t heard anything.”

“What…? What does that mean?”

“My lord!!!”

Suddenly, another servant rushed into the study. He seemed to be out of breath and dripping with sweat, indicating that he had come in a hurry.

“What is it? Why did you come so urgently?”

“T-T-The Kamusians…”

“Why?”

“When I went to their camp, the messenger you sent was found dead. And there was no one in the camp. My lord, it seems like they betrayed us and invaded Silverwood on their own!”

“What…?!!!”

Count Gates felt a huge shock as if struck by lightning on a clear sky.

But the sky seemed to think that it wasn’t enough, so it struck Count Gates with another thunderbolt.

“My Lord!!! Something terrible has happened!!!”

“What now?!!!”

“His Majesty the King has issued an arrest warrant for you on charges of treason against the royal family!!! They say that you deceived His Majesty by claiming to be a nobleman’s child and attempted to tarnish the sacred bloodline of the royal family… My lord…? Count Gates!!!”

Count Gates lost consciousness.

The time to settle the debt had come.