“What kind of nonsense is that!”
Bang!
The interior of the Bifrost barracks, erected on one side of the central front, was turned upside down.
Despite the beet-red Roger Bifrost shouting at the top of his lungs, his subordinates could only bow their heads without a word in response.
“What the hell are the Ferretas doing?!”
“It’s just that we’ve received word that the castle has fallen before the Ferreta’s forces could even set out.”
“Grrr. Rendor, that stupid fool!”
Swearing at his late subordinate in front of the others was out of character for him.
It only proved how greatly he was shocked.
“At least the Lords and Princes have managed to escape safely. They’re on their way here now…”
“Is that what’s important right now? My castle! My land has fallen into the hands of the McLeans!”
Roger Bifrost continued to scream, completely oblivious to the changing expressions of his subordinates.
“We’re going back now! I’ll catch those bastards, rip them apart, and kill them for daring to touch my ground!”
His anger, which he had been suppressing in the face of the inevitable, erupted without filter.
“Prepare to return to the army! The matters of my domain come first! I must reclaim my land. I will speak to His Grace the Duke myself.”
Given the situation, Duke Yordan Valtermine would no longer have grounds to hold him back.
In fact, given his own previous words, he would be more inclined to offer help.
Roger Bifrost hoped for this.
But the reality was different from his expectations.
“Impossible.”
The words of the gray-haired giant remained the same as before.
Roger Bifrost could not help but distort his face in a ghastly manner.
“My land! My base has been attacked by barbaric scoundrels! Why isn’t it possible?!”
“The forces on the central front are currently evenly matched. And in this situation, you’re talking about withdrawing Bifrost’s troops? Are you saying your land is more important than the greater cause?”
“No, that’s not what I mean. If my territory is safe, my army can join the cause without any trouble! Moreover, those madmen ignored His Excellency’s warning. If we leave them be…”
“We won’t leave them be.”
“…Yes?”
A spark of hope fleeting briefly, but the following response didn’t satisfy Roger Bifrost.
“After the cause is over, I will personally take their lives.”
“Your Grace…!”
Towards Roger Bifrost’s resentful gaze, Yordan replied with a cold laugh.
“But before that, we will send them a message to join our faction.”
“What kind of…?”
“Then bring them to this front and use them as cannon fodder. That should do, right? There will be no right of refusal for those madmen who ignored my warning.”
“Ah…”
There was no right of refusal for Roger Bifrost either.
However, the madmen had another choice.
[If you threaten us like this, we will have no choice but to lean towards the First Prince.]
The regent of the McLean family replied with a smile.
The lord was nowhere to be seen, and that bastard son was spinning round and round with a grin.
His expression was inscrutably calm.
Duke Yordan Valtermine’s face was distorted with embarrassment before his subordinates.
“Do you realize that you’re ignoring my warning and now even my advisement? You’re rejecting the will of His Majesty Lomein, the future King of this nation?”
While his tone remained calm, his surroundings felt the eruption of a volcano, pressing down around them.
Roger Bifrost, as well as his vassals, stepped back, dripping with cold sweat, but such intensity couldn’t reach beyond the communication device.
[I am well aware that I’m overstepping. But Your Excellency, our feud with Bifrost goes way back, long before. It’s not out of disrespect for His Grace or His Majesty Lomein.]
“Then prove it. Lead your troops to the front and make your mark. Then, both my wrath and the prince’s will spare you.”
[I regret that it’s not possible.]
Bang!
[Hmm? There’s a strange noise. Is the connection bad…?]
The explosion beneath Yordan’s feet quieted the surroundings even further, but the red-headed correspondent merely maintained a mocking demeanor.
“…He’s testing our patience.”
In the wake of the increasingly sharp aura, Roger Bifrost forced a weak smile.
But there was not a flicker of perturbation from the other side.
[I intend to remain neutral according to my mentor’s will. My loyalty to the royal house is unchanging, so please do not doubt my heart over a dispute born from the grievances of our houses.]
“Impertinent fool! How could you say…!”
“Your Excellency! The forces of the First Prince’s faction are on the move!”
Whether it was good or bad timing, the knight bursting through the door with news from the front was immediately met with a wave of murderous intent, turning pale.
[You seem busy, take care of your duties.]
The casual voice of Logan coming through the device only intensified Yordan’s fury.
“…Even if it means taking a loss, I’ll have to cut off your lineage. That seems better for morale.”
[Can you afford such a loss? I’ve heard the front is on tightrope. I believe you’re not one to be unable to suppress a minor rage.]
“Hmph… Thunderous fool. You will soon realize what you’ve done. It will be too late for regrets.”
[We’ll see about that…]
Crackle.
Yordan Valtermine cut off the connection with a stern face and then yelled at the surroundings, grinding his teeth.
“What are you waiting for! Prepare to march! We’ll crush the forces of the First Prince’s faction first!”
“Yes!”
Once all of the nobles scattered from the barracks,
The Duke gestured to his aide with a cold voice.
“Quietly call for … I’ll assign a few more men to take care of that insolent brat from earlier…”
The order, issued with an even deeper intent to kill than before, was met with a stiff nod from the aide.
* * *
“Huah. It’s over.”
“But, my prince. Is this really alright? After all, he’s a duke, and a suprahuman at that…”
As Logan let out a sigh of relief, Dwain asked with a wary look.
Yet Logan calmly dismissed the concern as if it were nothing.
“After all, they can’t touch us now. At most, they’ll just pull some tricks from behind. That’s easily dealt with as long as we’re prepared.”
“Isn’t that too easygoing a response?!”
“Otherwise? What could they do? Want us to march to the central front to become cannon fodder?”
Dwain was frustrated to the point of grimacing.
“That’s not what I mean. We could have just tried to compromise nicely…”
“It’s a done deal. Even if we showed weakness, it’s like offering a limb to beasts ready to bite. It’s better to stay firm.”
“Ah, Lord… why do I have to face such trials…”
As Dwain lamented to a god no one could see, Logan just chuckled.
“Are you worried?”
“Ask anyone! It’s you, Prince, who’s the odd one out!”
“Well, if you’re that nervous, avoid the manor for a while. Who knows what could happen.”
“Prince!!”
Dwain screamed in horror, jumping in protest.
“Relax, I’m kidding! Can’t anyone take a joke? Besides, hasn’t the First Prince’s faction contacted us?”
“Yes?”
“Yeah, we’ve dealt with the Second Prince’s faction. The other side should have responded by now. Shall I reach out to them?”
“Yes? Why?!”
“Because they’ll be pretty pleased with our current situation…”
Ziiing.
As if waiting for those words, the communication device glowed again, displaying the crossed sword emblem.
It was the mark of the First Prince’s faction—the powerful and influential Douglas Duke’s house.
[The conquest of Bifrost! Hahaha! Thank you for sharing such exciting news after so long. So, on behalf of your family, you preside over the cause. Well, it’s fresh and good. But since you’ve struck Bifrost, are you planning to join our faction?]
Duke Huon Douglas himself appeared on the communication, showing how significant the McLean’s conquest of Bifrost was at this sensitive time.
“Such an honor for you to contact us directly, Your Excellency.”
Logan busied himself with continuous bows, greeting yet another powerful figure.
But.
“I’m sorry, but my house still isn’t ready to support any prince. We truly regret it.”
His words were clearer and more firm than ever before.
‘Let’s endure a little more. My poor back.’
Swallowing his frivolous thoughts, Logan maintained a smiling face as he faced the kingdom’s sole sorcerer, although…
[Yordan won’t sit still, you know. I know how cruel he is; he might just gobble up your whole family…]
The blue eyes staring through the device directly at Logan held a strange mixture of humor and earnestness.
A dispassionately calm gaze that sent a chill down Logan’s spine.
“We just received word from them. I’ve already begged and groveled before them.”
[Really?]
“I believe they don’t have the leeway, do they? In my opinion, it seems Duke Douglas has the advantage.”
[Hmm… indeed, you have good judgment. But your words aren’t empty, are they? Surely you’re not planning to join the Second Prince’s faction to neutralize the conquest of Bifrost…]
Dropping off at the end, Douglas looked at Logan with an unchanged gaze.
“It’s unthinkable. Our house lacks the strength to do anything but maintain strict neutrality. And spiritually, I’ll be rooting for Your Excellency. I hope you’ll firmly stamp out any remaining Bifrost forces.”
[Hahaha, even so, you speak your mind. Well, it doesn’t sound false… Just a word of advice, if you deceive me, I won’t be as forgiving as that simpleton Yordan.]
Threats, one after the other, all because McLean lacked power.
Logan ground his teeth inwardly while outwardly smiling.
“Of course.”
The civil strife was just beginning.
In the whirlwind of discord, McLean’s neutrality was officially recognized.
Although remnants of dangerous elements remained.
* * *
The sudden event of McLean’s conquest of Bifrost shocked all the nobles of the kingdom, but perhaps none more so than Max Ferreta.
He was situated between the McLean and Bifrost domains and had chosen to be under Bifrost after their dispute. He had heard of battle end even before could muster his forces in support.
Caught between a rock and a hard place, Max Ferreta had taken Bifrost’s side and was now certain that McLean would face a devastating revenge.
“Bifrost himself would come down and destroy it, or the faction would punish it harshly.”
That was the logical and expected outcome.
But.
[There won’t be a reprisal. McLean’s neutrality is acknowledged.]
That single line from above left him in utter confusion.
“How can this be! They had self-destructed!”
“… McLean must have played some trick. It’s impossible for Roger Bifrost to tolerate this situation! Bifrost’s elite troops must still be intact… Why…?”
As his advisor tried to calm him, Max couldn’t understand the turn of events.
“I have followed the earl’s words! I tried to help Bifrost, and I was going to send the knights to the central front. It was just a delay. Shouldn’t the earl help us?! Lihalt! What if they target us in this situation…!”
“… If they declared neutrality, they cannot touch us, my lord. Please calm down.”
Normally not this stupid, Lihalt internally sighed at his lord’s panic attack.
But Lihalt was forced to comprehend that he was the real fool when McLean’s ultimatum arrived the next day.
[Let’s forget the friction and unfortunate events of the past, and establish a new relationship between our houses…(omitted)…]
The verbose letter basically meant:
Given the situation, we can’t attack directly, but whoever becomes king afterward, this region’s Overlord will be us.
So…
If you don’t want to die later, kneel now.
“What if we refuse?”
“… Historically, civil wars like this last no more than six months. And when that time comes, McLean won’t hesitate.”
Nothing else mattered if you and your family were dead.
That grim reality was conveyed only through Lihalt’s grave expression.
Soon, the lord sighed, aged by 10 years in a moment.
“… I accept the terms. Inform them we’ll re-enter as loyal vassals.”
And thus, after 200 years, Ferreta became a vassal to McLean once again.