The County of Euz, held by the Euznirk family.

The County of Belfort, held by the Hildenberg family.

The County of Essenbach, held by the Billingen family.

The County of Baschurten, held by the Geerhilt family.

These are the four families that make up the Western Lords. The Western Lords’ Army is a coalition combining all of their forces, and the Grand Duke’s decision to appoint the Crown Prince as supreme commander was a sound choice.

My father-in-law clearly had to command the eastern division of the duchy’s army, so the only ones with enough authority to rally the lords were the Crown Prince or Marquis Offenburg. Anyone else, and the lords wouldn’t accept it.

The power of a lord governing an entire region is enormous, so uniting them would be no easy task. But within the 45-day mobilization period contracted with the king, they wouldn’t raise any complaints.

If mobilization exceeded that period, that’s when the lords would have to be paid. In other words, exceeding the mobilization period marked the point where regular forces effectively became mercenaries.

That’s when the lords would start voicing their dissatisfaction to the king.

If the king provided fair compensation for the extra days, there would be no problem.

But if the civil war dragged on and he couldn’t pay them, the pressure from the lords would intensify, and he’d end up temporarily permitting the plundering of enemy territories.

What the lords really wanted was legally sanctioned plundering.

That’s why some might deliberately drag things out and avoid fighting in earnest.

Of course, Beren had a powerful external enemy in Burgundy, so prolonging the civil war would be unwise. If Burgundy and France suddenly decided to end their own war, it would be a disaster.

"I’m completely unprepared right now. Can I really lead the Western Lords?"

"With Your Highness’s authority, the lords will accept it on principle, so there shouldn’t be any major issues."

For the Crown Prince, already weighed down with worry, this must have been a bolt from the blue. But there was someone facing an even bigger problem. The title of Chief of Staff to the Supreme Commander meant being the person doing all the actual work.

It wasn’t the Crown Prince who was about to have a miserable time. It was me.

"Count Euz and Count Belfort will cooperate with Your Highness, but the other lords are the problem."

"Hah, I’d count myself lucky if they don’t harbor resentment toward me."

Since this civil war was triggered by questions about the Crown Prince’s legitimacy, it was only natural to worry about how the lords would react. The silver lining was that the Euznirk family and the Crown Prince were on good terms.

The Crown Prince’s participation in the war between Épinay and Euz had turned out to be a masterstroke.

As a result, I’d benefited greatly from that war too and had been able to become a lord.

And the Hildenberg family of Belfort had become related to me through marriage. Michael’s wife was from the Hildenberg family, after all. On top of that, my sister-in-law was staying in my territory.

With at least two families on our side, there was no major cause for concern.

The real problem lay elsewhere. The fact that the Western Lords’ Army had been formed meant one thing:

Negotiations with the Southern Lords had broken down.

And this was before any official declaration of war.

If negotiations with the south had gone well and the Southern Lords had remained neutral, or even joined the royal side, there would have been no need to form the Western Lords’ Army. The Crown Prince’s forces could have simply merged with the Eastern Army and overwhelmed the enemy with sheer numbers.

The Crown Prince, who had been worrying about how to lead the Western Lords, seemed to have arrived at the same realization. He understood that his abilities were being put to the test in an entirely different sense.

"...So my opponents will be the Southern Lords."

"The center of the Southern Lords is Basel. The area adjacent to Rosenheim will likely become our battlefield."

The Hissen region, close to Basel, would probably be the main theater of war. According to the letters, Rosenheim would serve as the Western Lords’ Army’s base of operations, and a considerable amount of supplies had already been sent.

It was already decided, and the lords would be preparing their armies.

The Crown Prince felt the weight of it heavily, but he couldn’t stay curled up forever.

"If only Leo were here at a time like this."

Franz deeply regretted that Vermeer wasn’t present. The friend who had been inseparable from him—the pair once called the golden duo—had vanished, and the Crown Prince had felt the void ever since.

Lily had been some comfort, but she couldn’t match Vermeer’s influence. Did Franz know about the other side of Vermeer I’d seen in prison?

"We plan to help Prince Louis escape on the day of the declaration of war."

"Wouldn’t having the prince in his custody strengthen the Duke of Radensdorf’s position?"

"The die has already been cast. The Marquis is waiting there."

In the prison where Vermeer was held, Clara had revealed part of Hoenir’s plan to me. And Vermeer’s role was to move the Mainhof heiress. I was surprised that Vermeer was cooperating so willingly.

He probably thought it was his mission to set a bigger stage for the Crown Prince. If the royal family won the civil war, no one would be able to question the Crown Prince’s legitimacy anymore.

But through my Scouter, I’d noticed that Vermeer had ulterior motives of his own. And I never told Clara about them, because I couldn’t fully trust Hoenir.

Even if I was close to the former leader, Old Man Bertheim, that wasn’t reason enough for Hoenir’s people to be well-disposed toward me. They surely saw me as a convenient piece to use. That’s why I couldn’t trust them.

"I couldn’t stand how pathetic I was, not having the courage to face Leo."

When the schemes of his cherished friend and his beloved younger brother collided, the wound the Crown Prince suffered ran deep. That’s why he was afraid to face the friend who had changed.

"Sir Streit, I merely feel guilty for causing His Highness worry. If I had planned more carefully, I could have assassinated Louis without being discovered. That’s what I regret."

Vermeer was slightly missing the point, but the Vermeer I saw harbored no resentment toward the Crown Prince. And I realized that no words of mine could soothe the Crown Prince’s heart.

Except for Lily’s.

"Your Highness, Lily seems to be running around quite busily lately, and as her guardian, I’m worried."

"...This is your territory, Sir. What is there to worry about?"

"Still, you never know. How about Your Highness serving as Lily’s escort?"

Asking the Crown Prince to escort a young noblewoman was terribly presumptuous, but the Crown Prince had considerable affection for Lily. In truth, given his position, there were limits to how he could approach her on his own.

So I was giving the gloomy Crown Prince an excuse to lift his spirits. He’d been agonizing over Vermeer, but his mood seemed to brighten.

"An odd request at a time like this, but I’ll gladly accept."

"Once the Western Lords gather, there won’t be time for things like this."

"...I’m always on the receiving end of your help. Thank you."

That’s right. Smiling suited him better than sitting around looking miserable. I preferred the Crown Prince—with his strong sense of justice but naive streak—over the royal family with their scheming tendencies. I could make up for whatever he lacked.

Even after the Crown Prince left, I remained lost in deep thought.

As Chief of Staff, my biggest challenge was managing the lords in a practical capacity.

First, the Euznirk and Belfort families were solid allies.

They would be an enormous asset in managing the Western Lords’ Army.

Essenbach had ties to Schwarz Wolf, so there was a possibility they’d be favorable toward me, but that was just a possibility. The problem was Baschurten. Though they bordered Rosenheim, relations between the two were terrible.

According to Viktor, while Rosenheim and Basel were at war, Baschurten had seized the opportunity to raid Denmach, a border town on Rosenheim’s western frontier. They claimed it was to clear out bandits that had appeared during the war.

Baron Constance was furious. After winning the war against Basel, he retaliated by attacking Baschurten’s eastern border, repaying them in kind. As a result, Baschurten and Rosenheim frequently clashed along the border.

That conflict apparently dragged on for months.

Without royal mediation, a second war would have broken out.

On top of that, the Count of Baschurten was notorious as a scoundrel. The previous count, who had been feuding with Baron Constance, died young, and his reckless heir took over. The new count’s reputation was abysmal.

From what I’d heard, he was a notorious lecher.

Just how many women had he kept around for rumors like that to spread?

He would be a wild card, but with two lords already on my side, he wouldn’t be able to act as he pleased.

But the biggest problem wasn’t even managing the lords. It was that neither the Crown Prince nor I had any experience commanding a large army. I was confident in leading cavalry, but infantry was another matter entirely.