The Crown Prince had only been given the nominal role of supreme commander; expecting actual field command from him was unrealistic.

We’d need to appoint a nominal deputy commander from among the Western Lords too, but who? They’d undoubtedly fight tooth and nail over the position.

If Michael had been here, it would have been easier, but I also wanted to take this chance to try commanding a large army myself. I couldn’t rely on Michael forever.

The risk was great, but my heart was pounding just as hard.

I wanted to rise to the next level too.

"If we’re going to war with the south, there’s no way I’m sitting this one out."

Naturally, I couldn’t keep something this significant from the order’s officers. I summoned everyone, from Viktor and Fiel to all the squad lieutenants, and shared the information.

Viktor, who had lost his father to Basel, reacted the most passionately. The officers’ expressions hardened with tension as a large-scale war drew near. But at the same time, they were eager.

War was the most well-known path to advancement in the Middle Ages.

Far more men welcomed the blood-soaked battlefield than feared it.

That’s precisely why wars never ceased in medieval Europe.

"As it happens, I’ve received word from my family’s main house."

"So the Steinhof family plans to throw their full support behind our vice commander, it seems."

"...My father appears to see this war as an opportunity for the family to expand."

Fiel, who had inherited the Steinhof family’s emphasis on honor, seemed uncomfortable with his father’s worldly approach. But the Steinhof family’s support was something I could only welcome.

Their skill, at least, was beyond question.

Currently, the Gale Knights consisted of 3 vice commanders, 7 lieutenants, and 70 members, for a total of 80. I wanted to expand our numbers, but the lack of qualified vice commander candidates had stalled things.

Finding capable talent was difficult.

So it seemed I’d have to maintain this structure for the time being.

"Commander, the Count of Basel is an extremely cunning man. He doesn’t hesitate to launch surprise attacks, so we can’t let our guard down. Even Baron Constance suffered at his hands."

A cunning personality who doesn’t shy away from surprise attacks?

The Western Lords’ Army had been formed because negotiations with the south had fallen through. If that was the case, those bastards might attack Hissen, Rosenheim’s border town, the moment war was declared.

"Viktor, I’ll give you part of the order. Can you head to Hissen first and prepare?"

"I will coordinate with Hissen and capture the Count of Basel for you!"

I’d never seen Viktor this fired up before. Usually, he just followed orders out of duty, but he seemed genuinely excited at the prospect of facing Basel.

I assigned 44 men to Viktor along with my personal squad.

I repeatedly emphasized that he must not engage the enemy alone.

He had experience commanding a unit, so he wouldn’t do anything reckless.

After the meeting adjourned, I took a breather, leisurely sipping the rose tea Daniel had brewed.

The Southern Lords included Basel at the forefront, along with Rheinkalsen, Selthausen, Constance, and others. For reference, the Constance baronial family, which governed Rosenheim, originally hailed from the County of Constance.

Because they started as knights of Constance, they adopted Constance as their family name. Cases like this, where a noble family’s name matches a region’s name, are not uncommon.

The prime example is the Altringen of Beren and the Lothringen of Roden, which were originally one family. Hmm, my thoughts had wandered off track. In any case, I kept deliberating on how to organize the coalition army.

And then time passed, leaving exactly one day before the declaration of war.

The Crown Prince headed to Rosenheim first. Rosenheim was the rally point for the coalition, and the supreme commander needed to be at headquarters to give everyone a clear destination, so I sent him ahead. The scene when he parted from Lily was quite a sight.

In any case, I received the first contingent of the coalition army at Feuzen. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

"It’s been a while, Lord of Feuzen. Have you been well?"

"It has been a while, Count. You’re the first to arrive."

"Ha ha, naturally. Given the short distance, it didn’t take long."

Count Euz arrived at Feuzen with roughly 500 troops. Euz was being held down by Fried, the heir. There had been friction with local nobles recently, which was cause for concern.

And in fact, the Euz nobles led by Baron Valent had apparently come close to outright war with Fried. Count Euz had also reined in his vassals’ increasingly brazen behavior.

But with the risk of civil war looming, why had Count Euz joined the coalition?

"The royal mobilization order has effectively given us justification."

"...So the Euz nobles won’t be able to act freely for a while."

"Exactly. If they were to rebel against the Euznirk family while we’re away, the crown would gain justification to intervene in Euz. That would be a nightmare for the rebels."

The rebels would have to face both Count Euz and the crown simultaneously, and they’d be condemned by noble society as well. It would be treated as rebellion against the duchy. Justification is a truly fearsome thing.

Unless they were out of their minds, no one would act recklessly at a time like this.

"Once the civil war is settled, I’ll send Angela to you."

Angela was Fried’s younger sister, a lively noblewoman much like Hilda. Count Euz also introduced me to Fried’s wife, Ingrid, and she gave me a topaz brooch as a gift for Hilda.

"Why would you send Angela to me?"

"I hear Marquis Offenburg’s daughter is staying in your territory?"

Wait, how did he know that?

Lily’s presence was supposed to be a secret.

The reason Count Euz wanted to send Angela to me was that he knew Lily was a leading candidate for Crown Princess. He clearly had his own intelligence channels.

"My daughter would make a suitable handmaid for the Crown Princess, wouldn’t she?"

"Is it common for a lord’s daughter to serve as a handmaid?"

"Rare, but not unheard of. Through this, I’m showing my support for the crown. There’s no suitable match for Angela in Euz, so I’d like you to find her a good husband."

I never imagined he’d weave things together so neatly.

But I couldn’t refuse, so I accepted.

"Thank you. Please think of Euz’s crisis as the crown’s crisis."

"In return, I’ll need your full support during this civil war."

"Ha ha, of course. I’ll keep the Count of Baschurten in line for you."

Count Euz mentioned Baschurten outright.

That alone was reason enough to cooperate.

"Is the Count of Baschurten really as bad as they say?"

"Worse. He hates anyone more accomplished than himself. You’re the duchy’s greatest success story, and there are rumors you’re the Grand Duke’s illegitimate son. He has more than enough reason to despise you."

I’d heard his personality was rotten, but the stories Count Euz vividly relayed about the Count of Baschurten made him sound like the worst madman I’d ever encountered. He might even surpass the womanizing commander of the Imperial Knights.

His father died young, so he came to power before he had a chance to mature. A textbook petty tyrant who had set the Baschurten territory on a steady path toward decline. And the reason for his reputation as a lecher was even more outrageous.

"He takes a bride on her wedding night in lieu of the marriage tax?"

"Serfs, commoners, it doesn’t matter. He’s a vulgar wretch who’ll take any woman."

There’s a common misconception that nobles exercised the right of first night in the Middle Ages, but that right didn’t actually exist. There were rare cases where a subject who couldn’t pay the marriage tax would offer his wife for one night in place of payment.

Even that was extremely rare, and it was far more common to collect the marriage tax in goods rather than in brides. I never imagined there’d actually be someone practicing the right of first night in the flesh.

In the end, it’s because of people like him that others believe the practice was widespread. For the record, doing something like that would earn fierce condemnation from both the Church and noble society. They’d call you an utter degenerate.

He’d be better off keeping company with prostitutes, since nobody cared about that.

There was good reason he was so harshly vilified as a lecher.

"Someone like him is bound to cause trouble in Rosenheim."

"With the Crown Prince and the other lords present, he won’t cause any major incidents. The problem is that his real aim is plundering enemy territory. Sanctioned plundering would be one thing, but unauthorized plundering is a serious issue."

"Can we keep him in check?"

Count Euz fixed me with a steady gaze.

You want me to keep him in check? Are you out of your mind, old man?

"With the Grand Duke backing you, it might be possible."

"That could lead to war between Feuzen and Baschurten."

"War would be welcome. Baschurten would have to face the duchy’s army, Euz, Belfort, and Offenburg all at once. Since you’re protecting the future Crown Princess, the Marquis’s house would have justification to intervene."

His eyes were like the serpent in the Garden of Eden, tempting me to taste the forbidden fruit. Now I understood. Count Euz wanted war to break out between me and Baschurten.

Because Baschurten had weakened that much.

At the same time, the very same thought crossed my mind.

If I played my justifications right, could I swallow Baschurten whole?

Hmm, that was worth looking into.