Chapter 200: The Worst Troublemaker Duo in History

Among the four lords who made up the Western Lords, Essenbach was by far the most powerful. Though it didn’t share a border with Burgundy, it was close to the Duchy of Roden and Strasbourg.

And Essenbach’s greatest rival was the Duchy of Roden. That was because part of the Alsace region occupied by the Duchy of Roden had originally been Essenbach’s territory.

That’s why Essenbach was the most aggressive in exerting influence over Strasbourg. They had recommended a noblewoman from the Gwendirente family to the previous king, and she turned out to be the queen who became the root cause of everything happening now.

In the end, they had successfully used the queen to strip away the Duchy of Roden’s influence, and Essenbach’s own influence took deep root in its place. The problem was that the current queen had fallen from power.

Count Euz spoke as he observed the Essenbach army.

"It seems Essenbach intends to throw itself fully into this civil war."

"Did they mobilize their entire force? That’s quite a large number."

"It’s not a territorial defense, so they can’t all be levies. A good number must be mercenaries, surely?"

The Count of Essenbach was one of the wealthiest men in Beren, so he could afford to hire a great many mercenaries. According to the advance scouts, the Essenbach force numbered 1,500, of which 1,000 were mercenaries.

Count Euz had only mobilized his own levies and hadn’t hired any mercenaries. Mercenary fees were staggering, and unless you were a wealthy lord, hiring them was no easy matter for a regional noble.

"My apologies for not being able to send reinforcements last time."

"Think nothing of it, Count Essenbach. How is your health?"

"Age is catching up with me. I’m not what I used to be."

The Count of Essenbach was an elderly man of similar age to Count Euz. When Épinay invaded, the reason Essenbach couldn’t send reinforcements immediately was that the count had apparently been bedridden at the time.

His complexion was ashen, clearly indicating health problems, but his eyes still carried an air of authority. After exchanging pleasantries with Count Euz, he turned his gaze to me, standing there like a sack of barley propped against the wall.

"Is this young nobleman the Streit I’ve been hearing about?"

"Indeed. How could Beren’s future not be bright?"

"Rumors tend to be exaggerated, but if Count Euz speaks so highly of him, it must be credible."

Count Essenbach’s gaze as he studied me was razor-sharp. In stark contrast to his gaunt, sickly face, his eyes reminded me of a viper’s. His disposition was conspiracy (neutral).

Nobles with a conspiracy disposition are extremely dangerous people.

I had seen the plots they’d woven countless times and knew how many people they’d killed in pursuit of their ambitions. Only now did I understand why the Count of Essenbach had recommended the queen.

He was the one who had planted poison in the Altringen royal family.

And he’d reaped the greatest benefits. With Strasbourg growing closer to Essenbach, he must have raked in enormous profits. In the end, hadn’t the Altringen family been used as well?

"Could you arrange a place for me to rest? It’s been a while since I’ve ridden, and this old man’s stamina isn’t holding up."

I had Daniel escort the Count of Essenbach and his attendants to a guest room. Count Euz watched the Count of Essenbach’s retreating figure before turning to me.

"That man is a frightening person."

"...I can see that."

"You noticed? Then be careful."

Count Euz seemed to know the Count of Essenbach’s true nature. Having lived as a lord for so many years, how could he not? Count Euz himself, while not quite the scheming type, was plenty formidable in his own right.

Just look at how he’d subtly dangled bait in front of me about attacking Baschurten.

I hadn’t even set foot in the world of lords yet, and I already felt my energy being drained. Surviving among these dangerous old men would be no easy feat. Could I hold my own against them?

The armies of Euz and Essenbach set up camp near Feuzen. Naturally, the townsfolk trembled at the sight of such an enormous military force. But when Hilda went around reassuring them, they quickly settled down.

It was a relief that Hilda took care of everything without me having to step in.

Count Euz observed Hilda with keen interest.

"Indeed, I can see why she captured your heart."

"In your estimation, Count, wouldn’t she earn full marks as a lord’s wife?"

"Quite so. Had I known sooner, I would have had her earmarked for Fried."

It seemed he wasn’t pleased with Ingrid, whom Fried had chosen. Though the Ingrid family’s wealth had been absorbed into the Euznirk family, what Count Euz truly wanted was a strong-willed lord’s wife.

"Sister Hilda! You’re so cool! Oh, a true Valkyrie! How can you be so gallant?"

And then there was the girl in white, clinging to our lady of the manor and bouncing around. Count Euz took one look at Lily and clicked his tongue, wondering which family had produced such an unrefined young lady.

That’s the Crown Princess candidate you mentioned, Count.

It seemed he only knew of the Crown Princess candidate’s existence but didn’t know exactly who she was.

"That girl is the daughter of Marquis Offenburg."

"...That’s nothing like what I was told."

I think that was the first time I’d ever seen Count Euz look surprised.

When I first met Lily, she had been a very demure and well-mannered young lady. That must have been the image Count Euz had in mind. Unfortunately, what he was seeing now was the real Lily.

"Appearances aside, she has the Crown Prince’s deep affection."

"A taste for unusual women—the father and son are exactly alike."

I agreed about the unusual part, but the Grand Duke had never loved the queen to begin with. Even Count Euz wouldn’t know the full story behind that, so I needed to watch my words in front of the lords.

Count Euz seemed genuinely concerned about Beren’s future. When I asked if he still intended to send Angela, he hesitated briefly before confirming he would send her as planned.

In my opinion, Angela and Lily would actually get along surprisingly well.

Wouldn’t that create the worst troublemaker duo in Altringen history?

A night passed as I entertained Count Euz and Count Essenbach. Even though it was the day of the declaration of war, there was no dramatic change. In truth, making a big spectacle of posting proclamations to announce a war wasn’t the European custom.

The attacking side, the crown, would send an envoy to the defending side, Radensdorf, to negotiate various terms, and the declaration took effect once both sides reached an agreement. The Church served as the official witness.

"Wolf, please come back safely."

I kissed the back of Hilda’s hand as she stroked my cheek, and we reaffirmed our love for each other. I made a point of ignoring Lily, who was watching from the side with an excited look on her face.

After entrusting Hilda to my retainers, I mounted my horse.

Mont Blanc was as full of energy as ever.

"August, I’m leaving the rear to you."

"Leave it to me, my lord!"

I left the territory’s defense to August.

I also placed the 22-man Gale Knights squad under his command.

I wanted to take him along, but territorial defense was critically important, so I had no choice but to leave him behind. August felt a sense of duty about protecting Feuzen, so he didn’t feel the slightest regret about staying.

I was truly grateful to have him as my vassal knight. I also had the Feuzen garrison stay to defend the territory. My influence was still modest at this point, and there was no need to reveal my full strength unnecessarily.

As we drew closer to Rosenheim, Count Euz asked me a question.

"Where do you expect the first battle to take place?"

"I’m anticipating Hissen, on Rosenheim’s border."

"Oh, so you also expect the Count of Basel to strike first."

I thought so too. I didn’t know the Count of Basel well, but I’d taken Viktor’s advice about the man’s temperament and sent part of the order ahead to Hissen to set up defenses.

Hissen was both a border town and a fortress.

Baron Constance had fought wars against Basel and transformed Hissen from an ordinary town into a military stronghold. This was a natural precaution, and despite Basel’s pressure on Hissen, they had never managed to take it.

And that was also why Viktor had predicted Basel would strike first.

To seize Hissen and use it as a staging point.

"During the great war five years ago, the Count of Basel had a field day ambushing Burgundian forces that were advancing through Belfort toward Baschurten. When it comes to guerrilla warfare, he’s every bit your equal."

"I see. So we can take a surprise attack on Hissen as a certainty?"

"In terms of seizing the initiative, isn’t it a sound move? But since you’ve anticipated it, Basel might find himself bogged down at Hissen. Your priority should be to finish organizing the Western Lords’ Army as quickly as possible."

That was, in fact, the most complicated and time-consuming part of the process.

The reason most European wars involved politely exchanging letters about when, where, and how to fight was precisely this. Whether dealing with allies or enemies, failing to sort things out once the lords gathered would lead to disaster.