novelraw Chapter 116 : Chapter 116
Chapter 116 : Chapter 116
Chapter 116
Trimia looked at the Count and Ian with a troubled face.
“The demands from southern nobles to return their troops are endless.”
The nobles from whom Trimia had borrowed troops unanimously demanded their return.
From those who claimed monsters suddenly appeared in their territories to those who said they had to prepare for domain wars.
“The royal family intervened.”
Count Sven opened his mouth.
“Rumors have spread in the capital that Moner is preparing for treason. Saying that things like Orcs trying to invade Moner don't even exist.”
The Count, who chuckled, continued.
“It’s a ridiculous rumor, but if the King speaks of it, the story changes.”
“There is no way Father, who cares terribly about the dignity of the royal family, would speak of rumors…….”
“It is dignity and authority built up for times like this. The King would never have said the rumor was true. He would have made other nobles believe it by hinting at it with the authority he has built up until now.”
“But it’s an absurd rumor. The truth of the rumor will be revealed as soon as the Orcs appear.”
The Count nodded while looking at Ian, who was sitting silently.
“In the end, it means they have a way to stop the truth from spreading.”
Stopping words from spreading?
How?
Trimia’s expression, which had been frowning in contemplation, gradually turned pale.
Because there is only one way to stop words from spreading.
‘They’re going to kill them? Moner?’
“That can’t be! Even if Father wishes for the extermination of Moner, how could he kill all the northern nobles gathered here……!”
Trimia, who shouted urgently, suddenly realized.
Spreading rumors that Moner is plotting treason might not be just to pressure Moner.
“Northern nobles have formed independent forces away from central politics for generations. Those nobles gathered here to support you.”
“There is nothing better than the label of a traitor for killing nobles.”
It was a serious situation.
It meant they had to be wary of the kingdom's army in the south as much as the Orcs coming down from the north.
“…….”
The Count looked at Ian, who was sitting with a dark face.
‘I’m sorry to call you when your fatigue hasn’t even gone yet…….’
He never thought the royal family would move this actively.
It wasn't something that could be solved with protests or armed demonstrations as usual.
If the royal family set their mind to it, they could frame anything as an act of treason.
When the Count and Trimia were looking at Ian, Ian opened his mouth.
“Just ignore them.”
* * *
Because my fatigue hadn't been relieved yet, I massaged my forehead and said.
“The royal family plans to station the kingdom's army at the three Count families.”
This was something I expected from the moment I heard the royal family's plan from Natasha, the Countess of Obsol.
“When the Orcs appear, they intend to use the kingdom's army to block the three Count families and suppress the spread of rumors.”
At first, I thought there was no way.
Because cutting out the tongues of just a few nobles would never stop rumors from spreading.
‘They intend to kill everything coming out of Moner.’
Because it's an impossible plan unless they plan to kill all of Moner's people regardless of gender and age.
‘If we were just stuck in the fortress, there would have been no better way. We would have been hit without even knowing what was behind us.’
Indeed, if it weren't for Natasha of Obsol and the Golden Goblin Merchant Guild, we wouldn't have grasped the royal family's movements.
“Then isn’t it serious? Since it has come to this, I’d rather return some of the troops…….”
I spoke calmly to Trimia, whose face was stiff as if it was his fault.
“Don’t worry. It would be one thing if we didn't know, but I have no intention of being hit knowing it.”
“Is there a way? Calming the anger of the southern nobles is never an easy task.”
“We offer neither excuses nor conciliation. You just have to ignore them.”
The Count looked at Trimia with a troubled face.
If he ignores the demands of the nobles clamoring for the return of their troops, the legitimacy held by Trimia's army will be shaken.
“That is…….”
Before the Count could say anything, Trimia spoke calmly.
“If Ian thinks so, I don't care. Being criticized is not something that happens just for a day or two.”
“If it becomes known that you ignored the nobles' demands…….”
“You will make enemies of all the nobles who contributed troops.”
Trimia genuinely thought it was no big deal.
“Even if I make enemies of all the nobles in the kingdom, if it is for Ian, I really don't care.”
When the Count looked at him with an ambiguous gaze, Trimia shrugged his shoulders.
“From the beginning, I had no allies in this kingdom. Would anything change just because the number of enemies increased by a few now?”
Trimia genuinely thought so.
Having conversed for a few days, he realized.
The gathering of the northern nobles was due to the absurd misunderstanding that he was a prince secretly supported by the King.
The handful of troops were gathered through threats using his bloodline and glib tongue.
Among them, not a single person genuinely supported him.
Ian, who was listening to the conversation between the Count and Trimia, opened his mouth.
“There’s no need to think it’s difficult. We just have to create a situation where they can’t block the rumors.”
“How?”
“If the absence of an enemy is the problem, showing them the enemy is enough.”
Even if we bring Orcs right in front of their eyes, the kingdom's army will claim they don't see them, but will the other anxious nobles do the same?
“Since Moner is stuck inside, they must have seen me as a pushover.”
The basics of 『Lost Chronicle』 are to compete fair and square with fabrication and agitation.
Thoroughly hiding Ian's appearance and moving other heroes with rumors and agitation.
“The royal family isn't the only one who can move public opinion.”
Unlike his mouth which held a twisted smile, with eyes that sank coldly, Ian spoke as if chewing on the words.
“Daring to target Moner's people means they were prepared for the consequences.”
* * *
The next day.
Ian headed to the monster forest with Calua.
- Snake meat! Snake meat!
Excited by the words that he could eat the Serpent King after finishing this task, Calua's tail was wagging vigorously.
“I told you to get off my head if you’re going to wag your tail like that.”
- I don’t want to!
Calua shook his head vigorously, saying it was as natural as humans breathing.
“I said it’s distracting.”
- Ugh, human is petty!
As I put the whining Calua down from my shoulder, Calua lifted his two feet high and flapped his wings.
“…You want me to hold you?”
- Ha!
Looking away quickly while flapping his wings clearly meant he wanted to be held.
‘It seems he developed a strange habit while I was gone…….’
As I picked up Calua with an annoyed face, Calua's tail flinched.
“Just wag it.”
- Huh? No? I’m fine!
Even while saying that, it’s wagging diligently though.
- No, well, this is as natural as breathing mana…….
I lightly pressed the bridge of Calua's nose, who was making excuses with a lame face, and started walking again.
- Human, how much further do we have to go?
“About four more hours?”
- It would have been nice if Reina came too!
I stopped in my tracks for a moment and glared at the ungrateful lizard.
“What?”
- It would have been nice if Reina came too. Because Reina also wanted to see the human.
No, those are nice words to hear, but.
This lizard bastard, however……?
“Why am I ‘human’ and Reina is ‘Reina’?”
Flinch.
“Was saving your life, giving you food, and giving you a place to sleep not enough?”
Flinch.
- H-human is different!
What is?
As I glared at Calua with slanted eyes, Calua, drooping his tail and wings simultaneously, shouted timidly.
- Human is different!
So what is.
Just as I was about to open my mouth again feeling uneasy like I was betrayed by a pet.
Squeak!
- Ah, squirrel! It’s a squirrel!
Calua, hearing the cry of a demonic beast squirrel from afar, shouted while wagging his tail as if he saw a life savior.
- Human, this is not the time for this! We shouldn't miss it now!
Chuckling at the urgent shout that clearly showed his intentions, I approached the squirrel.
“Hello.”
Squeak!
Watching the squirrel waving its hand happily, I greeted it with a bright smile and put Calua down next to the squirrel.
Squeak! Squeak! Squeak!
- Hello, little species! Right, right! I missed you too!
I swallowed a laugh at the squirrel tapping Calua's nose as if it really missed him.
‘At that point, isn’t he a real lizard?’
A Dragon whom a demonic beast squirrel greets affectionately.
- What? I didn’t gain weight, I became healthy!
Squeak?
- That’s right! I became healthy!
After sighing slightly watching the lizard proudly lifting his head with his chubby body, I spoke to the squirrel.
“Now, let’s stop the greetings here. I would like to propose a trade.”
Squeak?
Without waiting for Calua's translation, I untied the prepared sack.
Magic stones obtained by exterminating the Serpents were sparkling inside the sack.
‘If the dietary preferences of the Serpents on the continent and the Serpents of the swamp are the same…….’
The favorite snack of the Serpents on the continent is precisely the demonic beast squirrel.
Although they are closer to a completely different species from the squirrel that is a resident of the forest, if it's a squirrel that liked Orc magic stones, it would also like Serpent magic stones.
Squeak! Squeak! Squeak!
Seeing it jumping around with its hands on its cheeks, it seems it liked them.
“I would like to be guided for a while with this.”
Squuueaaak?
- It asks where you want to go?
There would be few species more knowledgeable about the forest than the demonic beast squirrel.
Because they exchange information with more of their own kind than any other species in the forest, and can move their kind depending on the situation.
“On the way here, I saw that the paths of the forest have changed.”
When I spoke feigning ignorance, the squirrel put its hands on its waist and squeaked in an angry voice.
- …Hmm?! It says a fairy went crazy and messed up the forest! It says it's extremely upset because it lost all the magic stones hidden in the outskirts!
As expected.
From the moment I entered the forest, I had guessed it from the subtly changed positions of the markers.
That the witch was moving the forest to interfere with the Orcs' path.
‘And there’s no way the squirrel would like that.’
The squirrel doesn't know the relationship between me and the witch.
If it knew the relationship between me and the witch, it would have protested waving those small hands.
As if greasing my lips, after wetting them with saliva, I opened my mouth in a worried voice.
“It seems the forest does not allow leaving the forest.”
Squeak?!
- Really?!
Of course it’s a lie.
It’s not like the forest is alive, so there’s no way it can change the paths of trees overnight.
‘Even if it were alive, it wouldn’t be friendly to humans.’
But the squirrel is different.
Because the squirrel is a good trading partner.
If the squirrel, who hated Orcs from the first meeting, thinks the forest is angry because of the Orcs…….
Squeak! Squeak! Squeak!
The squirrel, who made a hole in the tree with a foot the size of a pinky finger, spoke in an angry voice.
- The little species says it can take you to the wicked Orcs anytime! Bad guys! To steal food!
No, they didn't steal food, just lost it…….
Squeak! Squeak! Squeak!
- That’s right! Guys who steal other people's food are the worst guys in the world!
‘It was indeed a good idea to hide the fact that I made a deal with the witch.’
Watching the two animals angry as if cursing an enemy, laughter came out naturally.
“So, what I want is…….”
Ian, chuckling, continued his explanation in a villainous voice crouching in front of the squirrel.
- Human, as expected, the human is definitely a demon!
While hitting the bridge of the nose of the lizard that talks back occasionally.
* * *
I didn't intend to just train in the training ground for two months.
The time of two months is only ‘the time the Orcs cannot approach the fortress’, not the time we cannot attack.
‘If the forest and terrain change, there will definitely be Orcs who fall behind or become isolated.’
We target those guys.
There would be no safer way to train soldiers unfamiliar with forest combat than this.
‘As expected, the best strategy is a war I wage alone.’
Two months from now.
After that, there will be no soldiers who fear Orcs.
And there will be no Orcs who do not fear humans.
“The odds of victory have risen a little more.”
- Huh?
“Because now it’s well over half and half.”
On this day.
Moner's war began.