Dragon Knight Chronicles ~ From a mere mercenary, rise to success through tactics! A small harem with the princess and the lord's daughter!? I'll also develop my territory! ~ - Chapter 88

Chapter 88   A Former Hero, Lord Monkton

In May of the Unified Calendar Year 567—

After completing some basic administrative duties in Europa, I returned to the castle of Lebe with the rank of baronet.

“Welcome back, my dear!”

“Ah, I’m home.”

Of course, I unofficially reunited with Io and Opal after a long time. The cheerful smiles of family are truly heartwarming. Once again, I asked Adelheid to appoint me as the captain of Io’s guard.

“Urgent news! Urgent news!”

Though I wanted to spend a peaceful time with my family, a messenger from the royal palace of Shampur arrived. …Could there be another matter to attend to?

I was promptly summoned to the castle’s conference room.

◇◇◇◇◇

In the conference room, with Io presiding as the acting lord, the vassals of the Rillburn Ducal House gathered.

“Let the meeting begin!”

The elderly man who signaled the start of the meeting was Malcolm Monkton, the former steward of the Rillburn family during the time of Io’s father.

After my downfall—

The old retainers reversed their previous stances and began to indulge in the privileges of the Rillburn family. They reinstated this elderly man as their foothold, exploiting Io’s inability to openly oppose them to secure several military posts.

“What does the royal palace want?”

Moltke, the leader among the old retainers, urged the meeting to proceed. Naturally, the elderly man was Moltke’s former superior.

“Indeed, they want to send troops to the Garland Trading Nation again.”

The western front with the Garland Trading Nation had been under the charge of Marquis Clock. However, he and his faction had effectively abandoned the western front to instigate a political upheaval, leading to the recapture of several towns and castles.

Now, however, he had become the Chancellor, reportedly holding the kingdom’s reins of power while the Queen was bedridden due to illness.

“If it’s a request from the royal palace, we have no choice but to send troops.”

Moltke voiced what was on everyone’s mind, reflecting the mood of the room.

“Outrageous! The current Chancellor is a disloyal scoundrel. Io-sama, you must not comply!”

These words came from the old Monkton. Surprisingly, he still held a strict adherence to chivalry and other virtues.

“If we do that, our house will be ruined!”

“Indeed, indeed.”

The old man found himself opposed by the other old retainers.

“Silence! Have the members of the Rillburn House fallen so low!?”

“……”

Everyone fell silent at those words.

Even Io and Adelheid couldn’t stand up to the loyal retainers of the Rillburn family.

A tense atmosphere hung in the air.

“How about we provide a small number of troops, citing various reasons?” I quietly suggested, sensing that this situation could not continue as it was.

The old man looked at me with a grim expression.

“It can’t be helped. We have no choice but to go with that plan,” he said.

Moltke’s words unified the opinions of the vassals.

The pure ideals of old Monkton were swept away.

As a result of the meeting that followed, it was decided that 3,000 soldiers would be mobilized.

The supreme commander would be Nataraja, the captain of the Rillburn family’s guard.

At Adelheid’s strong recommendation, Baronet Reister was appointed as the vice commander.

◇◇◇◇◇

Mid-May, Year 567 of the Unified Calendar—

To relieve the city fortress of Rageta, which was besieged by the Garland Trading Nation, the Owen Alliance Kingdom dispatched 25,000 troops from the capital, Shampur.

“Give it your all!”

“Win this one too!”

The citizens were unaware of the dirty coup orchestrated by Chancellor Clock. What lingered in their minds was the afterglow of their victory over the great nation, the Fletcher Republic.

However, in recent years, the burdens on the kingdom’s nobility have been severe.

The frequent wars every year, and last year, the confiscation of iron-related revenues, made it difficult for the royal court to gather a force even close to full mobilization strength this time.

But to dispel this atmosphere, Her Majesty Queen Charlotte herself took the field as the supreme commander. Marquis Clock was appointed as the de facto chief commander, while Sauer, the Grand Chamberlain, accompanied the army as the chief strategist.

“Baronet Reister! Baronet Reister!”

“What is it?”

As the vanguard marching west ahead of the main force, Nataraja frequently called for me, the vice commander.

“…Well, who knows when I’ll be able to casually call for you again, my lord!”

“…”

It seems she’s enjoying herself. But in this campaign, I am the vice commander. I had no choice but to follow the orders of the supreme commander.

◇◇◇◇◇

It was the season of budding leaves and fresh greenery.

Flocks of migratory birds flew across the sky.

The royal army continued its march westward, receiving supplies along the way.

The size and grandeur of the army earned them a warm welcome from the villages along the border. They were presented with offerings of fruits, wild boar meat, and vegetables.

“Urgent report! Urgent report!”

A messenger from the main force arrived at our unit.

“What’s the matter?”

“We have orders from the high command. The Rillburn Duke’s forces are to assault the enemy’s chain of fortresses constructed to besiege Rageta!”

“Understood!”

Nataraja responded to the messenger. Similar orders were also given to the other vanguard units marching with us.

This vanguard force of over 10,000 was composed of frontier nobles and non-Clock faction members. The 15,000 troops following us, making up the main force, were primarily composed of lords from the Clock faction, also known as the court faction.

Incidentally, our force of over 10,000 was actually a decoy unit as part of the strategy…