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 94 The Chad Family

The forces of the Rillburn ducal house, having established their camp on the high ground, were soon joined by General Alcock and his troops. Together, they began devising a strategy to deal with the fortified checkpoint.

A map was spread out on the table, with all the commanders gathered around.

“Does anyone have a good idea?” asked Alcock, who sat at the head of the table. However, the expressions of the assembled commanders were grim. Seeing no other choice, an elderly baron spoke up.

“There is no longer any strategy left. We have no food and no siege weapons. We must strike before the enemy gathers in full force. Let’s launch an all-out assault at dawn tomorrow.”

“Agreed. Tomorrow will be a fierce battle against the enemy blocking our retreat. Distribute the remaining food to the troops,” Alcock ordered, his voice lacking its usual vigor.

The commanders nodded in response to Alcock’s weary command. Following this, a humble cup of water was distributed to each of the commanders.

◇◇◇◇◇

That evening, dinner consisted of warm barley porridge and hard-baked black bread. While this was considered a feast on the battlefield, the thought of the impending fierce battle made one crave meat.

“Poko~♪”

Even Pokorina, a proud warrior, was given a generous portion of barley porridge in her bowl. We spent the evening pleasantly, even with Gau, who didn’t need much food.

“Is the scribe here?”

After finishing my meal, I visited General Alcock’s camp.

In the main camp of a large force, scribes were assigned to record the achievements of the commanders. Though their rank was low, these scribes were well-educated, often having graduated from the royal university.

“Baronet, you called for me?”

A young, scholarly-looking man, probably around fifteen years old, was brought to me by a soldier.

“As it happens, I’m a former mercenary. Unlike everyone else, I lack education. Could you teach me about the Chad Duke’s family, who have now become our enemies?”

“Certainly. Let me begin…”

The young man eagerly started to share his knowledge.

◇◇◇◇◇

The Chad Duke family was established during the reign of the king two generations before, Clemmie Owen. The head of the Chad family was a man named Noah Chad, who was originally a civil servant from the commoner class, not a noble.

At that time, the region of Ferguson was a distant land recently conquered by the Owen Alliance Kingdom and was considered an unpopular place for assignments. It was there that the young Noah was dispatched, where he diligently performed his duties.

Ferguson’s local specialty was the persimmon fruit, a crop that had long been a cultural tradition and a source of great enjoyment for the local people. Historically, it had been exempt from taxation.

However, the royal court of the Owen Alliance Kingdom imposed a heavy tax on these persimmons, leading to widespread resentment among the local populace.

In addition to the persimmon tax, the conquered Ferguson region also faced harsh military conscriptions and burdensome construction labor beyond the usual taxes on the harvest of Ishtar wheat.

“We can’t pay the persimmon tax!”

Noah, the civil servant, found himself troubled by the complaints of the local people. He repeatedly petitioned the royal court to rescind the persimmon tax, but received no response.

As time passed, four years of his term went by, and a new official arrived to replace Noah.

“What in the world is this?”

The new official was met with the sight of a fortress built by the villagers and armed locals—essentially, a full-blown rebellion. And the leader of this rebellion was none other than Noah himself.

Noah had long been outraged by the royal court’s numerous unreasonable orders. He had gathered vagrants and armed them under the guise of maintaining public order.

He then proceeded to eliminate bandits across the region, and shockingly, he recruited them into his ranks.

Noah, who had always been a sharp man, now demonstrated his innate talent for “winning people over.” He brought not only his assigned settlement but also other local communities under his control. He even persuaded local lords and nobles to join him, steadily expanding his influence.

“How dare this lowly official! Crush him!”

Angered by the situation, the royal court sent troops to suppress the rebellion. However, this suppression force was utterly crushed.

Noah was not just a mere rebel; he was reorganizing the Ferguson region by improving roads, maintaining rivers, and developing new farmland. It was practically the governance of a state.

Realizing this, the royal court changed its approach to dealing with Noah, who had grown too powerful. They decided to grant him the title of Margrave and reintegrate him under the royal court’s rule.

Noah’s words, ‘I would like to marry the princess,’ might seem arrogant, but it was actually a strategy to reassure the locals who had sided with him.

The royal court couldn’t easily dismiss this proposal, so King Clemmie’s daughter was married off to Noah. Thus, the Chad family became a royal house.

Given this background, the Chad family developed a strong sense of independence. They frequently allied with the newly formed Garland Trading Nation in the west and rebelled against the kingdom.

This time, too, they had been in conflict with the policies of Marquis Clock, suggesting that the seeds of rebellion were sown even before the outbreak of war, according to the secretary.

◇◇◇◇◇

As I was making my way back to the Rillburn family’s camp after finishing my conversation with the scribe, I found myself walking through the bushes, my head spinning from the long explanation I had just heard.

“My lord,” came a soft, affectionate voice, as someone hugged me from behind.

“Nataraja?” I asked.

“Yes, it’s me~,” she replied cheerfully.

Without warning, she gently pushed me down into the bushes.

Her body felt wonderfully soft against mine, but she reeked of alcohol. She must have been under a lot of stress, carrying the burden of leading the troops during our retreat.

“There, there, you’ve done well,” I said, gently patting her head and offering words of comfort.

Hearing this, a single tear rolled down her cheek.

And so, Nataraja and I spent a passionate night together until the sunrise.