Chapter 46 – Clostova Lord and Son

“How about this woman! She’s beautiful, isn’t she…! She’s the daughter that the lord I’m taking care of has been hiding!”

“Oh… I see…”

“I’m bestowing the honour of connecting with the blood of an excellent noble. Come to think of it, you’re also the successor of the Clostova bloodline. Will you use this woman after me?”

“Um… Well, uh…”

“Hahaha! Don’t take the joke seriously! It would be a waste to hand over my woman to someone like you!”

As Theodolf, he didn’t like the idea of embracing a woman impregnated by his father, unsure of whose child it was.

To ensure that it’s clear to others who a noblewoman is pregnant with, pre-marital negotiations are generally not conducted. However, there were many like Godrick who behaved recklessly in their own kingdoms.

“Hmph!”

“Eeeek…!”

Godrick thrust his hips particularly strongly. Sweat was pouring like a waterfall from his seemingly heavy body.

“Oh… Ohhh…! That’s it…!”

“Ah…! N-No… P-Please, p-please pull out…! D-Don’t, don’t come inside me…!”

The beautiful woman’s face was filled with despair. Right now, it must be Godrick ejaculating inside her. Godrick gripped her buttocks so tightly it seemed they might tear apart.

The woman tried to push him away with one hand, but Godrick pinned her down with his weight while still inside her.

“Ah…!”

And then, in the doggy-style position, he continued to impregnate the helpless woman, who could no longer escape.

But as if this act was merely a task of providing offspring, he continued the conversation with Theodolf.

“I called you for a reason. You’re aware of the new movements in the Empire, aren’t you?”

While covering the woman, Godrick pressed her head against the bed. The woman, seemingly unable to breathe, moved her arms and legs in distress.

“The son of the former Emperor Ragmark… the prince who escaped the purge, Prince Vilgard, right?”

“That’s right. It seems he’s leading the barbarians, rampaging through the imperial territories.”

Upon closer inspection, bruises were visible all over the woman’s body. Seeing this, Theodolf speculated that his father must have educated her in various ways.

“Quite exhilarating! While our territories are at odds with the Empire in the south… the Emperor must also be preoccupied with dealing with them.”

Godrick began to move his hips vigorously. The woman, unable to escape due to his weight, trembled her arms.

“Phew～～… Now, regarding Vilgard…he’s been asking our lord alliance to join his faction.”

“Well… That’s understandable.”

It wasn’t surprising. After all, from the Empire’s perspective, the lord alliance was just a rebellion, and Vilgard likely saw them the same way. But they shared a common enemy.

If the lord alliance were to declare [Vilgard is the true Emperor], the civil war would transition into a phase of determining which imperial family would rule the Empire. This would give the lord alliance a righteous cause.

“The audacity of that man…! He demanded that all military commands be handed over to him to prove loyalty!”

“…Military command?”

In other words, he demanded to have control over all the forces managed by the regional army. He likely intended to concentrate the military power under his name.

However, managing the regional army was a privilege of powerful lords. It meant using that military force for their own territories, to protect their own lands…and to serve as the hands and feet of the lord.

Some even immersed themselves in the belief that owning a personal army made them the king of the land. Godrick was one of them.

“What are the other lords saying?”

“Some are in favour, while naturally, there are those who show reluctance. There are still few who express opposition as clearly as I do… But you understand what it means when I oppose, right?”

“…Yes.”

The Lord Alliance consists of four major lords, each with different military strengths. And the one with the most troops is Clostova’s Lord, governed by Godrick.

When combined with the numerous lords under his protection, his military strength amounts to around 80,000. With conscription from the villagers, it could even reach 100,000.

Of course, they don’t have as many mark bearers as the Imperial Knights, nor is their training as advanced. But it’s a fact that they’ve been able to restrain the Imperial Army’s invasion with sheer numbers.

Even if other lords were to offer soldiers to Vilgard, if Godrick refused, their numbers would be insignificant. The question now is how the other major lords will act.

“So, Father, you won’t align yourself with Prince Vilgard?”

“I’m not going to do it for free. Apparently, that man’s wife, Tsukimikado Mayo, possesses breathtaking beauty that leaves everyone breathless. If he’s willing to lend her to me for a month, I’ve offered to consider accommodating about half of our forces. Hahaha!”

“What…!?”

This is bad…Theodolf thought.

From what he heard, it’s clear that Godrick doesn’t believe Vilgard, who suddenly appeared, is a true member of the royal family. Perhaps he doesn’t want to acknowledge an entity that threatens his vested interests.

So, he decided to mock Vilgard with the utmost insult of demanding his wife. From his father’s perspective, it must be intolerable for some unknown man to have a beautiful woman as his wife.

‘This is really… bad…!’

On the other hand, Theodolf believed in Vilgard’s authenticity. Contrary to his father, there was a part of him that wanted to believe.

Certainly, Clostova territory is vast, and there are resources to sustain a large army. However, he foresaw the end of this civil war as the defeat of the Lord Alliance.

Originally, even within the Empire, there are four major lords with significant influence. In terms of military strength, they are not necessarily at a disadvantage compared to the Empire.

Moreover, with fewer concerns about local sensitivities than the Empire, it would be easier to mobilise a large army.

But there’s still a difference in training. And in recent years, the Imperial Knights have transformed into a formidable force. The destruction of Camlann territory by just 20,000 Imperial Knights is still fresh in memory.

Yet, now there’s this person, Vilgard, who appeared. And he single-handedly annihilated the massive Imperial army… including the Imperial Knights. It was apparently an overwhelmingly decisive victory.

With this fact, even if Vilgard were a fake, there would be utility in exploiting him.

The Lord Alliance could proclaim to unify the Empire under a strong royal figurehead and in the worst case scenario, they could shift blame onto him.

Anyway, he was an extremely valuable asset to them. Provoking such a man head-on was the worst move of all.

‘Even though he already possesses unbelievable strength…! Provoking a man like that…!’

Godrick was equally incensed, unable to tolerate anyone who threatened his position.

After all, bringing in Vilgard meant creating someone who would stand above him.

Given the size of his forces, he acted as if he were the top among the four major lords.

In fact, he sometimes entertained the idea of storming the Imperial Capital and marrying a suitable imperial princess to ascend to the throne himself.

“Fa… Father. Prince Vilgard has demonstrated the prowess befitting of royalty by defeating the elite Imperial Knights. He must be the real deal…”

“Whether he’s real or not doesn’t matter. He’s come from the plains, so his forces must be limited, right? I can’t relax knowing when the Imperial Knights might reclaim our territories. If they want our…my forces, even if they’re royalty, they should show appropriate respect. After all, they’re the ones asking for help, aren’t they?”

Theodolf understood that he fundamentally differed from his father in his perception of Vilgard.

Godrick believed Vilgard sought refuge with the Lord Alliance because he didn’t want to die. That wasn’t a problem in itself…but if that’s the case, then naturally, he should show the most respect to Godrick, who possessed the greatest strength.

However, Theodolf believed that if Vilgard were to continue fighting against the Empire even without the support of the Lord Alliance, he must have gained confidence from the previous battle.

Furthermore, there are nobles within the Empire who are dissatisfied with the current emperor.

Vilgard could absorb their forces and if cooperation with the Lord Alliance could be secured, it would be considered lucky.

‘Wh… What should I do!? Well, what Father says does have some validity… But what’s most troubling is if we retake the Imperial Capital without relying on the Lord Alliance! Our presence within the Empire would become negligible! We might even become targets for purge for not obeying the commands of the imperial family…!’

Theodolf was still young and didn’t want to draw the short straw by making the wrong move here. But he couldn’t decide whether to side with his father or Vilgard.

‘No, Prince Vilgard’s actions are swift…! If I remain neutral here, I might find myself in a situation where I can’t turn back…! Either way, if I continue like this, I might end up being purged as the son of a lord who provoked the prince…! Or I might become the son of a lord who allied with the prince…!’

But there’s no way to determine how likely the latter possibility is. And the fact that his father had already provoked Vilgard couldn’t be erased.

“Hahaha…! I bet Vilgard will soon come begging, offering his wife and pleading for me to lend him my forces!”

“………..”

Upon seeing the trembling woman under his father’s control, Theodolfsuddenly became calm.

Ah… He was just like his father. In the end, he had only been focused on what would benefit him in the future.

But that was no good. Even if he ended up regretting it, what he wanted to do now was what mattered most.

“Theodolf! I’ll lend you 10,000 soldiers! Go to Vilgard and bring back his answer!”

“…No, there’s no need for soldiers. I’ll go alone. I’ll stop by some friendly heirs’ territories on the way and join forces with them.”

“Oh? Is that so? Ah, if he doesn’t show proper manners, assume that we will not lend a single soldier! Good! Hahaha!”

He briefly considered taking his father’s head as a gift on this occasion, but that would only end with him being captured by his father’s loyalists. Besides, it wouldn’t do to be attacked by the Imperial Knights while his territory was in turmoil.

With these thoughts in mind, Theodolf headed towards Vilgard’s location.