Chapter 63 – A Retired Knight

Barkdine, who once commanded a massive force of 60,000 troops consisting of 40,000 elite Imperial Knights and 20,000 provincial soldiers.

He had returned to the imperial capital alongside Roglain, the leader of the Thunderstrike Knights, and about four months had passed since then.

As expected, Barkdine retired from active duty and withdrew to his mansion. Since then, he had been living a retired life, playing with his several grandchildren.

“……Haaa.”

Arloston, the head of the knights, had retired Barkdine and thereby completely absorbed Barkdine’s faction.

Barkdine no longer led his faction. He had caused the deaths of many nobles and soldiers. He would never stand in the public eye as a noble again.

He had also handed over the headship of the Bihickturk  family to his son. It was an early retirement but he thought he would spend his days doing nothing.

“Maybe I should swing my sword…”

He took off his jacket and swung the wooden sword with an iron core that was propped up. After all, he couldn’t feel at ease without moving his body.

The Bihickturk family was a prestigious military noble family in the imperial capital. They had produced knight commanders in the past and the heads of the family had always served as knights. There was a time when they boasted even more power as the leaders of the martial clans.

The marks that appeared in their bloodline often enhanced their physical abilities significantly. This too was suited for knights.

‘When I swing my sword like this, it brings back memories…’

That great defeat was still deeply etched in his mind. Though there had been no formal reckoning of why his numerically superior forces were surrounded, he now had a vague understanding.

However, if asked whether he could handle the same situation the same way, he would probably answer no.

It required extraordinary leadership and soldiers who were the elite of the elite. Ordinary soldiers or commanders would have seen their centre pierced in an instant.

That’s why it felt strange. Where did Vilgard acquire such skills? When did the grassland people start training themselves to such elite standards?

‘Because I fought them directly, I understand… The grassland people were undoubtedly superior to the elite of the Imperial Knights. Was it Vilgard-dono who trained them? If so, since when? This isn’t something that can be accomplished overnight. Has he been waiting for this opportunity since he left the capital…?’

If that were the case, his determination was terrifying. To have escaped the emperor’s purge and sharpened his fangs until now. And yet, the reason why the grassland people cooperated with him was unclear.

It was immediately clear upon meeting Vilgard in person. This man was the real deal. Despite his age, he had survived countless battles. There was a different kind of resolve in his eyes.

There was no fiery passion. His eyes were calm, yet his resolve was unwavering. When he looked at you with those eyes, it felt as if he could see through all your thoughts.

He exuded much more of a kingly presence than Creyval, at the very least.

‘That man… perhaps he really might…’

He might actually achieve it. The unification of the empire. And despite his formidable abilities, he surprisingly had a gentle side.

“…………”

The head of the Bihickturk family was no longer himself. It was now his son’s role to think about the prosperity of the family. However… he pondered.

‘No… it’s still uncertain. Besides, Arloston is also undeniably capable. Speaking of which, both of them originally had imperial succession rights far beyond the 20th position…’

Despite being near the bottom, they demonstrated such strong talent during this turbulent era. In a different time, the empire might have already regained its former prosperity.

“Are you deep in thought, grandfather?”

“Hmm…?”

Before he realised it, his granddaughter Luanfiene had come to stand beside him. She was characterised by her light blue hair and deep green eyes, the eldest among Barkdine’s grandchildren.

“Oh, I didn’t notice you! Sorry!”

“Hehe, it’s alright, don’t worry.”

Luanfiene narrowed her deep green eyes, as if probing him.

“Grandfather… even though you’re retired, you’ve been thinking about the future of the empire and the knights, haven’t you?”

“Wahaha! You can tell, can you?”

“Yes.”

Luanfiene had a weak mark and no intention of becoming a knight herself. But she was sharp and had a keen intuition or so Barkdine thought.

“I know it’s pointless for me to worry about it, but I can’t help it.”

“It can’t be helped….you’ve always been on the front lines for the empire….Hey, Grandfather, could you tell me more stories about the battlefield?”

“Why? You’re not becoming a knight, so you won’t find them interesting.”

“Hehe, that’s not true.”

She was a strange girl. When asked, he found himself wanting to talk.

Barkdine began to recount the story of his humiliating defeat, as well as the tales of Prince Vilgard and the grassland people he had encountered. Luanfiene listened intently, sometimes asking probing questions and nodding thoughtfully as she absorbed his stories.

“Grandfather, you seem to have taken a liking to Prince Vilgard.”

“…Hmph, that’s not true. He killed many of my men.”

“Is that so? …But you do find him intriguing, don’t you?”

“Well… yes. It’s something that concerns the future of the empire.”

If Prince Vilgard was truly aiming to unify the empire and continued to win against the Imperial Knights, he would eventually march on the Imperial City. It was impossible not to be concerned.

“Hehe… well, Grandfather. This is just my idle musing, but…by now, Prince Vilgard must have brought the eastern half of the Lord’s Alliance under his control. Likely within two months, he will have the entire alliance under his command.”

“What…”

This was another reason why Barkdine found Luanfiene to be a mysterious girl. Sometimes she would speak as if predicting the future and these predictions were often accurate.

“Why…do you think that? That within these few months, he would have already taken control of half the Lord’s Alliance?”

The Lord’s Alliance covered a vast area. With four powerful lords and a decade-long resistance against the empire, they were no pushovers.

Furthermore, Arloston’s assessment was that while both the Lord’s Alliance and Vilgard had mutual benefits in joining forces, the negotiations would be difficult. Barkdine agreed with this.

If they were such easy negotiating partners, they wouldn’t be openly defying the emperor.

Arloston intended to reorganise the Imperial Knights during the prolonged negotiations and then strike at the Lord’s Alliance once more.

“This is just idle chatter, but… considering the character of Prince Vilgard that you’ve described, the strength of the grassland people and the changes in the sentiments of the lords of the alliance over the past decade… Yes, I do think that by now, half of them have likely submitted to the prince.”

“…………”

Even without seeing the situation firsthand, she could connect the dots and draw conclusions from limited information. And she was rarely wrong.

Luanfiene’s insights were bordering on the prophetic.

“I believe that more than you realise, the rebel lords are longing for a royal figure to lead them. And if that royal figure is young and strong, everyone will dream of a better future with him. Of course, the great lords have different concerns.”

“Is that so?”

Luanfiene spoke with such confidence that it was unnerving to think what might happen if her predictions came true.

If she was correct, Vilgard was expanding his influence at a pace that exceeded the empire’s expectations. By the time they realise it, they might find themselves at a disadvantage in a decisive battle.

“Then, as a reference to this idle chatter of yours, do you think the prince can unify the empire?”

“That remains uncertain. There are still issues in the west.”

“…Leaving the west aside, what are the chances he could take control of the imperial capital?”

“That is quite possible.”

“……!”

However, Luanfiene added, raising her index finger.

“It depends on whether Prince Vilgard chooses to start his campaign from the west or the capital. It also depends on whether Arloston-sama can take action within the next month.”

“…What do you mean by that?”

“It’s simple. If Prince Vilgard prioritises the west, the campaign for the capital will be delayed by several years. In that order, the campaign in the west will take time and during that period, Arloston-sama will have ample time to prepare.”

It seemed that Luanfiene could see something that others couldn’t. Barkdine urged her to continue.

“Furthermore, if Arloston-sama forcefully attacks the territories of Alcarol and Clostova  within this month, it will further delay Prince Vilgard’s campaign for the capital. Depending on the outcome of those battles, it might even make the campaign itself difficult.”

“And why is that?”

“This is simple too. Prince Vilgard is probably in the process of conquering Clostova right now. Once he takes it, the northern lands will automatically become his and he will unify the command structure to create a stronger defence.”

In other words, the ragtag group would transform into a land governed by a legitimate royal.

“Conversely, the only chance to stop Prince Vilgard’s ambitions is now, before he completely secures the north. Once the north is unified, it will then depend on whether the prince chooses the west or the capital as his next target…We will lose the initiative. Well… there’s more than a 90% chance that he will prioritise the capital.”

“……………”

Luanfiene’s words were nothing more than baseless speculation. However, they were hard to ignore. Nevertheless,

‘What good would it do to tell Arloston about Fine’s words? Even if he listened, it wouldn’t move the army. No one would go to such lengths.’

Indeed, just because Barkdine’s granddaughter had made such predictions didn’t mean they could immediately prepare the army and march into the territory of the Lords Alliance… They couldn’t.

The Imperial Knights had become more cautious after their recent crushing defeat. In such a situation, Arloston wasn’t going to move the army based solely on the words of Barkdine’s granddaughter.

“If your prediction is correct… the Empire will have no options either way.”

“Yes. At most, we can only hope that Prince Vilgard starts his campaign from the west.”

Perhaps it would be worth mentioning this to his son so that Arloston would hear it, Barkdine thought.

“Fine, wouldn’t you consider joining the staff office? I can put in a good word for you.”

“Even if I joined, no one would take my words seriously. This is merely a prediction. It’s just a guess based on connecting some rumors.”

“…Indeed.”

Luanfiene Bihickturk, later known as the 『Witch with Deep Green Eyes』.

As she spoke with Barkdine, she had already sensed her own destiny.