Chapter 113 – The Mercenary Demon King’s Thoughts – The Omen of the Western Turmoil

“Kaaah! Damn it all! I really thought this was going to get interesting!”

Seazack showed no sign of grieving over Kuriya’s death, instead looking up at the ceiling with genuine disappointment. Then suddenly, his body stopped moving completely.

“…Is something the matter?”

“Hm? Naa~… by the way. From what I heard about the condition of Kuriya’s corpse, she must have fought pretty seriously, right?”

“That would certainly be correct. When we choose death ourselves, it is only when there is truly no other option left. Choosing death without fighting is something that would never happen for us.”

“Huuuuummm…”

Seazack was often misunderstood because of his freewheeling nature, but he was by no means a man who acted purely on impulse.

He had built a paradise for rogues, yet he had also created the systems necessary to maintain that paradise and had considered measures against outside threats as well.

In short, he possessed the mind to grasp the situation and weigh the risks and benefits that would likely arise in the future. With that kind of mind, Seazack began to think more deeply about Kuriya’s death.

“…The one who witnessed Kuriya’s death was Arloston. There’s no mistake about that, right?”

“Yes.”

“And judging from Kuriya’s condition, a fierce battle must have taken place. In other words, Arloston witnessed Kuriya’s ability with his own eyes… including the skill it took to abduct his wife and child from the imperial capital.”

“That… would be the case.”

At that point, Seazack returned his gaze forward and looked directly into Goya’s eyes.

“A man who holds the position of Knight Commander left the imperial capital just to bring back his wife and child. He must love them a lot. And if those beloved wife and child were put in danger, there’s no way he wouldn’t be angry, right?”

“He would certainly be angry.”

Neither of them believed that Arloston wasn’t thinking, 『The ones behind this kidnapping incident are Seazack and his people』. The place where Kuriya had been caught up with was simply too problematic.

To begin with, the moment the kidnapping succeeded and they immediately headed toward the western part of the imperial capital, it practically declared that the culprits were Seazack and his group. In a situation like this, no one would think that the Northern Empire was responsible.

Furthermore, Kuriya’s appearance was not that of an imperial citizen. Anyone could tell at a glance that she looked like a foreigner. And judging from the way she fought, her mastered skills and the background behind them could likely be inferred.

To assume that a noble within the Empire had gone out of their way to hire a foreign assassin to abduct Arloston’s wife and child… while it could not be said to be completely impossible, it would likely be judged as highly unlikely.

If at this point there were someone people thought, 『That imperial noble is the culprit』it would have to be a noble who normally got along terribly with Arloston.

If Arloston himself could think of no such person, then it would be almost impossible.

In the first place, targeting the wife and child of a highly reputed Knight Commander would bring nothing but risk even for imperial nobles. Considering all these circumstances, they would naturally conclude that the culprits were Seazack and his band.

“So then, do you think that angry Knight Commander-sama will come attacking?”

“That would depend on the Northern Empire, would it not? The balance has been maintained until today only because the three powers were held in delicate equilibrium. But now, the Northern Empire…”

“Prince Birband was the one who unified them, right?”

ビルバンド

“You mean Prince Vilgard.”

ヴィルガルド

Seazack understood well that the balance of power had existed. In fact, he had taken several measures himself to maintain that equilibrium so that his kingdom of rogues could continue to exist.

A few years earlier, he had sent his subordinate Bliss as a mercenary to participate in the campaign against the Imperial Nation, gathering information in the process. The reason they had been able to abduct Arloston’s wife and child from the imperial capital was also because they had been conducting intelligence activities on a regular basis.

However, toward the Territorial Lords Alliance, he had taken only the bare minimum of action. The reason was that, among the three powers, he believed the Territorial Lords Alliance would be the first to fall.

They had no great cause to unify the Empire, merely a gathering of lords expressing dissatisfaction with the Emperor. In other words, it was an assembly of rebels. It might take time, but he believed that in ten or so years, they would eventually disappear.

Conversely, until that time came, Seazack’s kingdom could continue to exist. After enjoying himself in this land as much as he pleased, he planned to leave the rogues behind and move on to a new land himself.

The imperial army that conquered the Territorial Lords Alliance would likely sweep through the western region to eradicate the rogues. But by that time, Seazack himself would have long since vanished.

However, with Vilgard’s rise, the situation would change drastically.

“…It’s a few years earlier than planned, but… it might be about time to move on.”

“Oh…? That’s quite cautious of you. You think Arloston would ignore the Northern Empire and invade us instead?”

“If we’re talking probability, it’s almost impossible. Well, it’s not something that’ll happen immediately anyway…”

At the very least, Arloston should be devoting a great deal of attention to the movements of the Northern Empire. He would not act right away.

That was what Seazack believed. However, one day an urgent report was delivered to him.

“Haaahn? Brenark is coming again, still not learning their lesson? Well, can’t be helped… Oi, send those families out again. Especially the ones that take down a lot of enemy soldiers. I’ll reward them.”

Up until now, there had been times when the Kingdom of Brenark advanced its troops. But every time it happened, the <families> that ruled the western region united together and repelled the outside enemy.

This was because Seazack had enforced the “Iron Law” in order to make this land function. And although Seazack’s forces did not operate like a proper army, there were several reasons why they could still drive back invading forces.

First, the Merkus River flowed through the western region, and it had many tributaries. And along the Merkus River, as well as along its tributaries, more than fifty forts had been constructed.

This was because, in the past, the Empire and the Kingdom of Brenark had repeatedly fought fierce battles against each other. But now, every one of those forts belonged to Seazack. When Brenark advanced its troops, the families would enter the forts and take up defensive positions.

So what would happen if an invasion occurred under these conditions? The many forts could constantly communicate with one another through the river. As soon as the enemy’s location was identified, units would depart from multiple forts, moving to surround them.

Even if Brenark marched forward, an army could not operate far from a water source. In order to advance through the western region, it was essential to capture the more than fifty forts scattered near the Merkus River.

In other words, once they settled into a defensive position, even if the enemy was merely dealing with rogues, it would not be easy for them to break through. The river served as a defensive wall, and it was difficult to isolate the forts that maintained such close coordination.

The eastern side was a mountainous region, and in the first place no army would invade from there. From Seazack’s perspective, as long as he kept his attention on the Merkus River, no outside force would be able to violate this land.

They had successfully defended it many times before. That was why he believed the result would be the same this time as well…

But a few days later—

“The Imperial Army has invaded from the southwest! Those bastards are coordinating with Brenark in the west…! Several forts have already fallen!”

“…What the hell did you say!?”