Chapter 115 – The Western Invasion of the Brenark Kingdom Army

With Arloston and Jeigan securing the Merkus River, the two nations succeeded in establishing a foothold in the Empire’s western region. The allied forces then split into two and each began their advance.

At first, both Arloston and Jeigan believed that they would be able to advance their armies smoothly and swiftly. After all, Seazack was merely a former mercenary, and it was not as if he could conduct warfare using highly sophisticated military tactics.

To begin with, the western region was a land ruled chaotically by bandits, and they held no ideals such as 『protecting their homeland』or『defeating foreign enemies』. Once an army marched in, they would likely scatter and flee like a swarm of spiders.

The only ones who might require caution were the members of the mercenary band 〈Targanzes〉, once led by Seazack.

However, it had been about ten years since the bandits had taken control of the western region. Even Seazack himself had grown older. He had long been away from a true battlefield and he no longer possessed the strength of his prime.

The most troublesome obstacle had been the defensive line along the Merkus River. Yet even that had been overcome, with Brenark finally becoming serious about invading the west after a change of kings, and with Arloston personally leading an elite knight order to capture it. In other words, there were no real obstacles remaining on the path toward defeating Seazack.

It was not that they had become careless, but both Arloston and Jeigan felt as though they had already overcome the greatest barrier. In fact, their advance had been proceeding smoothly.

“This is terrible…”

Eight days after beginning their advance. By this point they had liberated several villages and towns, and were able to hear detailed accounts of the western region from the residents.

Every village and town had rulers called『families』. They were beings who continuously exploited the residents. It was not uncommon for people to be killed or violated on a whim, so the inhabitants had lived their lives in constant fear.

However, among the young men there were also those who willingly joined these families, and conflicts between the families themselves never ceased. It seemed that life here had always been filled with the stench of blood. The eyes of the women and the elderly had lost their light in despair, and they were forced to continue serving the families.

When they saw Arloston, the villagers were terribly frightened, and even when he told them that he had come to rescue the western region, it was difficult for them to believe it.

Still, they did not show hostility. That was likely because the families that ruled the villages had fled the moment they saw Arloston’s army.

In any case, every village Arloston liberated was much the same. For now, they were gathering further information from the villagers.

“The ones ruling a village like this are actually near the bottom among the families. Basically, the bigger the town, the more powerful families are crowded together there.”

“And the nobles are only found in the towns.”

It seemed that the families ruling the rural villages were required to contribute to families of higher rank. The nature of those contributions varied, but apparently they even cultivated crops and delivered them as tribute.

The structure in which those at the top exploit those below them is nothing particularly unusual. In fact, the noble system itself could be considered the most typical example of it.

However, since they had no state and were merely rough-tempered bandits, such hierarchical relationships tended to become far more extreme. Because of these circumstances, conflicts between families striving to rise to higher ranks likely never ceased.

Even so, the reason bandit rule had continued until today was largely because Seazack had incorporated several systems to ensure that things functioned properly.

‘Regularly held events, rewards for achievements, and Seazack’s own overwhelming strength…’

It seemed that even now, Seazack still maintained the level of ability he had possessed in his prime.

By creating a clear hierarchy from the families down to the residents, he had built a kingdom that functioned entirely within the western region itself.

‘Even so, if such a system continues, it likely cannot last for twenty years. The residents who have been continually exploited will grow weaker both in mind and body, and their numbers themselves will begin to decline…’

Even if women were assaulted and made pregnant in a lawless manner, in an environment where proper nutrition could not be obtained, it would only endanger the mother’s body. Death during childbirth was by no means rare. In the first place, even if a child was born, they could not receive any proper education.

Over these ten years, the lowest-tier residents who suffered the greatest exploitation had likely decreased significantly in number. The crops were taken by the powerful families in the towns, and the villages in the countryside could not maintain a proper diet.

‘Even if left alone like this, the western region would eventually collapse… it is undoubtedly declining, slowly but steadily. Seazack… did he desire a territory he could rule as king, even if it would only last about twenty years…?’

There was no doubt that he was ambitious. However, the way he governed was far too careless.

“…Up ahead should be the former capital of the Delangesta territory.”

“Yes.”

“Sir Karzman, Roglain, Bandred, Raibarden. We depart from here early tomorrow morning. The territorial capital will likely have defensive preparations in place. Even if they are merely bandits, we cannot afford to be careless. Make the necessary preparations.”

“Understood.”

For this campaign, Arloston had brought three trusted subordinates with him: Roglain, Bandred and Raibarden.

The Karmanda territorial army had been entrusted to Karzman, the lord’s son, but there were only a limited number of people capable of commanding the elite Imperial Knight Order.

In that regard, Roglain and the others had both combat experience and experience leading troops, so there was no room to leave them idle during this military operation.

And the next day. Although they advanced cautiously toward the territorial capital, they did not see any sign of the family that was supposed to be ruling the town there either.

■

While Arloston and his forces continued advancing rapidly and liberating villages before the bandits could organize their defenses, the pace of Jeigan’s army was somewhat slower.

The reason for this was extremely simple. In every village they passed, they carried out thorough pillaging, burning the fields and ravaging the land.

“Hahaha! They’re imperial citizens, so do whatever you like! Kill the men! Violate the women before killing them! Take anything of value! Burn the fields, and after that scatter salt so nothing will ever grow again!”

“Ooooooooh!”

To the imperial citizens, that scene was hell… while to the people of Brenark, it was a banquet of revelry.

Whenever they saw a woman, they assaulted her, even if she was an old woman. They slaughtered livestock and used it as food, and the men were tortured before being killed.

If any survivors were left behind, they might spread word of their pillaging. For that reason, Jeigan intended to kill every imperial citizen.

‘Hmph… after we defeat Seazack, we’ll withdraw to the western side of the Merkus River. The Empire’s wealth must be taken while we still have the chance.’

The Empire harbored resentment toward Brenark for invading during the chaos of its internal conflict, and Brenark in turn had never looked favorably upon the Empire, which had seized land through military force. For soldiers, this feeling was even stronger.

Jeigan himself had fought the Imperial Army many times in the past. Some of his comrades had been killed.

For him, this expedition was an opportunity to efficiently strike both Seazack, the Kingdom’s enemy, and the Empire at the same time.

“Still, there aren’t any bandits in any of these villages… and come to think of it, there are hardly any young women either.”

“Father. It seems that crops and valuables have been gathered in the large town ahead.”

The one who answered Jeigan’s question was his son, Gabusrein.

Both of Gabusrein’s hands were stained with blood. He had probably beaten some of the villagers to death.

“Hmph… even if it was more than ten years ago, this was once land governed by nobles. If we go to the town, there should at least be a piece or two of the art they owned.”

“And there should be women there too. At the very least, it should be more entertaining than these dull villages. But that also means there are more residents… won’t it be difficult to kill them all?”

“Even so, we cannot stop plundering the Empire. In a situation like this, excuses can be made however we please. Besides, as long as we ultimately defeat Seazack, the Empire will hardly complain about the sacrifices of a few common folk.”

“Haha, that’s true enough.”

In the first place, it was precisely because the Empire’s national strength had weakened that this military alliance had been formed.

Unlike in the past, when the Empire had ravaged the surrounding nations, it no longer possessed the same level of influence or authority it once held.

“Alright… when we reach the town, let’s take our time and stay there for a while. It should restore our spirits far better than these villages. Besides, it would be more convenient for us if Arloston and Seazack fought each other first.”

“What if Arloston defeats Seazack before we arrive?”

“If that happens, then the minimum objective will already have been achieved. We haven’t lost a single soldier, and on top of that we’ve gained results. There’s nothing to worry about. Though, to be honest, I don’t think that youngster could defeat Seazack anyway.”

Although the two nations had begun their advance separately, there was a significant difference in their pace.

And that difference would lead both armies toward a situation neither of them had anticipated.