Chapter 70 – The Knight of Diltrack and the Remaining Challenges

That night, Lantis summoned a young woman to the reception room.

“Hello, Elfilia. I’m sorry for calling you out so suddenly like this…”

“It’s not a problem…”

Elfilia. A beautiful woman with light green haircut to shoulder length, golden eyes and porcelain-like white skin, exuding a fairy-like charm.

She lived in the mansion ostensibly as Lantis’s bodyguard.

“So…is it about the prince again today? Recently, Lantis-sama, you seem to enjoy talking about the prince a lot…”

“Well…haha. Have I been talking about him that much?”

Elfilia’s appearance gives off a very elegant and refined lady-like atmosphere. Her eyes have a gentle droop and there is a kindness in her voice.

On the other hand, she possesses a very strong mark and is skilled with the sword. She has cut down many bandits and exhibits movements that one wouldn’t imagine from her appearance.

Moreover, when she is cutting down bandits, a fierce passion lights up in her usually gentle eyes. Above all, she does not hesitate to cut down bandits.

Anyone seeing her fight for the first time would be greatly shocked by the gap between her appearance and her actions.

“It’s finally starting to move significantly. The prince seems to be acting to reclaim the Kamurakku territory.”

Lantis once again told the story of Vilgard. Elfilia agreed that his skill was indeed proven, as he had managed to unify the lords’ alliance with only a few soldiers.

The conversation then turned to what Karan had told him about Vilgard looking for a person among the former lords’ alliance nobility who could become his wife.

Although the conversation was still ongoing, Elfilia raised her hand to interrupt Lantis’s words.

“I see…Lantis-sama, you want to inquire about me, don’t you?”

“…Yes. You are my niece, after all.”

“Here, I’m just a bodyguard knight.”

“………”

Elfilia pondered over the marriage proposal that Lantis brought up.

In noble marriages, the primary purpose is the connection between families or the formation of power bases. As it is a political marriage, it won’t proceed unless there are benefits for both families.

In this case, Elfilia marrying would not bring any benefits to her personally.

“For Lantis-sama, offering your niece would create a relationship with the prince and it would symbolise a connection with the northern empire’s nobility, but…”

“I understand. You are not directly involved with the lords’ alliance. Without seeing any benefits for the Mardkrald family, it’s hard for you to agree…”

“Yes.”

Currently, the Mardkrald territory, to the west of Diltrack, is occupied by the mercenary demon king, Seazack. The territories of Diltrack and Mardkrald are adjacent and they have always been on friendly terms.

Elfilia is the daughter of Lantis’s sister, who married into the Mardkrald family. After many twists and turns, she was protected by Lantis and raised by him to this day.

However, if it were revealed that Elfilia is the daughter of the Mardkrald lord, there’s no telling what measures the mercenary demon king Seazack would take.

He might use Elfilia’s family, if they are still alive, as leverage to threaten the Diltrack territory. For this reason, her lineage has been kept a secret until now.

Elfilia harbours a deep hatred for the western bandits. Blessed with the power of the mark, she has continued to hone her sword skills and has been cutting down the bandits who cross the border to plunder.

On the other hand, as the daughter of the Mardkrald family, Elfilia has no direct involvement with the lords’ alliance.

Even if she were to marry Vilgard, it would not benefit her or the Mardkrald family, aside from her uncle Lantis.

However, with the daily stories she had been hearing about Vilgard, she was reminded of Mayo, the princess of the imperial kingdom.

“…Prince Vilgard is fighting to reclaim his wife’s homeland, isn’t he?”

“That’s right. Oh, the reason behind it is quite passionate…! But it’s a long story for another time.”

“I see. Depending on the conditions, I might consider it positively.”

“What!? R-Really!?”

Elfilia, as herself, wants to destroy the mercenary demon king Seazack and reclaim the Mardkrald territory by any means necessary. However, she also knows that it would be difficult to do so as things stand.

Seazack is indeed quite formidable. He excels in guerrilla warfare and surprise attacks rather than direct confrontations and his tactics differ from those of traditional military battles.

In any case, as things stand, even with the Diltrack army, it would be difficult to reclaim the Mardkrald territory.

However, if the empire were to reclaim it instead, it would be difficult for her, who has been under Diltrack’s care for many years, to intervene. So, in that case…

“I don’t need a wedding ceremony, a dress, or a bouquet. Just one thing…If he can offer me Seazack’s head and the Mardkrald territory, then I might consider it positively as a suitable wife for him.”

■

Having controlled the Clostova territory for a month, representatives of various lords or their bloodlines from regions other than the Diltrack area had gathered at the mansion.

The Linzent territory and the territories that willingly submitted to me initially remained as they were but some adjustments were made to the other territories.

Specifically, they were divided into several intermediate territories and reorganised. They would play a role as my support base in the future.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you for the first time. I am Ondyle, Wolk Linzent’ son and I have come as his representative.”

“Ondyle-dono… It’s quite a journey you made. Is Wolk-dono doing well?”

“Yes. In fact, he’s been so energetic lately that it’s becoming troublesome.”

“Well, that’s…It’s reassuring, more than anything.”

Ondyle is my mother’s younger brother. It feels somewhat strange.

But like Wolk, he’s well-built. I’ve heard he led troops and fought foreign forces in the north of Linzent territory. Indeed, he exudes a presence typical of someone with battlefield experience.

I reiterated the future policy to the lords. Diltrack has already agreed to submit to me.

When Karan returns, I’ll be able to hear more detailed discussions but it seems they were willing to follow me from the beginning. It seems my grandfather was working behind the scenes as well.

In other words, the lords’ alliance has essentially come under my control. However, there was one place that I couldn’t overlook as I took time to organise the system from here.

“Kamurakku…..”

“Reclaiming it!?”

“That’s right. With that, I will declare the founding of the Zeltreich Northern Empire in this land. At the same time, I will declare war on the current Zeltreich Empire.”

They should be releasing by now that the territories of the lords’ coalition are under my control. However, they probably don’t think everything is completely in my hands yet.

“First of all, about the Imperial Knight Corps stationed in Kamurakku, they consist of 20,000 elite soldiers. Furthermore, I’ve heard that there are currently conscriptions and reinforcements from the empire, totaling 40,000 troops.”

“And half of them are elite knight corps.”

“That’s right. However, those 40,000 troops are merely a force to deter us, they’re not meant for invasion.”

After stating this, Theodolf tilted his head.

“…..Is that so?”

“Yeah. Thanks to this knight corps, the land is almost split into east and west. However, to maintain control over this land, the empire needs a considerable cost.”

The Imperial Knight Corps is deeply entrenched in the territories of the lords’ alliance. However, since three sides except the south are surrounded by enemies, supplies inevitably have to come from the imperial territories in the south.

Even so, when the day comes, this land will function as a bridgehead against the lords’ coalition and it will be possible to invade our side.

However, to leverage this advance, we need to move simultaneously. If we were to advance with only the knight corps here, we could be crushed immediately. If we simultaneously move troops from the gateways to the empire like Alcarol and here, Clostova, we could keep them on the defensive and possibly gain the upper hand.

However, due to the recent major defeat, the Imperial Knight Corps is currently in a hurry to reorganise. Elite troops cannot be formed in just one day.

And neighbouring lords, facing enemies who have defeated the imperial army with only a small number of troops, are not eager to send their soldiers into battle.

To deploy them to the battlefield, the empire needs to mobilise a large number of knight corps and demonstrate a willingness to fight alongside them.

“At present, the cost involved is balanced with the expected results that can be recovered in the future, so the empire has troops stationed in the Kamurakku territory. However, unlike before when there was no clear leader in the lords’ alliance, now, under my command and orders, we can give instructions towards the recapture of the Kamurakku territory.”

In the past, initiating hostilities would have been difficult as there would have been discussions on which lords would bear the burden of soldiers and finances.

However, now all these forces are under my command and control.

“We have all these lords and soldiers available. While conducting our usual scattered attacks, let’s quickly send the knights back home.”