Chapter 61: The Road to King (1)

Fran Valdesca crossed the border dressed as a peasant. He also abandoned his horse since peasants do not travel by horse. So he approached Aintorian on foot.

However, the physically weak Fran soon showed signs of fatigue. Even though his men tried to stop him, he continued to walk without resting, following his own will. And then, barracks appeared in front of Fran’s eyes.

Fran Valdesca had crossed the border to see for himself what was going on in Aintorian. It is obvious why he was keeping a close eye on Aintorian among all Lunan’s territories. It was for the sake of Aintorian Erhin, the noble who defeated him.

In addition, there were reports from the spies that Aintorian’s movements had been suspicious lately. He needed to see for himself, that’s how highly Fran thought of Erhin. He also wanted to beat him no matter what it took, no matter what strategy he used, he was preparing for war with the sole intention of avenging his past defeat.

Of course, there was no hurry. The preparations for the great conquest were going well. If he rushed because he was blinded by the desire for revenge, he would not be able to defeat his enemy. Knowing this well, Fran steadily built up his strength.

“A barracks in the middle of nowhere? I didn’t see anything like that in the last intelligence report.”

“Yes, sir.”

There was no way that Milton, his man, could know what Fran didn’t know. A drill going on near the barracks, Fran watched it blankly. However, reconnaissance is something that stands out regardless of the era. Naturally, a soldier came from the distance and shouted.

“Who are you?”

Then a surprised Milton answered quickly.

“We’re just farmers passing through.”

Then the soldier huffed and said.

“This is a military zone. Where do you think you’re going? Did you take a wrong turn?”

“We’re going to the Eln Castle.”

“Not this way. If you go all the way down that way, you’ll see it.”

The soldier gave them directions and even kindly explained that the number of farmers wanting to move to the area had been increasing recently due to the tax policy. But he immediately changed his expression and made a hand gesture to send them away. Fran had no choice but to turn back. When he got farther away from the soldier, he finally said in a low voice, “I’m sorry.”

“Morale is great. The training conditions and the soldiers were all excellent. I’m sure any soldier would like this kind of outdoor camp……”

In the little time he had, Fran had gone through everything from training status to military discipline.

“It’s different.”

This was not the Lunan territory that had been reported to them. Fran continued to advance, this time, a small village came into his sight. Strangely enough, there were soldiers helping to work the fields. What’s more, everyone except the soldiers seemed to be women.

“Um, can I ask you something?”

Because it was such a strange scene and before Milton, who was next to him, could stop him, Fran asked a question without acting. Even so, Fran had no special talent for acting. He was just a guy with a good head on his shoulders.

“Please be careful!”

Patrick rushed over and whispered in his ear.

“Oh, yeah.”

Fran also realized his blunder and hastily changed his tone. Then a soldier stood up from the field and looked at him, sarcastically.

“Are you some big shot?”

I look like a beggar, right? The soldier had that look on his face.

“Huh, I think I misspoke.”

“Hmm.”

The soldier had a suspicious look in his eyes. Fran coughed then he tripped over a stone and almost fell.

When the women saw this, they couldn’t hold back their laughter and giggled. Even the soldiers, seeing their shabby appearance, quickly dismissed their suspicions. If this was Fran’s own plan, it was brilliant.

“You’ve got to keep your eyes on the road.”

Milton hurried to support Fran’s body.

“Why is there always a stone in front of me?”

“If you have such a broad perspective on the world’s affairs, why can’t you see the stone in front of you?”

Patrick sighed next to him. Still, Fran posed another question to the women. This time, he was suddenly respectful.

“Is this a new village? I don’t think it was here before……”

He could see a lot of houses under construction here and there in the village, so he was trying to find out what was going on.

“Yes, it is. It’s a village that was recently established under the Farmers Resettlement Policy. Are you planning to move there?”

“Well, something like that.”

“It’s a border area, so I’m not sure what to expect, but the soldiers always come and help us, and we’re very happy.”

That meant that he was increasing the number of citizens. In the end, it was impossible for Fran not to notice that it had a lot to do with the number of troops.

Increase the number of citizens in the territory. Increase the number of soldiers in the territory. Isn’t he supposed to be loyal to Lunan……?

Fran stroked her chin, because the more he looked around the territory, the more proactive he seemed to be in thinking that Erhin wasn’t loyal to the king of Lunan.

Fran took the road to enter Aintorian Castle. Erhin’s absence was a known fact, so, without much tension, Fran looked around the city. He was astonished by the tax policy. Tax exemptions for 1 year, he couldn’t believe it.

If he did that, the territory’s finances would go bankrupt. It would mean that there would be no more taxes to pay to the king. Unless Erhin was hiding a huge amount of assets, it was impossible. He became more and more suspicious.

Barracks outside the castle, the newly built village and the village under construction he saw on the way over. Fran’s head hit the bulletin board and he banged his forehead against it. He finally felt as if he could concentrate a little.

Aintorian Erhin what are you up to? As he thought about this, a shiver suddenly ran through his body. Fran realized something.

“Wait……”

“Master?”

Milton asked in a whisper, but Fran didn’t answer.

“If he’s after Lunan. If he’s after Lunan’s king…….If he’s planning treason……”

Fran turned around.

“Let’s go home. We have to capture Aintorian while the lord is away before anything untoward happens. Hurry!”

“Master……? What do you mean by that?”

When Fran rushed off, Milton and Patrick hurried to follow. Fran knew how much of a risk it would be to suddenly pull out his troops and attack Aintorian, and how much it would ruin the great conquest Narja was preparing.

“As soon as I return, I’ll mobilize the Valdesca family troops!”

He was only going to move his troops. If Erhin became the king of Lunan, the great conquest he was planning might become an even longer war. That was all Fran could think about, so he moved quickly.

“No, wait!”

In his panic, Fran paused again. Perhaps, he thought, this could be a trap, too.

“We’ll move the troops, but first we need to make sure we have a clear picture of the battle situation in Roserun.”

After giving the order to Milton again, Fran went straight to a territory near Aintorian. When he changed his mind and was about to attack, the memory of the last battle caused him to hesitate, but in the end he decided to attack, that’s when.

“Sir! Sir!”

“What’s happening?”

“I have urgent news that the Royal Capital of Bridget has fallen, and Erhin has been restored to the Royal Capital of Lunan!”

At these words, Fran stood up energetically.

“Turn back the troops at once. We’re returning to the capital!”

The Aintorian had a large number of troops with a high level of training. If it came to a siege, it would be a long war, besides, there was no way Erhin wouldn’t have any countermeasures. No, Fran was dumbfounded even before that.

How in the world could he capture the royal city of Bridget in such a short time? If it were me? Absolutely impossible.

Fran was confident in himself. He thought it was possible to protect Roserun. But beyond that, it was impossible. Clenching his fists, Fran urged his man to investigate the situation in detail and headed for the capital as he fled from Aintorian.

＊＊＊

When I woke up in the morning, I felt like I hadn’t gotten over all the fatigue I’d been feeling. Yawning, I got up.

There was no change in the appearance of the room and the territory spread out through the window was peaceful. The scenery hasn’t changed, but the reputation of the lord has changed dramatically.

It hadn’t been long since I was called a rogue lord, but now, thanks to the tax policy and land cultivation, Aintorian had become a territory where refugees would come to after hearing the rumors.

The biggest change while I was in Roserun was the population. It went from 220,000 to 230,000, an increase of 10,000 in two months. This is still short of my goal of 300,000, but the fact that the population is growing is important.

The people’s spirit is a whopping 80. If I just maintain this number, your territory won’t have any problems. As long as I don’t do anything that would cause it to drop, I’m fine. The new influx of population also had no negative impact on the people’s spirit, as they had migrated with high expectations for the lord. And while I was away, the training of the 20,000-strong army continued.

[Aintorian Territorial Army]

[Strength: 20,000]

[Training level: 89]

[Morale: 80]

It was a number that was possible because of the high level of [command] the officers had. A small, elite army of 20,000 strong is a large enough number to be effective as long as they follow my strategies. Twenty thousand may not seem like much, but it’s not little either. The training will continue and so will the compensation policies to boost morale.

My current level is 25. After killing Pohorizen, my level was 22, but after killing Ganev, my level went up by a whopping three. The fact that I killed a warlord with 98 martial force had a big impact.

I gained a total of 900 points from the three level-ups. I kept 300 points in case I needed a skill, and used 600 points to raise my martial force from 65 to 69.

This battle also strengthened Daitouren, although it could only last for 30 minutes, but for that time, I could reign as one of the most powerful men on the continent.