volume 3 - Chapter 208 (2/2)

But there was a rarely seen expression of graveness as she returned the stares from everyone.

“I understand, let us go ahead with your wishes,” she said.

It was a compromise, but her decisive voice did not allow any further negotiation.

It was as though she was the one who made the decision all by herself, without being affected by their bemoanings. Count Barre shook his head in disappointment. If this princess was actually a prince, then how wonderful would it be?

Unfortunately, there were no ‘ifs’ in history.

A peace treaty with Count Randner, then an arranged marriage of alliance after holding talks with Duke Arreck.

In the minds of every member of the Royal Faction, the d.a.m.ned invaders from the north would be treated like the threat of a barking dog.

Once the snow melted and the battles in the future were over, the revival of the Aouine kingdom would definitely be realized.

It was a perfect outcome.

============= Trentheim =============

Hadsh sneezed after a yawn. He rubbed his face and tried to stave off the cold from his face. Even though it was a new year, the freezing cold did not seem like it was going to end soon. It was instead getting colder, and the Gris river had a layer of ice over it from time to time. Trees were becoming as hard as stone.

He was standing on top of a watchtower and placed his hands on the walls while he looked out to the forest. Part of the forest had been cut down and the land was tilled, but the seeds had not sprouted yet. The farmers had already left the area, and there were only soldiers and mercenaries along with a number of knights. These military units were the best professionals from the various regions.

The watchtower he was in was a short distance away from Trentheim. There were many people who knew there would be a great battle ahead, and they thought there was no doubt at all in terms of their strength.

Even though Count Randner was slowly becoming an old man, his vigor had not decreased at all. His orders to the various retainers that he had were still seen as authority. An army of nearly twenty thousand was gathered in a short period of time. Most of Trentheim’s men also knew that there were tribal natives and undead a.s.sisting Count Randner as well. Even the northern lords would take pause at Count Randner’s strength.

But Hadsh and many natives had a different view from the other n.o.bles watching the fight between the Count Randner and the rebels. There were twenty men that came to this watchtower in the past three days. But what was surprising to Hadsh and the others was that these men were true veterans.

He was formerly one of Graudin’s ‘private knights’, and though he could not compare to the knights working for high-ranking n.o.bles, he was still considered as a skilled warrior, and there were no more than fifty of his caliber in Firburh. Private soldiers or militia were no match for him.

In this era, the fights between n.o.bles were usually a b.l.o.o.d.y affair.

These n.o.bles did not really directly partic.i.p.ate in such battles, though there were unlucky ones who were shot by stray arrows. The soldiers and knights working for them were killed in great numbers, and Hadsh had experienced several such battles.

People like him who survived the battles would be seen as veterans, and they tend to look down on new soldiers who had trouble wielding a sword correctly and saw them as fodder.

A n.o.ble of considerable influence would have roughly a hundred men consisting of them and knights. That was the limit for a n.o.ble.

First of all, these lords could not afford to pay them.

Paying for the Knights’ armors and swords already required a considerable amount of resources, let alone paying off a seasoned knight like Kodan.

Secondly, there were not enough talented men. A small lord could not attract people with such skills, as the ones with even a little talent would rather go to Count Randner or someone else with similar clout.

In truth, a lord with a hundred knights could be seen as someone powerful.

Even someone like Graudin who was given excessive power as a Baron had no more than a hundred knights.

Yet Brendel was the exception that broke all common sense.

The men under this youth were gathered by coincidence, comprised of mountain warriors and mercenaries from a faraway region.

Even though they did not partic.i.p.ate in a battle of a large scale, they fought b.l.o.o.d.y battles throughout the year and had keener senses than the typical soldier.

Jana, Raban, and Cornelius were the cream of the crop. Raban’s subordinates were formal cavalry from the Karsuk Highlands and they were elite scouts who had fought off Madara’s undead. Each member was more formidable than the ordinary mercenaries.

But they were not the strongest unit.

Leto and the mercenaries under him were even more impressive. They were not as strong as Raban’s men due to their old age, but it was precisely because of their age that they had exceptional combat experience. Their ident.i.ties were suspicious, and Hadsh suspected they were actually veterans who survived the November War.

This conclusion was a little frightening but it was also the most likely hypothesis.

There were also other men from Bucce, soldiers and cavalry from Fortress Riedon who fought against Madara. There were even Lord Macsen’s knights who surrendered to Carglise who Brendel.

Therefore Brendel had close to three thousand men after recruiting new soldiers from Firburh, and eighty percent of his men were veterans who had enough fighting experience who would not lose to the knights under Count Randner.

The outsiders thought that Trentheim’s rebels were a disorganized mob, but Hadsh knew there was at least two thousand knights under the young lord.

[Marsha above, two thousand knights could easily lead a hundred thousand men…… King Erik had only two hundred knights when he founded Aouine.]

“There’s movement in the forest.” A voice suddenly called out behind him.

Hadsh jumped and turned around.

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