Chapter 263 (2/2)
“Men of the Red Wolf Mercenaries had entered. Its captain had defeated Count Schmidt, and his lieutenant took down Shirley in a Gigantic Duel.”
Count Voltas reported everything that had happened in the Holy Empire.
“Count Schmidt, huh. I heard of him too. In the past, he led the 1st squadron of the Holy Army, and a simple mercenary captain won against him?”
“Well, he isn’t just some mercenary captain. Allegedly, Captain Lev was told to be the Son of Belik, the former knight of Volga Kingdom.”
“Son of Firestorm Belik? No way. Wasn’t Belik’s entire family destroyed during the rebellion?”
“I too have thought the same. No matter what, it seemed like someone has disguised themselves in the other nation.”
Sometimes strong mercenaries did appear.
However, if one could beat an Advanced Sword Master in a Gigantic Duel, he must be someone who had a higher knight position.
However, someone who had never been heard off had suddenly won, and that was much more suspicious.
“Lev is also known to be a rune knight. Any person that comes to mind?”
The fact about this mysterious mercenary captain being a rune knight and a Sword Master were all Rudolf needed to know the answer.
“… Luke de Rakan?”
“In connection with the information we have, the new pope resembles Princess Reina, and Captain Lev could be Luke. The chances are surely high,” said Voltas.
Rudolf was deep in his thoughts.
However, there was another problem.
“But wasn’t it informed to us that he was in his estate?”
Even though he had dispatched numerous spies, they all kept their eyes on the Rakan Estates.
Every report that came back said that Luke hadn’t taken a single step outside his estate.
“Of course, it makes no sense… The evidence seems very credible enough though. The falling meteor to be broken, but rune knights aren’t very common to come across,” stated Voltas.
“If that Captain Lev is really who he is said to be, then isn’t he better than that Luke guy?”
“But if that Luke is in hiding…”
“Stop! I know what you are going to say, but in order to punish the nobles, there has to be certain evidence. I can’t do anything without any circumstantial evidence,” said the Emperor.
“Even then, should we summon him here first? Shouldn’t we call him once…”
With a sullen smile, Count Voltas locked his hands. As long as Luke came to the capital, he could differentiate between rats and birds.
Thinking for a while, Emperor Rudolf shook his head.
“That won’t work either. If we summon him and the man goes missing after coming here, it will turn into a huge problem. Find another way to get rid of that Luke.”
“Then, how about sending the Assassin Master of Hydra? That way we can handle the situation without leaving behind any traces.”
“Uhm, is he in the capital right now?” Asked the Emperor.
“He had completed his mission a few days back and was said to have returned.”
“Good. Then ask him to check if Luke is in the estate or not and assassinate him if the situation isn’t troublesome.”
The development of Rakan territory was really dazzling.
If left alone, it would surely turn much more troublesome than the issues of the nobility, so they decided to take action as soon as possible.
The news was that the Marquis of Rakan had no other direct descendants other than Luke. If he was removed, it was definite that the territory would be easily integrated.
The two men, who decided to deal with Luke, went on to their next topic that needed their attention.
“What about the monster attacks that have been happening in the empire from awhile back?”
“I have sent the Central Army which was stationed nearby, but it was stated that the damage got worse, aggravating the monsters.”
A few months ago, monsters from all over the Baroque Empire had begun to move.
Initially, it was just like simple monster riots.
But as the number of monsters kept increasing, the damage they caused increased as well, so the issue couldn’t be taken lightly anymore.
Rudolf moved the Central Army to the lords nearby, but the result wasn’t favorable for them.
“Tch, we can’t even defeat one monster!”
“They are much smarter and more organized than we thought.”
Voltas looked at the reports that were handed to him and analyzed the monster attacks.
As a result, they found out that the monsters were actually tactically attacking weak places.
The troops of the Rhodesia Continent revolved around the use of Gigants. The general charter depended on the Gigant battle, and without a Gigant, there was almost no battle.
It was a common story in the military textbook, and every commander knew about it.
“But this is troublesome. The units operating the Gigants are behind the infantry and the cavalry.”
“Aren’t they using the trailers for moving them ahead?”
“Yes, they are but the trailers weren’t really that useful. The roads are too long or the ground is too weak; that’s why they can’t help right away. The trailers aren’t being very accessible.”
“So, they make sure to finish attacking a region before the Central Army could even reach the place.”
The story had moved from Voltas’s mouth to Rudolf’s ears, which made him convinced, but a solution wasn’t available.
“There is something to know in here. According to the testimony of the knight who got captured but managed to run away from the orcs, the Orc Hero is someone named Shaikan.”
“Orc Hero? The one who caused the Navarre Duchy monster wave years ago?”
When asked by Rudolf, Voltas nodded his head.
“Right. This seems to be the same person.”
“Kaak! Why did that Orc Hero have to show up in this empire?! Make sure to send the right squad before he manages to assemble the monsters!”
“I will make sure to select the right person,” responded Voltas.
At the calm response of Voltas, Rudolf frowned.
“It’s annoying because nothing is getting solved lately!”
The issues at the Holy Arthenia Empire, as well as the monster problem, everything was at a loss.
If things hadn’t gone like this, Rudolf was planning on wiping out the nobles at once, but the other problems seemed much worse.
‘Should I be glad that the men from Volga are silent?’
If the Republic decided to take advantage of the situation in the Baroque, then Rudolf would have to beat everyone and run straight for the battlefield.