Passing through the war-torn gate was simpler than Keldric had anticipated.
All it took was showing the family crests of Keldric and Sir Henri, along with the pass he had received from Count Bogenberg, and everything went smoothly.
Of course, that didn’t mean the gate’s defenses were lax. The gatekeeper soldiers maintained a stricter vigilance than ever.
However, on the other hand, the soldiers guarding Belam seemed desperate for reinforcements. They smiled upon seeing the two knights with ramrod straight backs atop their warhorses.
Two knights and forty elite soldiers. A reassuring composition just to look at.
“Traffic is heavier than I expected.”
Keldric nodded slowly.
As Sir Henri had said, Belam, still bustling with people coming and going, was busy in many ways.
Clearly, not just anyone could enter the city. The gatekeeper soldiers were definitely controlling access.
The merchants passing through the gate were limited to those belonging to a few guilds, and the goods they carried were strictly limited to food and weapons.
In other words, all the bustling merchants in front of the gate belonged to specific guilds.
Keldric watched the diligently moving merchants. They walked busily, unconcerned by the ominous atmosphere surrounding Belam.
Most merchants avoided such places due to the chaos and risk of looting caused by territorial wars, but it was a different story for ambitious merchants or guilds that had direct contracts with the lords.
For them, territorial wars were an opportunity to aim for a big score, worth taking the risk.
A city of countless opportunities. Also known as the cradle of the North, it would probably create endless possibilities.
Endless possibilities meant endless amounts of money.
The merchants who barely managed to pass through the gate smelled of metal. Either the smell of coins or the smell of the weapons and armor they were carrying.
“Sir Keldric.”
“Did you call?”
“It seems the soldiers have all entered. Let’s get to the castle quickly.”
Keldric nodded. Sir Henri casually looked around, then quietly whispered to Keldric.
“By the way, sir. A rather foolish question, but…”
“What is it?”
“Who was the magistrate of Belam? I seem to recall it was a knight from the Cassel Family.”
“Sir Herman. Sir Herman of the Cassel Family.”
Sir Herman. A young knight with a particularly angular jaw, deeply engrossed in chivalric literature. Keldric was secretly looking forward to their reunion.
People need people to live. But Keldric wasn’t just some bachelor living next door; he didn’t need to meet just anyone and smell the human scent without reservation.
In that sense, connections like Sir Herman were precious. It wasn’t unusual for a knight to have a knight as a friend…
‘It would be nice to build a few more connections.’
Keldric, with his overflowing strength, sharp mind, and a reputation that was gradually spreading far and wide, lacked a few things, and one of them was connections.
Connections weren’t just about bribing someone and rubbing their palms.
The connections Keldric wanted were a little more… pure and wholesome.
Just a close friendship where each was willing to offer a certain level of help to the other. In other words, a suitable companion and friend.
Sir Henri had connections with the knights of the Frank Kingdom, and the family had ties with other noble families.
But Keldric had none of that.
In the past few months since leaving his family, Keldric had barely made acquaintances that he could count on one hand. There were even fewer relationships where friendship had taken root or a certain level of trust had been established.
If he had to name them, it would be Sir Herman, Sir Alan, and Sir Werner, or Baron Yaben.
Among them, the one with whom Keldric could confidently claim a reasonably deep friendship was Sir Herman.
He had even acted as his champion in a trial by combat, thanks to which Lady Cassel’s chastity had been proven.
“The honorable Sir Keldric of the Bellaf Family. It is an honor to see you again.”
Perhaps because of that, there were many in the city who recognized Keldric. Occasionally, there were those who whispered about the Bogenberg Tournament.
Keldric nodded appropriately to the soldier who was flattering him.
“No need to praise me so much. By the way, is Sir Herman in the castle?”
“He came out to greet Sir Keldric. He is in the front yard now.”
“…He’s already out?”
The news traveled fast. Keldric moved with a strange expression.
As he entered the front yard, a familiar knight greeted Keldric enthusiastically.
“Sir Keldric!”
“Sir Herman. It’s good to see you again.”
“Don’t steal my lines! Anyway, I believed you would come to Belam again!”
Clutched in Sir Herman’s embrace as he danced around, Keldric matched his rhythm with a slightly resigned expression.
However the welcome was, a reunion with a long-lost connection was welcome to Keldric as well.
☩ ☩ ☩ ☩ ☩ ☩ ☩
The joy of reuniting with Sir Herman was fleeting, and the time spent embracing and sharing joy did not last long.
This was because after welcoming Keldric with a joyful heart, he immediately took Keldric and Sir Henri into the inner castle.
“Lord Yaben was hit by an arrow?!”
And there was a reason for Sir Herman’s haste.
Sir Henri exclaimed in surprise and jumped up. As a result, the wine glass placed for him was overturned in a pleasing manner.
Sir Herman gestured to a servant to clean it up with a troubled expression and answered him.
“Yes. Thanks to that, His Excellency will probably not leave the baronial castle for a while.”
“How did that happen? I heard that you had already retreated once.”
“Ugh… That is…”
Sir Herman’s explanation continued as follows.
Baron Yaben sent a proclamation to Baron Gottfried, following Count Bogenberg, whom he half served as his lord, and Baron Gottfried also accepted it politely without violating etiquette.
Then, as if they had been waiting for it, Baron Gottfried’s army rushed into the Barony of Yaben as soon as they accepted the proclamation.
“But didn’t Lord Yaben also station his troops in advance?”
“You are right.”
When sending a proclamation to wage a territorial war during this period, the content contained within was largely
threefold.
First, after examining the land or rights you have, it is right for them to become ours under such and such justification.
Second, therefore, it would be better to hand them over or comply obediently. You’ll regret it if you resist.
Finally, third, if you really want to fight and be screwed, bring your troops and fight on such and such day at such and such time. Or send out so-and-so to have an honorable duel one-on-one.
If you don’t like the battlefield or timing mentioned above, please send an additional reply.
It was roughly that kind of content. In other words, the battlefield where Baron Yaben’s army and Baron Gottfried’s army would fight had already been decided.
According to Sir Herman, it was Baron Yaben’s army that had set up camp and finished preparations in advance.
This advantage was clearly on Baron Yaben’s side. But the one who lost was Baron Yaben.
Keldric couldn’t understand. Even if he wasn’t a great strategist, there were parts that he would consider normally strange.
Setting up camp before the opponent meant occupying a favorable position on the battlefield and being able to inspect the terrain more quickly.
Therefore, setting up camp on the battlefield first was a very advantageous move. But he still lost?
“Although His Excellency set up camp first, Lord Gottfried’s army knew about it and did not rashly approach.”
“What were they planning to do?”
“It was a night raid. Lord Yaben also had night raids in mind and prepared countermeasures… but it ended up like this.”
If Baron Yaben’s army was already camped and waiting, it would be a loss for Baron Gottfried to go and fight them.
Then there were three options left.
Send one knight each as representatives to have a duel, break through Baron Yaben’s formation with a truly mysterious plan, or… launch a night raid.
Gottfried chose a night raid.
“Indeed… Damn, a night raid. Lord Yaben was thoroughly defeated.”
Sir Henri nodded calmly, but as if he was resentful.
Night raids were not classified as cowardly or dishonorable acts.
Attacking when defenses are relatively weak in the dark of night is a tactic with a long history in human history.
If a duel between knights had been promised in advance, it would be a different story, but if not, there was no major deviation from chivalry even if a night raid was carried out.
According to Sir Herman, Baron Yaben seemed to have prepared for a night raid to some extent.
“There seems to be a pretty great knight on that side.”
The problem was a certain knight belonging to Baron Gottfried’s army.
“I heard he came from further north than here. I heard that he fights bravely while wielding a very large axe.”
“If it’s further north… he must have come from the northwest. I heard that civilized barbarians live at that end.”
“He’s probably their descendant.”
Keldric imagined the knight Sir Herman was describing.
A large and sturdy physique, a symbolic helmet decorated with small horns, and… a huge two-handed axe.
He was truly a warrior. It was also the image that usually came to mind when thinking of a northern warrior or a barbarian’s great warrior.
But they were barbarians, not knights, and the giant knight on the other side was armed like a knight and was clearly a knight of the Empire.
“So, Sir Keldric.”
Sir Herman took a serious attitude. Keldric’s expression also hardened.
“Your support is essential. Additional troops are also troops, but… embarrassingly, it seems that there is no one on our side who can face that knight.”
“Have you already fought?”
“That’s not the case. But just hearing the rumors, he doesn’t seem ordinary.”
Keldric was lost in thought for a moment.
Keldric was going to fight anyway. But if the opponent was incredibly strong, Keldric would have to take a risk.
“I want to know more about him.”
“I don’t know much besides his name.”
“What’s his name?”
“Sir Gerhard of the Olenmeier Family.”
Keldric glanced at Sir Henri and Alyssa, who were sitting on either side. Both shook their heads. It seemed like they had never heard of him.
“I don’t know him.”
“That’s probably the case. I heard it’s a new family.”
The Olenmeier Family, to whom the Emperor had newly granted a knighthood.
Keldric didn’t even know all the well-established families around him. Then it was understandable that he didn’t know.
“Anyway, Sir Keldric. I hope your bravery shines in the next battle.”
“I’ll try my best. Where do I belong?”
“Ah, don’t worry about that. You can follow Sir Lothar.”
“Sir Lothar?”
It was the first time he had heard that name. When Keldric expressed his doubts, Sir Herman nodded casually.
“Yes. He is His Excellency’s eldest son.”
“Ah.”
Since Baron Yaben was bedridden, naturally the command of the army would be taken over by the next in line.
Keldric had never met him, but if he was as sensible as Baron Yaben, he couldn’t ask for more.
☩ ☩ ☩ ☩ ☩ ☩ ☩
But things in the world don’t always go as planned, and Keldric couldn’t escape that great law either.
“Sir Keldric of the Bellaf Family?”
Keldric, who was inspecting the soldiers in the front yard, turned around at the voice that suddenly called his name.
A man with a similar impression to Baron Yaben was standing there.
It was as if Baron Yaben had lost a little more weight and his jaw was much more angular.
He scanned Keldric’s body from top to bottom for a moment, then nodded with an expression that seemed to understand.
“It seems the rumors weren’t just nonsense. At first glance, I thought you were a bear.”
“What…”
“I heard you won the Bogenberg Tournament. In that case, you’ll be fine taking the honorable vanguard in the next charge.”
That was absurd. How could he decide something like that so arbitrarily, not even knowing when, where, or against whom the next battle would be?
But before Keldric could retort, he said his piece and briskly walked away.
‘Such a rude bastard—’
Keldric hadn’t even caught his name. His face sour, he asked a Belam soldier standing nearby,
“Who was that just now?”
“That was the honorable Lord Lothar, eldest son of Baron Yaben.”
“….”
Lord Lothar Mikesh, eldest son of Devanu Mikesh, Baron Yaben.
His first encounter with him was not a pleasant one. Keldric felt an ominous premonition.
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