Chapter 132: The Allied Forces
The Forth Territory belonged to Viscount Logan Wick,
neighboring the York Territory, though its total size was only two-thirds that of the York Territory.
And the allied forces assembled to invade the York Territory this time were also organized by Viscount Logan.
At a military fortress near the York Territory, this was the gathering place of the allied forces.
Even if Viscount Logan was confident in the strength he commanded, he would never be so reckless as to station these forces deep within his own territory.
Of course, the core strength of the allied forces remained the two Viscounts. Aside from the two Baron Lords bordering the York Territory, most other Baron Lords had been coerced or half-threatened into sending troops.
Though pressured by the imbalance of power, these Baron Lords had dispatched a knight and nearly a hundred warriors each, but the quality of these warriors could only be described as average.
This was the council hall inside the fortress. A round table stood at the center, and four individuals sat around it.
They were the four nobles personally leading the allied forces this time.
"Those fellows' warriors are worse than the conscripted militia from my territory,"Viscount Logan slammed the round table with force, fury evident on his face as he spoke.
Viscount Logan was in his early forties, the age when the next generation gradually matured, and ambition burned most fiercely within oneself.
It was for this reason that, upon hearing that Marquis Demitri had been slain by the Lord of the York Territory, he had immediately contacted Viscount Youn.
After formally declaring war on the Lord of the York Territory, he had pulled his allies together to form the allied forces.
"Their territories don’t border the York Territory. They have no actual gains to expect from this war,"said Viscount Youn, seated to the right of Viscount Logan.
Viscount Youn appeared older than Viscount Logan. His hair was partly gray, and a meticulously groomed mustache sat beneath his nose.
"Gold and silver hold little value for them. This is Greenwood, and they lack no grain. Unless they are offered shares of Holy Relics, Mystery, and Church’s Holy Relic, this war is meaningless to them,"he said in a calm voice.
"Yes, I know. In the end, they were forced, just like we were when that pitiful marquis’s army passed through our territory—we were also forced to offer large sums of wealth and grain,"Viscount Logan looked toward Youn.
"But that is the rule—a rule for survival among nobles."
"However, Youn, your territory is currently being slaughtered en masse by that madman Wolf. If we cannot gather sufficient troops and launch an attack, his slaughter will not cease,"he said.
Youn was not angered; instead, he even laughed.
"Let him kill, then. There are too many people in my territory anyway. If he wants to kill, let him. It's best if he ties up his elite forces in my lands,"Youn said, showing no concern for the deaths of his own people.
"But you’re right—we can’t delay for too long either,"he added.
Then, he looked toward the other two at the round table.
"So, it’s time to decide everything."
"Baron Reagan, Baron Ern, Holy Relics and Mystery are not things you can touch. These are extremely dangerous. Just look at what happened to Baron Jeffrey Sacker."
As he spoke, he stood up, picked up two markers, and placed them on the map—where the York Territory bordered the two Barons' lands.
"Viscount Logan and I will support you in officially claiming these adjoining lands. This is all you can gain from this war."
"Believe me, this is the most practical spoils of war for you."
After Viscount Youn finished speaking, the two Barons looked toward Viscount Logan.
He was the organizer of the allied forces and currently the one who had invested the most in it.
Viscount Logan met their gaze, nodded, and then said:
"This is the final negotiation. If you agree, you’re welcome to partake in this grand feast—and gain our friendship."
"If you do not accept, then please leave the allied forces. Naturally, you will also forfeit the right to any of its spoils."
The two Baron Lords exchanged glances and eventually agreed.
The so-called friendship of nobles had no value beyond sounding good,
but the malice invited by refusal was tangible and real.
Besides, Viscount Youn had already brought up Baron Jeffrey Sacker—how could they not understand the implication?
After painstakingly nurturing a Mystery, it had drawn the assault of Dark Creatures.
After barely surviving the crisis, he had one of his sons killed by Wolf, and had to present the Mystery to his killer with a smiling face.
"But aside from territory, we also need three thousand gold coins—or equivalent value in grain and equipment,"they added. Viscount Youn’s people were being slaughtered, and though he claimed not to care, who could trust a noble’s word?
Moreover, judging from everyone else’s reaction, it seemed unlikely that any more weak Baron Lords would join and ally with them.
So, they dared not delay any further.
In the end, these two were Viscounts who possessed Holy Relics and vast territories. They themselves were mere weak Baron Lords.
Finding an excuse to eliminate them wasn’t impossible.
"Fine. No problem,"Viscount Logan nodded.
Then the two Baron Lords stood up and left, saying they needed to rally their warriors.
They were, of course, furious. They were nobles too, and Lords.
But rage was meaningless. Only practical profit mattered to them.
"Truly greedy bastards,"after the two left, Viscount Logan let out a cold snort and said.
"Those two won’t contribute much this time."
"They cannot obtain the most valuable Holy Relics and Mystery, so naturally they won’t give their full effort,"Viscount Youn shook his head.
"Expanding territory, seizing wealth—these are meaningless. Only those who possess the power of Holy Relics can be called true nobles,"he said.
"However, according to known information, the York Territory has one Holy Relic and one Mystery, along with two Dark Creatures’ Holy Relics."
"These are all still in the York Territory. We don’t know if that Viscount himself has any more Holy Relics."
"Ha, how wealthy. No wonder he dared to do something like this."
After speaking, Youn looked at Logan.
"We previously argued over who would get which Holy Relic and who would take the Mystery, but now we don’t need to. He’s already distributed them to us."
He continued.
"Then the Holy Relic Wolf is carrying will go to you, and I’ll take the Mystery in the church,"Logan no longer dwelled on it.
Wolf had already entered Youn’s territory with the Holy Relic. For Youn, returning now and ambushing Wolf would still let him acquire the most valuable Holy Relic.
Logan did not want to lose the support of a powerful ally over this.
Even though the Lord of the York Territory had taken away most of its strength, he was still fighting on home ground. If it were only Logan, the situation would be unstable.
Who knew what that Mystery could be?
Moreover, a full assault would incur considerable losses.
"But I want to choose first from the two Holy Relics,"Logan added.
"That’s not a problem," Youn nodded.
They looked down upon the Dark Creatures’ Holy Relics.
Their power was vastly inferior to Holy Relics, and their usage conditions were far harsher.
But regardless, they still carried mysterious power. Even if they weren’t used, placing them in a church might prove useful someday.
"The time to advance—can it be finalized now?" Youn asked.
"Three days from now we march,"Logan said,"My Holy Relic is still replenishing energy."
"My territory’s slaves are running out. My priests are selecting suitable villages."
"You know how it is—it’s a bit picky. It only likes those who believe in it."
As the initiator of the allied forces, Logan planned to bring his own Holy Relic.
This was also the most important reason Youn had agreed to his invitation.
"Alright then, hurry it up,"Youn stood up,"Even if the lowly folk in my territory are worthless, they are still my wealth."