Chapter 71: North to War

Jean had pretended to be nothing more than a knight enthusiastic about bread and wine, luring me into letting my guard down. He fed me truthful information to build trust, then planted a lie that would lead us into a decisive battle at a numerical disadvantage. Why target me with such a scheme? Because I had the reputation of the Gale Knight and stood at the core of the duchy army’s leadership.

In other words, since the duchy army’s command would trust information I relayed, Jean had tried to exploit that. But unfortunately for him, I had the scouter. Without it, setting aside questions of reliability, I might well have believed he was just a foolish French knight with an obsession for brioche and wine.

As expected of a knight the Baron of Besançon had entrusted with troops.

Though his mention of the civil war between the French royal family and Burgundy had been a misstep, Jean was by no means an easy opponent. His expression upon hearing my deduction was entirely different from when we had started. The knight who had breezily compared bread and wine to the Alps was gone, because I had laid bare both his lies and his intent too precisely.

His psychological state read as anxiety and nervousness.

"Indeed, there was a reason you’re called the Gale Knight."

"I don’t particularly want praise from a prisoner. I still have many questions."

"I won’t open my mouth so easily from here on."

That was fine. I intended to pose various questions while piecing together the situation and observe Jean’s psychological reactions through the scouter as he listened. Even without answering, his mind would betray affirmation or denial. Using this method, I could extract far more information from Jean than he realized.

"Sir Jean de Plessis. Thank you for your active cooperation. Please enjoy the remaining brioche and wine whenever you’re hungry. Consider it my courtesy."

"..."

Jean and the captured knights couldn’t relax their rigid expressions. Even though I left behind the brioche and wine that had supposedly conjured visions of the Alps, Jean simply glared at me without touching either. The man who had talked so grandly about noble treatment suddenly fell silent, which made the atmosphere awkward instead.

I reported the information to the command.

"Burgundy’s Épinay is invading Euz?"

"Count Euz’s messenger may have reached the duchy government by now."

Coincidentally, the timing of any messenger’s arrival was frustratingly uncertain. There was no long-distance communication in this era, and dispatching messengers was the best available means. The duchy army command fell into deep deliberation upon hearing the information I had brought.

"From my interrogation of Jean de Plessis, I estimate that several lords participated, with Count Épinay serving as the vanguard. I don’t know which lords are involved, but the Baron of Besançon dispatching reinforcements is proof enough."

"Ugh, could this turn into a major war?"

"It won’t escalate that far. A civil war is on the verge of breaking out between the French royal family and Burgundy. They won’t expand the front more than necessary."

"Civil war between France and Burgundy?"

It seemed everyone was hearing this for the first time.

In truth, I hadn’t known about the civil war in France either until Jean mentioned it.

Even with spies deployed, intelligence of that caliber would take considerable time to arrive. Jean had brought up the France-Burgundy civil war because it was a major issue in France and he assumed I would naturally be aware, but that was genuinely high-grade information. The duchy government would learn of it eventually, but by then the knowledge might come too late to matter.

"Your Highness, let’s withdraw at this point."

"Withdraw when war has broken out in the north?"

"Our army has already fought one battle, and the casualties aren’t insignificant. Moreover, we have prisoners weighing us down, making further marching difficult, and our supplies are running low."

With over eighty prisoners, we couldn’t march toward the battlefield burdened by them. Prisoners who couldn’t pay ransom were typically sent to the mines. Lords tended to cover their soldiers’ ransoms, but whether the Baron of Besançon would do so was uncertain.

The Crown Prince listened to Michael’s counsel.

"We suppressed the bandits terrorizing Rosenheim and defeated an unexpected Burgundian force. Your Highness has achieved excellent results, so now is the time to withdraw."

"Sir Streit, what do you think? Do you share Steiner’s opinion?"

Why was he suddenly asking me?

The Crown Prince was looking at me intently. Michael’s gaze and those of the assembled knights converged on me. I didn’t know if I truly had a say in the decision, but even without checking the Crown Prince’s state through the scouter, I could tell what he was thinking.

"Your Highness wishes to march north."

"Honestly, I do. Wouldn’t those northern soldiers fight harder with the Altringen royal family standing alongside them? I experienced this firsthand in this battle. Although I can’t fight directly, I’m prepared to do whatever it takes to protect our duchy."

Do whatever it takes to protect the duchy.

He was a boy only two years older than me, yet I felt his unwavering resolve. Looking around, Vermeer and Eisenach had already tilted toward supporting the Crown Prince. Fiel also seemed inclined to follow. Even if Michael delivered an impassioned speech against it, the decision was already settled among the knights.

Forcibly overriding the Crown Prince’s will was not a wise choice.

The person I felt most sorry for was our hardworking brother-in-law.

"Wolfgang Ritter von Streit supports His Highness the Crown Prince’s will."

I chose to trust the Crown Prince’s resolve. Michael glared daggers at me, silently demanding to know why I was backing the Crown Prince instead of stopping him. But if not now, when would the Crown Prince have the chance to learn what kind of enemy Burgundy—destined to become our greatest threat—truly was? The skirmish had already begun.

"Send a messenger to Count Euz!"

The Crown Prince’s order rang with vitality. Many knights voiced their agreement.

In the end, Michael could offer no further opposition. The tide had turned.

As soon as the meeting ended, he dragged me to his tent.

"Brother-in-law, what are you doing? The merit we’ve already earned is more than enough, yet you’re sending His Highness the Crown Prince into Count Euz’s domain! Everything has gone well so far, but if something goes wrong now, who the hell will take responsibility?"

"It’ll be fine. Won’t the duchy government send reinforcements once Count Euz’s messenger arrives?"

"Well, since His Highness the Crown Prince is nearby, they’ll certainly dispatch reinforcements quickly."

My father-in-law might even lead the reinforcements personally. If this was a Burgundian invasion, other princes would send troops as well. The only issue was that arrival times would vary, meaning reinforcements might arrive after the battle was already over. Until then, Count Euz had to hold out on his own.

In that situation, wouldn’t morale soar if the Crown Prince appeared in support, even with only a small force? Moreover, this would place Count Euz in the Crown Prince’s debt. Even the princes who belonged to the Crown Prince’s faction were sensitive about their interests. So a debt owed to the Crown Prince was no small thing.

"Since the decision is already made, I can’t oppose it either. Brother-in-law, if His Highness the Crown Prince is ever in danger, take him and flee. Just promise me that."

"I promise. I’ll protect His Highness with my life."

"If you protect His Highness, a great weight will be lifted from my shoulders too."

I hoped such a situation would never arise.

"Oh, there’s a knight I’d like to introduce you to. Will you meet him?"

"Who?"

Michael said there was a knight who had commanded the militia and defended Feuzen, and brought him to meet me.

"It’s an honor to meet the Gale Knight. I’m August von Einbeck."

August?

The knight who had defended Feuzen from the bandits was, to my surprise, a free knight who could be recruited in the game. He was also a knight who had once served as a retainer under Baron Constance. I never would have expected the free knight I knew to be wandering the Duchy of Beren to turn up here.