Chapter 68

The Braus family is one of the five greatest noble families in King Domorgal's kingdom.

Their source of wealth is a garnet mine that is among the best in the world.

Currently, the city of Braus is guarded by René Braus, the second son of the Braus family.

The head of the family, Braus, and his eldest son are currently attacking the kingdom of Rosais.

"Ah, I wish I could have gone to war too. If I had, I could have defeated that enemy general Almus with my invisible slash."

René speaks with a regretful tone.

To this, one of René's subordinates replies,

"That's why your father left the rear to you, isn't it? He has high hopes for you, René-sama."

"Really? You think so too?!"

René is in high spirits.

For now, it's best to keep René in a good mood.

His subordinates know this.

In reality, René has no military talent or martial prowess.

That's why his father didn't take him along.

However, René is not entirely incompetent.

René is cowardly and cautious, which makes him unsuitable for a military career.

But he shows talent as a civil servant.

His cautious nature has contributed to the safe expansion of the mines.

To prevent a repeat of the great famine eight years ago, René proposed using the profits from garnets to buy cattle and horses to boost agricultural productivity.

Thanks to this, the agricultural productivity of the Braus territory has significantly increased since the plague eight years ago.

René has also made significant contributions to expanding the market for garnets, selling them not only to domestic merchants but also to other countries, such as the Equus people.

Despite everything, everyone recognizes René's abilities as a politician.

He seems to want to be a soldier, though.

Just then, an urgent report reaches René.

"It's terrible!! We've been surrounded by the Rosais army!!"

"Haha, that's a funny joke. We just received a hawk message from my father on the battlefield yesterday, saying the Rosais army is trapped in the Terya fortress... Wait, it's true?"

Cold sweat appears on René's forehead.

"René-sama!! This is the time for your invisible slash to be useful!!"

"No, no, it's a joke. Well, let's negotiate first. No, before that, we need to confirm the number and types of enemy troops!!"

The city of Braus is a fortified city.

The walls, built with its wealth, are the second tallest and strongest after those surrounding the capital of King Domorgal.

From atop the walls, René looks down at the enemy army.

It's already dark, so the enemy is not visible.

The enemy seems to have extinguished their bonfires, making it impossible to estimate their numbers.

But considering they broke through the main Domorgal army and reached here, they must have at least five thousand troops.

René swallows hard.

On the other hand, the city of Braus has only about two hundred troops. No one expected the enemy to penetrate this far.

It seems impossible to win.

"Lord of the city of Braus! Listen well!!"

A man's voice echoes.

René responds.

"I am René Braus, guarding the city of Braus on my father's behalf!! What do you want with my city!!"

The man answers his voice.

"This city is already surrounded. Surrender peacefully. If you surrender and hand over the city, we will guarantee the lives of you, the citizens, and the soldiers!!"

"Can, can you give me some time to think about it!!"

"Should we surrender?" René asks his subordinates.

The subordinate nods quietly.

"While it's concerning that we haven't received any reports from fast horses or hawk messages... it's safe to assume the Domorgal army has lost. They are attacking this far. It's a very generous condition, for some reason. We should accept it."

"Alright, I'll accept it."

Unbeknownst to René and his men, a fast horse had indeed been sent to report the fall of Dress village, but it was crushed by the Rosais army.

From Dress village to the city of Braus, there are only two routes where a horse can run at full speed.

One of these routes—the shortest one—is being used by the Rosais army, so the fast horse couldn't use it.

Therefore, it had to take the longer second route.

But the Rosais army knew this too.

They were waiting in advance and quickly captured it.

One might think to use a hawk message, but sorcerers are valuable.

They were only stationed at the most important points—Dress village and the city of Braus.

"Really, to actually accept... "

Raymond looks at the opening city gates in confusion.

With only five hundred men, holding out seemed like a viable option.

Well, with ballistae and explosive guns, breaking the city gates wouldn't be too difficult.

"Is it a trap?"

Mutius also looks at the city gates with a puzzled expression.

"It's a trap, a trap. We'll surely be shot at from both sides the moment we charge."

Rosward also agrees with the "trap theory."

"Ha, you're all cowards. I'll go in then."

Vigal leads a few men into the inner side of the city walls.

Then he shouts from inside.

"It's fine!"

Hearing this, the Rosais army finally enters the city with relief.

"Damn... I never thought there would be only five hundred... This is a lifetime of regret..."

René, bound, twists his face in regret.

Tears are visible in his eyes.

"Well, well, these things happen."

Raymond consoles René.

He feels a surge of sympathy.

"Wow! So many garnets!!"

Mutius starts looting with enthusiasm.

The two hundred loyal soldiers are restrained, so they can't resist.

The Equus people, looking regretful, loot valuables from the homes of merchants and influential city residents.

There are many foreign luxury items, such as spices, gold jewelry, and glass crafts.

It's a mountain of treasure.

The only ones who are relieved are the lower-middle-class residents of the city.

They only have grain, salt, and daughters to be looted.

Of course, even the barbaric Equus people wouldn't bother to steal grain and salt from the poor in front of a mountain of treasure. It would be a waste of time.

Besides, the city of Braus is a mining city.

This means there are many miners living there. There are also many brothels for their relaxation.

The Equus people, who received orders to use the brothels for free, rushed to them.

Thus, the occupation of the city of Braus by the Rosais army (with some exceptions) was very peaceful and moderate.

"Captain! I'm happy to serve you, Captain!!"

Vigal says to Rosward with high spirits.

His hands are piled with treasure.

He wears a golden crown on his head and a necklace that looks heavy enough to cause shoulder pain.

He has discarded his linen clothes and is now wearing beautiful red silk.

While his appearance suggests a noble or a nouveau riche merchant, his face and demeanor ruin the image, making him look like a pirate who has found treasure.

It's a sad fact that he's not entirely wrong.

Vigal and his men are in high spirits because with this much gold, they can easily buy their freedom.

They can even build a large house with the change.

In Vigal's mind, a rosy life is dancing.

However, Vigal doesn't realize that if he buys a large house or land, the looted treasure will run out.

Vigal, a country bumpkin from a rural area, doesn't fully understand the value of land.

"This is for the captain."

"No, I'm fine... I don't take things stolen from others..."

Rosward tries to refuse, but Vigal forcefully pushes the treasure into his hands.

"When this war is over, aren't you going to marry a lady? You'll need money, right?"

"Yeah... well, I'll take it then."

Rosward is easily swayed by the glittering gold.

That's human nature.

"By the way, what are you doing, Captain?"

"I'm collecting documents. They have the locations of the villages, the names of the village chiefs, and even the annual tax revenue. It's quite accurate, though not as much as in our territory. It's impressive that someone has the same ideas as my brother."

"Hehe, not really."

René gives a bashful smile.

Rosward approaches René.

"My name is Rosward. I am the chief vassal of Lord Almus of the As territory. I have a question... Where is the list of vassals in this territory?"

"Huh? What do you need it for?"

"To recruit talent."

When Rosward answers honestly, René laughs.

"No way, I won't tell you. Try to find it yourself..."

"Tell me!"

Rosward draws his sword and presses it against René's neck.

"The third drawer from the top in my father's room!!"

"Thank you."

Rosward gracefully bows and heads to the lord's room in this mansion.

Meanwhile, Soyon is restraining the sorcerers stationed in the city.

They can't send hawk messages.

If their empty bodies are killed, they will die.

Still, they can't be completely at ease, so she restrains each one individually.

"Well, that's it... Shall we go treasure hunting right away, senpai?"

"No, I don't take things stolen from others..."

Soyon tries to refuse, but Dora forcefully grabs her hand.

"What are you saying! Those are things stolen from the earth. What's wrong with stealing stolen goods? Besides, everything in this city belongs to us. And you're going to get married, right? To Captain Ron?"

"Uh, well, after this war..."

"Then you need money, right?"

Soyon is persuaded by Dora and joins the looting.

After a while, Raymond brings the news that the fun looting time is over.

Now they need to decide the fate of the captured soldiers, René, the administrators, and the sorcerers.

This should have been done immediately, but the Equus people couldn't wait, so it was postponed.

"The new king wants to send officials to the villages to collect taxes directly. Therefore, people who can read and write in Kirisian are essential."

"I've heard that. I also think this policy should be pursued. So, you want to take these officials with you, right?"

"That's right."

The physical recruitment begins immediately.

It's complete with collars, leg irons, and handcuffs.

First, twenty are decided to be enslaved.

In a real war, if there's any hesitation about enslaving everyone, they would all be enslaved. Unfortunately, they can't carry too many.

If they walk, it will reduce the mobility of the cavalry.

They plan to load them onto wagons like cargo.

"Don't worry. We guarantee you a higher salary than you had in the Braus territory."

To prevent rebellion, he convinces them with this promise.

This way, no one will think of escaping.

"Um... what about my family?"

"You can exchange this for them."

"Who is this?!"

René protests, but no one listens.

Next are the sorcerers.

Sorcerers are very troublesome. High-level sorcerers who can perform soul transfer can take some action even if bound with chains.

Therefore, they can't be forcibly taken.

So, it becomes a formal recruitment.

They call each one to a private room, interview them, and ask if they will come.

Of course, they offer more than double their current salary.

There were ten soul transfer-capable sorcerers in this city and Dress village combined, but three decided to join the Rosais army.

Garnets are immediately paid as a down payment.

Still, to ensure their cooperation, a few soldiers and a sorcerer are assigned to monitor them.

The others declined, citing reasons like having a husband or children.

Even if they could exchange for René, changing the environment is not good.

Next are René and the other relatives of the Braus family.

They are all decided to be taken.

They can be used for ransom and as bargaining chips.

After all, the Braus family is one of the five greatest noble families in King Domorgal's kingdom and has brought many soldiers to this war.

If the Braus family withdraws from this war, it will significantly reduce the fighting strength. Even if they can't be made to withdraw, making them suspicious of the Rosais kingdom can be useful.

The soldiers are troublesome, so they are disarmed and all put in prison.

They could be killed, but there was no need to do so.

If they are not killed, there is a higher chance they will arm themselves and become enemy soldiers again.

But since they have been following a policy of not killing, it's better to stick with it. Half-measures are not good.

Besides, it's more convenient if the rumor spreads that surrendering to the Rosais army will save your life.

"Well, Soyon. Can you send a hawk message?"

"Understood. I'll bring good news to Lord Almus by tonight."

Soyon says and runs off.

No creature can attack owls at midnight. A hawk message at midnight is the safest method of communication.

"Well, get a good night's sleep and rest up. Tomorrow, we need to urgently defeat the enemy coming from Dress village. After that, we need to re-occupy Dress village. The rest will depend on Lord Almus's instructions and the situation on the ground. That's all."

On the second day, in the afternoon,

The order to retake Dress village was given to Braus, the lord of the Braus territory. This was arranged by Tonino, who thought he would be familiar with the terrain.

Braus first sent the cavalry ahead to check the situation in Dress village.

Then he marched the infantry as quickly as possible.

"What? The Rosais army has already left? Their destination is... the city of Braus!!"

Braus moves the two hundred cavalry he sent ahead to the city of Braus.

There are only two hundred infantry in the city of Braus.

The two thousand infantry, who have been marching hard, will rest in Dress village.

Braus wants to march them at night, but it's too dangerous, and the soldiers' stamina won't hold up.

Braus can only pray that the five hundred enemy troops will be cornered and surrounded by the two hundred cavalry he sent ahead.

Braus's decision to disperse his forces is the worst strategy for a general.

But it can't be helped.

His family's lives are at stake.

If anything, it's a mistake in Tonino's arrangement.

But it's too harsh to make Tonino bear all the blame. No one expected the enemy to be so bold.

And no one expected René to surrender so easily.

But René has no military talent. In the absence of prior information, it was the best move. It's better to minimize casualties if they are going to lose anyway.

It's a series of unfortunate events, and the Rosais army had the upper hand...

Thus, the one-week war enters its third day.