Chapter 76

Raidor and the kingdom's army had defeated the traitor, Viscount Ulphart, and subdued the town of Ulfyn.

As a result of his significant contribution to this victory, Sven Arbeil was officially appointed as Raidor's strategist.

The "Eight Families of the East," who guarded the border with the Arslane Empire, now had only five remaining traitors.

To defeat them, the young strategist Sven implemented a new strategy.

"What should I do, what should I do, what should I do!"

In the town of Ectura, which lies to the south of Ulfyn, a man screamed in the house of the Baron Elardin.

Crouched in a corner of the room, the man, Lord Royle Elardin, the master of the house, clutched his body with both hands and screamed.

Lord Elardin's face was pale, and his thin shoulders trembled violently as tears streamed down his face like a waterfall.

Recently, a rumor had spread in the town of Ectura, which Lord Elardin governed. The rumor was that the neighboring town of Ulfyn had been subdued by the Zain Kingdom's army. Moreover, the fortified city of Ulfyn had fallen to the kingdom's army in just one day, and Viscount Ulphart had been killed without any resistance.

Upon hearing this report, Lord Elardin had locked himself in his room and spent his days in constant fear.

"I never thought Viscount Ulphart would be killed so easily! N-no, next it's me! It's my turn to be killed!"

The baron covered his head with a blanket and cried out.

The rumor that was tormenting and cornering the baron had, in fact, originated from Sven Arbeil. Sven used the spies captured by Raidor to spread various pieces of information throughout the territories of the "Eight Families of the East."

"The kingdom's army conquered Ulfyn in just one day."

"Viscount Ulphart, who defied Commander Raidor, was brutally killed, but the vassals and soldiers of the Ulphart family who surrendered peacefully were all pardoned."

"The kingdom's army has absorbed the soldiers and militia of the Ulphart family, increasing their forces to over ten thousand."

These spies, who were originally under the direct command of the king, had lost their loyalty to the king after witnessing Raidor's power. Furthermore, the curse placed on them by Raidor prevented them from resisting, and they faithfully spread the exaggerated information.

As a result, the rumors that spread through the border towns caused significant turmoil among the border nobles, including Lord Elardin.

"Why do I have to suffer like this? If only I hadn't betrayed the empire..."

Royle Elardin was a coward by nature. His timidity was so extreme that it was unacceptable for a nobleman entrusted with a border region, and even his vassals secretly looked down on him.

Originally, Royle was the second son and was not supposed to inherit the Elardin barony, which was to be passed to his elder brother. However, his brother died suddenly from an epidemic, and Royle became the lord without any preparation or resolve.

"That's why I never wanted to be a lord! I never wanted to bear the responsibility of protecting the town! I just wanted to live a peaceful and quiet life, perhaps by doing some business! Why did this happen to me..."

The baron cried out with tears in his eyes. As a nobleman, he was so cowardly and lacked ambition that he had no real sense of his own status. He had no resolve to risk his life for his territory or to fight.

That was why, when the imperial army came to the town of Ectura, he surrendered unconditionally without a fight.

"I will definitely be killed... The palace will never forgive me for betraying the empire!"

Lord Elardin trembled, his face as white as paper, as he imagined his future.

The cowardly baron was so terrified that he was in no state to face the kingdom's army. Sven's strategy was working perfectly, and it was only a matter of time before Ectura would fall without a fight.

However—

*Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!*

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