Chapter 92

"But they're not coming, are they?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean the messenger to start the arbitration."

It had been a month since the conflict began with the House of Brois and the nobles under their jurisdiction. Although we had the upper hand, the standoff between the main armies continued.

Especially in the past week, it seemed as if the situation hadn't moved at all. The young knights engaging in single combat, the hired mages comparing their magic—these had run out of steam, and the mercenaries who were doing the same things as the knights for employment had also disappeared.

The unexpected long standoff had ended the time for showing off, and those who had failed the recruitment test I started to shake the House of Brois had left the battlefield, deeming it meaningless to stay.

Their dream was to serve in some noble household. If it didn't work out here, they would immediately move to the next place.

As a result, both armies had lost about five hundred men in total. As long as they were given food and a place to sleep, they would come to show off, and the nobles used the mercenaries to cheaply fill their ranks. However, if it didn't work out, they would quickly disappear.

"They probably don't want to accept the arbitration that would put them at a disadvantage."

"Even so, we're reaching our limit."

In an era without this war, maintaining thousands of troops for a month was a significant burden. There were also rewards for knights who won in single combat.

The expenses were not small, and it was said that standoffs lasting over a month were almost unheard of.

"Even if the expenses are unavoidable, the royal family will soon become anxious."

From the perspective of the royal family, which desired the stable governance of the Helmut Kingdom, they might turn a blind eye to short-term standoffs for the sake of power struggles, but if it dragged on, it could turn into a real war, so there was a possibility they would intervene.

Naturally, if they intervened, it would be a significant issue, as it would dilute the autonomy of the region. Both the House of Brois and the House of Brechreiter would suffer considerable damage.

"That's why we want them to show up soon."

"But the Margrave of Brois is ill."

"Yes."

It was already a known fact that the Margrave of Brois was bedridden and not leading the army in this conflict.

This was because we had obtained that information. It happened a few days after the single combats began.

"Are we exchanging prisoners?"

"Yes. Unless it's a big catch, mercenaries and minor nobles don't bring in much money."

It was the fifth day of the mock battles in the form of single combats between the two armies. The results were almost even. Since keeping prisoners was costly, the exchange of prisoners took place at the end of each day. They calculated the ransom and exchanged those who wouldn't bring in much money first.

Even Thomas's brother was quickly returned to the Brois side. He was a knight, but as the next head of a minor vassal family, he was sent back immediately. He was a vassal knight appointed by a noble, not a knight appointed by the kingdom, so his status was lower.

"Even if they are vassals, the heads of families or heirs do not participate in single combats. I understand the family status and economic situation."

"You're right. The old lord's family was so poor that it seemed like a wealthy vassal family."

We were only exchanging the mercenaries and minor vassals we had captured, not the nobles or their retainers. We couldn't get a ransom from the mercenaries, and the ransom for vassals was the responsibility of their lords. For someone like Thomas's brother, it would be about five gold coins, which wasn't a big deal. We had to take care of the prisoners, and torture or abuse was strictly forbidden. We had to provide better treatment based on their status, and those who wouldn't bring in much money were quickly exchanged.

By the way, those who returned could not participate in single combats in this conflict again. They were considered to have been defeated, so they wouldn't be evaluated by their lords, even though no one actually died. For those who missed the opportunity to show their strength in a rare conflict, it was as good as being dead.

"Thomas's brother looked really down."

Thomas's brother returned to the Brois side with a look of utter despair.

"Does this mean the merit of selling me is nullified?"

"That's not something Thomas should worry about. It's about another family."

"Yes, you're right. It's about another family."

Despite his words, Thomas watched his brother, who was being exchanged, with a complex expression.

"From that, the Brois side will learn that Thomas and his group are employed by the lord. What will they think?"

I had no intention of using this as a negotiation point, but they would likely be afraid on their own. After all, I knew the truth about the rebellion in the Baumeister Knightly Estate.

However, Claus, who said this with a smile, was still a ruthless man.

"Let's push a little more, and gather information at the same time."

Claus continued to suggest, but I was grimacing at the ruthlessness of his plan.

"Isn't that a bit too much? They might kill him."

"Why? The new recruits have no connection to the House of Brois."

To probe the Brois side, Claus suggested deliberately letting one of the new recruits lose in a single combat and be taken prisoner by the Margrave of Brois.

"Even if we kill one person to cover up the evidence, we still have over twenty left on our side. Moreover, the prisoner will claim to be from another family and a retainer of our lord. If we kill him, it will be a big problem."

This would break the rules of the battlefield in this era. Furthermore, the Margrave of Brois was a big catch. He would be the one most concerned about such matters.

"Still, we'll explain the risks and recruit volunteers. So, when it succeeds..."

"Will you give a reward?"

"Yes, including a danger allowance."

Officially, we couldn't issue a commendation for losing a single combat, but Claus advised giving a generous reward for successfully completing a dangerous mission.

"Then, let's do it immediately."

Claus explained his plan to the new recruits. It was a mission to shake the Brois side and gather information that couldn't be obtained from other prisoners.

"Officially, it will be a loss in a single combat and a prisoner. We won't issue a commendation, but the lord has promised a generous reward."

The new recruits listened quietly to Claus's explanation, and a young, small man volunteered.

"My name is Nikolaus Flack. My previous family name was Bruegel."

"I think you've heard the details from Claus."

"I'm very grateful for introducing such an efficient job."

He was an interesting man in the way he spoke. According to Thomas, he wasn't very good at the noble arts like swordsmanship or spear fighting, but he was cheerful and served as a mood maker. He also excelled in managing supplies and accounting for the new recruits.

"I'm not good with swords, so it's difficult to achieve the necessary merit for advancement through simple martial prowess alone."

"There is a risk of being killed, though."

"It's unlikely. I'll observe their reaction."

The cheerful young man, Nikolaus, followed our instructions and engaged in a single combat with a knight under the Margrave of Brois, deliberately losing and becoming a prisoner. The main army of the Margrave of Brois included troops from several baronial and viscountial families, so Claus instructed him to deliberately lose to a knight from one of those families to avoid being brought before the Margrave of Brois.

"I'm back."

Nikolaus, who lost the single combat early in the morning, returned through the prisoner exchange in the evening. It seemed the Brois side thought it would be meaningless to kill just Nikolaus at this point, so he returned safely.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes, the food was good. It's not as good as what we get here, though."

"We have Elise and the others cooking for us."

"I think that's a big advantage."

Fortunately, the knight who fought Nikolaus in the single combat didn't know him. When the knight returned to the Brois camp with Nikolaus, the atmosphere inside the camp became restless.

"The fact that I was used as a pawn in the rebellion in the Baumeister Estate is only known by the higher-ups in my family and the House of Brois."

To the lower ranks, it was explained that he was disowned and expelled due to poor behavior. If they thought about it, they might realize something was odd, but they didn't have the luxury to do so.

They also lacked the courage to risk displeasing their superiors by pointing out anything strange. They just watched Nikolaus from a distance and whispered among themselves.

"They probably thought I was a mercenary, but unfortunately, I had..."

He had hastily attached our family crest to his equipment when he joined our army. Mercenaries wouldn't have a family crest on their weapons or armor.

Nikolaus, who was supposed to have been disowned and expelled, was now a formal retainer of the Baumeister Count's family. For them, this was a topic that would never run out of gossip.

"We've sown good seeds in the House of Brois."

Indeed, the retainers of the House of Brois would speculate and stir up unrest on their own. Moreover, the war situation had turned overwhelmingly in our favor due to my participation.

Additionally, Nikolaus, who was supposed to have been disowned, was now my retainer. Combined with the distrust of the upper echelons, this would significantly lower morale.

However, I was a bit taken aback by Claus's ability to say such things with a smile.

"So, what about the Margrave of Brois?"

"That's the strange part."

Normally, when a subordinate knight wins a single combat and brings back a prisoner, the noble would personally receive the prisoner, ask for their name and lord's name, confirm their status, and issue a commendation and reward on the spot.

However, in Nikolaus's case, it seemed a senior officer of the princely army handled the reception.

"Indeed, that is strange."

Claus also tilted his head in confusion.

"Even for someone like me, a minor, the previous Margrave of Brechreiter would personally meet me and give me commendations and rewards."

Since it was a reward for merit, not a salary, it was a rule that the noble himself would do it, no matter how busy he was.

"Why didn't the Margrave of Brois come?"

"He was busy, they said."

At the meeting, the senior officers of the princely army had rapidly changed their expressions and demeanor when faced with Nikolaus, who claimed to be from another family and a retainer of mine.

I had evidence of the rebellion, but killing Nikolaus now wouldn't solve anything. After all, Thomas had already captured his brother in a single combat, claiming to be from another family.

"They asked me, rather bluntly, about my position in the Baumeister Count's family."

After the meeting, while waiting for the prisoner exchange, he learned something even more peculiar.

"I heard from the other prisoners on our side..."

It turned out that the Margrave of Brois himself had met the other prisoners.

"I see, perhaps..."

"The Margrave of Brois is not in that army."

Our opinions, mine, Claus's, and Nikolaus's, were in agreement. For some reason, the Margrave of Brois was not in his own main army. The reason was simple: he didn't appear at the meeting with Nikolaus.

"Even if Nikolaus was a minor, he would know his former lord's face."

I don't think he looked like a body double. The retainers of the House of Brois had a person with a similar build and age wear the Margrave's equipment to make it seem like he was in the camp.

Originally, the knights who engaged in single combats were mostly low-ranking knights seeking fame. They wouldn't know the face of a major noble like the Margrave of Brois from the eastern region. A person of high status, with a similar age and build, would ask the prisoners for their family names and issue commendations and rewards to the knights who captured them.

Naturally, the retainers of the House of Brois must have known that the person was a body double. Or, they were told to act as if he was the real Margrave. This was also to deceive the enemy.

"This should be reported to the Margrave of Brechreiter."

"You're right."

The plan to shake the enemy leadership by advertising that Thomas and his group were employed by us had unexpectedly yielded significant information.

I was surprised by Claus's skill in gathering this information and took him and Nikolaus to report to the Margrave of Brechreiter.

"So, is that rumor true?"

"Rumor?"

The Margrave of Brechreiter seemed to understand the information we brought.

"Yes. Since this is a large-scale conflict, both the House of Brois and I have been gathering information..."

They had sent people to each other's territories and around the castles to investigate supply situations and any useful information.

"Then, the rumor that the Margrave of Brois is bedridden started. There have been rumors about his poor health for about a year now."

The health information of a major noble overseeing the eastern region was taken seriously, but it was also possible that it was false information to confuse us, so it took time to verify its credibility.

"I see. Thank you for the information. It will take some time to confirm the details, but it seems quite credible."

A former retainer who knew the Margrave's face was received by a proxy. Since the royal family no longer used body doubles due to the high cost, it was unlikely that they would use one in this conflict.

Therefore, they used a proxy for Nikolaus, who didn't know the Margrave's face, and the situation now made it possible to draw such a conclusion.

"This information might not speed up the arbitration, but the main army without its lord can't do much, can it?"

"It's easier to shake them, too."

"Exactly."

The Margrave of Brechreiter, now almost certain of victory, handed a bag of rewards to Nikolaus. When we returned to the Baumeister Count's camp, I also gave him a reward.

"Since it's a special mission, I can't give you a commendation, but I've made the reward generous to compensate."

"Thank you, it's a great honor."

A commendation is for martial achievements, so it can't be given for a special mission like this. However, it's common to make the reward generous in such cases to balance things out.

Nikolaus's eyes sparkled when he saw the reward I put in the bag.

"I'll also give you the right to participate in the matchmaking event."

"That's the best reward."

Ideally, I wanted all the single men to participate, but since the other side was mostly noble or major vassal daughters, we had to select the participants to some extent.

So, the criterion was young officers with potential.

"Nikolaus, how much did you get as a reward?"

"Three gold plates."

Since it was useful information, the Margrave of Brechreiter gave one gold plate, and I gave two, including the danger allowance.

"Wow! That's twelve years' salary from his former family!"

"In my case, it's fifteen years!"

"Nikolaus succeeded in a mission with a risk of being killed. Maybe I should have volunteered?"

Nikolaus, who received the reward and returned to his comrades, was surprised by the amount.

"Hey, Claus."

"The finances of minor vassal knight families are like that."

Of course, that's not enough to live on, so they usually make a living through agriculture, fishing, and hunting. Women also contribute to the household by weaving and doing side jobs.

They save money and use it to maintain a knightly appearance. Indeed, as Wilma once called Katarina a 'water bird,' such vassals are not uncommon.

"Our family was like that..."

"The former Baumeister Knightly Estate was so poor that it was mocked by vassals of other families..."

Previously, they were so poor that they were called 'water-drinking knights' by the vassals of the Margrave of Brechreiter. Now, if anyone said that, they might be fired by the Margrave of Brechreiter, so no one dares to say it anymore.

"However, if the Margrave of Brois is too ill to command, it's a good start for the lord's first battle."

"But we need the messenger for the arbitration to come."

"To achieve that, we need to further unsettle the enemy. I'm counting on the lord's ideas."

"Ideas, huh..."

We did everything we could, but the House of Brois side didn't