Chapter 550 - 20: Everything is Ready
Chapter 550: Chapter 20: Everything is Ready
If the central front were compared to a gourd.
The gourd’s mouth would be Bronze Pass. Its waist would naturally be Riliman Fortress. Beyond the fortress lies a stretch of the Riliman Corridor—also known as the Riliman Canyon—which then leads to the edge of the Frankish Great Plains.
The importance of Riliman Fortress was self-evident.
However, Marquis Oscillate’s army broke through Riliman Fortress with great ease.
An army of five thousand pure Extraordinaries stormed Riliman Fortress and captured Marshal Grantham alive in the Magic Tower. The Marshal, as proud as ever, detonated himself, killing a number of his captors.
Everyone had assumed the Marshal had a contingency plan, perhaps an ambush laid within Riliman Fortress.
However, as it turned out, there was nothing. Absolutely nothing.
It all seemed to be a genuine, sudden rebellion. Marquis Oscillate interrogated the officers who had taken part, but they knew nothing. They claimed the Marshal had abruptly decided to revolt, leaving Riliman Fortress completely unprepared—even the Magic Crystal Cannons hadn’t been properly installed.
Afterward, the Kingdom’s army began to worry that the Marshal might have set an ambush along the way. Still, nothing happened. The Riliman Corridor was the ideal place for such a trap, but when the army marched through, there was no incident.
Marshal Grantham’s rebellion seemed like a complete farce.
The whole affair was so absurd that people even began to question Marshal Grantham’s competence—something that hadn’t happened in the Frank Kingdom for over a decade.
What followed was simple. The army pushed deep into the south. The nobles of the military merit faction were baffled, still trying to understand what had just happened.
They had no intention of rebelling. Unfortunately, sometimes one’s own wishes are not enough to avoid being swept up in events.
With Marshal Grantham, the leader of the military merit faction, having failed in his rebellion, these nobles were naturally next in line for punishment.
Politically speaking, their prospects were grim.
The military merit faction was already a target for everyone. Now, by rebelling in front of foreign allies, they had truly slapped the King in the face. The Grantham rebellion case would undoubtedly be handled with extreme severity. It wasn’t even out of the question that the entire faction would be purged.
After all, Louis III was on his deathbed and the war was nearly over. The King would have no qualms about eliminating them all.
.....
Riliman Fortress stood at the head of the Riliman Corridor. In the distance, a tall mountain peak loomed.
A group of people were standing on the mountain peak.
Any Frank who came upon this scene would be utterly astonished.
For Grantham, who was supposed to have died in Riliman Fortress, was standing right here, completely unharmed.
Beside Grantham stood another figure: a Black Robed Mage.
Unlike the Black Robed Mages of the Skull Council, however, this Mage had no horns and was of normal human height.
"The Skull Council has seized power on Madar Mountain, plunging the Beastman Empire into turmoil. It will likely take them decades to recover.
Your mother and two daughters have been sent to the Haven Kingdom.
The royal family of the Haven Kingdom and the Merchant Alliance are locked in a fierce struggle. Amidst the chaos, a few extra people arriving won’t attract any attention..."
"Marshal, will you truly not consider joining us?" the Black Robed Mage asked.
At these words, Grantham fell silent, his gaze dropping to the seal in his hand.
It was the Marshal’s Seal of the Frank Kingdom, given to him personally by Louis III. With it, he could even defy a royal edict and mobilize troops, so long as the King was not physically present.
Normally, its authority was purely symbolic. Grantham, however, had been forced to use it on several occasions. In the years following the victory over the Beastmen’s southern invasion, Louis III had come to believe he possessed military genius and had a habit of issuing rash commands during critical moments on the battlefield.
"We are not like Louis III. We would give you command of all our armies," the Black Robed Mage said.
The Black Robed Mage genuinely coveted his talent.
Grantham silently put away the Marshal’s Seal.
"I was born a Frank. Say no more," Grantham said.
"Don’t you find that laughable? Look at what you’re doing right now," sneered Mage Bertrand, who stood nearby.
"You’ve already rebelled."
"I have rebelled. So what?" Marshal Grantham retorted.
"I love the Frank Kingdom and I am loyal to the Crown, but I despise Louis III.
I dared to hold Marquis Oscillate outside the pass because I knew he couldn’t be trapped—not by me, and not by you."
The impact of these words was immense. In this era, one’s nation and one’s king were almost always seen as one and the same.
Few people could separate the two as Marshal Grantham did. For a moment, Mage Bertrand couldn’t comprehend how the man before him could be even more radical than a cultist like himself.
"This rebellion is to make a proud king understand that his subordinates are not his slaves.
The Kingdom cannot keep repeating the tragedy of Grantham."
The Black Robed Mage looked at Marshal Grantham, unable to tell if he was being truthful or just making excuses for his rebellion.
Regardless, the Black Robed Mage knew he could no longer persuade him.
"Your character is admirable, Marshal."
"How are your preparations coming along?" the Black Robed Mage asked.
This was the organization’s primary concern.
The Beastman Empire, the Frank Kingdom, the Haven Kingdom.
Not one of these three could be allowed to escape.
"I, of course, have everything in hand," Marshal Grantham said, his tone proud.
He would not tolerate anyone questioning him when it came to military matters.
"Once Oscillate and Noah enter the Riliman Corridor, I will show them the greatest tactic this world has ever seen."
As the Marshal spoke, he suddenly thought of someone, and a faint smile touched his lips.
"I wonder what that general will think when he sees this."
’He’s a tactical genius. If Louis III doesn’t purge my faction, I’d really love to take him under my wing and mentor him properly. In another ten years, once he’s mastered his craft, I wouldn’t be his match.’
The Black Robed Mage did not speak.
Marshal Grantham had been praising ’that’ general for a long time, but he never revealed his identity, likely for fear that they would try to recruit him.
But even though Grantham wouldn’t say, the Black Robed Mage had his own suspicions.
After all, there were only a handful of rising stars in the Frank Kingdom recently. The most famous, of course, was General Robson.
"What about you? How are your preparations?"
"You’re responsible for the concealment and the magical support.
If they find out, the whole plan will be for nothing."
’I was the one questioning him, and now he’s turned the tables on me.
He really is insufferably proud,’ the Black Robed Mage thought.
But there was no point in antagonizing a man who was already resolved to die, so he simply nodded.
"Everything is ready."
"Then let’s give Oscillate and Louis III a surprise."
Flames of pure hatred burned in Marshal Grantham’s eyes.