Page 368

After Dorgon’s appearance caused the Sarei front to pull back, all fronts went into a state of emergency.

“The Paso and Tarke fronts have been attacked.”

It was a devastating report, but the Invincible Duke remained silent as he adjusted the pieces on the war map. Unfortunately, the headquarters had long since grown used to such grim news.

After confirming that the Sarei front had retreated across the river, Dorgon began treating the entire North as his personal backyard, roaming wherever he pleased.

The empire pulling back its front lines itself meant focusing on defense rather than counterattack, which meant that Dorgon could unilaterally decide the battlefield.

Besides, he wouldn’t give up a situation where he could force the battlefield on the enemy.

And so, rather than engaging in prolonged battles against fortified positions like Sarei, he set his sights on weaker, more exposed fronts, forcing the Empire to fight on unfavorable terrain.

Sarei was lucky.

It was a bitter truth, but not all fronts had the advantage of natural defenses like rivers or mountains.

Besides, pulling back further just to find a defensible position would create even more logistical chaos.

The Empire had no choice but to hold the line, though ‘holding the line’ meant little more than bleeding out one soldier at a time.

Damn it.

Dorgon either launched offensives while mobilizing his entire army, like at Sarei, or divided his forces for simultaneous raids. The only reason the Empire still held its ground was because its soldiers were spilling their blood to keep the lines from collapsing.

In fact, under normal circumstances, simultaneous raids would be impossible. What more could a guy with a total force of only about 10,000 do by dividing his troops other than getting himself thoroughly defeated?

But Dorgon, having tasted success at the Sarei front, aimed for short bursts of chaos rather than recapturing occupied territories. Hit-and-run attacks, harassing supply lines, striking hard, and vanishing before a proper response could be mounted.

We can’t annihilate them on sight since they’re in the thousands.

If the forces attacking the front lines were just in the hundreds or barely over a thousand, we could deal with them quickly. However, Dorgon wasn’t an idiot who’d use his forces in such a miraculous way. That was just a vain hope.

“Also, the Notan and Ikilan tribes are stationed at the Paso front, and the Biroang tribe at the Tarke front.”

“Send the Gorming tribe to the Tarke front.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

If there was any silver lining in this hellish war, it was the rapid growth of the Empire’s cavalry.

Tribes that joined the empire later than others needed to prove their worth.

These tribes swore not to spare any military cooperation at a recent war council with the Invincible Duke.

Naturally, the Invincible Duke didn’t refuse their oath and deployed these tribes to various fronts, reducing the empire’s losses.

But the tribes Dorgon gathered were stronger than them, so anything beyond that was too much. Of course, just reducing our losses was already something to be thankful for.

“Your Grace.”

“What is it?”

Just as the Invincible Duke was about to rise from his seat, another officer spoke up.

“Marquis Barandiga has requested a meeting.”

At those words, the Invincible Duke’s eyes twitched momentarily.

Marquis Barandiga was the only remaining priest in the North and the figure promised the title of a marquis. At the same time, he was an indispensable card in the empire’s conquest of the North.

Because of his immense political and symbolic importance, the headquarters treated him with utmost respect. The same went for the other tribal chiefs who were promised titles, but it was only natural to value a prospective marquis more than a prospective count.

Knowing this consideration, Marquis Barandiga usually kept a low profile and stayed quiet.

“He says he wants to meet Your Grace along with the other tribal chiefs. He apologizes for not having properly greeted the one carrying out the noble task of punishing the evil one on behalf of His Majesty—“

But now, Marquis Barandiga had taken the initiative to request a meeting. And not just a private one, but a group audience.

What is this about?

It was unexpected. Marquis Barandiga was promised a marquisate, but it was purely due to Barandiga’s symbolism. Unlike the other tribal leaders, he wasn’t required to earn his title through military service, so there was no need to contact the Invincible Duke.

Conversely, Marquis Barandiga wasn’t the type to assert rights based on his promised marquisate. If he were that ambitious, then he would have taken some action before meeting me.

Do they have a reason to meet him?

There wasn’t. No matter how much I thought about it, there wasn’t. I couldn’t think of a reason for Marquis Barandiga to break his silence.

This could be troublesome.

Instead, only negative scenarios came to mind. The influential figures from the North, who hadn’t even officially received their titles yet and weren’t fully imperial nobles, were now gathering under Barandiga’s banner.

Of course, the empire could tolerate the influential Northern figures acting together since we agreed to respect the North’s culture. Nobles were the embodiment of politics, so it wasn’t a problem for like-minded compatriots to take group action.

However, it was a bit troublesome if they were already politically active before even swearing their loyalty to the Emperor. It could easily be seen as something else.

Not by me, but by the Emperor. That guy’s paranoia was beyond comprehension.

“...Since they’re in the empire’s embrace now, just having a meeting wouldn’t be bad.”

After pondering for a moment, the Invincible Duke nodded and accepted the meeting.

I wasn’t sure if he had already guessed the true intentions of Marquis Barandiga or not, but either way, rejecting the request would’ve been difficult. The last thing the Empire needed was for its newly appointed nobles to start fearing they were being discarded after serving their purpose.

***A meeting space was prepared within the encampment. Since not only Marquis Barandiga but also other prospective counts and general tribal chiefs were participating, we needed to pay some attention to it.

“Oh, Count Wiridia. It’s been a while.”

“It’s nice to see you, Count Kaitana. How have you been?”

“Haha. I’ve been doing well, thanks to you.”

While I was acting as a host since I had met the prospective titleholders and tribal chiefs before, Count Kaitana showed up first. Despite the considerable distance from the camp, he was the first to arrive. As expected of our excellent networker.

“By the way, it’s an honor to be greeted by the Count himself.”

“When welcoming important guests, shouldn’t someone suitable greet them?”

“Haha, this is too much.”

Starting with Count Kaitana bursting into laughter, other tribal chiefs began to appear one by one. Many of them looked visibly touched to be personally received by me. It seemed that the meeting would begin with a favorable atmosphere.

“Count.”

And not long after, the person who requested this meeting appeared.

“Ah. Marquis Barandiga, my Lord.”

“My Lord? Please speak comfortably.”

As I bowed my head in greeting, Marquis Barandiga waved his hand with an awkward smile.

I understand how he felt, but what could I do? A mere count treating a marquis casually was tantamount to insubordination. Also, I delivered the marquis’s seal on the Emperor’s orders. If I failed to show the proper respect, what message would that send to the others?

“My Lord is one of the only thirteen marquises in the empire. His Majesty wouldn’t allow it if I, a count, treat my Lord so casually.”

In summary, I was telling him to adapt. It was a harsh but undeniable truth, so Marquis Barandiga gave an awkward smile and nodded.

“If that’s the case, then it can’t be helped. But I don’t need to speak informally to you, do I?”

“That’s a matter of personal preference, so it doesn’t matter.”

Marquis Barandiga finally seemed relieved when I answered him with a smile. Then, he looked at the sword at my waist and spoke—

“That’s a relief. As a priest, it would have been awkward to speak down to someone who owns a holy relic.”

Hup.

I hurriedly bit my lip at the Eternal Blue Sky’s sudden interjection. I almost became a guy who laughed to a marquis’s face.

However, the Eternal Blue Sky’s tearful grumbling in real-time was repeatedly pressing my laugh button.

Damn it. This wasn’t something to laugh about.

“I’m just holding onto it for now, but it’s something that will return to its rightful place when the time comes.”

I had to stop myself with everything I had to keep a straight expression as I replied appropriately.

I get it, so stop shouting in my head...

It seems like we’d have to kill Dorgon first and then rediscuss the transfer of the holy relic once more.

***Once all the attendees had arrived, the Invincible Duke appeared and took the seat of honor.

“Though we were close by, it’s truly regrettable that we’re only now seeing each other’s faces.”

His words were informal, but the attendees seemed pleased. A high-ranking duke of the Empire addressing them in that manner was a sign that he recognized them as true members of the Empire and not just outsiders or mere vassals.

“We should have greeted Your Grace first, but it’s our fault for not visiting you out of fear of disturbing your time.”

“How can consideration for me be called a fault? Don’t dwell on it.”

The Invincible Duke shook his head and replied when Marquis Barandiga spoke as the representative.

While warm exchanges were happening on the surface, the Invincible Duke’s eyes stayed sharp, as if he was still pondering the reason Marquis Barandiga requested this meeting.

“Today is a joyous day. Although there’s an evil one who refuses heaven’s will and disturbs the world’s order, how can we not be happy when brave ones who stand against him have gathered?”

With those words, the Invincible Duke raised the cup in front of him, and the other attendees simultaneously raised theirs.

“So for now, let’s put aside what we want to say and drink together.”

It was a clear message: ‘I will offer you proper hospitality, but tell me your business once the cups are empty.’ Despite the unspoken pressure behind his words, neither the appointed nobles nor the tribal chieftains showed any signs of unease.

Fortunately, it seemed like their intentions weren’t hostile.

***I kept an eye on the atmosphere while chewing on mutton.

First, the duke wasn’t giving off a hostile vibe, but his eyes were incredibly sharp. Well, it was only natural for him to be suspicious. If a group that had remained silent until now suddenly requested an audience, anyone in his position would question why.

That suspicion will only grow if we drag this out longer.

Besides, wasting the time of the Empire’s highest-ranking military commander wasn’t a good idea. Now that the atmosphere had ripened thanks to the feast, it was time to make a move.

I turned my head and made eye contact with Count Kaitana across from me, and he nodded as if thinking the same thing.

Good.

I emptied my cup and stood up. Taking this action as a signal, the other tribal chiefs also stopped eating.

“Marquis Barandiga. What’s the matter?”

The duke spoke in a low voice as I stood up alone. However, even a child could notice the strange coldness mixed in it.

So, I quickly prostrated myself on the ground and shouted.

“Your Grace! I wish to speak not as a marquis who has received His Majesty’s grace, but as the priest of these steppes!”

“Speak.”

At the short reply, I hastily continued.

“The evil one who denies heaven’s will shakes the peace and order of the steppes, but we, lacking strength, could only bow our heads!

However, how can we not be moved by the vast mercy and tolerance of His Majesty, who rules the continent by heaven’s mandate and wishes to embrace even these desolate steppes! ”

Then, I heard the sound of other tribal chiefs prostrating themselves.

“I, Barandiga Gurt Batal, humbly request as a priest serving the sky!”

I swallowed hard. The next words would shape the future of our people—turning the bond between the Empire and the nomads into one of an eternal hierarchical relationship.

But I couldn’t hesitate now. I had already made up my mind.

“We beseech His Majesty to become the Khan of these lowly shepherds of the frontier!”

““We, the lowly shepherds of the frontier, humbly beg His Majesty! Please become our Khan!””

This was the will of the North, our plea to survive and to claim glory.