Der Werwolf: The Annals of Veight Volume 6

by Hyougetsu

  “But Prince Ashley’s army hasn’t been annihilated yet, right?” Lacy asked, bringing over a tray of fresh, hot tea. I took a sip to warm myself and replied, “Sure, but what would the numbers look like if the two armies fought again now?”

  Lacy did some quick mental arithmetic.

  “It’d be thirty-nine thousand against twenty-five thousand, right? Oh... That’s bad.”

  I nodded.

  “Yep, there’d be an even bigger discrepancy. And if they were losing when the gap was smaller, there’s no way they’ll start winning now.”

  “I see...”

  Of course both sides were capable of recruiting more troops, and Prince Ashley’s army wouldn’t be stupid enough to try the same tactics twice. But that didn’t change the fact that the situation didn’t look good for them. According to Ser Lekomya’s reports, Prince Ashley had ordered his men to abandon the plains and start fortifying the nearby castles. He wanted to turn this into a defensive battle. I took a bite of the scone Lacy had brought me with the tea and told her, “Prince Ashley’s army is planning on holing up in their castles to make up for the difference in numbers. Normally, when you want to lay siege to a castle, you need three to five times as many troops as the castle you’re besieging.”

  “You need that many!?”

  “That’s what I’ve heard, at least. I’m not an expert on siege warfare by any means. The attacking side has to camp out in the open, and they have to constantly be wary of sorties from the castle.”

  Kite interrupted me and muttered, “But can’t the attacking side just surround the castle and starve the defending side out?”

  “Yeah, starvation tactics can work. But if the attacking side’s not careful, they’ll end up running out of food first.”

  Since Prince Woroy’s army would be wading into enemy territory, they wouldn’t be able to requisition food from the locals.

  “Anyway, we can let the concerned parties figure out how they’ll fight. Right now is the perfect chance to sell Eleora’s troops for a high price.”

  Lord Kastoniev had done a great job of rallying the East Rolmund nobles, and he now had a sizable army at his command. It was about 15,000 men strong. Of those 15,000 men, 3,000 were Lord Kastoniev’s personal troops, while 4,000 belonged to the Originia family that Eleora was part of. While the army wasn’t large enough to declare itself as a third force in this power struggle, it was large enough to tip the scales in favor of whoever it sided with.

  A messenger from the palace arrived while I was trying to decide which side to join. It seemed Prince Ashley was the first to ask Eleora for aid. As Eleora’s representative, I decided to speak with the messenger over lunch.

  Let’s start with a gentle reminder.

  “As I’m sure you’re aware, Princess Eleora has no interest in the throne. Her position in the line of succession is too low.”

  “Y-Yes, of course I’m aware.”

  The messenger Prince Ashley had sent, Baron something or the other, wiped sweat off his brow. I nodded, satisfied, and added, “For this reason, Her Highness has only raised the minimum number of troops necessary to protect herself. I suspect our forces will be of little use to you, but...”

  I was purposely playing dumb, implying that because Eleora had no interest in the throne she also had no soldiers. As I expected, the messenger started to panic a little.

  “But Prince Ivan’s tyranny must be stopped! If this continues, the people of Rolmund will suffer! For the sake of peace within the empire, please ask Princess Eleora to help suppress the rebel army!”

  “I’m afraid you’ve put me in a difficult position.”

  I wasn’t really in a difficult position at all, but I furrowed my brow anyway. So far, the Doneiks side hadn’t sent us any messengers. Eleora and the Doneiks family weren’t on terribly good terms, so I guess it made sense that they wouldn’t come asking for cooperation now. After all, the late Lord Doneiks had tried to assassinate her, meaning we’d end up siding with Prince Ashley no matter what. The question was, how much could we get out of the alliance? Unless Prince Ashley was well and truly cornered, we wouldn’t be rewarded too much for helping him. But if we waited too long and he became pressed so hard there was no hope of recovery, our troops alone wouldn’t be enough to save him. Right now seemed like the perfect balance between those two points, but I wanted to be sure.

  “Where is Prince Ashley right now?”

  The messenger bowed his head apologetically.

  “My humblest apologies. Prince Ashley would have preferred to have met with you in person, but he is currently busy with strategy meetings and the like.” He lowered his voice and added, “The castle Earl Ryaag was holding, Sveniki Castle, has just fallen. Publicly we’re claiming that Prince Woroy’s army captured it but in truth...the earl was a spy for the Doneiks faction. Right now His Highness is checking to make sure the remaining members of his faction are loyal.”

  Kite, who was standing behind me, casually mentioned, “Earl Ryaag was one of Prince Ashley’s chief retainers, Lord Veight.”

  The Doneiks family had probably used one of their usual schemes to get the earl to defect. It had been well worth the risk though, since not only had they obtained a castle without fighting, they’d also dealt a psychological blow to the Ashley faction. If even his trusted retainers are abandoning him, Prince Ashley might be done for already. Especially if that guy who betrayed him leaked vital information. Chances were, that was what Prince Ashley’s supporters were thinking. Granted, I was starting to get worried too. Pretending to look conflicted I muttered, “Isn’t Sveniki Castle only a half day’s march from the capital?”

  If it was in Prince Woroy’s hands now, he could use it as a base to attack the capital. Even if we repelled him, his troops would only be retreating a short distance away. Damn, at this rate Prince Ashley might actually lose. While I’d already decided to join Prince Ashley’s side, I didn’t want to sell our army for less than what it was worth. Especially since I’d be exposing Eleora’s allies to danger. Sighing, I shook my head.

  “If the situation is already this dire, I’m afraid I will have to advise Princess Eleora that joining Prince Ashley’s cause would be too dangerous.”

  “Surely you’re not serious!?”

  The messenger paled. Without a moment’s delay, I continued, “However, I also believe that it is Prince Ashley who is fighting on the side of justice. As a Meraldian, I do not wish to ally my country to a Rolmund Empire ruled by someone unjust. Our allies must be noble and trustworthy.”

  The messenger’s face instantly brightened.

  “Th-Then...”

  I nodded.

  “I will ask Princess Eleora to aid you.”

  “Thank you so much!”

  The messenger bowed his head. It was time for the finisher.

  “However, if we are to fight, then we must win. Is that not so?”

  “B-But of course...”

  I grinned at the messenger and said, “Which is why I would like to request that we fight not under Prince Ashley’s command, but rather under Princess Eleora’s command. We will ally ourselves with you, but we will not become part of your army.”

  “M-May I ask why?”

  Because your prince sucks at warfare and we want to be free to fight our way. Of course, I couldn’t say that, so I came up with some other excuse.

  “Princess Eleora’s army is made up primarily of mage corps. Utilizing them effectively requires specialized knowledge that only Princess Eleora possesses.”

  Honestly, my logic was mostly bullshit, but the important thing was giving a reason. That way I had an excuse to say no to the alliance if the messenger refused my demand. Prince Ashley’s life was on the line here, so I was pretty sure the messenger wouldn’t quibble about trivial details like who was in command. Just in case though, I added, “Having Princess Eleora command our forces is necessary for victory. Is this condition acceptable to you?”

  This way Eleora would be figh
ting not as one of Prince Ashley’s soldiers, but rather as an equally important member of a joint alliance. My plan was to vastly expand Eleora’s influence in the chaos that would follow the suppression of the rebel army. The messenger considered my conditions for a few minutes, then wiped the sweat off his brow and replied, “I don’t have the authority to make a decision like this, so may I please return to P-Prince Ashley and inform him of your conditions?”

  “Of course.”

  I smiled as reassuringly as I could. That evening, Prince Ashley sent the royal family’s personal carriage to come take me to the castle.

  Awed by how ostentatious the carriage was, I sat in silence as it bore me to the palace. The fact that Prince Ashley had sent his personal carriage to get me showed he knew just how vital Eleora’s assistance was. The thing was like a portable vault of jewels though, and I just couldn’t calm down while inside it. I was ushered into Prince Ashley’s study, and he smiled cordially as I walked in.

  “I’ve been waiting for you, Lord Veight.”

  At first glance, his smile looked the same as always, but upon closer inspection, I realized the Prince of Flowers looked quite stressed. There was something gloomy about his smile, too. When he realized I’d seen through him his smile vanished and he offered me a seat.

  “Please, sit. I’d like to skip the formalities and get straight to discussing the—”

  Prince Ashley suddenly staggered, and I rushed over to support him.

  “Are you alright?”

  “Y-Yes. My apologies. And thank you.”

  He’s even more exhausted than he looks. I sat him down on a nearby sofa to let him rest. I also called over a maid and asked her to bring something warm to drink.

  “Your Highness, you look overworked. Please, rest.”

  “I’m afraid I cannot afford to rest while the empire is in crisis.”

  Prince Ashley leaned back into the sofa and smiled wearily at me. Somehow he still managed to look handsome while doing that. I was starting to think it had less to do with his looks, and more to do with his upbringing. I sipped the herb tea Prince Ashley’s maid brought us and gestured for him to return to the main topic. He nodded and said, “I would like to form an alliance with Eleora in order to overcome this current crisis.”

  “You’re willing to accept that she’ll be on equal standing with you?”

  This one point was very important. Prince Ashley nodded.

  “Of course. I have not yet formally been crowned emperor. As such, I have no right to give orders to Eleora. But if I don’t defeat Prince Ivan’s armies, I’ll have a bag on my head instead of a crown.”

  In Rolmund, criminals slated to be executed had bags put over their heads before they were killed. He must be in a really tight spot if he’s talking about his own death. Rolmundians never stopped terrifying me. But now wasn’t the time for me to be afraid. I needed to play the villain again.

  “Fear not, Your Highness. I shall send a messenger to Princess Eleora at once. She should be able to bring her armies here immediately.” Keeping my tone gentle, I lightly probed the prince. “Since you were kind enough to accept my demands, I imagine Princess Eleora will have no qualms about aiding you. However, are you sure about this?”

  Prince Ashley nodded.

  “I am. Considering the situation, I have no reason to refuse your conditions. Especially not when it will bring me thirty thousand soldiers.”

  30,000? We’ve only got 15,000 though... After a second thought, it clicked. If Eleora chose to join Prince Ivan instead, Prince Ashley would have an extra 15,000 soldiers to deal with. On the other hand, if she joined him, not only would he not have to fight another 15,000 men, he’d have that many new men added to his own. So scoring an alliance with Eleora was equivalent to gaining 30,000 men.

  Looks like you do understand just how vital Eleora is to this conflict. While I was impressed by Prince Ashley’s insight, I chuckled to myself. It seemed he was willing to buy Eleora’s soldiers for more than they were worth. If that’s how you want it, I have no reason to haggle you down.

  I continued discussing affairs with Prince Ashley, and it appeared the situation was worse than I thought. Most of his supporters were nobles who’d chosen to follow him simply because he was the crown prince. They’d figured they wouldn’t have to do anything for Ashley to succeed the throne. But Earl Toskin’s defeat at Nodgrad had shaken them.

  On the other hand, Prince Ivan’s supporters had followed the Doneiks family for a long time, and their loyalty was firm. They all ruled lands in the northernmost tip of an already northern empire, and the harsh cold had forced them to work together for generations. On top of that, they were supporting a rebellion, so they knew there was no turning back for them.

  Not only was there a stark difference in the support Prince Ashley and Prince Ivan had, there was a huge difference in their armies. I sipped my second cup of herb tea and smiled at Prince Ashley.

  “You won’t be able to weather the cold wind coming in from the north by relying on fairweather friends.”

  “Oh, I know. But this battle is my responsibility. I plan to see it through until the very end.”

  It seemed Prince Ashley was prepared to fight to the death, despite knowing most of the nobles in his camp were just opportunists. If only he was a better tactician, he might even have had a chance. He’d only heard secondhand reports about the defeat at Nodgrad, so he had no idea why it is he’d actually lost. The generals had all fudged their reports to show them in a better light, since they didn’t want to get demoted. You should have sent an impartial observer to watch over the battle. Prince Ashley smiled sadly at me.

  “I should have spent as much time studying military strategy as I did studying agriculture and medicine. I know nothing of leading armies. When I was young, my uncle...Lord Doneiks came to the palace and renovated that greenhouse for me, so I ended up spending my time studying topics related to it.”

  “It’s possible that was exactly what Lord Doneiks intended.”

  Prince Ashley nodded.

  “You may be right. But because I followed the path my uncle laid out for me, I was able to enjoy a relatively peaceful life. Avoiding military affairs entirely was part of the reason I was able to succeed as a prince.”

  “I see.”

  But as a result, there was now no force capable of rivaling the Doneiks army. I had no doubt that old fox was smirking at us from the afterlife. Unfortunately for him, so long as the Doneiks family was planning a potential invasion of Meraldia, I’d be there to stop them.

  “Prince Ashley, leave the fighting to us. The men I brought with me from Meraldia are skilled in special operations, and each of them is as strong as a hundred men. Most importantly though, the fact that you have Meraldia’s support is proof that your cause is just. The nobles whose support in you is wavering will surely pledge themselves wholeheartedly to your cause now.”

  “That’s reassuring to hear. As a reward for helping me suppress this rebellion, I intend to give Meraldia more favorable terms during negotiations.”

  Actually, my reward will be making sure you guys stop interfering with Meraldia entirely. That being said, future dealings with Prince Ashley would be a lot easier if he was in my debt. This was also a good opportunity to showcase the strength of Meraldia’s forces.

  “Your Highness, what do you intend to do about Sveniki Castle?”

  “So you’ve already heard about that. That castle is my biggest concern right now.”

  Sveniki Castle guarded the highway that ran between Schwerin and the north. It was a small castle that lay on an open plain, but it’d still be difficult to recapture once Prince Woroy made it his base.

  “With how close the castle is to the capital, the rebel army is capable of striking before Eleora’s reinforcements arrive. I want to retake it, but my generals are divided on who to send to do it.”

  No one wanted to be the one to offer to take on such a dangerous mission, and Prince Ashley’s genera
ls didn’t know who else might be a traitor. The simplest solution would be to have Prince Ashley appoint someone, but he knew next to nothing about warfare. This was a perfect opportunity for me. I grinned and said, “I brought fifty of my soldiers with me to the capital. We can retake Sveniki Castle for you.”

  Stunned, Prince Ashley got up from the sofa.

  “That’s far too reckless! ...Can you really do it?”

  Prince Ashley was half-suspicious, half-hopeful. Heart pounding, I said as confidently as I could, “If I did not believe it possible, I wouldn’t have suggested it to you. Leave this matter to me, Your Highness, and await the good news.”

  Oh yeah, I almost forgot to mention the most important thing.

  “While my men will be sufficient to retake the castle, I will need some of your troops to hold it. May I borrow a few members of your reserves?”

  “Of course. Take as many members of my Imperial Guard as you need. Feel free to use them as you see fit.”

  What a generous prince. I guess he’s trying to show me how nice he is to his allies. It was very much like him not to quibble about small concessions, though. If he was willing to be this generous, I might as well take advantage of it.

  “Thank you very much. I don’t plan to use them until after the castle’s fallen, so I will hopefully be able to return them to you intact.”

  I got to my feet and Prince Ashley’s curiosity finally got the better of him.

  “Lord Veight, what manner of strategy do you plan to employ?”

  He took the bait. I turned back to him with a smile.

  “In war, there are times when a general cannot afford to give his liege answers. By which I mean, it’s a secret.”

  The next morning, I set out to conquer Sveniki Castle. First, I sent them a message asking them to surrender. When that didn’t work, I returned to my base where I found Fahn waiting for me.

  “How’d it go?”