“HAHAHAHAHA!”

  Viscount Waines was laughing his belly off very pleasantly.

  “HAHAHAHA -!”

  When Ansel returned to Vlesland via teleportation, Anthony Frrie and his men had just returned to the city and informed the viscount of the victory. Since Ansel also brought another piece of good news that Gritt Havas was down, it was probably the best news he had heard in a while. And apparently three armies from Count Rassier had also arrived. Essentially, the viscount’s role in this conflict was pretty much over. He did his part and did successfully. His case was eerily similar to that of Gavin’s although it was bigger in scale. Even if the viscount failed, it wouldn’t have been that much of a setback for Count Rassier. With armies from Fladal and Ramor coming in rapidly, the loss of Vlesland wouldn’t have made a notable difference.

  “Well done, Master Asvete!” The viscount congratulated him, and so did mage Frrie.

  “Havas is down! I will be able to sleep far easier from now on,” he added with a smile.

  Ansel felt that he may have died but wasn’t 100% sure.

  “Any news on Eran?”

  The faces of both men quickly darkened.

  “A scout has confirmed that the town was set ablaze. They apparently encircled the town and killed everyone within,” the viscount reported with a grim look.

  “Our actions on the two farming towns are justified then,” he replied, to which both men nodded in agreement. “I wonder why they went that far, though. Did the town have something of importance?”

  The two men became suddenly quiet, confirming that there was something or someone at the town. Whatever the case, he didn’t need to find out what exactly.

  “By the way, Master Stialia would like to have a word with you,” the viscount said.

  “Certainly.”

  He wasn’t sure how many hours he dozed off at the village but he felt that he got a good rest out of it. With such a tight schedule he had, it was a welcome respite. He did wish to eat a bit more however. A simple meal was all he had for several days at the moment. A manor guard informed him that the Rassier armies were right outside of the Southern gate, thus he headed that way.

  “Two?” Ansel blurted.

  There were two. There were supposed to be three armies. They were right outside of the Southern gate. Since they were going to move out soon, they weren’t putting down tents and whatnot.

  “There you are,” Mage Stialia approached him at once. “Looks like you’ve created a fine mess.”

  He assumed that Baronet Hills and his army were the one missing. They were probably a few days behind.

  “You’ve heard already from the viscount?”

  “No, we have our own ways. Good job. You’ve eased us in. Well, Baronet Hills will be paying for it, I guess.”

  “I am assuming here that the missing third army is his?”

  Nodding, he explained what went down. Soon after confirming that Ansel vanished, Robert Hills went back to Crisuri and reported to the count that he had abandoned and perhaps betrayed them. It was reasonable accuration since Ansel did attend their war council, thus he had enough information to leak and sell.

  “You being here means the count backed me up?”

  He chuckled, rubbing his nose. “I am unsure whether I should relay what the count said.”

  Tilting head, Ansel waited quietly, prompting him to make a quoting gesture.

  “Quote and quote, ‘The kid is nonchant as fuck. The last thing he will do is betray.’”

  Chuckle.

  While the count wasn’t wrong, he found it amusing that he’d make such a statement in front of everyone. He did expect him to back him up but not in such a manner.

  “What’s going to happen to Baronet Hills?”

  “I am going to send a bird to Crisuri right now. It will arrive in a day, and the baronet will be dismissed and be excluded from this conflict. He won’t be punished though, at least not directly. I am sure that you will catch what I mean.”

  Ansel nodded along. Robert being excluded would mean that his path to a promotion would be barred. He can kiss his future rank of baron good-bye. But that was probably the least of his worries at this point. There was a good chance of him being isolated within the count’s faction, and his daughter was going to be the first one to experience it first hand.

  “I am just sorry for his daughter unless she managed to find a partner already?”

  “Nope, once it’s known that he is excluded, nobody will accept her marriage offer. She will probably have to marry someone within, an outcome she perhaps may have desired.”

  True, leaving everything behind to marry a man she never met previously wouldn’t have been something young women wanted in the first place generally. Inhaling deeply, he robbed the bridge of his nose. He was feeling tired and exhausted.

  “What is the plan now?” he asked while closing his eyes. His eyes were stinging slightly, a sign of exhaustion.

  “We will proceed to Vlence and lay siege. The viscount’s job now is to supply us.”

  “You are missing one third of the total force though?”

  “That shouldn’t matter. Reinforcements from Fladal are imminent.”

  When Stialia mentioned that the viscount Waines would supply them, it made him realize that this was precisely why the Grimhill chose to burn Eran down. They wanted to cripple the viscount’s ability to supply. He would still have some stored but his ability to continue applying would be in question.

  He added, “Nuala will bring the third army. And, unless there was a change of the plans, you will be put in charge.”

  Pointing at himself, Ansel blurted, “Me?”

  “Yes, you’ve proven yourself enough. Do bring Nuala with you though since you are more of a general than a mage.”

  Ansel furrowed his eyebrows. “She’s hostile towards me, understandably so. By the way, is it really alright to address her by first name when she is a princess of a nation?”

  “It is what she wants. If addressed by her last name, she has to act the part. She doesn’t want that.”

  From his limited time with her, his impression of her was a loose canon. Robert Hills chose not to work with him, and she might be similar. He lamented the fact that it didn’t have anyone who was willing to cooperate. But, at least, he took a step forward. He’d be leading a real army soon. He was second in command. This time, he would be in charge.

  “What should I do now?”

  “Why don’t you take some days off? You have dark circles underneath your eyes, you know.”

  “I do?”

  “Yes, it must have been tiresome. Come to think of it, you jumped straight into action after leaving the baronet. Have you even eaten?”

  “I had a simple meal.”

  “A simple meal? A? In how many days?”

  “four…, five days?”

  Stialia placed his hand on his shoulder. “Take some days off. Eat up. Fatten up. With all due respect…, you are still a child. You do need to eat.”

  He had no reason to refuse because he did feel exhaustion. He wasn’t feeling hunger, however, perhaps due to his body giving up.

  “Join us at Vlence with Nuala when she shows up,” he added.

  “Very well, I will see you later, Master Stialia.”

  Nodding, Stialia turned around and walked toward his men. “We are moving out!” And his men roared cheerfully. Just as Ansel was turning around to leave, a man called his name out.

  “Master Asvete.”

  He turned back to see whoever it was. It was a middle-aged man clad in plate armor. He looked to be somewhat younger than Gavin.

  “Viscount Venetti of Castel,” he introduced himself. Ansel recognized his name instantly because he was the most powerful vassal under the count. He also sent a marriage proposal to Gavin, and the age of his daughter was just fifteen years old at that time. He’d surely be promoted to the rank of count after this. It was very likely that he’d be granted Vlence along with a portion of the former territory of the Benas. In his mind, Viscount Venetii was likely to get the Northern part and Viscount Waines would receive the Southern part.

  “Greetings, Viscount Venetti,” Ansel replied politely. “Nice to meet you, ser.”

  Beaming a grin, the viscount replied rather casually. “I was pretty excited to see you. You don’t see a general playing proper tactics nowadays with mages and all.”

  “You flatter me.”

  “And you are such a young lad. I know it’s sudden, but my daughter is still available. She is only four years older than you.”

  He couldn’t fault the viscount for trying to land a mage. If he was going to become a count, he needed at least one mage.

  “I must refuse, for I am too young. Who knows? I might find a woman who I love.”

  “Then perhaps you should meet her at least? She is a decent lad, if I do say so myself.”

  He couldn’t just refuse at this point because he no longer had any more excuse. Refusing the deal without meeting his daughter would be downright rude and insulting. There was still one more card he could pull, but it was weak.

  “Very well, Viscount. I am more than willing to meet her in person although personally I want my woman to be younger than me.”

  The age card was a valid one albeit weak. Ansel was a nobody at the moment. Being given an opportunity to join the viscount’s side was a good enough of an offer to be brutally realistic. Besides, the gap of four years wasn’t that big. On the flip side, a marriage was a significant event for anyone. Nobody could fault him for being extra cautious.

  If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

  “Fear not, should you choose her, I will make sure that she will be an obedient woman for you.”

  He snickered internally because the viscount’s true face surfaced at that moment. For him, his daughter or daughters were nothing more than tools. He played along regardless.

  “Thank you.”

  Satisfied with the result for the time being, the viscount Venetii merrily turned around and walked toward his men, barking out an order to move out. Shrugging subtly, Ansel turned around and walked back into the viscount Waines manor to ask for simple lodging and some meals.

  “Emily Waines greets Master Asvete.”

  Oh, for fuck’s sake…, Ansel cursed in his mind. Perhaps, he should have seen this coming after Viscount Venetii’s attempt. Viscount Waines would be promoted to a count as well. While he did have a mage, having two wouldn’t hurt.

  “Greetings, Lady Waines.”

  She was wearing a fancy dress that revealed a fair amount of her cleavage. She had light brown hair tied into a ponytail that reached down to her waist. While he wasn’t sure of feminine beauty standards, he graded her average at the best although she did have large breasts. They were probably the biggest he had seen.

  “The viscount has ordered me to show you around and serve you if possible.”

  “Please, I am just a child. Please grant me a guest room and a simple meal will suffice.”

  She seemed taken back slightly by his statement. He couldn’t understand why.

  “You deserve better,” she replied. “I will guide you to -”

  He interjected, getting tired of all these shenanigans. “My lady, I haven’t eaten in days. I care not which room I am given. All I wish now is just warm food in my belly and a good rest.”

  She furrowed her eyebrows. “You haven’t eaten in days? But … why?”

  This was a headache-inducing moment for him. He didn’t want to explain everything to everyone. Turning around at once, he walked out of the lobby of the Waines manor. Lady Waines attempted to stop him, but dashing in a dress was easier said than done and she lost Ansel even before she could close in.

  “Off a tavern, I go,” he said to himself casually. He didn’t have much money. Therefore, he ended up just eating very thin gruel and slept in a stable. It didn’t matter to him since he got some warm food in his belly at last and slept soundly. He didn’t realize that this would become a diplomatic issue. One of Mage Stialia’s soldiers saw him leaving from a stable near the tavern and reported this to him. Stialia became rightfully furious of the situation and confronted Viscount Waines about this.

  “Is this how you value our relationship?!” Stialia raised his voice with the viscount on his knees. Ansel was face-palming himself on the sidelines. He just wanted some food and a good night of sleep.

  “Master Stialia, I did offer him a good place to sleep and food…” Then he glanced at his daughter who was next to him and also kneeled down. “You damned fool of a girl!”

  Emily Waines was sweating bullets and didn’t know what to say. It was true that Ansel did walk out on him. The fault was on her, she knew.

  “I sincerely apologize!” She lowered her upper body to the point that her forehead touched the ground.

  “Master Stialia,” Ansel tried to defend her, but Stialia put a stop.

  “Speak none, Asvete. No matter what excuses, the reality is that you ate gruel and slept in a dirty stable. You are a hero to the Waines. None of it should have occurred.”

  If put it that way, he was correct. Ansel realized that Stialia’s version of truth was going to be what people would be told.

  “It seems clear to me that the Waines do not really see us as an ally,” he declared, to which even the viscount lowered his forehead to the ground.

  “That is absolutely not true!” he contested sternly. His daughter became as pale as a ghost. With tears rapidly forming in her eyes, she turned her head to Ansel’s direction. She was silently pleading for help. She was begging.

  What to do …?

  He knew that just asking for forgiveness wasn’t going to work. He would need a valid excuse. At the same time, he wondered why he should help the Waines out to begin with. He owed them nothing. It was them who owed him instead.

  “I do not have authority to make any judgement here,” Stialia continued, pulling Ansel out of his swirling thoughts. “I will send a bird to the count, and he will make the decision. And, Asvete, come with me.”

  Once they were out of the room and were walking down in a hallway, he asked.

  “Why did you eat gruel and sleep in a stable in the first place? Did you plan this?”

  “All I wanted was some food, but Lady Waines was clearly ordered to ‘serve’ me if you know what I mean.”

  Rubbing the bridge of nose, Stialia sighed.

  “I wanted none of that and left.”

  “Alright, fine, I get why you left. But why treat yourself with such low quality food? I ask you again. Were you planning for this outcome?”

  “I didn’t have any money. In fact, right now, I have just two copper coins. That’s all I’ve got.”

  “What?! Why do you have no money?”

  “I was rarely paid by the baron and no one ever paid me after I left him.”

  Stialia looked dumbfounded.

  “My word…,” he uttered. “Here, take this.” Pulling out a small pouch, he handed it over to him. “It’s got some coins inside. Take it.”

  It felt pretty heavy. It was more than just “some” coins.

  “Are you sure?”

  “Go get yourself proper food for fuck’s sake. You are really nonchalant about everything, including your own wellbeing.”

  He had no reason to refuse. In fact, he needed the money.

  “What will happen to the Waines?”

  “Out of my hands now. If this was the first case, the count may have let it go, but this is the second time after Baronet Hills did dirty on you. He may want to make an example out of this. People can’t keep mistreating you and get away with it, especially when you keep racking up achievements.”

  “It’s probably because I am too young.”

  “No,” he retorted firmly. “It’s because you don’t say things out loud. There is something fundamentally amiss with you, and I don’t think that has anything to do with you being a voidkin.”

  This was something he couldn’t argue adequately. He was bullied by his own siblings for being weird. Gavin also said he was weird albeit indirectly. Everything was pointing to the same conclusion that he was weird. Being a voidkin gave him a good excuse however.

  “Whatever the case, may I be excused now? I’d very much like to have a feast.”

  He couldn’t care less to be brutally honest. Whatever was going to happen to the Waines, it wasn’t entirely his fault to begin with. And him being weird was something he accepted many years ago.

  “Please do. But find a place near the Southern gate since the army led by Nuala will reach there.”

  He was going to do exactly that anyway. “Understood.”

  “The Waines may contact you in private. I won’t tell you what to do on that front.”

  “You don’t have to worry about me.”

  Stialia chuckled. “I am not worried about you. I am worried about them instead. They may turn hostile or may beg. Whatever the case, it’s best for you to avoid them for now.”

  Ansel agreed. It was probably best for him to hole up in a tavern and just kill time. The coin pouch he was given had 47 iron coins. A hundred copper coins made an iron coin, and ten iron coins made a silver coin. Thus, he was essentially given 4.7 silver coins which was more than enough to spend a few days very luxuriously in a tavern. He was able to eat three times a day with each meal having either pork or poultry. He ate to his heart's content while enjoying a very comfortable bed. This was his first time experiencing real luxury. It was easier for him to spend the money as well since it was given to him instead of earning it the hard way. And three days passed swiftly. Ansel heard from words of mouth that Vlence was besieged, which was expected. The Waines were quiet meanwhile.

  “We meet again,” said the maid, standing behind Nuala in her very fancy and decorated robe. He had an impression that the maid was in charge instead of the princess. Nuala didn’t look pleased to see him and kept her mouth shut meanwhile. Behind the duo, there was an army of two thousand men. Baronet Robert Hills was in charge of those men initially. This army was now his.

  Certainly not an ordinary maid…

  “Nuala, may I ask for your full name? I won’t call you by your last name.”

  Pouting, she replied with her hand on her waist, “Nuala Floven.”

  “And you?” He looked at the maid.

  “I am just a maid,” she replied stoically.

  You are not, but whatever.

  As much as he wanted to move out, the soldiers needed to replenish their personal rations which they consumed to cross the dragon mow. Therefore, they were to depart the next morning. Without these emergency rations, an army would immediately start to starve as soon as their supply line was cut or even delayed due to unforeseen events. Once Ansel addressed his soldiers, whose reception was mixed at the best due to his small physical stature, he told Nuala and her maid to rest up until the next morning. But her maid had another idea.

  “Master Asvete, we need to talk.”

  “About what?”

  “In private. The princess will be present as well.”

  It was something he could not refuse, thus they went to his room he had been renting for a few days. Nuala may have not acted like a noble lady, but her appearance clearly said otherwise. And her refined appearance really stood out when she entered the tavern lobby where there were only common folks. Her maid’s murdering glares meant men barely had a chance to stare at for more than a few seconds. Nuala seemed like she couldn’t care less.

  “The reinforcements have already landed,” the maid declared as soon as they entered Ansel’s room. It was the most expensive room in the tavern, fit to receive a princess. “But they won’t move out.”

  Narrowing eyes, he asked carefully and slowly, “.... Why?” He had a vague hunch as to why.

  “They are waiting for the crown prince whom you will heal.”

  He figured as much. Their top priority was getting their crown prince back to his feet. Nothing else mattered for them at the moment.

  “We have a job to do here. We are in the middle of war. The reinforcements must join ours at Vlence.”

  “We will keep our end of the bargain,” the maid replied firmly. “But only after the crown prince is healed.”

  Ansel frowned. “You are changing the terms of the agreement.”

  “We don’t care,” Nuala finally spoke out. “My brother’s wellbeing is more important.”

  Sighing with exasperation, he robbed the bridge of his nose.

  “The king has promised the rank of baronet, should you heal him properly,” the maid added.

  He wasn’t interested and wanted to dismiss them at once initially. It was true that he wasn’t really interested in the rank itself. After all, even the count was willing to offer more than that. But there was something he wanted to ask before burning the bridge.

  “Why did you decide to join the count in the first place? What would you gain?”

  “The count told us that we would find a voidkin.”

  “... What?”

  It was a bombshell revelation.

  The count knew…? Is the count a mage? Only mana wielders can sense voidkins.

  It was the only explanation. In his knowledge, he revealed himself to be a voidkin after the count declared war on the royal family. He must have known long before that. He also sneakily used his existence to entice the Floven royal family to assist him.

  That son of a …

  Taking a deep breath, he placed his hand on his waist, subtly shaking his head.

  “So, he knows…,” he mumbled and then asked, “Does he know about this deal between us?”

  “We haven’t explicitly informed him, but he knows that we will make a deal with you and possibly take you with us back to Fladal.”

  In other words, Count Tristan Rassier used Ansel as a chess piece. It looked like the count was prepared for his departure even. No hard feelings, either way, since he was also using the count as a chess piece as well.

  “What do you exactly want me to do?”

  “Come with us to the shore where our army is. Wait for the prince’s arrival. Heal him. Then we will move out to crush the Grimhills,” the maid stated.

  He glanced at Nuala who was donning a stoic expression at the moment.

  “I am sorry to ask this, but how much have you recovered?”

  It was clearly an unpleasant question to ask, and she showed that on her face. Regardless, she replied.

  “About 80%. It’s been very slow since. I don’t think my mana pool will fully recover.”

  Although unfortunate for her, it meant that her brother, the prince, would experience permanent mana loss as well, which was positive news for him. Either way, there was no other way around this. He had to comply with their request.

  “Fine, let’s go. Let’s get this over with.”

  Nuala's stoic face eased up a bit while the maid’s expression didn’t change. Ansel sighed in his mind since nothing was really going the way he desired. Everyone was out there with their own interests and everyone seemed to have their own share of secrets. Their plots were so wickedly intertwined together that he felt overwhelmed to deal with them. What he did know was that Count Tristian Rassier was a force to be reckoned with. This conflict would have happened regardless how the royal family reacted. He would have found a way to start it no matter what.

  I kind of miss Gavin…

  The days with him were far simpler. They only had to look forward to the next day and get things done accordingly.

  I wonder how they are doing…

  The reality was that it hadn’t even been a month since his departure. Yet, it felt like it had been years. So much happened in such a short span of time.

  “Then we will move out tomorrow morning, with the army, yes?”

  “Of course, our army has their own supply routes. The Waines won’t need to worry about us.”

  Sighing, he asked, “When is the prince going to arrive?”

  “He is on a fast boat. ETA is two days maximum. He is likely to arrive in a day.”

  In other words, by the time they get there, the prince should be there as well. Not much time was going to be wasted. That was one piece of good news.

  “Very well, let’s do that then.”

  Nuala left at once while the maid bowed toward him politely.

  “Who are you really?” He asked the maid.

  “I am just a maid.”

  Yeah, right…