Chapter 361 - Episode 353: The Exile ②
Even after crossing the Lestio Mountains, the harsh journey for Cadne and his companions continued.
The northern part of the Adleon continent was a region where small-scale nations stood side by side. Among the countries lined up just north of the mountains, many had a certain level of exchange with the Lancel Kingdom, or were in friendly relations with such nations.
Those countries also had a poor relationship with the military cliques of nobles who had seized power and pursued a path of expansion under Cadne's reign. There was no telling what kind of treatment they would receive if they were captured.
Therefore, Cadne's party avoided the highways and moved north, choosing deserted areas.
It was already early December. Winter in the north, where temperatures were lower than in the southern part of the Adleon continent, was already scarce in supplies, and it eroded the physical strength of Cadne and his people, who were exhausted from their journey thus far.
Stragglers and deaths were endless, and finally, the number of people in the party fell below twenty.
"...Having come this far, there surely are no countries left with ties to the Lancel Kingdom. But... what should we do from here?"
While a cold west wind blew, the vassals proceeded with preparations for camp on the east side of the forest to avoid the wind. Beside them, wrapped in furs and embraced by Yvette while warming himself by the campfire, Cadne muttered. His body trembled from the cold, and combined with exhaustion and malnutrition, his lips had turned purple.
Abandoning his country, seeking asylum in the northern part of the continent, finding collaborators, accumulating strength, and planning a comeback. It was easy to say. However, he had thought of nothing regarding specifically what procedures to follow or what to do. He had come this far clutching only a vague hope.
It was almost laughable. What on earth did he want to achieve by surviving this long, and why was he dragging around vassals who still adored him even though he had become such a pathetic sight?
"Tch! Enemy attack!"
At that moment, the soldier who had been handling the practical command of the party as the Guard Captain shouted.
When Cadne looked toward the north, a group of cavalry clad in thick furs was approaching.
"Protect His Majesty! Surround him!"
The vassals gathered around Cadne, whose face stiffened at the sudden turn of events. The remaining Guard soldiers, fewer than ten, solidified the front, while civil officials and servants reinforced the rear, and Yvette took a position as if to become Cadne's shield.
The cavalry group closed in before Cadne and his party, surrounding them. Their total number was about thirty riders. All were muscular men who were armed, and about half of them were well-built beastmen. Outnumbered, with civil officials and a woman present, and above all exhausted, Cadne and his people likely had no chance of winning.
Patterns were drawn in tattoos on the men's faces, and several unique decorations using bones, fangs, and claws of beasts and monsters could be seen. From their appearance, Cadne could not judge whether they were barbarians and bandits, or soldiers belonging to a group on a scale that could be called a nation.
"..."
The men also cast sharp eyes toward Cadne and his party, as if trying to determine what they were. Those gazes seemed concentrated on Cadne. Judging from what he wore and the way the formation was taken, it had been seen through that Cadne held the highest status among them.
From among the cavalry group, a man who seemed to be the leader stepped forward. He was a lion-man with long hair like a mane. He looked to be about the same age as Cadne.
"...I am Prince Kaia Virgoa of the Virgoa Kingdom. This is the territory of my country. Who are you? From the look of it, you seem to be nobles from the southern part of the Adleon continent. Why is such a person here?"
Hearing the words of the man who asked while exuding bloodlust, Cadne felt relieved.
The man had identified himself as a prince. If he was the son of a monarch of a country, there was a high possibility he was an opponent with whom one could speak rationally. It was a hundred times better than being found by the likes of bandits.
Cadne made Yvette step back and tried to move forward. Then, he tried to stand up.
Supported on both sides by the Guard soldiers who noticed Cadne's intention, Cadne opened his mouth, standing on his own if only in form.
"I am the King of the Lancel Kingdom in the southern part of the continent, Cadne Lancel First. I have come here due to complicated circumstances. Please, I want you to listen to my story. And, I want you to help me."
.....
The Virgoa Kingdom, located around the northwest within the northern part of the Adleon continent, had a population of about thirty thousand. The encounter with its prince, Kaia Virgoa, was truly a revelation for Cadne.
Kaia, who handled national affairs in place of his father, the King, who was bedridden with illness and had already retired from the front lines, was a man with ambitions as strong as Cadne's. He was a person who dreamed of expanding the country and leaving his name in history as a great king.
However, Kaia and the Virgoa Kingdom lacked the foundation for expansion of power. That was the knowledge and technology to maintain and support a sufficient number of soldiers.
Compared to the surrounding tiny nations, the Virgoa Kingdom was large and strong. However, hunting and gathering were far from enough to support a population of thirty thousand, and it was necessary to devote much manpower to agriculture that was terribly primitive when viewed from the southern part of the continent. Even so, there were times when food was insufficient and famines occurred.
As a result, it was barely possible for the royal family and the lords to maintain a small number of private soldiers, and they were unable to achieve any further expansion of power. Kaia, who could not be satisfied as the king of a frontier nation, was accumulating frustration over this.
Into this, Cadne lent his wisdom. Cadne, who had grown up reading various books in his youth and possessed reasonably abundant knowledge, taught Kaia and the others knowledge of farming methods and tools far more advanced than those of the Virgoa Kingdom. Since there were several people among his vassals who had risen from being peasants, he ordered them to provide agricultural guidance as well.
He had them actively buy and collect rye, which is resistant to cold, from other countries, and contributed a considerable amount of rye they held as food, making it the primary crop. At the same time, he taught them how to make fertilizer and had them actively engage in bean cultivation to increase food production and improve soil fertility. He had them create iron agricultural tools and wheeled plows pulled by livestock to increase agricultural production efficiency.
With Kaia's understanding, as he did not hesitate to incorporate new wisdom for the sake of increasing national power, those suggestions and assistance achieved a certain level of results.
As a result, Cadne was recognized by Kaia as a capable person and gained a certain amount of say within the Virgoa Kingdom as the prince's assistant and as a personal friend.
Cadne's proposal—that in exchange for helping the expansion of the Virgoa Kingdom's power, he would receive help in reclaiming the Lancel Kingdom, and that the great powers of the northern and southern parts of the continent would form a firm friendship to achieve mutual prosperity—was accepted by Kaia.
By the time two years had passed, the agricultural efficiency of the Virgoa Kingdom, which had incorporated Cadne's knowledge, had improved dramatically, and those results began to manifest in tangible form, increasing the number of soldiers who could be turned toward battle. A force that could be called a national army, though small-scale, was created.
Using that force, the Virgoa Kingdom successively attacked surrounding small countries that did not possess proper armies. First, they forced submission through power.
As the next stage, Cadne again lent his wisdom and strength to Kaia. As the prince's strategist, he toured the submitted countries and breathed sweet dreams into the leaders of each nation.
Kaia Virgoa possessed the caliber of a great king who would rule the northern part of the continent, and also possessed the capacity to protect the subordinates who swore loyalty. And he himself, though currently driven from his country by rebels, was the king of the Lancel Kingdom, a great power in the southern part of the continent.
Those two were moving in cooperation. It was certain that eventually, the countries of the northern part of the continent would be unified.
The lords who first submitted to Kaia's military rule would continue to be heavily employed as high officials of the great king. In exchange for tributes and military service, the majority of their previous lands would be guaranteed as fiefs, and under Kaia's protection, they would become incomparably wealthier than before. They would obtain far greater wealth than by remaining the kings of poor and small countries.
Once the unification of the northern part of the continent was achieved, Kaia would use that immense power to strike down the rebels of the Lancel Kingdom as well. If that happened, he would return to the throne of the Lancel Kingdom and form a firm friendship with the Virgoa Kingdom. The Virgoa Kingdom would achieve further prosperity, and the lords would obtain further wealth.
While speaking thus, Cadne first gave them a portion of the knowledge of farming methods and tools. He generously shared a part of the knowledge that had increased the power of the Virgoa Kingdom, demonstrating the magnanimity of Kaia and himself.
Even so, Cadne was a man who, during his time as a governor, had gathered vassals who swore loyalty to him personally through his own efforts, and had once commanded a large number of military nobles. Once he regained his confidence and obtained a position, that charisma shone once again.
Captivated by Cadne's speaking skills, or resigning themselves to the fact that they had no other choice, many kings showed submission. The majority of the conquered countries were annexed into the Virgoa Kingdom or became vassal states. The royalty of countries that did not submit were all slaughtered as an example, and the people and land were forcibly annexed.
Including the tiny nations, they absorbed over ten countries, and the power of the Virgoa Kingdom and its vassal states easily exceeded one hundred thousand in population. Viewed from the northern part of the Adleon continent, it could be called an exceptional great power.
During that time, agricultural productivity continued to rise, and by having soldiers provided from the countries added to their sphere of influence, the military power of the Virgoa Kingdom grew like a snowball.
By the time this happened, another two years had passed.
"...Our country has truly become large. To think it was only four years until now. Cadne, picking you up that day was the greatest piece of luck in my life."
"Hahaha, what's with you all of a sudden?"
One night. While exchanging drinks as a way to have a discussion, Kaia muttered. Cadne returned a friendly smile to that.
Cadne, who had once been picked up by Kaia while exhausted, was now clad in luxurious clothing and ornaments that seemed to blend the cultures of the Virgoa Kingdom and the Lancel Kingdom. He had regained the dignity, composure, and confidence of the royalty of a great power.
"No, thinking that I have officially become king after seeing my father off, I feel quite emotional. If I hadn't received your help, I would probably still be ruling a narrow country while my ambitions smoldered. You are truly a gift from heaven."
In reality, the former Virgoa Kingdom was not a small country even within the northern part of the continent. However, Cadne, who had dealt with Kaia as a friend, understood. He knew that compared to Kaia's caliber and ambition, the Virgoa Kingdom had indeed been far too small.
"Stop it, that's not like you. Rather, I'm the one who should be giving thanks. Thanks to you, I grasped the opportunity to start over. The dream of reclaiming my own country is becoming a realistic one, and I've been able to make those who followed me feel good."
As he said this, Cadne turned toward Yvette beside him. In this land where beastmen were not persecuted, Yvette was no longer a slave. Now she was Cadne's attendant and lover. Cadne intended to make her his wife upon the dawn of reclaiming the throne of the Lancel Kingdom.
"Rather than men praising each other, shall we talk about the future?"
"Hmph, true. It's about time we decided on the next country to conquer... For my part, I think annexing a few small countries on the west side would be good, what do you think?"
To the inquiring Kaia, Cadne shook his head.
"No, I don't think it's the west right now."
"Why? The western countries are weak. We could easily annex them now."
"That's exactly why. It might have been different at the beginning, but there's no longer any meaning in you or I going out of our way to conquer weak and poor countries with depleted land. If the Virgoa Kingdom raises its power just a bit more, those countries will probably wag their tails and submit to our military rule just by us calling out to them. There's no meaning in spending time now on things that can be easily obtained later."
"I see... Then, where do you think it's best to aim?"
"The southeast."
When asked, Cadne answered immediately.
"Southeast... The Duchy of Dale?"
"First, yes. The main target is further southeast, the Kingdom of Reuveland."
"I see, there. So you mean to strike the country that is trying to join hands with your arch-enemy?"
To the south of the Kingdom of Reuveland, across the Lestio Mountains, lay the Arqvist territory—currently the independent Archduchy of Arqvist, and the story that the Kingdom of Reuveland had begun trading with his country had already reached the Virgoa Kingdom.
"That's right. I hear it's seen that the current king of the Kingdom of Reuveland intends to increase national power by actively incorporating knowledge and technology from the southern part of the continent. It would be troublesome later if such a country gained power. While trade has only just begun, I want to nip any unnecessary buds."
"That's certainly true, but... the Kingdom of Reuveland isn't weak, you know? Though small-scale, they have a proper army. It's not a country we can casually attack as we have until now."
Among the nations of the northern part of the continent, there was a tendency for national power relative to population to be higher the closer they were to the Lestio Mountains. The Kingdom of Reuveland, which bordered the mountains and had a population numbering twenty thousand, was not a strong power, but it was by no means a small fry. Since they had succeeded in the domestication of growth lizards, they possessed a reasonable number of cavalry along with horses.
They were a different kind of opponent compared to the small countries with populations of less than ten thousand conquered so far, or countries that did nothing but primitive farming even if their population was large.
"Yeah, that's why what we'll do isn't a simple attack... it's a full-scale war."
Cadne downed his drink in one go and smiled fearlessly. Into the empty cup, Yvette quietly poured more liquor.
"No tricks. We'll assemble a force of at least three thousand, preferably five thousand, and invade all the way to the Kingdom of Reuveland in one go. Among the surrounding countries, there are some that are now cozying up to us, wanting to submit to our military rule of their own accord. We'll make them provide soldiers too. In exchange for annexation under favorable conditions after the war. If we do that, we'll have the numbers."
"At least three thousand, huh... It'll be a great war that remains in the history of the northern part of the continent."
Kaia showed a smile tinged with tension. In the northern part of the continent, gathering even a thousand people was a considerable large army. If he could wage war leading several thousand soldiers, he would be passed down as the protagonist of a war chronicle.
"That's exactly why it's worth doing. If you show that you can lead such a large army and seize victory, the name of Kaia Virgoa will thunder through the northern part of the continent. More countries will want to submit to your military rule than ever before. After achieving the conquest of the Kingdom of Reuveland, you can become the king of the largest country in the north. Whatever you do will be as you wish."
"...That's amazing. If that happens, it seems I won't be able to rest leisurely for a while."
"Hahaha, of course. You're going to be the great king who rules the northern part of the continent, right? After that, I'll have you accompany me in the battle to reclaim my own country. For a king who builds an unprecedented great power in the north and even invades the south, there's no way there's time to rest while young."
"A happy scream, as they say. Interesting. Then this time too, I shall follow your proposal."
Cadne and Kaia clinked their cups together in high spirits.