"Oh my goodness, sir!! If you take all that, we'll starve to death!! Aaagh—!!"
The farmer rolled on the ground after being kicked by a military boot. Similar scenes were repeating throughout the countryside. No, every farmland near this plain was in the same situation.
When plundering one's own citizens, it takes on the character of "somewhat excessive taxation." That is, they don't exploit down to the roots. It would be more accurate to say this wasn't because the powerful or the military were merciful, but rather to ensure sustainable exploitation.
If everyone starved to death within the year, there would be nothing to take the following year. This level of taxation wasn't even called tyranny. There was no need to attach special words to everyday occurrences.
But the current situation was different. The Belacrian army had no reason to consider the agricultural circumstances of Albinia.
"Uh, Centurion?"
"Huh?"
"Isn't that cavalry over there? Have cavalry units been deployed in this area?"
"Why would cavalry be here? Those bastards have money rolling in just by sitting around. Wait and see."
Most mounted riders were either nobles, quasi-nobles, or direct forces of the nobility. They lived in an entirely different world from the infantry units made up of conscripts.
From the moment a group of cavalry appeared at the edge of the horizon, the centurion's expression rapidly soured.
"Damn it, it's real. Cavalry coming to plunder this miserable village? That doesn't make economic sense. Are they joking?"
"Sir, those bastards are armed."
"Armed?"
At the sharp-eyed soldier's words, the centurion's face wrinkled. There was no reason to be armed when plundering nearby farmland. There had been no resistance forces in this area.
Generally, coming on horseback while fully armed meant they intended to create fear and take everything down to the last speck of dust... but did that make sense? For this tiny settlement of barely 100 people?
By the time the centurion grumbled his way to the village entrance, the cavalry on the horizon began to appear more clearly.
They were disciplined cavalry. Riders with military banners attached to their spears. How ostentatious, it was almost laughable—
"An eagle...?"
The military banner shone brilliantly under the midday sun. Unmistakably clear. The emblem of an eagle holding a sword fluttered atop the flagpole.
Infantry soldiers are generally stupid. They're too uneducated to understand military discipline even when it's mentioned. There's no reason to teach them operational objectives or grand strategy, nor is it possible.
So from the command's perspective, they teach the rank-and-file infantry just one thing: "the enemy's banner." Once they recognize that, most problems disappear. Fighting when the enemy appears. They don't need to know anything beyond that.
Therefore, even the lowest infantry can recognize enemy banners. They might not know family crests, but they at least recognize the most representative military banners—the "national emblems," so to speak.
And Belacria had marched out for war against Equitania.
"Equitania...? Why are they here?!"
"C-Centurion! W-what do we do?"
"Call the men!! Ring the bell!!"
Dong, dong, dong. The bell at the village outskirts rang roughly. By the time the cavalry arrived, troops had gathered at the village entrance. The infantry trembled as they raised their spears.
"Stand behind the palisade! Raise spears!! You! Go to headquarters! Quickly!!"
The centurion shouted with a face turned pale. Soon, the cavalry gathered before the tightly locked palisade. Six riders. Seeing their small number, the centurion barely managed to regain his composure.
"Who goes there!! Identify yourselves! We are the Holy Army!"
"Are you the commander?"
"C-commander? Y-yes! I am the commander!"
The man at the front, wearing a helmet, raised his head to look at him. The man seemed to check the surrounding troops for a moment, then nodded.
A small pistol, drawn without anyone noticing, was firmly gripped in his hand. Just as the centurion realized he hadn't even seen the movement—
-Bang—!!
"Not a transcendent, I see."
The centurion's body fell from the palisade, losing all strength. Until the heavy thud was heard, the surrounding soldiers still couldn't grasp what had happened.
The man at the front gave a slight nod.
"We've come to save the oppressed farmers."
"For Equitania!!!"
A woman holding a steel rod shouted "Hurrah!" and charged forward, leaping up from her saddle.
Her galloping horse staggered and knelt as the woman twisted in mid-air—
-Crash—!!
She kicked the locked palisade gate, shattering it. Despite being crudely made, the log-woven palisade splintered with a crack. Behind the suddenly opened gate, the soldiers stared blankly at the woman before them.
Flipping her long hair back, the woman called out in a cheerful tone:
"Look carefully! And tell everyone you meet!! Equitania has arrived to save its oppressed neighbors!!"
When the soldiers stood dumbfounded at the woman's shout, she tilted her head and asked:
"What are you doing? Aren't you going to run away?"
"Step aside, Asidis."
The man behind her slowly rode his horse through the palisade. Bang, after the dry gunshot, a soldier's helmet flew off, and only then did the soldiers scatter in panic.
Watching the departing soldiers from a distance, Asidis grumbled:
"I mean, logically, if someone kicks down a palisade, shouldn't people run away?"
"If there had been a transcendent, they would have fled. Civilians tend to fear gunshots more."
Ivan finished speaking as he passed by Asidis.
"Eastward. There's another village."
"Let's rest a bit. This is already the sixth one."
"We have no time to rest until the cavalry pursuit arrives."
There's a margin of error in how quickly information reaches the enemy command. They needed to attack as many forces as possible in that time.
To make the command misjudge sufficiently. To make them believe that "large-scale Equitanian cavalry forces" had been deployed.
A rational commander never deploys troops in a scattered formation. Especially in enemy territory, such action would be nothing more than offering prey to be picked off one by one.
So the detection of scattered friendly forces in enemy territory implies that the enemy forces must be massive enough to handle them.
And the implication that large Equitanian forces are marching within Albinian territory—
'It provides sufficient grounds to suspect an alliance between Equitania and Albinia.'
When the command dispatches cavalry for reconnaissance, cut them down and withdraw. The withdrawal direction would be toward the Albinian capital. To turn their suspicion into certainty, with banners flying high.
After defeating the eighth small infantry unit, light cavalry finally caught up with them. Ivan immediately changed direction and began to leave the battlefield.
As expected, the cavalry pursuit didn't follow beyond a certain distance. This meant the Belacrian army command was sensible. In a situation where they couldn't confirm the size of Equitanian forces, they couldn't continue pursuit into what might be enemy territory.
They retreated after confirming that the Hero Party had entered the domain of Luminatia, the capital of Albinia.
"This is really scary..."
Everyone in the capital area stared at their military banner in shock or ran somewhere. It was obvious that troops would soon be dispatched.
Albinia was officially a direct combatant at war with Equitania. Walking through their capital while armed and carrying Equitanian military banners would be frightening even for the most courageous.
Isabelle gritted her teeth and forced herself to straighten her back. Everyone in the group except Asidis and Ivan was somewhat frightened.
Even if everything was going according to plan, marching toward the capital while exposed in the middle of enemy territory was close to madness.
"I'm a hero entering the Demon King's castle. I'm a hero entering the Demon King's castle."
"It's a bit different. The Hero Party didn't reveal their position until just before entering the Demon King's castle."
"That's really helpful, mister. If it weren't for this situation, I wouldn't let that slide."
"Hmm."
Ivan rode beside Isabelle, who was gripping her reins with pale blue hands.
"Don't worry too much."
"Mister, if I were the King of Albinia, I think I'd send our heads nicely packaged. If they caught enemy cavalry entering the capital with swords..."
"It's fortunate you're not the King of Albinia. The King of Albinia is not that foolish."
"A-are you saying I'm stupid...?"
"Without Equitania's help, Albinia has no way to stand against Belacria's legions now. Even if they deployed all their forces, the damage would be severe, and they can't withdraw troops from the Equitanian border."
At least without negotiating a ceasefire, they couldn't completely withdraw their forces facing Equitania. Equitania wouldn't just sit still.
Anyway, Albinia is now a direct combatant. Withdrawing forces from the front is nearly impossible. But the forces they've barely managed to gather aren't enough to stop Belacria's legions.
Yet they can't just hand over the entire country to the Belacrian army passing through their territory. Even at this moment, Belacrian legions are marching through Albinia, plundering farmlands everywhere.
They're cornered. Albinia has no other options now. Just a month into the war, the country is about to be neatly divided.
So they have no choice but to be calm. If they had infiltrated secretly, it might be different, but they can't kill those who march with Equitanian banners while everyone is watching.
"You planned this from the beginning...?"
"Isn't it obvious?"
Despite Isabelle's brief exclamation, Ivan rode on with little reaction. Soon, the capital's cavalry unit appeared in the distance. They approached through the crowd and looked at the group with sour expressions.
"Halt!! Halt!!"
The cavalry captain skillfully rode up and blocked Ivan's path. Ivan put the pistol he was holding into his sleeve and opened his hands to show he was unarmed.
The cavalry captain sighed with resentment and said:
"Are you envoys from Equitania?"
"As you can see."
"His Majesty is waiting. Disarm yourselves and follow us."
Ivan handed his axe and pistol to the approaching cavalry and followed them.
The King of Albinia, Domenico della Visale, looked down at the group entering his court with a complicated expression. The expressions of all the courtiers present were not much different from their king.
With just one exception—the Archbishop of the Luminatia diocese.
He was muttering continuously with a bright red face. "Heretics, they're heretics." The fact that he wasn't shouting loudly meant he still respected the king of this country.
"Welcome to my court, Equitanians. I commend your bravery."
The king spoke in a heavy voice.
"Especially considering that just days ago, you were slaughtering my soldiers and setting fire to my supply depots, yet you dare come armed to the heart of this country."
"You flatter us."
"I wasn't complimenting you."
To this old-fashioned question about whether his liver had jumped out of his body, Ivan bowed his head quietly and replied:
"We were merely confident that Your Majesty is sufficiently wise."
"Wisdom, you say."
"When a wolf enters, even quarreling neighbors join to protect their homes, wouldn't you agree?"
"I see no neighbors, only wolves."
"The difference would be that one side at least has no interest in the meat."
"A wolf with no interest in meat. An amusing play on words."
The king responded impassively as he surveyed the court.
"State your wishes."
"Join hands with us."
"How dare you!! Execute these heretics immediately, Your Majesty! Even listening to their sophistry defiles the soul of the faithful!"
"Bishop, do not forget you are in court."
The king continued, ignoring the bishop's anger.
"But he's not wrong. The Great Excommunication Decree is strict, and dealings with excommunicated apostates are strictly forbidden. The moment I join hands with you, who in this world would trade with us?"
"Your Majesty, if the criterion for heresy is the Pope's declaration, then we are heretics."
Ivan looked directly at the king with an expressionless face.
"But if someday these heretics lead all the churches in the world, who then would be the orthodox church?"
"Silence that mouth!!!"
The bishop rose from his seat, foaming at the mouth. With a face flushed bright red, he scanned the king and courtiers, shouting:
"Your Majesty, you must make a wise choice! The Lord's church is one, and there is no true faith outside the church!"
"The bishop seems tired. Gentlemen, escort the bishop to his chambers."
"Your Majesty!! Your Majesty!!!"
The bishop was led out of the court by the royal guards. His cries echoed outside the court for a while before fading.
The court regained its silence. After a moment of quiet, the king looked at Ivan and spoke heavily:
"Your terms?"
"You must support supplies when Equitania's legions march, and participate in the battle against Belacria."
"And in return?"
"No bishop or priest in this world will raise their voice in your court's deliberations."
"Even if you send troops, how many could there be? Isn't half of your territory currently being exploited by Elsros?"
"We have never engaged in battle with Elsros forces."
"...What? You gave up your territory without fighting? Am I supposed to believe that?"
To the king's words, Ivan bowed his head quietly and replied:
"It's neither because Elsros is capable nor because we are incompetent that we retreated."
"Ha, you deliberately ceded it? I see, Elsros is also part of this game?"
"Does their intention matter?"
"Right, it doesn't matter. Neither my intention nor theirs mattered. We were cornered."
The king lamented as he read the meaning in Ivan's answer.
"It was a puppet show all along. Vittorio of Equitania truly is a capable man. Like a viper."
After a moment, he nodded slightly with a faint smile.
"If it's all just a game anyway, I should side with the winner."
"I thank you for your wise decision."
"Don't say things you don't mean. You may celebrate today. You moved a nation's army with just your tongue."
The king gestured to his courtiers and said:
"Give them the best accommodations and serve them the finest feast. Aren't they the righteous ones who saved our people?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The royal guard approached and politely led the group away. Soon after Ivan and his party left the court, the king sighed deeply and said:
"With men like that, this holy war was doomed to fail from the beginning."
The fact that the excommunicated Saintess safely returned to Equitania, that the Equitanian king's mind was so meticulous, and that they had soldiers brave enough to come to this city with just five or six troops.
Yes, without the Lord's will, how could the situation have turned out this way?
And if that was truly the Lord's will, what choice did he have as a faithful believer?
"Order the retreat to the border and send a declaration of war to Belacria."
Isabelle watched Ivan's back as he walked ahead and whispered quietly to Asidis:
"Was he always this good at talking? Did he eat something weird today?"
"All we've had is energy bars."
"That's strange. I checked the milling condition this time."
"Oh, so you made them! No wonder they were delicious. Wait, no. No no. You mean you didn't check the milling condition until now, uncle?"
"That's right. He was kneading with spoiled flour. The pig fat smelled rancid."
"Ewwww!!"