I chased after Horgus as he fled, and soon engaged him in a fierce battle. Horgus was a swordsman who favored using swords, but unfortunately, his stats were not impressive. In terms of swordsmanship alone, he was slightly above Rakis. Of course, even at such a level, he could easily overpower many ordinary soldiers. The problem was that his opponent was me.
Horgus couldn't adequately defend against my relentless magical attacks that were backed by abundant magical power, and he quickly fell from his horse. Trying to protect Horgus, five soldiers lingered around, but I incinerated them all with a single Fire Wall. Once I showed my might clearly, the other soldiers, fearing death, couldn't come any closer.
During this time, I made sure not to let Horgus close in on me, using Haste to continuously change positions and torment him. I harassed him really persistently. I used magic to massage his whole body while maintaining a distance that seemed close yet unreachable.
With my spiritual senses, I could see that Horgus had fairly high physical defense. However, his magical defense was nearly nonexistent, which allowed my magic attacks to hit with true damage, striking with satisfying effect.
"Cough, cough," Horgus let out harsh coughs, vomiting blood repeatedly. The blood that spilled out was all dark clots, possibly from accumulated internal injuries, and his complexion had turned very bad.
"From the start, I knew there would be no peace with you. I was just quietly hiding my claws, waiting until you grew overconfident in your victory and charged in fearlessly."
"How... how can this be!"
Thud!
Eventually, Horgus couldn't bear the weight of his exhausted body and fell to his knees. His soldiers, perhaps fearing me, stood and watched from a distance of about 50 meters. Stepping forward to protect Horgus meant certain death, a lesson learned from the sacrifice of their fallen comrades. Unfortunately for Horgus, there was no loyal subordinate willing to sacrifice themselves or buy time by risking their lives.
"I will take everything from your territory and set right what is wrong. I'll make it a land more honest than any other, where no subjects suffer under a tyrant lord."
"Hahaha... Do you think you can manage that?"
"Well, there might be some trial and error, but one thing's certain - it'll be better than you."
"Bull..."
Before Horgus could finish cursing, I drove a dagger into his knee. Since it pierced through flesh and tore up the cartilage, at the very least, his leg was rendered useless.
"Do you think this ends with my death? When my uncle learns of this, he'll lead knights here to avenge me!"
"Oh, you're talking about Count Brox, are you?"
"What...?"
I could read the surprise in Horgus's expression, wondering how I knew about his uncle, a closely kept secret. It was thanks to my Paradiso Note. I had diligently compiled my personal strategy and character record book over the last two weeks, filling it out in Korean.
In the process of organizing the family tree of Horgus, I discovered the connection to Count Brox. Reflecting on my memories, I recalled that Count Brox, despite dying heroically in the first battle of the Holy War alongside the White Knight Order, had no interest in avenging his nephew. After all, Brox cared for none of his nephews.
Blood relations were a major Achilles' heel for Brox. Unlike his ever-soaring career, his family and relatives were infamous. As the current Knight Commander of the Itima Empire, he was unlikely to travel over 5000 km to avenge a tyrannical nephew. Rather than showing emotion, it would feel like a burden had been lifted off his shoulders.
Moreover, to travel over 5000 km, he'd have to pass through more than four kingdoms along the way, and the number of territories combined would be over a dozen. Given how these hostile kingdoms faced off at their borders, the chance of him properly leading troops all the way here was slim.
‘Brox fell heroically on the day of the first battle in the Holy War, seeking the artifact sword of Lena, the Demon King's vanguard’s leader. This became the accepted theory in academia, even if he was posthumously honored as a hero.’
To someone like Brox who would employ any means for honor, a nephew's death held no message. I was certain of it.
"Rest assured, I've considered far more than you. Now, have any last words before you die? I offer you this chance for final respects."
"Go to hell, you damned..."
I listened to his simple yet powerful curse, fitting for a villain steeped in malevolence and habitual foul language.
"Well noted. Hear the rest in the afterlife."
Without hesitation, I cast Ice Storm magic over Horgus’s head. His head was instantly encased in solid ice. I discovered an axe on the hand of a nearby fallen soldier. A promising talent for a common soldier, but his tenacious charge had inevitably led to his death.
Woosh! Woosh! Woosh!
I swung the axe in both hands with powerful force. Horgus, whose face was completely frozen, had likely passed out or lost consciousness. He was devoid of any strength to resist.
Boom! Crack!
The axe struck Horgus’s face directly. In the next instant, his frozen face shattered like a glass bead, scattering pieces everywhere.
[Quest ‘Victory in the First Territory War’ completed. You've gained 50 Charm as a reward! Additional reward: Internal Administration Cap increased by 50%, with no extra requirements.]
"Great. Did it reflect immediately?"
I checked the status using the information panel.
[Administration - Agriculture: 050 / 075]
[Administration - Commerce: 096 / 150]
[Administration - Public Security: 188 / 300]
[Administration - Science: 075 / 150]
[Administration - Loyalty: 200 / 300]
Indeed, it had changed. While not to the level of E-grade territory, it now reached around F+ or E-, surpassing a small holding, enough to casually include the term medium-sized...
"Surrender! We surrender!"
"Please just spare our lives!"
With Horgus dead, the remaining soldiers had no fighting spirit. All 400 soldiers disarmed completely and surrendered with white flags. I accepted their surrender but didn't allow a retreat (回軍).
There was one reason. From the beginning, I had one goal in preparing for this war: acquiring the territories of Majorca and Ronella.
Now, Majorca Territory was secured. And with Ronella’s main forces decimated, they would likely be unable to mount a defense.
Neither side had any large-scale forts for a prolonged siege, it was a matter of who had more numbers.
"Let’s continue this momentum and advance on Majorca Territory!"
"Wooaaah!"
The thunderous cheer of our troops erupted. Subsequently, I stripped the captives of their uniforms and confiscated all weapons. I then instructed a portion of our forces to escort the prisoners to the territory’s prison. Until post-war matters were resolved, prisoners could become foes in times of crisis, so I planned to thoroughly isolate them.
Half a day later. We used disguises with the exchanged uniforms to deceive the enemy and swiftly pierced through the outer defenses of Majorca Territory. A straightforward victory. We captured all of Horgus's family, and all soldiers in the territory surrendered. The ownership of the land changed hands overnight.
And then. We immediately turned the entire remaining force towards Ronella Territory. The morale of our troops soared to the heavens. There was no reason to miss the heaven-sent opportunity.
However, Jared's ambitious plan was unexpectedly halted by the appearance of an unexpected figure. It was the emergence of Count Capri, whom Jared had not accounted for.
Count Capri was the lord of Miseria Territory, which bordered Ronella Territory. Unlike the smaller territories of Crivia, Majorca, and Ronella, Miseria was considered a medium-sized territory. Naturally, it possessed strong power in economics, commerce, and military that could easily overshadow the three territories.
Jared believed he could seize Ronella Territory in one swift move. However, Capri’s response was unimaginably swift. It seemed as though he’d been analyzing the situation, for by the time Jared’s main force arrived, he had already dispatched a large number of troops to Ronella Territory, supposedly not for military support. According to Capri, it was a move to mediate.
In the hastily organized negotiation, Count Capri repeatedly emphasized he did not intervene for his gain. He claimed he was merely a peacemaker preventing Ronella Territory from becoming a new slaughter ground.
Upon seeing Capri, Jared immediately sensed shrewd tactics. It was clear. Capri, who was biding his time on when to attack Ronella, hastily responded when Jared made his lightning-fast move.
The atmosphere in the suddenly arranged negotiation room was naturally tense, but Count Capri spoke with a relaxed smile.
"Now, Horgus, the root of this war, is dead at the hands of Lord Jared. Additionally, Majorca Territory was entirely annexed. This eliminates the cause and secures the result."
"I beg to differ. Surely not only one person instigated the issue?" Jared glared fiercely at Bartman sitting ahead but refrained from crossing any boundaries.
That was because Capri's territory was over twice the size of his own. Furthermore, Capri had over twice as many soldiers, and crucially, Capri's stats were unexpectedly good.
[Capri – Lv. 61]
[Strength: 335]
[Health: 99]
[Magic Power: 25]
[Wisdom: 11]
[Agility: 39]
[Charm: 11]
[Physical Defense: 125]
[Magical Defense: 125]
[Special Attributes: Shield Defense A / Tough Skin A / Magic Resistance B]
[General Attributes: Persuasion, Diplomacy, Containment]
[Artifacts: 'Red Moon Sword', 'Judith's Armor']
'Damn, I should have been more cautious.' Unable to reveal his true feelings, Jared bit his lip, quelling the boiling rage and frustration inside. ‘Later, when advancing from the northern to central continent, I must pass through Count Capri’s territory.’
A potential adversary appeared sooner than expected. Of all times.
While he wanted to overturn the mediation and clash head-on, Count Capri's prowess was undeniable. Capri was likely of at least a B-Grade martial level. Currently, Jared couldn’t confidently claim he could defeat him. All of Capri’s defensive-focused special attributes - Shield Defense, Tough Skin, Magic Resistance - were challenging.
Magic power was abundant, but the wisdom stat aiding damage calculation was still inadequate.
‘In the current state, facing Count Capri would be a sure loss.’
With subpar magical attacks, victory was out of reach, and he was more likely to get overwhelmed.
Capri raised his voice a bit, injecting a subtle forceful tone instead of pure mediation.
"Let’s establish a ceasefire treaty with Lord Bartman compensating for damages. As a lover of peace, I cannot tolerate the lands engulfed in the flames of war!"
'... Capri, I swear I'll have your head one day.' Jared held back his rage, inscribing the character for patience thrice in his heart.
A new disruptor emerged. What seemed like a clear path complicated Jared’s thoughts.