May 17th, sunset.
Nora, who had just arrived in Brental, was reading the mission description carefully. She was wearing pure black leather armor and had two daggers on her waist. She didn't carry any spare weapons on her back, but instead had scrolls and small crystals stuck in her belt.
Behind her were the five secret service members of the Intelligence Agency, also dressed in black. The six Teflin agents had arrived in the city last night. They climbed over the wall and entered the city in the middle of the night. After obtaining the information from the Intelligence Department, they had arrived at the count's mansion in the center of the city.
Brental City was located 70 kilometers southwest of Rayena. It was remote and had a small population. Because it wasn't a strategic road or a rich place, it wasn't included in Eiffta's strategic attack route. According to the previous plan, Roddy wouldn't have sent any troops here at all. He would have just guarded the fortress on the west side of Rayena, which was enough to deter the nobles on the east and west sides who didn't have much fighting power.
However, the strength of the territory was only one aspect. After considering all aspects, Roddy sent the ace agents of the Intelligence Department from Suvala, which was more than 300 kilometers away, to carry out the "Tisiphone Plan" because of an important person.
When the roads and bridges between Dunkel and Rayena were completed, the unimpeded Efta Infantry Division directly dispersed the morale of the enemy troops who had collapsed due to not receiving food in time. The trucks directly entered Rayena, and Nora and her team set off from there. Each of them had three horses, and they rushed all the way here without stopping. And now, Nora had confirmed that Count Moore was in the mansion.
Count Moore had never fought with Roddy, nor had he fought with Eiffta's troops. But in Roddy's memory, this count was one of the few nobles in the Kingdom of Karen who knew how to fight. He could even be said to be the most capable general.
Charles II had great ambition but little talent. Few of his subordinates were reliable in military affairs. But with Count Moore's help, they could definitely create enough trouble, even if they couldn't turn the tide.
Roddy knew that his strategy was not flawless. In fact, it was similar to Charles II's judgment. If he didn't conquer the kingdom in one go, the costly logistics system would become an eyesore and eventually lead to the defense line being riddled with holes … If he had a leader like Count Moore who was adept at warfare, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Fortunately, Earl Moore was abandoned by Charles II last year, and was in a state of 'abandonment'. However, Roddy could not guarantee that the other party would not be shelved forever. Hence, for the sake of a foolproof plan, he had to eliminate all threats at the source.
Nora put away the map and the parchment and looked at the heavily guarded mansion in the sunset. She raised her hand and made a "forward" gesture.
Rayena, which was dozens of kilometers away, had fallen, and the defeated army was scattered everywhere. Count Moore had obviously received the news, so the number of guards in his mansion was doubled. However, as there were no enemies approaching the city, these people's nerves were not too tense.
The six Teflings were all masters of stealth, and they knew more about stealth than human thieves. The relaxed guards had unknowingly exposed many blind spots, so these Teflings easily broke through the outer defense line and entered the mansion.
To be on the safe side, Nora took out an 'Anti-Detection Barrier' scroll and led the group into the mansion.
The alarm circle in the mansion was not triggered. The six agents split into two groups and entered the mansion. The guards and servants who were left alone had their necks broken silently. When the two guardian knights on the second floor finally realized that something was wrong, a series of magic-piercing crossbow bolts and the 'Frost Nova' scroll that Nora threw out made them lose their ability to resist, and they were killed on the spot.
One of her teammates wanted to kick open the last bedroom door, but Nora felt a strong elemental fluctuation. She quickly pulled her teammate away. In the next second, a large number of icicles pierced through the door, and even the wall behind them was blasted open, leaving a large crater.
Tefling, who was saved by Nora, gulped. Before he could get up, Nora had already cast her 'Acceleration' special ability and rushed in while the enemy was still casting spells.
The mage with the magic staff did not even see Tefling's figure clearly. A huge force hit the force field shield in front of him, and a loud bang was heard.
Count Moore, who was in the house, frowned. A swordsman in soft armor beside him was about to join the battle.
Nora had already pulled out the scrolls on her back with both hands. Two shields lit up in front of her, blocking the attacks from the mage and the swordsman. But before she could continue, Count Moore suddenly said, "Stop."
The two who had their magic staff broken and their swords smashed away by Nora's tail were already defeated. But Count Moore's authority was strong, and they immediately gave up and retreated to the back.
The other agents who followed behind raised their crossbows, weapons and scrolls. Even an archmage would not be able to escape unscathed under such a siege. Earl Moore looked at the group of people in front of him and seemed to have expected it. He shook his head and said, "I've been waiting. It's either His Majesty's letter … or Efta's soldiers. Now it seems that you guys have the upper hand."
He turned to look at the guards outside the mansion. They did not know what was happening, and were still patrolling in his field of vision. The scene left him helpless. He turned to look at Nora, who was still shimmering with her shield. "What do you need me to do?"
"The Prime Minister said: Count Moore is a smart man. He knows what to do."
Nora repeated the sentence according to the description of the mission. Count Moore nodded and knelt on one knee without hesitation. "I, Count Sikeri, Count Barras, am willing to break away from the Leicester Royal Family's rule, and pledge my loyalty to Prime Minister Roddy of Eiffta."
For a Count who was once so famous to change sides so easily, ordinary people would find it hard to imagine. But just as Roddy had predicted, Count Moore was indeed the most accurate person in the enemy's camp.
A person who was familiar with military affairs would not simply stay in his mansion and lead a befuddled life when war was about to break out. Count Moore's understanding of the frontline was more detailed than Charles II. That was why he knew more than Charles II how terrifying Roddy's army was.
Both sides had a 'generational gap' from the first day of the war, be it in terms of combat strength or logistics. A difference of one or two times was enough to decide the outcome. If it was ten or twenty times, there was no need to fight at all. The Royal Family only had a slim chance of winning because they included the Dragons.
But Count Moore never believed that the Dragons would help the Royal Family for no reason. If they really did so, the consequences would be even more terrifying …
In this era, there weren't that many nobles who would sacrifice their lives for the so-called glory. Count Moore was also an egoist. He was smart, but not foolishly loyal. In this situation, he had already left a chance for Charles II. Unfortunately, Charles II's information was too late, and this route was cut off by Nora and the others who arrived earlier.
At this point, he would naturally make a choice that suited his own interests.
Nora was not interested in Count Moore's thoughts. Her philosophy was simple: Completing the mission was the most important. As for everything else, it was secondary.
According to the mission description, she took out the metal wolf head emblem from the letter and placed it in Count Moore's hand. "Please remember your oath, Count Moore."
That day, Eiffta's wolf head flag was raised in Brentar City. Four hours after the flag change, the messenger carrying Charles II's handwritten letter had just arrived …
But it was all too late.
*****
May 18th. South bank of Bordeaux River.
Viscount Borragon staggered and almost knelt on the ground.
Hunger made his stomach feel as if it was on fire. The world in front of him alternated between black and white. But as soon as his hand holding the shovel stopped, the Eiffta supervisor next to him in leather armor would mercilessly lash his whip …
He was taken out from the prisoner camp this morning to participate in the road repair. Originally, he had hoped that more than 15,000 troops would be able to get supplies and regroup, but who would have thought that the cities of Rayena and Bekolis would actually fall. This kind of blow directly collapsed the morale of the lords, and coupled with the arrival of their pursuers, so many people did not even fight, and so many people ran away and surrendered.
He still couldn't figure out the reason for this failure.
But now, he had no strength to continue to think about it.
His subordinates had been completely scattered, and now he didn't recognize any of the prisoners who worked with him. Because they hadn't eaten much for two days, they didn't even have the strength to communicate. They were barely moving like zombies. Borragon felt that if he didn't eat, he would probably starve to death here.
As a dignified viscount, no one paid any attention to his request for ransom. He really didn't understand what the Eiffta army wanted to do.
Fortunately, a few minutes later, when the sun was high in the sky, the supervisor finally shouted, "Take your tools! Stand in line! Come and get your food one by one! "
When they heard the word "food", many people surrounded them like hungry wolves. As a result, four to five supervisors whipped them, and the soldiers beside them used their sheathed swords to smash them. Amidst the wails, the people finally learned how to maintain order.
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