Chapter : 27

Markel City Council Chamber.

In the dead silence, the faces of the chairman and council members waiting only for the result were stiff.

It was a conspiracy that would have dealt a fatal blow to their prestige even if it had succeeded.

But what if it failed?

What more could be said.

Those who break an honorable promise also have no right to protect their honor.

They would be stripped of everything and meet a terrible end without due protection.

That was why the longer the news was delayed, the more serious the expressions of the members in the council chamber became.

Tick-tock.

Time passed in silence.

People wiped sweat from their brows in frustration and tapped their fingers on the table in anxiety.

Someone looked at them irritably, annoyed by the sound, but that person too was shaking their leg nervously.

How much time had passed like that?

When patience had reached its limit.

-Creak!

“Ch-Chairman!”

The door to the council chamber opened, and a messenger entered.

The messenger was panting heavily as if he had run in a hurry. The council members in the room looked at the messenger with expectant expressions.

“D-did the plan succeed?”

One impatient council member asked without even giving him time to catch his breath.

With a slight hope.

“No. It is said that the captain of the envoys and the delegation have all been executed.”

“Ah-!”

But the words that came back were pessimistic.

Thanks to that, as soon as the messenger's words ended, the reaction in the council chamber became extreme.

“This is a disaster.”

“What on earth are we going to do about this.”

People who let out sighs of despair.

“This is because of you!”

“If we had just surrendered, we would have at least saved our lives!”

“What are you going to do? We are all going to die now! And after being terribly tortured.”

People who expressed their anger towards the chairman of the Markel City council, the cause of this incident.

“No. Wouldn't it be better to just take poison and commit suicide right now?”

“That's a good idea. Is there any poison that will make you go quickly without pain?”

And people who tried to take their own lives.

It was a complete mess, as if all decency had been lost.

“Quiet! Quiet! Be silent! This is a council chamber.”

Looking at the mess, the Markel Chairman shouted. Just watching was giving him a headache.

“Quiet? Quieeet? Who caused this mess in the first place, and you're shouting!”

“That's right! You should be taking responsibility. Instead, you're shouting at us!”

The council members' words were extremely harsh.

Normally, they wouldn't have dared, but with the successive mistakes, the chairman's authority had long since hit rock bottom.

‘Th-this could be a big problem if things go wrong.’

The chairman, who had grasped the atmosphere, swallowed hard. At this rate, he would be killed by the council members, not the Margrave.

“Now, now. Calm down. Wasn't the possibility slim from the beginning?”

That's right.

The assassination plan had a slim chance of success. Hadn't they started it without high expectations in the first place?

Of course, in his own case, he had secretly been hoping for it a little.

Just a tiny little bit.

“Ahem. Assassination has never been an easy task since ancient times. It's even harder to do it openly in a meeting hall.”

“Then why on earth did you suggest we do it?”

“That's right! Are you kidding me right now! Chairman.”

“Did you drag us all into a quagmire for something with no chance of success? Huh!”

“C-calm down.”

“Calm down? You shameless bastard! You should be taking responsibility!”

“Take responsibility. Responsibility!”

Once again, the council members' denunciations began. The chairman felt himself being cornered.

“What? Responsibility?”

“That's right!”

“Are you telling me to take the fall and die alone?

Do you really think I carried out this plan alone? Didn't you all agree to the proposal?”

“Ahem....”

“Well, we did, but....”

Still, they had some sense of shame. At the chairman's scathing words, the council members trailed off.

“Even if you offer up my head, the Margrave won't be appeased. Not this time.”

Not missing the opportunity, the chairman hurriedly began to persuade them.

“Do you think the Margrave's army will leave us alone? It's clear they'll drag us out and hang us by the neck immediately.”

“Still....”

“Hmph. Still? This man is so frustrating.”

Thumping his chest, the chairman secretly glanced at the council members.

Their eyes were all visibly wavering.

If he was the ringleader, then they were accomplices. From the Margrave's perspective, there was no reason to see them differently.

Thanks to that, the persuasion seemed to be working.

The chairman, who had gained confidence from that, shouted.

“Ahem! You still haven't grasped the situation!

All that's left for us is death! If we have internal strife here, we will just crumble more easily.”

“Then what do you want us to do.”

“That's right. Chairman. Do you have some other brilliant idea?”

A brilliant idea? If he had one, things wouldn't have gotten this far.

But at least there was a way to get out of this situation.

“Now we have to grit our teeth and conscript the citizens to hold out. Winter is coming soon.

If everyone holds a spear and shield and endures, we will eventually be able to defeat the Margrave. Don't we still have plenty of food in the city?”

“If we do that, there will be a backlash....”

“That's right. If we suddenly give them swords, the citizens won't follow.”

“We have to make them follow!”

The chairman opened his mouth as if they were pathetic.

“The deed is already done. The Margrave was almost assassinated, and that man and his subordinates will be filled with rage.

In this situation, do you think they will leave this city alone?”

It was an era where plunder was rampant, no, where plunder was accepted as a natural right.

On top of that, if they were filled with rage, the result of the fall would surely be the destruction of the city.

“Tell the citizens clearly. That if we are conquered, this city will be razed to the ground.”

“Hmm….”

At the grim warning, the council members swallowed their groans.

As the chairman said, there was no turning back now.

All that was left was to grit their teeth and fight. And as they were steeling their resolve.

-Creak!

Once again, another messenger entered and shouted urgently.

“Chairman! The Margrave's army is retreating!”

“What?”

“??????”

* * *

A hideout near the City of Markel.

“Will you be alright?”

“What do you mean?

“If you resort to such a petty trick, my lord, won't people point their fingers at you? Saying you're unknightly....”

“Oh, is that all.”

At Chamberlain Hamil's question, I cleaned my ear with a bored expression.

The values of the nobles and knights in this [Pangea Universalise] were truly hard to understand.

In a battlefield where life and death hang in the balance, what kind of ridiculous fairness is there?

In his opinion, the nobles in this game talked about chivalry and honor, but their insides were pitch black.

Just look at this assassination attempt; if he had been careless, he would have died.

‘Well, I am a bit concerned about the infamy.’

[Turning a crisis into an opportunity!]

[Meticulous Planner Trait Correction!]

[You have turned an assassination attempt into an opportunity. The enemies of the city have been completely deceived by your insidious stratagem. Now, prepare for a new battle.]

[Notification: Prestige increases by 10.]

[Notification: Infamy increases by 10.]

[Notification: Infamy has surpassed 10. The infamy stat is now displayed in the character status window.]

[Warning: A high infamy stat increases the probability of historical mischief occurring.]

It was practically a blatant warning. So.... live like a decent human being. Is that it?

But it was unfair. I hadn't done anything inhumane, I had just done something that didn't fit the standards of medieval people!

‘Grrr. When I capture this city, I'll have to go in the direction of protecting the citizens as much as possible.’

Muttering like that, I asked Chamberlain Hamil next to me.

“What's the situation?”

“Well, they seem to be completely deceived. Horsemen were running wild in all directions from the city. They must be busy trying to grasp the situation.”

It was a good sign.

It would be difficult for them to ascertain the truth of the news that I was seriously ill for now.

They would be half in doubt.

Whether it was true or false.

But what if they confirmed that my army had returned to the lord's castle? They would surely be completely deceived.

What if they weren't deceived?

Then they are strategists on a post-medieval level, so what can I do.

I'll just have to give up and go back. I'll have to aim for next spring when the weather gets warmer.

‘Of course, I don't think that will happen.’

Thinking that, I stood up from my seat. My body was stiff from camping in hiding for a long time.

“Ughhh. I'm dying. By the way, Chamberlain Hamil. Is Biden well-prepared?”

“Yes. He is waiting with the soldiers in the nearby bushes.

On the new moon, when their guard is completely down, Biden will lead the soldiers and open the castle gates.”

“Right. Now we just have to wait.”

Not far from the castle, in the forest, a death squad led by Biden was in hiding.

They were to take control of the castle and open the gates on the day the city's guard was down.

Then I would lead the cavalry and finish it off with a clean sweep! A neat plan.

“Good. Then let's try to catch a big one. I really want to see the faces of those arrogant Markel city council members.”

And at that time, I was planning to repay the gift they gave me. With love (?) carefully wrapped.

* * *

The chairman was a more cautious type than he seemed.

He did not let go of his suspicions and focused on sending messengers here and there to grasp the situation.

And when three days had passed like that.

The chairman was finally able to draw a conclusion.

“God has protected us! That wicked Margrave must be seriously injured!”

At first, he had been suspicious when they moved like that despite the assassination failing.

But according to the messenger, the Margrave's army had already returned to the lord's castle, and his vassals were busy holding meetings in the castle day after day.

Could there be more accurate circumstances than this!

The Margrave was surely seriously injured.

“Congratulations, Chairman!”

“It is all thanks to the Chairman's stratagem. It would have been terrible without you.”

When the situation turned out like this, the council members were busy flattering him.

At this rate, the chairman would become the chairman in the next session as well. It was necessary to make a good impression on him for the future.

“Hahaha. It's all thanks to the council members. How could I have tried without the council members' full support? Isn't that right?”

“That's right-!”

“Now, now! Let's not do this, let's have a banquet. This is practically our victory, isn't it!

Hahahaha.”

“A banquet! That's great!! Let's really let loose this time!”

“Uhahaha! A banquet! A banquet!”

The chairman and the council members were excited and prepared for a banquet.

Now that the Margrave was injured, there was no need to worry about the war.

It would take a long time for him to recover. During that time, they could join hands with outside lords and secure their independence again. It would be even better if the Margrave happened to die.

If that happened, the contenders for the next Margrave title would surely fight each other tooth and nail.

Thanks to that, the citizens and soldiers in the city were able to relax for the first time in a long time and get some much-needed sleep.

And there was one man watching all of this.

The knight who was hiding in the nearby forest, leading the death squad, Biden.

“The time has finally come.”

Saying that, Biden drew his sword.

-Shhhhring

The blade glinted menacingly in the faint light of the new moon.