Barcas ordered the knights to reorganize their ranks and climbed back into the saddle.
After moving along the gentle ridge for a while, the distance narrowed enough to identify the faces of the knights.
He carefully observed the knight in the lead. He was wearing a helmet on his head, but he was able to easily recognize the identity of his opponent.
Kailias. He was a high-ranking knight in the top 10 of the Roem Knights hierarchy.
He was also a man who had had several frictions with Barcas in the past.
In the past two years, a knight who has made meritorious service and risen to a high-ranking position approached and greeted him with a vigorous attitude.
"Long time no see, Your Excellency."
"...Why are you here?"
"I guess you haven't heard the news yet."
The man arrogantly opened his mouth.
"The lords of the Northeast region colluded with the remnants of the North. After receiving this report, His Majesty immediately ordered to support the East and suppress the rebels."
Barcas's eyebrows were wrinkled.
The man who was spinning around as if enjoying his displeasure spat out as if booing.
"Why do you look like that? It is not that Your Excellency is not happy with the reinforcements His Majesty sent."
"...What exactly does it mean that the lords of the northeastern province colluded with the remnants of the north?"
"Even if I don't bother to explain it, you can guess something."
The man said in a meaningful tone.
As if they could no longer bear his irreverent attitude, Beiroff and other knights from the East took a step forward with a fierce face. Only then did the sarcastic man add with a tongue kick.
"Half a month ago, His Highness the Crown Prince captured Blodar Kip. Thanks to this, we were able to obtain all the information about the forces involved in the rebellion."
Barcas's eyebrows twitched at the unexpected news.
"Wasn't there a strict order to wait under siege of the castle until the peace treaty was signed?"
"You can't just suck your fingers forever with a group of traitors right in front of you. His Majesty also recognized His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's meritorious service."
The man, who spoke in defense of the Crown Prince, turned his head with a gentle sigh
"Let's go. We will report the details on the move."
Barcas, who was staring at the company with the reins in his hands, immediately signaled the departure to the knights who were waiting.
After a while, the knights who had organized their lines began to march at a slight distance from the Roem Knights.
Kailias, who was at the forefront, drove his horse to the side of Barcas and continued his explanation in a businesslike tone.
"Half a month ago, His Highness the Crown Prince infiltrated the castle in advance and launched a wave of attacks. The operation worked, and they succeeded in capturing the castle at dawn. His Highness the Crown Prince immediately put up the supply and demand of the Duke of Heimdall at the gate, and announced to the world what the price of rebellion was."
"What happened to Bjorn Brodar Heimdall?"
Barcas, who had been listening silently, asked a question. The triumphant knight's face was slightly wrinkled.
"He was not in the castle. I don't know when or how he got out... It is said that most of the key leaders, including Bjorn, had already escaped immediately after the castle was besieged. The siege was just a way to buy time for them to plan external operations."
Barcas laughed in vain.
"Did you sacrifice my father and the largest city in the north?"
"Isn't he the person who led such a ridiculous war? It was a mistake to expect him to be sane in the first place."
The man let out a heavy sigh and continued his explanation in a calm tone.
"In any case, we have been tracking Bjorn's whereabouts since the capture of the castle. And as soon as we received Information that he had fled to the east with his followers, we reported it to His Majesty. His Majesty ordered the troops waiting on the northern and eastern borders to attack, and at the same time ordered us to provide additional support."
Barcas tightened the reins so tightly that the veins on the back of his hand stood out. Apparently, Darren's telegram was sent right after the Emperor's order was issued.
'...The stage of quiet repair has already passed.'
If he tried to cover up his sins in a hurry, he would end up wearing the shackles of rebellion. As long as the Emperor openly dispatched reinforcements, armed conflict was now inevitable.
"Fighting has probably already begun on the border. We must hurry too."
After finishing the report, the knight spurred his horse and ran ahead. Barcas also silently followed him and picked up his speed.
How long did he run nonstop? Beyond the sunset skyline, a city surrounded by magnificent colored walls appeared.
Looking around the smoking walls and the thousands of soldiers surrounding them, Barcas ordered the knights who followed him to enter the attack.
Soon after, with the sound of a loud horn, the knights with their swords drew into the field into the battlefield.
Barcas closely examined the military camp from a distance to accurately grasp the situation.
Spearmen carrying the banners of the Grand Duke family were surrounding the city from the north and east of the castle, respectively, and infantry bearing the Imperial flag were pushing their carts to break down the gates.
For a moment, he frowned at the situation that was going faster than he expected, but he found Darren giving Instructions to the soldiers in the camp on the outskirts, and turned his head to it.
"Your Excellency!"
Darren, who found him, was surprised and shouted loudly.
Barcas asked questions about the situation without even asking a ceremonial greeting.
"I heard the detailed explanation from the reinforcements sent by the imperial family. How is the progress?"
"As you can see, the castle attack is going well. However..."
As if he had been struggling so far, the man who had swept away his rough face continued in a heavy tone.
"There are not one or two people involved in the rebellion. A large-scale purge seems inevitable to remedy this chaos."
Barcas looked at the damaged walls with a stiff face.
The magnificent city that he had visited to inspect the camp immediately after taking the post of Grand Duke was being submerged in screams and flames.
Staring at the scene with a bitter gaze, he immediately drew his sword and spurred it towards the front line.
He saw soldiers rushing into the shattered gate.
In the city that had been in chaos due to the catapult, the sound of weapons clashing was echoing loudly.
Entering the melee, Barcas cut down the enemies in his way with a single knife and opened the way for the cavalry lined up behind him.
Soon after, war horses armed with heavy armor rushed into the city in rows.
The soldiers who tried to prevent the enemy from entering somehow fell to the ground under the weight of the magnificent warhorse. The cavalrymen who drove their horses over it relentlessly crushed the enemy.
Watching the scene of the horrific abuse with a dry face, Barcas soon led his cavalry through the square to the citadel towering in the center of the city...
The citizens seemed to have evacuated to the castle in advance, and the inside of the city seemed to be empty.
As he looked around the quiet buildings and central square, as if far away from the hustle and bustle of battle, he soon turned his gaze to the tightly closed gates and solid walls over the moat.
He could see archers on top of the tower, aiming arrows at them and waiting for the enemy to approach. He presented soldiers who were about to rush towards the gates.
"Don't get too close. Now that the city has been captured, it is only a matter of time before we take control of the city."
Carefully assessing the distance that the enemy's attack could not reach, Barcas turned his horse and gave instructions to his soldiers.
"Surround the castle thoroughly so that not a single rat can escape. They will raise the white flag within a month at the longest."
***
Tarlin declared his surrender less than three weeks later. The inner guards rebelled and hanged the neck of the main instigator, the lord of the castle, on the wall. Thanks to this, they were able to enter bloodlessly.
"The new lord was a young man who had only been in office for a few years. No one knew that he would betray His Excellency the Grand Duke and His Majesty the Emperor and sell military supplies to the north."
The captain of the guard who led the rebellion in the city begged for mercy and said.
Leading the knights into the courtyard of the castle, Barcas looked down at them with dry eyes and replied.
"If what you say is true, I will ask His Majesty the Emperor for leniency. If there is even a single word of falsehood mixed in, you too will be duly punished."
The man shook his head with a dark face.
Barcas instructed the soldiers who were waiting behind him to take the participants away, and strode across the courtyard.
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