The Price is Everything of Yours (76 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 239

Colorful banners fluttered above the tents, riding the night wind. Among the hundreds of tents blanketing the field, only one bore the grand standard marked with a golden-thread sun—and right in the center of that tent, Ralph gave his final instructions to the soldiers before him.

“Understood? Cause as much commotion as possible while you push deep inside. If Squad One succeeds in attacking the lord’s castle, they’ll send up a red smoke signal; if there’s trouble, it’ll be green. When you see it, carry out the Grand Duke’s order exactly as trained.”

A dozen or so soldiers dressed as serfs replied crisply, “Yes, sir!” Ralph bared his teeth in a cruel smile.

“You needn’t worry about being captured or killed. Those northern savages won’t even get a glimpse of you. The first city beyond the Ilophium Mountains—Draecum—is already in ruins.”

Marquis Tipian apparently thought—hoped—that the Imperial Army would waste its time here, but Abelus had no intention of behaving so sluggishly. After all, the Grand Duke and his wife had dared to insult the Imperial House.

The Imperial House couldn’t attack a vassal without justification, and stories about stolen money or the like couldn’t be aired publicly without damaging the dignity of the throne.

But if it wasn’t an attack, then what was there to object to? Especially when a plausible reason existed—say, for instance, that unrest had broken out in the perpetually tense Tipian Marquisate, and its ringleaders had fled to nearby Maindlant, necessitating their pursuit.

What could the Grand Duke possibly say if the Imperial Army marched freely through southern Maindlant? After all, was the Emperor not merely aiding his vassal by hunting rebels?

‘This time, Grand Duke, you’ll get exactly what’s coming to you.’

Even Ralph, who had lived his whole life winning over others, had known failure. His most bitter memory came from his academy days, a few years ago, when he’d tried—and failed—to kill Cledwin Maindlant before the latter ascended to the Grand Duchy.

It had been the perfect opportunity: the late Marquis Tipian had trapped the Grand Duke with poison, and Ralph, along with Joseph Karen—who was now also dead—had been tracking him… Had Ralph succeeded in that mission, he might well have become the Empire’s youngest Knights Commander by now, honored for his service.

Yet from that flawless scenario, the Grand Duke had escaped. Back then, it had seemed mere suspicion, but looking back now, Ralph was certain it had been the tiny Neris Trude who’d hidden him that day.

That mere twelve-year-old freshman, a child of minor nobility—how could she have been so cunning?

He had to redeem that past failure now. Especially in such a critical moment for the Imperial House, standing out mattered more than ever.

That was why Ralph hadn’t objected, even though he disliked that Abelus was dispatching troops without sufficient reconnaissance.

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