I Planned a Su*cide Mission and Got Kicked Out of the Party

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The alliance was expanding. The summons of the Imperial Assembly regarding Jenis Harker just so happened to play a significant role in promoting and spreading the newly formed alliance.

It was, of course, a rare opportunity for the lords scattered across their domains to gather in one place, and the presence of Jeongjae, who represented both the lukewarm factions of Harker and Jeffrey, greatly showcased the alliance’s potential to establish itself as a political entity.

In any case, after the assembly disbanded, discussions about expanding the alliance were completely on fire. Naturally, the Baron Koesernis in the southeast of the continent reacted sharply to this news. Koesernis was the first to quickly express his desire to join the alliance. In his opinion, this alliance was not merely an organization limited to military affiliation.

What Douglas Koesernis yearned for the most was a foundation that would enable the southern lords to take autonomous military action. If the Southern Alliance were to possess military strength that could not be ignored, there was a possibility that the central imperial army would prefer to maintain the organized alliance forces rather than forcibly conscript the lords’ private soldiers, allowing them to contribute in the war against the Demon King’s army.

If that were to happen, naturally, the local lords in command of such armies would be granted a position equivalent to that of the imperial army commanders, leading to an elevation of status for military-capable lords like Koesernis within the Assembly.

Koesernis not only tested the waters for the Harker family’s potential alliance membership but also did his utmost to persuade the minor lords around him to join the organization.

While matters concerning the alliance captivated Koesernis’s attention for a time, he had not forgotten his primary duties and continued to focus on them.

Today, Koesernis was patrolling the northern borders of his domain, specifically towards the mountainous wilderness, on his way back to the county territory. Meeting him as he returned in his commander’s uniform was none other than Jemina Koesernis, his wife and the only wizard of the county territory.

“Oh, my dear. You’ve traveled far today.”

Looking at his wife, the Baron said this as he dismounted. Jemina, having just turned fifty, was transitioning from middle to old age with wrinkles forming on her face, but the age difference between her and the much older Baron was quite significant.

Moreover, thanks to the power of magic, Jemina maintained an appearance that, if seen as youthful, could easily pass for someone in their mid-thirties; this was quite the contrast to the Baron, whose white hair had fully appeared and who bore the same age as his years, making their appearance as a couple a bit strange. Of course, while it’s not uncommon for noble couples to have a significant age gap, it hardly caused any social problems.

“How was today’s patrol?”

Jemina asked her husband as they walked side by side.

“As you know, we are short on people. Of course, we have enough forces to protect our land, but it’s utterly insufficient to preemptively ward off threats from enemies coming down the mountain. It’s because the Hero took all the elite troops I had raised for his own exploits.”

“But you understand the Hero’s position better than anyone.”

Jemina said with a gentle smile. The elegant red dress she wore fluttered in the breeze. Wearing such a light outfit in this season was possible thanks to her skills as a capable wizard and the mild climate of the southern coast, which kept the harsh winter cold at bay.

In a sense, one thing that gave Baron Koesernis an advantage over the Northern Front, despite the constant tension right after the Hero’s march to the far north, was this.

“I understand. Of course, it’s only natural I don’t want to part with a single soldier if he’s planning on moving north. Since he really did carry out the Northern Expedition, I’ve ceased my criticism. What I want to say is that I don’t want a plethora of soldiers wasting time without actually heading into enemy territory.”

“It’s about the alliance, Douglas.”

Jemina replied.

“What do you desire from the alliance? In the end, the one to seize real power and rise as the new king of the South will either be Harker or Jeffrey. You are one of the most powerful men I know in this world, but the possibility of this organization granting you any more power than you already have is slim.”

“Jemina, when did I ever care about political power or the expansion of my forces?”

“You do care, Douglas.”

Jemina didn’t let her husband lie. The Baron, who had tied his horse to the stable, sighed and admitted it.

“Of course. It’s a good thing for our family name to grow. But the only ruler of the Empire is the Caprice family. Harker or Jeffrey might become strong, but they can never be a king. That goes the same for Koesernis here. In the end, who is stronger and who is weaker comes down to a mere game of acorns. Excluding the noble Elf race, the only ones who can declare themselves king besides His Majesty Anton are merely four.”

The reason for excluding the elves is simply due to the fact that even those who aren’t high elves are hard to distinguish as kings from a human perspective based solely on their demeanor.

Koesernis, who governed the land bordering the Eramenia Forest, was one of those who understood the greatness of the fairies better than anyone else in the Empire.

“One of those would be the Demon King.”

“And the rival to that would be Walter Hellhound. Rose Caprice and the Dragon Lord of the North can also call themselves kings, but aside from those, there is no one else. It’s better if there aren’t any.”

“I understand your intention. If I have a chance to talk to Lord Harker, I’ll need to represent your opinion.”

“Lord? Isn’t there a viscount in the Harker family?”

“Was appointed just yesterday. Jenis Harker, the Great Sage of the new era. Apparently, he smoothly received all authorities from Gwen Markelus and has taken over the Magic Tower while expanding his connections with important figures in various sectors. He may be young, but he possesses a craftsmanship that cannot be underestimated.”

“If she’s the daughter of the Harker, then that makes sense. There are many strange rumors about her, and all of them sound legendary, so I’m listening with a grain of salt. However, if you are meeting with Lord Harker, then that means…”

“Correct. The Great Sage has also sent me a request for a meeting. He wants to gather the opinions of the second most powerful wizard living in the South regarding the chaotic situation down here…”

“Second? The first would be… Ah, I see, that makes sense.”

“Park Jeongjae is an existence whose power cannot be measured within our standards. There’s no need to feel hurt about being the second to him. He’s likely just trying to keep things simple by getting acquainted with me. According to rumors, the Great Sage is said to be joining the Northern Expeditionary Force soon…”

“If her skills are as rumored, the Northern Expeditionary Force will gain a reliable support unit, far more valuable than a dozen legions, just as you are more precious to me than dozens of legions.”

Jemina was about to respond to her husband’s words when a loud noise came from the northern border of the domain, as if weapons were clashing together, stirring up clouds of dust. Koesernis hastily spoke up again as he got back to his horse.

“What’s going on? There’s no scheduled training today!”

“Enemy raid! We are under attack! Enemies are coming from the mountain range!”

A soldier shouted in response to Koesernis’s words. Without having the luxury to change into his armor, Koesernis immediately mounted his horse and drew his sword.

“Protect your head.”

Jemina Koesernis handed him a black breastplate for cavalry protection as he mounted. While he lacked the time to don full plate armor, the fact that Koesernis wore a light chain mail beneath his uniform in preparation for the patrol was somewhat fortunate. The Baron took the helmet with his gloved hand and placed it on his head before charging off.

“I’ll ride off in this robe! Please stay safe!”

As the Baron rode away, he raised one hand skyward as a response to Jemina’s words. Jemina Koesernis dashed into the castle to retrieve her red robe. Meanwhile, as the soldiers in the castle were busily moving to respond to the sudden enemy raid at the border, they were not in a state of panic.

Living as soldiers in Koesernis County meant that there was no chance of survival if they panicked over such trivial matters.

In the Koesernis County, serving as a soldier meant that unexpected enemy raids were common and almost part of daily life.

“Captain, Captain!”

At the battlefield to which Koesernis urgently arrived, a hundred men of his battalion were barely holding the line against the advancing enemies.

As usual, the scale of the enemy wasn’t too large. Koesernis County served rather as a stumbling block for sporadic enemies that would instinctively come down from the mountains, filled with monster tribes, than as a place receiving planned invasions.

“Yes, My Lord. You called for me?”

The captain, commanding around a hundred troops to drive back the enemies, replied. Koesernis swung his sword while inquiring.

“How many enemies are there? Report the situation!”

“They appear to be a goblin unit that seems to have either miscalculated their direction or descended for the purpose of raiding food. When they first appeared, there were one or two, but after we detected their movements and called for reinforcements, they are estimated at around four hundred now.”

“If so, there’s no need to send additional troops from the territory. I will lead the charge! Everyone, let’s trample those filthy goblin hordes!”

“Uwaaah!”

At seventy years of age, Koesernis leaped into the fray on horseback, charging right into the oncoming goblins. The goblins’ formation was disorderly, and the enemies were scattered here and there. These weren’t a regular army under proper command receiving orders from a designated commander. The Demon King was not foolish enough to throw regular soldiers into the treacherous mountains simply to wear them down.

Most of the goblins wielded rusty iron weapons, and many even had stone axes or stone hammers. Occasionally, there were a few individuals wielding somewhat powerful obsidian weapons, but generally, they bore much lower-quality weapons and were nothing but a ragtag bunch.

Koesernis swung his sword from his horse, slicing down the necks of the goblins. As Koesernis charged ahead, the hundred-strong, well-armed contingent of the County moved forward with their pikes and shields. A stable infantry formation of ten by ten. It was so stable and orthodox that a general with a bit of tactical knowledge could easily predict how to break through, but these were not those types.

The infantry was more about slaughter than battle, stabbing at scattered goblins through the gaps in their shields. The goblins couldn’t even scratch the forces of the well-trained Baron’s army.

As dozens of goblins were slaughtered, the goblin tribes realized their morale had completely crumbled and began to retreat.

Koesernis stood next to the infantry, raising his sword in the air and shouted.

“Throw your spears! Do not let the enemy escape! If we let them go now, they will return again to threaten our territory!”

At Koesernis’s command, the hundred men all threw their spears forward, targeting the fleeing goblins.

Most of the spears missed, but over a dozen struck true, piercing through goblins and taking their lives. Koesernis was satisfied by this and prepared to pursue the enemies alone. Just then, as the battle was nearing its end and the situation was stabilizing, Jemina arrived at the battlefield, floating down from the sky in her robe.

“Don’t get too heated, Douglas. From here on, I’ll take care of it.”

The Baron’s wife, having assessed the situation from above using a simple levitation spell, flicked a small flame toward one of the fleeing goblins.

The flame she conjured instantly turned into a fiery rope, wrapping around the goblin’s body. Turning to flee, the goblin was suddenly engulfed in flames, crying out in agony as it thrashed about.

“G-gyaah! Gyaaek!”

As the noise didn’t bother her ears, Jemina quietly closed her eyes, concentrating on controlling the flow of mana. At that moment, the flame ropes that bound one goblin spread out like a spiderweb, ensnaring four other goblins in the vicinity.

The fiery ropes shot out like branches from a tree, continuously multiplying and binding the goblins around them, and as the number of captured goblins increased, so too did the cries of agony engulfed in flames grow louder.

Finally, when dozens of goblins were simultaneously bound in flames, Jemina opened her eyes wide and clenched her fist.

With a soft pop, the ropes burst. Smoke rose up from the ground, and that was that. The goblins bound in flames no longer existed. What remained was only dozens of heaps of ashes. Not a trace of flesh or bone could be distinguished from the thoroughly reduced piles of ash.

“All done. That should give them a scare.”

Jemina said as she brushed off her hands. Douglas Koesernis looked down at his wife with an expression of awe.

“If you’re going to meet the Great Sage, I worry about who will defend this land in the meantime.”

“It will be no problem, you know?”

Jemina Koesernis gazed at the soldiers who were retrieving their spears from the goblin corpses, following the orders of the captain.

“Such occurrences are simply part of our daily life.”