Ouroboros Record ~Circus of Oubeniel~

As Meahbahn collected his thoughts, a concerned voice called out..

"What is the matter, Count Mearbahn? You seem a bit distracted, aren’t you?"

Behind the friendly tone of his voice, he could see that he was looking down on those who were older than he was. It’s no good since he was like an open book. He resisted the urge to say so and laughed it off.

"Ha ha. No, no, a battle is a valuable experience, even if it is a calamity. I was thinking of letting my son help me with something this time."

"Wow! I really admire your parental love. I know that I have much to learn from you."

(If Langogne was that admirable, my troubles would be of no consequence.)

In the face of a problem that, if not solved, would be more serious than a war, the noble, who was soon approaching the edge of ageing, tried his best to stifle his sigh.

※ ※ ※

"Well, it seems that Count Langogne in the royal capital is like this in every single way."

"Wow......"

While making preparations to go into battle, I covered my eyes when I heard what Laubert had received from the agents in the capital. It's no wonder Victor had been so critical of the Count. We had done everything we could to put him in a position to lead the centralist faction — though he himself was unaware — but he was already trying to show his true colours. If he continued on his path, he would soon lose allies in the faction. No, it seems that even if he gained allies, he still couldn't control the opposition within the faction...... It's getting harder and harder to save him.

"Still, I wonder why the head of the centralist faction, even if just a provisional one, is busy with gathering soldiers...... Normally, we would accommodate the prepared generals to recruit them and later, convince the rest that the main factor for victory was us."

At the very least, it would be a much better strategy than a court noble leading troops to the frontlines. Could a beginner at war command troops, or even mercenaries who were more like hoodlums? Were mercenaries even commendable? If not careful, a situation where both armies, taking advantage of the chaos, end up looting Volden.

"That's the thing, though. The Marquis Lavallee ousting seemed to have cut off the military people who were connected to the faction through him. That old man was a great benefactor of the expansion of the Imperial Guards, so the knights from the Imperial Guards in particular must be distrustful of Count Langogne."

The answer to my casual question was even more serious. Even though they were a centralist faction, the chain keeping control of the most important centre holding military power was cut. Their collapse could basically be appreciated as art at this point. It was so artistic that I wanted it to just explode.

I mean, if he really wanted to get rid of Lavallee, he should have at least done some groundwork. I wonder if he was planning to commit suicide by starting a coup d'etat without having an actual fighting force in place.

"We’ve been had...... If he can't control the Imperial Guards and can't negotiate properly with the merchants, Count Langogne is no more. Sooner or later, that old man is going to revive."

"You think this is also what the Marquis Lavallee was after?"

"Of course."

That somewhat puts me in a bad mood.

"The old man must have been meeting with merchants here and there to procure supplies for the reconstruction of the royal capital, right? Most likely, he will return to the royal capital just when Count Langogne has fallen into a deadlock, and convince the merchants to bring in war funds, supplies, and mercenaries. He probably plans to stage a comeback with those achievements."

Get a grip, Count Langogne. These should have all been your duties.

"If I may supplement the words of His Excellency...... it is likely that he will not only provide food and supplies from the merchants, but he will also provide a considerable amount of food and supplies to the military himself. I'm sure he's going to throw out all the money he's been scraping together for the reconstruction project. He's likely going to use this opportunity to throw out all the money that he's been saving in his own pocket to keep St. Gallen from going into anarchy."

And Victor. It's just as I expected from the illegitimate son, he could read his grandfather's intentions perfectly. Though it is all too late now since there is no way to interfere.

I looked over at Laubert and he was still shaking his head in disbelief.

"Really? Because it's a war, right? Would he go this far for a ruse?"

"I know he is capable of this."

Victor spat out.

"His original target is St. Gallen. I've heard that it was after they were defeated by that country fifty years ago that he began to blatantly centralise the kingdom’s power. If you think about it, it's not surprising that all of the scheming up until now was for this one battle."

"But that's too much of a gamble...... What if St. Gallen comes from the Duke of Allemande territory? No, in fact, he seemed certain that the main battlefield would be here in Volden. In addition to that, if we did not set up a plan to remove the former head of the family, then—"

"Doesn't matter either way, not to that old man."

Yes, it's easy to understand after putting more thought on it.

"The Duke of Allemande might have royal blood, but he's still a noble with a large feudal domain in the provinces, after all. He'll be an eyesore for the centralists. It would be a blessing if his strength and our strength was wasted. In fact, it's easier to win the war if we could force them to attack us because our defences were so heavy to begin with. As for my brother, he was a non-factor. If he remains the head of the family, I would be fighting St. Gallen under his command. He could rely on the strategy of sending me to my death with a reckless order."

No matter how it turns out, it would all be to Lavallee's benefit, or rather, it would be to the detriment of Lavallee's enemies. He's really an old man who comes up with disgusting plans.

The only obstacle was whether the Kingdom could beat St. Gallen while embroiled in a messy political situation...... And Lavallee thinks the Kingdom would come out on top.

After all, St. Gallen were like locusts attacking us because they didn't have enough food. It was clearer than day that they were aiming for a short battle. In contrast, the Kingdom’s side, or rather Lavallee, has stockpiled plenty of food and could fight for as long as he wanted. The most solid plan would be to fortify the defences near the Allemande area to suppress the enemy reinforcements in the northbound direction, and when the offensive of the other side reaches its limit, launch a counterattack and annihilate them. This way, the chances of victory for the Kingdom of Arquell were high.

The strategy on St. Gallen's side was based on the assumption that the Arquell Kingdom had not prepared for war or at least, it would take some time to prepare. Lavallee has read through this and was determined to turn that assumption on its head. When the shock of the surprise attack stirs Arquell up, Arquell's side will have the advantage of being fully prepared and able to hit back.

If only the Kingdom didn’t act foolishly fifty years ago, where they messed up in a battle that they were supposed to win and got caught by surprise.

"So we were sacrificed to fulfil that old fox’s wish? It’s hopeless."

Victor was right, Lavallee's war plans did not take into account our safety. No, it will be a matter of celebration for him if worries were to be crushed to the ground while fighting against external threats. If I were to survive this war, I could still be punished for failing to protect the land entrusted by the king despite my position as a count. If I chose to defy orders, he could send the army that defeated the St. Gallen army in our direction. It truly was a hopeless future.

"Exactly. So I'm going to have to work hard to make sure that doesn't happen."

Victor and I both nodded and then looked towards Laubert.

"Do you understand now? That old fox is still alive and kicking."

"—Yes. Sorry, I guess I was in a little disbelief."

Now didn’t seem to be the time to be caught in disbelief, but whatever. If he has already understood the situation and calmed down, then from now he can continue working calmly and carefully as he has, as the best bureaucrat among my vassalage.