I am the Monarch

Chapter 159: Fief War (2)

In the last life, the first person to take down Sethus was the pirate king Beck.

No, the only man to have taken down Sethus was Beck.

Although there were more than plenty of people stronger than Beck on land, Beck was the strongest man at least on the Poskein Lake.

‘Since even besides his individual strength, he also had the support of the mermaids.’

Anyhow, after taking down Sethus, which was categorized as an upper echelon even amongst the Poskein Lake’s monsters, Beck dissected its body into pieces.

The reason?

‘There is an oil sac within the monster’s body.’

Sethus secreted a peculiar-smelling oil when seducing its mate, and this was the very Sethus oil.

‘If one covered the ships, armor, and clothes in that oil, the monsters categorized under lower echelon of the Poskein Lake will run far away just from smelling the odor.’

The Sethus oil was stored in an oil sac deep inside its body, and as much as its gigantic sized body, the oil sac also boasted an amazingly great size.

Enough for all the Tale Legion’s ships and soldiers to use and have left overs.

Not only that.

‘Sethus’ crimson blood has the effect of stopping the approach of other Sethus.’

The predator of the Poskein Lake Sethus instinctively had a strong repulsion towards its own blood.

‘These were the very rumors that I had heard.’

No, to be exact, it could be called information.

‘Since Beck actually became a pirate king with the ships and armor washed in Sethus’ oil and blood. Of course, he did receive the mermaids’ help.’

The problem was after that.

After completely seizing the Poskein Lake, Beck had committed atrocities that were incredible enough to be almost unimaginable.

Levying tolls to the merchant ships travelling the lake was understandable.

But depending on his mood, he even seized or sank the ships that were travelling.

Not only that, he had raided the villages on the lakeside, plundered their properties, and killed the people as he wished.

The four nations bordering the Poskein Lake had tried to fight against Beck’s such tyranny, but there was no way to fight him, who had settled himself at a place deep in the Poskein Lake.

‘One of the reasons I’m trying to subjugate and conquer the Poskein Lake first.’

If he were to conquer the Poskein Lake, Roan planned to only collect appropriate tolls and usage fees.

‘Of course, there isn’t only economic reason like that.’

The biggest reason he was hurrying to subjugate and conquer the Poskein Lake.

‘The damage from the monsters is severe.’

Although the cases of monsters carrying out large-scale land invasion like the Poskein Exodus weren’t something that happened often, cases of large and small villages being attacked were happening frequently.

Furthermore, in case of few terrestrial monsters, there even were research results that said their roots were in the Poskein Lake.

‘At least for the lakeside villages’ safety and the residents’ peaceful lives, Poskein subjugation is necessary at any cost.’

Although it was an immensely anthropocentric thought, it was a natural decision to the human Roan.

Since Poskein Lake’s monsters too were attacking the human villages on the lakeside on their own decision.

‘On top of that, there just was a need for a situation to sound out Kali Owells’ plan.’

The Poskein Lake Subjugation was utilized even as a part of the stratagem to reveal Kali’s black intentions. Since he would definitely move if a vacuum of power appeared.

Like that, the subjugation had arose with numerous schemes as the background.

“Soak the sail and the mast, forecastle and the stern with Sethus’ blood!”

“Soak also the helmets and armors thoroughly!”

The commanders of and above the thousand-man commander rank ordered the soldiers.

Even the Tale Legion’s soldiers, who instantly reacted to any order, hesitated a bit at least at this moment.

Bathing the armor in the blood a monster had bled was simply disagreeable.

At that moment, the one stepped up was in fact Roan.

Taking the lead and setting an example, he plunged his helmet and armor into Sethus’ blood.

“Ah……”

Seeing that sight, the soldiers hid their looks of hesitation, took off their helmets and armor, and thickly plastered Sethus’ blood in ones and twos.

Splash. Splash.

From here and there noisily echoed the sound of plunging armors into the crimson blood.

The sticky yet metallic-smelling blood began to color the armors and the ships red.

The alchemists and the engineers who had boarded along, just in case there might be a need for it later, were bottling the Sethus’ blood fully in empty wooden caskets and loading them.

‘Right. Since who knows if there is another effect to Sethus’ blood.’

It wasn’t as if Roan knew everything.

He especially and greatly lacked technical knowledge.

‘The alchemy department and the engineering department should take care of it well.’

If even the Reno Magic Tower were to assist the research, they should be able to gain a greater result.

If possible, he wished that there was a mana enhancement property to Sethus’ blood and oil, no, at least in its chunks of flesh.

‘Is it an overly excessive expectation?’

He pointlessly felt embarrassed and smiled.

At that moment.

“We found it!”

“We found the oil sac, sir!”

The soldiers who had been digging through Sethus’ body shouted aloud.

Roan quickly kicked off the stern and climbed up onto Sethus’ body.

When he claw through and entered into the crimson body, he saw the oil sac of an incredible size.

“Like how we rubbed on the Sethus’ blood, thoroughly plaster the oil too on the ships and the armors.”

“Yes. Understood!”

The commanders and the soldiers answered in one voice.

Soon, with the Roan at the lead and starting with the commanders as an example, they covered Sethus’ oil onto their entire armor.

Following after that, the soldiers continued on the work of rubbing the oil.

As expected, the amount of oil was plenty.

Not only once but over two, three times, the Tale Legion’s soldiers meticulously rubbed on the oil again and again.

In that time, the darkness went away and the sun rose.

But even so, the oil rubbing work continued on.

The sun set once again and the darkness fell onto the surroundings.

Perhaps thanks to Sethus’ crimson blood and oil, there wasn’t even a single monster that attacked the legion.

“We have completed everything, sir.”

Austin reported.

With Sethus’ crimson blood and oil, the ships and the soldiers were newly born.

The world was completely red.

If the Istel Kingdom’s soldiers saw that sight, they would have trembled in shock saying it’s the Crimson Ghost’s army.

A crimson legion.

Like that, the legion of fear that would later shake and thrill the world began.

“Bottle the remaining blood and oil into wooden casks and load as much as possible.”

“Yes! Understood!”

Soon, the work continued.

However, the amount of blood and oil was much too great compared to the amount that could be loaded.

Sethus was that gigantic.

‘It’s regrettable, but can’t be helped.’

If he could, he would have liked to tie Sethus’ body to a ship and haul it, but it was simply too big so they couldn’t.

Putting the regrettable feeling behind him, Roan called together the thousand-man rank commanders.

“Since we have covered the armors and ships with Sethus’ blood and oil, the lower echelon monsters won’t be able to even dare to approach.”

At those words, numerous thousand-man commanders clenched their fists tight.

“It became no different than attaching a wing to Poskein Lake Subjugation.”

“Subjugation of lake’s northern region shouldn’t have any problem.”

“Let us immediately advance to the Exos Island.”

Their voices were confident and energetic.

Roan slowly nodded his head.

“One should row when the tide comes in.”

With this opportunity, he planned to advance to the Exos Island and build a military port.

But even so, it wasn’t a situation where he could lead the entire legion and advance.

Roan looked at Semi.

“Three-thousand-man commander Semi will take ten ships and subjugate the lake’s northern region.”

“Yes. Understood!”

Semi instantly saluted as he answered.

The rest of the commanders, as if asking what he meant, stared at Roan with blank expressions.

Roan faintly smiled as he looked at them.

“The rest will return to the fief.”

The instant he said those words.

“Eh?”

“We’re going back?”

Several thousand-man commanders asked back with surprised expressions.

They couldn’t understand returning to the fief when they had just seized the chance to victory.

But Austin and the core commanders, who already knew the meaning behind the Poskein Lake Subjugation before marching, slowly nodded their heads.

Roan turned his head and stared towards the north.

“By now, the north should have become very noisy.”

As he had expected, currently, the Lancephil County located north of the Tale Barony was greatly noisy.

No, it wasn’t at a level of being noisy.

It was literally a scene of hell.

That day, Roan left ten ships and headed towards the Nuperu village, the port they sailed from, under the cover of darkness.

A dark night when even the moonlight hid.

Tens of crimson boats and soldiers slowly moved north.

*****

“I am the captain of the Tale Barony Northern Road Troop 1st Castle Hughes. Sir Count Lancephil. We welcome you to the Tale Barony.”

A man who seemed to have just entered his thirties saluted in front of a wide open castle gate.

The troop that was approaching with the Count Lancephil House’s flag at the lead stopped their motion.

They were the transferred troops to the Tale Barony that Count Io Lancephil had promised before.

Soon, the soldiers split to the sides and haggard-looking Count Io Lancephil appeared.

“Northern Road Troop 1st Castle?”

Io cautiously asked as he climbed down from his horse.

The man who had been saluting, Hughes, faintly smiled as he answered.

“We cannot tell you exactly because it’s a military secret, but in the case of Tale Barony, we have divided our defense forces and are managing them as five separate troops. The Northern Road Troop is the troop defending the fief’s northern border and is stationed with twelve big and small forts at the center. I am responsible for managing the 1st Castle amongst those.”

It was a straight and powerful enough pose that was almost hard to see as from a commander of a commoner background.

“Hmm.”

Io nodded his head with a slightly surprised expression.

He knew that Roan was developing an elite troop with the Tale Legion as a base, but he didn’t know that he possibly had separately put side a defense force and was firmly defending the fief.

‘And to think there are twelve forts like this just on the fief’s northern border……’

Suddenly, he remembered Kali Owells’ past report.

‘He said that we need to warn and guard against Roan since he had built forts and has stationed troops at places close to our fief.’

For some reason, a bitter smile came out.

‘Has telling him not to mind at the time instead help me?’

He hadn’t quite knew that the situation would become like this.

With a short sigh, Io shook his head and looked at Hughes.

“Could you tell me the state of our fief?”

“I will answer you that, sir.”

Pushing aside the soldiers lined up behind Hughes, the president Chris of Agens showed himself.

His expression wasn’t very bright.

“For now, let us move the location.”

At Chris’ words, Io nodded his head.

With a little tired look, he moved his feet and briefly asked.

“As expected, it isn’t good, no?”

His words asked of the state of the war.

Chris bitterly smiled and nodded his head.

“Already, most of the west have went over to Count Chase Troop’s hands. Of the detailed stories……”

He lightly glanced at the Count Lancephil Troops lined up behind them, then spoke in a quiet voice as if to whisper.

“I will tell you inside.”

His voice was heavy.

As much as that, Io’s expression too turned solid stiff.

“Huu.”

A sigh holding heavy regrets extended out long.

*****

“Idiotic bastard!”

Kali Owells kicked over the table in front of him and shouted.

The commanders who were sitting together with him were abruptly surprised and stood up from their seat.

It was the first time that Kali became this much angry.

‘Even though he was always cool-headed.’

‘Well, this event is hard to tolerate.’

‘Stupid Perry Wilson.’

The commanders searched Kali’s mood and cursed the Lancephil Fief Troop Captain Perry Wilson.

Boom!

Kali kicked aside the table once again.

The table shattered into pieces and they couldn’t even guess its old look.

But Kali didn’t shout nor show a look of jumping around in fit like before.

In that short moment, Kali was already regaining his composure.

He threw himself down onto his seat and glared at the opposite side.

The messenger of the Fief Troop Captain Perry Wilson.

The young man, who looked to be just now about mid twenties, was lowering his head with a completely nervous expression.

“So, Io Lancephil’s current location is?”

Kali asked with a quietly subdued voice.

The messenger dryly gulped once and then answered.

“We sent a pursuit troop but it was already too late. Sir Count Lancephil has, no, Io Lancephil has entered the Tale Barony.”

The end of his voice shook.

“Huu.”

Controlling the rage that boiled up, Kali spat out a long sigh.

‘Perry Wilson. You stupid and conceited man. You finally ruined the work.’

It wasn’t even as if he had asked for a difficult work.

‘Even though I merely told him to carefully monitor Io.’

Perry was overflowing with confidence.

No, his conceit was excessive.

In the end, that conceited attitude had ruined the work.

When Kali was subjugating the western region of the Lancephil County together with Count Chase Troop, Perry Wilson’s messenger arrived.

The news the messenger brought was Io Lancephil’s escape.

Uddk.

The teeth naturally gritted.

‘Io Lancephil. If I can’t catch that old man, the work won’t end even if I conquer the Lancephil County.’

If Io, who survived, continued to call himself the owner of the fief, only Kali’s position would become vague.

‘Damn it!’

Curses pushed up to his throat.

But it wasn’t as if the work would be solved just because he mindlessly raged.

‘I need to find a way. A way……’

With his eyes closed, Kali rolled his mind.

Tens, hundreds of bizarre, extravagant, and complicated plans repeated to arise and be estranged.

After an unknown amount of time.

Gulp.

The commanders who were sitting together with him were merely watching Kali’s mood.

At that moment.

Flash!

Kali opened the eyes he had closed and looked at the magic corp head Tairon Bess.

“Baron Bess. Immediately take a part of the magic corp and a part of the knight order and go to the Lemy Region.”

“Le…… my Region you say?”

Tairon creased his brows.

Even within the Lancephil County, the Lemy Region was a very remote countryside region located in the north.

Although it was known as a place where the scenery was good, it wasn’t a place where the number of residents were great since it was a place too close to the Byron Kingdom.

It wasn’t a place where they would go out of their way to lead the members of the magic corp and the knights to find in such situation.

Kali slowly nodded his head.

With a meaningful expression, he spoke as if to whisper.

“There is a bait there that could lure out Io.”

“A bait that could lure out Io?”

Tairon unknowingly asked back in a quiet voice.

Kali looked around at everyone and answered shortly.

“Lemy Region is where the last head of the knight order and Io Lancephil’s old friend, Albert Wein retired.”

A cold killing intent hung on his voice.

“Capture and bring him here.”

If it’s Albert Wein, he should become an excellent bait.

The tips of Kali’s mouth slowly went up.

It was a horrifying smile.

‘Io. Will you be able to endure and stand?’

Could he simply watch his friend’s neck be cut?

Kali shook his head.

‘He will definitely come to rescue him.’

He was certain.

‘Since that’s exactly Io.’

Kali had the confidence to catch a big fish with a one old bait.

A big fish called Io.