Chapter 138 - Preparation

|3rd POV|

Sierra smiles a little at her ladies serving the men coming to her establishment. She is a founder and the owner of all pŀėȧsurė houses in the north. Sierra, or the Red Lady as people call her, is one of the most important people in the north.

Not only for her newly acquired wealth but also for her loyalty to the Lionheart family. She is one of the few people that the Lionheart family has rescued. She and her first group of women were beggars in the street, but Isaac Lionheart rescued them.

They are being fed, taught how to write and read, and lastly, given a job. It was when Isaac was around seven. He is nothing but a young cub extending his hand to a group of beggars, but he got a loyal individual without knowing.

Sierra and her group are working with Richard, the Steel Butler, giving him the information they can get. Not only that, but Sierra's place also became the headquarters to Richard's shadow.

Her place is Richard's place. That is why when she hears that Richard is coming to her place personally, she will be the one serving the old butler. Sierra looks over her clothes once again when she sees Richard walk inside her place.

"Welcome to Dark Rose. What can I do for you, Sir Richard."

Sierra's smile froze when she saw Richard's expression. Every time Richard comes to her establishment, they will usually play with each other. Teasing with each other. However, what Sierra sees in front of her is not Richard but rather the most dangerous individual in the north. The Left Hand of the Lionheart Family. The Black Lion. The Steel Butler. The Old Viper.

And that makes her afraid. The only time she saw Richard with that blank expression was when the Lionheart family was being mocked by the southern noble. The result? That family went extinct.

"Sierra…"

Hearing her name being called up, Sierra immediately kneels in front of the Steel Butler.

"Yes!"

"I need some of your ladies to do some work for me."

"Of course!"

"I need your ladies in the south to do some sabotage. I want them to burn up every food supply the southern nobles have. Every single one of them. However, make sure they did not get captured. Prioritize their safety more than anything."

Sierra looks at the Steel Butler and says,

"Understood. However, if you did not mind me asking, can you tell us the reason why we do this?"

"I did not mind. The King has gone mental and declares the Lionheart family as traitors and invites all the northern nobles to declare war against the Lionheart family."

"What?!?"

Sierra shouted when she heard the news. Do they think the Lionheart family as traitors? No! Never!

"How is the reaction of the other Northern Noble? Do they declare themselves for the king? Or are they declaring their loyalty to the Lionheart family?"

"They declare their loyalty to the Lionheart family. All of them are already calling their banners, and they are marching here."

Sierra nods her head and releases a relief breath. She already knows that the northern noble will declare their loyalty to the Lionheart family but hearing it directly makes her release a relief breath.

"Will all the southern nobles come to us?"

"No. Lucky for us, no. The former Grandmarshall of the kingdom, Duke Lampert Gideon von Vesper, declared neutrality in this war. In his infinite wisdom, the king declared Duke Lampert Gideon von Vesper as a traitor and took his title of Grandmarshall and gave it to Duke Phineas Frederick."

"Then how is the fate of the Old Marshall?"

"Right now, he calls his banner to defend his land. Out of the Twelve Vassals of the Vesper family, only five remain loyal to the old Duke and declare their loyalty to the old Duke. Because being declared as another traitor, the Vesper family joined our cause."

"That is good, right?"

"Good and bad. Good because we just gained a strong ally. Bad because they are in a bad position. If they are defeated, the morale of our men will be dropped like a stone being thrown into the sky, and then fall to the ground. We cannot have that. We need to keep morale high by punching through the south and get closer to the Vesper family. Or we can try to keep the Vesper family standing tall by providing them with a steady food supply."

"I see. Do you need an extra hand providing them with a food supply?"

"No. Let it be my shadow job to do so. I need you and your ladies to do the sabotage."

"Understood, sir. I will inform my ladies to do it immediately."

"Good. Also, I need your ladies to keep an eye on the north. My men will be busy taking care of the incoming army, and I need you to keep an eye on the north for me."

"Understood, Sir"

Richard nods his head and walks away from the brothel, leaving Sierra. When she sees Richard is gone, Sierra immediately walks to her desk and begins to write a letter. She knows that she will have a busy day ahead of her.

On the other side of the continent, more specifically in the northern continent. In the kingdom called Lazuli kingdom. Inside the blue castle where the Royalty of Lazuli lived, and right now, all of the members of the Lazuli family have a meeting.

"The reason why I call you here is to inform you that I will be leading our army."

"Leading an army? Is a monster approaching, dear?"

Valerie looked at her husband with a confused expression. The only time Johannes leads an army is when a monster wave is happening.

"No. Our allies need our help."

Johannes gives a letter he got from the Lionheart family to his wife. Valerie read the letter with a grim expression before passing it to Jonathan and Raina for them to read.

"I see. However, there is no asking for help in the letter, dear."

"I know, but it is our duty to help them like they are helping us. Don't forget that the only reason why we still survive is that they sent a huge amount of food to our kingdom for free."

"I know, dear… But…."

"I know. I know what you want to say, but you know that I cannot stay here while our ally is being branded as a traitor even though they are the kindest people and the most loyal."

"Yes, I know. Haaaa….. It looks like I cannot make you stay, huh?"

"No. You can't."

Valerie looked at her husband with a sad expression before saying.

"Then I will not stop you. How many soldiers will you bring?"

"I will bring ten thousand men with me and leave two thousand men here."

"Very well. I will tell the captain to prepare the men."

"Thank you."

Johannes nods his head and looks at his son and daughter.

"Jonathan. I will be leaving Lazuli kingdom in your hand. Lead it as if it was your own son. Protect it while I'm away."

"I will, father."

"Good. Raina, I will leave this kingdom in both your hands. Help your brother in taking care of the kingdom."

"I will, father."

Johannes nods his head and smiles at his family. He has a small family, but he is proud of his family. He knows that even if he perishes in the battle, his kingdom is in good hands.