Chapter 280: Speak your mind

“They’ve gone mad! The Lagrisse family is insane! They’re not even following the rules of war. Are they trying to make enemies of all the nobles?”“Shameful! It’s a disgrace to nobles! Countess, the rebels’ barbaric actions show they have no respect for the Holy Code. They must be severely punished!”

“The Lagrisse family… must pay the price!”

“Countess, our Gerard family is willing to lead the charge!”

“Our Perrin family is also willing to be the vanguard!”

In the command tent of the Castel allied forces, the nobles were furious upon learning that the envoy had been beheaded. They were shouting, each eager to lead their troops into battle.

On the continent of Myria, ever since Charlemagne I, the founder of the Yunette Empire, established the noble system, nobles have cherished their honor and emphasized order and rules for a thousand years.

With the destructive power of extraordinary abilities and the limited noble population available for war, along with centuries of intermarriage among noble families, nobles generally avoided killing each other during wars.

Winning the war, capturing the opponent, and then setting a suitable ransom for their release was the norm.

Today’s victor could be tomorrow’s loser, so leaving room for negotiation was common practice among Myria’s nobles.

Seeing the rebels unhesitatingly behead the envoy enraged the northern nobles.

In Myria, only a noble was qualified to negotiate as an envoy during a war. This meant the Lagrisse family had killed a negotiating noble.

To the nobles, the Lagrisse family’s act of beheading the envoy severely violated the unwritten rules of noble warfare established over a thousand years. It was neither honorable nor dignified.

For a moment, the tent was filled with outrage and fury.

Of course, it was unclear whether the northern nobles were genuinely outraged because their honor was tarnished or because they felt confident and eager to achieve merits after seeing the stark contrast in power between the two sides. Sᴇaʀᴄh the Nʘvᴇl(F)ire.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

Perhaps it was a bit of both.

Charlotte sat at the head of the table, quietly watching the nobles angrily denounce the Lagrisse family’s barbarity and eagerly volunteer to fight.

As a transmigrator, she did not share the nobles’ deep-seated sense of honor instilled from birth, so her reaction was not as strong.

Was she angry?

A little, but it wasn’t overwhelming. There were too many stories of envoys being killed in ancient Earth history.

The unfortunate volunteer envoy, however, was truly unlucky.

In Myria, serving as a pre-war envoy was usually a light and honorable task, with both sides typically returning the envoy politely.

When selecting the envoy, Charlotte remembered that many families had competed for the role. Who would have thought the envoy would lose his life?

Hmm… Which family was he from?

“Baron Angus, which family was the envoy from?”

Charlotte asked the allied forces’ chief commander beside her.

Though she was the nominal supreme commander of the allied forces, she often just listened and observed, rarely taking command directly.

Throughout the march, the route, schedule, and potential battle plans were all devised by Baron Angus, Viscount Leon-Castell, and other nobles.

She left professional tasks to professionals, knowing she had no experience in commanding an army.

As a ruler, it was enough to know how to employ people. She wasn’t a “micro-manager” who needed to increase her own difficulties unnecessarily.

When it came to sending an envoy, she had simply agreed to it without choosing the person herself.

In her view, this was a war that had to be fought to completely eliminate the rebel forces in Castell and the infiltrating Blood Demon Cult. Negotiations were unnecessary.

“Countess, the envoy was from the Leon-Castell family, Viscount Leon’s nephew, Knight Balor.”

Baron Angus said gravely.

Charlotte: …

Viscount Leon-Castell’s nephew?

Charlotte couldn’t help but glance at the old viscount on the other side, seeing his somber expression, red eyes, and a face dark as soot.

Seeing his expression, a mix of anger and pain, Charlotte felt a bit guilty.

After all, she had never intended to negotiate. Sending the envoy was merely to satisfy the nobles’ wishes.

“Viscount, my condolences…”

Charlotte finally said to comfort him.

Viscount Leon-Castell took a deep breath and said in a heavy voice.

“Countess, thank you for your consolation. Balor died for the honor of the nobility. His death is honorable…”

“The Lagrisse family has betrayed their lord, desecrated noble honor, and is unworthy of being northern noble lords. Please give the order to attack and destroy them!”

“Fight! Quell the rebellion!”

Other nobles echoed his sentiments.

Watching the furious nobles, Charlotte glanced around and noticed Baron Angus, the Chief Commander, frowning slightly as if deep in thought.

Charlotte’s heart stirred.

“Baron Angus, what are you thinking about?”

Baron Angus raised his head, hesitated for a moment, and then respectfully said,

“Countess, I feel… something is off with the rebels.”

“Oh? Off? How so?”

Charlotte raised her eyebrows slightly and asked.

Baron Angus continued.

“Our scouts report that although the rebels are numerous, their overall strength is much weaker than ours, mostly consisting of conscripts.”

“If we engage in a direct battle, I don’t think they stand a chance against us.”

“However, despite our approach, they have not retreated…”

“This is abnormal. Although they have built simple defensive camps by the river, it’s not enough to withstand our nearly thirty thousand troops. Moreover… scouts report that they have not seen the Lagrisse family’s cavalry.”

“The Lagrisse family’s cavalry is the elite of the rebels, and they were once our Castell’s elite in external wars. It’s abnormal for the main force not to retreat and for the mobile elite to be missing.”

“Countess, I fear the rebels… have a scheme!”

Baron Angus’ voice was not loud.

But after hearing his words, the furious nobles quickly calmed down.

They exchanged glances and saw a hint of doubt in each other’s eyes.

“Baron, what do you think the rebels might be planning?”

Viscount Leon-Castell asked with a frown.

Baron Angus shook his head.

“I don’t know.”

“Honestly, I can’t think of what the rebels could be planning… In the face of absolute strength, everything else is meaningless. Even if the Lagrisse family has cavalry, we have the Tulip reinforcements…”

“The Tulip reinforcements are the elite standing army of Borde. With their support, the rebels stand no chance… However, their current behavior seems too calm.”

After hearing Baron Angus’ words, the nobles quickly began buzzing with discussion.

“Baron, do you think… the rebels might have hired Blazing Sun?”

A young noble boldly speculated.

In the world of Myria, extraordinary power is the decisive factor in warfare, and nobles naturally thought of stronger extraordinary powers.

Baron Angus shook his head.

“Impossible. His Majesty the King has decreed that any extraordinary power reaching Blazing Sun tier who pledges allegiance to the kingdom can receive the title of Count, and those already of noble birth might even become landed Counts. The Lagrisse family is merely a Viscount family, they couldn’t hire a Blazing Sun.”

“What about mercenaries from Eastern Yunette? The Eastern Yunette Blacklands is a mercenary haven, and it is not lacking in extraordinary mercenaries at the Blazing Sun tier. And the Lagrisse family’s territory is not too far from the Eastern Yunette Blacklands. Could they have hired powerful extraordinary mercenaries?”

Another noble speculated.

Baron Angus shook his head again.

“Also impossible. This is not a kingdom-level war. Even if the Lagrisse family could afford the exorbitant price of hiring a Blazing Sun, and succeeded in doing so, the Crescent Kingdom’s Code of Noble Conflicts limits Blazing Sun to protecting the employer and not participating in mundane battles…”

Hearing Baron Angus’ words, the nobles frowned even more deeply.

After pondering for a while, Baron Angus’ expression suddenly changed.

“Countess…”

He looked at Charlotte, wanting to speak but hesitating.

Seeing his serious expression, Charlotte guessed what he might be thinking and asked.

“Baron, speak your mind.”

Baron Angus took a deep breath and said gravely.

“Countess, I have a question for you…”

“Are you really certain that Count Gaston’s army is on our side?”

The nobles were stunned by his words.

But soon, their expressions changed, and they began to mutter.

“Could it be that the Tulip Count’s reinforcements are the problem?”

“Impossible! Are you suggesting that Borde’s army is colluding with the Castell rebels?!”

“Impossible? What’s impossible? Do you forget who hired necromancers to attack the Countess when she returned to her territory?”

“That was just a rumor in the kingdom, supposedly spread by forces loyal to the second prince. You all know about the Crescent’s two princes competing for the throne. Besides, the Countess hasn’t said anything yet!”

The nobles quickly fell into a heated discussion, and the tent became chaotic again.

Charlotte was already used to this market-like atmosphere.

Under the feudal decentralized system, one shouldn’t expect these nobles to revere their lord like the subjects of Ancient China revered their emperor…

However, now was the time to reveal some things.

With the impending battle and being far from Northport, even if there were spies among the nobles for the third prince, they couldn’t send out any messages.

Now that Baron Angus had pointed out the issue, Charlotte felt it was time to be honest with her vassals.

She tapped the armrest of her chair lightly.

The sound wasn’t loud, but combined with the extraordinary aura she released, it was very imposing.

The aura of a Silver Moon immediately attracted everyone’s attention.

Although Charlotte didn’t fully reveal her strength, the aura far surpassing the Starry Sky made the nobles present freeze and quickly become agitated.

“Silver… Silver Moon!”

Viscount Leon-Castell’s eyes widened, almost losing his voice.

It was hard for him not to be shocked, or rather, for any noble who realized Charlotte’s true strength.

A little over a year ago, Charlotte was just a noble without awakened extraordinary powers.

Yet in just a year and a half, she had not only broken through the Starry Sky but also reached Silver Moon!

It was too fast, unbelievably fast!

For a moment, the tent fell silent.

Nobles’ status is tied to their extraordinary power. A noble with insufficient power, no matter how high their title, lacked deterrence against those with powerful extraordinary abilities.

Now, with the strength of a Silver Moon and her young age, Charlotte was more than enough to intimidate her vassals.

She chose this moment to reveal part of her strength to make her next words more impactful and to give these loyal nobles more confidence in Castell’s future…

After a brief pause, Charlotte said,

“Since you have chosen to follow me here, your loyalty to Castell is evident. Therefore… I can be open with you about certain matters.”

“Baron Angus is correct, the rebels indeed have a scheme. They believe they will win this war because they believe… the Tulip army will turn against us and join them against Castell’s forces.”

After hearing Charlotte’s words, the nobles were stunned, then quickly became agitated.

“Countess, is that true?”

“By the Lord! Do you mean the Third Prince is indeed backing the rebels?!”

Charlotte gestured for silence, her extraordinary aura spreading, and the nobles instinctively quieted down.

She scanned the tent and said,

“Indeed, the rebels in our territory are backed by the Third Prince. Moreover, the Third Prince has even colluded with the Blood Demon Cult. His goal is clear: he wants to control Castell’s territory…”

Her words caused another uproar among the nobles.

Viscount Leon-Castell said solemnly.

“Countess, please be cautious with your words! Having ties to the Blood Demon Cult is a grave crime! Slandering the royal family could provoke royal wrath…”

Charlotte smiled and said,

“Of course, I have evidence, and… a witness.”

She looked outside the tent and said,

“Count Gaston, please come in.”