Chapter 11-2
Capturing the Lassen was easier.
The lord himself was killed in battle, and the army was completely wiped out, leaving it in complete anarchy.
But the Orth estate was different.
There were still 500 troops and a surviving Lord.
And the lord of Orth, Condor, was not a man to be trifled with.
He was a skilled swordsman for a country lord, cunning, and ambitious.
Hes a pain in the arse. Even Camille would have a hard time dealing with him.
Otto was thinking about the Condor.
The Orth estate has locked the gates.
Camille reports from scouting.
Looks like theyll be holding out through sheer willpower.
No.
Otto shook his head.
Theyll probably open the gates tomorrow morning with a white flag of their own.
What do you mean by that?
Dont you think the Condors realise that even if they hold out, theyll be breached anyway, with such a disparity in troop numbers?
Well, yes, but.
Condor is ambitious, and capable. And hes got the most trust of any lord in these parts.
Thats true.
So hes not going to give up the estate easily.
But theres no way he wont give it up.
One way or another.
Otto smiled.
I could lead an army into the mountains and wage guerrilla warfare, or I could enlist the co-operation of the estatesmen in a rebellion. Either that, or I could dig a trap and wait.
Why dont you rethink the occupation of the Orth estate?
A wise suggestion.
Otto agreed with Camille.
But we should finish what we start. Condor is an unrivalled lord, and if we dont defeat him now, it will be us who suffer later.
Although Condor was not a player-selectable main character, he was a foe to be reckoned with.
If left unchecked, there were many scenarios in which the Iota Estate would be destroyed by the Orth Estate led by Condor.
Lets go in first. If you want to catch a tiger, you must enter the tigers den, dont you think?
Otto said, and turned his horses head towards the Orth estate.
Come on, lets go.
He flinched as Otto made him look like a suspect.
Wasnt it Otto who had asked him to come in full armor?
Its only natural as a knight, of course.
Michael smiled.
Its all to keep my lord safe, isnt it?
Its just that hes so suspicious and cowardly, I dont know what else to call him.
Hahaha.
What is it? Youre being meddlesome and annoying, and your loud squeaky voice is driving me to death.
Otto scolded loudly, even though Camille was right next to him.
He said it out loud for all to hear.
Tremble! Tremble! Tremble!
Camille was outraged by Ottos treatment of him, but he endured it patiently.
The banquet began with Camilles trash talk.
What do you make of Lord Condors departure?
Its his decision, so we cant do anything about it. Isnt the estate in shambles?
It is.
There is a new lord here, and we can only honour your service.
Otto enjoyed the banquet, chatting with the man called Michael about this and that.
Then he said.
But no matter how many times I think about it, I find Lord Condor too pathetic.
A chilling silence fell over the banqueting hall at Ottos words.
The eyes of all the officials, servants, and maids of the Orth estate at the banquet were fixed on Otto.
Why do you think so?
Michael asked Otto, rather, smilingly.
Not willing to surrender and give up the land. Because if we fight, youll lose. So youre taking your chances by abandoning the estate and pretending to run away?
Is that so?
If you were going to leave, you would have surrendered neatly and handed over the authority.
Otto took a drink of wine as he said this, then looked back at Michael.
It gets ugly when a man pushes too hard, and he should know how to give up peacefully.
It gets ugly it gets ugly.
Michael repeated, echoing Ottos words.
Why dont you give up cleanly? Condor?
Otto said, turning to Michael.