Volume 5, Chapter 45 – A Shaky Foundation

With Andrea’s question, the council finally returned to order.

Lord Faite, having been called upon by Andrea, rose from his seat.

“Your Majesty, of the City Guard’s total seven thousand men, our losses so far are around twenty percent. The majority of these are wounded who can return to the battlefield after a period of rest. However…”

As if finding it difficult to say, Faite looked troubled. Andrea nodded slightly.

“Continue.”

“Your Majesty, I believe that defending the city is not a long-term solution. For now, we can use our defensive advantage to win against superior numbers, but if this drags on, problems are bound to arise. If the rebel army attacks the other two territories from the flanks of the Royal Capital, the capital will become an isolated city with no support. The most urgent task is to find a way to deal a heavy blow to the rebel army. According to intelligence from our spies, these rebels are supported by the Norta Empire to the west. The longer the war drags on, the more disadvantageous it will be for us.”

The reason he mentioned the Norta Empire to the west was likely to hint to Andrea that these rebels were not just from the Blood Clan, thereby hoping to make her decide sooner to declare them as traitors who must be punished. Only by creating a common enemy could their own side be united.

Yisi observed the nobles at the conference table with an impassive face. The vast majority of them looked grim, either looking down and thinking about other things, or whispering with others, their expressions full of anxiety.

These nobles could not be relied upon at all.

Such a thought arose in her heart. These nobles were now either thinking about fleeing with their family fortunes to a safe place, or contemplating how to win Count Hillary’s favor. For nobles who had not participated in the war, a new king would usually not make things difficult for them, and might even let them keep their current positions for a time. In their hearts, it was all the same no matter who ruled the Blood Clan.

Andrea was silent for a moment, the majestic look on her face lessened slightly.

“Regarding the invading Count Hillary, do you, my lords, have any good ideas to repel them? If we were to transfer the armies directly under the royal family from the surrounding territories to the capital—”

“Absolutely not, Your Majesty! If the surrounding territories also fall, the Royal Castle will become a prize in the rebels’ pocket!”

“I believe we should first open the sun-veil of the Royal Capital to alleviate the pressure on the defending soldiers. Your Majesty, if we use the Alvier Tower as a spear and the existing City Guard as a shield, we can slowly wear down the rebel army’s forces through attrition. As long as we can hold out until the winter freeze, the rebel army, lacking adequate cold-weather supplies, will have no choice but to retreat back to the Vladimir Territory. We can then use the entire winter to recruit soldiers and expand our army.”

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After an armored noble finished speaking, another noble immediately echoed his support.

“And during the winter, we can also send people to incite the pro-royalist factions within the Vladimir Territory, having them destroy roads and raid granaries. By next spring, we, who will have a firm grasp on the Astrid Territory, will have ample food. And because we will have cut off the food supply channels to other territories, the rebel soldiers will not be able to get supplies. Even if they have the Empire’s support, the cost of transporting food across more than half of the Blood Clan’s territory will be too high to be sustained for a long time.”

“I agree.”

“Yes, I agree as well. As expected of Viscount Edmund, who has long served in the army. To think of a way to deal with the rebel army so quickly.”

“Hehe… it is merely a humble opinion.”

For a moment, the atmosphere in the entire council relaxed considerably, and smiles began to appear on some of the nobles’ faces. The only person who did not speak was Andrea.

Yisi shook her head internally. The suggestion proposed by the viscount named Edmund only seemed feasible; it had too many idealistic parts. The only person who could activate the Alvier Tower was Andrea, the king. The viscount’s plan was entirely based on the premise that Andrea could disregard human life and directly use the Alvier Tower to launch a large-scale attack magic. But it was obvious that even if it meant handing herself over to the rebels, Andrea would not use the Alvier Tower to bombard her own kind.

If it were the old her, she would definitely think Andrea was extremely foolish. But after knowing what was in Andrea’s heart, she only felt a sense of helplessness. As Andrea had said when she had forgiven her for stealing the necklace, to abandon one group of people for the benefit of another was too cruel for her. To personally kill the citizens of the Blood Clan in order to defend the capital—Andrea could not make such a choice.

Even if she herself would be the one hurt in the end, she could not bring herself to kill.

“She can only accept what has already happened…” Yisi quietly repeated the words Andrea had said when she had forgiven her.

Andrea could not make a choice, so she could only go with the flow of events.

Could she say that this was wrong? If it was wrong, then she shouldn’t be sitting here with a clear conscience. She couldn’t just become a bystander as if nothing had happened just because Andrea had forgiven her for stealing the necklace. If she hadn’t stolen Andrea’s necklace, Andrea could have borrowed Evelyn’s wisdom to make the situation less dire.

She, like those rebels, had also harmed Andrea’s interests. And Andrea’s attitude toward them was the same as her attitude toward her at the time—no condemnation or anger, just acceptance and understanding of the outcome. This was Andrea’s character. If Andrea were an ordinary person, she would be lauded as a saintess or an angel. But unfortunately, she was the Queen of the Blood Clan. A suitable personality had been placed in an unsuitable position. Just like Romeo and Juliet, it was destined to be a tragic ending from the start.

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If she wasn’t mistaken, Andrea was actually waiting for the rebel army to take the capital and then surrender to them. She was just waiting for the story to end, and then to accept the outcome. But Andrea knew she couldn’t just say the word “surrender” out loud. Even though she had already decided on the ending, she still had to cooperate with the nobles in thinking about how to counterattack—it was just too sad.

Was she going to just stand by and watch a tragedy happen? If she were the type of person who could watch a girl jump into a fire pit without batting an eye, then the existence known as Yisi would be well and truly dead. If the girl named Andrea Fred Alvier were to accept her fate in this council, surrender, and then be humiliated by the rebels, her conscience would never let her rest.

More importantly, she wanted to help Andrea. Was there anything more convincing than that? It was as natural as the sun rising in the east and setting in the west, as water flowing from high to low.

While the nobles were enthusiastically discussing how to beat back the rebel army, Yisi tapped her knuckles lightly on the table. “My lords, I have a few questions.”

Although Yisi was a Duchess personally appointed by Andrea and might even possess royal blood, because she was considered a nouveau riche noble in the eyes of the others, she was not highly regarded. The nobles all turned to her with frowning expressions.

The viscount named Edmund looked displeased. “Please speak, Your Grace.”

“First, regarding what Viscount Edmund just said about using the Alvier Tower as a spear and the City Guard as a shield to hold out until the winter snows. It is only early autumn now. Lord Faite said earlier that the rebels have the secret assistance of the Empire. Setting aside the fact that the enemy can think of the things we can, and they will not let the war drag on until winter, the first thing before us is, with our existing forces, can we really hold out for more than two months?”

“We just need to open the sun-veil during the day and attack the approaching rebel army with the Alvier Tower at night. The City Guard defending the capital includes the Royal Guard. Everyone has witnessed the quality of the Royal Guard’s soldiers; they cannot be treated as ordinary soldiers.”

“That’s right. Not to mention the Royal Guard, Lord Boris alone can take on an army of a thousand.”

Although she knew that playing devil’s advocate when everyone’s spirits were high would cause dissatisfaction, now was not the time to back down. Edmund’s strategy was just an idealized product; it had no feasibility at all. The nobles sitting here had no other choice, which was why they were clinging to this seemingly feasible plan as a lifeline. If they could choose, of course, it was better to maintain the status quo than to flee or support a new king. Who could be sure that the days to come would be better than the present?

“Andrea, after the Alvier Tower launches an attack, how long does it take before it can launch a second one?”

Mentioned by Yisi, Andrea’s shoulders jumped. She answered somewhat timidly, “My mother said that after using the most powerful strike, it needs to rest for at least a week before it can be used a second time… Considering that the leyline magic cannot be exhausted, the interval will only be longer.”

“Can’t you use a less powerful attack?” a noble asked.

“I can, but it takes time to adjust the magic formation inside the Alvier Tower. If the formula is adjusted to a less powerful attack, it would take days to restore it to a high-power formula.”

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In other words, if a sufficiently powerful attack was needed during that period, they could no longer count on the Alvier Tower.

The nobles fell into a brief silence. No one could be sure that a time when a high-power attack was needed wouldn’t arise in the next three months.

On this basis, Yisi continued her attack. “And since the enemy knows we have the Alvier Tower yet still chooses to attack, it means they have a way to deal with it. There are only two ways to do so. The first is that they have mastered a powerful magic that can withstand the tower’s attack, and the second is to eliminate the person who controls it.

In the end, since the rebels are being helped by the Norta Empire, their offensive power will only be stronger, not weaker. As far as I know, the Empire possesses a crystal called the [Imperial Gift]. When this crystal is crushed, it can summon a powerful creature equivalent to a Crimson-Gold rank monster. With just a few attacks, it can destroy the city walls. If you think you can hold out until winter relying only on a City Guard several times smaller than the enemy, you had best wake up from your sweet dream. The rebel army has over seventy thousand men; we have less than seven thousand.”

“Your Grace, I can understand your desire to be noticed after just becoming a Duchess, but the affairs of the state are more important right now. What is the meaning of striking at our own confidence?”

“What [Imperial Gift]? That’s just fear-mongering!”

Are they beyond saving…

People will only believe what they want to believe. Even if it is a groundless rumor, as long as they believe in it, they will grasp at straws to find evidence that makes them think, “Yes, that’s right, that’s how it is.” Even if someone tells them that the facts are not like that at all, they will not believe what they do not want to believe.

Yisi waved her hand indifferently. “It’s your business if you don’t believe me. The facts are as I’ve said. I advise you all to think of other countermeasures. Unlike you, I have neither a position nor a family fortune in the Royal Capital.”

So even if there are losses, it’s your business.

Although it was a bit harsh, angering these nobles could slightly alleviate the anger in her own heart. She was sitting here for Andrea; the life and death of these nobles had nothing to do with her. If it weren’t for the fact that she didn’t want to see Andrea meet her end, she would have left this gloomy place long ago and gone sightseeing in the human world.

Just as she had imagined, all the nobles’ eyebrows shot up, their faces flushed, looking as if they were about to engage in a war of words.

“That is enough,” Andrea shouted loudly just as the argument was about to begin. “I came here to listen to your opinions. If there are no other better plans, today’s meeting is over.”

“I agree with Viscount Edmund’s suggestion.”

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“I also support Viscount Edmund. It is the most effective plan at present.”

…

Until the end of the meeting, no new constructive opinions emerged. Just as Yisi had imagined, it eventually devolved into a war of words. Although everyone agreed with Viscount Edmund’s plan, they diverged on some details. For example, some nobles believed that when the rebel army retreated, they should send out some soldiers to pursue them, while others believed that their side should stick to defending the city and not be rash. And with that as a starting point, the meeting devolved into an unmanageable battle of wits.

They didn’t even notice that Andrea had been silent for a long time and was slowly leaving the hall with her head bowed.

In the eyes of these nobles, Andrea wasn’t very important, was she?

Yisi’s heart sank as she followed her out. If it weren’t for the fact that Andrea controlled the Alvier Tower and had a group of people like Boris and Augustin supporting her, her power would have been usurped by the surrounding nobles long ago.

The two of them walked in silence through the castle corridors. Perhaps because everyone had fled early due to the rebel attack on the capital, the castle, which was usually full of handmaidens and soldiers, was now exceptionally quiet. Not only did they rarely see handmaidens and soldiers, but even when they did, they no longer stopped to bow, but looked panicked, as if they hadn’t seen their own queen.

Coupled with the faint sound of horns from the distance, the entire castle—or rather, the entire dynasty—gave off a feeling of being on the verge of collapse, like a candle in the wind.

Taking a few steps to catch up with the head-down Andrea, Yisi, unable to see her expression, could only try to ask, “Are you okay?”

“Mm…”

Her voice was listless. Andrea did not look up. Her vibrant pink pigtails were now quite dull, like the gloomy sky above.

Yisi’s hand reached for Andrea’s shoulder. And it was at that moment that a figure who had not appeared for a long time appeared before her eyes.

Augustin.