Chapter 19: A Counterattack Is Necessary

A group of horsemen rushed toward the castle, raising clouds of yellow dust akin to swarms of locusts in autumn. The soldiers on the castle walls had already raised their guard. Though the number of knights was not large, the situation everywhere was unstable, and no one wanted any trouble at such a time.

The middle-aged man frowned as he reined in his horse, shaking off the yellow dust from his cloak. He raised his head and watched as they neared the castle. It seemed the soldiers of Mehlren Fortress had not received any warnings—Nissa was quite cautious in such matters. But now, it seemed unnecessary to hide anymore. With orcs pressing from the west and north, and that usurper in the south sharpening his blades, it was unclear what he was planning. If the Ferdinand and Haine families united, the only outcome would be their disappearance from the history of the kingdom’s nobility, just like Philip.

It didn’t take long before the middle-aged man passed through the gates of Mehlren Fortress and entered. Saint Nicholas, Mehlren, Hasselt—these three fortresses, along with the great fortress of Graz, were the most important in the kingdom’s north. Now, Saint Nicholas and Graz had become orc territories, just like the northern lands. Only Mehlren, under the control of the Ferdinand family, and Hasselt, under the Haine family, still clung to life. But under the pressure from both sides, how much longer could this agonizing situation continue?

The spacious and bright hall did little to brighten the middle-aged man’s mood. His expression remained as gloomy as before, making it seem to the host that more bad news was likely to arrive.

“Ebsen, why such an urgent meeting? Is something wrong?” Though he knew there could be no good news, Nissa Ferdinand still felt uneasy. If the leader of the Haine family was so anxious to meet here, it must be serious.

“Nissa, if there were no problem, do you think I’d come here out of sheer boredom?”

Ebson Haine felt indescribable emotions toward the former head of the Ferdinand family, who seemed to have some tacit understanding with the orcs. If it hadn’t been for this man’s persistent attempts to persuade him that the kingdom might target the Ferdinand and Haine families, he would never have approved of their secret dealings with the orcs. Of course, the influence behind the Light Church was also a factor, but as long as he and others opposed it, Nisa would never dare to play with the orcs. Now, however, he regretted everything deeply.

Seeing that the other party was in a bad mood, Nisa grew even more anxious. Lately, various rumors had spread throughout his territory, especially those about an orc army possibly advancing eastward, which led the nobles to gather frequently to conspire. This left him, as the lord, extremely uneasy. Relying solely on verbal agreements with the orcs to restrain their actions was far too fragile. The condition under which he had handed over Fort Saint Nicholas was that they wouldn’t harass the Province of Leman, yet now, that province had become the best grazing ground for the orc boars. If one could believe those damned orcs, then there would be no justice in this world.

“Speak up. What unpleasant news again?” Nisa Ferdinand sighed numbly with a bitter smile. He hoped it wasn’t news about the orcs—he really couldn’t bear more pressure in that regard.

“Nisa, that damned usurper dared to send his naval fleet to block my port of Groningen, demanding that all ships from my Poznan fleet pay tolls to Cyprus,” Ebson’s expression turned almost pitch black.

“You mean that Komer sent Homer’s fleet to block Groningen?!” Nisa asked cautiously after being shocked. Groningen was the largest and only ice-free port in the Poznan region, serving as a vital hub for exporting goods from Poznan and even Silesia. Connections to the Mainland and southern regions relied heavily on Groningen for transit, especially now that the orcs had occupied most of the eastern areas, making this port even more crucial.

“No, no. It’s not just Philip’s former Homer fleet. He couldn’t possibly do that. This naval fleet is much stronger than the original one. According to my fleet commander, it includes many large warships from the south,” Ebson said, his bloodshot eyes narrowed.

“What about those guys from Got?” Nisa frowned. He was well aware that Gray Skull had connections with the former Philip as well as Ebsen and the others.
“There’s no way to get in touch with them. It’s said his men are currently engaged in fierce battles with Katrina in the south, so he probably doesn’t have the energy to deal with us.”
Slumping back in his chair in despair, Ebsen showed signs of exhaustion. Over the past few days, he had been utterly drained trying to suppress the protests from those noisy nobles and merchants. He had also sent people to the south to negotiate with that guy, but the man wasn’t even in Cyprus—only a representative was stationed there. It was said he spent most of his time in the desolate lands of the Caucasus, occasionally stopping by Odessa. His own messengers still hadn’t seen him yet.
Nisa felt a bitter taste in his mouth. It seemed things in Poznan were very bad, and it would likely spread to Silesia soon. Silesia’s large quantities of velvet and linen were transported to the south and the vast continent via Groningen. If this route was blocked, the nobles and merchants in the region would surely cause trouble.
“What do you plan to do then? Submit to that guy?”
“Submit? He’ll keep pushing further. He decides the toll rates. What will we do if he keeps raising them?”
“Ebsen, what are you trying to say? Stop beating around the bush.” Nisa sensed danger in Ebsen’s eyes.
“He doesn’t want us to survive. So we have no choice but to fight to the death.” Ebsen’s face took on a sinister expression. “It might as well be a desperate struggle. Perhaps this is the only option we have, Nisa. Understand—this is him choking us off. Without this route, you and I will be ruined sooner or later. Those nobles and merchants who care only about their wallets will tear us to pieces.”