The Third Son of a Medieval Knight Family Chapter 104 - Knight of Ascension (39)

“Ugh… finally.”

The man muttered as he barely suppressed the rising nausea.

The past few days had been absolutely terrible.

With the enemy’s sudden attack, he had been forced into a wagon and couldn’t even come outside, having to spend his time trapped inside.

The continuous sounds of clashing weapons and barbarian shouts from outside were enough to instill anxiety in the man who had been a prisoner for so long.

However, the anxiety of being trapped in a filthy narrow and shaking wagon, the fear that enemies might attack this place at any moment and harm him, was nothing compared to the other factor that truly tormented the man.

“…!”

Looking at the woman who was glaring at him with venomous eyes while constantly struggling, the man, Igor, spat out curses.

“Damn bitch. It would be better to stay still before I gouge out your remaining eye too.”

“…Mmph, mmph!”

“What are you babbling about! Phew… just thinking about what I suffered because of you still makes my teeth chatter! Ugh, if I could just get these untied, a beast like you would just…!”

Bang! Bang!

“Stop making noise! Do you want to die!”

“…”

Igor slowly closed his mouth at the mercenary’s warning as he roughly pounded on the wagon.

This place was no different from a moving prison.

Though there was a small window for ventilation that allowed him to see the outside scenery, that was all.

Igor, who was tied up, was allowed no freedom other than looking outside.

Not even speaking.

‘If not for that bitch… damn it, damn it!’

After his slip of the tongue, though he had suffered all sorts of contempt and beatings, he had still been able to ride horses and freely move around various parts of the camp.

However, when enemy attack became imminent, the mercenaries had shoved him into this wagon, saying there was risk of him fleeing.

It would have been fine if that was all.

‘A lowly witch acting like she’s some kind of noble.’

-There’s deep resentment between the two, so there’s possibility of problems. Tie them both up. If they make noise, you can gag them too.

Following the witch’s instructions who was caring for the woman, not only the woman Marzina who was originally in the wagon, but Igor as well had to be tied up and roll around here and there in the constantly shaking wagon.

“Mmph… mmph!”

The reason Marzina was in that state was simple too.

The mercenaries, unable to stand watching him continuously spout curses as soon as he got in the wagon, had simply gagged him.

She was now in a position where she couldn’t say anything except during meal times.

“… Why must I suffer this humiliation…!”

After enduring becoming a barbarian prisoner, being abused by the beastman girl before his eyes, the result was merely this.

Igor was so resentful and wronged that he couldn’t sleep properly at night or eat properly.

‘That bastard’s thoughts are obvious. He covets the territory, so now I’m an obstacle, that’s it…!’

In Igor’s mind rose the face of his younger brother who had only given him cold looks despite their dramatic reunion after he had endured all sorts of hardships.

‘Just wait and see. It will never go as you think. These humiliations you’ve given me! I will never forget them!’

Not content with leaving his older brother in the hands of lowly mercenaries, now he had even made him trapped in a cramped wagon with a woman who was no different from an enemy – Igor’s resentment toward Viktor was deepening endlessly.

“…Roshtov Castle is visible!”

“Ah, now we can finally breathe.”

The mercenaries’ chatter could be heard faintly from outside.

Igor steeled his resolve and looked out the window.

The scenery visible had changed considerably.

‘Once we reach the castle, they’ll release me too. Just wait, Viktor. Let’s see if you can still act shameless after your actions toward the rightful heir of the family become known.’

Igor turned his head to look at the woman glaring at him with bloodshot eyes.

A sneer crossed his lips.

‘Including that damned bitch, leading around witches and barbarians. You made a mistake, Viktor! No matter how much you succeed, you’re still a bastard born to some lowly woman of unknown origin, so of course. Do you think I’ll hand over the territory to someone like you? Not a chance, no! No way!’

Igor still hadn’t given up.

---

Roshtov Castle.

This castle, which had once fallen to barbarian schemes, was precariously maintaining its position even after Bohdan’s defeat at Radovitz.

Since the barbarians who occupied the castle had executed the entire lord’s family long ago, normally the surrounding nobles would have snatched it up and acted as lords, but Roshtov’s situation was somewhat special.

Half of the nobles who could properly exercise power in the vicinity had been executed inside Roshtov Castle along with the lord, and the other half were stationed at Radovitz Castle following the eastern alliance.

Meanwhile, the eastern alliance had joined the flow of participating in the principality’s expeditionary force, and the Roshtov Castle area had become a vacant zone.

For the barbarians who occupied the castle, it was an extremely fortunate case.

However, they lacked the vision to see beyond that.

Even as various parts of the east were being recaptured and Bohdan was crushed at the supply base, they still didn’t retreat and stubbornly remained sitting in the castle.

The result returned to them like a boomerang.

“…These must be them. The barbarians who were said to have captured the castle.”

On poles erected here and there around the fortress, severed heads that had already begun to become skeletal were hanging in rows.

“Hmm…”

When Kulak made a groaning sound, Viktor turned his head to look at him.

“Do you see anyone you know?”

“…No, in that state I can’t recognize faces. However, I remember the faces of those who went toward Roshtov. They died here after refusing to retreat to the end.”

“…Hmph.”

Normally Krupin would have immediately attacked at Kulak’s words, but this time he just stayed quiet.

After stubbornly charging at Kulak with his injured body and recording a draw, he had been noticeably dejected.

‘Though Kulak is an experienced warrior, it would have been difficult for him to handle Sir Krupin physically… that’s what he gets for attacking before his wounds healed.’

Despite everyone’s dissuasion, he had acted on his own and gotten hit hard, so it was truly his own fault.

‘Though it wasn’t incomprehensible.’

Unable to stand watching Vashi being tormented, when Kulak said something, the relationship between the two deteriorated uncontrollably.

If they had continued to harbor resentment toward each other without resolving it, it would have been bad for both the vanguard and Viktor in many ways.

Rather, though they clashed hastily, Viktor thought the current situation where things were somewhat concluded was better.

“Then I’ll send word.”

“Ah, please do, Sir Mikhail.”

Looking at Mikhail’s back as he had become noticeably quieter since the last battle, Viktor scratched his chin.

The words he had said on the way to Roshtov Castle after the battle ended would have been quite troubling for Mikhail.

‘Was I a bit hasty… no, it would have been difficult to say if not then.’

Viktor cut off his thoughts with a calm face as he watched those hurriedly emerging from the castle.

There was no meaning in him worrying and being anxious.

In the end, it was Mikhail who would choose.

---

The situation inside the castle was better than expected.

He had thought morale would be terrible since they had ultimately suffered a great defeat despite having such massive forces, but the people’s faces still held bright hope.

Looking at those welcoming Viktor’s army, he muttered inwardly.

‘Seeing how they accept the army entering the castle without concern, do they really have that much leisure? Or are they giving credit for blocking the Grand Chief’s offensive…? I don’t know.’

Viktor was now in a position where he couldn’t simply receive the Count’s favor purely like when he was just an individual knight.

Objectively speaking, his existence was in an ambiguous and subtle area.

Viktor hadn’t formally made a vassal contract with the Count, nor had he received an investiture ceremony.

Externally, he was naturally recognized as the Count’s close associate, but strictly speaking, they had no relationship.

Though it was the result of the agreement made at Permikoff, he didn’t know how long that agreement could be maintained.

Originally, such unspoken implicit promises were the most dangerous among nobles.

Even if someone betrayed, there was really no way to handle it.

‘I can only hope the Count doesn’t become wary of me.’

And from that perspective, Viktor had grown to a state where it wouldn’t be strange for the Count to try to cast him out immediately, coldly speaking.

Of course, he knew well that the Count held thick favor toward him, and it was also true that he had received favorable terms giving him rights without proper obligations due to the special situation of being the certain next successor of the principality, but he couldn’t rely entirely on that.

‘People are different when they go into the bathroom and when they come out.’

Much less nobles.

Until now, he had been able to move around without a proper leash due to the Count’s trust and favor, but if he changed his mind even slightly, the situation could change quickly.

It would be good if he only wanted to make a clearer contract, but in the worst case, he might try to cast him out thinking he was difficult to control.

Having one’s own ‘forces’ meant that much.

An individual knight and a commander were that different in dimension.

‘…Moving while keeping various situations in mind. I’d like to get along well with the Count, but it would be foolish not to prepare for being stabbed in the back.’

Viktor looked at the castle interior where repairs were still actively being carried out.

‘The Count has three main means to bind me… first is the external trust that he sponsored and raised me. Second is the money supply. Third is… Sir Mikhail.’

The second chain was now almost completely unraveled.

The trust the mercenaries sent him was absolute, and he had secured funds to hire them to some degree.

The first chain would also be no major problem as long as they didn’t openly fight each other.

Even if conflict arose, bringing their secret agreement to the surface wasn’t something either wanted, so it would be difficult for it to go beyond checks.

‘The problem is the third. What Sir Mikhail’s will becomes…’

Viktor blamed himself for moving hastily while soon shaking his head.

It was already done and couldn’t be helped.

He had wanted to make Mikhail his person before arriving at Roshtov.

If the Count now pulled him out of the vanguard, it would be quite unpleasant for Viktor.

‘If he abandons me, the response to that is… and the variable is the Church.’

Viktor entered the inner castle with several close associates while checking the flags hanging in detail.

‘…As expected, it was there.’

Above various nobles’ flags, the Yakobski family flag and the ducal flag were hung large, and beside them hung the pure white Orthodox Church flag.

Viktor slightly added strength to the hand holding the reins.

He had to steel his resolve from now on.

Before the Grand Chief’s army, which had temporarily withdrawn, struck the Roshtov expeditionary force that was busily reorganizing, he had to win another invisible fight.

‘…I won’t become a hunting dog that gets devoured after its usefulness ends. Your Excellency, how will you come out.’

It was the fight of nobles.