The Count's Gun-Shooting Scoundrel-Chapter 24 : The Prelude to War (1)

“It's the Phoenix Knights!”
As the Knight Order returned from the Orc subjugation, the territory's residents came out of the castle to greet them.
“Who is that with Captain Skevin?”
“It must be Vice-Captain Hellot.”
“No, the one next to him.”
“That's the scoundrel.”
“What?”
Everyone was startled by Kenrak’s words.
His appearance and aura had changed so much that they hadn't recognized him at all.
But looking closely, his face was the same as before, except for the look in his eyes.
“It really is him.”
“The scoundrel changed that much?”
“My goodness…”
People couldn't hide their amazement at the dignified sight of Arthur leading the Knight Order.
A moment later.
Madeline and Aild came to greet them.
“Arthur!”
Seeing Arthur, she was incredibly surprised.
Covered in monster blood, he exuded a strength reminiscent of a valiant warrior.
Moreover, a frighteningly murderous and chilling aura flowed from him.
“Is… is that really you, Arthur…?”
Arthur stopped his steps and stood before her. Then, he bowed his waist respectfully.
“We have returned after completing the subjugation.”
“Are you… unhurt?”
“I am fine. However, the Knight Order’s casualties are not insignificant. I would appreciate it if you could arrange for them to receive immediate treatment.”
“Ah, alright.”
“I will come see you after I’ve settled the Knight Order.”
“Please do…”
Madeline, looking at Arthur with constant worry, nodded and stepped aside to let him pass.
Arthur said to Skevin.
“When things are settled, come to my room with Millerf.”
“Understood.”
Skevin replied respectfully, then turned around and shouted loudly.
“All units, attention!”
Cheocheok!
With sharp, disciplined movements, the Knight Order lined up in unison.
Skevin looked over the Knight Order with a sharp gaze, then turned back with a crisp movement.
He then offered a sword salute to Arthur.
“Ack!”
The knights also saluted in unison and shouted.
“Ack-!”
It was as powerful as a clap of thunder.
Everyone stared at the Knight Order in shock.
A chilling aura emanated from them.
The friendly, next-door-uncle image they had until just a moment ago was nowhere to be found.
This was not the Knight Order they had known.
But strangely, it wasn't frightening.
Rather, the thought that they would protect them was reassuring, and the fear of war began to fade.
“They look really strong, don't they?”
“I was worried about the war just a moment ago, but seeing the Knight Order makes me feel so secure.”
“But how did they change so much?”
Everyone stared at the Knight Order with expressions full of questions.
Madeline was just as bewildered by the Knight Order's drastic change.
Aild, on the other hand, watched Arthur enter the castle with a deepening gaze.
‘The cause of this change… is it because of you?’
*        *        *
“Hmm.”
Arthur stood by the window, reflecting on the battle with the Orcs.
Although it was a one-sided battle, the Knight Order's casualties were greater than he had expected.
This battle had made it clear.
Strengthening their tactics was crucial.
On horseback, the Knight Order was fast and strong, but once dismounted, they were not.
If they had fought with proper tactics, the damage would have been halved.
For that reason, he planned to reinforce their tactics with Skevin and Millerf.
Tomorrow was the final day declared by Count Yarve.
Although the Knight Order had grown stronger, he couldn't let his guard down.
Now that the biggest problem was solved, he needed to grasp the enemy's situation and formulate a counter plan.
“It seems I won't have time to sleep for a while.”
Knock, knock.
With a knock, Skevin entered.
Seeing no sign of Millerf, Arthur tilted his head.
“Why are you alone?”
“Sir Millerf seemed to still be recovering, so I came ahead.”
“It seems more serious than I thought.”
Arthur’s face hardened as he walked toward the table.
“Sit.”
“Yes, sir.”
Skevin approached and sat opposite him.
In the past, with his personality, sitting face-to-face with his lord would have been unthinkable.
But now that he understood Arthur's character, he obeyed without a second word.
Arthur looked at Skevin's white hair and asked.
“Are you alright?”
“I haven’t felt any particular abnormalities.”
“If you feel even the slightest thing wrong, don't hide it, just tell me. That's how you can help me.”
“Understood.”
“What’s the situation with the Knight Order?”
“15 seriously wounded, 54 lightly wounded… and 8 dead.”
“There were deaths.”
Arthur's expression stiffened as he continued.
“The families of the deceased will be sufficiently compensated.”
“Thank you.”
Knock, knock.
“May I enter!”
Along with the knock, a resonant voice was heard from outside the door.
“Come in.”
“Yep!”
With the reply, three similar-looking men entered.
It was the Wright brothers, with their violet disposition.
Seeing them, Skevin tilted his head and looked at Arthur.
“I called them.”
Arthur gestured for the Wright brothers to approach.
The Wright brothers approached with disciplined movements and stood before Arthur.
Just like with Dark, Arthur had given them nicknames as well.
He named them Poshe, Ramni, and Peri, thinking of the fastest cars from Earth and hoping they would become just as fast.
The eldest brother, Poshe, asked Arthur.
“Are you uninjured, sir?”
“I’m fine. How about you all?”
“We’re also fine, just minor injuries. But it seems Kasan will be unable to move for a while.”
“I’ll have to go see him.”
Arthur looked at Skevin and asked.
“The reconnaissance troops can move immediately, right?”
“Yes.”
“A third of them will start watch duty at the outposts from today, and assign the rest to these guys.”
“……?”
Skevin could understand the outpost duty, but he couldn't comprehend assigning the reconnaissance troops to them.
“If we’re going to fight Count Yarve, we need to gather intelligence first, don’t we?”
“That's true, but isn't it too late? And since it's a territorial war within the empire, the troop numbers are fixed, so it won't be of much help.”
“Even if it's a territorial war within the empire, facing an opponent without any knowledge is foolish. We need to have at least minimal information to formulate a plan, right?”
“Understood.”
Skevin replied, then said to Poshe.
“Go find Hellot and tell him I gave the order. He will assign the reconnaissance troops to you.”
Poshe bowed respectfully and then asked Arthur.
“What should we confirm?”
“The number of knights and mercenaries. I need to know by sunrise tomorrow at the latest.”
“Yep!”
Just as the Wright brothers were about to turn and leave, Skevin spoke.
“Absolutely do not go near their command structure. If there's a Sword Master, they will notice you instantly.”
“Don't worry. We're confident when it comes to running away.”
When the youngest, Peri, answered confidently, Skevin frowned.
“You don't know your place.”
“……?”
“Don't be mistaken. No matter how fast you are, to a Sword Master, you're nothing more than mice. If you don't want to die a dog's death, take my words to heart.”
They froze under Skevin’s sharp aura.
Seeing this, he added another word.
“You can't even move under an aura like this, yet you dare to face a Sword Master?”
“S-sorry.”
Peri bowed his head.
They stood still, watching Skevin's reaction.
“How long are you going to stand there? Get moving.”
At Arthur's words, Poshe quickly bowed his head and left with his brothers.
Arthur looked at the door they had exited and continued.
“When one suddenly gains great power, they can become arrogant and their judgment clouded.”
“That is correct.”
“Anyway, I'm worried about Millerf.”
As soon as Arthur spoke, the door burst open and Millerf entered.
“Speak of the devil.”
Arthur grinned and observed him.
His complexion looked better than before, but his aura felt weaker than usual.
It seemed he wasn't fully healed.
Millerf approached and bowed his waist.
“My apologies for being late.”
“It seems you haven't recovered yet, have you?”
“……!”
Millerf was inwardly shocked.
Just as Arthur said, he was not in a fully recovered state.
It seemed that tampering with his life force had caused a problem with his body.
But that was something only he should have been able to know, yet Arthur had noticed.
“How did you know?”
“I just asked because your energy seemed weaker.”
Millerf turned his head to Skevin.
“Did you feel it too?”
“I didn't feel anything particularly unusual.”
“I see.”
Millerf knew that Arthur's senses were exceptional. H
adn't he pinpointed his exact location even when he had used illusion magic to approach him?
On top of that, now that he had mastered Teheran's mana training method, his senses must have improved significantly.
Although the situation was understandable, he was flustered by how exceptional it was.
“Don't just stand there, come and sit.”
“Yes.”
As Millerf sat in the chair, Arthur looked back and forth between Skevin and Millerf and said.
“You both worked hard.”
“It is we who were lacking, causing you trouble, Young Master.”
“Since the territorial war is ahead, we'll leave it at this for now. When the situation is resolved, you two, as well as the entire Knight Order, will receive a fitting reward.”
“……!”
It was something they hadn't considered at all.
Furthermore, he was speaking as if they had already won the territorial war that hadn't even happened yet.
The two men stared blankly at Arthur with wide eyes.
Arthur continued calmly.
“If you achieve great merit, a reward is a matter of course. And stop looking at me with those eyes.”
“But the territorial war is still…”
At Skevin’s words, Arthur spoke resolutely.
“There is no such thing as defeat in my dictionary.”
*        *        *
At that same time.
Count Yarve's Rose Knights and mercenaries entered the Aslan territory, which bordered the Grada territory.
A dark shadow fell over the faces of the people who spotted them.
“What do we do?”
“If a war breaks out, we won't be harmed too, will we?”
“That might be the case.”
“But I wonder if it’s okay to provoke the House of Count Julius. They were called the Spear of the Empire, after all.”
“Spear? Who would fear something that's not just rusted, but completely broken?”
“True, I heard that the eldest son of House Julius died recently while subjugating Goblins.”
“If he died to mere Goblins, that says it all.”
The people were convinced that Count Yarve would be victorious in the territorial war.
Bagran, the commander of the Rose Knights, listened to the surrounding chatter and smiled faintly.
“Everyone knows we will win.”
“Indeed, they do.”
The Vice-Commander, Hans, standing beside him, smirked.
“You said today is the deadline for their answer?”
“That's right.”
“I really hope they don't tuck their tails and run. It would be a shame to come all this way and not even get to draw our swords.”
“That's true. But didn't the Count say to kill all the knights even if he accepts their surrender?”
“That's why we're even going, isn't it?”
Just as Bagran's lips curled into a smile.
Hans glanced behind them and spoke cautiously.
“I think the Count might be overdoing it a bit.”
“Hiring a Sword Master is a bit excessive.”
“And seeing that he hired all the men he brought with him, it seems his faith in us isn't what it used to be.”
“You still don't know what kind of man the Count is.”
“Pardon?”
“Seeing that he hired them, he's probably not just thinking about the Grada territory.”
“Don't tell me?”
Hans's eyes widened.
Starting with the Grada territory, his intention must be to extend his influence to the neighboring states.
“As expected of the Count.”
“Stop with the useless thoughts and just worry about how to deal with the Count's family. The Phoenix Knights won't die obediently.”
“Is there really a need for us to step up? We have those incredible people behind us, after all.”
“True, all we have to do is safely escort Countess Madeline.”
Bagran gave a wicked smile.
Following behind the Rose Knights was a group of men.
Their numbers were less than a hundred, but every one of them had a sharp glint in their eyes, and a murderous aura flowed from them.
Leading them were two men in red armor.
One was Berlo, who had delivered Count Yarve's message two days ago, and the other was Yakim, who had recently entered the realm of Sword Master.
They were Hunters who moved for money, and as skilled as they were, they always succeeded in their commissioned quests.
Because of this, they were quite famous.
They had been hired by Count Yarve to avenge Baron Shivar.
To erase the House of Count Julius from the world.
Thus, regardless of the wishes of House Julius, they planned to force the territorial war.
“Seeing how quiet they've been, it seems they have no intention of surrendering.”
At Berlo's words, Yakim nodded.
“Excellent. I've always wanted to face him, the guardian god of the House of Julius.”
“Before you step up, brother, isn't it right for me to face him first? If only to see if he's worthy of crossing swords with you.”
“Do as you please.”
“I will.”
Berlo smirked.
Espana Maximus, who led the Phoenix Knights and was called the Spear of the Empire!
The one who inherited his blood, Skevin Maximus!
This was an opportunity to build his reputation.
‘Just wait. I will devour you.’