Seyham had quite the pickle in his hand. Each of his four neighbors had hired around three to four thousand mercenaries who were currently pinned between the county forces and the standing army of these neighbors. As I scouted around the camps, they were negotiating pay, and the neighbors’ representatives were saying they had nothing to pay with because they were going to loot Seyham for the pay chest.
So far it was all according to the script. Even though Duke Cunningward met an untimely death, his successor and lackey cronies kept to the script. Let’s say they had a plan B in case Seyham could get support at the hunting grounds.
The County wasn’t large. One town and nine villages. They withdrew the people behind the town walls but that meant they were basically inviting the bandits/mercenaries to torch everything left behind.
I appeared inside the castle, a three-story square tower measuring twelve meters on one side. Seyham’s elder son was talking with his captains about strategy. I could see their desperation.
“Who goes there?” Young Lord Seyham challenged.
I let my {Royal Aura} speak for itself, at only minus ten to all Attributes at full range. Everyone in the castle and surrounding grounds felt my presence and were notified by the System of what was going on.
“I am Percival, the thirty… fifth? Prince. Your father allied himself with me at the hunting grounds.”
Lord Seyham fell on his knees, a gesture his captains quickly mimicked. “My Liege!” He exulted. “Seyham will be eternally grateful for your aid. I’m sorry for not greeting you at the gates but we were not alerted of your arrival.”
“I never sent notice. Your family is safe in my Palace in the capital. Rest assured they will not be harmed. I’ll skip the pleasantries and the terms of my agreement with your father. What matters now is to keep those invaders from torching a single hay bale.”
The young nobleman was on the verge of tears. “Stand, young Lord Seyham. You are now marked as my second-in-command. I bestow upon you my blessings of war.”
I triggered the same Abilities as before. The +88% boost to Morale and the +5 to Mind and Willpower were essential to the young Lord’s composure. He stood up.
“May I ask one question?” I nodded. “Where is your army, my Liege?”
“I don’t need one. You will go down now and tell your men to arm themselves and gather outside the city’s west gate in two hours. You’ll engage the mercenaries coming from the territory of Viscount Astarelli. I’ll handle the other four. Here’s your strategy.”
I used their map and army markers to plot their battle plan. It was as basic as it could be. Their army would march to the edge of the territory today, bivouac in the field, and tomorrow at first light charge the enemy. The bandits wouldn’t organize themselves sooner than that.
“I will join you before dawn to lead the charge. You’ll fight by my side. But now, I’m going to deal with the other three armies.” I could see in his eyes he thought it was suicide. “You will not lose a single man tomorrow. You have my word.”
> > Contested Charisma test won.
“As you say, my Liege. We shall put our lives in your hand.”
“Good. Now, to each their tasks. I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”
I vanished before his eyes and flew to the north. Today I would strike the camps to the North, then east, then south.
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At the north camp, I summoned three level 160 Mantursine for a hundred-twenty million Energy. A single one of the enormous insectoid monsters with a fur coat was more than enough to rout the bandit camp but I needed to make sure none of my summoned creatures would be killed lest they be revealed as such. With three of the reality-bending scythe monsters fighting in perfect coordination, they wouldn’t have a chance of scratching one. I also summoned one Bore Worm to tunnel for them.
The worm jumped down behind a hill and ate the dirt and stone, secreting an epoxy-like mucus that would bind the loose gravel and dirt and rock into a strong mortar, making the tunnel permanent. Once the twenty-meter-long worm with ten thousand teeth disappeared into the darkness, the Mantursine and I followed.
The worm broke the surface twenty meters from the edge of the bandit camp and quickly dug another tunnel, this time forsaking the mucus for more speed. It collapsed behind it but I dismissed it once it reached fifty meters down. The second tunnel collapsed to occupy its missing volume as the Mantursine used the plume of dust to climb out of the tunnel and strike.
They had orders to harass and push the mercenaries back. In a panic, they would attack the standing armies of Seyham’s belligerent neighbor and the ensuing clash would guarantee none would come to Seyham. A few would be killed but the Mantursine would let the vast majority flee.
“MONSTER ATTACK! LEVEL HUNDRED-SIXTY!”
“Calamity!”
“They came from the Labyrinth!”
It was rare but everyone heard tales of new Labyrinth entrances springing out with a monster wave that devastated everything for hundreds of kilometers. The mercenaries didn’t bother dismantling their camp as they fled away from the monsters in a hurry, in the exact direction I wanted them to. I added a few Stone Trolls to the mix to keep them from flanking the insectoids. It wouldn’t be necessary.
Ten minutes later, the battle was joined. The panicking bandits fought like madmen, disregarding their personal safety and dying on the blades of the regular troops. They gave as good as they took, however, killing four or five for each of them as their sheer savagery eroded the morale of the fief soldiers. Disorganized and without orders, these soldiers hesitated or acted on their own, and quickly routed when they learned why the mercenaries were acting like that.
It was utter chaos. Believing their fief was done for because of the fourth-tier monsters chasing off the bandits, the soldiers entered the so-called “every man for themselves” mode and became bandits themselves. They attacked the command tent to get the pay chest and to avenge some personal grudge with this or that officer.
An hour after it started, the military camp was overrun and in flames, as a horde of desperate and wounded raiders spread through the fief. Less than twenty percent survived the clash with the standing army but both forces were decimated. The local militia could take care of the survivors. Although a few civilians on the other side would die, I found my hands tied. I couldn’t set foot on the other fief without causing a battle that would cause even more civilian deaths. I dismissed the summons and used Earth magic to collapse the tunnel and plug it with solid stone.
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At the east, I went with another strategy. Since they had some mountains nearby, I conjured a flock of two hundred storm eagles and gave them huge boulders to carry. The Eagles bombarded the mercenary camp near the border with the boulders, then rained down the thunder on them, as each could use Lightning magic. Again, panic ensued and the mercenaries fled toward the standing army although a few fired arrows at the eagles. I had my summoned flock rise high up in the sky as a wind barrier deflected the arrows. On Earth, their height would be enough protection as gravity would stymie the arrows’ reach but with System assistance, the arrows could hit an airline plane at cruise heights.
This time the standing army faced fewer suicidal foes and could organize themselves properly. The mercenaries clashed against a wall of steel and suffered heavy losses. This battle would continue for quite some time and well into the night as we were halfway through the afternoon.
That’s when I used Weather magic. With the eagles circling above, I conjured a vortex of dark storm clouds. The narrative here was that one of the eagles evolved into a Tempest Patriarch, an extremely rare form of elemental avian that could control the weather. As my spell reached its apex, I rained down a pillar of blinding white lightning upon the battle below. Soldiers and mercenaries alike were fried in the conflagration, and the very ground became a mix of glass, ashes, and slag.
I cast an illusion of the eagles flying back to the mountains as I dismissed my summons. Now, the south.
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For this, I went underground and called several Bore Worms to excavate a large chamber underneath both camps. It went dark on the surface as the mercenaries rested to raid Seyham tomorrow. They wouldn’t set a single foot in there. I cast a massive Force barrier to support the weight above as the Bore Worms did away with the ground, digging a massive cylindrical cave three hundred meters deep by an average of a kilometer wide.
They hit the water table and the cave started to flood with water. I had the worms reinforce the walls of the hole so it wouldn't erode. I dismissed the worms as they were terrible swimmers and waited for three hours as the water filled the hole halfway. The water level was still rising and if I let it, it would reach the surface. Just what I wanted. I cast a second Force spell to disconnect the landmass above me from the planet and then another to shear it close to the surface. The gigantic disk of ground above me went to the item box as I became incorporeal, invisible, and dropped the Force barriers.
With a mighty rumble, the ground above broke and plummeted down. The screams of soldier and mercenary joined together and amplified in the cylindrical hole as they fell to their doom among huge chunks of rock, dirt, gravel, and their equipment. As they tumbled and flayed, the whole camp reached the rising churning water and crashed into the waves, sending a massive sonic boom and clouds of dust upward. It was just like an explosion.
That caused the ground to vibrate and the loose soil around the hole caved in, unable to find support. It caused a landslide of massive proportions, dragging the outlying parts of the camp not directly underneath the hole and dragging them to their watery grave. The few from the first batch that survived the dive were smothered by the avalanche crushed by falling rocks and churned by the fury of the disturbed water. Massive waves tossed fragile bodies on the walls of the hole and it became cross between a rock grinder and a blender.
The tremors enlarged the cracks connecting the hole to the water table as Nenandil and I added even more conjured water from my spells. A whirlpool dragged anything floating down under the water as the level quickly rose and passed my location, a swirl of gravel, dead bodies, swords, large stones, and mud.
The murky water reached the surface and we cut the conjuring spell. By morning, the bloated bodies of the dead would resurface in a few days.
But the land here was forever changed. A massive lake, roughly circular and around three kilometers across now acted as a border between Seyham and the neighboring fief.
I gained five points of [Spellcaster] Proficiency for my effort and creativity. Not bad.
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I flew over the border of Seyham trying to see if any mercenary avoided my “natural” disasters and entered the central fief but I found no traces of any. Either nobody came or they were ridiculously skilled at covering their tracks. Under the watchful baby blue gaze of Ayla and Vester combined, I went to meet the young Lord Seyham.
Just as the navy blue of the night gave way to the oranges and yellows of dawn, I stood in front of Seyham’s band of warriors. He had three thousand bodies, mostly militia and a few knights and regular troops. Compared to the four thousand rugged mercenaries and the regular army behind me, it would be a massacre.
“Did you have a good night’s sleep?” I asked rhetorically. I could see in their faces that they had barely any shut-eye time.
“My Liege, a thunderstorm like we’ve never seen rained in the east just as the sun was setting. It kept us on guard. Then we were kept awake by the rumbling of the earth beneath us. It felt like it wanted to swallow us.”
Maybe because that’s exactly what happened with the other guys to the south. I let the soldiers and conscripts gather as I used my vocal prowess to make sure all of them and the mercenaries behind us listened.
“Lord Seyham, I’ll tell you one of the terms of my agreement with your father. Your whole fief will convert to the faith of the Matriarch. A mighty cathedral shall be erected in Her Glory in your city and that place will become a hub of pilgrimage. What you saw and felt were three miracles the Matriarch brought to defend your land. To the north, She summoned mighty monsters of the depths to raid the enemy camp. To the east, She called the eagles of the nearby peaks and a storm to rain Her Divine punishment upon the would-be invaders. To the south, she called forth an enormous lake and caved in the land to, as you said, swallow the offenders and serve as a landmark that none shall trespass in this land.”
Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.
> > Charisma test successful. Reactions shifted by 25 steps.
The soldiers and militia shifted their perceptions of the events they witnessed at the far edges of their homeland and cheered. I let them, using {Roar of the Crowd} to restore my depleted Energy pool.
“Do you believe what I said, Lord Seyham?”
The young impressionable noble nodded and knelt. “I pledge eternal fealty and devotion to His Highness Prince Percival and to the Matriarch. She will be the only Goddess in my heart.”
I got a notification saying Lord Seyham was so convinced of what I said him he’d unlocked the Faith Attribute on his own. Without giving away I was the caster, I conjured a golden pillar of light upon the young Lord.
“Lord Phillip Seyham,” I projected Haru’s voice from the sky above. No longer shall you be a [Knight]. The Matriarch bestows upon you the Class of [Kin Paladin]. You shall be a Holy warrior, combining Divine magic and martial prowess. You shall lead your troops and work as a bastion of honor, justice, and freedom in this land and beyond. You are granted the boon of Meditation, so your heart will always be at ease and you can stave the blinding rage of your new species. You are also granted the boon of theriantropy. You are now a [Noble Werecat]. Your arms and armor shall mold to your new form and you will find your physical prowess much improved. Such is the boons I bestow upon Seyham.”
I imitated the Kythaurpódi as I formed a blade at the tip of a pseudopod and stealthily slashed him, infecting the man with theriantropy. It’s been a while since I last created a were-cat. The template I chose for him was a white striped Bengal tiger. He morphed on the spot and grew a foot taller in his hybrid werecat form. Basically a Thundercat. His armor gained my Holy Symbol as I used the distraction to combine the {Shadow Workshop} and {Force Tongs} to weld it at a distance.
“I feel the Matriarch’s power coursing through me. We can win this battle! For Seyham! For the Matriarch!” The converted [Noble Were-Tiger] roared.
The troops gained a huge morale boost from his conversion and I found a few others that also converted and unlocked the Faith Attribute spontaneously.
I used a few spare cloth golem bodies to incarnate a few of the priests that would return to Windemere in the next quarterly visit. They appeared decked in ceremonial plate armor and with storage rings loaded with weapons and armor for the militia.
We spent two hours equipping the militia, increasing their combat power by a large amount. Those that unlocked Faith were offered the [Priest] Class and they all accepted it without exception. The cloth golems started to chant war litanies, casting several combat buffs over the troops and these newly-anointed [Priests] helped them by combining their Magic with the other casters.
I stood at the front with Lord Seyham next to me. He roared, causing the small prey animals around us to flee. Beyond the treeline, I could sense the mercenaries, their morale near the point of routing. I activated my buffs and Proficiency Abilities. These bolstered our formerly rag-tag army by almost a whole rank.
“Charge! Today, we show our enemies the power of the Matriarch’s anointed!” I ordered.
I started to chant, adding {Song of Heroism} and {Song of Sacrifice} to the mix. I had to pace myself otherwise I would leave the army eating dust behind me. But as we were to enter contact with the mercenaries’ front line – they had time to prepare to receive our charge – I used my favorite spell. {M.I.T.H. Force Javelins}.
The dozens of lances of Force magic shot from me in a wide spread, attempting to cover their entire front line. They were homing and as they went they each split into another dozen projectiles, and each aimed at one mercenary. Then it struck. Hundreds of men and women in the front line died skewered by the piercing projectiles. The Exp notifications became a wall of text in front of me but that was my goal. I was sharing Exp with the lowest-leveled militia behind me, and that was enough Exp to skyrocket them to the first rank. I swapped targets for sharing Exp and fired another volley.
Another three spells and the front line were in disarray. They outnumbered us no more. As our battle line crashed on them, I used one last stratagem. “{Run away!}” I shouted, lacing my words with a {Royal Geas}. They failed the contested check and didn’t run. Immediately, the remainder of their first line crashed down in pain for disobeying the command. They were quickly cut down by our charging troops. More Exp, more levels for the weaker among us.
Their second and third lines charged us instead. That’s when I cracked out the {Eldritch Aura} and {Royal Aura}. The dual Attribute-Sapping auras made them weaker than babies as they stumbled and fell under the weight of their own equipment.
Lord Seyham darted ahead, sword, claw, and teeth in a furry flurry of righteous fury. Repeat that three times very fast.
The troops moved around the downed combatants, finishing any who moved. I fired another M.I.T.H. volley at the rear lines but that was enough for a display of force. The remaining mercenaries decided they couldn’t spend the pay they didn’t receive if they weren’t alive and ran for their dear lives.
I don’t think our troops suffered a single blow, our enraged were-Paladin covered in blood and gore notwithstanding. I didn’t worry a bit about him. He now had the moon-bound regeneration and divine magic to heal himself.
“{Do not chase!}” I ordered our soldiers. In the blind bloodlust of battle, it is almost instinctual to go after fleeing prey. The desire for another kill, of another Exp notification is too much. Especially for those close to leveling up. “I offer you this Quest. Return home safely. Live to tell the tale. You are to go back home and tell of this battle to the people important to you. Reward, Exp.”
That came from my own unallocated Exp pool. Reading the notification and with the reward in their sight, they left the territory they were technically invading. I went forward and grabbed the tiger-man’s shoulder.
“That applies to you too, Lord Seyham. Go with the silk priests.”
He growled at me. I pressed on him with my Auras and made him as peaceful as a kitten. That had the unintended effect of establishing feral dominance and giving the guy a level head to add two plus two. He recognized me as a were-cat too.
“You are...” he lowered his head. “I’ll obey, Matriarch.”
> > Phillip Seyham’s faith rose by 1.
Yeah. Busted.
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With everyone gone, I cleaned the battlefield with the {Item Box}. I also confirmed zero casualties or fatalities on our side. No wounds that the [Priests} couldn’t heal. The souls were either processed or bound to dolls as I saw fit.
Meanwhile, the regular army of this fief had a field day with the escaping mercenaries. None lived to tell the tale. Their souls too came to me. Then the army scouts found me. In my shiny Adamantite-laced armor, I wasn’t exactly hidden.
“Hands where I can see!” The scout shouted with a bow aimed at my head.
“More respect, peasant. It is at an [Imperial Prince] you point your weapon,” I shouted back.
The bowman’s friend (who probably had the mind to {Appraise} me as I felt the sting) slapped his arm, causing the arrow to fly. It hit my helmet and fell to the ground without dealing a single HP of damage.
“My Lord, we are sorry! We were not informed of your visit!” The friend groveled.
The archer was livid as if his life had been forfeit. It had. Not only his but his family’s and whoever else related to him should I so wish. “Please, mercy, Your Highness!” His voice broke as he realized his mistake.
To me, it couldn’t be more perfect. Maybe that’s my Luck score helping me.
“I will have your master’s head for this offense,” I said, with the arrow in my hand. “{You two will escort me and confess your crimes.}”
They tried to resist the geas but soon complied. The pain was too great and I wouldn’t let them die. They would take damage but I healed them as they did. Yes, it was torture. But I needed to play the part of the haughty Prince.
We marched to their camp, more scouts joining us in some sort of impromptu escort. As we reached the camp, a group of knights led by the son of the local lord approached.
“Your Highness Perci–“
** Slash **
The scion’s head rolled as blood gushed from his severed neck. An arc of blood spread on the ground as I finished my sword's swing. Not a drop fell on me.
“By my authority as an [Imperial Prince], you are all guilty of sedition. This scout here fired an arrow at me. To shoot at a [Prince] is to shoot at the [Emperor]. Now, {kneel and I shall grant you a painless death}.”
I put the scout inside a Force bubble. Once protected, I opened a rift to the Ethereal for him. “{Cross over and wait for me.}”
The whole army screamed in unison as the Geas compelled them to obey. My Energy pool started to drop vertiginously as the only weakness to the Geas was mass rebellion. It was balanced by the fact they weren’t in combat and therefore valid targets for {Roar of the Crowd}. I started to kill them one by one, each one of them yielding a critical hit (they were defenseless) and restoring 25% (0.1% per spectator) of my resources via {Standing Ovation}. I even advanced my curse erosion by 2%
I left the knights for last. They were almost dead. “Your master is dead, your army is wasted. Submit now and I won’t go after your families.”
They climbed to their knees, finally obeying the Geas and ceasing the pain.
“You are dead men walking but you won’t die today. If you cooperate, I’ll let you say goodbye to your families and they will be safe with me. {You will escort me to the fief capital and tell what happened here truthfully. Any treachery will trigger this Geas}.”
“You are generous, Your Highness,” the older knight stood as the previous geas had been overwritten by the new one. “Men, gather your horses. We ride back home.”
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Viscount Nelwell was grinding his mouth fish scales. Some call them teeth but they were fish scales because evolution is beautiful. We were in the main hall of his castle, five times bigger than Seyham’s even though they were one step lower on the nobility scale. Raiding was profitable, for the raider.
He lost five thousand men and his heir in what should be a leisure mission. All because one stupid scout shot an arrow at someone who should be untouchable. Said scout and the five surviving knights stood behind me, their lives in my hand.
All that we had to decide was the size of the compensation. As the offended party, I could demand the Viscount’s neck but that would be considered a social gaffe. Nevertheless, it was on the table. Nelwell didn’t seem too keen on giving up as I could practically see the math formulae floating around him like the Brazilian actress’ Math Lady meme. Or the gears spinning… yeah, that.
“My patience grows short, Viscount. I have things to do, places to be.”
“You already took my son’s head!” The grieving father protested. “My heir!”
Haughtily, I scoffed, “I saved you from his stupidity. He should’ve trained his scouts better. Fetch the families of these men. I want all of them brought here unharmed,” I licked my lips and narrowed my eyes to make it seem I wanted to harm them myself.
“Do as His Highness says!” The Viscount barked and his servants moved.
Behind the nobleman, his family cowered in fear. The rumors of Percival’s wicked black wagons and Blood magic had already reached this far. The women flinched and avoided my gaze as I looked at them. If they only knew I was as harmless to them as a butterfly.
We waited while the knights went to fetch the families. Nenandil was invisible in the sky above the town, watching them. Meanwhile, I overlayed an illusion again and went to do some raiding. Yes. I went for the good Viscount’s treasury and emptied it, then I robbed his storage ring until it was empty. Most people don’t put security measures in their dimensional storage items. It is considered useless, where would you find a thief with 600 Proficiency and the right skillset?
Finally, a knight came and whispered in the Viscount’s ear.
“The peasants you requested are in the courtyard,” he said between his teeth. “Would Your Highness wish to examine them?”
“Sure. You there on the stairs, you are coming with us. Don’t worry, the night is quite warm.”
We moved to the courtyard. I let my prisoners go and say their goodbyes to their families, reassuring them they wouldn’t be harmed. Once we confirmed all of them were healthy, I brought one of the black wagons from my item box. I could store them if the pocket dimensions were empty of life.
“Everyone, get inside. It may be a little cramped but you’ll soon see how comfortable it is,” I said as I opened the back doors.
The manacles and chains hung from the sterile polished steel walls. It was a prisoner transport, there was no other way around. Everyone, even the steely Viscount and his knights looked at the dreadful wagon with horror. The commoners had no choice but obey. A [Prince] ordered them. The captured knights and scout thought I was betraying them.
“You can come along if you want. Or stay here with the fair Viscount,” I said in a flat tone.
They climbed on the wagon. I went after them and closed the doors behind me. It was cramped but I wiggled around them until I reached the door to the driver’s compartment. Triggering the enchantment, I opened the door.
“Everyone, please get inside. Please don’t fight, you can have your pick among the houses. Don’t vandalize anything and I’ll be with you shortly. There’s fresh water in the stream and a meal will be served soon.”
The children quickly rushed past the door into the grassy meadow. The worried mothers soon followed, then the rest of the people. They feared being separated, was the empathic impression I got.
“Your Highness, what is this?” The older knight asked.
“This is the truth regarding these wagons. They may look scary on the inside but what they actually are is this. Doorways into a better world. Trust me. You did the right choice. Now go and be with your family. No harm will come to any of you now.”
> > Charisma test successful. Reactions shifted by 60 steps. Currently: Neutral.
I closed the door after the last of them, then created illusions of chained people. Some were missing but hey, let them dread that.
The Viscount scowled as I climbed off the wagon. He peeked inside and saw the people in chains.
“Are you satisfied, Your Highness,” he tried to be polite but failed.
“Not yet. There’s the matter of compensation. Seyham’s youngest daughters came with me as a token of goodwill,” I suggested. “I saved two spots in the wagon.”
“You already took my heir!” He protested. I just stared at him. “No, please, no.”
He fell to his knees. I would like to know what they think I did with the people I took into these wagons. Maybe it’s better to remain ignorant.
“I won’t force your children to come with me, but you know a bunch of commoners won’t pay for a [Prince]’s life and your scout tried to kill me. But I won’t force anyone to come either. The two Ladies Seyham are with Her Majesty my mother now, learning how to be proper Ladies. I extend the same offer to your children,” I looked at the family. The Viscountess hugged her precious packages. “Would you pledge yourselves to serve me in exchange for the wellbeing of your House? I offer you an alliance. Cast away your belligerent allies and join Seyham in my faction. Kidak and Cunningward are dead. You’ll soon find your so-called allies in this misbegotten raid on Seyham suffered divine punishment. But again, I won’t take anyone against their will.”
The children started to cry. Viscount Nelwell pondered and his face fell as he finally did the math regarding the outcome of their raid. They had seen the magical lightning, they had felt the earthquake.
“Will you protect our fief?” He asked me.
“No! Wilbur Nelwell, you won’t give my children to this MONSTER!” The Viscountess cried.
“Silence, woman! You just offended a [Prince]! Do you wish to get all of us killed, including our children?”
“They are not your children! Your Highness, I cheated on my husband! Yes, they are some knight’s offspring! They are not part of his bloodline! Please!” She fell on her knees and begged as she lied. It was clear as day.
The Viscount drew his sword. I grabbed his wrist. The knights tensed.
“{No violence shall take place in my presence}!” I ordered.
The sword clattered on the courtyard.
“That’s a lie, isn’t it?” The Viscount cried, as hurt as when he saw his son’s head.
“It is. None shall fault a mother for protecting her children, no matter how. Viscountess Nelwell, I took no offense at your words.”
“Please, Your Highness, leave,” she whimpered.
“Viscount, I forgive every offense your fief offered me today. Farewell,” I said as I climbed on the wagon and moved to the driver’s seat.
I drove it out of the courtyard and on the road to Seyham. I would spend a week training their troops and helping them improve the local economy, as well as instructing the Count on how to properly tax his people and live a just life as I instilled in them the concept of Noblesse Oblige. One fief out of hundreds was finally on the proper path. Seyham would prosper and our alliance would become set in stone. After that week, I drove the black wagon back to the capital.
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House Nelwell, however, wouldn’t live to see the next Fall harvest. The other three fiefs used my visit as a pretext to accuse them of betraying their faction, and jointly attacked their former allies. They sought to raid Nelwell and use their treasury to repay their losses. That was the reason I raided the Viscount’s gold. No need to leave money behind for my enemies.
Enraged, the attackers razed the town and stole everything that had any value. Without the money to pay their soldiers for the raid, they allowed them to have their way with the population of Nelwell. The children suffered the least of two terrible fates as they were killed but not desecrated. The poor Viscountess, on the other hand, would be the last to die.
I regretted not taking the children by force but I wouldn’t pry them from a mother’s skirt. They chose their own path, their own fate, and paid the price.
Such was the terrible game all Imperial nobles played. The Empire lost another fief and its productivity. The nation’s GDP dropped although nobody noticed. They didn’t even understand that concept.
The [Princes] had their own game, a protracted battle royale to see who would be the last one alive or at the top of the succession race when the [Emperor] expired.