Dungeon Defense (WN)

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“It seems they lost their first battle.”

“Those Frankians, I thought they would at least show a little backbone…….”

The generals of Brittany clicked their tongues after the envoy finished giving their report. It wasn’t a normal defeat, but a complete and utter defeat.

The only solace was the fact that they successfully retreated in an orderly manner. About sixty percent of their total troops managed to survive. However, General Gaspard de Tabarn, who was the supreme commander, died in battle. All sorts of complaints started to pour out as the generals grumbled about how ridiculous it was.

“This will only lower our morale.”

“I believed General Tabarn would put in more effort, but it seems I had forgotten his age. To think he would lead a cavalry charge.”

A commander shook his head in disappointment.

“Ten years have already passed since that general’s cavalry was last active. The Tiger of Frankia lost his teeth a long time ago. But to think he would forget his age and make his troops charge recklessly…….”

Another commander scoffed.

“Maybe the general thought his cavalrymen were as strong as ours. Cavalrymen aren’t all the same. Thus, you shouldn’t overestimate the power of your army.”

The generals gathered in the barracks chuckled.

They weren’t expecting much from the Frankians to begin with. The people of Frankia were way too caught up in their antiquated honor and traditions, especially the nobles. They were accustomed to raising their chins and acting lofty, but they weren’t skilled on an actual battlefield.

An aristocratic charge, honor, and fidelity. These were all good, but what was the point if they didn’t have the strength to back them?

“This is my personal opinion, but there is nothing more hypocritical than the honor cried out by talentless people. Additionally, they aren’t the ones who get sacrificed because of their hypocrisy, it’s their people.”

“Although if the people are lowly, then they won’t even realize they’re getting sacrificed. It’s normal for the masses to not even know who they are revolting for.”

The generals had mixed feelings as they spoke partially in a mocking tone. The noble families of Brittany didn’t simply let their eldest sons succeed their families. It was a tradition in Brittany for the sons and daughters of noble families to fight desperately for the successor positions.

All of the nobles here had succeeded their families after stepping on their siblings. Other nations saw this tradition as being barbaric.

However, that barbaric nation conquered the lofty nation of Frankia. Thanks to this, Frankia was swept up in a civil war and the people were consumed by fire.

The nobles of Brittany scoffed. Where was the honor in that? Which side was more honorable? Honor wasn’t a value that just drifted around somewhere. It was something only given to those who prove their worth through victory…….

“Cease.”

Queen Henrietta spoke up quietly. Once she did, the atmosphere instantly settled down.

“Sir Gaspard de Tabarn was a true warrior. He contemplated what loyalty is. Would he be loyal to the emperor, to the nation, or to the people?”

The Queen muttered with a distant look on her face.

“What is a warrior? Those who are in anguish. We have no way of knowing what answer he had arrived at. However, at the very least, we do not have the right to mock his anguish. Everyone, let us give him our respect.”

“…….”

Henrietta closed her eyes and lowered her head. The other nobles followed suit as they lowered their heads as well. The barracks became quiet.

At that moment, the priestess next to the queen opened her mouth. It was Saintess Longwy with beautiful scarlet hair. Longwy, a priestess of the Goddess Athena, slowly sang a silent tribute.

“Killed many, saved many, regretted many, and done many. Aah—Gaspard de Tabarn. May you rest on the other side.”

“O Goddess Athena, grant solace to that warrior.”

The nobles called out to Goddess Athena as they offered silent tributes.

Queen Henrietta opened her eyes. Her red eyes glared ahead of her.

“The vanguard battle was meant to confirm the loyalty of the Frankian nobles. If they tried to win, then they would have incurred heavy losses. Conversely, if they retreated without incurring any losses, then I was going to personally purge them. General Tabarn most likely realized this.”

“I see, so it was an intentional defeat.”

“Indeed. Although they lost, they did so while covering their backs. The general sacrificed himself for this exquisite result.”

There was a sharp edge in Henrietta’s voice.

“My dear generals! Frankia still has their pride. They have yielded to us, but they are still upholding their pride in their own way. Do not lower your guards.”

The faces of the generals became serious. They all glanced at each other before nodding carefully.

“Your Highness, please give us your orders.”

“We have resolved ourselves.”

The Brittan nobles weren’t satisfied with just being told to not lower their guards. Their natures made them desire something more practical.

It was the same for Henrietta de Brittany. The Queen’s order to not lower their guard wasn’t just her way of telling people to resolve themselves. They had to quickly take action.

“No human would have hope when there’s no promise. The reason why the Frankian nobles haven’t thrown away their pride yet is due to the fact that they have hope left somewhere. What is their hope?”

“Mm. I doubt it is their emperor. Even the pigs know that he’s an unprecedented retard.”

The generals laughed.

“Oi, what are you saying about our stern and excellent emperor? Despite his looks, he is our queen’s future husband.”

“Dear me. That was rude of me. I failed to recognize Her Highness’ pimp!”

Henrietta smiled wryly because of her generals’ banter.

“There are a lot of people who need to be purged. Of course, the Emperor is far from being Frankia’s hope. Despite this, if their nobles still have hope, then what could possibly be the source?”

“……A new emperor.”

The air within the barracks became cold as if martial law had just been proclaimed.

There was a secret policy that Brittany had been devoting themselves to for the past four years. The policy referred to as <Lily Plucking> devoted itself to removing Frankia’s royal bloodline from the roots.

The Empress Dowager had given birth to four princes and three princesses. This was an era where virtue was in fecundity. Catherine, who was once the empress of a nation, had done her duty as a lady excellently.

But misfortune followed the Empress Dowager. Out of the four princes, one of them died of an illness when they were little. The remaining three ascended the throne one by one, but two died at a young age, so only one remained to become the emperor. None of them had children.

Two of her daughters were married off to the Crowned Prince of Castille and the Second Imperial Prince of Habsburg respectively. Leader Elizabeth had slaughtered the Second Imperial Prince of Habsburg and his family. Therefore, there was currently only one son and daughter that could continue the royal bloodline……. In other words, a descendant next in line for the throne was non-existent.

“We have already put five illegitimate children to death. Are there still more?”

If every direct descendant and collateral descendant have been disposed of, then only the illegitimate children remained.

Brittany killed five of those illegitimate children and disguised their deaths as accidents. This was because there was a risk that the nobles of Frankia might try to raise an illegitimate child up as their new emperor.

“I did not inform you all of this, but there is still one illegitimate child left. The last child left behind by the previous emperor, Charles the 9th.”

The generals were shocked.

“Hoho. Why have you been keeping that child alive?”

“Did the Frankian nobles keep the child hidden all this time?”

Queen Henrietta smirked after receiving their questions.

“I deliberately kept the child alive.”

“Pardon?”

“Think about it. If the nobles of Frankia still desire to retaliate against us, then when do you think they will let it all out? Obviously, it will be when we, Brittany, are in a ‘perilous situation’. They most likely intend to endure until that moment arrives.”

Henrietta spoke in an almost whimsical tone.

“Now then, the Demon Lord army is invading under the guise of a human army, putting us in a perilous situation. Even if our allies want to send us reinforcements, Habsburg is far to the west, so there is no point in expecting anything from them. We could try to reach out to those Bernician bastards across the sea, those Batavian scoundrels above us, those Castilian brats below us, or our distant neighbors at Sardinia…….”

Queen Henrietta raised four fingers.

“Those Batavian scoundrels have been republican since their inception, so they are out of the question. Those Bernician island bastards do not want to see us become excessively powerful and they do not particularly dislike republicanism, so we should not expect any help from them. Those Sardinian country bumpkins cut us off diplomatically because we confined the Empress Dowager. What other option do we have left?”

The Queen instantly folded three fingers down.

“The only one remaining is those fools at Castile. But their queen is the Empress Dowager’s second daughter. She might come in and declare that the imperial throne belongs to her. If we ask them for reinforcements, then they would demand the throne……. If we do that, then the rigorous effort we went through to take over Frankia will all have been for naught. In the end.”

She folded her last finger.

“There is no nation that will send us reinforcements. The nobles of Frankia know this as well. Will an opportunity like this come again? Most likely not. A situation like this will never repeat itself. Men, the nobles of Frankia will try to revolt again.”

“…….”

“They will most likely start their rebellion while our army is out fighting.”

This was why Queen Henrietta had grouped them up separately and sent them as their vanguard.

It was meant to stomp out potential rebellions beforehand. She didn’t forget to confine the wives and children of their commanding officers in the capital just in case.

“But behold. I do not know if this is a coincidence, but they barely suffered any losses despite the death of their general. Something about this smells fishy.”

“……Your Highness, give us the command and we will suppress them immediately.”

Henrietta shook her head.

“There is no reason for us to push ourselves. Men, the nobles of Frankia are currently divided into royalists and republicans. Why do you think these two sides are able to work together? It is because they have hope.”

Instead of maintaining their current monarchy, they were going to put forward an illegitimate child with a weak cause as the next emperor. The royalists would get to preserve their cause while the republicans gain a practical benefit. Queen Henrietta was aware that there was room for compromise here.

The corners of Henrietta’s lips went up.

“Right before we leave……let’s say a day before our departure. What would happen if the last illegitimate child were to suddenly die? Would they still be able to cooperate?”

“……!”

The generals opened their eyes wide as they came to a realization.

“The Frankian nobles will fall into a state of confusion!”

“Indeed. Defeating us is important, but what they do afterward is also fairly important. If the successor to the throne disappears, then their reason to cooperate would evaporate into thin air.”

The generals looked at each other and nodded. They realize what the Queen was getting at. They scrambled to speak first, their voices filled with excitement.

“The Frankian nobles will undoubtedly try to convene an urgent meeting.”

“It should be fine to consider the nobles who participate in this meeting as the group opposing Brittany.”

“If we leave some troops lying in wait and ambush the meeting……We can get rid of Frankia’s last remaining resistance in one swoop!”

Queen Henrietta nodded.

“That is right. Men, a perilous situation is actually a grand opportunity. Those cowardly Franks do not know this, but we do. This is the difference between us and them.”

Henrietta took out a dagger and started to spin it around between her fingers before flinging it downward. Thud, the dagger pierced through the table all the way to its hilt.

“Let us now slaughter Frankia’s pride.”

***

TL Note: Thanks for reading the chapter. Well, rest in peace, last illegitimate child. We’ve known you for like 2 chapters.

On a side note, the next chapter will have a day delay because I’m going to another wedding. It just sort of popped up out of nowhere because my dad told me about it REALLY late. The wedding is going to be held on the 50th floor of a building, which I’m terrified about since I’m not good with heights. It’s on the rooftop of the building.

I’ll see you guys after the wedding.

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