Chapter 11-2
Chapter 11-2
Chapter 11-2
Capturing the Lassen was easier.
The lord himself was killed in battle, and the army was completely wiped out, leaving it in complete anarchy.
But the Orth estate was different.
There were still 500 troops and a surviving Lord.
And the lord of Orth, Condor, was not a man to be trifled with.
He was a skilled swordsman for a country lord, cunning, and ambitious.
Hes a pain in the arse. Even Camille would have a hard time dealing with him.
Otto was thinking about the Condor.
The Orth estate has locked the gates.
Camille reports from scouting.
Looks like theyll be holding out through sheer willpower.
No.
Otto shook his head.
Theyll probably open the gates tomorrow morning with a white flag of their own.
What do you mean by that?
Dont you think the Condors realise that even if they hold out, theyll be breached anyway, with such a disparity in troop numbers?
Well, yes, but.
Condor is ambitious, and capable. And hes got the most trust of any lord in these parts.
Thats true.
So hes not going to give up the estate easily.
But theres no way he wont give it up.
One way or another.
Otto smiled.
I could lead an army into the mountains and wage guerrilla warfare, or I could enlist the co-operation of the estatesmen in a rebellion. Either that, or I could dig a trap and wait.
Why dont you rethink the occupation of the Orth estate?
A wise suggestion.
Otto agreed with Camille.
But we should finish what we start. Condor is an unrivalled lord, and if we dont defeat him now, it will be us who suffer later.
Although Condor was not a player-selectable main character, he was a foe to be reckoned with.
If left unchecked, there were many scenarios in which the Iota Estate would be destroyed by the Orth Estate led by Condor.
Lets go in first. If you want to catch a tiger, you must enter the tigers den, dont you think?
Otto said, and turned his horses head towards the Orth estate.
Come on, lets go.
***
The next morning.
As Otto had predicted, a white flag flew over the gates of the Orth estate.
You were right, my lord, he said, During the night the lord, Condor, left the estate with his men.
Really? Then lets go.
Otto smirked at Camille, then spurred his horse on, heading for the Orth estate.
Taking the Orth estate was easy enough.
Not only was there not a single person resisting the white flag, but everyone was very cooperative with Iotas army.
Dangerous.
This made Camille feel rather uneasy.
Everyone is too cooperative. I feel like Im in the middle of enemy territory.
But nothing much happened until dinner time.
We have prepared a feast for our new lord, prepared by our servants, and I hope you will join us.
Is that so?
Otto was invited to dinner by the officials of the Orth estate and attended the banquet.
The banquet was also attended by members of Iotas guard, including Camille.
Have all of our knights attend, heavily armed. In full armour. Have the soldiers stand by.
In full armour?
I think were going to have some fighting.
I see.
That evening.
My lord dines.
Otto attended the banquet with the utmost hospitality.
My lord, A man said, my name is Michael, and I am in charge of the administration here at the Orth estate.
The middle-aged man, who introduced himself as Michael greeted Otto.
I see youre all dressed in your armour.
Yeah, well. It came to that, hahaha.
Otto smirked, scratching the back of his helmet.
This friend here is Camille, the head of the knights, and he insisted on wearing armour because hes so suspicious, so I decided to let him.
The moment.
Snap!
A tendon sprouted on Camilles forehead.
When did I do that, huh?
He flinched as Otto made him look like a suspect.
Wasnt it Otto who had asked him to come in full armor?
Its only natural as a knight, of course.
Michael smiled.
Its all to keep my lord safe, isnt it?
Its just that hes so suspicious and cowardly, I dont know what else to call him.
Hahaha.
What is it? Youre being meddlesome and annoying, and your loud squeaky voice is driving me to death.
Otto scolded loudly, even though Camille was right next to him.
He said it out loud for all to hear.
Tremble! Tremble! Tremble!
Camille was outraged by Ottos treatment of him, but he endured it patiently.
The banquet began with Camilles trash talk.
What do you make of Lord Condors departure?
Its his decision, so we cant do anything about it. Isnt the estate in shambles?
It is.
There is a new lord here, and we can only honour your service.
Otto enjoyed the banquet, chatting with the man called Michael about this and that.
Then he said.
But no matter how many times I think about it, I find Lord Condor too pathetic.
A chilling silence fell over the banqueting hall at Ottos words.
The eyes of all the officials, servants, and maids of the Orth estate at the banquet were fixed on Otto.
Why do you think so?
Michael asked Otto, rather, smilingly.
Not willing to surrender and give up the land. Because if we fight, youll lose. So youre taking your chances by abandoning the estate and pretending to run away?
Is that so?
If you were going to leave, you would have surrendered neatly and handed over the authority.
Otto took a drink of wine as he said this, then looked back at Michael.
It gets ugly when a man pushes too hard, and he should know how to give up peacefully.
It gets ugly it gets ugly.
Michael repeated, echoing Ottos words.
Why dont you give up cleanly? Condor?
Otto said, turning to Michael.