Read Novel Full Vol 13 Chapter 4 Part 1
Vol 13 Chapter 4 Part 1
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ED: LonelyMatter
Chapter 4 – Farewell
Part 1
The clear, cloudless sky was refreshing.
The ground had been struck by a tragedy that made one want to cover one’s eyes, but looking up at that azure sky seems to wash away the roughness in one’s heart.
It was as if a bright future lay ahead.
Even though it was called escaping from reality, Margrave Grinda was looking forward with a renewed spirit.
At present, the army led by Margrave Grinda was moving north.
The largest banner waving in the wind was that of the Great Grantz Empire, but there were also many other banners of the Grantz nobles from the South and East, and various emblem flags flew across the factions.
Margrave Grinda was at the head of the group. He looked ahead with a tense expression on his face.
For the first time in his life, he was leading up to 40,000 soldiers.
The day before yesterday, the two sides of the East and the South were finally able to have a calm discussion.
Although he was relieved of the suspicion that the eastern nobles had assassinated Vetu, the southern nobles were extremely upset by the loss of their absolute pillar of strength in Vetu.
Above all, it was inevitable that they would lose their spirits if they heard that he had tried to betray the Grantz. So they thought that if they were strong in spirit, the negotiations would go smoothly, but their decision-making ability, which had been faithful to Vetu’s words, was deteriorating.
The southern nobles were reluctant to lend troops to Margrave Grinda.
As for Margrave Grinda, he did not want any problems to arise in the South while he was on his way. Therefore, he wanted to keep his eastern army stationed in Sunspear as usual.
He asked the southern nobles for their cooperation in replacing the missing troops, but the talks did not go as smoothly as he had hoped because they had not made any important decisions themselves.
“I am grateful for your help, Miss Loing. Without you, the East and the South would not have come together as one.”
“I am glad to hear you say that.”
Margrave Grinda bowed his head, and the noble-looking girl replied with a shy smile.
Though she was modest, without her, it would not have been possible to move the army to the center so quickly.
When she saw that the talks between the East and the South were making no progress, she did her best to convince the Southern nobles. Her negotiating skills were superb, and she had impeccable talent as a civilian official. She showed such brilliance that Margrave Grinda could foresee that she would support his niece in the future.
It was frustrating to admit defeat to a girl half his age but to be honest, in terms of talent, Margrave Grinda was not even close to her.
The overwhelming difference between the two was enough to convince him.
However, due to issues such as rank and the fact that this is a male-dominated world, the military was led by Margrave Grinda so that there would be no obstacles. This was a matter she agreed with, but it was also a matter of regret that Miss Loing, who had contributed so much, should be left out of the picture, so Grinda decided on his own to have her appointed Chief of Staff.
At first, she tried to avoid unnecessary friction, but she agreed to a few conditions.
The first was that she would be allowed to see his niece, Liz after this war was over.
There was no problem with that.
In view of her achievements, Liz would give the reward directly to Miss Loing.
The second was to change her assignment; she was assigned to the center as a civilian officer.
Miss Loing wanted to be on Liz’s staff, and she wanted her to be her direct subordinate.
This decision could not be made arbitrarily, so he agreed to make a recommendation to her later.
Third, she wanted her to be the liaison to Liz when they joined the main Grantz army. As with the current army, there are many areas that rely heavily on her, and giving her the role of messenger would be a heavy burden on Miss Loing.
However, she stubbornly refused to budge, and so Margrave Grinda, defeated by her enthusiasm, gave his consent.
When he remembered the conditions, he thought that Miss Loing must be one of Liz’s admirers.
He knew that Liz’s popularity had exploded in recent years.
Her good looks, which surpassed those of the long-eared race, attracted men and women of all ages, and her many tales of bravery gave people courage, and he had heard that the number of admirers like Miss Loing was increasing all over the country.
“So, Margrave Grinda.”
The sudden call took Margrave Grinda by surprise and almost caused him to fall from his horse. He managed to regain his footing and turned to Miss Loing in a cold sweat.
“What is it?”
Miss Loing did not look at him but looked down in embarrassment as she clasped her hands and forefingers together in front of her chest.
“I’d like to ask you some questions…”
A small voice that sounded like a muffled soliloquy. The sound of horseshoes immediately drowned it out.
“What would you like to ask… I’ll answer as much as I can…”
“Then, if you don’t mind my asking, I have a favor to ask of Margrave Grinda.”
She held her cheeks with one hand and blushed like a girl in love.
Margrave Grinda’s heart leaped as he wondered what on earth she was going to talk about.
She was a young maiden, a beautiful and charming girl with a graceful appearance.
But he waited for her to speak, remembering that he had a wife.
“I was wondering if you could tell me some stories about Princess Celia Estrella’s childhood.”
She said it. What was to be done now? Miss Loing shook her head as if to expel her shame, exploding with emotion like a maiden who has confessed her love.
Despite this reaction, Margrave Grinda’s shoulders slumped in disappointment.
“W-what a surprise; I can tell you as much as you want to know about such things.”
“Really?”
She was so pleased when a messenger arrived at her side.
“Loing-sama, the Tausend and Munter families have agreed to cooperate with us. A messenger will be here shortly.”
“I understand. I will prepare to receive her. Next, please deliver this letter to the Frisch family.”
A shiver ran down Grinda’s spine.
The maiden she had been a moment ago was no longer there. She carried out her new orders with the sharp presence of a warrior. Margrave Grinda sighed in admiration that the bloodline of the five great generals had been passed down to her as well.
After the messenger left, Miss Loing called her subordinates.
“The Tausend and Munter families have always been on bad terms, so when the soldiers of the two families join forces, let them march with the Altar Family in between.”
“The distance between them is too close, don’t you think? I think it would be better to divide them between the front and the back.”
“If we do that, there will be disputes. Why are we in the back while they are in the front? And since Altar-ojisama is in contact with both families, he should be able to mediate any problems that may arise. It is better to keep an eye on them than to separate them.”
“If that is the case… I will go and inform Altar-sama.”
“Yes. And please tell him that I asked for him.”
“Understood.”
Miss Loing had a well-known face, for she was the young lady of a former family of five great generals. She made the best of her position. If she didn’t do her job well, it might be said that she has benefited from her grandfather’s influence, but she was so capable that no one would ever feel that way.
Therefore, no one ever talked about her behind her back.
In fact, if such rumors were to spread, many of the southern nobles would probably become enemies.
Once again, the greatness of General Loing was conveyed through her. Normally, there would be those who would mock her as a little girl or ignore her orders, but they accepted Miss Loing’s orders without question. This was proof that her instructions were so precise.
It was probably because most of the other southern nobles had also been taken care of by General Loing.
This was a trump card that Margrave Grinda, who came from another area, could not have.
Of course, there were times when nobles who wanted to impress Liz’s uncle, Margrave Grinda, came to visit, but most of them had ulterior motives, so there was no relief in sight.
It was only recently that Liz had become a force to be reckoned with, and the Loing family has long kept the peace in the South as one of the Five Great Generals in charge of protecting the South.
Therefore, they had a strong voice and had established a firm position in the South.
This was not to say that Margrave Grinda intended to be despicable.
There was such a thing as the right person for the right job.
If you did what you could to the best of your ability, people would follow you.
He had no choice but to fulfill his role and win the trust of the southern nobles without being corrupt or impatient.
Then he looked back at the girl whose future he was looking forward to.
Miss Loing was busy dealing with the messages that came in one by one.
The reason why there were so many orders coming and going was because she was constantly bombarding the nearby Grantz nobles. By showing a large army of 40,000 soldiers, they claimed to be united as one so that the surrounding nobles would not have any doubts.
Therefore, the march was slow, even though it was a reinforcement to the center.
Perhaps they would not make it in time for the battle between the Monster Army and the Grantz Army.
However, there was no way to solve the problem by being in a hurry.
Therefore, they were doing their best.
If they continued to expand their army by adding the private armies of the nearby Grantz nobles, it would serve as a warning to the neighboring countries. If they reached the battlefield in time, they would be of great use.
“Good work, Miss Loing. As expected of you, Miss Loing, you were trained by your grandfather, weren’t you?”
After she had finished giving orders and instructions to her subordinates, Margrave Grinda called out to her.
“No, my grandfather wanted me to follow the normal path, and he never taught me anything.”
Miss Loing looked a little sad, her eyes downcast, but she quickly looked up and smiled.
“But I have watched his back all my life, and I have done my best to live up to my grandfather’s name. Of course, I will continue to support Celia Estrella-sama without conceit.”
Seeing her speak with embarrassment, Margrave Grinda’s eyes widened. She must be a girl with a lot of ambition because she is still disciplining herself that she hasn’t grown enough and still continues to work hard.
At this point, Grinda was so determined not to be outdone by the young woman.
“If it were just me, things wouldn’t have gone so smoothly.”
“No way, it’s because of Miss Loing’s efforts that we are where we are today.”
“No, they know what will happen if they turn their blades against the next Empress Celia Estrella’s uncle, Margrave Grinda.”
In other words, what she was trying to say was that if she were to outwardly approach Margrave Grinda for cooperation, there was a possibility that she would be shunned by the surrounding southern nobles. So she was trying to improve her credibility by putting herself in between the two.
“I am sorry. Of course, it was also due to the character of Margrave Grinda.”
She may have thought she had offended Margrave Grinda, but she immediately apologized in a flustered manner.
Grinda smiled at her wryly.
“No, I am well aware of my position. But I must be careful not to be taken advantage of without being conceited.”
Grinda glanced in the direction of his niece, who was far to the north.
Somehow, unbeknownst to him, Liz has surpassed his own fame and cast her shadow over him. He was not jealous; in fact, he was proud.
Her mother was also brave and beloved by her people. It was very unfortunate that she could not see the grown Liz, but he believed that she was still warmly watching over her from heaven.
A girl who, until a few years ago, could do nothing without his protection had now grown up so quickly that Margrave Grinda has to rely on her name.
With the fast flow of time, the wave of generational change was surely coming. No, it was already at his feet. When this war was over, his role should also be over.
Looking at Miss Loing beside him, he felt this strongly.
He would leave it to the next generation and enter a life of retirement.
“Don’t worry about it. Let’s talk about the first time Liz and I met.”
“Oh, please!”
Margrave Grinda smiled unintentionally as he imagined the not-so-distant future.