Chapter 92 It'S Already Too Late
"Sophia, can I borrow some time from you this afternoon?"
As Sara and Rebecca were about to head back to the guest room after lunch, Robert called out to them.
'Ah, I'm sure Uncle wants to hear the specific plans for the previous proposal, but it's no use with Baron Walt around.'
"What's going on?"
"Well, I want to borrow Sophia and Revi's power."
"And what do you plan to do?"
Sara and Rebecca smiled sweetly. The meaning behind their smiles was "Do your own job yourself."
"Ah, no, that's... ."
"I and Ms. Sophia were thinking of heading back to the capital. If we leave now, we'll arrive by nightfall."
"Eh..."
Robert was clearly acting suspiciously. Since Sara and Rebecca had helped him a lot recently, he seemed to think they would help him again this time.
But then, an unexpected obstacle appeared. It was Jeffrey.
"It's a shame that you ladies are leaving just when you've returned. Can't you at least join for dinner tonight? I can have the knights' guard escort you, so why not postpone your departure to tomorrow?"
Baron Walt was also nodding in agreement beside him.
"It would be lonely for my daughter if you left so soon. Please stay for just one more night."
'If they say that, it's hard to refuse... It's not just because Sir Jeffrey is handsome!'
Sara thought to herself, unsure who she was making excuses to, but decided to postpone her return until the next day.
"Still, Sir Jeffrey's timing is impeccable. Did you plan this?"
"No, that's not, Lady Sophia..."
'From the way he's speaking, it seems like he was waiting for the right moment to make his move?'
"But the situation is already too convenient!"
At that moment, Sara realized she had said something careless. Various thoughts began racing through her mind.
Rebecca quickly noticed Sara's expression had changed and decided to discreetly pull her away from the scene before anyone else noticed.
"In any case, I'll return to the guest room for now. I've just revived the forest and I'm exhausted."
Sara also panicked and tried to cover up the situation.
"I'm a bit tired, I apologize. May I take a short break?"
"This is unacceptable, I apologize. Please take your time to rest."
Baron Walt, the host, called for his servants and instructed them to take care of Sara and Rebecca. Robert didn't object and let the two of them take a break.
When the two of them arrived at the guest room, Rebecca asked the servants to bring only tea and had them leave.
Rebecca sat down next to Sara, holding a cup, and gently stroked Sara's head with a worried expression. Although they both looked like they were in their late teens, Rebecca treated Sara like a precious student.
"Ms. Sophia, are you okay?"
Sara responded to Rebecca after setting up a soundproof barrier.
"Hey, Miss Rebecca. Don't you think this whole thing is too much?"
"What do you mean?"
"We caught all the mercenaries. They said they were hired by Roisen, but we didn't see any of Roisen's regular army."
"That's true, isn't it?"
"Of course, it's possible that the regular army was planning to invade after the surprise attack. But don't you think it's a sloppy plan to invade another country with just mercenaries?"
Rebecca thought back on the situation, considering Sara's point.
"The leader of the mercenary group you caught said he was a former Roisen knight."
"I don't think that's a lie. But if I were the king of Roisen, I wouldn't entrust an important role to a fallen knight like that. He's too loose-lipped."
"Is that because you broke his spirit?"
"Would you entrust an important vanguard to someone with a loyalty that can be broken so easily, Miss Rebecca?"
"...I wouldn't."
Suddenly, the sound of knocking on the door could be heard. As Sara dispelled the soundproof barrier, Rebecca questioned the person outside the door. It seemed that Robert and Jeffrey had come to confirm the situation of the 2.
As Rebecca invited them in, Sara redeployed the soundproof barrier at the same time.
"Hmm? What's going on?"
"We were just discussing the recent events with Miss Rebecca."
"Ah, that's interesting. Please do tell."
Sara nodded.
"I think what's happening now is too good to be true. We have nearly 500 prisoners, but I suspect they're all mercenaries."
"That's right. They're all mercenaries or freelance adventurers."
"Sir Jeffrey, would you use an army composed only of mercenaries to invade another country?"
"I wouldn't. While we might use mercenaries in local operations, we would always place them under the management of a regular army. Otherwise, we couldn't control the battlefield... Hmm, indeed, the current situation is unnatural."
Jeffrey also stroked his chin in thought.
"I suspected that there might be regular knights disguising themselves as mercenaries, but the prisoners we've caught are all mercenaries."
"Can Sir Jeffrey distinguish between disguised knights?"
"I can't say I can identify them all perfectly, but I think I can do so with a fairly high probability. It's something that can't be hidden from fellow professionals."
Robert hastily interjected.
"Wait, could it be that the series of events isn't the work of Roisen after all?"
"That's more convincing. Especially the leader of the mercenary group that was hiding in the hunting ground, that knight who defected from Roisen's side is the most suspicious."
"Ms. Sara, are you suspecting that a third party might be deceiving Roisen and attacking Grandchester's territory?"
"That's right. It's giving me a really bad feeling. The current situation is..."
Sara was about to dive back into the depths of thought, but decided to seek help from the others who were present.
"Let's assume that the current commotion is really a conspiracy by Roisen. I don't get why Roisen would attack Avalon."
"Isn't it to expand their territory?"
Rebecca's opinion was also considered by Sara. However, Sara couldn't shake off the feeling of discomfort.
"As everyone knows, Roisen has been in a state of turmoil since the family feud about 10 years ago. It's hard to say they're stable politically. Right now, they should be focusing on domestic affairs, and it seems like they're doing just that. It's hard to believe they'd invade a neighboring country at a time like this."
"There's also the possibility that they're creating a common enemy outside their country to strengthen internal unity."
Jeffrey agreed with Sara's opinion. Sara thought about it further, considering both opinions.
"So, the current Roisen is in a state where the king can't control his own nobles, right?"
"That's right."
"I understand what Sir Jeffrey is saying. Having a common enemy does increase unity. But would they suddenly take military action? I think they'd first spread propaganda about the disadvantages they're facing within their own country."
"Why is that?"
"Because war costs money. They'd need to raise taxes or issue national bonds to fund it. Either way, they need a 'reason' to justify the war, like 'Avalon is causing us harm' or 'we'll become rich if we take over Avalon.' But if they did that, it would be obvious to the other side, and it's strange that there's no tension between Roisen and Avalon already."
Jeffrey looked puzzled and asked Sara again.
"But if they were to launch a surprise attack on Avalon and make it their territory, wouldn't they gain benefits in the long run? Even if they can't take over all of Avalon, if they could just get Grandchester, wouldn't that enrich their country?"
"Do you think the territory obtained through military action will easily bring benefits? The wheat fields that were burned will not have the same harvest as last year. Looting will also occur. The people who had their families killed will not be able to happily cultivate wheat as Roisen citizens the following year. The population will also decrease. Of course, if the King of Roisen is a tyrant, it's possible he would take such a strategy. However, that assumes the domestic situation is stable, and the national treasury can be opened to cover military expenses. And..."
"And?"
Jeffrey leaned forward, listening intently to Sara's explanation.
'He's too close... The handsome guy is too close...'
"Um, Sir Jeffrey, could you please step back a bit?"
"Ah, I apologize."
Jeffrey hastily corrected his posture.
"No, it's just that as a knight, you're too close to the topic, so it can't be helped. What I was saying is that if they really wanted to succeed in a surprise attack, they should either dispatch an elite unit or form a large army to overwhelm them with numbers. Either way, it would be a short-term decisive battle."
"Hmm... Attacking Grandchester with a small elite unit would be a bit tricky, wouldn't it?"
"Yes, that's right. The territory is vast, and Grandchester Castle, where the lord resides, has a strong fortress."
"......"
Jeffrey folded his arms, seemingly deep in thought. Robert, who glanced at him sideways, also offered his opinion.
"Does Sara think the enemy didn't seriously intend to attack Grandchester?"
"That's not entirely correct. If they just wanted to tarnish Roisen's reputation, I think 500 people would be unnecessary. The hunting ground riot would be enough, don't you think?"
"Indeed. The former Roisen knight was also at the hunting ground, after all."
"It's likely the hunting ground riot was meant to gather the Grandchester Knights. If things went well, they might even be able to harm Grandfather. And then, taking advantage of the chaos, they could burn Grandchester's wheat or plunder the harvested wheat."
"Didn't Sara also predict that much?"
"That's right. The rioters are just pawns, and with a former Roisen knight among them, they can make people believe the culprit is Roisen."
'But, it's too convenient to just think of them as pawns.'
Jeffrey suddenly looked up.
"In other words, the enemy wants to burn Grandchester's wheat and frame Roisen for the crime, right?"
"It's still a possibility. If the hidden soldiers in the hunting ground were Roisen's elite troops, we wouldn't have thought of this."
"Ms. Sara, who do you think is the mastermind?"
"It's frustrating. If we just look at the fact that they tried to burn the wheat, it could be another country that wants to raise the price of their own wheat or a country that exports grains. However, considering they involved Roisen, it's also possible that there's a power that wants to worsen the relationship between Avalon and Roisen."
Everyone fell silent.
"Anyway, at this stage, we don't have enough evidence to make a judgment. We should report this to Grandfather as well. Let's ask the fairy to quickly deliver a letter to Grandfather for us."
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