Raising the Northern Grand Duchy as a Max-Level All-Master

159. As Expected, It’s You

"They’re having fun, aren’t they?"

A battle full of killing intent was unfolding right in front of him, yet Entir’s expression remained indifferent.

"What the hell? A fight? A fight?!"

"Holy shit, someone’s attacking the mighty Bishop Trading Company! Who the hell are these lunatics?"

"It must be the Emperor’s assassins!"

"Wait, that female swordsman… She’s the Flame Sword Master!"

The citizens of Ascai, on the other hand, reacted with far more enthusiasm.

A broad daylight ambush, right in the middle of the city.

"Get back! Step away! I said, move away!"

The city guards, who had arrived on the scene, didn’t even dare to intervene. Their only role was to control the citizens.

Of course, no one was actually following their orders.

"Did the betting ring not open yet? It’s the Flame Sword Master versus the Mercenary Queen!"

"I—I’m betting on the Mercenary Queen!"

"What? No way! Even though this is inside the noble assembly’s backyard, she’s still an Imperial Sword Master! I’m putting my money on the Marchioness!"

Even with deadly blades flying around, the citizens of Ascai started watching the duel with great excitement.

"Kuaaaagh!"

"Gahhh!"

Unfortunately for the spectators, the ambush ended much sooner than expected.

The battle quickly turned in Entir’s favor.

"They’re no ordinary fighters!"

"Especially those four mercenaries… Who the hell are they? I thought Red Wolf was the best, but these guys are even stronger!"

"They’re not mercenaries. They’re wandering knights. And they’re from the North."

"……!"

They weren’t just skilled—they were exceptional.

Havana’s group was already at a slight numerical disadvantage, and now their opponents were just as strong, if not stronger.

Clang—!

But more than anything, the difference in equipment was critical.

"My sword…! My imperial steel sword shattered so easily?!"

"What the hell did they do with their weapons?!"

"We need more weapons!"

The swords and armor of Entir’s forces were state-of-the-art weapons secretly provided by Renslet.

Like a fourth-generation fighter jet dominating a second-generation one, Renslet’s magic alloy rendered Imperial steel utterly useless.

"Y-You! What is that weapon?!"

"What do you think? I got it thanks to my wealthy employer. Guess connections really do matter, huh?"

This technological gap applied even among superhumans.

"Where did you get it?! Tell me!"

"Nah. Why should I?"

"The North! It’s from the North! The northern sorcerer made it!"

"Yep~. And you’ll never get your hands on one~."

"Kyaaaah!! This is unfair! So unfair!"

Elisha von Havana let out a childish shriek of frustration. Her captivating eyes even welled up with tears from sheer rage.

"Change formation! Shift from attack formation to defensive!"

After screaming in frustration, she quickly changed her strategy.

The remaining ambushers gathered around her.

"Paladins, paladins! Deploy the holy barrier, now!"

Since she had brought church paladins instead of a magic tower mage, she ordered them to act.

[O Light! With the authority of the divine, shield us! Separate the faithful from the heretics!]

A surviving paladin raised a holy barrier in the center of the formation, buying Havana and her group a brief moment of respite.

"Marchioness, we must retreat! We have to fall back!"

"Our skills are evenly matched… No, we’re slightly stronger. But we’re outnumbered. More importantly, their weapons are not normal!"

"Their armor is insane! I saw it earlier—it not only repairs itself automatically but also heals the wearer’s wounds, stamina, and mana!"

"That’s not all. Their magic swords… they store mana without any loss!"

"The holy barrier won’t last long!"

Grit!

Grinding her teeth, Havana glared fiercely at Carpe.

"Just you wait! Next time, I’ll—!"

In the end, she decided to retreat with the remaining ambushers.

"Running away? Who said you could?"

But escaping was easier said than done.

Clang! Clang!

"Gahhh!"

"Aaaagh!"

Carpe, the Red Wolf mercenaries, and Renslet’s wandering knights surrounded Havana’s group.

"We’re completely surrounded!"

"Get back inside the barrier!"

They had no choice but to retreat into the paladin’s barrier again.

"Let’s finish this quickly. I have a meeting to attend."

Watching the scene unfold, Entir spoke in an uninterested tone.

"Mage corps, it’s time."

At his command, the people who had been standing idly around the carriages suddenly moved.

"Destroy that barrier with magic stone rounds."

Entir Bishop was someone who desperately tried to imitate Renslet and the Arad Group.

Naturally, he had hired mages—regardless of rank.

And from them, he had developed a systematic approach to magical weaponry.

"Finally, a chance to test the mage corps."

Humans always want to turn new inventions into weapons.

Click, click.

Though crude compared to Renslet’s magic corps, Entir’s private troops still had their own significance.

Following Carpe’s orders, they aimed their weapons.

"Fire!"

Bzzzzzt!

Magic stone-infused arrows shot toward the holy barrier.

Crackle!

Fwoooosh!

Boooom!!

Electricity, fire, and explosions struck the barrier.

"Aaaaah! Aaagh!"

"It’s burning! It’s burning!!"

The barrage was so powerful that it pierced through the barrier, wrapping around the bodies of those inside.

Clang! Clang! Thud!

In less than ten seconds, the holy barrier shattered, and one by one, the ambushers collapsed to the ground.

"Guhk!"

Finally, Havana dropped to her knees.

Blood dripped from her lips as her body trembled violently.

When she looked around, not a single one of her allies was still breathing.

The only person still alive… was her.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk."

Entir approached the pitifully fallen Havana, clicking his tongue.

"What now? Want to cut her throat yourself?"

Carpe, looking somewhat disappointed, handed a dagger to Entir.

"……."

Entir took the dagger in silence but didn’t move.

Time passed.

A time that felt endless to some, yet fleeting to others.

Havana stared up at her ex-husband with trembling eyes.

"No way… This can’t be real… This has to be a dream."

Her gaze showed that she still hadn’t fully accepted reality.

Hmm…

Entir silently examined Havana.

It was the gaze of a merchant evaluating a product’s worth.

"Killing her like this seems… dull."

He definitely wanted her dead. That hadn’t changed.

But standing high above her, victorious with overwhelming power, his perspective had shifted.

"There’s no revenge more meaningless than an easy death."

Everyone dies. Eventually.

What mattered was the road leading to that death.

Entir didn’t want this woman—or the man trembling in the Imperial Palace—to die so easily.

He wanted them to struggle, to crawl, to suffer desperately until the very end.

—We need to put an end to the assassination war.

—Chairman Bishop, I need you to use your influence in the noble assembly.

Suddenly, Arad’s words from the magic communication device resurfaced in his mind.

"Havana."

After a pause, Entir finally spoke.

"P-Please… Spare me, my love!"

"…If you call me ‘my love’ one more time, I will kill you on the spot. You, your family, and your children."

"Hrk!"

Havana’s lips clamped shut at Entir’s cold warning.

"Are you and Canbraman still… close?"

His voice was indifferent, as if he were simply recalling an old acquaintance.

"…What are you trying to hear?"

Confused by the underlying meaning, Havana cautiously asked back.

"If you two are close, I’ll spare you. If not…"

"We are! We’re very close! We made passionate love right before I left! I might even be pregnant right now!"

Before he could even finish speaking, the simple-minded and vain Havana eagerly boasted about her relationship with the Emperor—to her ex-husband.

"……."

"……."

Carpe and the others smacked their foreheads.

That was obviously a trap! How can she be this dense?

"Is that so?"

But contrary to their expectations, Entir seemed pleased by her answer.

"Are you certain the Emperor still treasures you?"

"Of course! Absolutely!"

"I see."

If used correctly, she could be the key to carrying out Arad’s order.

"Let her go."

With his decision made, Entir returned the dagger to Carpe.

"Are you insane?"

Carpe, holding the dagger, looked at Entir like he had lost his mind.

"What’s wrong, Carpe? You don’t want your rival to die so easily, do you? Wouldn’t you rather face her again, with better weapons, on more even ground?"

"Ha! Do you think I’m some noble knight? I’d be perfectly fine killing her right now. What? If it bothers you, should I do it instead? I could even have her corpse stuffed and displayed naked in my estate if you want?"

Shiver.

Havana trembled violently at Carpe’s words.

Though she didn’t show it, a slight loss of control had left her undergarments damp.

"Just let her go. I have a plan."

"You’re driving me crazy."

Seeing that Entir wouldn’t change his mind, Carpe sighed and signaled her men to step aside.

The encirclement around Havana was lifted.

"C-Can I really leave?"

Havana, still in disbelief, asked hesitantly.

Without answering, Entir simply nodded.

"Do you have any requests for the Emperor?"

"Sending you back to him is my message and my request."

"…?"

"Your empty little head won’t understand. Just go to the Emperor and report everything that happened here. He’ll figure it out and respond accordingly."

With that, Entir turned and walked toward his carriage.

Havana, fearing that Entir might change his mind, fled as quickly as she could.

That Evening

At the grand mansion of Duke Sephiros in Ascai, a noble assembly meeting was held.

The Next Morning

The noble assembly officially announced its willingness to engage in discussions with the imperial family.

Three Days Later

The Emperor declared that he was open to dialogue with the noble assembly.

One Week Later

In the neutral territory of Hiers, near the imperial capital, representatives from both the noble assembly and the imperial family gathered for negotiations.

"We cannot afford to ignore external threats due to internal affairs. We may have differing views, but we are all part of the Empire. That fact remains unchanged."

Entir was present at the meeting, and in reality, he was the one leading it.

"The imperial forces will handle the southern border, while the noble assembly will take responsibility for the western border against the United Kingdom."

The two factions agreed to continue their internal conflicts as before, but when it came to dealing with the external threat of the United Kingdom, they would divide responsibilities and coordinate their efforts.

No one dared to mention Renslet in the North—the real and far greater threat.

"But Lord Entir, the United Kingdom is hardly a threat right now. Since we’ve gathered for such an important meeting, shouldn’t we be discussing something more pressing…?"

Some questioned why they should provoke the already fractured United Kingdom when it was showing clear signs of internal division.

"Which is precisely why now is the perfect time. The United Kingdom has weakened—are you saying we shouldn’t invade? Lands will be up for grabs."

"Ah…!"

With this simple yet eye-opening argument, any opposition quickly faded.

Fifteen Days Later

"Attack! Crush the remnants of the United Kingdom!"

"Earn military achievements, and you shall be rewarded with gold! Knights will receive estates!"

With Entir’s backing, the noble assembly’s forces launched an aggressive offensive on the United Kingdom’s borders.

"We can’t let them have all the spoils!"

"We must seize even more land than the noble assembly!"

Not wanting to be left behind, the imperial loyalists also launched their own offensive.

It seemed like they were venting all the frustrations and resentment that had been suppressed for so long.

"The Empire! The imperial army is here!"

"Those imperial bastards! It doesn’t matter if they’re from the noble assembly or the Emperor’s side—they’re all the same damned scum!"

"Reinforcements! We need reinforcements!"

"We’ve already lost two counties!"

"You lunatics! Stop fighting among yourselves! Now is not the time for an assassination war!"

Struck hard from behind, the United Kingdom scrambled to recover its lost unity.

"The United Kingdom Assembly condemns the Empire’s invasion!"

"Emergency funds will be allocated to hire mercenaries, secure military supplies, and import magic stone rounds, northern steel, and Rian fabric from Renslet…!"

The same high-ranking nobles who had been trying to kill each other in Bardenheim’s assassination war suddenly turned their blades outward, as if none of that had ever happened.

"Let’s call a ceasefire for now."

"Damn it, I was so close to winning."

"Look who’s talking."

Among them were Damian White, the mayor of Bardenheim and chairman of the United Kingdom, as well as Altair Phibes, the Prime Minister of Feze and the Merchant King.

"Alright! Say cheese!"

The two stood side by side in front of a Renslet-imported magic stone camera, arms around each other’s shoulders, and took a photo together.

Their forced smiles were plastered across every newspaper published in Bardenheim the next day.

"Now I can finally enjoy myself in peace."

Arad, who had been lounging at the embassy, nodded in satisfaction as he looked at the newspaper.

"As expected of Entir Bishop. I didn’t even give him detailed instructions, and yet he handled everything perfectly. Truly, the most reliable auto-hunting system!"

As expected.

And just like that, peace returned to Bardenheim.

If the people on the frontlines had known the full story behind all of this, they would have surely cursed them all to hell.