Chapter 140: The Opportunist Zawa Haruto
Barony of Dot. Situated just west of the Ye Mountains, flanked by the northern royal domain and the eastern Est Marquisate. This triangular patch of land, no larger than a cat’s forehead, is nestled between the southern Burgund Marquisate.
Few people inhabit this area, which lacks a proper town and consists mainly of scattered villages.
Yet, when the Southern Nobles’ Alliance contemplated invading the Est Marquisate—the very bowels of the Silesie Kingdom—they had no choice but to traverse this land.
And there, standing as a crucial tactical stronghold in this conflict, was the castle personally erected by the man known as the leader of the ‘Three Days Reign of Gale’.
「Coming all the way to this rural backwater, once again being on the casting board—I must truly appear as a man favored by ill fortune.」
Baron Zawa Haruto lamented, gazing out from the stone castle’s window onto the serene landscape of his domain.
Between this castle and the roughly one thousand soldiers of the Third Corps, he had wrestled with the decision of which to offer to the Southern Nobles’ Alliance. Ultimately, he resolved to informally join them.
It was a simple matter: the Southern Nobles’ Alliance, having already raised their standard of rebellion, was now advancing toward this very Dot Castle.
Facing an opponent three times their number—the local noble forces—they were keen to avoid battle. Moreover, Marquis Pipin, who led those forces, had promised to elevate Zawa Haruto to the rank of Count if he joined their cause. Not a bad proposition.
From what he observed, the Royal Army’s deployment was sluggish, taking time to assemble. In this situation, it seemed wiser to side with the rebels.
Baron Zawa Haruto swiftly combed his dull silver hair, donned his armor, and prepared to present himself as a dignified knight. Clad in steel armor, he would cut an imposing figure as the leader of the knightly order.
「If the Royal Army gains the upper hand, we can always raise the white flag and surrender.」
Nevertheless, Baron Zawa Haruto does not consider such convenient scheming to be a knightly disgrace.
His competence aside, it is precisely his moderate greed and cunning nature that have allowed him to survive the tumultuous times thus far.
「If they accuse me of cowardice, so be it. I am an ally of the stronger side.」
Though no one is listening, perhaps he feels a twinge of guilt for betraying Her Majesty the Queen, who even bestowed the title of baron upon him.
Attempting to bolster his spirits, he chuckles softly. But just then, the resounding boom of a cannon shakes Zawa Haruto to his core.
「What…? The Royal Army shouldn’t have arrived yet…」
The local noble forces were supposed to reach here first.
However, he had never heard of them possessing cannons.
「If the Royal Army arrives first, the situation changes!」
Zawa Haruto, haunted by memories of being bombarded by the Silesie hero’s cannons, has an aversion to the sound of artillery.
The sudden noise leaves him momentarily paralyzed with fear—a poignant trauma.
At that moment, a subordinate enters, prompting Zawa Haruto to hurriedly straighten up. However, the weight of his armor causes him to slump back down.
The newcomer is a bureaucrat, the deputy governor of Dot and also the castle’s steward, Zul, a prominent figure in the local community. As a capable provincial official, Zul had been retained to govern the Barony of Dot. Yet, Zawa Haruto remains wary of him due to Zul’s past betrayal during Baron Gale’s downfall.
Facing this untrustworthy subordinate, Zawa Haruto’s expression darkens.
Unperturbed, Zul reports matter-of-factly,
「My lord, the vanguard of the Royal Army has arrived. They request to use the castle for defense against the rebels.」
「And what about the cannon fire earlier?」
「According to them, it was merely a test shot, meant to lift their spirits.」
‘That’s absolutely a lie’ thought Zawa Haruto. That is undoubtedly a warning shot aimed at me.
Perhaps it was a trauma from the past or a half-obsession, but he couldn’t shake off that feeling.
「How many soldiers does the Kingdom’s army have?」
「From what I observed, there are about fifty volunteers.」
「Too few. And what about the number of cannons?」
「I saw four cannons. Also, they seem to be led by a young lady.」
「A mere girl, you say?」
Finally, Zawa Haruto stood up and slapped his knee. If it were only fifty soldiers—even with cannons—it wouldn’t be surprising.
「Can she truly be called ‘a mere girl’? She claims to be the acting general, Sarah Rod, representing the Kingdom’s forces.」
「A general? Sarah… Could she be the young mistress associated with the hero of Silesie?」
The rumor that the hero had taken a peasant girl as his lover had reached even Zawa Haruto’s ears. And apparently, this girl possessed unexpected strength. While the truth remained uncertain, various tales circulated.
「Indeed. In the Est Territory, she is quite renowned. During the Battle of Silesie, she defeated the formidable Germanian Imperial Dragon Knights and claimed the head of an enemy general. Considering her achievements, the title of general doesn’t seem entirely unfounded.」
「I see. Well, let her in for now.」
Zawa Haruto found himself in a predicament.
He had already decided to support the local noble’s army, yet the Kingdom’s vanguard had arrived first. Now, he faced the dilemma of having to eliminate them.
As a knight entrusted with a corps, Zawa Haruto wasn’t afraid of a mere girl, fifty volunteers, or even cannons. But what terrified him was the wrath of that Silesie hero—the one who would suddenly open fire without checking whether they were friend or foe.
In the battle against Gale, Zawa Haruto had been relentlessly pursued by the Silesie hero, forced into a reckless charge.
The trauma from that incident still haunted his dreams.
If the Kingdom’s army were to emerge victorious, what would the Silesie hero do if his beloved mistress were slain? Would he pursue Zawa Haruto to the ends of the earth, seeking vengeance? Zawa Haruto shuddered at the thought.
This situation would be akin to grasping the tail of a formidable tiger within the castle walls. As he pondered, the very person in question ascended to the castle. Accompanied by a young, handsome youth who appeared to be an aide, Sarah, the self-proclaimed acting general, was truly a petite girl.
With silky golden hair and emerald-green eyes, she possessed a youthful beauty. It wasn’t difficult to understand why the King’s general would dote on her as his mistress.
「Baron Zawa Haruto, a pleasure to meet you. I am Sarah Rod, representing the Volunteer Corps. I’ve come as the Kingdom’s proxy to suppress the rebel forces. Will your Third Corps fight alongside the King’s army?」
「Ah, yes.」
Though small in stature, her eloquence was impressive. The girl, clad in sturdy, gleaming black armor, had confirmed her allegiance to the King’s forces, leaving Zawa Haruto somewhat cornered.
He had been caught off guard, or perhaps more accurately, he felt a sense of foreboding. Meanwhile, the lean adjutant observed them intently.
If Sarah was the embodiment of ‘action’, then the young man standing half a step behind her was the epitome of ‘stillness’. Their balanced dynamic was evident to Zawa Haruto.
There was something formidable about these peasant youths. And strangely familiar.
Zawa Haruto himself, now forty years old, had risen from humble origins. Despite being celebrated as a baron and corps commander, his lineage traced back to a common soldier’s son.
These rural boys and girls, covered in the same earth, shared a similar essence.
In his youth, Zawa Haruto had climbed the ranks—from a mere footsoldier to a knight—thanks to the recognition of Gale, the knight commander. The hopeful eyes that now sparkled before him were reminiscent of his own. It felt as though those once-clouded eyes were being cleansed, and he contemplated entrusting his life to these young warriors.
「I can’t believe I’m doing this.」
「Did you say something, Baron Zawa Haruto?」
「No, it’s about Acting General Sarah. You’re welcome to use the castle and the territory. If possible, I’ll assist in any way. After all, Zawa Haruto Dot Mox is a proud knight of the Kingdom.」
「A commendable attitude, Baron. I’ll make sure to convey that to Takeru.」
With a respectful nod, Zawa Haruto lowered his head to the petite girl. Despite feeling out of character, he didn’t mind. He sensed that times were changing.
And indeed, Zawa Haruto had once stood on the side of reform.
Inspired by the young warriors’ determination, he gathered the remnants of his youthful vigor and resolved to fight once more.
「My lord, how about recruiting volunteers from your territory?」
Zul, the civil servant in charge of the territory made a suggestion as if he was trying to get on the good side of Acting General Sarah.
Zawa Haruto winced at the suggestion.
「Zul, didn’t I say no one would respond if I tried recruiting?」
「My lord, I apologize for the difficulty, but if we gather recruits under the esteemed reputation of His Majesty King General, it might yield different results.」
「Very well. Let’s try this: Anyone who joins our side gets a year of tax exemption!」
「Understood!」
Zawa Haruto, as the lord, felt both bewildered and apprehensive.
Ignoring him and suddenly proposing such ideas—what was going on?
「That’s a good plan. Everyone will gladly rally to our cause.」
Bowing even lower to Sarah, Civil Servant Zul humbly agreed.
Zawa Haruto wanted to scold him—whose subordinate was he anyway?
「Hey, don’t go making decisions on your own.」
「Baron Zawa Haruto! You said you’d do whatever it takes to help!」
「Well, it’s… but still…」
「Think about it. If we win this battle, you can seize territory after territory from the local nobles. There’s no shortage of land to expand into. You could even become a viscount or a count. Considering that, a year of tax exemption is quite reasonable! No, it might even be too generous.」
Upon reflection, it made sense.
This difference in perspective stemmed from Zawa Haruto’s background as a former foot soldier versus Sarah and Milk, who hailed from peasant origins.
「Understood…」
「In the battles to come, winning over the common folk will be crucial. If we emerge victorious, all the southern noble territories will enjoy a year of tax exemption! It’s a proposition that will ignite everyone’s spirits.」
The implications of such thoughts sent shivers down Zawa Haruto’s spine.
Tax revenue from the estates was the lifeblood of nobles. Yet here they were, advocating to cut off that lifeline in the pursuit of victory.
And not just any nobles—they were addressing those who had already spent lavishly on war preparations. To tell them to sacrifice their income or face death!
Did the southern local nobles realize what they were getting into? The nobility was embroiled in an unprecedented conflict.
Zawa Haruto sighed, realizing that times had indeed changed.
Once a foot soldier, he had risen to become a knight and even a baron. But now, the era had shifted to one where a peasant girl could ascend to the rank of an acting general.
「Very well, leave it to me. If you’re my ally, Baron Zawa Haruto, your promotion is assured!」
「Fine, understood. Since it’s come to this, I’ll brace myself. Count on me…」
Sarah’s insight was spot-on.
As word spread about the tax exemption, countless recruits gathered at Dot Castle. This was no longer a feud between nobles.
It had become a total mobilization of the territory.
Zawa Haruto led a thousand soldiers from the Third Corps, along with fifty volunteers and five hundred conscripts from the estate. Together, they awaited the rebel forces at the impregnable Dot Castle.
Though the castle’s defenders lacked experience, their morale was unwavering.
Meanwhile, the rebel leader, Marquis Pipin, who marched confidently toward Baron Dot’s territory, remained blissfully unaware of the situation that awaited him.