Ryan: The Grand Duchess's Generosity Is So Reassuring! · The Blood Sacrifice Begins! [6k5]

This was his base of operations. If the city came under siege, the danger level would skyrocket. Before an army numbering in the tens of thousands, Transcendents below the fourth rank simply could not hold the line. Not to mention that the strongest person on his side, Lin Qi, had only recently reached the second rank.

Besides, the siege and the ritual were probably connected.

Shari needed sacrifices for her class transfer, but the prerequisite was that the city gates could not fall. Judging by Berman City's garrison, the chances of stopping the Kingdom of Kainter's army were slim.

And in the game's storyline, Bill had never intended to stop them in the first place. He was the reason the city fell, forcing the Protagonist Group to step in and turn the situation around.

Sacrifice one Jonathan in exchange for a precious thirty minutes, launch a counterattack, and push through the Main Storyline?

Ryan would have to be out of his mind to do that.

If the city truly fell, anything could happen. A game could be restarted, but life did not come with a second chance.

So he decisively pulled out his mirror and contacted Marganna.

As long as the Iron Blood Legion had his back, even if the Kingdom of Kainter attacked Berman City, the final outcome would remain secure.

"...You mean Kainter sending troops? Yes, I know." Marganna had thought Ryan was calling to thank her for sending people over. She had not expected him to bring this up.

"Grand Duchess, aren't you planning to send troops?"

"I'm not." Marganna said, "I considered it before, but now I want to see whether the Second Prince is behind all this—and what exactly he wants. Don't worry. If Berman City really can't hold out, I'll have Gluck and the others get you out."

Ryan thought, Grand Duchess, you're actually really nice.

Still, Marganna really had not sent troops in the game. Otherwise, what role would the Protagonist Group have had to play?

But he could not understand it. This was obviously a good opportunity.

"But Grand Duchess, following the enemy's pace is a major taboo." Ryan frowned. "Rather than being forced into passivity later, why not strike first? Send troops under the pretext of resisting the Kingdom of Kainter's army and swiftly occupy the Empire's south. Then I can coordinate from within and without to take Cassidy. With the Princess here, no one can accuse you of rebellion."

"Go a step further: with this place as a foothold, combined with your existing territory, Grand Duchess, you can advance to attack or retreat to defend. At the very least, you'll be in an invincible position."

"Hmm... You do have a point."

Marganna crossed her arms over her chest, wrinkled her delicate nose slightly, and turned to look to the side.

"Creed, what do you think?"

Not far away, Creed, wrapped tightly from head to toe, shook his head at her.

"Grand Duchess, the Empire's situation is not chaotic enough. Once the Iron Blood Legion acts, it will give the Old Emperor an excuse."

"That's exactly it. Ryan, you heard him. Everyone in the Empire is wary of me now. The Old Emperor would love nothing more than to drag me down to hell with him and create opportunities for his children."

Though the Iron Blood Legion was formidable, it was not yet enough to support her bid for the Imperial Throne.

"My thoughts are the exact opposite." Ryan shook his head. "Precisely because the Empire isn't chaotic enough, the Old Emperor won't act rashly. With the Iron Blood Legion's reputation, which legion in the Empire is confident it can defeat you, Grand Duchess? None! And your cause is justified. As long as you can move your army here, you won't even need to fight. Those lords will offer you their loyalty themselves. This is a perfect opportunity to grow stronger."

"Then you can casually find an excuse, say the army is staying here to prevent another Kainter invasion. Even if the Old Emperor is angry, he won't dare do anything to you. Once war starts, both sides will suffer, and the Empire can't withstand that kind of upheaval."

To be honest, Ryan hoped Grand Duchess Marganna would come.

Rather than being caught between three factions, he might as well commit to one path and let Marganna occupy this place.

At least the Grand Duchess had genuinely treated him well. This could count as repaying her kindness.

Besides, he would not reveal his identity. When the time came, he would still be a member of the League of Fire, still a fine law-abiding citizen of the Empire.

And Cassidy would be forced to leave under pressure. As for Bill, he could be dragged off as a sacrifice, while the Second Prince went home to play in the mud.

Grand Duchess, I have a plan that will let me sleep soundly from now on!

"That's true. If we can take Cassidy as well, what great undertaking could possibly fail?" Marganna's eyes lit up, and she found Ryan's words increasingly reasonable.

"Grand Duchess." Creed said quietly, "You must not. If the Second Prince or even others have contingencies in place, this will make you the target of everyone."

Fuck!

Ryan could hear Creed's words. Target of everyone? Please, you were fighting for the Imperial Throne, not playing house. If you did not fight for it, were you going to hand it to someone else?

He could not help cursing inwardly. This guy had blocked them again and again. Was he an idiot or a fucking traitor?!

Still grinding out ten thousand words a day. Please support me!!!

Ryan: The Grand Duchess's generosity was so reassuring! The blood sacrifice began! [6.5k]

The argument did not end. Ryan could not possibly persuade Marganna to send troops with just a few words. After all, Creed was nominally the Grand Duchess's strategist. He had followed her for years, conquering lands and fighting battles, and his position was clearly not something Ryan could compare to.

But Ryan kept feeling that something was off about Creed.

War was a double-edged sword. Marganna would indeed face some pressure if she sent troops, but the benefits were obvious as well.

Creed only spoke of the drawbacks and never the advantages. No matter how conservative he was, he should not have acted like this.

It was not that Ryan was being paranoid, shouting traitor whenever he saw someone. It was simply that Kaisa's case had made him realize that the traitor business was not so simple. Who knew whether the person you trusted most at your side might be a damned traitor?

Huh? Wait, I was a traitor too? Then never mind.

In any case, with Marganna temporarily refusing to send troops, resisting the Kainter Army would not be easy.

He suddenly remembered Bill mentioning at the banquet that Cassidy would leave. Perhaps that was why he had said it—the Kingdom of Kainter's army would be attacking.

Of course, Bill could not possibly know Ryan's circumstances. He had recruited Ryan only because he did not want Cassidy poaching his people. He wanted to seize all authority in Berman City for himself.

But would Cassidy leave?

The answer was no.

Ryan suddenly wondered what he was even struggling over. If the sky fell, the tall ones would hold it up. If they truly could not hold on, he could always develop somewhere else.

Cassidy would definitely have to hold the line. As for whether everyone else would, that was another matter.

"Maybe I should consider telling Lia where Cassola Prison is."

Ryan reconsidered.

Lia had come for the Blood Cult in the first place. She was a trump card. Her strength was at least peak third rank, perhaps even fourth rank. Once Shari completed her Class Transfer Mission, he could use Lia to help them escape.

Of course, if Shari was judged to be Blood God Chosen after her class transfer, Lia absolutely could not see her. Otherwise, this High Priest would immediately pull out a big stick and destroy Shari.

Elsewhere.

In a mountain range along the Empire's Western Border.

Inside the military camp.

Marganna shut down the spell. Her exquisite brows furrowed faintly as a thoughtful expression appeared on her face.

Though she had not agreed to send troops, Ryan's analysis had indeed moved her. If she could occupy the territories around Berman City and link them with the Western Border, then with these two regions under her control, she could attack or withdraw as needed. It would be highly advantageous for the situation ahead.

"Grand Duchess, sending troops is inadvisable." Creed said softly. "The situation is unclear, and the Emperor sees you as a thorn in his side. Acting rashly could easily put us in a difficult position."

"So you think Ryan's idea is wrong?"

"Not at all. Ryan's analysis is correct. If we can truly take a new territory, it will be enormously significant for us. But we must also consider what happens if we fail. The Emperor, the princes, and all those dukes and ministers are watching you. Even if we succeed, if the Kainter Army continues attacking the Empire, the Iron Blood Legion will be tied down by them. Our advantage will instantly become a disadvantage."

"Hmm..."

Marganna said nothing.

Creed's words made sense, but... these were not things she should be considering.

Who was she? Marganna, the Iron Blood Grand Duchess.

The thing she lacked least was enemies. Whether princes or Emperor, it was by growing stronger under such pressure that Marganna had become who she was today.

As for the Kainter Army's attack, that mattered even less. Who had given the Kainter People the courage to fight her?

Compared with considering what to do if she failed, Marganna preferred considering the benefits of success.

Creed understood her better than anyone, which was why he had been able to devise strategies suited to her style and help her win battle after battle.

But this time, he was acting completely differently.

People said Marganna only knew how to fight and left thinking to others, but did the Grand Duchess truly have no brains?

"Creed, how many years have you followed me?" Marganna suddenly asked.

Creed fell silent for a moment before answering, "Three years."

"Three years. Neither long nor short. I've never doubted the people I employ, but I've always been curious about what you look like beneath that mask."

"Grand Duchess, I told you before that my face was badly burned and ugly. You also promised I would not have to remove my mask before I agreed to follow you."

"Ah, right... I was only curious. If you don't want to, forget it."

Marganna waved her hand. "Go rest. We don't need to concern ourselves with Berman City for now. Instead, those Western Barbarians are starting to make noise again. One day, I'll kill every last one of them!"

To the west of the Augustus Empire lay an endless wasteland. The Northwestern Border was home to countless nomadic peoples. They lived by animal husbandry, were numerous and diverse, skilled in battle, and especially adept at mounted archery. They existed in tribal groups.

Because their level of civilization was low, the Augustus Empire called them Western Barbarians.

The Empire and the Western Barbarians had always had poor relations. War between them was routine. The Western Barbarians often used their mobility to enter Imperial territory, burning, killing, and looting. They killed people, seized supplies, and ran away, leaving the Empire with a constant headache.

Back then, the Old Emperor had transferred Marganna to guard the Western Border in order to use the Western Barbarians to restrain her growth. He had never expected Marganna to grow braver with every battle. Over the years, she had beaten the Western Barbarians until they no longer dared invade.

But recently, the Western Barbarians had begun stirring again. Marganna's Iron Blood Legion had already fought several small-scale battles with the Western Barbarian Tribes. She needed to resolve matters here quickly before she could fully join the struggle for the Imperial Throne.

At the same time, there were certain things she had to clarify.

Watching Creed's departing figure, Marganna gave an inexplicable snort.

Over the next two days, the atmosphere throughout Berman City became unusually oppressive.

War had broken out, yet there was still no movement within the Empire. Kosotoya's gates remained tightly shut, with no intention of sending troops to stop them.

The Kingdom of Kainter's army split into three forces. Two groups of two thousand men began raiding the surrounding towns and villages, while the remaining main force of six thousand men, just as expected, advanced toward Berman City.

Military raids were common along the border.

When two armies clashed, most of the time it was not for the purpose of occupying territory. Taking land was easy, but holding it was difficult. Compared to that, plundering resources, killing people, and then leaving was what a competent army should do.

Thus, the towns and villages along the Empire's southern border suffered disaster.

They did not have defenses as sturdy as those of major cities. Most towns did not even have proper defensive equipment. A town's guards numbered only three to five hundred at most, and their equipment was comparatively outdated. How could they possibly be a match for the Kainter Army?

The other side had muskets!

This side was still fighting with cold weapons.

They were not Transcendents. Against a barrage of musket fire, melee tactics were useless. Sir, the times had changed.

Although Gunners made up only a minority of the Kainter Army, they were still more than any village or town could stop. Unity was even less likely. The great nobles sought only to protect themselves. Could the lesser nobles really risk their lives to protect their subjects?

Though there were indeed good nobles who refused to retreat to the death, their fates quickly became cautionary examples in the eyes of the other nobles.

The border was in chaos.

Berman City had once been the same, but things had improved after the Empire expanded its territory.

Yet as the Kainter Army pressed closer, the nobles who received advance notice had already begun preparing to flee. Those whose assets were tied here and could not be moved began hiring mercenaries and guards in large numbers. If Berman City truly could not hold, they could at least force their way out.

Unfortunately, Berman City had only so many mercenaries. Every noble was recruiting, and there simply were not enough people. In the end, even gangsters and street punks became hot commodities, bought away by nobles with hefty sums.

Even more outrageous, some nobles came to the Bureau of Investigation demanding personnel, ordering Ryan to send people to protect them in the name of their noble status.

According to Imperial Law, when a noble's life was threatened, the Bureau of Investigation had an obligation to do everything in its power to ensure their safety.

That was true in principle, but weren't they not under threat yet?

If Ryan allocated all his manpower to protecting the nobles in Central City, he would basically have to abandon every other area. So Ryan had no intention of paying attention to these people—despite their vehement accusations that he was unfit to serve as Director of the Bureau of Investigation.

Did I need your approval?

"They haven't even attacked yet, and everyone's already in chaos."

Ryan was speechless at the situation.

Now he was curious to see what Cassidy would do.

In the game, the Protagonist Group exposed Bill's scheme. After defeating this Berman City Main Storyline boss, Cassidy led the garrison in a counterattack under the Princess's name and successfully repelled the Kainter Army.

Of course, that so-called exposure had a lot to do with Bill stupidly stepping right into the spotlight himself. If Ryan had to say it, if Bill had kept hiding, the Protagonist Group would have had no way to deal with him. But it was a shooting game, so there was no need to scrutinize the plot too deeply. Looking for plot in an erotic game was like looking for lewd content in a plot-driven game.

Ryan had just been about to call Jonathan and ask what the League of Fire planned to do next when Blood Robe suddenly appeared in his office.

This female assassin seemed to have used some form of Shadow Stealth to avoid everyone's notice.

"Lord Ryan, Captain Gluck's side has made a discovery."