Skull Society

Too optimistic. Hudson had no idea where this confidence came from, but he always felt that everyone around him possessed a baffling degree of self-assurance, as if crushing the rebellion would be as easy as taking something from one's pocket.

But after reviewing Skull Society's record, Hudson found himself speechless. As an old-established cult organization in the Alpha Kingdom, rebellion was practically routine for Skull Society.

Every few years, they would stir up another wave. And every time, they started off ferociously before falling apart later, never managing to achieve anything worthwhile.

Nearly every old noble had personally taken part in suppressing Skull Society's rebellions. Facing a bunch of repeatedly defeated foes, their overflowing confidence was understandable.

Given that these were such habitual failures, it was no wonder Count Pierce had dared to let them make trouble before. If Blood Moon Horn had not been involved, everyone would probably still be arguing back and forth now.

One look at everyone's reactions made it clear that most of them had doubts about the "Blood Moon Horn." Hudson was no exception. After his initial shock, he had also begun to suspect that Count Pierce had deliberately thrown out the news to divert the pressure.

After all, the Blood Moon Horn was sealed in the Papal State and guarded by the Order of Judgment Knights. Could a bunch of rats like Skull Society really steal it?

Even if it truly had been stolen, the Papal State could not possibly have had no reaction at all, could it?

If such a scandal of earth-shattering proportions got out, the Church would not be able to contain it either.

Setting everything else aside, did they still want to collect the tithe? Did they still want to sell indulgences?

The reaction of the clergy in Southeast Province showed just how seriously the Church regarded the Blood Moon Horn. They had only just received the news, and before its authenticity had even been confirmed, priests and temple-guarding knights had already rushed over.

One had to know that in past human civil wars, the Church had remained absolutely neutral. Even if one paid a huge price to hire a few priests, they would only treat wounded nobles.

Hudson did not care what the truth was. The Church's involvement was unquestionably a good thing for the allied army, as it meant everyone's lives would be better protected.

Even if the news proved false, Count Pierce would be the one explaining things to the Church. The punishment would not fall on a minor knight like him.

In Hudson's view, assigning the Fifth Army to transport provisions was not entirely an attempt to make things difficult for them.

No matter what, someone had to be responsible for transporting the supplies. Of the five armies, the Fifth Army was the weakest. Looking at the overall situation, it was also the most suitable force for the task.

It not only served the bigger picture, but also conveniently divided the lesser nobles. From Governor Pierce's standpoint, it was simply killing two birds with one stone.

As he listened to everyone continuously curse, Hudson chose to remain a quiet listener. Escorting provisions might not earn much merit, but at least it was safe.

Never mind the other units—his Tenth Regiment could not take the battlefield anyway. Even in a contest of who was worse, the Tenth Regiment would still rank among the worst regiments in the allied army.

Even after adding six hundred serf soldiers, the army's combat strength had remained stagnant. The only reason it had not been dragged backward was that the soldiers had seen blood once.

If they wanted to develop combat effectiveness, they either needed a period of training and coordination, or they had to be thrown onto the battlefield and tempered in blood and fire.

Perhaps Chers thought Hudson looked far too carefree, or perhaps he had been embarrassed by his subordinates' insults. To shift everyone's attention, he asked, "Hudson, what do you think?"

Hearing "what do you think," Hudson felt like collapsing inside. If the occasion had not been inappropriate, he really wanted to snap back, "I'm looking at it while sitting down."

"Commander, what has happened has already happened. Discussing it now will not change anything. We simply cannot alter the Governor's Mansion's decision.

"The order to escort provisions has already been issued. All we can do is earn as much military merit as possible while transporting the supplies."

Hudson had originally intended to say "make as much profit as possible," but seeing everyone's unpleasant expressions, he changed it to military merit at the last moment.

From the moment he received the order, Hudson had been calculating how to maximize his gains. Making a poor man like him transport provisions—was that not forcing him to become an outlaw?

If he did not scrape off a layer of profit, would that not make him look incompetent?

From the very beginning, Hudson had never expected to lead a rabble into slaughtering their way across the battlefield and achieving unparalleled merit.

"You make it sound easy. How can military merit possibly be so easy to obtain?"

Whether he had failed to grasp the implication or simply felt compelled to argue, Baron Brogitt immediately shot back from the side.

Rolling his eyes, Hudson decided not to stoop to the level of a brute. With a cheerful smile, he replied, "Uncle Brogitt, the Governor only ordered us to transport provisions. He never said we could not go out and take on some side work.

"The Rebel Army now occupied the territory of two counties. They cannot possibly gather all their forces in one place, can they?

"With the Rebel Army's main force tied down by the first four armies, their rear must be vulnerable.

"After completing our escort mission, it should not be difficult for us to conveniently retake a few small towns under rebel control."

Hudson's words made the originally despairing crowd's eyes light up. Retaking a few small towns controlled by the Rebel Army might not count as much military merit, but was that really the point?

Recovering lost territory was secondary. The key was seizing the wealth in the rebels' hands. For nobles, there were only two purposes in going to war: "military merit" and "getting rich."

Now that there was little hope for military merit, they could only find ways to make money. It could be said that Hudson had truly gone to great lengths to raise his allies' morale.

Dadir City, where the Rebel Army had first risen, had once been a bustling and prosperous place filled with traffic. Now, only bleak autumn winds remained.

Winning the realm and governing the realm were entirely different matters. Unfortunately, Skull Society, as a cult organization, had no concept of governing the realm at all.

Inside the City Lord's Mansion, a group of Skull Society's upper ranks glared at one another. The atmosphere was terrifyingly oppressive.

"High Priest, you suffered heavy losses beneath Ethel Fortress. Shouldn't you give us an explanation?"

The middle-aged man in a purple robe seated at the head of the left side was the first to press the issue.

"An explanation? What kind of explanation do you want?"

"You..."

The Grey-robed Elder's cold response left the man in purple robe so furious that he could not speak. The atmosphere in the room grew even heavier. Just as it seemed they were about to come to blows, the masked figure seated in the place of honor suddenly spoke up to interrupt them.

"Enough! You are all senior members of the society, yet you are making a fuss like children. Is that appropriate?

"However, although Iman's words were unpleasant, he was right about one thing. The High Priest truly owes us an explanation for the battle at Ethel Fortress."

At the masked figure's words, the previously arrogant Grey-robed Elder's expression instantly changed. He hurriedly explained, "Holy Lord, I was too greedy in the battle at Ethel Fortress.

"I originally thought the nobles were used to scheming against one another, so their reinforcements would not arrive on the same day. That was why I devised a plan to lure out the Crimson Knights, intending to rely on the power of the holy artifact to wipe them out beneath the city walls.

"I never expected the enemy reinforcements to arrive so quickly, catching us completely off guard.

"However, we did not lose out in this battle. Although we were nearly wiped out, those we lost were all cannon fodder. Using that cannon fodder to exchange for the enemy..."