Always Quick to Repay a Favor

People often said that the Duchy of Weissen was full of tales of people striking it rich overnight.

When Count Marcin had been in the Piaster Kingdom, he had thought it was just propaganda. It wasn't until he witnessed a frenzied investment boom with his own eyes in the town of Carlsbad that he realized the rumors were true.

The carefully orchestrated fraud from last year remained vivid in his mind.

Marcin had brazenly stolen and sold a large quantity of military provisions and other supplies to the Wesen Army's 3rd Division. When it seemed the truth was about to come out, he had gone all in, secretly conspiring with the 3rd Division to attack the logistics depot in Gubinburg.

Towering flames had devoured everything, including all the incriminating evidence. It had all turned to ash in the blaze, without a trace left behind.

When Eugene led the main force of the 3rd Division toward Gubinburg in a furious advance, Marcin and his accomplices had already destroyed every bridge and road in the surrounding area.

In the report they submitted to King Casimir, they portrayed the complete paralysis of transportation as a heroic defensive battle. They claimed that this had successfully halted the Wesen Army's advance into the heart of the Piaster Kingdom and ultimately forced the enemy to retreat.

Their account, naturally, coincided remarkably well with the complaints the Wesen Army itself had deliberately spread, both openly and discreetly, after the battle.

The 3rd Division's senior officers, Eugene included, had expressed regret on several occasions, saying that if the enemy hadn't reacted so quickly and decisively destroyed all the major routes, they could have used the abundant logistical supplies captured in Gubinburg to sweep through the southern provinces of the Piaster Kingdom.

Casimir had believed every word. It was