"Winter—this is winter! Why are there bandits everywhere?"
"In just one month, the bandits in the south were elite troops, while those in the north were everywhere, and they'd already reached Holy Sword Mountain!"
"Damn it!"
Louis looked at the reports coming in from all over the country.
He was practically boiling with rage. The Knight Territory couldn't withstand this wave of bandits, and the villages and towns had become their gathering places.
Only the towns, cities, and major cities were safe.
Small units of a few dozen men were wiped out as soon as they went out.
Units of several hundred men were harassed and sniped at as soon as they ventured out.
The vampires and Blood Ghosts were doing all right, but the mortal soldiers who served them were suffering heavy casualties. The potions produced in their cities were barely enough!
After venting his anger, Louis calmed down and looked at Storey, the adviser who had offered suggestions on how to govern the country.
He also turned to the officials reporting the situation. "Tell me, what's really going on? I don't want the version meant for public consumption."
"A few bands of bandits and several thousand refugees aren't enough to fool anyone."
"How exactly did they put down roots? How are they fighting? Tell me everything."
The official reporting the situation glanced at the ministers behind him, but Louis urged him on. "Go on. I'm not so senile that I can't handle the truth."
"There's no point in hiding things now. Keeping them under wraps won't do any good anymore."
Only then did the official give an honest account. "The so-called bandits are actually the Northern Territory Army. They sent people into the countryside to wage guerrilla warfare, and dispatched others to villages and towns to plant informants