The Ripple Effect Spreads

Translated by SoundOfDestiny

Edited by Zil

At the same time as Shirley’s high-pitched laugh echoes in Baron Eladin’s residence.

Also on the eastern border of the Kingdom of Zain. The town of Obrut is located in the north of Ulfin.

In that town, which is the domain of the Baron Oigist, one of the noble families of the Eight Eastern Houses, there is also a person who is in anguish.

“....Ulfin has fallen. But it’s too soon.”

It was Baron Benjamin Oigist, the lord of the town, who snorted with his grey head.

The middle-aged aristocrat, who is over 50 years old, scratches his hair nervously, which is whiter than his age, and laments the unreasonable.

“I don’t think Ulfert will be defeated so quickly.. no, it’s expected, since the Kingdom Army was able to drive away the Imperial Army..”

The rumor had already reached Baron Oigist that Bobald Ulfert had been defeated and that the town of Ulfin had been overrun.

Baron Oigist was not as upset as Baron Eladin, but he still had a stern look on his face.

They thought they had ridden to victory and escaped destruction, only to find that the horse had gone into the abyss. It is easy to lament the injustice of it all.

“Was I wrong?　Should I, like the Earl of Arbeil, have fought the Empire instead of surrendering?”

It’s a question he asks himself over and over again.

And each time the answer is the same: “Neither will change.”

“No, .... even if I fought the Empire to the end, I would be destroyed by an overwhelming force gap, as the Earl of Arbeil was.”

The Baron did not turn for his own protection or out of fear of the Empire.

He chose the latter after weighing the safety of his lands and people against the ancestral debt of gratitude he had received from the House of Zain.

In the end, the empire was defeated, and the Baron of Oigist was once again in danger of ruin.

“Sir, ...., how dreadful”

The Baron’s office was occupied by one other person. He was the chief soldier in the service of Baron Oigist.

He looked painfully at his master, who was holding his head in his hands, and opened his mouth as if he had made up his mind.

The Baron was desperately trying to think of a way to avert this disaster, but no answer was forthcoming.

“Sir.... how about asking for a little wisdom from the young master here?

“It’s ....”

“Perhaps the young master will be able to come up with some clever ideas to get us out of this situation.”

“Yes, but....”

The Baron’s face grew even more bitter at the suggestion of the chief soldier.

It was a suggestion that the Baron had considered many times.

And for “one reason or another”, he rejected it.

“But .... I’ve done something that I can’t face Jas. Will he ever forgive me?”

The Baron murmured in a voice that shook with anxiety.

A few months ago he had broken up with his son, his legitimate son, and he had hardly spoken to him since.

He had not spoken to his son for several months, and his guilt was so evident that he was reluctant to discuss the crisis with his son.

“He is not a man to hold grudges, and I am sure he understands the difficulties you are going through. It would have been worse for him if he had not been consulted in the circumstances.”

“........”

After the soldier-in-chief’s announcement, the Baron closed his eyes for a moment.

A dark silence fell over the Baron’s office.

The Baron remained silent and thoughtful, but after a moment he opened his mouth gravely.

“I’m going to .... see Jas. Accompany me.

“Yes, sir!”

The soldier-in-chief straightened his back in delight at the Baron’s reply.

The Baron Oigist, smiling at the overtly cheerful expression on the soldier’s face, rose from his chair with a look of relief on his face.