Lord of Caldera - Chapter 162

Chapter 162: Chapter 162

“The current acting lord of Elmholt…”

“A usurper, you mean.”

“Yes, the usurper is an illegitimate son of the Corleone family. He won over the local people and took control without bloodshed.”

“That’s right. If only that Philip hadn’t betrayed me…”

Lugues suppressed his irritation. This wasn’t the time to dwell on it.

“The Corleone illegitimate son promised various benefits, such as tax cuts, which is probably why he’s managed to hold the fortress.”

“I’ve heard that too. It’s a rather generous offer.”

“Yes, but precisely because of those promises, he’s been unable to gather an army, which is why Bjorn’s forces haven’t increased.”

Conscription was far more unpopular among the people than tax breaks. Attempting it recklessly could lead to a collapse of loyalty.

“Meanwhile, Bjorn’s forces are stationed at Beldaine Fortress.”

“So the usurper has no army?”

“Correct.”

Lugues’s eyes lit up. It felt like a ray of light piercing through his despair. A territory without an army wouldn’t be difficult to capture.

A mere illegitimate son and a few knights couldn’t possibly hold back his forces.

“Good! We march on Elmholt immediately!”

Taking control of Elmholt would allow him to regain his strength and face Bjorn again. This wasn’t over yet. The fading hope in Lugues’s eyes rekindled.

It was a false hope. The moment they approached the small fortress of Elmholt, a rain of arrows descended upon them.

“Aaah! Arrows!”

“Shields! Raise your shields!”

Thinking the fortress would be defenseless, they were caught completely off guard. As they neared, archers appeared atop the walls, and judging by the dust rising behind them, they had a considerable force ready to deploy.

“What is this? I thought they had no army!”

“T-that’s…”

“You worthless fool!” Lugues shouted at his subordinate, but he couldn’t understand the situation either. Would the people really break their promises so easily and join the fight?

Watching the confused and disordered Lugues, Sylas sneered from afar.

“He came up with a decent plan, but did he think about what his enemy was aiming for?”

It was obvious why Lugues had targeted Elmholt. Deprived of a base, his forces needed supplies and a foothold. But Sylas wasn’t the only one who understood this; any observant villager could figure it out.

“Who in their right mind would hand over their land and property to a stranger?” Sylas thought. Supplies would come from the villagers, and establishing a stronghold would only bring war to their home.

Simply leaking this information was enough. Without conscription, the locals had rallied to defend themselves. Toby, standing beside Sylas, eyed Lugues with a grin.

“We could capture him here.”

“Really? Are you serious?”

“The soldiers’ morale is at rock bottom, and the confusion is worse than we expected.”

“Then let’s not miss this chance.”

Sylas had originally planned to engage them for another week, but the enemy’s condition was worse than he’d anticipated. No reason to let this opportunity slip by. With a nod, Sylas gave his order.

“Go and capture him.”

“Shall I bring just his head, or the whole man?”

“Bring him back intact, if possible.”

He wanted Bjorn to confront his old enemy face-to-face. Some things couldn’t be resolved without a personal meeting.

“Understood. I’ll be back shortly.”

Toby, gripping his spear with a confident smile, led a group of soldiers out of the fortress. The fight didn’t last long.

That night, Lugues, captured and dragged back by Toby, was thrown into a cell. The next day, Bjorn arrived at Elmholt after hearing the news.

Thus, the war of succession for Beldaine came to an end.

“Uncle.”

Bjorn looked into the prison cell with troubled eyes. The blood relative he once despised glared back at him in a disheveled state.

“How did it come to this?”

“Shut up. Did you come here to mock me?” Lughres replied, his tone growling like a beast.

“Well, it must be funny indeed. The villain who drove you out now ends up as a prisoner, beaten where you cannot see. Isn’t it laughable?”

There had been no grand battle, no duel between lifelong enemies. He had merely wandered into someone else’s hands, captured like a wild beast. All that remained was to await execution.

“Do you resent me? For taking your place? Was that why you wanted to get rid of me, even if it meant accepting help from an outsider?”

“Uncle.”

“You wouldn’t understand. You don’t know how much I struggled for the family. The position of head was mine from the beginning!”

Lughres’s eyes gleamed with madness and despair as they glared at Bjorn. Bjorn sighed deeply before he spoke.

“Please, come to your senses, Uncle.”

“What?”

“It’s unsightly, even revolting. It’s hard to see you like this as a family member.”

Lughres’s face flushed red. He hadn’t expected such criticism. Just as he was about to shout in anger, Bjorn interrupted him.

“If you only wanted the position of head, I wouldn’t say much. It’s not so rare these days. But you went too far.”

“What did I do?”

“You joined hands with our enemies, pitted kin against one another, and spent all your energy tormenting me. Did you ever once think about the greater good?”

“That’s because you…!”

“And your endless self-justifications on top of that.”

Lughres’s mouth shut. His body shook with rage, but Bjorn had no intention of continuing the conversation.

“Uncle, you’ll be transferred to the Veldaine territory, where you’ll be executed.”

“…”

“That’s the end. Goodbye.”

With a cold farewell, Bjorn turned his back. There was no denying he still harbored resentment. But as long as his uncle couldn’t acknowledge his wrongs, any conversation would just go in circles. For someone like Lughres, the best revenge was forcing him to face reality in silence. Lughres watched Bjorn leave, his gaze blank.

“Heh… is that so?”

With a groaning sound, Lughres gritted his teeth.

“But do you think you’re any different? Soon, your own time of choice will come.”

It wasn’t far off. The final deadline given by Ragnar’s messenger had long passed. It wasn’t a refusal, but simply a delay due to the matters of war. However, the other party wouldn’t care about such circumstances.

“It will all be on you to bear.”

In the end, shifting the weight he could no longer carry onto others was Lughres’s only remaining act of revenge.