Chapter 136: Count Fario

Fario's matter was temporarily put on hold.

Although that bastard was very likely to set a trap for me during this campaign.

But with the intelligence network in place, Gervas felt that as long as he was careful, he could still get through safely.

……

Time swiftly turned to the final deadline of the conscription order.

At this moment, the nobles and royal army units participating in the great war had mostly arrived.

In the afternoon, Gervas received a messenger's notice to attend the campaign meeting inside Lei Dun Fortress.

Presenting his conscription order to verify his identity, Gervas was permitted to enter Lei Dun Fortress, then arrived at a massive meeting hall.

The meeting hall resembled a small arena, easily accommodating over a thousand people.

Of course, this conscription order had only been issued in the southern border region, so there weren't that many nobles—only about a hundred in total.

Gervas sat with Baron Cain and others.

Since last night, when Cain and others learned that Gervas knew Viscountess Catherine and that their camp could be stationed beside the caravan market,

their attitude toward him had grown increasingly warm.

As for Catherine, although Gervas had dissuaded her from exposing Fario's garlic secret,

to avoid drawing too much hatred, the two maintained a superficial distance.

Soon, several elaborately dressed nobles and several armored commanders entered the meeting hall.

These two were the commanding general and overseer for the southern border's minor nobles.

Of course, this also meant that Fario was among them.

Dressed in a flamboyant green silk ceremonial robe, his ample flesh spilled out despite the loose fabric.

More striking still was the rouge and powder caked on his face, paired with pale skin—he could pass for a woman.

But this was simply the preference of many high nobles.

To them, minor nobles like Gervas were stinking country bumpkins.

Gervas had finally seen the man he had never met before but had clashed with twice.

Fario, however, still did not know Gervas's appearance.

The meeting began quickly, and the content was simple.

It was merely to announce the general battle plan.

The royal army had assembled a total of fifty thousand troops for this campaign.

Of course, the vast majority were serfs.

The army would split into three prongs.

The left and right flanks would consist of small noble forces advancing forward, while the center would be the main force.

These three lines would push forward in unison, converging at the border town of Bokacheng.

They would seize Bokacheng, the border stronghold held by western barbarian tribes, and drive all tribes out of the kingdom.

Once the mission was completed, the great war would be over.

"Gentlemen, I am Count Fario, overseer of the left-wing army. I shall now announce the list of nobles assigned to the left-wing route!"

"Baron Cain, Baron Mil, Baron Tucker…"

As each name was called, the nobles whose names were called wore grim expressions.

"Damn it, why are we all selected?"

"I don't know—wasn't it always random before?"

"I don't know! We're just unlucky—we've been pulled away from the main force!"

"If we'd stayed with the main force, at least we'd have numbers—no matter what happened, we'd be safe!"

"Baron Gervas…"

At that moment, Gervas heard his own name!

The left-wing force had only about twenty-some barons; half of them, besides himself, were his neighbors.

His selection didn't surprise Gervas.

But why were Cain, Mil, and the others chosen too? Was it because the Wolf Brothers' Guild had been wiped out?

Gervas believed only this possibility made sense.

And indeed, it was true:

The Wolf Brothers' Guild, which had pursued Rose, had been completely eradicated, and Fario had found no culprits.

For a man as vengeful as him, if he couldn't find the real ones, he'd find a way to punish them all.

He couldn't possibly kill so many minor nobles outright, but collecting some interest to vent his anger? That was acceptable.

"Alright, gentlemen. Those whose names were called, assemble outside the southern gate of Lei Dun Fortress at dawn tomorrow. Remember—you must arrive before sunrise."

"Anyone who is late will be punished under military law. Understood?" Fario's cold eyes swept over the minor nobles.

The minor nobles shuddered. "Understood, Count Fario!"

"Good. Before we dismiss, I have one more question: Among you, who is the Lord of Stormhold, Gervas Gail?"

Gervas had assumed Fario wouldn't target him today, but now he heard his own name.

Cain and the others stared at Gervas in surprise, thinking he must be acquainted with Count Fario.

Only Gervas knew the truth—he stood up immediately.

"Count Fario, I am Gervas Gail, Lord of Stormhold. What do you require of me?"

"So you're the Lord of Stormhold! Nothing much—I just wanted to recognize you. This campaign faces western barbarians—very dangerous. Take care of yourself!" Fario sneered.

Whoosh!

From Fario's tone, even a fool could hear the hidden meaning.

The surrounding minor nobles erupted into murmurs, wondering how this lowly noble had offended Count Fario.

And his fate, they knew, was obvious.

"Enough. The meeting is over. Dismissed!"

Seeing the reaction of the crowd, Fario nodded in satisfaction and smiled as he ordered everyone to leave.

As Gervas had suspected, Fario didn't regard this minor border baron as worth a second thought.

So he didn't even bother hiding his intent—he subtly revealed it, then let the worm who had offended him live in constant fear.

Perhaps the worm didn't even know what he'd done wrong.

But that didn't matter. When he returned home, trembling and unable to sleep, he'd come crawling to Fario, begging to know his mistake.

Only then would Fario reveal the offense—and let him wait, in terror, for death.

The minor nobles began to disperse, casting pitying glances at Gervas, avoiding him as if he carried plague.

Cain, Mil, and the others weren't as obvious, but after leaving the hall, they all found excuses to hurry away.

As for the two commanders still on the dais, they completely ignored the incident.

After all, they didn't know this minor noble—no reason to get involved.

……

"Commander, Overseer, ahead lies Baron Livin's territory. According to secret reconnaissance by our ranger squad, three hundred western barbarians have gathered at Blackbeard Village, ten li ahead—but they haven't noticed our arrival yet!"

Time slipped to three days later.

Gervas's left-wing army, after days of forced marches, finally reached their first destination: Baron Livin's territory.

Baron Livin's territory had been seized by western barbarians just a week ago.

Baron Livin himself had been sacrificed on the barbarians' banner after his castle fell.

"Good. Order the noble forces to split into three groups: one thousand on the left flank, one thousand on the right flank, and the rest… ah, assign Baron Gervas to hold the rear. The rest will advance head-on…"