Chapter 387: Chapter 135: Submission

The war didn’t last long. Robson couldn’t quite figure out what was going on with the Beastmen; one moment they were fired up, the next they were wilting.

A typical battle could basically be summarized as: the Beastmen arrived, fought for two minutes, and then left.

Since the Beastmen had already fled, Robson just put on a show, dispatching a few squads of Heavy Cavalry in pursuit.

The task for his Beastmen "workers" was far from over. Of the six counties in Auric Province, a full four were in the south.

And so far, they had only taken care of one.

....

Not long after the war ended, Ais arrived before the walls of Vidom City with the rest of the soldiers from the first and second regiments.

Goblins had little strength to begin with, and the ones on the border between Sri County and Vidom County were just a disorganized mob. The human army had only to advance, and the goblins would scatter without needing a single command.

The only thing that gave Ais a headache was figuring out how to catch Kobolds within a veritable sea of goblins.

Fortunately, while goblins were fast, Kobolds were notoriously short-legged.

By the time Ais arrived, his men had already rounded up nearly eight hundred Kobolds. Combined with those Robson had rooted out from various places recently, and the ones captured previously, the total number of Kobolds was approaching two thousand.

’Time to open three new mining expansions!’

Robson was discussing the next steps for this group of Kobolds with Ais.

Soon, the sound of hooves suddenly echoed from the distance.

Robson turned to look. The gates of Vidom City had been opened at some point, and a dozen or so nobles were filing out.

It was the nobles of Vidom County.

.....

"This... This is unbelievable!"

Robson’s original plan had been to put on a grand display for his new underlings to win them over, which was why he hadn’t informed the Vidom County nobles about the battle. He never intended for them to get involved.

By the time the soldiers guarding the walls discovered the fighting and reported it to the nobles inside, Robson had already finished the battle and was starting to clear the field.

Looking at the scene before them, if it weren’t for the ground stained with purple and gray blood, they wouldn’t have believed a battle had even taken place here.

’What? The Beastmen attacked? What? There was a battle outside the city? Reinforcements arrived? The battle’s over, and we won?’

This was what most of the Vidom County nobles were thinking.

The war began, they were supposed to defend the city, and then... the war was over.

They hadn’t participated in the process at all. That terrifying horde of Beastmen had been driven off by Robson and his army before they could even lift a finger.

"Viscount Robertson is coming! Look!"

"We should call him Lord Viscount now..."

Seeing the noble lords of Vidom City emerge, Robson rode his horse to the foot of the city walls.

Although it was the same group of people in the same location, this meeting between Robson and the Vidom Nobles was vastly different from their last.

Many of the nobles placed a hand on their chest, a gesture of respect toward Robson.

The land of the Franks was a place that respected strength! If their previous respect for Robson was born from the hope that he would send troops to help them retake their lands—a consideration of pure self-interest—then now, they were truly and utterly convinced of his power.

They had no choice. The same Beastmen who had sent them scurrying for their lives were dealt with by Robson in a flash, without him even needing their help.

"Sir Robson, on behalf of Vidom County, thank you for your generosity!" Viscount Elton said, looking at Robson with a tone laced with gratitude and admiration.

Unlike the other lords who had remained inside Vidom City, Viscount Elton had witnessed the entire battle fought by Robson’s army.

Their performance could only be described as an autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves.

"You are too kind, Viscount. We are all Franks, and now that you have joined the Military Commission, it is only natural that we watch over and help one another against our common foe," Robson said with a smile.

Robson’s smile didn’t last long. He sighed, his expression turning grave, which left Viscount Elton confused.

"Sir Robson, we have defeated the Beastmen. Why do you still look so troubled?" Viscount Elton asked, puzzled.

The other nobles of Vidom County were also puzzled.

"Alas... We have indeed defeated this group of Beastmen. But it is a pity... a great pity that I cannot eradicate the evil completely. That is why my heart is heavy with worry," Robson said, shaking his head with a sigh.

The moment Robson finished speaking, Viscount Elton understood his deeper meaning.

’Eradicate the evil completely, eradicate the evil completely...’

The Beastmen outside Vidom City had only been driven away; they were still at large.

’So, the question is, why can’t he eradicate the evil completely?’

’It’s just like the initial situation with Vidom County. The Beastmen’s next target is Chris County, but Robson needs their approval before he can send troops to their aid.’

Of course, the "approval" was just a pretext. The true source of Robson’s worry was his inability to get Chris County to join the Military Commission as well.

Phrasing it this way, however, better served to highlight Lord Robson’s grand and righteous image.

"Sir Robson, are you worried the nobles of Chris County will refuse your aid?" Viscount Elton asked with a smile.

"Precisely. Alas... Vidom County was once prosperous. Why has it been reduced to this state? Is it not all because I was unable to provide timely support?" Robson said, shaking his head with another sigh.

Although Robson was putting on an act, to the Vidom Nobles his words were not part of a play, but a harsh reality.

They had refused to join the Military Commission, and their refusal had led to this very tragedy.

Hearing Robson’s words now, the image of a great and righteous noble, one who worried for his country and its people, immediately formed in their minds.

’What a righteous man Sir Robson is!’

"Sir Robson, you needn’t worry. We refused your kind offer before because our understanding of the situation was not deep enough."

"Viscount Ferdinand of Chris County is an old acquaintance of mine. With me as an intermediary, I am certain Viscount Ferdinand will be able to grasp the bigger picture and cooperate with your work, Sir Robson!" Viscount Elton said with a smile.

Although Elton had never moved in high-level circles, he was, at the very least, the head of a county. He naturally understood what Robson was thinking.

’He just wants to pull more people into his faction, doesn’t he?’

This perfectly suited Viscount Elton’s own intentions.

Viscount Elton had initially joined Robson’s banner simply to save his own skin. After all, he still had to make his way in Auric Province.

As an Auric noble who had joined the Robson-centric Military Commission, Viscount Elton didn’t even have to guess to know that Sriphine would certainly not let him off the hook.

’That being the case, why not pull more people in with him?’

As the saying goes, there is safety in numbers. If only he, Elton, joined Robson, it would be seen as his own disloyalty to the military faction.

But if *everyone* joined under Sir Robson’s banner, then it would be Sriphine who was out of touch with the times.

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