FL - Chapter 63: Count Firth Will Die

Louis had his reasons for giving Count Firth part of the credit.

Before arriving at Snowhawk City, he had used reports from the Daily Intelligence System to piece together the Count's character.

Cowardly. Vain. Profoundly self-centered. Eager to claim the greatest credit without contributing anything.

He was a textbook narcissist.

Such a man craved flattery and feared isolation above all else.

Rather than allow Firth to plot against him, Louis could hand him a share of the glory in exchange for goodwill and greater freedom of action.

Anyone with eyes could see who had fought the battle.

More importantly, the Northlands Governor's military summons placed every force in Snowpeak County under the Fifth Legion.

Count Firth was the Legion's nominal commander.

Without a direct order from Duke Edmund, Louis would be fighting under that worthless fool regardless of how much military merit he earned.

It was unreasonable, but it was reality.

Louis understood the rules of noble society. He had been born into one of the Empire's Eight Great Houses.

Since childhood, he had listened to verbal duels at banquets and watched hollow displays of flattery.

He had mastered every technique nobles used to curry favor. If a smile and a few pleasant words could buy him greater authority, he had no objection to using them.

The music resumed. Servants carefully cleaned the blood from the floor, though the cold scent of slaughter lingered.

The southern nobles who had mocked Louis now approached with smiles and wineglasses.

"Lord Louis, you've accomplished so much at such a young age."

"Just hearing about Whitefeather Canyon stirs the blood."

Flattery filled their words, but wariness remained in their eyes.

They had dismissed Louis before he emptied a sack of heads onto the floor and caught the entire hall unprepared.

Now they had to guard against him while seeking his favor.

Louis appeared to be the strongest of the southern nobles. Gathering around him seemed the wisest choice.

The northern nobles were more direct.

A gray-haired old knight in plain clothing raised his cup. "I lost an entire scout unit to Haskell years ago."

He met Louis's gaze. "Thank you, Lord Calvin."

A middle-aged noble beside him nodded. "He deserved his death. You've removed a scourge for all of us."

They spoke few words, but their sincerity was unmistakable.

Night deepened. One by one, the nobles departed, drunk and unsteady.

Louis stood by the window and watched darkness swallow the distant mountains.

Tonight had only been an appetizer. The main course would come tomorrow morning.

The next day was the official assembly date.

At dawn, the Empire's Fifth Legion would finish mustering. Count Firth would present the full campaign plan against the Snowsworn and assign the troops.

He would also announce what interested Louis most: the military merit rewards.

...

Morning arrived. Low voices and the clatter of armor sounded outside the tent as the camp prepared for a new day.

Louis opened his eyes and sat up. He had drunk only a few cups the previous night, so his mind was clear and his head didn't ache.

He put on a coat, yawned, and summoned the Daily Intelligence System as usual.

Pale-blue light spread through the air. Lines of information appeared.

**[Daily Intelligence Update Complete]**

**[1: The Snowsworn are massing their forces. In seven days, they will deploy two thousand six hundred Boiling Blood warriors in a large-scale assault on Snowhawk City. Their rear will be left exposed.]**

**[2: In ten days, Snowhawk City will fall. Count Firth will be captured alive and subsequently executed as a sacrificial offering.]**

**[3: A hidden canyon pass exists along the edge of Clearfeather Ridge. It can bypass the front lines and strike directly into the Snowsworn's rear encampment.]**

**[4: Viscount Fisher is secretly feeding intelligence to the Snowsworn, intending to preserve his own territory.]**

**[5: Seven secret envoys from the Governor's office are embedded within the Fifth Legion to observe the nobles' conduct. Their names include Bond, Curan, Aizer...]**

Five reports had appeared, all related to the coming war and immediately useful.

"Not bad, Intelligence System. You deliver when it matters."

Louis studied the entries.

His brow furrowed when he read the first.

*Seven days? Two thousand six hundred Snowsworn?*

This wasn't a small raid. It was a full-scale offensive meant to consume an entire city.

The second report struck with even greater force.

*The city will fall on the third day of the assault.*

It confirmed his judgment from the previous night. Snowhawk City was rotten to its foundations.

The high command was chaotic, the nobles undermined one another, the walls remained unrepaired, and the supply system was a mess. No one could save it.

Even so, lasting only three days was worse than Louis had expected.

Once the city fell, military merit would be the least of his concerns. He might lose his life.

"Defending this place means dying with a pack of incompetents. I need a way out."

Louis knew he wasn't a saint. Even if the people of Snowhawk City begged for help, he wouldn't throw his small force into a hopeless grave.

As he searched for an escape, his gaze reached the third report.

*A hidden canyon pass exists along the edge of Clearfeather Ridge. It can bypass the front lines and strike directly into the Snowsworn's rear encampment in Snowpeak County.*

His eyes brightened, and he leaned forward.

It was both an escape route and an opportunity.

While the enemy marched south toward Snowhawk City, he could use the pass to circle behind them and strike their base.

"Their rear will be exposed... That's the answer."

The future campaign took shape in his mind.

The enemy would attack in seven days, and the city would fall in ten.

If Louis deployed early and followed the hidden pass behind enemy lines, he could attack when their defenses were weakest.

He could delay along the way and claim the march had taken longer than expected. Snowhawk City's fall would have nothing to do with him.

Instead, he would become the hero who dared strike deep into enemy territory. He might fail to save the city in time, but he would win a battle worthy of praise.

As for Count Firth being sacrificed...

"What a terrible shame." Louis shrugged without pity.

"I came to command soldiers, not save everyone. I don't have the strength to rescue an entire city.

"If Snowhawk City falls, the blame belongs to that pig. I'll launch a timely counterattack and withdraw with my entire force intact."

He moved to the fourth entry.

Viscount Fisher's name was familiar. The young noble looked almost foolishly honest, but he had hidden his true nature well.

If an opportunity appeared, Louis might expose him and put him to use.

Finally, Louis examined the fifth entry concerning the Governor's seven secret envoys.

"Overseers? Fine."

He chuckled and snapped his fingers.

"I'll give you a worthy performance. You'll see exactly how a young hero turns the tide."