Northern region in Castalll kingdom.

“The atmosphere in the camp is not good. If I were Noir Virginia, I would take this opportunity to attack. But they are not, which is their big mistake. In that case, we will use this chance to take action before they devise a plan to attack us.”

The one who said this with a stern face was none other than Count Jaworski.

He is now in the office of the Torun city, receiving reports from his subordinates, who were already in a position to intervene in the coup.

On his hand was the sword he used when he was still a field commander.

For him, it was a tool to get ready for battle and to change his mindset.

But there is just one problem. He is too old now to wield it as he did in his prime.

“How are my troops doing, Baron?"

The young Baron in his twenties hurriedly flipped through the documents, reading through the unfamiliar paperwork before answering.

"Uh, uh, ……, the Baron Badeni troops and Baron Batowski’s troops have already arrived at the Torun gate!”

Baron Borch states, albeit hurriedly. Count Jaworski nodded slowly in reply.

“Hmm, that should be enough to defend us. At least for the time being.”

Count Jaworski currently has four hundred men under his command and one hundred of the Baron  Borch. Badeni and Batowski each have around one hundred soldiers.

For a total of seven hundreds of soldiers in addition to the Torun’s defensive walls, it should be adequate enough to triumph over the usurper, seeing the lack of troops on the opponent’s side.

“Father, my unit will enter in the afternoon. The rest will be here by the end of the day.”

The man who continued the speech was the largest man in the room.

He is Count Luke Jaworski. The only son of the count and the next lord of Torun.

“Luke, you too, be on your guard. You are not dealing with bandits here.”

“Hmph! I’ve met the daughter of Virginia once. She’s just a girl who’s being carried around on a palanquin. But not the dark elf soldiers. This time I’m going to get her, I’m going to capture her, and I’m going to make her my slave!”

He clenched his fist so tightly that his fingernails dug in, then slammed it down on the front desk.

The impact was so strong that it left a crack on the sturdy ebony furnishing.

If it had been made of glass, he would be cleaning the shattered glass by now.

“Calm down, Luke. They’ll be on their way here soon.”

Count Jaworski soothes his son, who is about to run out of the house.

Count Jaworski knew he won’t be able to stop his son if he left a favorable spot and got struck down.

"Wait for them to jump out. Once the enemy comes, you’ll have the chance to play your part.”

Count Jaworski soothes him further with these words.

In fact, Luke’s abilities are quite high among humans.

He couldn't use magic, but because he is well trained, he has large physical abilities  and a good sense in warfare.

Count Jaworski felt that he could certainly become a ruler who could surpass him.

“If it’s close combat, you can beat the dark elves. I will prepare an opportunity for you, so just wait and see.”

Then, comparing the strength of his own forces with the assumed strength of Virginia’s forces in his brain, Count Jaworski drew a huge breath.

“We seem to have enough forces for the time being. Now, all we need is a way to lure them to us…”

At that moment, there was a knock at the door.

“What is it?”

“The documents the Count ordered are ready.”

“All right, bring them in.”

With his permission, a subordinate entered the room. In his hand were several documents.

“Here are the files Your Excellency wanted.”

The subordinate who said this lays out the documents on the Count’s desk.

“Well, that should do it. Get it to work right away.”

“Yes, Your Excellency!”

The subordinate who received the order left the room in a hurry. 

After that, the remaining three people looked at the documents.

“There, in large letters, were the words “wanted criminals.”

“The following persons are suspected of the coup d’état. Count Noir Virginia and his daughter, Sylvia Virginia … and more than a dozen others are wanted!? The worst three...Viscount Liudger, 

Baron Herenborg and Baron Badegisel. There are also baronets and higher knights. There is also irrefutable evidence against them.”

The standing old man fell to his chair and got into deep pondering while reading the paper.

"Not only the passive Noir suddenly becomes aggressive. The three families are so poor that they couldn't raise weapons, not even food for their serfs. Why? How ? They gather such courage and strength. Could it be caused by the dark elves? No. Dark elves are a nomadic tribe without resources. Their number is small just around three hundred."

He said so, but in fact, there were many things he had not fully investigated.

For example, the number of targets to be attacked and the strength of the coup.

Considering the experience of Count Jaworski and the functionality of the city, it was possible to predict to some extent where they will target first.

However, he had no idea how much force the other side would be able to deploy.

This is why he gave up on defending the key points and just made all of his troops stay in the city for the time being.

“If I had more detailed evidence, I could have used the army. It can’t be helped if the other side is clever at hiding their tails.”

It was the result of enemy’s multiple layers of disguise, hiding important information from the outside world.

The fact that he was able to evade Count Jaworski’s investigations, having no experience in counterintelligence to begin with, was probably due in part to the thorough concealment of his means of communication. His method of following a complicated procedure, which even his collaborators complained about, paid off.

“As a matter of fact, right at this moment, we are sending the military police to raid some of the hideouts we have found at the same time we put out the arrest warrant. Once we catch them red-handed, it’s all over for them.”

The three listeners were surprised at the quickness of his move.

Just as they were thinking this, there was another knock at the door.

This time, however, it seemed to be in a great hurry, and before the count could give permission, a subordinate entered.

“It’s urgent! According to the military police who raided the hideout, no one was inside!”

“Hmm. So there is an information leak… brace yourselves. They should be charging here soon.”

The baron and son nodded at the count’ words.

Thus, the count’s camp awaited Noir Virginia and his team with full readiness.