Chapter 339 - 337: War Deployment

Chapter 339: Chapter 337: War Deployment

Although Sea Cliff Castle had yet to reveal the culprit’s identity, it made no effort to keep the attack on Natalia a secret.

After all, the death toll was too high. Mateiro and the others were all influential figures in the Silent Shore, and their families needed to be comforted and their funerals arranged.

It was impossible to hide this matter, nor was there any need to.

Thus, news of the attack on the Count’s daughter, the genius Mage of the Silent Shore, swept through the city like a whirlwind and began spreading to all corners of the Kingdom.

The garden courtyard.

Lloyd, who had been at the castle preparing for his wedding, rushed back. "Mother, how is my little sister?"

He had been waiting at the castle for Natalia to come and help, only to be met with devastating news instead.

Delilah sighed worriedly. "Sir Louis has already examined her. The overexertion was quite severe. I’m afraid she’ll be unconscious for two or three days."

"Will it affect her body and Spirit?" Lloyd asked quickly.

Severe overexertion had ruined the futures of some Extraordinaries, leaving them unable to advance for the rest of their lives.

"There shouldn’t be any major impact."

Delilah was also worried about this and had privately asked Sir Louis for confirmation several times.

"Fortunately, she was carrying a lot of equipment this time. Otherwise, the consequences would have been far worse."

Lloyd breathed a sigh of relief. "That’s a silver lining in all this!"

’If Natalia’s life had been ruined because of this, he would have felt guilty for the rest of his life.’

He then asked a question that weighed heavily on him, "I heard the culprits are from the Calvin Clan. Is that true?"

"Yes!"

Delilah nodded grimly. "Your older brother and the others are in your father’s study. Since you’re here, you should go and listen in."

Lloyd was now the King’s son-in-law, and his stance would influence the attitude of the Royal Family.

"Alright!"

War was a major undertaking. Once an internal consensus was reached, the next steps were mobilization and troop deployment.

With George’s assistance, Count Kais was issuing mobilization orders to the leaders of the fleet, Infantry, and archers.

After lingering in the garden courtyard for a while, Delilah also had to return to the Magic Research Institute to mobilize the Mages.

In fact, it wasn’t just Sea Cliff Castle. Baron Cruz, Baron Jick, Knight Marles—all the Nobility of the Silent Shore were busy gathering their forces.

If a fight was inevitable, they would go all in and see it through.

Their best-case scenario was to seize complete authority over Grant Province for the Kennedy Clan.

Therefore, this was a war of revenge, but also a war for profit.

A large map hung in the Count’s study.

"The Fire Source Territory has two major ports. The first is its main port, Blazing Fire Port. It has numerous defensive installations, so a direct assault would result in heavy losses. The second is Silver Scale Port. Although it’s smaller than Blazing Fire Port, its defenses are weaker."

Count Kais nodded as he listened to Marles’s report. "Then we’ll use Silver Scale Port as our breakthrough point. We’ll cover it with fire from the Magic Energy Crossbows and Wind-Held Crossbows, take it as quickly as possible, and then push straight for Greenfield Manor to establish a foothold!"

"No problem!"

Marles added, "Greenfield Manor has supplies, so we won’t need to bring as many provisions for this expedition."

"The key is speed!"

The Count said, "The surprise attack team will assemble all the Siege Crossbows by tomorrow night. They will set sail after midnight to ensure they arrive at Silver Scale Port by the morning of the day after tomorrow. We aim to complete the landing by sunrise!"

"Marles, Jick, you two are in charge of this operation."

"Yes, sir!"

"Cruz, you and Allen are in charge of assembling the second fleet. You also need to move quickly and arrive at Silver Scale Port by noon the day after tomorrow at the latest. If Marles and his team haven’t taken it, you will complete the encirclement."

Count Kais pointed to himself. "I will lead the remaining forces and arrive by evening the day after tomorrow, at the latest."

Jick offered a reminder, "They used a toxic mist in today’s assassination attempt. Natalia had to use the Gale Technique to disperse it. Therefore, we must bring Gale Technique Spell Scrolls for this operation."

Just then, a male Mage in a Magic Robe spoke up, "The Magic Energy Research Institute will give its full support to this operation. All the Spell Scrolls will be delivered to Sea Cliff Castle by tomorrow afternoon."

The speaker was Calum Griffiths, the vice-dean of the Magic Energy Research Institute and a Knight of Sea Cliff Castle.

When it came to the Institute’s external affairs, neither Delilah nor Louis invested much energy; Calum was generally responsible for handling them.

"That’s fantastic!" Jick exclaimed.

At this point, George asked, "Father, are we not notifying Duane about this operation?"

He continued, "If Viscount Ugo brings in outside help, we’ll need a powerful expert on our side."

"Duane is not in the Territory at the moment, and I can’t reach him. However, I’ve already had someone send an unencrypted letter to Black Forest Island."

Count Kais said, "Even if they have outside help, it will take time for them to arrive. Before that, we must capture Greenfield Manor and completely control the surrounding towns!"

Marles chuckled. "The Calvin Clan isn’t known to have any Silver Moon Warriors."

Just then, footsteps sounded, and Housekeeper Moer announced, "My lord, Young Master Lloyd is here."

Kais’s eyebrows shot up. "Let him in at once!"

"My apologies for interrupting your discussion."

Lloyd walked in. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"You’ve come at just the right time!"

Count Kais said, "Lloyd, I need you to write a letter to His Majesty the King. You must convey to His Majesty exactly what happened to Natalia, as well as the full fury of the Silent Shore!"

The next morning, the fortress of Sea Cliff Castle was buzzing with an unprecedented level of activity.

Members of the Kennedy Clan and their fifteen subordinate vassals were all present, with the exception of the seriously injured Natalia and Heinrich.

In addition, there were untitled officials and military officers who held significant responsibilities, bringing the total to at least forty or fifty people.

Count Kais sat at the head of the long table, his chin resting on his clasped hands. His solemn expression held a hint of ferocity.

"You should all be aware of what happened yesterday. Today, I have gathered you here for one reason and one reason only."

He paused, his gaze sweeping across the room. "Starting today, the Silent Shore officially declares war on the Calvin Clan!"

The brief opening matched his usual pragmatic style and conveyed his unwavering resolve to go to war.

The declaration was met with immediate and absolute support from Marles and the others, and cries for war echoed throughout the fortress.

What followed was a session for mobilization, boosting morale, and assigning duties.

At the same time, Count Kais briefly outlined some of the plans.

However, remembering the previous incident with the traitor, he held something back.

The information he revealed today indicated that they would march directly on Fire Source Castle, and he postponed the attack by a day.

The specific operational plan and timeline were to be communicated privately by Marles and the others.

If there was no traitor, no harm done. But if there was, this misinformation would serve as a smokescreen for the Calvin Clan, disrupting their defensive strategy and increasing the likelihood of a successful capture of Silver Scale Port.

After the fortress meeting concluded, more details about the previous day’s assassination attempt on Natalia began to leak out.

The public had never expected the culprit to be none other than Viscount Ugo Calvin.

However, those with a keen sense for commerce quickly analyzed the stakes involved, though even they had not anticipated the Calvin Clan would be so reckless.

Everyone knew that the clouds of war now loomed over Grant Province.

Meanwhile, Duane was on his way back.