It's almost dawn.
Winter came and it began to snow.
In retrospect, a lot has happened this year.
After all, the biggest change was the independence of the Fontana Territory as a kingdom.
Probably, but I didn't expect that to happen to anyone.
Of course, so am I.
I didn't think this would happen.
It was a year of great social change, but it was also a year of great personal change.
That would have made me a child.
Besides, it was an unexpected twin.
After the twins were born, Liliana's way of upsetting me was unexpected again, and she always apologized to me.
In the end, it was not good to raise twins as-is, one was raised at hand, but the other was left with my mother as dead and raised as my brother.
I wonder if Lilina's spiritual soothing is the best way to save her.
Since then, both of them have grown slowly, so I have a refreshed chest for now.
There were many other things like building a clock tower, making tracks, and making barca silver coins.
I think I'm working too hard.
Apparently, I'm not done yet.
"Are you here again?
"Yes, Mr. Ars. Several knights have offered to obey the kingdom of Fontana and pledge allegiance to the king."
"... instead, as a knight, you want to pacify the territory. I don't know what to do."
"I'm having trouble dealing with it. After all, some land knights have offered them separately, so their territory is everywhere. Moreover, it is in a territory ruled by other nobles. Pacification of the territory is difficult."
I see. I wish the aristocrats would come, not the knights. "
Fontana gained independence as a kingdom, which was recognized by the church and the Doren royal family.
And the land other than Fontana is in a very unstable state.
As a result, the surrounding forces had to adapt to the situation.
It was not the lofty aristocracy, but the knights, who acted to survive.
Especially a knight in the aristocratic realm in the north.
They swear allegiance to the aristocracy of the north and rule the territory as knights.
In some parts of the north, however, significant damage was caused by coalition forces of the Menmen faction.
And the Menmen are trying to secure the king's capital and royalty and reach out to the surrounding area.
The Anti-Memen Coalition has not yet become a complete monolith to deal with it, and I have no idea what will happen in the future.
So what should a small knight do?
Will you continue to act with the aristocrats who originally pledged allegiance?
Or do you keep your territory away from the nobles and under another?
I was forced to make a choice.
And some of them relied on the Fontana kingdom.
By entering the kingdom of Fontana as a knight and making the land part of Fontana, you will want to stand behind you in protecting your territory.
But it's not that easy.
The original lord, the aristocracy, will not allow the knights to serve him.
Or we could strip them of their knights and take their territory.
Then, instead of being a knight, some people tried to send second sons and third sons who did not succeed the knight to the Kingdom of Fontana.
If you have the strength to fight as a knight, it will be much more powerful than collecting multiple ordinary people.
As a knight, if a child who does not succeed the governor while serving the Lord today is recognized in Fontana and treated as a knight, his kinship may survive.
Alternatively, the second son, the third son, might be able to gain territory by giving up martial arts.
Or, even if the main house is crushed by the Menmen, it may be a stepping stone for claiming that the land was originally ours.
Thinking like that, the northern factions were gathering in the Fontana kingdom.
Whether or not to accept them.
I don't like to be embroiled in trouble at home with poor reception.
But I couldn't do anything about it.
If you lose someone who says you swear loyalty, you will reduce the number of people who lower their heads from there in the same way in the future.
Considering the future, it is better to accept it to some extent.
When I came up with that, I couldn't give an easy answer as to who I would accept or how much I would accept.
"But it's about you. You can attack anyway, Ars."
Sort of. I can't do nothing like this, and I might regret it later if I don't leave it when I can. Then you can't shake a stick at the chance. "
"That's what I need to do. So, when are we going to attack?
When the year comes, I wonder.
"New year means early spring, right?
"No, it's not, part-time brother. Attack the Northern Aristocratic Realm. It's just after New Year's."
"Ah? What about the New Year's greetings after dawn?
I think I'll put it behind me. Or attack a place where other nobles and knights are gathered together in a New Year's greeting. "
"... hey, seriously. Don't even think about it, you. But I guess so. All right, all right. I'll try to gather my strength from now on."
"Oh, nice to meet you, part-time brother."
Fontana became independent as a kingdom.
However, it was merely an acknowledgement of the title.
Actual combat power is more powerful in aristocracy called other great aristocracy.
If so, the Kingdom of Fontana could not have stopped walking satisfactorily with the status quo.
I was worried about what to do when a knight belonging to more than one noble kingdom offered to bow to Fontana, but there was also the aspect of a ship crossing.
Have those knights send Fontana a request for help.
Anything is fine.
Anyway, let him say that there is a problem with the nobility of his lord, and his knight's territory is in danger, so help him.
That way, you'll get the name of the cause that will invade that noble realm.
Invade the northern aristocracy and take its territory to Fontana.
Is it the Menmen who are most likely to complain about this?
But the Menmen have made a promise not to talk about the North when they transferred the Labyrinth.
It's not just about the Carmus family, it's about the others.
Moreover, no deadline has been set.
In other words, we can argue that the promise is still ongoing.
With that in mind, I decided to attack three aristocratic houses in the north.
The timing of the attack is at the dawn of the New Year.
Why the timing?
That is because, for example, it is customary for knights of the aristocracy to come together in the aristocracy capital for New Year's greetings.
There is a crowd of rulers ruling the territory on snow-covered land.
Moreover, we cannot summon peasants as soldiers without a moving army.
This situation will be hard to come by.
That's why I aim.
Thus, the Fontana army secretly prepared to march in the snow.