Chapter 600 Here are the troops
Our group went through the gates and made our way through Vayne City.
Though we were being led by these guards that seemed respectful, it didn't seem like they wanted to talk to us.
So I took the initiative to ask, "It's our first time in Vayne City, can you tell us about a few of the specialties here?"
But the leader of these soldiers just shook his head and said, "Count Zwein, I'm sure that you don't want to waste any time with the current situation of the war. The duke is already waiting for you, so let's hurry over as soon as possible."
My entire group was taken aback when we heard this.
We looked at the leader with strange looks as if we were trying to figure out if he was being serious or not, but it seemed that he was indeed being serious.
So the only thing that I could do was nod in agreement and silently follow behind these soldiers.
At the same time, it seemed that they picked up the pace.
They really wanted to get us there as soon as possible.
Why?
It didn't seem to make any sense at all.
After all, we had been fully expecting the duke to play tricks to stall us since he wouldn't want to give us these troops. At the same time, we had been expecting the duke to even try and harm us to make the situation look worse.
Though of course, if he were to harm us, he would do it in a manner that wouldn't implicate himself.
So the only real worry was that we would be assassinated.
As we walked through the city, there were some things that caught our eyes.
It was the disparity in wealth as we made our way through the city.
The ones that were near the gate were the poorest and the ones that were closer to the center of the city seemed to be richer.
It seemed that the nobles of the city only cared about their own wellbeing.
There were even some people that were fighting over gutter water in some of the poorer parts of the city. It was clear just how much they had suffered after closing themselves off to defend against the enemies.
Or it should be said that they had completely cut off their own supply lines, making it hard for them to receive supplies from the outside.
This kind of plan was clearly self destructive, but the nobles that sat above the rest didn't seem to care.
The only thing that they cared about was their own wellbeing.
I could sense the tension that came from my group, but I calmed them down with a look and a shake of my head.
For now, we should play along to see what the duke was up to.
When we arrived at the duke's manor, I was surprised to see the duke waiting there for us.
I recognized him as soon as I saw him because he looked the same as in the game.
He was a kind looking old man with a full white beard. If he were to put on red, one might think that he was a jolly old man who handed out gifts…
Though in reality, he was anything but that…
When the duke saw us, he took the initiative to come forward to me with a friendly smile on his face.
Regardless of how I felt about him and what I knew about him, the appearance that he had really was that of a friendly old man…
After coming over, the duke said, "Count Zwein, it is truly an honour to host you in our Vayne City." Then he gave a sigh before saying, "Unfortunately, we had to meet under such circumstances."
I gave a nod before saying. "Duke Yuletide, you'll have to excuse my curtness, but I'm sure that you've received the orders from the capital?"
Duke Yuletide revealed a serious look before saying, "Yes, I've received the orders just recently, but for the sake of our kingdom, I have been preparing everything. The troops that will follow you have already been prepared and are just waiting to set off."
Though I had a calm look on my face, I couldn't help being surprised.
I could feel the surprise that came from behind me, but I secretly gave a signal behind my back for them to calm down.
We couldn't let ourselves fall into the duke's pace after all.
So in the end, I gave a nod as I said, "Then shall we go?"
Duke Yuletide didn't hesitate at all as he gave a nod of agreement before leading the way.
All of us were even more confused when we saw this, but we still followed behind him.
During this, I did all that I could to figure out just what Duke Yuletide was planning.
It was only when I saw the troops that he had prepared for us that I finally realized what was happening.
He didn't plan on cooperating at all.
That we already knew, but we never expected him to use this kind of trick.
The troops that were standing in front of us, it would be kind to even call them troops since they were clearly not trained soldiers.
These were scrawny looking people that had equipment that seemed like they should be thrown out.
They looked like they were refugees that had been quickly picked up and then had some equipment slapped onto them to make them seem like they were soldiers. There was no way that these troops would be actual trained soldiers with how lax their formation was.
It was clear that they had never received any form of proper training.
General Killock had his brows knit even more than me since he was a proper soldier and knew more than me.
After we arrived at this place, Duke Yuletide turned back to me and said in a voice that sounded like he found this all natural, "These are the troops that we have prepared for you."
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