Chapter 177: The Witch Behind the Mask 4

Chris IV’s forces had commenced their southern march, their commander buoyed by a fortuitous streak of recent developments.

‘At first, the famine had given me pause… But fortune smiled upon us. Who could have foreseen Bohemia selling provisions to heretical factions on such a grand scale?’

From an indeterminate source, as the famine intensified, Bohemia had begun offering reasonably affordable foodstuffs exclusively to heretical groups.

Though priced at a 1.5-fold premium, with grain costs skyrocketing, it was practically free.

Moreover, while their allegiances differed, Chris IV himself espoused heretical doctrines as a sovereign ruler.

This allowed him to procure ample military provisions far more readily than anticipated, enabling him to accelerate his invasion timeline originally slated for after the famine’s conclusion.

‘For such an auspicious confluence of circumstances to unfold, I must surely be blessed by divine providence. Now I need only seize glory through overwhelming victory!’

Savoring this run of propitious fortune, Chris IV recounted the unanticipated boons catalyzing his campaign’s premature commencement.

Initially, the plan had entailed a solitary alliance between his Marck territories and Mansfeld’s forces.

Though nominally a sovereign duke of the Holy Imperium’s northern principalities, Chris IV had leveraged this titular claim to legitimize involving himself in imperial affairs.

Yet presently, his coalition encompassed far more formidable constituents beyond those preliminary arrangements.

Friedrich, the Imperial Elector and titular head of the Heretical League despite its eroded authority, had forged an alliance – his consort Elizabeth, the Briton Princess, sealing the pact with Chris IV.

This lent his cause the grander impetus of “defending heresy” itself, garnering widespread local support as he advanced unimpeded.

A subtle dynamic, yet pivotal for mobilizing military forces, his path saw local populations warmly welcoming him as a “liberator” of heretical realms rather than an invader.

Even the Holy Imperium’s typically aloof northern nobles gradually extended incremental support, with none actively obstructing his army’s passage.

‘Splendid – to be so fervently received. With such backing, there would be scant resistance to ultimately bringing these lands under my dominion.’

Propelled by this groundswell of local acclamation, Chris IV’s untrammeled drive southward held even greater cause for elation.

‘Admittedly, Friedrich’s involvement was foreseen, but the Franczian Kingdom’s unanticipated overtures proved a gratifying surprise – that they would actively sponsor me!’

The staunchly ecclesiastic Franczian Kingdom – a traditionalist powerhouse the Holy Imperium dared not trivialize – had unexpectedly extended its substantive backing to Chris IV’s heretical cause.

Though stopping short of deploying combat troops, their contribution arguably eclipsed such measures.

In quintessential Franczian opulence, they had furnished Chris IV with immense financial provisions.

With these newfound funds augmenting his already formidable forces, maintaining and expanding his martial assets became eminently feasible.

Buoyed by these unanticipated windfalls compounding his pre-existing zeal, Chris IV’s spirit soared to unprecedented heights as visions of forthcoming glory danced enticingly before his mind’s eye.

Having swiftly secured the populace’s allegiance from the outset, Chris IV anticipated his objectives unfolding with unparalleled ease.

‘The Emperor has begun marching his legions northward to counter us, I take it? Once I crush them with overwhelming power, my influence across the Holy Imperium’s northern reaches shall become incontrovertible. The Marck lands shall reign supreme over this entire region!’

With the Marck territories’ ascendance, Chris IV would no longer remain beholden to King Gustavus’s oversight.

The moment that freedom was attained, he could finally establish his long-coveted independent kingdom, casting off the shackles of the Kalmar Union.

‘I, Chris IV, shall become a sovereign monarch – not a mere ducal lord, but the ruler of my own realm!’

Swelling with such lofty aspirations, Chris IV’s army pressed ever southward, undaunted by the formidable adversary awaiting them – the Emperor’s forces.

Though the aged Spinola remained in Faltz, the imperial military’s might could not be discounted.

Tilly, the vanquisher of Mansfeld’s brigands, led one contingent, while the newly anointed Wallenstein commanded another vast host – both commanding the Emperor’s utmost confidence.

Their combined prowess was indeed fearsome, prompting some of Chris IV’s subordinates to advocate forming a pact with the Heretical League’s de facto leader, Bohemia.

Yet Chris IV firmly rebuffed such counsel.

Primarily, aligning with another faction risked alienating the local nobles and populace whose fervent support he currently enjoyed.

Though lesser heretical realms paled against Bohemia’s unrivaled dominance as the league’s preeminent power.

Beyond Bohemia’s demonstrated individual might at the Battle of the White Mountain, its Dragonian imperial backers rendered its intervention a potential obstacle to Chris IV’s aspirations for northern primacy.

Better to decisively conclude matters through his own strengths alone.

Moreover, despite the Emperor’s formidable forces, Chris IV harbored an unwavering confidence born of a singular asset under his command.

‘No matter their reputed prowess, our own forces are extraordinarily potent. With Mansfeld and, above all, that 11th-rank archmage accompanying us – the one we secured from Caarlon at immense cost – victory is assured so long as that personage fights by our side.’

While even mighty mages possessed limited impact upon battlefields…

Such constraints applied only to mages of typical advanced ranks.

An archmage…

One standing at the precipice of divinity, at the 11th rank bordering the 12th – the sacred realm…

Such an existence could singlehandedly alter conflicts’ tides.

Indeed, at the Battle of the White Mountain, Tilly’s own 9th-rank prowess had momentarily shifted the momentum despite his defeat – a mere hint at the game-changing potential an 11th-rank archmage commanded.

Armed with such an ostensibly unbeatable trump card, Chris IV could confidently confront the Emperor’s hosts alone.

‘All requisites are in place. Only victory remains to be seized. Soon, the Marck banner shall fly over this vast continent!’

To counter Chris IV’s southward thrust, Tilly’s brigade and Wallenstein’s troops had departed Faltz, marching northward to intercept the invaders.

Observing their prodigious numbers from afar, Baiken unconsciously swallowed her trepidation.

‘As anticipated, their forces are staggering… Easily twice what I witnessed at the White Mountain engagement.’

Despite the famine’s privations, this awe-inspiring military juggernaut evoked an instinctive sense of dread – a tangible manifestation of the Emperor’s formidable power.

Having concluded her basic reconnaissance objectives, Baiken nevertheless harbored no intentions of withdrawing just yet.

Beyond acquiring further intelligence, a pivotal purpose compelled her to linger until its fulfillment.

‘Hazardous though it may be, I must accept the risks. I have to uncover my sister’s fate, no matter what…’