I'm not a Witcher anymore.

Chapter 148 Opposition? Reactionaries!

Since the milestones the Book of Adventure provides for this world all point to war, let's start from this silver mining city and turn the entire Bohemia into our whetstone.

Fortunately, at least in the heart of Central Europe in 1403, the scale and intensity of the war had not yet reached a point of despair.

Rather than a war of annihilation that swept across the land, it was more of a battle between feudal lords, mercenaries, and local armed forces.

Unlike their distant homeland in the East, where national battles often resulted in millions of corpses and rivers of blood.

Radji, sitting opposite, suddenly paused in his hand holding a wine glass. The wine in the glass rippled, and his eyes, which had seen the vicissitudes of life, suddenly contracted, as if he had heard some incredible divine revelation.

The burgher of Skarlitz originally thought that the young duke Zieg was merely passing through the area, perhaps for sightseeing or to deal with some unknown family property.

But he never expected that this young man with royal blood flowing through his veins would come with such grand, even insane, ambitions.

Against Sigismund.

This short name, in modern Bohemia, represents suffocating fear and despair.

These words may roll across the tongue in an instant, but putting them into action is as difficult as climbing to heaven.

Sigismund was not only a schemer known as the "Red Fox," but also the crowned King of Hungary and Croatia.

He commanded a large army, including not only a well-equipped and well-trained Hungarian army, but also troops from the steppes...

The Cuman servants were brutal and ruthless, like wolves and tigers.

At this very moment, that pagan army is rampaging across the sacred land of Bohemia, burning villages and plundering wealth.

Under that red and white striped flag, any royalist noble who dared to disobey faced only two fates:

They either die in dark dungeons or kneel in the dust, forced to offer their loyalty to the invaders.

And what about their legitimate monarch, Wenceslaus IV?

When the name of His Majesty was mentioned, Radji felt an indescribable pang of sorrow.

The nominal King of Bohemia was now under house arrest in Vienna like a caged bird, unable to even muster a decent guard to protect his dignity.

He indulged in alcohol and women, neglected state affairs, and squandered the great legacy left by his father, Charles IV the Great.

It was his laziness and incompetence that gave the ambitious Sigismund an opportunity to plunge this land back into the inferno of war.

In such a deteriorating situation, there are only two kinds of people who are still willing to stand by Václav's side: either those who are blindly loyal and inflexible, or those who are unfathomable and have ulterior motives.

Radji Kobila undoubtedly belongs to the former category.

Skarlitz is a royal domain and the lifeblood of the royal silver mines, and he is the gatekeeper personally appointed by the royal family.

Without Václav's past trust, there would be no Radjid's current status and glory.

For an old-fashioned nobleman who adheres to the code of chivalry, the oath of a vassal is of paramount importance, let alone the favor of the king.

No matter how incompetent or hopeless Wenceslaus was, as long as he remained king, Radji would never betray his oath.

But he was also keenly aware that with only Skarlitz and his small militia of only mining skills, he was no match for Sigismund's army.

All he could do was desperately hope for some miracle that never existed during this long, dark night.

However, now, fate seems to have played a cruel joke on him—a miracle, in a tangible form, has come to sit before him.

Duke of Görlitz, grandson of Charles IV, came to Skarlitz in person.

Not only did he arrive, but he also declared emphatically that he would unite all royalists to fight against the arrogant King of Hungary.

Radji felt his heart, which had seemed dormant for so long, begin to beat violently, pounding against his chest.

"Is what Your Highness said true?"

His voice was strained, his throat dry as if he had swallowed a mouthful of sand. "Are you really willing to be an enemy of the unstoppable Sigismund?"

Zieg's expression perfectly conveyed a hint of regret as a junior and a profound sense of leadership, perfectly capturing the politician's refined demeanor that even court painters could not depict.

"My father, Duke John, died at the hands of Wenceslaus, a fact known throughout the empire."

"But I'm a pragmatist. Compared to the harmless, alcoholic Wenceslaus, who's under house arrest in Vienna, the ambitious 'Red Fox' Sigismund is the real threat to the Luxembourg family."

"If he swallows up this fat piece of Bohemia, his next step will inevitably be to march north and annex my Görlitz."

Zig's fingers tapped lightly on the table, making a rhythmic sound, like the drumbeats of war.

"Therefore, Lord Radji, this has nothing to do with loyalty, but only with survival. The enemy of my enemy is my natural ally."

"In order to survive, I can put aside my feud with Wenceslaus over the murder of my father, but Sigismund, that greedy wolf, must be eliminated."

Radjid remained silent.

The only sound in the hall was the crackling of the torches burning.

It took him a long time to process the enormous amount of information in those words.

After a long pause, the Skaritz administrator finally stood up, pushed back his chair, and solemnly knelt on one knee before the much younger duke, placing his right hand on his chest and lowering his proud head.

"Your Highness, all of Skalitz's swords are ready to fight for you."

A hint of satisfaction flashed in Zieg's eyes, but he didn't show too much excitement. He simply raised his hand calmly, gesturing for Radji to sit down.

"I have long heard of Lord Radji's loyalty, which is as precious as gold."

"However, war is not a knightly contest. The two of us alone are far from enough to fight against Sigismund's vast army that stretches across the mountains and plains."

"Tell me, Lord Radzi, in this land, besides yourself, which nobles have not had their backbone broken by the Hungarians? What forces can still be won over?"

Radji sat down again, his face, which had been flushed with excitement, becoming serious once more.

"To be honest, Your Highness—not many."

He let out a long sigh, a sigh of helplessness that belonged to a loyal subject.

"Most of the nobles have either completely sided with Sigismund and are scrambling for scraps in the Prague court."

"Either they waver like a reed in the wind, waiting for the final victor. The true royalists can probably be counted on one hand."

The atmosphere in the hall seemed to have fallen into a slump once again.

"But—it's not entirely hopeless."

Radji suddenly changed the subject, a strange light flashing in his tired eyes, as if he had remembered something important.

"It's quite a coincidence, almost like God's arrangement. Shortly before Your Highness arrived in Skarlitz, another distinguished guest knocked on the door of Skarlitz for the same purpose."

Zieg raised an eyebrow, instantly thinking of someone.

"Oh?"

"This man's name is István Toth," Radji explained, his tone carrying a hint of eagerness to recommend a talented individual.

"Although he was born into Hungarian nobility, he was the mortal enemy of that tyrant. Your Highness, although Sigismund wears the crown of St. Stephen and is nominally the legitimate monarch of Hungary, his rule in Hungary is far less secure than it appears."

"Many families are secretly forming an alliance in an attempt to overthrow his tyranny, and His Excellency István is their secret envoy."

"He risked his life to cross the blockade to reach Skarlitz in order to seek an alliance with the Bohemian royalists, intending to work from within and without to completely strangle that red fox."

>