Viscount Kilton had been paying particularly close attention to the situation in Fruitvale Village lately.
It had already been three days since the plan was set in motion, and he knew by now that it had surely failed.
The question now was: how should he respond to the potential consequences? That was the issue demanding his attention.
Still, with the Ironblood Fortress backing him, he wasn't overly worried.
Shaking his head, he turned his attention to the territorial financial report handed over by the treasurer.
Despite some minor problems caused by Fruitvale Village this spring, the trading of magical beasts had continued to generate immense profits for the territory.
Looking with satisfaction toward the towering city walls in the distance, Viscount Kilton felt a sense of pride.
As a landed viscount, he was confident that he ranked among the wealthiest nobles.
Only someone of his wealth and status could afford to build an town within their fiefdom and establish a defense line capable of withstanding magical beasts.
Knock knock knock! Knock knock knock!
Just then, a series of urgent knocks broke the quiet.
"Come in."
As soon as the words left his mouth, the clerk burst through the door.
"Viscount, urgent news from Fruitvale Village!"
Kilton's eyes narrowed, and he quickly stood to snatch the message slip from the clerk's hand.
The next moment, his expression shifted dramatically. His pupils shrank slightly, and disbelief flashed in his eyes.
"Viscount… What's the matter?" the clerk asked hesitantly, having noticed the sudden change in Kilton's demeanor.
"Fruitvale Village has mobilized their forces. Their target is likely us." Kilton clenched his fists tightly.
He had never imagined that Fruitvale Village would dare to directly dispatch troops. After all, he too was a noble of Aspiration City. What exactly was that border earl trying to do?
The clerk's expression changed drastically. "Fruitvale Village is attacking us? That's impossible!"
It was well-known that any disputes between nobles within Aspiration City had to be resolved through the Public Security Court. Such a direct military move clearly violated Aspiration City's laws!
"Mobilize all knights and magical beasts in the Town."
"Send someone to inform the Gilded Fang Merchant Guild. They have ways to contact Ironblood Fortress!"
"We only need to hold off Fruitvale Village's attack for a while. Reinforcements from Ironblood Fortress will arrive soon!"
"Also, send messengers to the surrounding lords and the Eastern Knights—request their aid. The Eastern Gilded Fang Merchant Guild will surely offer them a satisfying reward!"
Kilton didn't have the time to consider all the possibilities. His top priority now was to resist Fruitvale Village's assault.
Though the Ironblood Fortress gave him confidence, he was well aware that Keystone Town was no match for Fruitvale Village—after all, even the Marina City Knight Order had been driven back by them!
Woooooooooo~
With the Viscount's orders issued, loud war horns echoed throughout the entire territory.
Inside the town, enclosed by high walls, the residents looked up in confusion. They were unfamiliar with the sound of the alarm horn.
Only the shouts of the knights jolted them into action. People began running home in a panic, diving into dusty cellars to take cover.
Before long, hundreds of knights had gathered in the central plaza of the town. Alongside them were numerous magical beasts equipped with specialized gear.
"Viscount Kilton, what's going on?"
A magical beast hunter with a scar across his forehead and leather armor approached with a serious expression.
As a major hub for the magical beast trade in Aspiration City's eastern territory, Keystone Town had attracted a large number of beast hunters and merchants.
Now, hearing the horn, many of them had come to inquire.
"Fruitvale Village is about to attack Keystone Town. I need your help!"
Kilton looked at the hunter with sharp eyes.
In the event of battle, these magical beast hunters would be invaluable. Without hesitation, he laid out the situation.
"Fruitvale Village is attacking? That's hard to believe!"
The hunter was clearly stunned. He'd never heard of direct conflict between territories within Aspiration City—nobles were supposed to resolve disputes in court!
"Clearly, Fruitvale Village is targeting the Gilded Fang Merchant Guild."
"You've probably heard the news about the public execution of a magical beast hunter in the southeastern territory?"
A knight beside Kilton scoffed. "It looks like Fruitvale Village intends to wipe out all magical beast hunters!"
Hearing this, the hunter's expression changed repeatedly. Though it was hard to believe that the southeastern lord would go this far, the facts were right before his eyes.
"I need to report this to my captain immediately!"
Without another word, the hunter turned and rushed off. If Fruitvale Village truly intended to eliminate them, then the situation was dire.
"How about the Gilded Fang Merchant Guild?" Kilton asked another knight who had just returned.
"Viscount, President Reagan has already relayed the message to Ironblood Fortress."
"They're also fully prepared for battle. We can entrust the eastern front to the Gilded Fang Merchant Guild."
Kilton nodded in satisfaction. The Guild's headquarters was located in the eastern district of Keystone Town, near the Black Forest—practically a city within a city.
"Good. That's reassuring."
The mention of Ironblood Fortress clearly eased Kilton's anxiety.
Ironblood Fortress was located in the northern region of Aspiration City, and it only took half a day to cross from the north to the eastern territories.
As long as they could hold the line for half a day, reinforcements from the Ironblood Knight Order would arrive, tipping the scales in their favor.
That rogue lord who dared to defy Aspiration City's laws would surely pay the price.
…
Surrounding Territories of Keystone Town
At that moment, the surrounding lords were all holding a letter in their hands.
Their expressions were grave as they read it.
The letter had been personally written by Aven, and it included sworn testimony from the hunters.
In the closing lines, Aven explained that Keystone Town was currently plotting an invasion of Fruitvale Village.
To prevent an attack, he had no choice but to strike first.
"Fruitvale Village is launching a preemptive strike to stop Keystone Town's scheme?"
The lords frowned as they read the letter, knowing that things were likely far more complicated than they appeared.
Keystone Town planning an invasion of Fruitvale Village? Most of them didn't believe that part.
However, the claim about luring a Nidoking tribe to attack Fruitvale Village seemed plausible.
They were all aware of the public execution of the hunters in Fruitvale Village and knew that a conflict with Keystone Town was inevitable.
In fact, it was more likely that this was a conflict between the Gilded Fang Merchant Guild and Fruitvale Village, with Ironblood Fortress pulling the strings behind the scenes.
Keystone Town was merely a front-line pawn.
It seemed that Keystone Town had tried to exact revenge on Fruitvale Village but failed, and now the village was retaliating in full force—openly ignoring Aspiration City's laws.
Keystone Town had likely never imagined that Fruitvale Village would be so decisive, launching a direct counterattack without hesitation.
Still, considering how Fruitvale Village had successfully repelled the Coastal City Knight Order, the lords quietly acknowledged that Keystone Town had little hope of winning.
As they debated how to respond to the situation, another rider arrived—this time delivering a letter of appeal from Keystone Town requesting aid.
But after reading Aven's earlier letter, the lords said nothing. Their silence spoke volumes.
…
Aven had already departed Fruitvale Village with his Grass-type army over two hours ago.
He rode on the back of a Torterra, with Petilil and Ralts seated beside him.
Beside Torterra marched Vileplume and Tangrowth, with Cherrim perched atop Tangrowth's back.
Behind them came a massive throng of Grass-type Pokémon, most notably large numbers of Gloom and Oddish, with Tangela trailing in significant numbers.
On the flanks, Raticate and Skuntank groups marched in formation.
After a period of restructuring, both groups had formed effective combat units due to their large populations.
Buzz buzz buzz—
In the skies above, a swarm of Yanma flew in tight formation, performing aerial reconnaissance.
These hundred or so Yanma had all been recruited into service after arriving in Fruitvale Village, with Jora now serving as their aerial commander.
For this campaign against Keystone Town, Aven had brought nearly every Pokémon from the village's Safari zones—only the Bibarel tribe had been left behind.
He had promised them when he first recruited them that they would never be sent to the battlefield again and would have a peaceful home.
Now, he was fulfilling that promise—even in this war, the Bibarel tribe was not called to arms.
"Lord Aven, we're about to enter Keystone Town's territory."
Just then, Sutter rode up on his Rhyhorn, accompanied by a group of armored knights.
Their faces were lit with excitement—it was the first real battle for the Southeastern Knight Order since its formation.
"Alright, move forward."
Aven took a deep breath and gave the order.
(End of Chapter)