Chapter 60: Changes in Nottingham

Under Duncan’s orders, Freeman sent nearly half of Londe’s available troops toward Notting City.

As autumn harvest neared its end, Christine gathered her entire force outside Harvest Town.

Mounted on horseback, she gazed at the over one thousand fighters before her.

When they’d joined, most had only tattered weapons and no armor, fit only as cannon fodder.

But after intercepting Londe’s caravans, each now wielded a decent weapon, and most wore serviceable armor.

This force could now hold its own against Londe’s regular army.

With Notting City’s defenses—less than a thousand guards—well-scouted, a swift decapitation strike could take the city bloodlessly.

The strike’s leaders? Naturally, Fratina and Emmeline.

Lucia, unwilling to reveal her weakened state, stayed back, and Christine, needing to oversee the rear, suggested Lucia command from behind—a perfect fit for Lucia’s wishes.

Christine addressed her troops, her voice clear despite its softness.

“Everyone, I’ve hidden my identity from you. You may wonder why we, mere bandits, never harm civilians and only target Londe’s forces.”

“It’s because I, Christine, have a blood feud with the usurper Duncan! He stole my father’s throne and slaughtered Elan City’s nobles in a single, bloody night.”

“As Londe’s eldest princess, I’ve lived in hiding for over a decade.”

“I once planned to storm Elan City alone, to die taking Duncan with me. But seeing Londe crumble under him, I couldn’t let the kingdom fall.”

“With our vengeance and duty clear, we can’t sit idle. Our strength is ready. It’s time to take Notting City as our base and declare war on Duncan!”

The soldiers exchanged stunned glances.

They hadn’t known their leader was the former princess.

But this revelation sparked a surge of zeal.

Most had become bandits out of desperation, yet under Christine, they ate well and received education only the wealthy could afford.

With nothing to lose, helping Christine restore the throne promised a bright future.

Far from fearing Londe, they grew more eager.

One soldier shouted, “Long live Princess Christine!”

The rest echoed, their cries ringing out.

Harvest Town’s residents watched, many young men itching to join.

After the speech, nearly a hundred youths from the town enlisted.

As the army marched toward Notting City, more idle youths joined post-harvest, swelling Christine’s force to two thousand by arrival.

Most lacked armor but carried recently seized weapons.

Night, Camp

Christine sat by a campfire, Lucia beside her.

“Have Fratina and Emmeline left for Notting City?”

“Yes.”

Christine nodded. “With them, the mayor won’t escape, right?”

“Of course. It’s the Hero… and my most trusted guard.”

Christine shifted topics. “Lucia, should I arrange a small skirmish to boost morale?”

She glanced around.

Lucia shook her head. “Not until Notting City’s secured.”

“Why?”

Christine blinked, puzzled.

“If it was just your mountain bandits, maybe. But you’ve got new recruits now, right? If a fight causes casualties, what if they flee? Are you going to set up a death squad to drag them back?”

“…”

Christine thought, then gave an awkward smile.

She’d been so focused on boosting morale, she forgot the untrained recruits.

Their current loyalty stemmed from high spirits.

They were more like a herd than an army.

“Fair point. Once we take Notting City, we’ll have a place to train them.”

Notting City

Under cover of night, Fratina slipped into the military camp.

Initially, she and Emmeline targeted only the mayor, but to maximize impact, Fratina volunteered to infiltrate the heavily guarded camp to capture the city’s defense commander too.

Outside the camp, she frowned at the lit streets and patrols passing every two minutes.

She wasn’t worried about tight defenses. Oddly, Londe’s camp didn’t feel like one bracing for war.

The patrols, though frequent, had only two soldiers each, chatting casually, oblivious to potential threats.

The gate guard openly dozed against the wall, as if enemies were unthinkable.

This scene made Fratina suspect a trap.

She wasn’t wrong. This wasn’t the camp’s usual alertness. Notting City’s laxity stemmed from an imminent reinforcement of five thousand troops, set to arrive in two days, quintupling their defenses.

With no major conflicts recently, Commander Uther had relaxed oversight in the meantime.