Private Tutor to the Duke's Daughter: Volume 7 (eBook)

Riku Nanano (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2023
250 Seiten
J-Novel Club (Verlag)
978-1-7183-8610-5 (ISBN)

Infos

Outlooks are bleak in the Duchy of Howard. The imperial army looming on its northern border dwarfs the duke's forces, and he can't hope for reinforcements from a capital in the hands of hard-line aristocratic rebels. Lady Stella Howard, her younger sister Tina, and Tina's maid Ellie are beside themselves with worry over the fate of their missing tutor Allen-last seen outnumbered and surrounded in the heart of enemy territory-but rescue plans will have to wait. The girls throw themselves into the war effort, anxious to hasten the end of the conflict in any way they can. Yet even their magical talents can only do so much, especially when sinister hooded figures join the enemy ranks.

While Allen's friends and family battle for their lives, the young sorcerer has his own trials to contend with. Captured, beaten, and flung into a mysterious ruin, he finds himself forced into a confrontation with startling truths-and an adversary who can more than match his skill.

Textauszug

Prologue

“So, we’re winning?” I asked.

“We are indeed, Grant.”

The tenth day since we had launched the Great Cause—our rebellion against the Royal House of Wainwright—found me, Duke Grant Algren, on the wooded outskirts of the eastern capital, closeted in a secret room of my house’s villa. With me were Greck, the eldest of my younger brothers, and his right-hand man, Earl Raymond Despenser. They had made a temporary return by wyvern to report on the state of the war. My next-youngest brother Gregory was also in attendance, concealing his meager physique under a gray robe.

“My army has successfully occupied the royal capital and the central region around it,” Greck declared, radiating confidence as he flourished his pointer at the map of the kingdom on the table. “You won’t be shocked to hear that we were far from alone in viewing the royal family’s recent policies as a threat to the existing social order! I’ve also taken custody of Gerard Wainwright, who had been transported to the royal capital. He can’t even speak anymore, but he’ll make a serviceable puppet king. And”—his pointer struck the north and south—“I bring good news concerning the Howards and Leinsters too. As it seems, a few days ago, both houses opened hostilities on their borders—with the Yustinian Empire and the League of Principalities, respectively. Initial reports have it that the Leinsters lost their first engagement and are on the defensive, while the Howards are in the process of withdrawing their troops and subjects from Galois! Make haste, Grant! The time is ripe for your advance on the royal capital!”

“Well spoken!” I saw myself sitting on the throne. The puppet Gerard would occupy it in reality, but for all intents and purposes, I would be king.

“Wait a moment, Grant, Greck,” Gregory interjected. I turned to find him bending over the map.

“What is it?” Greck asked, annoyed at having his proposal interrupted. “Do you have something to add?”

“Yes, three things.” A pale, spindly finger touched the west of the kingdom. “First, Gerard is the only royal we’ve managed to capture. And in the west, the Lebuferas, their vassals, and the Order of Royal Knights remain a force to be reckoned with.”

Greck clicked his tongue disagreeably. He had hoped to seize the royal family along with their capital, but fierce resistance from the knights of the guard and the royals’ personal escorts had thwarted that plan.

“I’m well aware of that!” he snapped. “But I’m certain we wounded the king, and the western forces can’t leave their posts! The Ducal House of Lebufera and the Order of Royal Knights haven’t moved in two hundred years! Not since the War of the Dark Lord!”

“Precisely. They can’t risk weakening the defenses...” Gregory responded dispassionately as his finger traversed the map again, coming to a halt on the kingdom’s western border—Blood River, a battlefield that the human race could never forget. Only memories of bitter defeat lingered there, where our dreams of reclaiming the holy land and striking down the Dark Lord had been dashed. “Lest the demons resume their eastward march.”

“Then what are you—”

“But that logic would only apply if we had the king and his family in our hands,” Gregory continued, breezing past Greck’s interruption. “According to my information, they’ve withdrawn to the western capital. The Lebuferas won’t move, but I fear the Order of Royal Knights very well might.”

“But not all of them,” Greck snarled and pounded his fist on the map. “We can handle a detachment!”

Our failure to capture the royal family had been a miscalculation. I motioned for Gregory to continue. My second-youngest brother was rising in my estimation, despite his frailty and the vulgar blood in his veins, due to his useful insights into the situation here in the eastern capital. In the hands of a skilled player, every piece had its uses.

“Second, the Howards and Leinsters.”

“Both are in retreat,” Greck countered. “My intelligence is up to date and corroborated by multiple wyvern and griffin messages. Even the Knights of the Holy Spirit confirm that both houses have opened hostilities!”

We had been tipped off that our comrades in the Yustinian Empire and the League of Principalities had turned both powers toward expansionism but planned to halt their armies after reclaiming lost territory. I considered deception on that front highly improbable.

“I don’t doubt that they’ve gone to war,” Gregory responded, sounding unsure of himself. “But don’t you think word has reached the royal capital sooner than it should?”

“What are you getting at?” I asked, looking down at the map. Numerous violet pieces—our allies—covered the east and center of the kingdom. The only other pieces near the royal capital represented Marquesses Crom and Gardner, who had yet to show their colors. Azure, scarlet, and emerald pieces marked our enemies in the north, south, and west. Beyond our borders, clear markers represented the northern Yustinian Empire and the southern principalities of Atlas and Bazel. And thanks to the intercession of the Knights of the Holy Spirit, we could count both foreign powers among our allies. From this bird’s-eye view, our position seemed unassailable.

“Communications between the ducal houses are severed,” murmured Gregory. “So I merely wonder how the royal capital—and only the royal capital—can learn of events so swiftly.”

“Oh, is that all?” Greck laughed dismissively. “The empire and the league must have outnumbered them three to one at the least, and you can’t argue with numbers! Isn’t that right, Raymond?”

“It is,” Raymond answered, breaking his silence. “Naturally, we’ve gathered intelligence from multiple sources, and everything points to the facts that the Howards have abandoned Galois and the Leinsters suffered an initial defeat.”

Gregory inclined his head to Greck. “I beg your pardon,” he said, conceding the point without further argument. Greck let out a triumphant snort.

I agreed that events were moving too quickly, but so long as the better part of our foes were pinned down in the north, south, and west, we had nothing to fear.

“And your third point, Gregory?” I prompted.

“Of course.” Gregory hesitated for a moment. Then, “The eastern capital and its Great Tree are not yet fully under our control.”

Greck stared at me in disbelief. “What does he mean by that, Grant? You only had a handful of royal guards and those conceited animals squatting in our city to contend with. How could they hold out for ten whole days?!”

I recalled my clash with the Leinsters’ eldest son, an animal, and a mock beast on the first day of the Great Cause. I folded my arms and kept my vexation in check as I explained the situation. “I hate to praise the enemy, but Richard Leinster and his knights are a formidable force. We’ve driven them back halfway across the Great Bridge—almost to the tree itself—but they stubbornly continue to resist.”

“We promised the Knights of the Holy Spirit partial control of the Great Tree,” Greck responded, lowering his voice. “Unless we come up with a solution soon, this could strain our relationship with the church once the war is over.”

The beastfolk had long unjustly claimed possession of the eastern capital’s Great Tree and used it to extract massive concessions. That we would reclaim it for humanity went without saying, but we also owed it to the Knights of the Holy Spirit, who had entered the fray on our behalf. It wouldn’t do to let this conflict drag on.

“Greck,” I said, looking my brother in the eye, “recall the Violet Order. With their aid, we shall crush the royal guard and fulfill our obligation to the church. I trust you won’t object, since you have the royal capital in hand.”

“Their leader, Haag Harclay, is a dangerous man,” Greck hesitantly responded.

“Old Harclay built and trained the order himself,” added Raymond. “Allowing them to join forces with Haig Hayden’s knights and Zaur Zani’s troops might be inadvisable. If they turned traitor—”

“Haag, Hayden, and Zaur are relics. They won’t turn their backs on the House of Algren now that I’ve inherited its symbol, Deep Violet,” I confidently declared, gazing at the enchanted halberd propped on the chair beside me.

I’ve already succeeded my father. I am Duke Algren!

Before embarking upon the Great Cause, I had made one last report to my father—the pitiful fool who had championed the Royal House of Wainwright and its moves to strip the aristocracy of our established privileges in the name of “meritocracy.” From the sickbed where my poison had put him, Guido Algren had said forlornly, “Stop this nonsense, Grant. If you go ahead with this, our house will be forever known as shameless ingrates. Remember our forebears’ blunder at Blood River.”

He truly was a fool. How could he allow the events of two hundred years ago to bind him still? We owed the beastfolk nothing, and we were certainly under no obligation to honor the Old Pledge! As far as I’d read, our ancestors had merely suffered trifling losses in the initial engagement!

I doubt you’re still conscious, but I hope you’re watching as I, Grant Algren,...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 6.4.2023
• Reihe/Serie: Private Tutor to the Duke's Daughter
• Reihe/Serie: Private Tutor to the Duke's Daughter
• Reihe/Serie: Private Tutor to the Duke’s Daughter
• Illustrationen: Cura
• Übersetzer: William Varteresian
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Literatur ► Fantasy / Science Fiction ► Fantasy
• Schlagworte: aristocrats • Comedy • Harem • Light Novel • Maids • male protagonist • royalty
• ISBN-10: 1-7183-8610-9 / 1718386109
• ISBN-13: 978-1-7183-8610-5 / 9781718386105