The Count’s Youngest Son is a Player

The Brennan Republic.

A nation composed of five major families and over a hundred minor houses. Unlike typical kingdoms, it was governed by a High Chief rather than a king. And the method of electing the High Chief was, “Out of a total of 1,000 voting rights, the head of the family with the most votes becomes the High Chief.”

“At least it’s similar to Earth in terms of having elections.”

“But the voters are different. The voting rights belong to the cities, not individuals.”

Indeed, Voting rights for electing the High Chief were allocated not to specific individuals or families, but to cities.

In other words, the distribution of voting rights depended on who controlled the cities designated by the state as being above a certain size.

“I hear that the number of voting rights also varies according to the city size. A standard city gets one vote, but a major city under one of the five great families can have up to five votes.”

While the rules specifying the distribution of voting rights to various cities were complex, neither Bae Dohyun nor the players found this of paramount importance.

“According to the information provided by the First Knight Order, each of the five major families holds around 100 voting rights. This means the other families share the remaining 500 voting rights….”

In response to Ilwoo’s explanation, Linda clapped her hands and exclaimed,

“So, the five major families will be working hard to secure more votes.”

“Exactly. They’ll protect families already in their alliances and try to seize votes from neutral or opposing houses.”

The High Chief’s election happens every five years. There’s no law against re-election, so long-term governance is possible if they rule well. In fact, the Larsen family had monopolized the High Chief position for nearly 20 years.

‘But the recent gate incident changed everything.’

Like other kingdoms, the capital of the Brennan Republic was also struck by the Empire’s intelligence agency’s terrorism.

As a result, many key members of the Larsen family died, and with the blame for the capital’s defense failures, the High Chief position slipped from their hands.

“Currently, the power structure in the Brennan Republic sees two of the five great families at odds. The Delamian and Boyd families are allied, while the Gallegos and McGregor families are allied. We’re heading to Rayson City, which belongs to the Tenba family, allied with the Gallegos.”

“Ugh, isn’t this all so complicated?”

Linda scratched her head and stuck out her tongue.

“Well, despite the background, our job is straightforward. Protect the Rayson City under the Tenba family. And if possible, counterattack and target the city of Zeredu under the Delamian Household.”

“So, basically, we just need to fight and win, right? Why bother explaining the background?”

Linda pouted, causing Han Seohyun to laugh.

“It’s for the broadcast, isn’t it? We might get it, but the viewers need to know the background to enjoy it fully.”

“Oh! Hello, subscribers! Please keep watching LindaTV~ Mwah!” Linda blew a kiss into the air, prompting the team to chuckle.

“Ahem. Anyway, there’s something important to keep in mind.”

“What is it?”

Linda, now more enthusiastic as if for the camera, asked.

“In this battlefield, there are many players on the opposing side. So we won’t just be fighting the soldiers of the Zeredu family but also players.”

“Whoa.”

Purple Guild.

With 100 out of a maximum of 500 members, all ranked within the top 300 in Connect, and boasting 8 out of the 9 single-digit rankers, the guild had an incredible lineup.

As a result, no players had dared to confront them in quests or scenarios. This would be their first large-scale battle or faction war against other players.

After an unnecessary exclamation, Linda shrugged and asked,

“So what? Are there any strong players I need to worry about?”

Her face showed no sign of tension. Ilwoo sighed and replied,

“Not exactly. I’ll explain. The opposing side is a guild alliance centered around New Star Guild. They’re the ones who formed the 『Real Player Association』.”

“… Oh, the ones spamming annoying comments?”

“Not a group I’m particularly fond of.” even the usually taciturn Meininger added.

While the general guild members might not care, the Purple Guild’s leadership kept a wary eye on the new association.

“I’ve heard they’re targeting us in this scenario. They’ll likely take the opposite side if we get dragged into the Ruben Kingdom’s civil war.”

“Who do these upstarts think they are!”

“Linda! We’re still recording.”

Seohyun gently stopped her, and Linda pouted.

“Oh, sorry~. But I’m not wrong, am I?”

Indeed, from their perspective, it was a guild and guild masters they’d never heard of.

“Let’s not underestimate them. They have over 50 guilds and nearly 5,000 members. And among them are a few double-digit rankers. It seems the guilds based in the Brennan Republic have gathered to participate in this city battle.”

“So they’ve got numbers. So what do we do, just be cautious?”

Linda asked, raising an eyebrow. Ilwoo smirked meaningfully.

“Actually, the opposite. I want to crush them so thoroughly they can’t even squeak.”

“Wow~ So cool! I like it.”

Bae Dohyun continued, “This battle is a sort of prelude. We need to show them who they dared to challenge.”

“Absolutely, Guild Master!”

“We’ll do our best.”

Linda and Han Seohyun responded with confident and cheerful voices, while Meininger nodded silently in agreement. Another reason why they ventured far to the Brennan Republic was to deliver a message.

A vengeful declaration against the Real Player Association for daring to provoke the First Player Association. They likely intended to take the opposite side in any quest the First Player Association issued, to interfere at every turn.

‘We don’t have to play along with that.’

Withholding the announcement of the alliance quests in the Brennan Republic, and participating in this city battle with only five members, was all part of Raul’s plan.

Preemptive strike.

The first to act wins.

Isn’t that the basic principle of battle?

‘Our first strike is gonna hurt a lot.’

A slight smile played on Bae Dohyun’s lips.

*

Ziiiing, crash!

Rumble, boom!

Huge beams of light shot out from both sides with a thunderous roar over a massive city wall.

As the massive mana beams larger than a human body flew towards the city wall, a translucent shield formed, blocking the bombardment.

From the wall, beams shot back, hitting steel structures set up in the enemy’s front line. The structures had geometric patterns glowing on them, indicating they were magical items.

Boom, crash!

With both sides firing mana cannons, it was hard to believe this place was supposed to be medieval.

“Any update from the Gallegos family?”

“No, Patriarch. With multiple city battles happening, they’ve only asked us to hold on a bit longer….”

Bang!

Foreado Tenba, the patriarch of the Tenba family, struck his shield against the wall’s parapet in frustration.

“Damn it. How much have we contributed to their cause so far! What could be more urgent than this battle?”

It had been three days since the bombardment began. The shield was holding, but there was no telling how much longer it could withstand the relentless assault.

Though it seemed like an intense back-and-forth, the reality was that their side’s cannons were outnumbered more than two to one.

‘Damn Zeredu family bastards!’

This disparity shouldn’t have existed. Mana cannons weren’t easy to acquire, nor were they cheap to operate, requiring enormous mana stones. Yet both families operated cities of similar sizes, with comparably rated militias.

What accounted for such disproportionate firepower?

It had to be significant support from the Delamian Household.

“Honestly, can we hold out for another two days?”

Patriarch Tenba asked Vicious, the city’s defense commander.

“With our current reserves, we can hold out for no more than a day. We either need more mana stones or redirect the mana used for bombardment to our defensive shield….”

If they did that, the enemy troops wouldn’t remain idle.

Until now, the enemy had been kept at bay by the long range of the mana cannons, but if the cannons ceased fire, the enemy forces would advance and set up new positions within spell range, expediting the shield’s depletion.

‘If only we could hold out for another two days, we might have a chance!’

Brennan Republic’s city sieges followed strict rules.

First, bombardments last only five days.

Mana cannons are inefficient and burn through mana stones quickly. To prevent economic strain and price volatility of mana stones, unlimited bombardments are not permitted.

Second, if a city’s shield falls within the five-day span, it’s an immediate loss for the defenders.

Merchant families formed the backbone of the Brennan Republic. A family that couldn’t maintain a shield for five days was deemed unfit to manage a city.

Third, direct bombardment of the city or large-scale personal attacks are not allowed.

True to their merchant roots, they wanted wars where there was something to gain, not pointless destruction. For defenders, it meant surviving the five-day bombardment, after which the battle would hinge on troop strength.

“Commander Vicious. Hold out as best as you can. I’ll try to secure more mana stones. The city’s wealthier residents likely have some reserves. And if it seems the shield won’t hold, no, never mind.”

“We will do our utmost.”

After the commander returned to his duties, Patriarch Foreado Tenba bit his lip.

If the city were lost, who knew how long it would take for the Tenba family to become a ruling family (one that manages a city with voting rights) again?

‘Even if it seems humiliating, I must lower my head.’

Rayson was not solely home to the Tenba family. There were native families forming the city council, families now likely contemplating whether to stay and share the city’s fate or preserve their wealth for the future.

The thought of persuading those cunning foxes to hand over their mana stones gave Foreado a headache. Just then, someone rushed towards him.

“Patriarch! There’s news from the Gallegos family!”

Foreado’s face brightened.

“Really? What did they say? Are they sending reinforcements? Or at least mana stones?”

However, the messenger’s expression was peculiar.

“Um, they said they sent reinforcements.”

“Ooh! Thank goodness. Holding out for two more days will be a breeze.”

Hearing about the Gallegos family’s reinforcements, those crafty council members would surely hand over their hoarded mana stones.

If they won, the spoils would be distributed according to contributions, and those who had turned a blind eye might even be ousted from their positions by the citizens.

“So, who did they send, and how many? The Cannon Knights or the Galea Combat Unit?”

The Cannon Knights were the elite order of the Gallegos family, while the Galea Combat Unit was a top-tier mercenary corps they employed.

“Um, well… they’ve sent the Purple Guild, a group of mercenaries composed of outsiders….”

“…Purple Guild? Outsiders?”

Foreado’s face twisted in frustration. But holding onto a sliver of hope, he asked again,

“Alright. That’s possible. So how many? At least a thousand, right? Please, say it’s so.”

“…They said they were sending a small elite force, comparable to a knight order….”

“Damn it! Are you kidding me! Aaaah!”

An unheard-of outsider guild with just a handful of men. And outsiders being described as elite, knight-order level?

It was obviously a token gesture, just enough to claim they sent reinforcements.

“What am I supposed to do now?”

Foreado seriously began to consider abandoning the city.

(To be continued…)