Chapter 191: Conrads Arrival (1/2)

The trade caravan that Elma, Conrad, and the other agent were hiding within finally pulled up to the city walls of Kufstein. Conrad gazed out from the back of the wagon and onto the magnificent city walls. Though they were not as tall as conventional castle walls, they were far thicker and designed in a way that he had never seen before.

Despite the glory of Kufstein's mighty city walls, Conrad was by no means an architect or even knowledgeable in tactics. Thus the boy did not have an overwhelming sense of inspiration for their brilliant design. Instead, he looked mockingly at the short walls, believing they would be easy to scale over with ladders.

Of course, this was not the case, as the wide moat surrounding the walls, making it nearly impossible to do so while exposing any would-be attackers to fire from every angle. Despite this reality, Conrad was blissfully unaware of such a thing, and as such, looked at Berengar's mighty city walls with contempt.

However, one of the merchants traveling with the caravan quickly exclaimed upon seeing the walls

”Boy, you should do well to remember that these walls are mightier than they appear. In all of my life, I have never seen nor heard of such a large army repelled so quickly by the defenders.”

he had been present in Kufstein during Theodoric's invasion. The sight of what remained of the man's army would never leave his memories, and as such, he had decided to voice his thoughts on the matter after noticing the expression on Conrad's face.

Conrad was unaware of what had happened during the war for Tyrol, and as such, was utterly ignorant of the fate of the late Viscount Theodoric. Instead, he merely thought the ordinary merchant was exaggerating. Thus he dismissed the man's claims completely.

After arriving at the gates, the city's garrison inspected every caravan to see if they carried dangerous materials or enemy agents. After getting to the wagon, which contained Conrad, Elma handed a document to the City Guards, where they immediately waved them through. Much to the surprise of the rest of the caravan, who was stuck in the process of being vetted.

Conrad was not surprised as he knew that Elma worked for Berengar and must have had some means to enter the city directly. However, when he finally entered the city walls and got to the habited region, the boy became astonished by what he saw.

The sprawling tenements, the large chateaus, the construction of the grand projects, all of these things were a sight which Conrad had not expected upon entering the city, which was not much more than a typical town but a year ago.

After taking in the sights, Conrad was eventually led to the Castle where Bernegar currently resided. As he stepped off the wagon, he was immediately greeted by Berengar, Count Otto, and Count Audegar of Vorarlberg, who had arrived in Kufstein not long before Conrad himself.  These three men were the leaders of the few counties which remained completely unoccupied by the Bavarians.

Upon stepping off the wagon, Berengar instantly greeted Conrad with a degree of respect that the boy had previously not been afforded.

”Your Grace, I apologize for the accommodations you suffered through as you traveled to my lands, but I hope you can understand the need for secrecy.”

Considering Conrad was the last remaining heir of the late Duke Wilmar, Berengar had to at the very least put on a facade of respect, especially if he wanted to win Conrad over to his side, and appoint him the Regent.

Though Conrad was upset due to the conditions he had found himself in the last few days, he was just thankful to be alive. Thus he dusted himself off before approaching Berengar and the other Counts while making demands.

”I need to bathe and bring me a change of clothes while you are at it, something befitting a man of my position! We will talk after I have made myself presentable.”

Berengar smiled and nodded before allowing the boy access to his Castle. He struggled to contain his laughter when the twelve-year-old child proclaimed himself a man. Luckily Berengar had a solid poker face and merely acquiesced to the boy's demands.

”Of course, your grace, you will find my accommodations most fitting.”

Thus Conrad was led to the bath where he cleaned himself from the filth accumulated on his body over the last few days before changing into a luxurious set of attire fit for a Duke that Berengar had long since prepared for Conrad from his textile factories. After doing so, they met up in the Dining room, where Berengar brought out his finest cuisine to treat the boy.