Chapter 7: The Curtain Draws on the Battle
Translator: Skythewood
Editor: Hiiro
Ⅰ
Imperial Army, Farnesse Kingdom Invasion Campaign Main Base, Fort Kiel
After learning the news of the Crimson Knights" defeat in Listerine Castle, General Felixus was summoned by Field Marshal Graden to Fort Kiel.
“Sorry that you have to make this trip.”
“No, you are too kind.”
After greeting each other, Felixus sat on the sofa, and a female attendant poured a cup of tea for him with graceful movements. This was the specialty of the Empire, and a tea that Felixus was fond of. It was a top selling luxury item on the international market, and contributed greatly to the Empire"s export business.
Felixus thanked the attendant, and picked up the cup. They locked gaze for a moment. The attendant"s cheek then turned bright red, and after a bow, she quickly left the room. Her reaction baffled Felixus, and Graden asked him with a speechless face:
“Felixus, how old are you?”
“Twenty one… Why do you ask?”
“You are already twenty one… about time for you to have a family. The daughters of many grand n.o.bles favor you, but you turned down their proposals. There"s no news of any love scandals from you either. Do you already have someone in mind?”
Graden rubbed his chin intriguely as he stared at Felixus" face.
“—Hah? What are you saying all of a sudden?”
Felixus was baffled by the sudden topic, and Graden shook his head with a long sigh:
“Never mind, just ignore that as an old fool"s mumbling. Instead, let"s talk about Rosenmary. I heard she"s badly hurt, so how is she?”
“The doctors said that it"s not life threatening, but she will need a rather long time to recuperate.”
Rosenmary fractured both her arms, and her organs were hurt badly too. If her injuries were more serious, she might not survive.
“I see…”
Graden sighed in relief, and leaned back heavily on the sofa. He didn"t say it clearly, but he was probably really worried about Rosenmary"s condition.
“But with that, the campaign against the north of the Kingdom will be delayed quite a bit.”
Rosenmary"s army retreated by a wide margin, garrisoned near the northern borders, centered around Fort Astra. Right now, Rosenmary"s adjutant Gaier was the acting commander in her stead.
“There"s no helping that, since there isn"t any unit that can replace the Crimson Knights in such short notice… But is the reports true? It reads like a mythical story halfway through.”
Graden said as he looked at the doc.u.ments on the table. On it was the Carnac battle report submitted by Gaier. It detailed the reasons that led to the Crimson Knights" defeat, and information related to the Death G.o.d Olivia.
“Colonel Gaier is an outstanding man. From what I can tell, the reports are true.”
“He is the adjutant of that wild girl Rosenmary, so he must be good… But is Death G.o.d Olivia really that strong? From the reports, she is just a girl in her teens.”
To summarize the reports, they got played like a fiddle by Olivia and her unit from beginning to the end. Especially the part on Olivia, no mere mortals could match up to her, and her name struck fear into the hearts of the Imperial soldiers.
But looking at this from another perspective, Olivia had the aura of heroes and kings of the past— maybe even stronger than them. It was natural for Graden to critique this report as being mythical.
However, Felixus had no doubts that the reports were true. The reason was that he caught sight of her during the prisoner exchange"s signing ceremony. From that moment on, he had always feared that things might turn out this way.
(To so badly injure Rosenmary who has such a high Odic force, that Olivia has immense prowess. And the strategy of tying down 30,000 soldiers and defeating Rosenmary is marvelous too. Is that her abilities too? Or is it someone else… No matter what, Olivia is a threat to the Imperial Army.)
The image of that girl was still vivid in Felixus"s mind, and he told the dubious Graden:
“Field Marshal Graden, the results speak for itself. Let"s strategize with that as our foundation.”
After Felixus said that, Graden nodded with a serious face:
“That"s true. Now that I think about it, the Swaran Kingdom"s attack on Fort Pes.h.i.ta failed because of the Death G.o.d"s intervention. You are right, Felixus, it"s foolish to ignore the facts. By the way, what are Chancellor Dalmes" views on this?”
“He wants to keep the status quo in the north for now. He will leave the plans for the future to us, Field Marshal Graden… That"s the gist of it.”
“Interesting, in short, the Lord Chancellor is going to observe without interfering? It will be great if he keeps this stance.”
Graden said sarcastically with a crooked smile. Dalmes was the second most powerful man in the Empire, but he was still a bureaucrat. He had not led a single soldier before, much less an army. For the leader of the Three Generals and the top dog of the military, Graden didn"t appreciate the Chancellor b.u.t.ting in on war affairs— or at least, that was what Felixus thought.
“However, the Azure Knights are ordered to stay put. After all, the Azure Knights could not be moved without the Emperor"s permission anyway.”
Felixus concluded, and Graden said with a wry smile:
“That much is obvious, since the Azure Knights are defending the capital.”
“My apologies.”
“It"s not your fault, Felixus… But that means the responsibility will rest squarely on my shoulders.”
Graden stroked his chin, and reached for his tea that was already cold. Felixus also picked up his cup and took a sip. The silence continued for a while before it was broken by Graden:
“Felixus, take care of the Crimson Knights before Rosenmary recovers. I don"t think that Seventh Army will invade the Empire, but we must be prepared.”
“I"m fine with that… But are you sure about that? Even if we can"t move the Azure Knights, shouldn"t we despatch a different unit?”
“No, there"s no need. It"s about time for us to get serious too. The Imperial Army still has the advantage, but we can"t let the Royal Army get c.o.c.ky now. The defeat of the Crimson Knights has probably spread to all the nations by now.”
“And our va.s.sal states might plot something— Is that what you are implying, Field Marshal Sir?”
Felixus stated his speculations, and Graden"s face contorted a little as he said:
“You are right. The Swaran Kingdom aside, the Princ.i.p.ality of Stonia"s army is still intact. The Sun Knights will have to make a show of force.”
Graden then gulped down the entire cup.
Royal Army Windsam Castle
The Seventh Army paid a heavy price, but they defeated the Crimson Knights. Leaving the sweeping of the remnants to 8,000 men including the Autonomous Cavalry Regiment, Paul returned in triumph to Windsam Castle amidst thundering cheers.
—More than three days have pa.s.sed after that.
A man dressed extravagantly knelt before Paul.
“So, what do you have to say for yourself?”
Paul"s cold voice echoed in the silent Audience Hall. The man"s shoulders jerked when he heard that, and he raised his head. He was the landlord of the Salz territory, and the original lord of Windsam Castle— Count Konrad Windsam.
“Please ease your anger, Lord Paul, I"m just exercising my duty as a landlord, and had to submit to the Empire to protect the citizens.”
“So what you are saying, Count, surrendering isn"t your intent?”
“It is as you say, Lord Duke. We surrendered our stronghold to the Empire in order to keep the citizens safe. If I have a choice, I won"t be willing to yield the castle of my ancestor Tristan to the enemies.”
Konrad uses his gift of gab to express the pains and struggles to protect the citizens from the tyranny of the Empire— without realizing that the eyes of the soldiers standing guard at the wall were already filled with contempt and disgust.
After the Count finished his sobbing tale, Paul signalled to Otto with a look. Otto nodded, and gave the doc.u.ments on a table to Konrad.
“This is...?”
Konrad was baffled by the papers shown to him.
“This is given to me by the representative of the citizens. Please peruse this, Count.”
Konrad reacted dramatically— He fanned out the doc.u.ments crudely, then started reading eagerly. As time went by, the color drained from his face.
“Duke Paul—”
Paul flicked his sleeves to stop Konrad who wanted to make excuses.
“Are you done? Count, the people that you claim to be protecting seems to bear a deep grudge towards you. If my eyes aren"t failing me, the reports state that many innocent lives are lost on your orders. Isn"t your statement a bit too different from the testimony of the citizens?”
“Not at all! The ma.s.ses are ignorant of the truth! I have no choice but to act on the Empire"s orders on the threat of death—”
“So you are saying, Count, that you are forced to continuously slaughter the citizens that you should be protecting?”
Paul asked coldly. At this moment, the creaking of armor came from the soldier at the wall. Konrad moaned in fear, and stammered with a trembling voice:
“T-This, isn"t my intention… I-I had no choice…”
In contrast to his earlier smooth talking, Konrad"s voice started to trail off. This was a perfect example of guilt. Paul sighed and raised his hand slowly, which prompted the soldiers to rush in and subdue Konrad with their spears.
“Duke Paul!? What is the meaning of this!?”
“Enough with the act, I can"t spare the time or mercy on you. Choose, hanging or decapitation?”
“Please reconsider! Aren"t your judgement too hasty!? Like I said, I didn"t submit to the Empire because I like it! Duke Paul, are you saying that I should oppose the Empire to the bitter end and die for nothing!?”
The agitated Konrad protested desperately.
“That"s right, you should become the shield of the citizen and died for them, this is the baseline of a landlord. Wagging your tail at the Empire to save your own hides, and harming the innocent citizens. Words are wasted on sc.u.m like you— Throw him into the gallows.”
“Are you kidding me!? A n.o.ble like me dying for mere plebeians? I"m the direct descendent of the hero Tristan Windsam!”
“That"s right, the hero Tristan Windsam must be rolling in his grave by how far his descendants have fallen.”
“So what!? I"m not the only one! The other landlords all submitted to the might of the Empire! Why am I the only one who gets blamed!?”
Konrad cried in despair, complaining why he was the only one taking the fall. Otto answered in Paul"s stead, speaking calmly in a monotone:
“Don"t worry, Count. We have sent out arrest warrants for all the landlords who turned coat, they will accompany you to h.e.l.l shortly.”
Konrad tried to resist, but it was futile. After a harsh beating by the soldiers, he was dragged out like a rag. Paul watched him go and muttered to himself:
“How deplorable, n.o.bles are supposed to be models for the people… yet there are so many foolish people who think n.o.bles can be tyrants.”
“n.o.bility cannot exist without the people. Konrad probably doesn"t understand something as simple as this.”
“There is no bigger sin than bringing shame to the name of the hero Tristan Windsam.”
Paul said in anguish, and sighed deeply.
Two days after the official announcement of Konrad Windsam"s death sentence—
The open plaza in Windsam Castle was filled with mobs, here to witness the open execution of Konrad. Paul wasn"t interested in such a spectacle, and this was only done in response to the strong wishes of the people, and for them to vent their anger.
The ma.s.ses cursed Konrad who was marched up to the execution ground. Konrad was still struggling for his life. Bleeding from his head from a stone thrown at him by the ma.s.ses, he begged Paul:
“Duke Paul! Please show mercy! Mercy mercy mercy mercy—”
Konrad pleaded for his life like a mad man, with a crazed look in his eyes. Otto ignored all that and informed Paul:
“Your Excellency, the preparations are complete.”
“Good, proceed with the execution!”
On Paul"s orders, a burly soldier tasked as an executioner walked up to the stage, which creaked under his weight. He then stood at the designated spot and drew his sword. The sharp blade glistened in the sun.
The next moment, the agitated ma.s.ses turned silent, and only the voice of the delirious Konrad echoed in the plaza. The mob looked nervously at the sword that was raised slowly by the soldier with bated breath. After a slight pause, he swung down hard. Konrad"s head fell into a bucket with a thud. The plaza then erupted into cheers.
“Otto, take care of the rest.”
“Yes Sir!”
Paul glanced at Konrad"s horrified face, and left the execution ground with brisk strides. The cheers continued to echo for a long time.
Ⅱ
After sweeping up the enemy remnants, the Autonomous Cavalry Regiment headed towards Windsam Castle. The soldiers" faces were in high spirits because of their victory over the Crimson Knights, and they chatted about how they will spend their bonuses and drink their fill.
Only one person"s face was gloomy.
“Sigh…”
(How many times is that…)
To Claudia"s right, Olivia whose eyes looked vacant stroked her black horse"s back weakly. The horse was probably worried about its mistress, and neighed a few times to cheer her up.
“Thank you, but you don"t have to worry. Comet is such a good child. Here, I will give you something good as a reward.”
After saying that, Olivia took out a cookie from her bag.
(When did she name her horse!? And she wants to feed it a cookie!?)
Claudia looked at Olivia was smelling the cookie with a blissful face, and decided to make things clear for the sake of the future.
“Major, sorry for being blunt… But this horse— Comet probably doesn"t eat cookies.”
“That"s not true.”
Olivia refuted that.
“… If you really want to feed it, how about giving it potatoes?”
“But cookies taste much better than potatoes.”
Olivia complained how unappetizing potatoes were, and put the cookie near Comet"s mouth. Ashton who was riding alongside them looked at Olivia with a strange face, probably feeling the same way as Claudia.
— The horse ate the cookie without any hesitation.
(What"s with this dark horse!?)
Comet eating the cookie happily made Claudia open her eyes wide in surprise. She wasn"t very knowledgeable about horses, but they would generally sniff their food before deciding to eat them. But Comet didn"t hesitate at all when it ate the cookie.
Olivia and the dark horse looked at each other with their dark eyes… Instead of being a warming scene, it felt a little creepy.
“No good… I got distracted.”
Ignoring Comet for now, Claudia went into the main topic, asking Olivia who was fidgeting her reins:
“Major, it"s about time you tell me why you are feeling so down. Is it hard for you to tell me?”
“Not really.”
Olivia shook her head firmly.
“Please tell me then. It"s the responsibility of the deputy to support you, Major.”
“Alright then… You see, Rosenmary escaped in the end, right? Even though I boasted that I will tear her to pieces…”
Olivia said slowly after a long pause.
“That"s right.”
Claudia thought back to the scene that day.
When Claudia rushed to Olivia"s side, she was holding the blood stained dark sword with one hand, and looking up into the sky melancholically.
They had swept up the enemy remnants, but still didn"t find Rosenmary.
“So I messed up.”
Olivia shook her head agitatedly and then held her head troubledly. It might be rude to say this, but Olivia wasn"t making sense.
“What do you mean by messed up? The commander Rosenmary might have gotten away, but Major, you injured her badly, right?”
“But I didn"t kill her.”
Olivia looked dejected, this was the first time Claudia saw her looking so vexed. She was baffled by why Olivia was so fixated on the fact that she didn"t kill Rosenmary. Ashton seemed intrigued by their conversation, and darted his eyes towards them from time to time.
“Even so, we still won the victory, cleaned up the enemy remnants, and recovered our land. There"s no reason for you to be upset, Major...”
“But what if Brigadier McFishFace stop me from entering the library because I didn"t kill Rosenmary?”
Claudia was dumbfounded momentarily when Olivia said that, but quickly understood the reason that Olivia was so down.
Olivia misunderstood that failing to kill Rosenmary meant she wouldn"t get permission to visit the library. Claudia finally figured out the reason behind her melancholy, suppressed her laughter and consoled Olivia:
“Don"t worry, Major. Your countless exploits matches that of a fairy tale he—”
“He?”
“Ahem! Anyway, I am sure that Brigadier McFishFace will be happy to vouch for you after learning of the Major"s war merits.”
“Really…? Even though I didn"t kill Ms Rosenmary?”
Olivia looked at Claudia with her dark eyes filled with expectations, as if she was grasping at straws. This was the first time she seemed so meek, like a girl next door.
“Really. If Brigadier McFishFace dares shake his head—”
Neinhart"s discomforting smile flashed across Claudia"s mind.
“If he shakes his head?”
Olivia gulped nervously.
“Then I will make him nod, even if I have to force him at knife point.”
Claudia pound her breast confident, telling Olivia to leave it to her. If he dare reject her, Claudia will make him agree even if she has to give him a headlock. She wouldn"t care about insubordination on this matter.
“Really!? Really really!?”
Olivia who was riding on Comet leaned forth, almost banging her forehead against Claudia"s forehead. It was clear that Olivia couldn"t contain her happiness.
“Y-You are too close! Of course I mean it, a knight never goes back on her word. By the way, this will depend on the situation, but we should be able to get some vacation. Why don"t we go back to the capital together?”
“Yes! I believe you, Claudia! Yay! This is great, Comet!”
Olivia hugged Comet"s neck with a blissful face and cheered. Comet wagged its tail and neighed happily in reply. Claudia who was watching this scene with a smile noticed Ashton who seemed like he had something to say.
“You want to say something, Ashton?”
“Well… May I tag along? Don"t worry, I know that commoners can"t enter the Royal Library.”
“I don"t mind…”
Claudia said and signalled Olivia with her eyes.
“Hmm? Of course it"s fine. When we were in Canary town, Ashton promised to treat me to delicious cake in the capital, from the shop that only the gourmets know.”
Olivia emphasized that she remembered clearly, and showed Ashton an innocent smile.
“—T-That"s true. Haha. I have to treat Olivia to cakes known only to true gourmets.”
Ashton forced a smile, and his eyes started to waver. He seemed to be hiding something.
Claudia knew about that too. Cakes were a luxury to commoners, but Ashton was already a Warrant Officer, so he could afford to treat Olivia to some cake. So it was baffling why his face looked so pale.
(He"s acting weird… Is he hiding something from us?)
As Claudia was getting confused by Ashton"s strange behaviour, a gust of wind blew up a cloud of dust. Claudia looked at the soldiers who were making a fuss over this, and pressed down her fluttering hair. She shifted her gaze to the Esteria mountain range, and found the peaks to be covered in a faint shade of white.
“The season is already changing…”
“That"s right, it will only get colder.”
The way Ashton latched onto what Claudia said to distract them from the earlier topic was hilarious, and Claudia had to stop herself from laughing.
“I want to visit the library before the weather turns cold—”
Olivia said, her eyes already looking far into the distance.
Final Chapter: Holy Angel
It had been four years since Emperor Ramza of the Arsbelt Empire declared his intention to conquer the continent—
As the war intensified, the situation in the Dubedirica continent became more chaotic. In some regions in the west, there would be minor nations engage in battle everyday.
However, there was a nation that kept to itself as always.
The Holy Nation of Mekia.
The Holy Nation of Mekia was a small country that had been ruled by a female monarch since its inception by the founding Holy Angel, and was famous for its large quant.i.ties of rare natural resources. At the same time, it was common knowledge amongst pious believers of the G.o.ddess Citresia that the Church of Saint Illuminas was based there.
It has a population of about 1 million, and an army of 50,000 known as the “Holy Winged Legion”.
Holy Capital Elsphere, La Shaim Castle, Hall of Flight
“I heard the news about the Crimson Knights" defeat, is that true?”
After sitting down regally in the extravagant throne, Sofitia hel Mekia asked her retainer kneeling down before her— Chiliarch Amelia.
“It is as you say, Great Saint.”
“So it"s true… Was their opponent the First Army?”
Sofitia was familiar with the name of the First Army"s commander, the ever victorious Cornelius Wim Gruening. After all, she just needed to flip through history texts to find his name, and played a prominent part in the last Great War. The floundering Farnesse Kingdom was only hanging on because of Cornelius" First Army.
“No, it wasn"t the First Army.”
However, contrary to Sofitia"s expectations, Amelia shook her head.
“Oh? It"s not?”
“That"s right, according to the report from the ‘Owl", the Crimson Knights was defeated by Paul von Balza and his Seventh Army.”
The “Owl” refers to the secret unit responsible for gathering intel. They had a close relationship with the Priests and devotees found in the Churches of Saint Illuminas all over the continent. In terms of information gathering, they far outcla.s.sed “Heat Haze” of the Empire.
“Paul von Balza? Ah, I remember, the famous general known as the Demon G.o.d, right? He is said to have easily killed 50 enemy soldiers single handedly.”
Sofitia said as she recalled the doc.u.ments she read in the past. Amelia nodded silently with a blank expression in response.
“But, don"t you find it baffling? If the Seventh Army is strong enough to defeat the Crimson Knights, then why is the Farnesse Kingdom forced into such a dire situation?”
Sofitia raised a question of her own. Farnesse Kingdom lost its strategically important Fort Kiel, and its 3rd, 4th and 5th Army had been decimated. With the economic embargo by the Confederation of Sutherland to the south, they even had trouble securing enough supplies.
Going by the report, the national power of the Farnesse Kingdom had been weakened by more than half after the war started. If the Seventh Army had been fighting actively from the start, they wouldn"t have fallen into such a terrible state.
“From the a.n.a.lysis of the intel we have collated, a girl known as the ‘Death G.o.d" had been piling up great exploits. She enlisted voluntarily with the Seventh Army last year.”
Amelia answered Sofitia"s query immediately.
“So there"s a Death G.o.d behind the Demon G.o.d… There sure are a lot of G.o.ds in the Seventh Army, what a busy place.”
Sofitia smiled sinisterly, which sent a chill down Amelia"s back. The G.o.ddess of Creation, Citresia, was the patron deity of the Holy Nation of Mekia. It might just be nicknames, but using G.o.ds and Demons in their names still felt unpleasant to her.
“The Crimson Knights" commander Lady Berlinetta was heavily injured, and from our investigation, it appears to be the doing of the Death G.o.d.”
“Oh, is that so? That Death G.o.d girl is pretty strong then, since she wounded Lady Berlinetta so badly… However, it is a pity that she didn"t die though. Don"t you think so, Amelia?”
After Sofitia asked that with a refreshing smile, Amelia nodded quietly.
“So Amelia thinks so too. It"s regrettable that she"s still alive, but this is still a good opportunity. Let"s make full use of this chance.”
For the Empire, that “Death G.o.d” girl was probably a troublesome existence. If the Empire was a huge lifeform, then that girl was like the sudden onset of an illness. It might be trivial in the beginning, but with time, the entire body would be affected.
Sofitia felt it would be best for Mekia to leave the Death G.o.d alone, and observe from the sidelines. The Death G.o.d had blown new life into the floundering Farnesse Kingdom, so it would be a waste to not make full use of that, and let the Farnesse Kingdom put up a grueling fight against the Empire.
—It wasn"t time yet.
Sofitia smiled in her heart.
“Amelia, tell me about the Crimson Knights" current situation.”
“The Crimson Knights had retreated greatly to northern Kingdom borders, and relocated their base to Fort Astra. Lady Berlinetta had been escorted back to the capital Orsted for treatment.”
“And the number of troops garrisoned in Fort Astra?”
“Around 10,000.”
“I see… This is the Crimson Knights" first defeat, and Lady Berlinetta is absent, so morale must be low in Fort Astra.”
Sofitia said as she stood up from the throne and knocked her silver sceptre onto the floor. The clear ringing sound echoed in the Hall of Flight.
“Chiliarch Amelia Stolast, In the name of the Holy Angel Sofitia hel Mekia, I command you to lead 3,000 soldiers to ‘send them our regards".”
“As you wish, Great Saint.”
Sofitia quietly approached Amelia who accepted the decree with her head bowed. She stood before Amelia, and looked closely at her light blue hair. She then gently covered the “Dark Blue Sorcery Circle” on the back of Amelia"s left hand with her palms.
“There is no need to show any mercy to the Crimson Knights, use your Sorcerer prowess as you please, Amelia. May the G.o.ddess Citresia be with you.”
Sofitia showed Amelia the gentle smile that the ma.s.ses called the “Smile of a G.o.ddess”. Amelia slowly raised her head, and on her head was a twisted nefarious smile.
—— Oh, what a wonderful person.