Chapter 2: Royal Library
Map Typesetting: Shadowsky
Translator: Skythewood
Editor: Hiiro
Ⅰ
In the distant past when the existence of Odic force was common knowledge, there was a minority race called the “Abyss Clan”. They possess strong Odic force, and had eyes that were darker than black.
Back then, a group of foreigners known as the “Dragon Fang Tribe” came from another continent by ships. In order to break the stalemate in their war against the “Dragon Fang Tribe”, the king cast his gaze towards the Abyss Clan who possess outstanding physical capabilities.
『When we win this war, I will bestow the Abyss Clan with fame and fortune that will last for generations.』
Abyss Clan believed the words of the King, and joined the fray against the Dragon Fang Tribe with spears and swords in hand.
—A few years later.
The fantastic performance of the Abyss Clan turned the tide against the Dragon Fang Tribe. And finally, in a battle where both sides commit all their forces, the Dragon Fang Tribe was defeated, and retreated from the continent. The long war had finally ended, and the light of peace returned to the Dubedirica Continent.
The Abyss Clan lost many clansmen in the war, but the thoughts of their bright future filled them with joy.
— However, the King went back on his words.
Two months after the Dragon Fang Tribe retreated from the Dubedirica Continent, the peaceful capital was suddenly caught in an uproar.
『The Abyss Clan sneaked into the King"s chamber and attempt to a.s.sa.s.sinate the King.』
Of course, that was all nonsense. The King summoned a member of the Abyss Clan in secret, made him drunk and killed him. He was then framed for attempted murder. This came as a shock to the Abyss Clan. They requested for a chance to explain, but was denied.
In the end, the prowess of the Abyss Clan made the King fearful, and he was worried about his throne falling into the hands of the Abyss Clan.
And so, the heroes who saved the Dubedirica Continent became detestable traitors.
The King even hired the only a.s.sa.s.sination group that could fight on equal footing with the Abyss Clan, “Asura”, and personally led an army of 100,000 to attack the home of the Abyss Clan.
The Abyss Clan might be incredibly powerful individuals, but they were just a small clan of 300. As they were attacked in waves day and night, the Abyss Clan members fell one after another.
And so, on the dawn of the seventh day of the battle—
“— What happened on the dawn of the seventh day?”
The tavern owner Abel poured wine into a man"s cup and urged him to continue. The man smiled bitterly, finished the wine in his cup and asked:
“Really now, what"s with your reaction. Aren"t you only asking this in pa.s.sing?”
A guest came in the middle of the night, sat by the counter and said: “Give me a gla.s.s of wine.” That man"s silver hair was rare in these parts, so Abel asked if he had any interesting tales.
After hesitating for a while, the man told this story slowly this whole time.
“Don"t mind me. Your story sounds awfully real, and seems really convincing.”
“I see…”
The man smiled bitterly again.
“So, was the Abyss Clan wiped out?”
“That"s right, none of them survived. The story ends here.”
The man shook his empty gla.s.s, and his tone seemed somewhat lonesome. He looked like he experienced the events of the tale himself, but Abel was more disappointed in the abrupt ending of the tale.
“What"s the deal with that? A story will normally have one survivor that takes revenge on the king to make things interesting. The Abyss Clan will be too pitiful if you end it like that.”
“Sorry for not meeting your expectations.”
The man shrugged exaggeratedly, took out a few copper coins and laid them on the counter before getting up.
“What, you are leaving?”
“That"s right.”
“Stay a while longer and tell me more stories. Drinks on me. It"s boring here out in the boondocks, so a tale like yours will make good material for drawing in customers.”
“Sorry, but my companion is here to fetch me.”
The man said as he looked towards the entrance of the tavern. Before Abel even realized, a woman carrying a baby about 6 months old had appeared at the door. The tavern was noisy because of the mercenaries in it, but the baby was sleeping soundly.
“Dear, it"s almost time…”
The woman sounded a little anxious, and the man nodded gently.
“Yes, I"m coming.”
Abel stopped him in a hurry when he heard that:
“Do you have a place to stay?”
“No, we are leaving town…”
“You are leaving town… Where do you want to go in the middle of the night with a baby? I will save the lecture, just spend the night in my place. I will make it cheap as a favor for your story.”
Abel took a key from the wall and offered it to the man. He wasn"t trying to get more business, and was just worried about the baby.
But that man turned him down with a shake of his head:
“Thank you for your kind offer, but we can"t linger.”
“But why?”
“……”
“Some kind of trouble?”
Abel observed the man"s dressing in detail, and saw scale armor under his cloak. The woman who came to fetch him was probably wearing the same thing. It was clear they weren"t on a leisure trip, and they had a baby that was still nursing with them.
As for the man, he was scratching the back of his head with a troubled face.
“Never mind, I shouldn"t pry. If you are leaving town, be careful of the bandits. The weather is warming up, and those goons are attacking all day and all night.”
“—Thanks for the warning.”
The man smiled gently, and left the tavern with his arms around the woman"s shoulders. Abel kept the gla.s.s on the counter and thought about the face of the woman he saw earlier.
“Speaking of which, she sure is a beauty. And I have never seen dark eyes like hers before… Haha, no way.”
Abel"s mumble was drowned out by the noise in the tavern.
Ⅱ
Royal Capital Fizz, Central Zone
The sound of the bell tolling came from the iconic clock tower in the capital, signaling the start of the morning, and the stone paved roads were already filled with people. But even amongst the crowd, two ladies stood out prominently, turning the heads of all the young men who pa.s.sed them by.
“Well, it looks more shabby than I imagined.”
Before them was a building erected with white bricks. Olivia sounded a little disappointed as she watched the Royal Library that was built in the Glock style popular in the 5th Century of the Lunar Calendar.
“Major, this is an archaic style. Like I said, this is a relic site that shows the history of the Farnesse Kingdom. Despite how it looked, it had been repaired numerous times. By the way, the last restoration was in—”
“Alright, alright, let"s hurry on in.”
Claudia finally got the chance to show off her knowledge, but Olivia wasn"t interested at all. The door to the library was tightly shut, so Olivia dragged Claudia by the arm to the guard room besides it.
“Excuse me.”
The place wasn"t blocked by the door, and three men in bureaucratic dressing were inside. Two of them who had the physiques of security guards looked Claudia"s way.
“May we go in?”
Olivia asked as she showed her Knight"s badge to the men on duty. A meek looking man pushed his black rimmed gla.s.ses and asked:
“Such a young knight… May I have your family name?”
“Valedstorm.”
Olivia"s voice was full of energy. The man frowned when he heard that:
“Valedstorm? … I"m not familiar with that house. Your peerage?”
“Peerage? I"m a Major.”
“That"s your military rank. I"m asking you for your peerage as a n.o.ble.”
“n.o.ble peerage? What"s that?”
Olivia tilted her head and looked at Claudia.
There are five levels of n.o.ble peerage for the Farnesse Kingdom, Duke, Marquis, Earl, Viscount and Baron. On top of that, there"s the ‘Pleiades peerage" that lasts only one generation, which goes from Dark Purple Sash, Red Purple Sash, Green Purple Sash, White Purple Sash, Dark Sash, Red Sash, Green Sash. For n.o.ble peerage of the same level, their standings were differentiated by whether they possess the Pleiades Peerage, and the colors of their sash.
When Olivia was knighted, this was all explained to her, but she must have forgotten about it. Claudia sighed in her heart, and told the man that Olivia was a Baron. The man"s face became stern when he heard that:
“I presume that you already know that you will need someone of a high standing to vouch for you if you are to be granted entry. Are your doc.u.ments for this in order?”
“Yes, we have it ready.”
“— Really?”
The man looked at them with suspicious eyes. He probably doubts Olivia knew any powerful n.o.bles who could vouch for her, given her young age. Which was why he was taking her lightly.
Claudia took out a tidily folded letter.
“This should suffice.”
With that, she unfolded the letter and showed it to the man. This was a permission slip Neinhart gave her in case there were any problems. Neinhart probably antic.i.p.ated this.
“Hmm? A letter of guarantee, huh…”
The man leaned in to read the contents of the letter, and yelped mid way:
“M-My apologies! I understand the situation now, please come in.”
The man quickly gave instructions to open the door, and bowed towards the two ladies. He was quick to bow to power. Claudia felt speechless as she accompanied the gleeful Olivia through the doors of the library—
“Amazing amazing amazing!! Claudia, there"s so many books here!!”
Olivia had a cheerful smile that befitted her age, and expressed her overflowing excitement. In contrast to its heavy exterior, the inside of the library was an open two story wooden structure, making it look big. On either side of the library"s center pa.s.sage were evenly s.p.a.ced out shelves. Statues were placed all over the place, giving it an atmosphere of grace.
At the end of the central pa.s.sage was a round counter made from plain wood, where a few staff were attending to guests.
“It will be difficult to find what you want with these many books. Why don"t we consult the library staff?”
Olivia immediately agreed with Claudia"s suggestion. After a short wait, when a staff member was free, they asked a lady who was returning books to the shelf:
“Excuse me, is this a convenient time?”
“Hmm?— Ara ara, this soldier lady sure is pretty. How may I help you?”
The lady named Claris observed Claudia from top to bottom carefully. The freckles under her red rimmed spectacles and her evenly cut bangs left a strong impression.
“I want to investigate the reason for the demise of an aristocratic house.”
“The reason behind their demise? You can just check the catalogue of house names, and can save a trip to the library.”
Claris pushed up her red framed gla.s.ses as she said that.
“But it"s not stated there.”
“Not stated?”
“Yes.”
It would be quicker to show her, so Claudia took out the catalogue of house names from her bag. She already added a bookmark, and flipped to the page of the Valedstorm house in no time.
“This is it…”
Claudia pointed out the issue, and Claris started reading dubiously.
“— Hmmm. The Valedstorm house that died out 150 years ago… Uwah! Crossed scythes and a skull, what a discomforting emblem… I see, the reason for their demise isn"t stated…”
Claris muttered to herself as she pushed her red framed gla.s.ses. When she saw this, Claudia thought: “That man in the guard room and this lady too, does the library staff like to push their gla.s.ses?”
“Only the Valedstorm house doesn"t have any records. Do you know how we can find out why?”
After some investigation, she realized that the demise of the other houses were all properly doc.u.mented. Claudia wasn"t as concerned about this as Olivia, but she was still curious about this.
“It"s hard to determine with just this…”
“Is it difficult?”
“Kind of, but I"m sure of one thing; this isn"t just a lapse in record keeping.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean the records had been erased by someone.”
Claris said as she closed the book.
“Someone erased it…”
When she heard that, Claudia"s eyes returned to the catalogue in her hand.
“Sometimes, those in power would cover up or falsify facts that were inconvenient for them. That much was common, but in this case, only the reason for their demise was erased. In other words, everything else is left intact.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means that this isn"t that important, at least for the Kingdom right now.”
After a short silence, Olivia suddenly appeared from behind Claris, which made her scream.
“Then, what should we do to find out the reason for their demise?”
“Is she with you?”
“Actually, I"m accompanying her.”
And so, Claris started observing Olivia carefully.
“I see… She is incredibly beautiful too… Let me think… In the first place, the emblem is creepy, an emblem that can be easily related to death won"t normally be used.”
“Is that so? I think it looks cool.”
“But it"s ominous. It"s no joke if the house gets wiped out because of the emblem. While, the Valedstorm did end. I"m curious why they chose such an ominous looking emblem.”
“… Hey, Claudia.”
Olivia tugged at Claudia"s sleeve with a troubled face. She must be troubled by Claris who was ignoring her and kept droning on. Claudia felt the same way too.
“Ahem— So how is it? Is it possible to find out why?”
“Hmm? … I won"t know until we actually try. However, there are almost 40,000 books in the Royal Library. It had been categorized, but it would still take a lot of effort to search through them.”
Claudia felt dizzy when she heard the word 40,000. Claudia knew that it was difficult to investigate something from 150 years ago, but this went beyond her imagination.
They might not make any headway before the season turns, Claudia thought.
“Unfortunately, we can only stay in the capital for five days. Can you think of something?”
“Only five days...? That"s asking for the impossible.”
Claris lamented, since that was the truth.
“I know it"s hard, but this is important.”
“… Alright then. I"m intrigued too, so I will help.”
“I"m really grateful… But is that really fine?”
Claudia said as she glanced to the side, where the other speechless staff was looking on. They probably overheard this conversation. Claris answered without a care in the world, as if she wasn"t aware of their gazes:
“It"s fine, it"s fine, this is part of my job. But even if you count me in, there will only be three of us. I hope we can get one more person.”
“One more person, huh…”
The figure of a certain youth flashed across Claudia"s mind.
The next day after Claudia and Olivia"s visit to the Royal Library.
At the main door of the Royal Library, a youth with blonde hair and blue eyes couldn"t hide his nervousness. The youth who seemed unreliable at a glance— was Warrant Officer Ashton Senefelder.
“F-First Lieutenant Claudia, do I really have permission? I will be troubled if you tell me there is some mistake…”
As the staff opened the door in a hurry, Ashton kept looking at the guards beside them.
“Don"t worry, I already told you that Brigadier General Neinhart has given his permission. If not, the guards would have already chased you away. Just how many times are you going to make me repeat myself?”
After leaving the Royal Library yesterday, Claudia went to meet Neinhart again to tell him about their problems. And so, Neinhart made an exception and granted Ashton permission to enter the Royal Library.
When they returned to the hotel and brought this news to Ashton, he jumped with glee. But as time went by, he grew more and more anxious. By dinner time, Ashton kept asking if there had been some mistake. Thanks to that, Claudia didn"t get to enjoy the hotel"s specialty dish.
“B-But I"m a commoner.”
Now that the door was open, Ashton couldn"t muster the courage to step forward. He looked at Claudia to check with her. In contrast, Olivia beside them couldn"t contain her excitement and started skipping around.
“Of course I know that. This means your accomplishment during the battle with the Crimson Knights had been acknowledged.”
The outstanding war merits of Olivia overshadows him, but Ashton"s reputation as a strategist was on the rise. In fact, Claudia felt that only Ashton was capable of immobilizing 30,000 of the enemy"s soldiers.
Neinhart granted an exception for Ashton to visit the Royal Library after taking into account this fact too. Unfortunately, Claudia"s chance to strangle Neinhart slipped away again.
“No, those are different matters…”
Seeing Ashton had not changed his timid att.i.tude, Claudia narrowed her eyes, deciding it was time to educate him,.
“You are granted permission because it"s a related matter. Really now… This might be your good point, but also your weak point too. You need to evaluate yourself accurately, or it will upset others.”
Claudia smacked Ashton hard on his b.u.t.t. Ashton yelped awkwardly.
“Haha, Ashton got smacked in the a.s.s. Will your b.u.t.t turn red like a monkey? Or will it break into two?”
Olivia said as she smacks her own behind.
“b.u.t.tocks already come in two halves!”
Ashton said as he rubbed his b.u.m, and Claudia concluded with an awkward smile:
“Let"s hurry, we don"t have much time.”
“Sorry. I have calmed down after getting hit on my backside. It"s fine now.”
Ashton lowered his head docilely, and walked in while Olivia teased him. Claudia sighed heavily behind them.
(Really now, he always worries me. Is this how it feels to have a younger brother…? No, my brother will definitely be more steady and mature.)
Leaving the saluting guards behind, Claudia walked in through the entrance.
It was still early, so the library was quiet. The sunlight coming in through the roof window illuminated the place, as the dust shimmered in the air.
(Uwah. So this is the Royal Library I have always dreamed about visiting…)
Ashton"s eyes fell on the bookshelf nearest to him. With just a glance, he could find many rare tomes. Overwhelmed with emotions, he surveyed his surroundings and found a few staff tidying the shelves and cleaning the place.
Amongst them was a pet.i.te woman dusting the books, and Ashton was drawn to her.
(Hmm? She"s…)
While Ashton was searching through his memories, Claudia walked to that lady:
“Good morning, we will be in your care today too.”
“Good morning, you are early today.”
“We are short on time after all.”
“Right, let"s get started then… Let"s see, this must be the helper you mentioned yesterday— Oh? Aren"t you...?”
Ashton somehow attracted the lady"s attention, and she approached him with a push to her gla.s.ses.
“Ehh! Ms Claris… You are working in the Royal Library?”
“Yes, and you seem well, Ashton Senefelder. I believe it has been two years since we last met?”
Claris sent Ashton a flirting gaze, as if she was licking him from head to toe. Ashton gulped at the sight of that.
“I-it has been that a while.”
“By the way, Ashton Senefelder, I never expect you to enlist in the army. I thought you would become a scholar.”
Claris flicked at Ashton"s collar badge with a seductive smile.
“No, I didn"t volunteer for the army.”
Ashton realized he misspoke, and quickly glanced at Claudia. He felt uneasy, afraid that she would lecture him.
“—Hmm? It"s fine. In the first case, we are at fault for sending someone like you into the battlefield.”
Claudia said awkwardly. Ashton was relieved that he didn"t get admonished.
“That aside, do you two know each other?”
“Why yes, we are acquainted. We graduated from the same school.”
Ashton studied in the “Lion King Academy”. It was a famous school that produced many excellent bureaucrats, and Claris was two years his senior. Back then, Claris would always dump troublesome matters on Ashton"s lap.
“Ashton Senefelder. Our relationship isn"t just acquaintances. You are being too distant, we did all sorts of things day and night in the academy.”
Claris said suggestively as she leaned into Ashton"s chest. The scent of a lady entered Ashton"s nostrils.
“Is that so?”
Claudia shot a condescending look at Ashton.
“No, nothing strange happened! Ms Claris, please don"t say things that are so misleading. You just locked me into a room to help you with your thesis.”
Ashton pushed Claris away and looked at Olivia. Olivia was looking at their interaction with a gleeful smile, and didn"t seem to mind the conversation just now.
Ashton felt relieved, but also kind of deflated.
“Fufu. You are still the same as always, Ashton Senefelder, it"s so much fun teasing you. Back to the topic, with you around, the efficiency in our investigation will increase exponentially.”
Claris pushed her red rimmed gla.s.ses and led the three of them further in.
Ⅲ
On the fourth day of their visit to the capital.
Although Ashton"s joining in increased the efficiency of their investigation by a lot, they didn"t achieve any results. Ashton and Claris were having a difficult conversation in front of the bookshelf.
By the way, Claudia who was sitting beside a mountain of books was staring at the ceiling with a blank expression. It feels as if something weird will float out of her mouth at any moment.
Olivia closed the book that was thick enough to be a weapon and sighed heavily.
“Farnesse Kingdom expanded its military at the end of the warring era. It"s national power fell steeply because of that. Are they paying the price for that now?”
Back then, under the reign of King Raphael, the kingdom started a war by using their powerful military and strong economic prowess. The Kingdom was unstoppable at the start, but as the warfront widened, the supply lines were stretched further. However, the Kingdom took the supply lines lightly, and didn"t arrange for any escorts for the supply units that was the lifeline of an army.
As a result, their supply lines were cut off. No matter how strong an army was, they couldn"t win any battles on an empty stomach. With the knowledge she learned from Z, Olivia felt this was as good as suicide.
“— My grandfather often complained about that. It was said that the king and the army were blinded by their greed of conquering the continent. And now, the Empire is the one that wants to unite the continent, while the Kingdom has been forced to the brink, how ironic… By the way, what has this got to do with our investigation?”
“I see. I don"t know if it"s related, but I think there"s no harm in understanding the history of the Kingdom. We might even find a clue from there.”
“I see… you are right, Major.”
Claudia nodded in agreement, and Olivia grunted as she puffed out her b.r.e.a.s.t.s proudly. Right after that, the sound of something dropping came from the side. Olivia turned towards the sound, and found Ashton staring with his mouth wide open.
“Ashton, you want to eat something? Unfortunately, I don"t have any biscuits on me. Food is prohibited in the library.”
Olivia turned out her pockets, and biscuit crumbs fell onto the floor, earning the ire of a staff nearby.
“That"s not what I mean! I"m just shocked that Olivia actually said something proper.”
“Ehh? Ashton, why are you saying nonsense?”
“I"m not talking nonsense!”
Seeing how angry Ashton was, Olivia answered with a face that said it was obvious:
“Everything I said is proper.”
“You… No, are you serious?”
Ashton had a complicated face, and Olivia looked the same.
“Ashton, do you always joke like this? If there"s a joke compet.i.tion, you will get a good placing with your talent. You might even win it all. Don"t you think so, Claudia?”
Olivia looked towards Claudia, but Claudia kept coughing as she flipped through a book. Maybe she suddenly caught a cold.
As for Claris, she was saluting Olivia with a br.i.m.m.i.n.g smile, and she kept pushing her red rimmed gla.s.ses. They were all acting weird.
Their investigation proceeded in silence after that. Ashton and Claris picked out the books that might be related to the Valedstorm house, while Olivia and Claudia browsed through them. Time pa.s.sed slowly, but eventually, the evening sun shining through the windows dyed the room red.
And so, there still wasn"t any progress on the fourth night.
“—Sigh. It"s hard to read in this dim light. Let"s call it a day..”
Claudia quietly closed the book and stretched her back.
“Ehh~ I can still read clearly, so it"s fine.”
On the table were the books;
【Heraldry】
【Light and Shadows of the Farnesse Kingdom】
【The Clan of Darkness】
They had not read these books yet. For Olivia, who used to live in the deep forest where lighting was spa.r.s.e, this was not a problem at all.
“Unfortunately, it"s almost time for the library to close.”
And right on cue, the tolling of the bell from the clock tower reached Olivia"s ears. The staff started to prepare for the library"s closing.
“Only one day left, huh. Comrade Olivia"s reading speed is really fast, so there"s no problem in efficiency… But five days is too rushed.”
Claris said as she tidied the table. She seemed set on calling Olivia her comrade. Olivia wanted to ask why, but there was something about Claris that reminded her of Guile, so she gave up on it. She didn"t want to touch on the subject even with a ten foot pole.
“— Well then, see you tomorrow.”
Bidding Claris farewell, Olivia and the rest who didn"t make any headway left the Royal Library. When the three of them pa.s.sed through the commercial zone and were walking towards the southern zone where the hotels were, a lady in military garb approached them with her back to the sun.
She stopped before Olivia and saluted smartly.
“I remember you are fish… Brigadier General Neinhart"s aide?”
“Yes Mdm! I"m Second Lieutenant Katherina Raynurse.”
“You need something from me? The fish I brought last time is all the gift I have. I don"t even have any biscuits with me.”
With that, Olivia turned out her empty pockets, and Katherina shook her head:
“You are mistaken, I"m not here for fish or biscuits. I"m sorry, but please report to Leticia Castle immediately.”
“Leticia Castle?”
“Yes Mdm. Brigadier General Neinhart is waiting for you in his office.”
When she heard that, Olivia started thinking. Did her fish give Brigadier General Neinhart a tummy ache, and made him mad? She caught those fish herself, so they were still fresh though.
Olivia looked towards Claudia, but Claudia was tilting her head in confusion too. Ashton said “There"s no way I would know” when Olivia turned his way.
“Can I ask why?”
“My apologies, it"s confidential so I can"t say it here… Please find out directly from Brigadier General Neinhart.”
With that, Katherina turned and headed for Leticia Castle. The baffled group followed behind her.
Neinhart"s Office
Led by Katherina, the group entered the office, and Neinhart stopped writing with his pen.
“I apologize for summoning you on such short notice.”
Neinhart"s face looked a little pale.
“What"s going on?”
“I will start with the conclusion. The Sun Knights had been mobilized. If we don"t do something, the Central War Theatre will get overrun.”
Claudia broke out in cold sweat when she heard that. The Sun Knights were the ones that seized Fort Kiel, and their soldiers all wore silver armor. Instead of their individual prowess, they were more proficient in group battles. And their commander was the highest ranking military officer of the Imperial Army.
“Will the First Army move out to engage? With the Seventh Army defending the north, you don"t have to worry about our defences.”
“I know that, but things are complicated.”
Neinhart couldn"t state the reason, but Claudia had an idea why. She asked:
“Is His Majesty—”
“Stop. I don"t want to lock First Lieutenant Claudia up for Lèse majesté.”
As expected, Claudia thought. Neinhart"s face told her that this wasn"t open to discussion. The short moment of silence between Claudia and Neinhart felt like an eternity to Ashton.
On the other hand, Katherina looked uneasy as she looked at Neinhart"s profile.
“—Pardon me, but why did you call us here? I don"t think it"s possible, but you won"t be sending the Seventh Army out for this one, right?”
The Seventh Army defeated the Crimson Knights, but they suffered substantial losses too. Right now, the Seventh Army"s priority was to stabilize the newly recovered north of the Kingdom, and couldn"t spare the effort to reinforce the Central War Theatre. Claudia was just asking in pa.s.sing, she was sure Neinhart already considered that.
“Of course I know that is impossible.”
“Then what is it?”
“We are mobilizing the guards in the Central region, and we expect to muster a force of 6,000.
“Could it be...!?”
Neinhart nodded firmly, and turned to Olivia.
“You are right, First Lieutenant Claudia. We hope Major Olivia can lead this unit to reinforce the Second Army.”
However, Olivia rejected Neinhart without any hesitation.
“Don"t wanna. My investigation isn"t done yet. Besides, Ashton promised to treat me to delicious cakes in the capital, and I had not eaten any yet.”
“Hey, hold up. Now isn"t the time to talk about that.”
Ashton advised her, but Olivia turned her head away with puffed cheeks. From Claudia"s experience, it was incredibly difficult to convince Olivia when she was like this.
As expected, no matter how hard Ashton tried to persuade her, Olivia"s cheeks remained as puffed as a frog, and she showed no signs of giving in.
“I feel bad about forcing Major Olivia too...”
Neinhart was still seated, but he lowered his head in apology. It should be noted that Neinhart wasn"t just any officer, but literally a general.
Before Katherina could say anything more, Olivia answered:
“Then send someone else. I already said I"m busy with my research in the library.”
Olivia was adamant. Normally, the orders of her superiors were absolute, but Olivia didn"t care about all that.
Right now, Olivia had an air about her that said if they forced her to obey this order, she would just resign and leave. That was how important the demise of the Valedstorm house was to her. Even though the reason she was so obsessed with it wasn"t clear.
As the tension started to rise in the office, Ashton"s eyes started wavering. Neinhart who created this situation rested his elbows on his table, and slowly interlocked his ten fingers. This was a cla.s.sic Neinhart posture that Claudia was familiar with.
“— I will make an offer that will benefit you greatly then, Major Olivia.”
“Benefit me?”
Intrigued by this new topic, Olivia turned her head slightly in Neinhart"s direction.
“That"s right, an offer you won"t want to miss. If you accept my request, then I will let you stay and research in the library as long as you want. And of course, I will iron things out with lord Paul. In any case, you need to report back to the Seventh Army the day after tomorrow, correct?”
Brilliant move, Claudia thought. As Neinhart said, no matter what the results were, they only had one day left in the capital. And to Claudia, it was unlikely for them to determine the reason even if they had one more day.
Olivia probably understood that too. Neinhart"s proposal was tempting, and her puffed cheeks quickly subsided. He had not interacted with Olivia much, but Neinhart knew how to push her b.u.t.tons. As expected of the First Army"s adjutant known for his wiles.
“… Really?”
“I swear on the name of Neinhart Blanche.”
“Okay! —I mean, yes Sir! Major Olivia will lead the guards to reinforce the Second Army!”
Olivia saluted with her most brilliant smile of the day.
Ⅳ
Royal Capital Fizz, Southern Zone
In the south of the capital, there were many arenas and old buildings. On either banks of the clear Misuri rivers were filled with inns and hotels. And some of them had signboards with intrinsic and unique designs. The innovative signboard of a crow spreading its wings marked the “Grey Crow Pavilion” that Olivia and the others were staying in.
Because Ashton said this hotel"s bread was tasty, Olivia who likes bread immediately agreed to lodging here.
The next day after they agreed to Neinhart"s request to reinforce the Second Army.
Olivia"s trio ate breakfast on the first floor"s diner. The other guests were probably still sleeping, so the round table that could fit twenty was less than half filled.
Olivia was enjoying freshly baked bread when a buffed woman came over with a tray. She was the famous owner of the Grey Crow Pavilion— Anne.
“Olivichan, do you like the freshly baked walnut bread?”
With that, Anne laid out the plates with practiced movements. It was cream stew with loads of vegetables and meat. The fragrance spurred Olivia"s appet.i.te.
“Yiss! Seimmij ym deltsur yllaer taht! Tespu eb ot deen on si ereht!!”
“Sigh… Major, don"t talk with your mouth full. I told you that so many times already. Or do you think there"s no value in listening to me?”
“Hey, are you doing that on purpose?”
Olivia shook her head hard in response to Claudia and Ashton"s exasperated faces. She realized that she had stumped them again.
“Ahaha! Ms Claudia is as strict as ever. It"s fine, this is just a mediocre dish. Olivichan, just do what you like.”
Anne collected the empty plates and said with a hearty laugh. The owner in the kitchen heard that, and popped his head out. Akagi, whose broad nose and sunken eyes left a deep impression on others, grumbled unhappily: “Sorry that my cooking is mediocre.”
Anne snorted dismissively. Claudia wiped her mouth with a napkin, sat up and said:
“Thank you for your hospitality, Ms Anne, but this won"t do. As a n.o.ble, she has to observe the adequate etiquettes when she dines.”
Olivia shirked before Claudia"s sharp gaze. She could sense that Claudia was admonishing her.
Anne alternated her gaze between Olivia and Claudia, and looked dejected.
“Being a n.o.ble sure is hard… By the way, Olivichan is leaving today? That makes me sad.”
“You"re sad that I"m leaving?”
“Of course. There aren"t many customers who enjoy the food here as much as you do.”
Anne showed a lonely smile. When she saw that, Olivia said energetically:
“Ms Anne, it will be fine. I will come back in no time after taking care of the Imperial Army. I still have things to do in the capital.”
They already explained to Claris about their sudden orders to reinforce the Second Army, and Claris was asked to continue with the research. And of course, Olivia wanted to return as soon as possible to the library to search for clues on Z. In order to do so, she had to defeat the Sun Knights as fast as possible.
“I see. I will treat you to a good meal when you come back then.”
“Yes!”
“But if you encounter any danger, you have to run away. Be it n.o.bles or commoners, you only have one life. G.o.d is fair on that point.”
“Hey, how long are you going to take? The guests are waking up— Really now, women are really long winded.”
The owner then realized that it was true, sleepy patrons were walking down the stairs and filling up the seats.
“Coming!! —Sigh, what a boorish man. Alright then, the three of you make sure you come back safe— and Ashton.”
Ashton looked at Anne, surprised that she called him out.
“You are a man, so protect Olivichan well.”
“Ah, erm, yes.”
Claudia smiled awkwardly at that, while Ashton kept nodding. Anne nodded gently, and rushed back to the kitchen. A while later, the sound of two people arguing and plates smashing came from there.
Ashton looked towards the kitchen in shock, while Claudia took out a map, cleared her throat, signalling the other two to discuss the main topic.
“Let"s discuss our plans. First, we will head to the guards mustering point, Fort Gracia. After the troops are ready, we will take the western route to reinforce the Second Army.”
Claudia used her finger to draw out the route leading from Fort Gracia to the Central War Theatre.
“But will it be fine? It"s a substantial number, but this is just a gathering of mobs. I don"t even know if they will obey our orders. And the Sun Knights are adept in group battles, so even if we join the fray, the situation will still be dire.”
Ashton furrowed his brows, and Olivia concurred with him. No matter how great their numbers, a loose mob wouldn"t be able to win battles.
“Ashton is right, but we don"t have the time to train them. The Second Army"s situation is getting worse by the second.”
“I know, but…”
Ashton still couldn"t accept it, and crossed his arms with a mumble. Olivia felt she should say something that befitted a commander during times like this.
So she raised her index finger and said:
“How about this? We tell them that those who fight hard will be rewarded with books or snacks. I"m sure everyone will be motivated if we did that.”
“Hey, this isn"t the time for jokes.”
Ashton protested, but Olivia wasn"t jesting at all, so Ashton"s reaction surprised her. No one in the world would be dissatisfied with books and snacks.
“I"m not kidding. Listen well, Ashton. The difference between humans and beasts is—”
“Right. Olivia, I have a good idea.”
Ashton cut off Olivia with a malicious smile. He was probably up to no good, that much was clear from his smile.
Claudia felt something, and looked at Ashton in surprise and asked:
“Hey, are you thinking about using the Major to do something nefarious?”
“Nefarious? —I"m not thinking about that at all. It"s just that...”
“Just what?”
Claudia leaned right into Ashton"s face, and Ashton leaned back together with his chair.
“Wait! Too close! Your face is too close!”
“Forget about that, answer me now.”
“W-Well, I"m thinking we should gather all the soldiers and let Olivia perform in an open exhibition… Ahaha.”
“Oh? Open exhibition? What exactly do you want the Major to perform?”
Claudia refused to let the matter rest, and Ashton averted his eyes.
“N-Nothing special…”
“Spit it out.”
“P-Put a couple of strawman on stage, and let Olivia showcase her sword skills or something.”
Ashton glanced at Olivia.
“Let the Major showcase her sword skills?”
“Yes. If we did that, the soldiers will follow orders properly out of fear.”
“Oh… Command them with fear, and make them obey orders like slaves?”
“Slaves is a little… exaggerated, but something like that…”
“I see, I see. Haha. You really thought up an interesting idea.”
“R-Right— Ah that hurts!”
Claudia laughed dryly and pulled Ashton"s ear. Olivia covered her face when she saw that, thinking that it was over, the demon was here.
“Really now… the Major"s armor too, why do you have all sorts of crooked ideas? Should I cut open your head and check your brains?”
Olivia felt true terror when she heard that. She imagined Claudia smiling as she cut open Ashton"s head with a knife, and found it horrifying.
“Please spare my head! And that incident with the armor couldn"t be helped!”
“E-Erm, Claudia. I think there"s no problem with me showing off my sword techniques—”
Olivia said timidly, and Claudia snapped her head towards Olivia before she could finish. For some reason, a few strands of hair were stuck to her mouth. Oh no, Olivia was sure she would have a nightmare tonight.
“— As if. That"s not good, Ashton.”
“O-Olivia!?”
“I will be going now, bye.”
Olivia quickly swept up the rest of the stew, and ran out of the dining hall. Ignoring Ashton"s eyes that were pleading for help.
This wasn"t desertion from the frontline, but a tactical retreat. Olivia tried to convince herself with that.
Intermission: Temptation
North of the Kingdom, Windsam Castle, Commander"s Office
“This is a really tempting report.”
Paul shared his thoughts after reading the report submitted to him.
In short, Fort Astra was attacked by an army of unknown affiliation. It wasn"t clear which faction had shown open hostility towards the Empire, but the content of the report was shocking.
That wasn"t all. It couldn"t be confirmed yet, but the report states that the Crimson Knights were forced to the brink at one point. That was why Paul felt it was very tempting. Consecutive defeat would burden a unit both physically and mentally. Even the elite Crimson Knights were no exceptions.
If the Seventh Army used this chance to launch an attack, there was a good chance they could seize Fort Astra. Once they achieve that, Fort Astra would serve as a bulwark against the Empire. For the Kingdom that was in dire straits, the significance of this was larger than just taking one single fort.
“By the way, the situation in the north has more or less stabilized.”
Otto mentioned it as a side note, which made Paul smile awkwardly.
“What do you make of this?”
“What do you mean?”
“You know what I mean.”
“… Personally, I"m against it.”
“You are against it… the reason?”
“First is our manpower. We can only mobilize 15,000 troops at the most. In contrast, Fort Astra has around 7000 to 8000 soldiers. As Your Excellency already knows, the attacker would normally need to outnumber the defender three to one for siege battles. Even if we consider the difference in morale, we lack the numbers.”
“Hmm… that"s what I expect from you. And the other point?”
“The problem with supplies. This is more difficult than the issue with numbers. The situation in the north has stabilized, but the supply of food is still grim.”
“Is it that bad?”
“It is. The north was. .h.i.t the hardest by the economic sanctions from the Confederation of Sutherland. We just recovered the territory from the Empire, so there had not been any riots yet, but—”
Otto was hesitant to continue, and looked at Paul silently. Paul rubbed his bald head and sighed heavily.
“I know what you want to say. If we leave for an expedition now, we will need to take food supplies from the citizens. That"s as good as playing with fire.”
“It is as you say. And food isn"t the only supply that we are lacking.”
Otto said as he handed over a list of items, which showed a deficiency in warhorses, weapons and other supplies. He already expected Paul to ask, and prepared this ahead of time. Otto was impeccable in his work.
(This is such a pity.)
Paul felt it was a waste after reading the report. The Crimson Knights were on their last legs, something that had never happened before. If they let this chance slip, it wouldn"t come again. And of course, it would be difficult to get Alphonse to agree to this, but the Seventh Army had successfully recovered the South and North of the Kingdom. So Alphonse might have a change of heart.
With Cornelius" support, Paul felt he could get permission from the king. As for the problem with food supply, they could get them from the depot in the capital, although it would take some time to transport it here.
On the other hand, compared to mobilizing the troops at the expense of the citizens, this was also a good chance to tidy up the administrative affairs while the Crimson Knights were bogged down.
“Your Excellency, according to my calculations, if we just send 7,000 troops, then we won"t need to tax the citizens" food supply.”
Otto knew Paul"s concern, and offered his suggestion. However, the content of his suggestion was strange.
“Did you forget what you just said? I don"t think your memory is getting hazy with age, right?”
“Of course I didn"t. But there are always exceptions.”
Otto raised the corners of his lips as he said that.
“—Is it Major Olivia again?”
Paul said with a tone of resignation, but Otto"s smile deepened.
“It is as you say, Your Excellency. The fame of the Death G.o.d is far bigger than we imagined. There"s no reason for us not to exploit that.”
“That might be so, but aren"t you overburdening her?”
“Is that so?”
“Yes it is. I will remind you again, no matter how strong she is, she"s still a girl in her teens. The daughters of n.o.ble houses around her age are all enjoying their youth right now.”
During the Battle of Carnac, all the Seventh Army units were having it tough, and only Olivia"s Autonomous Cavalry Regiment was winning their fights, and even heavily injured their commander, forcing the Crimson Knights to retreat. In the pursuit battle that follows, Olivia"s unit performed admirably too.
There was nothing wrong with including fear into strategies. It was a fact that during the battle of Castle Kasper, the Imperial Army surrendered early out of fear of Olivia. However, Olivia was only human. Considering her age, consecutive battles like this would be hard on her. Otto had a point, but Paul found it hard to agree with this.
However, Otto didn"t think much about Paul"s argument.
“Your Excellency, why even bring that up at this juncture. That girl isn"t normal at all. You just need to feed her properly, and she will charge into battle with a full head of steam.”
“What do you mean by feeding her properly, you are really…”
“Your Excellency, the war is turning in our favor for the past year and a half. But we can"t rest on our laurels. Like I said back then, I will use anyone I can, even girls or old ladies. That"s all there is to it.”
Otto"s brutal ideology rendered Paul speechless, but he wasn"t done yet:
“As for the concrete plan… How about this. We will prepare 100 banners with the Valedstorm emblem. The Major will brandish these banners when she marches in. It won"t cost much, and will produce great results.”
Otto smiled nefariously as he laid out his schemes. Paul thought to himself, “So this man that the others call the iron masked man is so emotive.”
“No matter what, we will need the support of the Lord Field Marshal. And to execute your plans, we will need the key figure, Major Olivia, who isn"t here right now.”
“I remember she is in the capital right now.”
“That"s right. She should be coming back soon…”
With that, Paul leaned back heavily into his chair and closed his eyes.
— Some time later.
An urgent report from Neinhart defied the expectations of Paul and the others.
The Sun Knights that had been conserving their strengths were finally hoisting their war banners.