Weekly chapters (2/2)
I just noticed the author updated the character glossary.
I"ll post the translated characters glossary next week.
Enjoy the chapter~
Translator: Raizu
Editor: Shirayuki
Chapter 59 – War
The main hall of the Royal Palace.
The lords of the Arcadia Empire had gathered here. What was left is to wait for the Emperor to arrive. Some of the aristocrats were engaged in gossiping and chatting, while some went through with what they need to do.
[Lloyd-dono! Lloyd-dono!]
[Yaa, if it isn"t Earl Morale. How are you doing?]
The one who called Earl Lloyd Roxietta just now was Earl Morale who owned a territory in the northern region just like Llyod.
[Oh dear, where is the little lord of the Schwarzer! I thought he"ll be going in along with you!?]
[Well …I think he"s still busy with my daughter…haven"t seen him since this morning, I think?]
[Good gracious, as usual you are too lenient of a father! That boy is the center of attention at the moment!]
Morale wiped the sweat off his forehead.
Yes. Ares Schwarzer had become the main topic of conversation among the aristocrats. First, he belonged to one of the most powerful clans in the Empire. Not only that, the Emperor even recognized him as someone with excellent martial prowess despite his young age. It"s not an exaggeration to say that the territory where he lives in is the most prosperous in the Empire. While having so much wealth and power, he avoids the power struggle in the palace, choosing to stay in his clan"s territory.
There is nothing more frightening than something unknown. And for the aristocrats, it"s unnerving that someone with enough capability does not actively seek power.
As Lloyd laughed listening to all that, the conversation ceased and silence filled the room.
Lloyd turned around, and smiled upon seeing that the person had arrived.
[Earl Morale, behold the rumoured one.]
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When Ares entered the hall, the lords present stopped their conversation and turned to him all at once.
Despite being the center of attention from so many people, Ares stood calm and proudly with a confident smile. Making him stand out more was his pure white battle attire…. Even if it"s a battle attire, it"s rare to see anyone wearing that color. Standing on the white tiles, his white silver attire and his similarly white cloak flowing in the wind invoked the image of a high king.
Lloyd also paid more attention to this choice of clothes.
That was…one of the 4 『Great King Regalia』, the [White Emperor].
Ares" battle attire was called the『White Emperor』. It"s imbued with the spirits" protection, and has a will of its own.
Also…『White Emperor』is one of the『Great King Regalia』. Meaning only those worthy to become a king can wear it..
However….in this world, not many know of the existence of this『White Emperor』…..only people close to Ares are aware of it.
As far as 『Great King Regalia』go, it"s widely known that the Arcadia Empire is in the possession of the『Crimson Sky』 which is the current Emperor"s crown. Wearing this crown means that one will be at the topmost position in this country.
When Lloyd saw Ares wearing the『White Emperor』…..he could only narrow his eyes at the majestic figure.
[Ho, such a young man but already causing many eyes to turn towards him.]
[Muu, I can"t draw my eyes away… is he truly a big game just like the rumour said? Or is he just an ignorant fool?]
[I have no idea that I"ve become the source of such rumour.]
Ares quietly walked toward Lloyd while ignoring the gaze of other lords.
[I"m sorry for being late. Earl of Roxietta]
[Don"t mention it, Ares-sama. I"m indebted to you for taking care of Sharon the other day.]
Taking care of Sharon…..hearing that caused Ares to remember what happened that day, making him blush a little.
[Eh, yeah. I"m grateful for her companionship.]
Seeing how Ares reacted a little overtly to such a casual remark, Lloyd let out a small laugh.
However, the surrounding crowds read the friendly exchange between these two falsely and promptly cut in.
[Schwarzer Little Lord, can we have a small talk?]
[Schwarzer Little Lord, this is the first time we meet. I, am Viscount Crom from southern Arcadia. How about some talk….]
[I spoke with him first! Get lost!]
Each and everyone of them wanted to make some connection with Ares.
This is the next in line of THE Archduke, and one with a prosperous and wealthy territory at that. If I could match him with my daughter…even if only to become his mistress, I can still expect something good in return.
Also, since Ares is still a young man, won"t it be easier to manipulate him? That"s what crossed most of these people"s mind.
Seeing this situation, Ares sighed.
[Everybody. His Majesty will be arriving soon. I"ll hear what you want to say later… Isn"t it wiser to keep quiet for now?]
He said to free himself up.
Right then, the chamberlain entered the hall hastily before making a loud announcement.
[His Majesty Sephiros has arrived!]
As soon as they heard that announcement, the aristocrats quickly fixed their posture and lowered their head toward the throne.
After a short pause, the Emperor of the Holy Arcadia Empire, Sephiros Arcadia made his entrance and sat on the throne. Following him was Duke of Clark Gilford.
At that point, a strong and overwhelming pressure filled the hall.
The more cowardly aristocrats were clearly affected by it to the point of stunning them.
[Everyone, at ease.]
Everyone promptly raised their head back upon Emperor Sephiros" words.
As expected…..Ares thought.
Glancing around, the tense air caused the aristocrats to have various expressions.
Respect, worship, fear….
However, there was no disgust. This is the charisma of the person that is known as the 『Thunder Emperor』.
[His Majesty Emperor has an announcement. Please listen carefully.]
At Duke of Clark"s notice, the lords began to pay attention to what Emperor Sephiros is about to say.
[It was reported that there is unsettling movement going on in the eastern countries. We can no longer stay on the sidelines and must take action. We must field our army. Do you people have any opinion?]
To that question, Archduke Saxon was the first to raise his hand.
[His Majesty"s judgment and command is truly wise. We will obey and do our best to fulfill that order. But this lowly one has a few questions. How much of the army will we field, and up to where this campaign will last?]
On behalf of the Emperor, Duke of Clark replied.
[We will field 100,000 of the Imperial army and 200,000 from all the lords combined, making a total of 300,000 troops. The goal this time is to conquer the Grants Princ.i.p.ality who has shown clear sign of opposition against our Empire. Then the Trevoir Kingdom, Requidor Kingdom, and Brittany Federation.]
[Too lax!]
It was First Prince Carlos who raised his voice just now.
[We must take this opportunity to swallow the entire eastern countries. If it"s up to me, I will cut down all of them!]
[Ho, this one agrees with that suggestion. The strong warriors of Archduke Saxon are willing to a.s.sist that effort anytime we are needed. This one is electing the First Prince Carlos to be the campaign leader!]
Everyone looked at Carlos enviously after seeing how Georg supported him.
Then a mocking laugh could be heard.
Ares smiled quietly as the lords turned toward the source.
The supporters of Carlos and Georg clearly looked on with disdain.
[You…..are you making fun of me?]
Carlos stared at Ares with hostility.
[No…my apologies. I don"t mean to make fun of anyone. Pardon me.]
After saying that while lowering his head, Ares turned his eyes toward Emperor Sephiros.
[Even if we conquer all those countries, don"t we still need to govern them? Do we currently have the capacity and human resources to govern them all at once? Your Majesty only plan to conquer 4 countries…because that"s probably the limit we can take at best. Furthermore, Grants Princ.i.p.ality is surrounded by a monster lair in the west, barbarians with their cavalry in the north, dwarves that refuse to ally with us, and the infamous Aryan warrior tribes along the mountains. We cannot afford to take too many losses. Why do you think we never managed to defeat Grants Princ.i.p.ality up until now…..please think about the reasons for a while. By conquering those four countries, particularly Requidor, we will have a strategic foothold, allowing for two directional attacks for future campaign.]
Ares then proceeded to call on Carlos.
[If you cannot govern them well, they"ll revolt. The other tribes will not forgive us either. At that point, we"ll end up being cut off from our base. And if that happens, that will also be the end of the dream to unify the eastern countries. Do you understand that?]
[Kuh…..you don"t say, boy.]
Carlos was jealous of Ares. But clearly he had no way to rebuke.
It was Archduke Rozenheim"s son who stated his opinion following Ares"s.
[I agree with Schwarzer"s young lord"s opinion. It"ll be best if we can finish the campaign before winter arrived, otherwise it"ll be hard for us to go on. I"m also concerned about the movements of the largest country in the east, Byzerd Princ.i.p.ality. Their national power is said to rival that of our Empire and three major powers, so we can"t ignore them. Especially with how Zachard"s forces are crawling around the continent. He"s not an enemy we can afford to fight just by relying on temporary momentum. There is also the emerging country Dormadia that we should be cautious about because we know nearly nothing regarding them.]
[Noted.]
After hearing Scion"s opinion, Emperor Sephiros turned toward other lords, and said.
[If there is nothing else, we can now officially start the campaign. Losing is not an option. Be aware that this eastern campaign must be finished before the new year comes. So first, we have to make our way to Grants. We can start by capturing Redgear territory. Anyone else has a suggestion?]
[Leave it to me.]
[Yes! We"ll be the vanguard.]
Carlos and Georg were the first to respond.
Then many others who also raised their hands.
Why of course,Redgear is the key route to march toward Grants. It"s imperative for the Empire to take hold of this place first so the merit will be very high. Small countries like Trevoir and Brittany Federation cannot be compared to it.
[Then I"ll take Trevoir and Brittany Federation]
It was Ares who said that. Carlos and Geord"s eyes became bright, so were Scion and Lloyd"s. At the same time, Leo McDohl and Duke Rozenburg gave an interested look.
[Hou….to think he choose to go there instead of Redgear?]
[Yes. Apparently no one wants to go there. But someone still has to go there. That"s why he chose to do so.]
Ares then continued.
[Retainer Ares, are you sure you want to take that part?]
[It doesn"t matter, allow me to..]
[H-hold on!]
It was Carlos who complained. He just realized that there is an absolute benefit from being the only one willing to go to a place where others don"t want to. This guy is up for something…. Carlos thought but he was immediately shot down.
[This Emperor is not asking for your opinion, but Schwarzer"s little lord"s opinion. Keep your mouth shut]
[…..yes.]
[Schwarzer little lord, continue.]
Sephiros urged Ares to explain.
[Let"s take another look at Redgear. It"s said that they"ve built two fortresses in the aftermath of Arcadia"s previous attack which the Redgear is quite proud of: La.s.se Fortress and Soran Fortress. One will be attacked by unit led by first prince Carlos, and the other will be attacked by Archduke Saxon"s forces. These fortresses are known to be impregnable, but I believe that the two of them will manage somehow. As for me, I will be [attacking the two countries] so that I can offer reinforcement by [attacking Redgear from another direction].]
Sephiros was clearly fascinated. He motioned Ares to go on.
[I won"t be needing any Vice-General. The forces I brought myself should suffice.]
Right then, another opinion was thrown.
[Your Majesty. May I speak my mind?]
It was the second princess Silvia who had remained as a silent observer all this time.
[Go on.]
[I think Schwarzer"s little lord"s suggestion is feasible. However, trying to conquer two countries with only five thousand troops sounds like a bit of a stretch. Shall I join him as a back-up forces?]
Emperor Sephiros closed his eyes to give it some thought. When he finally opened his eyes again, he called the Chancellor Duke of Clark Gilford to give out an order.
[Yes! Right away!]
Gilford then announced that the Emperor will give out his final decision.
[This time, this Emperor will adopt the Schwarzer"s little lord suggestion of attacking Redgear from two directions. The first team will be led by the First Prince Carlos, while the subjugation of the two countries will be the responsibility of the Second Princess Silvia. Schwarzer"s little lord will serve as the vanguard to take control of the two countries and to provide reinforcements to attack Redgear.]
The Emperor then continued
[The first team will march in advance toward Redgear and to separate into two forces once arriving there. The rest of the main forces will depart soon after.]
And lastly, he said:
[This is the war to conquer Grants, the beginning of our eastern campaign. Defeat is not an option. Keep that notion firmly within your heart. The vanguard will depart in 3 days while the main army five days from now. Prepare yourself as needed. That is all]
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[Ares-sama. What is the meaning of this?]
Lloyd who rode the same carriage as Ares asked.
[Are you really going to give up the merits to Prince Carlos and Archduke Saxon?]
In fact, earlier, Carlos and Georg looked at Ares with a pitiful stare while the other aristocrats were giving him strange looks.
Ares managed to take control of the council in the middle. So….would it be better if he chose to lead the offense against Redgear? Many would"ve thought so.
[Lloyd-dono….what I wish to achieve this time is something that I don"t want anyone else to know.]
Ares laughed.
[Princess Silvia partic.i.p.ating was something outside of the plan…but otherwise everything went well as scheduled. Well, please look forward to what will happen next. Oh, earlier, I also requested for Lloyd-dono to be my support officer, and His Majesty approved it. After all, it"s an undertaking that require me to work with the person that I can trust….. So let"s give it our all.]
[No problem…]
Lloyd seemed to be still a bit unconvinced.
[Right right, will Lloyd-dono attend the banquet tonight? I"m not really good at this kind of event…so I will appreciate it if you can come.]
Ares soon changed the topic.
[Of course, I will attend it. I think Ares-sama should prepare yourself. A lot of people will surely come to speak with you.]
Having said that, Lloyd then proceeded to apologize.
[By the way, Sharon won"t be coming along…although she actually wants to come… because the invitation was only for myself…]
[So it"s only the Earl himself that was invited]
[She"s most likely throwing tantrum back at the mansion. That wild daughter of mine is really…]
Ares could only laugh as Lloyd sighed.