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Volume 4, Chapter 2: Who Are You Fighting For Part 1

Ⅰ

Dubedirica continent, Central area.

Bordering the Farnesse Kingdom was Stonia Duchy, ruled by the Archduke Silvester von Bernstein and four elders—— known as the 『Four Sages』. The Duchy was divided into five zones, with Silvester ruling the center and a Sage governing the zones in each cardinal direction.

In the beginning of the war, they and the Confederation of Sutherland declared their neutrality. However, it had been reduced to a vassal state of the Empire, just like the neighbouring Swaran Kingdom.

「Everyone’s present.」

Answering Silvester’s summons, the Four Sages had gathered in a room inside the main Castle Corks. In contrast to the clear blue skies, the ones gathered at the round table had sullen faces.

The reason was a letter brought by an Imperial envoy. In short, they were asked to start a war against the Holy Nation of Mekia.

Silvester was 38 years old. The Archduchy was passed down from father to son, and he was the seventeenth Archduchy. His hair that was honey coloured before the war had turned quite grey now, silently expressing how much stress he was under.

「I understand if they request us to attack the Farnesse Kingdom, but why the Holy Nation of Mekia? That’s where the main Saint Illuminous church is based. If we attack recklessly, we would incur the wrath of all their believers.」

The veins popping on the forehead of the North Sage showed his concerns as Silvester listened quietly. There were plenty of pious followers of the Goddess of Creation, Citresia. The moment the Stonia Duchy declared war against the Holy Nation of Mekia, even if they won, they would face intense retaliation from those believers.

A bigger problem was the private army of the Saint Illuminous Church, the 『Knights of the Holy Church』. It was only one division in strength, but was known for being an elite organization.

If you messed with them, it would be difficult to escape unscathed.

(Win or lose, our nation will suffer heavy losses. All the cons and not one benefit. I’m a laughingstock of an Archduchy who can’t complain about the Empire’s viciousness…)

Ignoring the frustrated Silvester, the West Sage laughed with mockery.

「You can ask the Imperial envoy for the reason, my dear Duke—— ‘pray tell us unworthy lot, the reason to wage war against the Holy Nation of Mekia.’ But in the end, they don’t have any intention to tell dogs their reason.」

Before the frowning North Sage could speak, there was a loud bang on the round table.

The East Sage had slammed the table with the posture of a demon.

「If possible, we would have killed that envoy! Stop listing the things we can’t do one after another! How unpleasant!」

「Fufu, then what? If we don’t act immediately, it will displease the Empire, you know? Even now, the Imperial envoy is waiting in the guest chambers as we speak.」

After a squabble between the East and West Sages, the South Sage who was almost 80, Roman Casael spoke in a hoarse voice. He was the leader of the Four Sages, and the first to propose the stable path of neutrality. On top of that, he was also Silvester’s teacher.

「Even if we agree to the Empire’s demands, we don’t have any intel on the opponent’s military… Or is the Empire asking us to investigate ourselves?」

「Teacher, regarding that, the Imperial envoy provided us with that information.」

Everyone focused their gazes on the North Sage who was handed a bundle of papers. The group then browsed the documents that were given out. In that short period of time, the room was filled with the sound of flipping papers.

「—— Hmmp, the Empire has been hard at work. They are really that keen on getting us to wage war?」

The East Sage tossed the documents onto the table with a grunt. The West Sage stroked his chin and continued the East Sage’s conversation.

「According to this report, the opponent numbers between 40,000 to 50,000… If I recall correctly, the Holy Nation of Mekia has a population of about one million, is their estimation accurate?」

Even the Stonia Duchy which had a population of three million could only mobilize 60,000 troops. Be it war or peace, the upkeep of an army was a huge expense. They got a lot of military funds from the Empire, but if they want to increase their army, it would be very taxing on their economy and even lead to the fall of the nation itself.

So Silvester thought the West Sage’s question was reasonable. However, the North Sage who was the most worldly and knowledgeable refuted that.

「No, we can’t be sure of that. After all, the Holy Nation of Mekia had plenty of ores of great quality. Furthermore, their workmanship is outstanding. A tour of their lands and you will know how well their pricey Mekia ores and accessories are selling.」

「So the Holy Nation of Mekia has the means of maintaining a large army… In this era, that makes me envious.」

The East Sage’s words made the North and West Sages nod in agreement. They often squabbled, but came to a consensus this time.

「——Archduke Silvester, the envoy must be getting tired of waiting.」

The leader of the Four Sages, Roman, subtly urging him to make his decision. Silvester cast his eyes to the ceiling to escape the murky gaze of that old man. They had exchanged all their views thus far, but Silvester’s answer had not changed since the beginning.

(Plainly speaking, I don’t have any choice…)

Sensing that the Four Sages had their eyes on him, Silvester sighed as if he was venting all the frustration in his chest and said:

「No matter how much we dislike it, since there is the example of the Swaran Kingdom, we can only submit. If we reject them, the Sun Knights garrisoned in Fort Kiel won’t take it lying down.」

「… It can’t be helped.」

Roman’s wrinkles deepened. The three Sages looked shocked, but didn’t rebuke him. This is the Sun Knights that captured the impregnable Fort Kiel, a formidable force. Silvester was unfazed as he quietly sipped his cold tea.

As the silence and worry loomed in the room, the East Sage remembered something.

「Oh right, I heard the Sun Knights were defeated by the Farnesse Kingdom recently. Is that true?」

「The truth behind that matter is still unclear, but such rumours are widespread in the streets.」

The North Sage nodded sagely while stroking his chin.

News of the Crimson Knights’ defeat had reached Silvester’s ears, but he brushed it off as just a stroke of luck built on top of several coincidences.

So to him, the Farnesse Kingdom was still in a dire situation in their war against the Arsbelt Empire.

(However, if the Sun Knights’ defeat was true…)

Of the three pillars supporting the Empire, two had crumbled. If that last pillar was as strong as the rumours, it wouldn’t fall that easily. Even so, Silvester wasn’t the only one who saw it as a glimmer of hope in the boundless darkness.

「Have the tide changed?」

The West Sage said a little excitedly, and the North Sage concurred with a nod.

「Maybe so. Even the Imperial Army is not infallible. And the Royal Army has that famous Ever-Victorious General Cornelius, maybe the Empire is in trouble?」

A bold smile appeared on the face of the East Sage as he spoke.

「With that, their intentions are now clear. They want to grind down our forces, which they see as a threat to them. In other words, they want us to be a good boy and not try anything funny.」

The three Sages were about to start an intense discussion when Roman suddenly interjected with a shrill voice.

「Assuming that is true, are you planning to revolt against the Empire?」

The three Sages looked at each other and quiet down. Roman’s words were like a bucket of cold water, and Silvester cooled down like the three Sages did.

The Imperial Army might be embroiled in a tough war, but that didn’t mean they could dismiss the Empire’s demand. Even more so if their goal was to grind Stonia’s forces down. They could use this chance to turn to the Farnesse Kingdom—— But if they wanted to do so, they needed to clear it through a secret channel first. Plainly speaking, they didn’t have any time to liaise with the Farnesse Kingdom in secret.

(No matter what, this is checkmate. In the end. nothing will change…)

Silvester smiled in self mockery and quietly told Roman.

「Usher the Imperial envoy to the audience hall.」

Ⅱ

Imperial Capital Orsted, Listerine Castle, Chancellor Dalmes’ Office

「— Stonia must be having a heated discussion. But no matter how much they struggle, they only have one path in the end.」

In the center of the room, Dalmes was savouring tea on his couch.

Five months after the Battle of Fort Astra ended, Felixus and his adjutant Theresa returned to the capital on Dalmes’ summons.

「The unit that attacked Fort Astra is confirmed to be from the Holy Nation of Mekia?」

「I can’t be completely sure, but there’s a good chance it is so.」

Felixus added sugar to his tea as he listened, and Dalmes watched with intrigue. When he added the seventh sugar cube, Felixus’ face turned stiff.

As for the information submitted by Felixus, Dalmes had sent the Heat Haze to gather more related intel. And as a result, the Holy Nation of Mekia that revered Citresia as their patron Goddess rose out of the waters. The Holy Nation of Mekia was known for the Saint Illuminous Citadel, and had been quiet since the war broke out—— That was the extent of what Felixus knew about them.

That was why he was surprised by Dalmes’ conclusion.

(Speaking of which, will the Stonia Duchy really accept this so easily?)

If things went as Dalmes predicted, Stonia Duchy would opt to fight the Holy Nation of Mekia even if they knew the Empire’s intentions. So if they didn’t have the resolve to do so, they would just throw caution to the wind and rise in revolt against the Empire.

(Even if inevitable death awaits, I would choose to die with honour.)

Felixus expressed his views and Dalmes laughed creepily. As Felixus furrowed his brows, Dalmes bowed deeply.

「Pardon me. Sir Felixus is right to worry about that, but they would probably accept our demand.」

「Lord Chancellor, what makes you so confident?」

「Because the ruler of the Stonia Duchy, Archduke Silvester is a mediocre person. Even if he sees through our intentions, he won’t have the guts to defy us. The best evidence is them opening their gates to the Imperial army without any resistance in the first place. In that sense, the Swaran Kingdom is far better than them.」

Dalmes pressed the bell on his desk. While freshly brewed tea was brought in, Felixus couldn’t help pitying the Stonia Duchy.

Stonia chose to submit to the Empire without a fight, a decision based on high level politics. As a result, they didn’t suffer any combat losses— ironically, that turned into the main reason why Dalmes had marked them.

After the Crimson Knights’ defeat, the Sun Knights also lost. This news would definitely give their vassal states second thoughts. So Dalmes opted to strike first and use Stonia Duchy as an example to warn others.

(Can the Stonia Duchy defeat the Holy Nation of Mekia?……)

As he sipped on his tea, Felixus reviewed the information he read earlier.

Stonia Duchy had an army of 60,000.

The Holy Nation of Mekia was estimated to have 40,000 to 50,000 troops.

With that in mind, the Stonia Duchy had the advantage. However, war wasn’t decided solely by numbers. Aside from fixed assets such as troop’s morale, training, and the ability of the commander to adapt, complicated factors like terrain, weather and other outside variables could have unexpected influence too.

If he was asked the most important factor that would decide the battle, Felixus would answer ‘morale’ without any hesitation. For the Stonia army forced into war, they had no fighting spirit to speak of. They had the initiative of attacking without any premonition, but the Holy Nation of Mekia had the achievement of toying with the Crimson Knights with just half of their opponent’s numbers.

「Who do you think will win, Lord Chancellor?」

「That’s hard to say. Or rather, I’m not concerned at all. My priority is to wear down Stonia Duchy’s forces, then evaluate the prowess of the Holy Nation of Mekia that had bared its fangs at the Empire.」

Dalmes’ words surprised Felixus. Felixus had some grasp on the Chancellor’s personality, and he wasn’t the type who likes roundabout ways like evaluating an opponent’s strength.

「It’s rare to see you so cautious, Lord Chancellor.」

Dalmes’ face turned sullen.

「… That might be so. But according to Sir Felixus’ report, the Holy Nation of Mekia has committed their Sorcerer into battle, right? On top of that, they had great relations with the Saint Illuminous Church, so we can’t ignore the religious zealots and the Knights of the Holy Church either.」

「Knights of the Holy Church……」

The Knights of the Holy Church were an army founded to protect devotees, but that was just the superficial reason. It was clear from history that they were used to wipe out heretics.

In that sense, Dalmes was right to exercise extreme caution.

「Aside from the Knights of the Holy Church, they also had almost two million devotees… At this stage, the Empire should avoid direct conflict with them.」

In just the Capital Orsted alone, there were multiple Saint Illuminous churches. Going to extremes, they had many potential enemies around them. Even Felixus couldn’t fault Dalmes for his methods.

「I understand the Chancellor’s concerns.」

「That’s wonderful. And of course, if they become an obstacle against the Empire, the Empire’s chariots will swiftly run over those zealots and the Knights of the Holy Church.」

Dalmes concluded matter of factly. He said that casually, but Felixus knew that Dalmes was serious.

「— Well then, what’s my mission?」

Felixus sat up and cut straight into the heart of the matter. He didn’t think that Dalmes would recall him without any reason.

Dalmes nodded with delight.

「It’s a breeze to talk with Sir Felixus. Straight to the point. I would like Sir Felixus to go to Stonia Duchy as a Military Consultant.」

「Military Consultant, huh…」

「That’s right, carefully observe the combat prowess of the Holy Nation of Mekia. Whether they would be a threat to the Empire, and the movements of the Sorcerers— But it isn’t clear whether they would commit Sorcerer into the battle against the Stonia Duchy.」

「… They probably would.」

Felixus thought about Amelia Stolast. Dalmes peeked at Felixus, waiting for his formal acknowledgement.

「I understand. I hereby accept the mission as a Military Consultant— On the other hand, what should we do about Death God Olivia? I think we should take countermeasures post haste.」

Dalmes’ stopped his wrinkled hand that was reaching for his cup. He showed a confused face as he locked eyes with Felixus.

「Death God Olivia……?」

「Yes, Death God Olivia.」

「— Oh, the girl with the Dark Sword you mentioned before… Death God is a being that controls death as it wished. It is laughable to call her a Death God with her meagre exploits.」

Dalmes smirked, speaking as if he knew the real Death God.

「That might be so, but she is involved in all our recent defeats. Allow me to repeat this again, there is a need to take action against her.」

「In any case, it’s fine to leave her alone for now.」

Felixus was doubting his ears. Just what was Dalmes thinking to arrive at this nonsensical conclusion?

「Bu——」

Dalmes raised his right hand to stop Felixus who wanted to pursue the matter, and stood up from the couch slowly.

「I will be counting on you to act as a Military Consultant. There are pressing matters that requires my presence, so I will be taking my leave.」

Evening out the creases on his robe, Dalmes’ attitude made it clear he was refusing to discuss this further. Felixus felt uneasy by the way he was dismissing this issue.

If Graden and Rosenmarie were here, they would feel the same way.

(The Chancellor is taking this too lightly, he isn’t the type to ignore such things… Should I report this directly to His Majesty? —No, that will probably be useless. Nowadays, I don’t see any reaction from him, other than the times when he converse with the Chancellor…)

He knew it was futile, but Felixus still insisted that Dalmes reconsider. Dalmes looked at the large ebony bookshelf with an impatient face, and ended the conversation by saying 「I will look into it」.

Ⅲ

Confederation of Sutherland Twelfth City, Nozan Persilla

The Twelfth City, Nozan Persilla, which borders the Farnesse Kingdom, was inhabited by brown skinned people who hailed from the east of the continent. In the Confederation of Sutherland, it was known for the aesthetic balance between natural scenery and manmade structure. At the northern edge of the city, the symbol of Nozan Persilla, the Esu Rudo palace stood gracefully.

Esu Rudo was owned by the Mayor Cassandra, with a standalone residential tower and a six sided building for administration usage. There was also a long building built on top of a river that flowed through the palace. Esu rudo was made up of these three buildings. The dark green palace decorated with streaks of white was recognized as the most beautiful building in the 13 cities.

Palace Esu RudoFront Court

The interior of the palace matched its luxurious exterior, although the wooden Front Court seemed out of place. On the walls to either side were 8 sets of large statues of demons with angry faces. With giant axes in their arms, they stood stoically in a row, as if to intimidate any visitors.

In the central platform was a large incense urn, and its faint purple smoke emit a sweet fragrance. Bonfires were lit at equal distance, illuminating the room in place of windows.

「Queen Cassandra awaits, this way please…」

A huge man with the fur of a one horn beast draped over his left shoulder— he had Nozan-Persilla’s top rank and grade in the military, Drake Zum Gorgon. He followed behind the female courtier.

Nozan-Persilla’s military rank convention was very different from other nations. Starting from the base foot soldier, a 《Common Officer》, it was followed by 《Sand Officer》 《Tough Officer》 《Tough Silver Officer》 《Tough Gold Officer》 《Iron Officer》 《Silver Officer》 《Gold Officer》 《Heavy Silver Officer》 and 《Heavy Gold Officer》.

Starting from Silver Officers, each rank was further divided into five grades. Even for those in the same rank, being in the first grade was very different from being in the fifth grade. Drake’s rank and grade were both the highest, which meant he stood at the top of Nozan Persilla’s military.

(I hope she will listen to my advice…)

As he got nearer to the Throne Room, Mayor Cassandra’s figure became clearer.

Her luxurious long hair reached her waist and her brown skin was covered by thin clothes dyed in vibrant colours such as red and purple— She was an embodiment of sexiness, and she wore the same smile as always.

Drake kneeled before the throne and bowed low. Cassandra looked down at the kneeling Drake and asked him directly.

「What do you need?」

「Your Majesty, it’s regarding the invasion of the Farnesse Kingdom.」

「I see, the dates of the invasion has been set.」

「With regards to that… I humbly suggest we stop the invasion.」

「— Why?」

Before the icy voice that could freeze one’s body, Drake raised his head. Cassandra was still smiling, but Drake had served her long enough that she was steaming inside.

It would be a problem if he angered her further, so Drake tread lightly.

「We have determined that the Imperial Army is now at a disadvantage against the Royal Army.」

「The Imperial Army is at a disadvantage?— This joke isn’t funny.」

Cassandra took off her mask for the first time and showed a cold face.

「This is not a joke. During our intel gathering to prepare for the war against the Farnesse Kingdom, we determined this fact. Please take a look, I believe you will understand.」

Drake took out a scroll with the details on it, and handed it to a female courtier waiting at the side. The courtier slowly approached the throne with her back hunched, and respectfully handed the scroll to Cassandra.

Cassandra gracefully untied the string and opened the scroll.

「……」

As he listened to the crackling sound of wood in the fire, Drake waited on the Queen’s next words.

A while later, Cassandra handed the scroll back to the courtier, ordering her to toss the scroll into the fire.

「W-What are you doing?!」

When Drake stood up and tried to stop her, the courtier already tossed the scroll into the fire. Drake watched stiffly as the scroll burned dryly.

「Heavy Gold Officer Drake, are you here to waste my time with this useless report? The ruler of Nozan Persilla isn’t that free.」

Cassandra showed an attitude of complete distaste, but Drake couldn’t refute her immediately. The burned scroll detailed the defeat of the Crimson and Sun Knights.

In the end, the plan to invade Farnesse Kingdom was just something Cassandra thought of on a whim. In the beginning, Drake was arrogant and thought he could take down the Farnesse Kingdom. He noted that he should reflect on his actions properly, including his tardiness in collecting intel.

Drake had the view that the best option was to watch from the side if the Farnesse Kingdom was ready to counter attack. There was no reason to risk the trip into the lion’s den.

「As Your Majesty just read, the Crimson and Sun Knights had been defeated. It isn’t clear how the Royal Army that was beaten and bruised has turned to the offensive, but they are like rats driven into a corner by a cat. We shouldn’t strike at such a moment.」

「The Royal Army are rats? Heavy Gold Officer Drake, you have a way with words.」

Cassandra opened the fan in her hand with a smile. Her unhappy tone gave Drake the urge to be more direct in his advice. But before he could speak Cassandra looked at him with disinterested eyes.

「What a boorish man… well, that’s one way of putting it.」

「Do you have a different view, my Queen?」

Cassandra closed the fan in her hand with a snap.

「Well, they picked impressive names like Crimson and Sun, but that’s just for show. From the looks of things, even the so called elite Azure knights is no big deal either.」

「That’s taking things too lightly. It’s because they are the Empire, that’s why they manage to push the 『Lion Nation』 Farnesse Kingdom to the brink. Please consider it carefully.」

As Drake bowed his head low, Cassandra sighed deeply.

「I understand.」

「So you finally understand?!」

The relieved Drake, raised his head and found Cassandra smiling dryly again, and his heart sunk.

「Yes, I understand very well now. Heavy Gold Officer Drake is a ball-less coward who is of no use. Just how did you climb up to the rank of Heavy Gold Officer? A warrior who is afraid of war, really?」

I’m not afraid of war— before Drake could speak, Cassandra instructed a female courtier 「Call Arthur over」, the female courtier left the Throne Room with a bow.

(Arthur……?!)

The image of Arthur’s cocky face flashed across Drake’s mind.

One of the pillars in Nozan Persilla’s military, Heavy Silver Officer Arthur, 27 years old. He was a young and brave warrior, and an ambitious man.

Normally, it wouldn’t be strange for him to become a Heavy Gold Officer, but Drake sensed something dangerous about him, and he stopped him from advancing beyond a Heavy Silver Officer—

「Your Majesty, I brought Sir Arthur here.」

Arthur who entered the throne room with a female courtier approached the throne and kneeled in an elegant manner. His flashy demeanour raised a few eyebrows, but from the way Cassandra was smiling and nodding, it seemed very effective.

「Your Majesty, Arthur Mau Finn is here to respond urgently to your summons.」

「Thank you for your hard work. You must know the reason why I called you here, correct?」

「Yes! Please leave it to me, Arthur. I will splendidly seize the Farnesse Kingdom’s territory and present them to Your Majesty.」

Arthur answered without any hesitation. Drake didn’t miss the moment Arthur tilted his head with a mocking smile.

「How reliable, you are a warrior. I hope someone can learn from you.」

Cassandra looked at Drake as she said that.

「… Your Majesty, will you not stop no matter what?」

「You are saying those nonsense again… Even if the Royal Army has the upper hand, they should have suffered major losses. If the Empire has really been beaten off, that would just be more good news.」

「But——」

「Enough. Heavy Gold Officer Drake, I hereby order you to be confined to your house for the time being— Well then, Heavy Silver Officer Arthur, notify me once the preparations are done.」

「As you wish, Your Majesty.」

Cassandra stood up from her throne and walked past the two kneeling men, and left the Front Court together with the female courtier. The cheerful voice behind them seemed certain of Nozan Persilla’s victory.

「……」

「……」

After Cassandra’s presence grew distant, Drake stopped Arthur who was about to leave.

「What is it?」

「You should have seen that report, why didn’t you stop Her Majesty?」

「Because Her Majesty craves for war, and I’m simply indulging her demands.」

「Even if that shallow thinking brought huge losses to Nozan Persilla?」

It would be great if they won, but the problem was losing. There was the possibility of the Farnesse Kingdom riding on their momentum of victory and counter attacking.

「Heavy Gold Officer Drake, you have been suspended from duty, please don’t interfere with our military affairs. Right now, I’m the commander-in-chief of the campaign against the Farnesse Kingdom.」

「… Ku. In that case, I have nothing else to say. Show me what you can do then.」

「Of course, and you finally got a vacation from Her Majesty, so use this chance to spend it leisurely. I will achieve a splendid victory in the place of Heavy Gold Officer Drake who had contracted a cowardice disease.」

「… Are you mocking me?」

Drake put his hands on the 『Crescent Sabre』 by his waist. He was within striking distance, but Arthur was completely unfazed. He even spread his arms out cheerfully.

「Mock? I wouldn’t dare mock the great Heavy Gold Officer Drake! I’m just plainly stating the facts—— By the way, aren’t you going to draw that thing on your waist?」

「……」

「Yes, that will be wise.」

Drake clenched his quivering fist as he watched the laughing Arthur leave. The wood kindled in the fire, and splinters danced with the flames.

Drake looked at the statues of the giant demons standing side by side.

(Are you also laughing at my supposed cowardice?)

The light from the swaying flames made the statues look like they were smiling.