Translator: Skythewood
Editor: Hiiro
The meeting lasted five hours, and it was almost noon when it ended.
「……」
Torway who stayed by Ikuta’s side all this time watched the youth hold an intense discussion with the two heads of the Imperial Military. He couldn’t help feeling awed by the side of him holding his own against those two figures. He could see the minute changes to the youth that his father probably couldn’t notice.
──Ik-kun…
He was sweating an awful lot, and it was clearly not from the warm weather. Just how much pressure was he under? After restarting the 「Rising Sun Regiment」, the burden on his shoulder had increased by an incredible amount.
「… Phew~」
As the youth watches on, they went through all the topics that they could discuss and shared everything they could── when everyone realized that, Ikuta raised a hand to wipe the sweat from his brows.
「Hmm, so that’s all for today? We don’t have all the clues, but we can make some deductions. Let’s all work hard separately for now.」
He concluded with a mixture of sarcasm and sincerity, the youth gestured to Major General Saba beside him and started to withdraw. However, General Remeon was waiting for this moment and said:
「Wait, I have one other thing to add.」
「Hmm?」
「Why is First Lieutenant Torway Remeon over there? Is he being held hostage to threaten me?」
General Remeon showed incredible restrain to enquire about this matter that had been on his mind from the very beginning. If he showed concern over his son at the start, that would be showing his weakness to his enemy.
「That’s just a waste of time. I have killed many of my comrades since I staged the coup. I don’t intend to make my son the exception.」
The jade eyed general said as he suppressed his familial emotions. Torway understood his father’s position and wasn’t surprised that he had been cast aside. However, he couldn’t keep his cool and lowered his gaze.
「Hmm～ does he look like a hostage? Like I said, he is my adjutant…」
Ikuta scratched his neck with a finger, and seemed to be in deep thought.
「Ehh, if you insist on going back, I will think about it… So what will you do, Torway?」
General Remeon furrowed his brows in surprise at this unexpected declaration. But Torway kept quiet and didn’t move, so the general said to him:
「Come to me, Torway. You are the third son of the Remeon house. You should know where your place is.」
「……」
「Torway!」
The moment his father raised his voice, the youth raised his head and broke his silence.
「… I’m sorry father. I feel the same way as Major General Saba.」
「You are going with the nonsense that my future is bleak?」
「No…! No, I…!」
His chest was stuffed with wordless emotions, making Torway groan. The youth wasn’t good at expressing his feelings with words, or dismissing things with simple pleasantries.
General Remeon looked at his dumbstruck son with cold eyes of contempt:
「What’s the matter? Just speak your mind. You are going to become enemies with your father, don’t tell me you didn’t give it any thought.」
「……!」
「Answer me clearly, Torway. Why are you standing over there?」
With the face of this decisive question, Torway turned stiff, as if someone was gripping his heart. Seeing that his son was speechless with trembling shoulders, the jade eyed general let out a heavy sigh of disappointment.
「… So you were fooled by that boy without thinking about things through?」
After shooting a sideways glare at the dark haired youth, General Remeon turned a stern gaze to his son:
「Change your mind right now, don’t you feel ashamed about being so wilful? Everything you own is because you are born in the Remeon house, and the result of the highest standard of education paid by your family. Going elsewhere after reaping all the benefits, and even pointing your gun at me── no matter what you say, you will always be seen as an ingrate.」
「……!」
「And we are facing a national crisis… Not just you, no one can prioritize their preferred way of life. If you can’t even see this truth, then look at the soldiers behind me. They are the real patriots. They have put the cause above their own lifes, and are fighting for the good of the people. You should be able to tell the difference in mentality──」
「Alright～ that’s enough, that’s enough.」
The General wanted to go on, but the dark haired youth interrupted shamelessly:
「I have been listening quietly, and you are so overbearing with all that talk about being ungrateful and national crisis. Is that how you try to convince your son? At least be aware of the time and place. Like I said, your values have been optimized too much to that of a soldier.」
「… You want to disturb the conversation between parent and child?」
「You have the cheek to call that a parent and child talk with that imposing attitude? This isn’t a trial in court. You might be the perfect soldier, but the jury has decided unanimously that you are a failure as a father because of rule violations. Regrettably, you can’t appeal against this judgement.」
Ikuta said without reservation, then reached for Torway from his horse and dragged over by the collar.
「Uwah?」
「Trying to convince someone by asking them to be selfless is a terrible choice. And not everyone will follow someone just because the things he said make sense. If you want to headhunt someone from my side, then you need to show how much you need that person.」
The dark haired youth rest his hand nimbly on Torway while seated on a horseback, and grinned from ear to ear:
「It is obvious that I think very highly of this guy. Specifically, I have delegated the gunners to his care. You might think this is a blessing because he is born as a Remeon── but other than his prowess on the battlefield, your son has an astonishing good point. Do you know what that is?」
「… I will humor you then. What is it」
「This fellow won’t change and become jaded. It is surprising how much he stays the same.」
Ikuta’s arm reached around the youth’s shoulder, and pinched his cheek from the other side:
「As you already know, we suffered a lot during the unrest in the northern territories. Our supply lines and communication were unstable, and we had to fight bloody battles continuously. Staying in such an environment will wear down on the troop’s mental state. They will not feel anything from killing the enemy, seeing corpse discarded at the roadside, or hesitate in using the corpse of a comrade that died before their eyes as a meat shield. You should know very well── the chilling sensation as your soul gets molded into the most ideal form as you spend your days in such constant strife.」
「… Yes. All soldiers grow and become veterans after experiencing such a time.」
「That’s right. After going through that war, I have become more experienced, and can kill the enemy in the same way as carving a pumpkin── when I realized that, I felt for the first time that I was almost consumed by war. That was a horrible feeling, as if I was no longer myself…」
Torway felt the youth’s body shivered a little right then.
「But when I look to the side, this guy didn’t change at all. He will get sad when either friend or foe gets hurt, and will shiver in fear at the sight of danger. When I watch his reaction, I realized, 『Ah～ There’s something wrong with me』, and held on to my sanity.
We barely avoided going mad after being sent constantly to the front lines in that horrible war, it was because he acted as our moral compass. You might think poorly of his timid mindset── but to me, it’s the opposite. His righteous timidness has been saving me all this time.」
Torway wanted to look at the youth beside him with sincere surprise, but his stiff jaw stopped him from turning his head. Ikuta said without reservation to the jade eyed general:
「Do you understand? This isn’t a metaphor, he is the conscience of our 『Knight Order』. I don’t plan to give him up to someone who can’t understand his value, be it his father or anyone else. In short── if you want your son back, then rinse your mind and stay woke, stubborn old man.」
Ikuta snorted his nose, then left with his subordinates with these parting words. As he watched his son leave with them, General Remeon wanted to call out to him again── but aside from making his point with the model standards of a soldier, he couldn’t think of any other way to convince his son.
On their way back to camp after ending the long talks, Torway felt he should stop peeking from the side, and decided to speak up:
「…Ik-kun, about what happened earlier…」
「If you have any sympathies, then don’t mock me. I know I made many subpar points.」
The dark haired youth cut him off and pouted bitterly:
「Like the reason why most military governments fail historically… no matter how low I set the bar, that is too simple of an explanation, so purge that from your memory. I think of myself as a member of the scientific community, and not an expert on history. All that talk about military leaders demanding the citizens to endure are just baseless ramblings.」
「… Ah, you are talking about that? I-I see.」
「My methods aren’t effective, but I want to plant seeds of doubts in General Remeon, and make him question his doings. After all, even someone unlearned like myself can be certain that your father’s attempt at governance will end in painful failure… Sigh, this isn’t an issue with his knowledge, but his personality. Be it negative or positive, he is too serious and kind to get involved with politics.」
Ikuta finished with a sigh, and his expression brightened a little.
「In any case, I think there still room for discussion after speaking with him. Compared to Field Marshal Igsem, it is much easier to reach a consensus. I will do my best to con him. If someone else can do it, so can I.」
「Yes, but if it’s Ik-kun, my father will… Ah, that’s not what I want to say…」
「Okay～let’s hurry on back. The weather is getting bad, let’s not dally, or we will get drenched!」
Ikuta pretended to be oblivious and cut Torway off, then spurred his horse forth. His horsemanship didn’t improve at all. The youth chased steadily after his wobbling figure.
As the three factions returned to their base, it finally started to rain. Thunder rumbled above the heads of the soldiers, and forty seconds later, large drops of rain poured onto the dry earth.
「Phew～! I can breathe easy now.」
The torrential rain splattered against the roof. Relishing in his luck on hearing the rain from indoors, the seated Ikuta stretched his bare feet. He probably felt relaxed to be away from the eyes of the soldiers. After changing out of his drenched clothes, he wore a casual piece of pants and shirt.
「Just how relaxed are you… This isn’t your home, heck, this isn’t even a base.」
Matthew said on behalf of the dozen or so officers in the large room. The room only had two long tables joined to gather with ten odd plain chairs around it. All the furniture was borrowed.
Their temporary base is a town in Miogaroki Province, situated to the southwest of the Yunakura province. More specifically, they had set up camp in the villages and town within a 10 km radius, with their forces spread out. It would be great if they could use a base, but the Remeon faction had occupied all of them. Their temporary headquarters were set up in the local community centre.
「No, you have to relax even if you have to force yourself, boy from the Tetzirich house. Because who knows when we will have the luxury of getting a roof, bed and three meals. Fuhahaha!」
After roughly drying his hair with a towel, Major General Saba laughed heartily. This was too different from the poker face he had some time ago, and the slightly pudgy youth wasn’t sure how to react.
「As the Major General says, it is important to rest well when you have the chance. Matthew-san, have some tea.」
Haro eased the mood with a gentle smile and a teapot in hand, then poured tea for everyone. After taking a sip of the steaming tea, Major Sazarf sighed in relief:
「… I’m finally alive again. I don’t want to experience such a fast march ever again.」
「I agree. After going for more than ten days, my legs are like lead…」
Major General Saba’s adjutant, Major Melza concurred with an awkward smile. Everyone in the room thought back of their journey here when they heard that:
「── We will set general course for the Yunakura province military base. To avoid any stragglers from getting lost, spread this information to the entire regiment.」
Ikuta told the officers under his charge before setting off. They could imagine how grueling the march would be from these words.
「Basically, we will be traveling via the planned return route, so that part is simple. However, we will be moving at our maximum speed, so there would be units falling behind, but we won’t wait for them. Don’t panic when that happens, and just link up with them at the destination.」
With almost 10,000 men, just traveling was a difficult task. If everyone wants to return by the same route, the line would be tens of kilometres. And of course, the youth didn’t wish for such an inefficient thing to happen.
His plan for the army was to 「march separately」. He’d break the large unit into temporary separate groups, send them on different routes with the goal of meeting up at the destination. The speed of entire group would be quicker, and it would ease the load on the supply points too.
But this method had its risk. It might just be for the duration of the march, but their forces would be separated. Traveling along deserted plains might be fine, but there was a good chance they might run into the Remeon faction’s resistance along the way. They had to avoid the possibility of their forces being taken out in pieces.
To counter this, they should shorten the distance between each detachment and keep in frequent contact. But if the more thorough they did so, the slower they would move. It was the responsibility of the commander to find the compromise between speed and safety.
「We will send an advance force to the places where the Remeon faction are likely to set up defences, and to clear them by any means possible. My detachment will take care of this, so you all just need to focus on the march.」
Many of the officers looked uneasy and doubtful about the fact that Ikuta was the Regiment Commander over the more senior and experienced Major General Saba. The youth realized their worries and didn’t looked them in the eyes head on, and took on the role with an easy attitude. I can handle this myself, so just watch from the sidelines── that was the message Ikuta’s action was conveying.
「There might be ambushes along the way, so we will shorten the distance between each units. Even if you get attack, reinforcement can rush to you immediately. Don’t worry, what I want to avoid is for everyone to slow your pace because of the fear of getting attacked.」
Ikuta swept his firm gaze across the faces of the officers:
「There should be many of you who aren’t sure what to make of this coup. And I want to tell you── you can think about it after reaching the Empire. Be it following my cause, or offering up my head as a present to the Igsem or Remeon factions, all that is moot before we return to the Empire.」
His unexpected words made the soldiers gasp. Using this moment when they were taken aback, the dark haired youth announced:
「We will now march for the military base in Yunakura province of the Katjvarna Empire── all units, move out!」
The instinct branded into the souls of the soldiers made the officers salute on reflex. It was far from respect or trust, but all of them shared the common consensus that Ikuta was not to be taken lightly.
「── The march was so grueling that I thought I would die, but we managed to pull through. Most of the stragglers had reached today… But Colonel Tetzirich looked astonished when we passed through the Yunakura province.」
「Anyone would be shocked by that…」
At the mention of his father’s name, Matthew crossed his arms and sigh── Ikuta explained the entire situation to Colonel Mirtog Tetzirich, who was the commander of the standing regiment in the Yunakura province, and asked him to continue to stay in this province. Someone still needed to look after the Shinaak tribe.
The colonel said 「I want my son to stay with me」, but Matthew was adamant in his refusal. After getting the entire Tetzirich dragged into this mess, his feelings as a son was complicated.
「But after returning to the Empire, we have some deserters from the main forces…」
「That’s right, we have about 200 deserters. That’s four platoons and some individuals… It’s vexing, but that is considered a small number.」
Major Melza said in a worried tone. Sazarf quickly changed the topic:
「Sigh～ but in any case, we have finally 『caught up』, right? We managed to put ourselves into the picture while the Igsem and Remeon factions were at an impasse. That’s a crucial milestone, right, Regimental Commander Sir?」
「Haro, I want tea～」
「You are ignoring me?」
「The Major Sazarf I know will always be my superior officer, and will never call me Regimental Commander Sir～」
「That will confuse the troops! What do you expect me to do at the frontlines!?」
As the group cracked jokes that didn’t fit the time and place, Princess Chamille appeared after changing her clothes. She walked straight to Ikuta who was chatting cheerfully, and sat down beside him:
「Don’t tease the Major too much, Solork. Like usual, you missed the chance to stop.」
「That is correct. Okay, it seems that eased everyone’s fatigue, so let’s stop the small break. Please take a seat.」
He stopped his relaxed attitude and announced in the forceful tone of the commander of the 「Rising Sun Regiment」. The officers immediately sat down and waited for the young Regimental Commander to continue.
「There isn’t much time, so I will skip the jokes and get straight to the serious discussion── gentlemen, which is more important, ass or tits?」
「What are you saying with such a serious tone!?」
The Princess smacked the youth’s back loudly. In contrast to the members of the Knight Order and Sazarf who had a silly smile, Major General Saba and his staff officers were stunned.
「That’s the kind of guy he is… Trying to change him for the better is a waste of time, so please get used to this.」
Matthew said with a sigh. When he heard that, Ikuta looked at his friend with a brilliant smile:
「Thank you, my dear Matthew. By the way, you are definitely an ass man.」
「I’m speaking up for you here, don’t return kindness with ingratitude! Don’t forget there are ladies present!」
「Hmm, speaking of which, I am an ass man too. The bigger ones are great, fuhaha!」
「Don’t join in too, Major General! If we keep chatting about vulgar topics, the sky will turn dark!」
Unable to stand the meeting starting off on such a relaxed mood, Matthew and Princess Chamille tried to get it back on track. The reserved Haro and Torway couldn’t stop the havoc, and Sazarf would occasionally join in the fun. With Yatori gone, the two of them had to put a brake on things.
「No, Your Highness, this is relevant to our discussion. I intend to use them as easy to understand metaphor. The Igsem faction are tits, and the Remeon faction is ass.」
「Are you trying to taunt the two factions?」
「Oh～ Regimental Commander Sir, what are we then?」
「Good question, my eternal superior officer. As the mediator of these two factions, we need a symbol that include both tits and ass. The overwhelming love that encompass all, and that is── a matured women!」
「That’s just your fetish!」
A second slap exploded on the youth’s back. The Princess’ palm was getting numb, and before she struck for the third time, Ikuta forcefully changed the topic:
「That hurts… Hmm～ can’t be helped～ since someone don’t like metaphors, I will just use the direct terms then.」
「You should have done that from the start… And so? How did the meeting go?」
「Well, the situation is very difficult. Simply put, the Emperor is missing.」
The mood in the room turned rowdy. Ikuta continued nonchalantly:
「The Remeon faction failed to secure the Emperor at the start of the coup, and the Igsem faction didn’t have him either. Right now, we don’t even know where he is.」
「M-Missing… But I heard His Majesty can’t even get up from bed?」
「Yes, so he didn’t escape on his own, or even did so out of his own will. The proof is that Chancellor Trisnai Izanma is missing too.」
When he heard that name, Major General Saba’s face turned stiff:
「… That damn sly fox, he kidnapped the Emperor.」
「That’s right. To General Remeon, that man is the first target he wants to purge. Up until the staging of the coup, the General must have kept a tight watch on the Chancellor’s whereabouts. And he still managed to slip away──」
「This is no coincidence… it’s very possible that he made his move before the General did.」
Major Melza states her cautious view, and Ikuta nodded without hesitation:
「That’s correct. That fox must have noticed that a coup was going to happen. I don’t know how he caught wind of it, but that is the only way it make sense. General Remeon had surrounded Banhataal when the coup begun, so it will be almost impossible to escape the capital by then. This is my deduction── Trisnai probably left the capital with the Emperor before the coup happened.」
「Ughh… on the other hand, is there any chance they are still in the capital? Banhataal is the largest city in the Empire, and there are plenty of places to hide. He might have other helpers.」
「If they are hiding in the capital, General Remeon would have uncovered them by brute force of numbers. And it isn’t just that fox, he also have a bedridden Emperor. They would need a lot of supplies, so people will come and go frequently, even more so if he has collaborators. It’s hard to imagine them hiding for so long.」
After answering Sazarf’s question, Ikuta gave his deduction:
「Assuming Trisnai has the chance to escape out of Banhataal with the Emperor, the most possible time would be before the coup. Many nobles live in the palace, so cargo wagons comes and goes frequently. There are many ways to flee in secret.」
「… That’s right. The security of the palace does a strict inspection of cargo going in, but doesn’t pay much attention to cargo going out. It’s not too difficult to smuggle two people out.」
Princess Chamille who lived there before supported Ikuta’s deduction. At this point, Haro had a question and raised her hand.
「But… if they ran away, then His Majesty and the Chancellor would be gone. Since General Remeon was keeping an eye on them, then why didn’t he notice?」
「They probably used body doubles. And since the Emperor is bedridden, so just a body double for Trisnai would be enough. It wouldn’t be strange for that fox to prepare a certain number of body double on hand.」
The memories of meeting the Chancellor during Lieutenant General Safida’s court martial was still fresh on Sazarf’s mind, giving him the chill. They only spoke briefly, but Trisnai’s gaze that was like a bone sucking leech left a deep impression on him.
「How they escape isn’t important. It’s about where they are hiding.」
With the discussion on the escape method over, Matthew pushed the next agenda forward. Ikuta nodded and continued the meeting.
「That’s correct, we should focus on that. Regrettably, we don’t have much clues. Even if we want to search the palace and capital, the Remeon faction has taken over the place and is hoarding all the intel.」
「Yes… Assuming your deductions are on point, then we can track them by searching the list of wagons that visited the palace recently. Father… General Remeon must have realized that.」
Torway broke his silence for the first time. The dark haired youth put both hands behind his head and looked up:
「Even so, I wonder how much their investigation could take them. After going through the central market, it will be impossible to determine which merchants shipped which cargo to which place. The Empire’s transportation network from central to the surrounding areas is like a literally web.」
「Hey… so what do we do? Our plan to search for the Emperor is thwarted before we even start?」
Ikuta shook his head with a faint smile at the frustrated Sazarf:
「Don’t be so tense, let’s work fighting out of this checkmate and go for the win. Since we don’t know where he fled to, then attacking from different angles is also a way. But even so── what’s Trisnai’s goal in fleeing with the Emperor?」
Ikuta raised a new question, but the others couldn’t see the point and looked puzzled.
「His goal… He knew a coup is going to happen, so he ran. If not, the Remeon faction will kill him.」
「… No wait, Ma-kun. Now that Ik-kun mentioned it, something seems off.」
Torway noticed something was amiss and interjected. The officers focus their gaze on the jade eyed youth.
「If Trisnai is just fleeing for self preservation, then the situation wouldn’t develop like this. He just needs to run to the Igsem faction to do that. After telling everything he knows to the Igsem, he can side with the Field Marshal and beat off the coup. There is no need to hide like this.」
「Yes, that’s what felt off to me. That fox knew that the coup was coming, and didn’t try to stop it. Seeking refuge with the Igsem faction was the safest route, but he chose not to do so. Can anyone explain why?」
When the youth opened the question to the floor, Major Melza raised her hand hesitantly:
「This might sound awful but… maybe he is considering the possibility of deserting the country? For example, the Chancellor felt pessimistic about the future of the Empire when he learned of the coup, and decided to exile himself and the Emperor…」
「Your opinion makes a lot of sense, pretty face. Why don’t we discuss this in my room alone tonight?」
「Hmm? Hmm? Seems like it’s my time to stage a coup, huh?」
「Major Sazarf, your eyes! Your eyes are scary!」
Matthew tried desperately to restain his superior officer who was ready to stand up. After this interlude that was the norm now, the dark haired youth got back on topic:
「The self exile Major Melza mention is plausible. Bringing the Emperor with him will make sense as a gift to the Kioka. It makes sense in that way.」
「That’s true. Offering the Emperor as a gift sounds like something a desperate politician would do.」
「That’s correct, my dear Matthew. But practically speaking, escaping overseas isn’t as easy as moving within the country. After the campaign to the Hiored Ore Mines, we have strengthened the securities at the borders as a countermeasure against spies. Like our earlier battle… we ran into many problems, but the Kioka is more reactive instead of proactive. That means Naval Commander Kanron who had infiltrated the Navy High Command── that phantom didn’t manage to relay the intel back to his home country.」
「It is very difficult to leave the Empire in this situation… But it is not impossible, right? It might be possible to overcome this if he made prior arrangements.」
「Sigh, that’s right. If that fox found collaborators within the Remeon faction and the Navy, then it might be possible. Or maybe he abandoned his escape overseas midway and went into hiding. In that case… Instead of fleeing by land, escaping by sea would be more practical. Let’s check all the routes that leads to the ports.」
After Ikuta said that, the officers penned it down on their notebooks. Matthew who was also writing said suddenly:
「… This might sound negative, but what happens if we don’t find His Majesty? Even the Remeon faction who has the First Prince can’t coronate him without confirming the safety of the Emperor, correct?」
「Yes. Pushing the Prince onto the throne without going through the proper procedure is as good as declaring that their actions lack legitimity. It is possible for the Prince to rule as the regent during His Majesty’s absence, but I remember the condition is──」
「『More than half of the cabinet to acknowledge this proposal』. But the Remeon faction had purged── killed the cabinet members during the coup, and dead men can’t give their consent. A new cabinet will need to be formed, but only the Emperor has the authority to do so. Simply put, they are caught in a loop.」
The officers groaned after hearing what Princess Chamille said. According to the Imperial Law, with the Emperor missing, it was useless for the Remeon faction to hold the First Prince in custody.
「It remains to be seen what the Remeon faction will decide in the end. They might force the issue with no regards to protocol… But given General Remeon’s character, he won’t make such a futile move. With the time limit of the Kioka invasion looming, I want to find a compromise through negotiations.」
Torway’s face brightened a little. The youth could tell that Ikuta wasn’t just being optimistic, and was predicting what General Remeon would do based on his personality.
「And of course, it will be the best for us to secure the Emperor. That means we will have the advantage during negotiations, but it’s not a necessary condition to stop the coup. Please be clear about that. We want to find the Emperor for the sake of stopping the war, so it is pointless to start a fight over the Emperor. To me, it’s fine if the Emperor is really gone.」
The youth said with a shrug… After learning that the Emperor was missing, he had re-evaluated what might happen in the future. What happens if the Igsem faction secured the Emperor, or the Remeon faction got hold of His Majesty, or when his faction finds the Emperor── Even if Matthew’s worry that 「if we don’t find His Majesty」 was to happen, there was still room for discussion. There were pros and cons for each scenario, and the youth searched for the best action to take in each event.
The problem was the process of searching for the Emperor, clashes would be inevitable when their search zones overlaps with another faction. However, they had to avoid major battles that would lead to many casualties. For Ikuta and the others whose goal was to mediate for the coup, this was more important than finding the Emperor.
「Sigh, Field Marshal Igsem and General Remeon can differentiate right from wrong, and won’t do anything childish like children fighting over snacks. But they aren’t people who will hesitate during crucial moments. Also… like that time during the northern unrest, the frontline commanders and soldiers might act out of line. If that happens, we will be the force of intimidation that will keep the three factions in check──」
「「「「「「「Imperial Edict!」」」」」」」
Several perfectly in sync voices that came from all over the room cut Ikuta off. The soldiers around the table looked startledly to their pouches. When they saw their Sprites speaking with hollow eyes, they realized what this situation meant.
「This is a Jewel Voice Broadcast…」「How can this be!」「Are you kidding me, we haven’t found the Emperor yet──」
Unable to stand this unsightly scene, Major General Saba slammed his palm onto the table:
「Don’t panic, you noobs! Listen quietly!」
That roar that was like a punch to their brain made everyone from the Knight Order members to his adjutant Major Melza shut up. After the Major General forcefully restored order, the soldiers listened carefully.
「「「「「「── On the request of the Katjvarna Emperor Arshankrut Kitra Katjvanmaninik, Chancellor Trisnai Izanma hereby announce the following edict. It is regrettable, but I am on my deathbed during this national crisis. Before the flame of my life extinguishes, I want to pass my will onto the next generation──」」」」」」
As the voices continued, Princess Chamille’s eyes turned sharper. The Sprites carried on:
「「「「「「── I will be holding a royal conference. In the province of the Empire’s past glory, a place that befits its 900 odd years of history, I will be waiting for my noble blood kin to gather. Absentees will lose the right to inherit my will. Hurry on over, hurry on over, hurry on over──」」」」」」
After concluding the edict by repeating the last sentence stubbornly, the Sprites spoke no more. A deep silence fell on them, and the soldiers couldn’t comprehend what was the meaning behind that edict.
「……Royal conference… It’s that thing, right… Before the new Emperor is coronated, all the royals are summoned to discuss all sorts of things…」
Matthew mutterly baffledly. Major Melza nodded with the same expression.
「… That’s right. It is formally a conference chaired by the reigning Emperor to decide who will succeed him. However, the line of succession won’t change at the last moment, so this is just a procedure to formally acknowledge the authority of the next Emperor── and is more of a ceremony of the courts…」
「I don’t know anything about the courts… But is that something that must be held now?」
Sazarf looked confused as he asked that. The Princess shook her head with a stiff face.
「No, it’s the opposite. That man did such a thing because the country is divided right now.」
「That guy…? No, who is the one who sent this edict? The Igsem faction? Or the Remeon faction? This is ridiculous! Going by our earlier deductions, whichever camp gets the Emperor will issue an edict to legitimize their own faction──」
「No, Matthew. The Emperor is still missing… This edict is issued by Trisnai who is still in hiding.」
Ikuta told him with a bitter face. The slightly plump youth’s confusion reached its peak.
「But why!? It is one thing to seek the protection of the Igsem faction, but why gather the royals under the guise of hosting a Royal conference!?」
「I don’t know what that fox is thinking, but that Jewel Voice Broadcast has determined what will happen in the future.」
Ikuta ground his teeth loudly. With everyone’s eyes on him, the dark haired youth explained:
「…In the province of the Empire’s past glory, a place that befits its 900 odd years of history, I will be waiting for my noble blood kin to gather. The words are cryptic, but it is not in code. 『Province of the Empire’s past glory』 probably refer to the old restricted residence in the Dafuma Province to the south, before it was shifted to Banhataal. I don’t know where 『a place that befits its 900 odd years of history』 refers to, but there are a few possible places such as the former capital Lachzenka city comes to mind. Anyway, I’m hiding somewhere in the Dafuma Province, so bring a royal to me── that’s the gist of the message.」
「So Trisnai is seeking aid…? But the Remeon faction will receive the message, so it will be a matter of luck on which faction will reach him first?」
「That’s right, there is no telling what the results will be, the process has been decided── the Igsem faction and Remeon faction will send the majority of their forces to the Dafuma Province.」
Ikuta slammed his fist onto the table. Realizing what that meant, Torway opened his eyes wide:
「… Could it be… Trisnai is encouraging the two forces clash with that edict…?」
「Encouraging? It’s not that simple, this is pouring oil onto the fire! Once they learn that the Emperor is in the Dafuma Province, Field Marshal Igsem and General Remeon had to send troops over! If they search the same area, clashes are unavoidable…!」
「H-Has that Chancellor gone mad…? That will just make matters worse!」
Sazarf’s yell made everyone gulp. The word 「Illogical」 flashed across their minds.
「…『Absentees will lose the right to inherit my will』, so any royals who isn’t present for the Royal conference will be stripped of their succession rights. Conversely, by stopping others from attending, royals further down the line of succession can take the throne── that’s what the edict was implying.」
The Princess said in a tone without any warmth. Major General Saba nodded sternly:
「I see, he is encouraging the royals into a power struggle… No, he is accelerating the adversity between the factions protecting the royals. And now, we have fallen into the torrent of power struggle, since we have the Third Princess with us…」
Major General stopped mid sentence. As an imperial soldier, he was hesitant to finish his words.
When everyone had stopped speaking, Haro raised her hand and butted in:
「… Regarding the Jewel Voice Broadcast earlier… Could it be a diversion? Maybe His Majesty and the Chancellor aren’t in the Dafuma Province, and will attempt to escape overseas when we focus our efforts over there…」
「That is possible… But the authenticity is the problem. In order to legitimize their army, Field Marshal Igsem and General Remeon had no choice but to obey the edict. And we can’t sit by idly.」
「… Yes, that can’t be helped. We came here to stop the fight between the two forces.」
The Princess’ words made the soldiers remember their original goal. Ikuta nodded firmly and told everyone:
「Form a detachment unit to march for Dafuma Province. Major General Saba will run the show here, I will command the detachment. Major General, I will need you to house sit, will that be fine?」
「I have no objections. I just need 5,000 men.」
「I will be counting on you. Torway, Matthew, Haro─ You and your units will follow me. Princess, you have to accompany us, of course.」
The four named person stood up as one. Now that the meeting was over, they spent very little time seated in their chairs. Without having any time to rest from their long journey, they started moving on to their next destination.
At the same time, in the sixth floor commander’s office of the 「Zalulu Hunger Castle」. The moment the Jewel Voice Broadcast ended, Field Marshal Solvenares Igsem issued his orders to the officers in the room:
「Form search teams immediately. Honorary General Yorunzaf Igsem and Brevet Lieutenant Colonel Yatorishino Igsem, head for the Dafuma Province with 3,000 cavalry to search for His Majesty. I will inform you on the details of the unit roster in five minutes.」
「Right.」「Yes Sir!」
「Avoid unnecessary skirmishes on your way there. We have allies garrisoned in the base of that province, try your best to link up with them. Then use the advantage in numbers to search for the Emperor.」
Field Marshal ordered plainly with a serious tone. General Yorunzaf said with an intrigued voice:
「I wish to differentiate which type of battles are unnecessary.」
「One, you are permitted to strike back when attacked; Two, your goal is limited to maintaining or widening your search area, and you are allowed to attack preemptively to keep the enemy at bay. Three, after confirming the location of His Majesty, you are allowed to use all forces necessary to protect him.」
The Field Marshal answered immediately. The fiery haired general showed a violent smile:
「I understand very very clearly── Let us be off. Hurry with the preparations, Yatorishino.」
With that as a signal, the two Igsem left the room together.
As they walked down the stairs, the General said to Yatori who was walking beside him:
「Fuhaha! Did you hear that? Holding a Royal conference in such a situation? That edict is just trying to worsen the situation. I heard the rumours, but it seems a malicious fox had gotten hold of the Emperor.」
General Yorunzaf laughed off the dire state of the situation, and his arrogant attitude seemed somewhat reliable. Seeing that her grand uncle was the same as usual, Yatori answered calmly:
「… As the search area is limited to the Dafuma Province, clashing with the Remeon faction will be inevitable. We need to be careful with our actions, but what are the plans of the General?」
「We have the advantage in a treasure hunt, since 70% of the Dafuma Province is open plains. Be it in a search or a fight, we won’t lose to the thin and pale fools from the Remeon faction.」
「Our cavalry has the advantage of terrain. But this time, the Remeon wind gunners will use a new weapon that didn’t exist when you are still in active service. Please be careful of that.」
「You mean the Air Rifles? My men tore apart the a sample and took a look, it is very delicate for a toy. The bullet trajectory is stable, and it is very accurate from long range. They won’t need to form ranks to fire volleys anymore. No wonder that Terushinha brat is getting so cocky.」
He remarked casually, but his thoughts got right to the point. He had retired from active duty for a long time, but the old general had a clear idea about the threat posed by the Air Rifles.
「When we fight them, we will have to change our usual methods of keeping our distance a little… Well, we will get used to it after fighting one time. Speaking of which, fighting a new type of weapons huh. I am getting hot blooded despite my advanced age.」
Seeing the old general swinging his right arm in anticipation of battle, the vermillion haired girl realized that her worries were unnecessary. General Yorunzaf wasn’t someone who would get rusty from retirement.
The two of them went down to the third floor, and stepped up to the window to save some time.
「You seemed really happy, Grand Uncle.」
「Of course. Be it now or in the past, there’s nothing enjoyable than the thrill of war.」
The two Igsem joked with each other and leaped out of the window as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
When he heard the sudden Jewel Voice Broadcast, hatred and murderous intent towards Trisnai Izanma surged up in General Remeon’s heart, but he didn’t lose his composure again.
He took two deep breath to ease the strong emotions in his heart, faced his staff officers in the conference room again, and they focused their gazes on him. They had all fallen into deep confusion, and needed the leadership of the jade eyed general.
「『The province of the Empire’s past glory』… thinking about it forwardly, it’s the Dafuma Province in the south, right? What’s the situation with the military base there?」
「It’s the territory of the Igsem faction, with 2,000 troops garrisoned there. Considering its decision from here, so it wasn’t our suppression target.」
Lieutenant Colonel Lucika stated the facts calmly. Her calmness was invaluable to the General at this very moment.
「With this Jewel Voice Broadcast as the cue, the local forces might have already started their search. But there is no telling whether His Majesty is really in the Dafuma Province. This might be a diversion by Trisnai── or maybe a malicious prank.」
「Even so, the edict is still a fact. We have to act, however──」
After surveying the faces of the subordinates around him, General Remeon crossed his arms in deep thought:
「── I can’t leave here. And so… Who will lead the search team?」
The officers gulped. This was a difficult choice to make. It wasn’t just arriving at the destination and start searching for the Emperor, they also need to be ready for battle during the process, and negotiate for a more advantageous position. They had to avoid conflict, but not appear weak to the enemy, and find the Emperor swiftly and protect him── aside from an outstanding eye for strategy, they would also need to make nimble political maneuvers.
「I will go.」
Lieutenant Colonel Lucika broke the silence, and the General turned towards her in surprise.
「Battling and searching at the same time, and multitasking the search with negotiations── I feel I’m more suited to such a war that involves so many tedious details. I should be able to produce good results.」
「You? No, but… I’m not doubting your abilities…」
The jade eyed general said vaguely. When she saw him like this, his long time adjutant smiled deviously:
「Ara, do you feel that uneasy about me leaving the main base?」
Her taunting words made General Remeon raised the corners of his lips in an awkward smile. No matter what the truth might be, the commander-in-chief of an army couldn’t say yes to that question.
Realizing the responsibility on his shoulders, he shook his head:
「Don’t look down on me, Lieutenant Colonel Lucika. I have outgrown the need for a nanny.」
「I feel slightly more at ease after hearing you say that. Just a little.」
「You are as sassy as ever…」
Giving up on his rebuttal, the General shrugged. No matter how much of a front he puts up, he couldn’t hide his true self from her. After all, he just lost his composure before her recently:
「I understand, I will leave the search for His Majesty to you. But I have a condition.」
「And what might that be?」
「Return to me safely. It won’t be fair for this to go on. While we are still on active duty, I want to see you panic at least once.」
When she heard him say that, the 「Ice Lady」 didn’t even twitch a brow as she saluted in a perfect motion. Only God and her knew whether the clumsy concern of the jade eyed general reached her.
Chapter 3: Fierce General Yorunzaf
The fastest way to reach the Dafuma Province in the south from the center of the Empire, was by using the main road. However, the Remeon faction had blockaded the main roads when they staged the coup. Hence, the search teams led by General Yorunzaf for the Igsem faction, and Ikuta for the 「Rising Sun Regiment」 had to deal with this obstacle first.
「Send word to the Hunger Castle── At 5pm today, our faction will send a detachment of 3,000 men towards the Dafuma Province. Ikuta Sankrei will be commanding this unit personally.」
Ikuta gave the order before setting off, which confused the other members of the Knight Order:
「Hey, why are we telling them this? Having the lead will be advantageous for our search in the Dafuma Province. Considering what will happen in the future, shouldn’t we try to conceal our numbers and plans?」
「Don’t panic and listen, Matthew. Forget about having the lead, we can’t do anything before reaching the Dafuma Province. Before considering the search, we have to think about getting past the Remeon blockade.」
「That might be so, but how is this two issues related… Hmm? Ah, I see! You want to work together with the Igsem faction for the march there!」
「That’s it. The road had been blockaded, but that’s to prevent Igsem forces in other regions from coming in. They probably didn’t think they would need to stop a large unit from leaving. If we have enough numbers, we can break through the blockade.」
Matthew nodded, and Torway showed an enlightened face:
「Our goal coincides with the Igsem faction. If they advance together with us, our numbers would be above 5,000. The Remeon unit blockading the road might be rather big, but they won’t be able to stop such a large army.」
「That’s correct. When the Remeon faction has the upper hand, we will side with the Igsem faction to restore balance. We will do the opposite if need be. That’s our basic game plan.」
「The Three Kingdom strategy, huh… That was on the test for national stratagem.」
「National stratagem? We have made it big without even realizing it…!」
Haro’s casual comment made everyone laugh.
「… There’s a limit to simplifying things. You are summarizing all this with just a 『made it big』?」
「Ahahaha…! Instead of putting up a stiff front, it’s better to face the situation with a relaxed attitude. Hey, Yatori-san thinks so──」
Torway’s careless words silenced the room, and the youth turned stiff after realizing he had misspoke. What he said made that missing piece everyone was averting their eyes from that much more prominent.
No one could ease the mood. Once they realized the gaping void before them, it was futile to ignore it. So they pretend to not notice, and didn’t plan to touch on it. Even though they knew this was like walking on thin wire, and couldn’t last for long.
「… Let’s confirm our route. Everyone, please open your maps.」
Trying to hide it would just make things more miserable. Because he understood that, Ikuta didn’t try to lighten the mood with a joke, and just change the topic matter of factly. Even he couldn’t think of any other way.
She isn’t here── Afraid of facing this fact, the members of the Knight Order couldn’t accurately understand the how serious that was.
Yorunzaf Igsem who was in charge of the Igsem faction’s search team immediately understood the intentions of the message sent by the 「Rising Sun Regiment」. He could tell their interests were aligned, and arranged for his unit to match their advance. Shortly after setting off, he 「linked up」 with Ikuta’s group at a distance where they could see each other.
This was the very definition of adversity makes strange bedfellows, and the atmosphere between the two groups were more hostile than friendly. Their just happen to share a common goal for now, and would be at each other’s throat once the circumstances change── even the rank and file understood their relationship.
As the blood-like color of dusk slowly dyed the evening sky, General Yorunzaf cheerfully said to Yatori besides him:
「Hey, the commander of that group ain’t too bad, and is rather thick skinned. He’s called Ikuta Sankrei? Seems to be a young brat, what kind of guy is he?」
「It’s hard to describe with just a sentence, but please don’t take him lightly. If there are any openings, he will turn the entire situation on its head, that’s the kind of person he is.」
「Oh～ You think that highly of him… What about in battle? Is he a quick witted strategist, or proficient in front line command?」
「He can play either roles competently, but he doesn’t like to fight by nature. Instead of anniliating the enemy in a crushing defeat, he prefers to win without either sides suffering any losses. You probably wouldn’t like him.」
「Hmmp, how dull. But I’m not a mad dog that couldn’t tell right from wrong, and this is a civil war. If they don’t want to fight, that’s all the more better.」
The general showed restrain in his words, but he couldn’t hide the displeasure in his brows. There was no point in admonishing him, since Yorunzaf’s craving for battle is his nature.
「Sigh, let’s march hand in hand lovingly for now. Things won’t be so peaceful when we reach the Dafuma Province── let’s hope everything will end swiftly and peacefully.」
With a faint smile that contradicts his words, General Yorunzaf tugged the reins with his lone arm.
When the Igsem faction and 「Rising Sun Regiment」 search teams head down the southern road, the Remeon unit back away temporary and allowed them to pass. Or rather, they had no other choice, the difference in numbers were too great for them to attempt any resistance. Even if that was possible, no one was stupid enough to make the mistake of having the forces to clash here.
「Quickly! Time is of the essence!」
In charge of all the forces they could mobilize while maintaining their hold on central── a search team of 7000, the Remeon faction’s chief of staff Lieutenant Colonel Lucika headed south.
There was a road connecting the capital Banhataal to the central military base, and the Remeon faction had control of these places, allowing them to set off faster at this stage. Thanks to that, they had a 40km lead over Ikuta’s unit.
「… If we want to advance without clashing with the other forces, the only way is to cut off the traffic. So we will destroy all the bridge along our path.」
Lieutenant Colonel Lucika ordered the unit blockading the road to let the search team from the other factions to pass through, but that didn’t mean she had given up on harassing her opponents. She was in front of them and traveling on the same route, so she could obstruct them given enough time and manpower── simply put, creating obstacles. Destroying bridges were the basics of the basics.
「… That might be so, but we can only focus on the bridges on the main roads. We don’t have the time to destroy all bridges leading to the Dafuma Province, and that will cut off our return route too. With that in mind, we can stall for around three days.」
It’s enough to force the other search teams to take the long detour── that’s what the 「Ice Lady」 thought. The faster they reach the Dafuma Province, the better her camp’s position in finding the Emperor. This was a big advantage, by seizing the key areas in the Province, they could hold onto their wide search zone even after the other forces arrive.
「Hmm, we are almost at the river. We will head west from here.」
On the fourth day of the march, Ikuta who was the commander-in-chief ordered the 「Rising Sun Regiment」 search team to change directions. The girl in light armor who was in charge of Princess Chamille’s escort team tilted her head puzzledly:
「The west? I think we should continue straight towards the south to reach the Dafuma Province.」
「That won’t work. We will hit the Taburan river soon, and since the Remeon faction took the same route, they must have destroyed the bridges along the way. Instead of diverting in disappointment after seeing that, it is better to make the detour ahead of time.」
The dark haired youth explained to Warrant Officer Lucanti as he looked east with his telescope. He could see the advance party of the Igsem search team keeping pace with his unit, while maintaining a fixed distance away.
Their tension remained despite the distance between them, but the other group didn’t have any objection with changing directions, and headed west too.
「We don’t even need to send out messengers. With Yatori with them, we can understand each other easily.」
The Igsem faction’s cavalry unit was led by the vermillion haired girl. They could only look at her from afar, they had confirmed her presence three days ago. The members of the Knight Order could breathe easy for now, after seeing that Yatori was safe.
The youth sound delighted whenever he mentioned her. When she hears that, Princess Chamille beside him would feel a pain in her chest. However── the girl didn’t show such emotions as she said:
「Working together with the Igsem and force the Remeon faction to surrender── is that possible?」
「If you are referring to a ceasefire, that won’t be possible before the Emperor is located. As long as one of the faction had the possibility of 『winning』, it is impossible to settle on a compromise.」
「In that case, the faction with the Emperor will win this coup?」
「It’s not that simple. Sigh～ the side that gets legimitized through an edict would become the『official army』, and would gain the upper hand in morale. On the contrary, the faction branded as 『rebels』 would lose the support of the masses, and their morale would plummet. That would be a critical blow to the conservative Igsem faction, and the Remeon faction would lose the means of erecting a military government. Simply put, it would determine which side had to make the compromise in the next ceasefire negotiations.
「… Which side do you plan on giving the honor too?」
「This isn’t the result I’m hoping for, but if we can’t protect the Emperor ourselves, I hope the Remeon faction gets hold of him. The only thing that could stop the Igsem is the authority of the Emperor. If I have to choose one of them, I will prefer the Remeon faction that is easier to deal with.」
「Hmm? I understand what you mean… But why didn’t we…」
Form an alliance with the Remeon faction to stop the Igsem faction──? It was on the tip of her tongue, but the Princess stopped herself. If they did that, they would be completely at odds with the Igsem faction, and an all out war would have broken out by now.
Realizing that the Princess had swallowed her words, Ikuta explained with an awkward smile:
「… In this situation, it would be all over once we clearly side with either faction, Your Highness. The three way balance is only possible because our relation is fluid. We are working together with the Igsem faction now, but the situation will change again in the Dafuma Province, and we will hinder each other’s search. And of course, we will do this in the safest way possible. In any case, the ending I’m looking for is a peaceful resolution with the Remeon faction having the edge. I will make them give up on establishing a military government, and reach a consensus with the Igsem faction on improving the policies and structure of the military. Most important of all── I don’t want anyone to be punished at the end of everything, no matter which faction they chose to side with. So there won’t be any war criminals. This is important, since my head is on the line too.」
Ikuta pointed at his own head jokingly. After a brief pause, the youth looked up at the cloudy sky:
「If everything goes well── the Remeon faction will have a strong hold over the Imperial Army, and the Igsem faction will lose influence and be given less responsibilities. In a sense, that will be relieving them of their heavy burden. The responsibility she has to shoulder will also──」
Ikuta muttered as he stared at the far horizon. The girl felt sad seeing him like this, and averted her eyes.
「Is this the path of light that you are hoping for...?」
As she thought about herself getting burned by that light, Princess Chamille mumbled to herself with a trembling voice.
Nine days after setting off, with the Dafuma Province right before them, Ikuta’s group headed west, parting ways with the hostile Igsem faction that headed east. There wasn’t any skirmishes, which made the soldiers from both forces sigh in relief.
Everything has been proceeding as expected. Keeping the Remeon faction that arrived earlier in mind, they had already decided the area to set up base to avoid meaningless confrontation in this early stage.
The Remeon search unit that had the advantage of taking the shortest route moved straight into the northern side of the province, and expanded their search zone from there. On the other hand, the Igsem linked up with their friendly forces at the eastern part of the province to make up for their deficit in numbers.
Ikuta’s group had to avoid avoid overlapping their search zone with the other two factions, and by the process of elimination, headed into the Province from the west. They would fall behind in the initial phase, but their priority was to avoid conflict, and there was no meaning in going against that policy to seize territory.
「Alright, let’s get started── each battalion are to head towards their assigned zones!」
After saying that, Ikuta started issuing orders to the officers under his charge. As the objective was to conduct a search, there was no point keeping their forces static. They had to despatch each battalion to their assigned zone, and the battalions would then conduct the search in their zone.
「Let’s go, Ma-kun!」「Yes!」
The six battalion set off to their respective zones, and the commanders of two of these battalions were Torway and Matthew. They had gone through a reorganization since the Hiored Ore Mines campaign, and the two of them had been promoted to Brevet Captains. They were now battalion commanders under Ikuta’s command.
「We will need to secure the supply point, and find a water source.」
「Yes, I have a place in mind. Kunwai town that is 40km east of here.」
Torway pointed to a spot on the map. The 1,200 men under their charge would be working together for the upcoming mission. The pudgy youth nodded in agreement.
「Looks great. We will be searching the central zone, and the traffic network seems good too. I hope the townsfolk will give us their support.」
「Or rather, we will be in deep trouble if we can’t count on them. We are lightly equipped for this mission, and didn’t bring any supply wagons as they will slow us down.」
「Even if we ration it sparingly, our supplies will dry up in three days. Sigh, we have to figure this out. It will be an utter disgrace to starve to death in our own country.」
Matthew laughed sarcastically. The jade eyed youth smiled in response, and they started their march.
On the other hand, the Remeon faction that arrived at the Dafuma Province four days ago had started their search after swiftly setting up their base.
「Report! We have completed the search of the houses in zone one to zone seven of the city! We didn’t find any traces of the Emperor or the Chancellor」
「Continue the search. The basement, storeroom, secret rooms── even the pens for livelock, search thoroughly.」
A woman ordered emotionlessly. The community center of the old capital Lachzenka was being used as a command headquarters, and Lieutenant Colonel Lucika Kursk studied the reports sent in by her subordinates. They had done a thorough search of seventy percent of the city, and had not found any signs of the Emperor.
「So they are not in the old capital…?」
She was just affirming that with a mutter, Lieutenant Colonel Lucika didn’t really feel anxious about that── since her opponent was a sly fox, she didn’t think it will be so easy to catch him. There were proper ways to hunt a fox, and she was still at a stage of sending helpers into the hills to chase her prey.
「Uwah── M-My apologies!」
A panicky voice disrupted her train of thought. The officer who was opening the door to exit seemed to have hit someone, and when she saw the tall figure from the door gap, Lieutenant Colonel Lucika said:
「Enter, Major.」
「Pardon my intrusion.」
The figure answered softly and stepped into the commander’s office.
His features were proper and well defined, and had a sharp air about him. His blue eyes under his short rugged hair had a dangerous gleam. Rather than a sign of his ambition── he looked closer to a beast that had been forced into a corner.
「Only the finishing touches are left for the Lachzenka search. I left it to the First battalion, and I will start searching my assigned zone too. Permission to proceed.」
「Granted… However, I have a request. Take a deep breathe.」
The man frowned after hearing that, and when the 「Ice Lady」 stared into his eyes, he followed his orders obediently and breathe in deep. His superior officer nodded at the sight of that.
「You seemed really flustered. I won’t ask why, but remember this well── you have the tendency of failing when besieged by such emotions.」
The Lieutenant Colonel cautioned him with the tone of a teacher. The man bit his lips with his canines:
「… I will keep that in mind, Mdm.」
「Well done on giving that answer. Carry on.」
With that, the man saluted, turned and left. After leaving the commander’s office, a soldier who was one size bigger than the man was waiting outside. After acknowledging each other with a gaze, they walked out together.
「Are we setting off, big brother?」
「Yes, Sushu. Old hag Lucika gave her permission.」
The man brushed his hand up across his face as he said that. He didn’t need to do that now, but he couldn’t stop his habit from when his hair was long.
「Our chance is finally here, let’s get rid of the troublesome people and advance forward. Be it the Igsem, 『Rising Sun Regiment』, or our little brother who turned his back on his family…!」
Without concealing the dangerous air about him, Sarihasrag Remeon walked forth with a murderous aura. Sushuraf who was walking beside him nodded, and speed up to match his brother’s pace.
On top of the issue of taking in Torway’s group, trouble was brewing in the Kunwai Town. Before the soldiers arrived there, the citizens felt a strong sense of unease. They only learned about this through unconfirmed rumors, but they noticed that something big was happening in Central. It was only to be expected that the visiting soldiers were surrounded by the crowd craving for news.
「The northern route has been blockaded! I can’t contact my son in Central, what’s going on here!」
「What’s with that Jewel Voice Broadcast? Is His Majesty okay!?」
「P-Please wait! Everyone, calm down…!」
Torway who came out to greet the citizens as the unit commander was troubled by the citizens mobbing him. He didn’t know how to sooth the crowd, and was too gentle to brush them off and execute his duty as a soldier.
「Don’t worry! We will explain the entire situation to everyone!」
The mildly rotund youth who grew up with a close relationship to the local citizens offered his aid.
「As you have noticed, a part of the Imperial Army has turned traitor! We are the subjugation army sent to defeat these traitors! They might be hiding around this place, so we will set up patrols to ensure your safety! Please lend us your aid!」
It was a lie that included some truth. This is just like something Ikuta would do, Matthew thought as he continued his speech:
「The roads have been blockaded to stop the traitors from escaping! It will cause delays in traveling and cargo transport, but that will be temporary, please bear with us for the inconvenience caused! The Jewel Voice Broadcast is proof of that──」
He crafted his lies logically, which relieved the unease of the crowd a lot. After persuading them for ten minutes, Matthew felt the crowd’s pressure easing and took that chance to force his way through the crowd, pulling Torway along with him. He whispered to the youth as they walked:
「You are really bad with situations like this! When you encounter mobs like this, just do what you can to put them at ease! You can worry about the specifics of your words later!」
「T-Thank you, Ma-kun. But is that really fine, if they see through that lie…」
「Shush──! It won’t be seen through, and don’t call it a lie! Neither the Igsem nor the Remeon factions would declared that 『a coup is ongoing right now』! They don’t want to let the citizens learn the truth, so what I said is a common lie amongst the entire military!」
In this sense, Matthew was more practical than Ikuta. Thanks to that, Torway’s group immediately met with a middle aged man who claimed to be the Mayor.
After dealing with the townsfolk, they ironed out the details on procuring food and other supplies smoothly. With these preparations done, they worked on their primary objective:
「Let’s start with confirming the situation around here. Scout unit, move out!」
On the battalion commander’s command, two platoon of cavalry split into 8 sections and trotted out of the base. Most of the 600 men in the 3 companies that made up the battalion were windgunners, but there were also a small group of riders responsible for communications and reconnaissance. There were also fire soldiers, medics and illumination troops that supported the battalion.
「The main windgunners unit will move by company level. We will search towards the southeast, and maintain our distance with each other as we sweep the area. You might think this is a too reserved…」
「This is an open plain, it’s hard to spread out and use cover. In this situation, our foot soldiers will have to defend ourselves by moving in a group… I have no objections, let’s exercise more caution.」
Matthew concurred with Torway with a solemn face. From this moment on, their expression was no longer relaxed.
The outskirts of their search zone had a good chance of encountering the forces from the other factions. They had to watch over their assigned zone, and repel any invading enemy forces.
And of course, there was a high chance of a battle. Even a skirmish with the aim of keeping other forces at bay might result in death── Or rather, they couldn’t keep the enemy forces away without inflicting some death. The battlefield they were heading into was like diluted poison. They would hit a fatal dosage if they kept drinking it, and there would be an all out battle eventually.
「… It would be easier if we had more cavalry. Really now, Yatori just had to absent in a crucial time like this.」
The jade eyed youth answered Matthew’s grumbles with an awkward smile── Most of the cavalry from the Hiored Ore Mines campaign joined up with the Igsem faction along with Yatori. Hence, Ikuta’s 「Rising Sun Regiment」 was seriously short on cavalry. After sending the riders on reconnaissance and messaging, there wasn’t any cavalry left for combat purposes. The Dafuma Province was 70% open plains, so this shortage was a big worry for them.
「… Yatori-san must have it hard too. We have to work hard by ourselves this time.」
「Hmmp, of course. Her absence is no big deal, but──」
Drawing his gaze away from the youth, the pudgy youth looked casually to the northern horizon where they came from.
「── When all this is over, I want to meet up with the usual old faces. Just a bland meal at the
Central base’s officer mess will do.」
Central base’s officer mess will do.」
「… Yes, we will, Ma-kun. Let’s fight for the sake of doing that.」
Torway gave his word firmly, and Matthew nodded in agreement. In other to fulfil this small wish of theirs, the two members of the 「Knight Order」 took action.
「The initial deployment is complete! In terms of chess, we have finally placed all the pieces on the board.」
<TL: Shogi>
At the same time, in the field headquarters set up behind Matthew’s group, Ikuta and Princess Chamille were staring at a map on the table. It has been a month since the coup was staged, which was the mid point of the two month time limit they set beforehand.
「We can finally begin our search. But from the look of the map, the search area is drifting too far to the south of the province…?」
The Princess asked moodily as she looked at the deformed ovals on the map that indicates the search area. The dark haired youth shook his head:
「This is fine. Or rather, this is the only choice. Our numbers and cavalry are far fewer than the Remeon and Igsem factions. No matter how much we try, we can’t widen our search zone to match them. And so, we have to use a plan for a force with smaller numbers── Pick the key area and get a headstart.」
「A headstart… Is that the reason why we sent our units to detour from the south?」
「That’s right. The Remeon faction will move from north to south, the Igsem faction sweeps from west to southeast. So the encirclement will get smaller towards the south, and the location of the Emperor will be confined to the narrow stretch to the south.」
「That’s correct, but won’t one of the factions find the Emperor during their search?」
「Then the coup is over. If the Remeon or Igsem faction find the Emperor in their search zone, then we can’t interfere── But that’s fine. Our main goal is to prevent the military conflict from escalating. For example, if the Remeon faction finds the Emperor, the Igsem faction might consider securing him forcefully out of desperation. Here’s where we play our role. If a battle breaks out, the winner would be exhausted from the fight. We might be able to net the benefit of the Snipe Clam Grapple*── By making them aware of this possibility, we can stop either side from making any rash moves. At the very least, we can stop an all out fight.」
「Yes, I understand the effect of our presence, but…」
「We are like a form of balancing machine. Not finding the Emperor will be a real problem. When the search is confined to the south of the province, clashes will be inevitable, like shutting three dogs inside a dog house. And the troubling thing is, there’s a good chance of that happening. When hunters come from the north, west and east, the fox will naturally flee to the south.」
「… You are saying that Trisnai won’t just be hiding and will evade the search too?」
「Of course he will run when we are onto him. He will send this coup into chaos, drag out the conflict between the factions, and torment us as much as possible── I don’t understand his motive, but that is the only way to please him. If not, things wouldn’t have turned out so ridiculously.」
After saying that with a bitter tone, Ikuta’s face suddenly turned serious:
「… That’s right, this isn’t a treasure hunt, but a foxhunt. The commanders of the other factions must have realized this by now. That’s why the initial phase where the three forces set up their bases had gone so smoothly. Limiting the escape path to one route works out for all of us.」
「I see, so we are in the chasing the prey phase… But we won’t be the only one sending troops to the south.」
「As you expected, if we can’t find the Emperor, all the forces will congregate in the south. When I mention getting a headstart earlier, I was referring to this scenario that has a high probablity of happening. Specifically speaking── I want to secure our base in the south before we fall into a stalemate.」
The youth explained his plan and pursed his lips tightly.
「… That’s why I sent the most trustworthy battalion under Torway to execute this mission. It is an important mission, and there is a high chance of encountering forces from another faction that has the same intention, so it’s very dangerous… If possible, I want to go there personally.」
Ikuta clenched his fists over the map. After hesitating for a moment, the Princess overlapped her hand over his.
「… Not just Torway, Matthew is with him too. Since you trust your companions and delegated this mission to then, then don’t agonize over your decision. The two of them can do it if they work together.」
「I think so too. However── this is a war. It’s illogical, unreasonable, and no one knows what will happen.」
As he stared at a spot on the map, where Torway and Matthew should be passing through, the youth muttered with a serious face and hoped sincerely for their safety.
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